Crooked Bangs and an Avalanche of Gifts
"Yawn..."
Seoya rubbed her eyes as she woke from her nap, still sprawled on the bed. It was just turning evening, and with nothing on her agenda, she rolled over lazily on the sheets.
"Princess, bored?"
Ji Sein poked her head into Seoya's room as she was heading to her own.
"A little..."
With only Ji Sein surfing the internet at home, the place was wrapped in a heavy silence.
"Oh my god, Princess. Your bangs have gotten so long."
Ji Sein had plopped down on the edge of Seoya's bed before she knew it, gently stroking the messy strands scattered across the sheets.
"I hadn't noticed."
"Your bangs—I swear they weren't that long before, right?"
"Oh, yeah."
Back on Toda, she'd let her bangs cover her forehead. It helped retain a bit of body heat in that frozen world. But after coming here, she'd been sweeping them to the side.
"Want me to cut them for you?"
"Sure."
Ji Sein looked thrilled at the prospect. She dragged Seoya to the bathroom and planted her in a chair, handing over her hair to the scissors in Ji Sein's hand. Seoya had never cared much about her hairstyle anyway, so whatever happened, it didn't matter.
Snip snip—
The quiet bathroom echoed only with the sound of scissors.
"Yawn..."
Not fully awake yet, Seoya yawned again.
"Turn the chair around..."
Ji Sein stared at Seoya's face, her eyelids fluttering as she fought off sleep. Ji Sein's expression grew serious, her hands trembling as she snipped away. Then, in a hesitant voice:
"...Looks good. Yeah, it's fine..."
Beep-beep-beep—
"We're home."
Right on cue, the front door password chimed, and Lee Gayeon and Baek Yena trudged in, faces etched with exhaustion. Having spent the day dealing with weird hunter behavior firsthand, Seoya missed them more than she'd admit. She bolted out of the bathroom like a bullet.
"Oh..."
Lee Gayeon and Baek Yena turned to greet her at the same time—and their faces twisted oddly.
"...What the hell happened?"
"...It's cute, though."
"No, it is cute, but..."
"Like a puppy."
"Nah, we should at least ask Seoya what she thinks."
"Why?"
Seoya blinked at them in confusion.
"Ji Sein cut your bangs?"
"Yeah."
"...If you're okay with it, then whatever."
Something felt ominous. Seoya wandered back to the bathroom and locked eyes with her reflection in the mirror over the sink.
"...Sein unnie."
Her bangs chopped unevenly right above her eyebrows—Seoya shuddered.
'I said I didn't care, but this is too much...'
"P-Princess... I messed up..."
"Hey, you dare piss off my baby?!"
"Unnie, it's fine..."
Seoya leaned against the sofa, munching popcorn expressionlessly, her voice flat. Baek Yena's eyes widened as she scolded Ji Sein.
"Hey! The baby's voice has no energy!"
"Waaah... Princess, I really screwed up..."
"It's okay. Stuff like this happens."
Seoya truly didn't mind. Sure, it was shocking at first, but who cared about hairstyle?
Ji Sein asked in a quivering voice:
"Really, really okay?"
"Of course. You offered to trim my bangs first, and now they're all crooked above my eyebrows—what's wrong with that?"
"Waaah! It's not okay...!"
"No, really, it's fine."
Knock knock knock—
"Delivery."
"Coming!"
The awkward tension shattered as the delivery guy knocked. Ji Sein shot out faster than anyone.
Long after the delivery guy left, she finally cracked open the front door—with an attitude very unlike her usual self.
"...Oh."
Instead of bringing the package inside, a surprised exclamation came from outside.
Minutes passed with no sign of her returning, so Lee Gayeon asked:
"What's up? What came?"
"Gayeon unnie, come out here."
"Oh..."
Lee Gayeon's gasp echoed from the doorway, and she didn't come back either.
"Argh, what the hell is it this time?!"
Baek Yena finally jumped up in frustration. Seoya trailed after her curiously.
"...Uh, um..."
Seoya gaped at the pile in front of the door. Stacks upon stacks of... things.
'Kinda like the gifts Kwon Yooseok sent through BlackPen before.'
But the scale was on another level now.
"Actually, Na Seonghyeon asked today if he wanted to send something to Seoya, could he go through Neverending Guild."
Lee Gayeon, the calmest among them, explained.
"So I gave him our address and said we'd pass it on..."
"...Yeah, how was unnie supposed to know it'd be this massive?"
Ji Sein chimed in.
They couldn't just leave it at the door, so they dragged the boxes inside first.
"Seonghyeon oppa doesn't even spend money usually, who knew?"
"The saying 'people who know how to spend money spend it well' isn't wrong. The more money you have, the better you spend it."
"Baek Yena, you suck at spending money."
"It's not about the money. Do we lack money? We lack family and friends to spend it on."
"...Wow, that's actually sad."
Finally, amid their bickering, Baek Yena and Ji Sein managed to haul everything inside.
"Looks like Na Seonghyeon felt really guilty about indirectly harming Seoya the other day."
Lee Gayeon tore open the nearest gift box—and frowned oddly.
"...Is this a car key?"
"Those papers under it look like warranty docs..."
Realizing Na Seonghyeon had sent a car, Ji Sein first looked dumbfounded, then doubled over laughing.
"Oh my god...! Giving a car to a kid who can't even get a license yet! Next he'll send a whole house... Huh?"
Her laughter cut off abruptly. On second thought, it wasn't that unrealistic.
'Was laughing, but now it's not funny...!'
Uneasy, they cracked open more boxes. No house or land deeds—thank goodness?—but all high-end luxury items. Na Seonghyeon knew she was a young woman from chatting, but not her exact age, so the gifts were gender-neutral: pricey gadgets, jewelry, health supplements. Safe choices.
Lee Gayeon clutched her neck at a glittering watch; Baek Yena rubbed her eyes at some items. All insanely expensive.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
With the mountain of gifts piled at the living room entrance, Lee Gayeon said solemnly.
"Feels like this is just the beginning..."
"Hope not, but Captain's probably right."
"Once people learn to spend money~ they can never stop~."
And their hunch was spot on. The next day, the day after, and the one after that. Three straight days of gift barrages, and they finally threw up their hands.
"Na Seonghyeon, that lunatic—what's his goal? It's scarier not knowing."
"To me, it looks like he found his life's joy... Got addicted to spoiling Seoya."
"Still feels off."
In the end, Seoya used the chat system to set up a direct meeting with Na Seonghyeon.
The meeting spot this time was Neverending Guild's building. For Kwon Yooseok, he'd known about Seoya, so she'd gone to him—but here, Seoya held the reins from the start.
On the top floor of Neverending Guild Building, Lee Gayeon and Park Haejun sat at their desks, having declared no outside duties even if an A-rank dungeon popped. Baek Yena pretended to work at a broken computer for Seoya's sake.
Seoya lounged deep in the plush central sofa, eagerly scooping pudding Park Haejun had handed her.
"Ah, it's been a while, everyone!"
The door burst open, and a familiar face greeted them cheerfully.
Na Seonghyeon waved amiably at Lee Gayeon and Park Haejun with a bright smile as he entered.
"Long time, Na Seonghyeon Hunter."
"It's been a while."
"Yeah~ So happy to see you all peacefully like this. Park Haejun Hunter, always so stiff as ever."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Come on, you know~ Oh, Yena! Long time!"
"Since when are we that chummy?"
"We've fought so much at top-10 meetings—gotta be some bond there."
"What bond?"
Baek Yena grumbled curtly.
"Anyway~ With you, Go Heejae, and Kim Iri all hunters, must've been tough in society."
"Ugh, total boomer talk."
"What? Am I that old already?"
Chatting playfully while scanning the room, Na Seonghyeon's eyes met Seoya's—she'd been watching him intently—and his face lit up dramatically.
"Oh my god, Seoya-ssi...!"
'No cape, and he recognizes me instantly?'
Seoya eyed him suspiciously. Ignoring her wariness, he beamed and strode over, looking ready to drop to his knees in awe.
"What an honor to meet you in person, Seoya-ssi..."
"...How'd you know it was me?"
"Your vibe."
Na Seonghyeon said it like it was obvious.
"Vibe?"
"Yeah... Like, it makes everything feel reverent...?"
Park Haejun, usually expressionless, shot Na Seonghyeon a rare look of disgust.
'That's what that street cultist said not long ago...'