Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Changes (4)
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“I’m sorry!!”
I was a little taken aback by Bang Han-na’s actions as she immediately dropped to the floor and bowed her head deeply in apology the moment I opened the front door.
“I’ve committed a grave sin...! P-Please, don’t fire me!”
“H-Hey, Han-na. It’s fine. Get up now...”
“I’ll do anything you ask...! Just forgive me this once...!”
Thud—!
No matter that it was a cushioned floor, I couldn’t help but step back at the sight of Bang Han-na slamming her head against it without hesitation. Calming my startled heart, I gave her the answer she wanted.
“Alright! I forgive you.”
At that, Bang Han-na snapped her head up, swallowing hard as if she’d been granted her life, and cautiously asked again.
“...R-Really...?”
Her moist green eyes and the reddish bump on her forehead.
It showed just how desperate she had been.
“Should I not forgive you?”
“N-No! No! Absolutely not!”
“Then get up. ...And dust off your clothes.”
“...Y-Yes...!”
Bang Han-na jumped to her feet and began meticulously brushing the dust off her body as I’d instructed...
‘Wait, she came all the way here like this...?’
I was caught off guard once more by her appearance, which only now caught my eye.
There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with her outfit itself.
It was a plain solid-color T-shirt paired with dolphin pants—a perfectly ordinary combination.
However...
Her figure was anything but ordinary.
The baggy T-shirt, meant to be loose, had ridden up due to her overwhelming cleavage, exposing a sliver of her waist. And because she’d been prostrated on the floor, her dolphin pants had rolled up completely, baring her pale thighs.
“A-All done!”
Whether she realized it or not, she fidgeted with her fingers and spoke to me cautiously.
Could anyone embody “defenseless” quite like her?
After pondering her outfit for a moment, I deliberately straightened my own T-shirt as I asked her,
“Feeling any better inside?”
She hurriedly adjusted her clothes as if she’d just realized, then nodded vigorously with her face flushed bright red.
“What about the hangover? Did you take the remedy I had stocked?”
“Uh... N-No...”
Her hair was still damp—she must have just splashed water on her face and rushed over.
That’s how urgent it had been for her.
‘She must have been so anxious...’
Feeling sorry for her anew, I let out a short sigh and opened my mouth.
“Then, have some ramen before you go.”
Same time.
After finishing the meeting, Hong Yu-ra left the office and headed to Seol Ju-hee’s house with her.
Seol Ju-hee, who had barely backed down after Gu Seok-il’s desperate pleas throwing his whole body into it, was still fuming and grumbling irritably...
“I won’t let him get away with this... I’ll break his other leg too, so he can’t even walk properly...!”
At the sight of Seol Ju-hee like that, Hong Yu-ra sank even deeper into thought.
‘Something’s off...’
Hong Yu-ra thought there was something suspicious about this incident.
Setting aside Do Ji-hyeok’s character, there were too many points that didn’t sit right.
The video that had come their way this time felt like it was guiding them somewhere—unlike the previous one, which had been more of an outright exposé, this one was packed with implications.
For example, Do Ji-hyeok mentioning he was planning to join Sejin Guild.
Do Ji-hyeok was already affiliated with Team Seoul City Hall.
And it wasn’t just nominal—he’d recently met directly with Seoul Mayor Lee Sang-heum and secured a promise of full support, as reported in the news.
It was far too proactive for someone about to switch teams soon.
Yet the video mentioned Sejin Guild and hinted at a transfer, and the negative reaction from the woman with him subtly revealed the video’s purpose.
This led people to assume Do Ji-hyeok would eventually join Sejin Guild, with Guild Leader Lee Hye-ri’s relationship with him driving the nail home.
In other words, while the video’s content was masked by the sensational story of “Do Ji-hyeok’s complicated relationships with women”...
It was densely packed with cunning staging designed to breed suspicion and guide their thinking.
‘...I might be overthinking it...’
Hong Yu-ra didn’t dismiss the possibility that she was reading too much into it, but the oddities she sensed didn’t end there.
She questioned Gu Seok-il’s ambiguous attitude.
He’d gathered everyone because he couldn’t handle it alone and shared the video, yet he was extremely conservative about officially issuing a statement or taking legal action.
He’d even freaked out and tried to stop Seol Ju-hee when she said she’d step in personally.
And above all...
‘A-rin definitely noticed something.’
Hong Yu-ra had witnessed Gu Seok-il unconsciously glancing at Im A-rin, which only deepened her suspicions.
“Ju-hee. Doesn’t this feel a bit strange?”
Having calmly sorted her thoughts, Hong Yu-ra tried to ask Seol Ju-hee’s opinion...
“There are too many suspicious parts about this. It feels like something’s off...”
“The strange one is Do Ji-hyeok.”
“...Huh?”
Seol Ju-hee, her eyes rolled back in rage at having been betrayed by Do Ji-hyeok, wasn’t in the mood to listen.
“None of this would’ve happened if that bastard hadn’t betrayed us. What? Getting someone pregnant? Like some dog in heat...!”
Among Queens’ members, Seol Ju-hee had always been the most passionate and jealous. She reacted especially sensitively to Do Ji-hyeok’s promiscuous behavior.
The “sensational keywords” plastered over the video had made rational judgment impossible.
“......”
Judging that discussing it with Seol Ju-hee would be futile, Hong Yu-ra quietly shut her mouth.
She fiddled with the friendship ring on her left ring finger, recalling the promise made at Im A-rin’s suggestion.
‘No matter what, the first time is all together. Got it?’
‘Yeah! We have to do it all three together...!’
‘Even if it’s urgent, no cutting in line?’
The day they’d vowed to share their first experience with Do Ji-hyeok all together.
“Mmm...!”
I stared blankly at Bang Han-na, who was puffing out her cheeks with a happy expression.
Maybe because her hair was blonde, she looked just like a greedy little hamster.
“Tasty?”
“Mmm!”
She nodded vigorously as if nothing had happened.
I set down my chopsticks to let her have the rest of the ramen and quietly sipped my water.
‘I hope this cuteness lasts.’
Bang Han-na had the makings of an A-rank Hunter.
With her great looks and unique traits, she’d likely get picked up by a top-10 team. And once she joined a team like that, her life would be worlds apart from now.
In an era where even ranking Hunters without star power had luxury brands lining up for sponsorships, what would happen with a star-studded one like Bang Han-na?
She might earn enough to never have to Hunt again.
‘If Seol Ju-hee keeps protecting this world well, that is.’
People usually change once they make that much money.
Seol Ju-hee had, rich girl Hong Yu-ra had, and only Im A-rin had changed the least.
Girls who didn’t even know luxury brand names started draping themselves in them, and those who preferred training over primping began visiting pro salons.
Of course, they’d grown as much as they could, and it was all their own achievements, so I had no room to complain...
Still, sometimes I missed the pure versions of them.
“Whew... Thanks for the meal!”
Having polished off the ramen in no time, Bang Han-na patted her belly contentedly.
Her expression made me smile involuntarily, but as I moved to clear the dishes...
“W-Wait! I’ll do it!”
Bang Han-na shot up from her seat and snatched the bowl and pot from my hands.
“It’s fine for me to do it.”
“No...! Let me do it...! If I just sit here, I’ll really turn into a pig!”
Bang Han-na stared at me with a resolute expression, as if she wouldn’t back down.
She looked like a puppy with its ears perked up.
Or maybe bigger than a puppy?
“...Alright, I’ll leave it to you then?”
“Yes...!”
As Bang Han-na tied on an apron and stood at the sink, I sat at the table, staring vacantly at her back.
“Hum-dee-dum...”
Whatever had her so happy, she was humming and swaying her body as she washed the dishes...
Watching her like that stirred up some indescribable feeling in me.
“......”
Having someone do housework in my home wasn’t awkward at all, really.
Before getting cut from Queens, I’d had a housekeeper come regularly to tidy up.
It felt a bit off at first, but now it was normal.
Yet...
Seeing Bang Han-na in the kitchen brought out a subtle emotion.
It reminded me of the time after my legs were shattered in that accident, when I’d half-lived with Im A-rin.
‘Am I feeling lonely these days...?’
I pondered whether to contact the city hall staffer whose number I’d gotten recently, then quietly looked away.
“All done!”
After she finished the dishes.
Rather than kicking her out right away, I sat in the living room with her to build some rapport and chat lightly.
And surprisingly, I learned something...
“...You’ve never drunk before at all?”
“Uh... My friends don’t drink... B-But I’ve drunk alone! ”
Turned out, this was the first time Bang Han-na had ever been out drinking.
‘This kid’s a walking disaster.’
Recalling her massive drunken antics, I lectured her like a big brother.
“Never chug it just because it tastes good. Better to refuse or only drink around people you really trust. Got it?”
She gave me a strange look, then slowly nodded.
“...Yes...”
I wasn’t sure if she really got it—somehow, it made me more worried.
‘Her parents must worry sick.’
I also learned quite a bit more about her.
Her parents had attack-specialized abilities.
They’d awakened pretty late in life.
She’d barely passed the exam and scraped into college.
And she’d nearly passed out from crying so hard.
“You worked so hard to get in... Must suck not to go now, huh?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed... But I like it better now!”
As a current college student, Bang Han-na was excused from classes for Hunter team debut prep.
If she kept at this Hunter life, she probably wouldn’t go back to school.
“I’ve always been curious about college festivals. I went nearby but never really enjoyed them.”
“Really? Then come with me next time! I’ll show you around everywhere!”
Bang Han-na beamed innocently, inviting me along as if it were natural.
Even if it was just polite chit-chat, our superior-subordinate relationship should make it awkward, but she showed no hesitation.
She must feel comfortable around me.
Normally, I’d draw a line to keep some distance...
But it seemed like her natural personality, and I felt like I might be overthinking it, so I let it slide.
“Wow...! Producer, you participated in the Academy Tournament too?”
“Yeah, but I forfeited in the finals. Got pretty badly hurt during training.”
“Ah... Sorry...”
“Nah. Thanks to the injury, I became a Producer—might’ve been a good thing. Otherwise, I couldn’t be your Producer, right?”
“...Y-Yeah, true...!”
As we chatted about this and that, spending time with Bang Han-na...
Ding-dong— Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang through the house.
“Someone’s here...?”
“...?”
Leaving Bang Han-na in the living room, I headed straight to the door and unlocked it without a second thought.
Beep— Click—
And at that moment.
“...Ji-hyeok...”
Facing the woman standing at the door, I froze solid.
“...L-Long time no see...”
It was Im A-rin.