Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Teaching Assistant × Teaching Assistant × Teaching Assistant (2)
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Lee Yeon-hee had been promoted and assigned to Seoul at the same time.
Her presence here wasn't strange in the least.
'I never thought I'd run into her here...'
But Kang Woojin hadn't dreamed of it, not even in his wildest imagination.
He figured she'd be unpacking at the officetel where he lived or at the old mansion where she'd stayed before.
Besides, the capital area was pretty vast.
For him, this was a completely unexpected encounter and an unforeseen reunion.
And Yeon-hee felt exactly the same.
"Woojin? You're Woojin, right?"
Blinking her eyes, Yeon-hee stared at Kang Woojin with a look of shock.
Her face, usually devoid of expression, had her eyes and mouth widening involuntarily.
It was a reunion of siblings after several years, yet the awkward air between the two hung thick as fog.
Yeon-hee had assumed she'd see him at home, not like this out in public.
She certainly hadn't imagined they'd cross paths in such a professional(?) capacity.
"Uh, yeah. Long time no see, Sis."
Kang Woojin scratched his head and barely managed to vibrate his vocal cords.
"Yeah. It has been a while. Have you been well?"
Yeon-hee returned the greeting and added,
"You've changed a lot."
For some reason, it felt just like exes bumping into each other by chance.
The atmosphere was that awkward.
The image of Kang Woojin etched in Yeon-hee's mind was a scruffy-haired shut-in who always hid his face, barely able to string words together even with his new family member—a total nerd.
It was only natural that her memories of him were stuck in the past.
They'd never once been in touch, let alone met.
'Is this really Woojin...?'
Recalling her scrawny, extremely timid little brother from back then, Yeon-hee kept making dubious faces.
It was right then.
"Hm? You two know each other?"
The Hunter Management Bureau's Surveillance Division officer cut between Kang Woojin and Yeon-hee, glancing back and forth at them.
"Ah, yes. She's my sister."
Kang Woojin nodded curtly and answered.
"I had no idea I'd see her here. I hadn't even heard she'd transferred to the Bureau."
He followed up by bluntly sharing his feelings.
"I see. Haha."
The Surveillance Division officer laughed it off heartily and explained.
"Yeon-hee isn't with the Bureau. She's from a cooperating company, here today just to observe the site for training purposes."
"Ah, got it."
In other words, even this man was seeing Yeon-hee for the first time.
"Well, in a broad sense, we're all family. Haha."
Yet he was already acting awfully chummy with her, though he'd only learned of her existence less than a day ago.
Yeon-hee, with her neat and pretty looks, had always been popular with men and women of all ages.
It was a moment that really drove her popularity home.
The Surveillance Division officer seemed keen to score points with her brother too, cracking jokes.
"Speaking of which, even Je-no—I mean, Mr. Kang Woojin doesn't know everything."
He said it like it was some fresh revelation.
"Even with future sight powers..."
Kang Woojin swiftly cut off the chatty man's words.
"Jeong Sang-guk, was it?"
Recalling the name of the Surveillance Division officer before him, Kang Woojin smirked.
"My sister has a boyfriend."
A warning not to get any funny ideas.
"Ah, uh, really? Haha, so Yeon-hee has a boyfriend."
"Now you know."
But Kang Woojin's true intent toward the man was simpler: shut up and stop yapping.
Yeon-hee didn't even know her stepbrother had awakened.
Kang Woojin had no desire to reveal his identity or any unnecessary details to his family.
If Yeon-hee found out, it was only a matter of time before Kang Eun-seol got wind of it too.
It would complicate things in all sorts of ways.
And it wasn't just them.
Looking back, Han Ye-eun, standing next to Kang Woojin and watching the scene, also knew little about his awakening ability.
All she knew was that Kang Woojin, operating under a hero alias like any other, was exceptionally skilled.
Kang Woojin, too busy toppling the Dawon Truth Church right in front of them to explain in detail, turned to Han Ye-eun with a throbbing headache.
"...?"
Receiving his sudden gaze, Han Ye-eun innocently tilted her head.
Fortunately, she seemed utterly uninterested in his awakening ability or secretive(?) circumstances.
Not uninterested so much as indifferent.
Having confessed her pure love earlier, Han Ye-eun was ready to accept whatever secrets he had.
Moreover, with feelings as vast as the sea, she deeply feared being discarded by him.
She'd nearly been abandoned after trying to brainwash him, after all.
She had no intention of prying into his past or secrets and earning his resentment.
She was already hopelessly smitten.
To Han Ye-eun, who had rebuilt her life from scratch, Kang Woojin was her entire world.
"Hello, Yeon-hee."
Sensing the mood, she glanced around before speaking to Yeon-hee.
"You're Woojin's sister, right? I've heard so much about you."
Yeon-hee replied with her usual blank expression.
"Ah, yes. Hello..."
But even her stoic mask didn't hold for long.
"I'm Ye-eun. Han Ye-eun. Woojin's middle school classmate. If it's okay with you, Yeon-hee, can I call you Sis?"
Yeon-hee and Han Ye-eun, meeting in a way utterly unlike the original game.
"...Han Ye-eun? As in, the daughter of the former cult leader?!"
Yeon-hee, uncharacteristically excited, blurted out words in a rush.
"I knew it! I wasn't seeing things! I saw you in person once on TV—no, during volunteer work! You probably don't remember me, but my boyfriend and I are Truth Church believers too!"
She acted like she'd just met a celebrity she idolized.
"Ah, uh, hello..."
Han Ye-eun, meanwhile, couldn't hide her fluster.
"Sis? Can I really call you that?!"
"Of course. Woojin and I are really close friends. Feel free to treat me casually in private, Sis."
The grand saintess of the Dawon Truth Church from the original story.
Watching this historic(?) gathering of the two, Kang Woojin let out a hollow chuckle.
'Sis has a side like that too.'
The Yeon-hee from the original he knew had no trace of that brightness.
The fact that he'd changed her future hit him anew with emotion.
But that lasted only a moment.
"Ahem. Anyway, let's head to the Bureau. It's just formalities, but both of you need to cooperate with the investigation."
Jeong Sang-guk, shoulders slumped since earlier, forced a businesslike tone.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "I need to head back to the company now."
Right after arriving at the Bureau, Yeon-hee said to me.
"We'll talk more at home later. I have a ton of questions, so no detours—head straight to your officetel tonight."
She laid down the law with a completely different face than the one she'd shown Han Ye-eun.
Click-clack.
Click-clack.
With that, she left the Bureau first, and Han Ye-eun and I underwent separate interrogations in different rooms.
"Come in, Mr. Kang Woojin."
Lee Dong-hyun, greeting me, let out a sigh in his office.
"Don't we see each other too often these days?"
What's so great about seeing each other so much?
I nodded in full agreement.
"You're right."
"So, what illegal use of awakening powers is it this time?"
"It wasn't me—it was Ye-eun who used hers."
Still wearing the mana-suppression bracelet, I naturally shifted all blame to Ye-eun.
"The reason was the cult leader's seal."
Of course, I didn't spell out our full relationship.
"There was a guy managing the cemetery. He was under Han Jong-hoe's brainwashing, so Ye-eun tweaked his memories a bit."
I added an excuse.
"No one was harmed."
Lee Dong-hyun tapped his desk with his pen.
"No harm done doesn't mean you can abuse your powers, Woojin."
"I know. It was unavoidable. Aren't you supposed to disperse those protesters outside the Bureau anyway?"
I kept bringing up the cult leader's seal.
Not personal use, but for cleaning up the Dawon Truth Church mess.
"Sigh. Fine. I'll handle this one quietly."
Acknowledging my words, Lee Dong-hyun sighed again.
"Thank you."
"By the way, you know Han Ye-eun's mind control ability is extremely dangerous, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
"Normally, it'd require national-level oversight. Her mana rank is only B-grade, but that unique ability alone makes her a high-priority subject."
Lee Dong-hyun was spot on.
The power to dominate others was dangerously beyond words.
Even with a lesser brainwashing ability, Han Jong-hoe had built Korea's biggest cult.
By the book, Han Ye-eun needed strict monitoring and Bureau control.
"Her registering as a normal(?) awakener is all thanks to your insistence, you know?"
"It's not just my push. Publicizing her ability would shake the Truth Church believers' faith. No need to stir up noise in these turbulent times."
That was why Han Ye-eun hadn't followed my path as Korea's new S-rank awakener.
She had the talent to become a top hunter representing Korea, but stabilizing the Dawon Truth Church suited her better than hunter duties.
On a national level, managing the masses of believers was far more important and urgent.
Besides, Korea already had one promotional hunter face.
Thanks to that, the Bureau, Lee Dong-hyun included, hadn't refused my requests, granting us all sorts of exceptions and conveniences.
"Anyway, don't worry too much. As her friend, I'll protect Ye-eun properly. And keep her in check, of course."
"...Understood."
"Just make sure she gets proper mandatory education. Having lived as an outcast for so long, some of those habits still linger."
"We'll keep that in mind."
Wrapping up the talk, I was leaving Lee Dong-hyun's office.
"You remember that favor I mentioned before?"
Reminding me of our prior deal, he stopped me.
"Ah, yes. I do. Just go on another show?"
"No. This time, we need your real skills, Woojin."
"What is it?"
"With the Truth Church leadership down, organizations and outcasts connected to them are acting suspicious. Like thieves panicking after their lair's raided."
Lee Dong-hyun added with a serious expression.
"Details from the Director himself. I'll set up a meeting soon—let me know a convenient date and time."
"Got it."
I inwardly smiled bitterly at his words.
'No rest for the weary.'
Even the approaching winter break felt like it'd be hectic.