Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Change (5)
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I was frozen in shock at Im A-rin's utterly unexpected appearance.
She glanced at me cautiously and asked how I'd been.
"…Have you been well…?"
Her fingers fidgeted nervously, and her eyes darted around lost for direction.
For some reason, her anxious demeanor softened my heart, and instead of responding coldly as I'd intended, a casual tone slipped out.
"…What's up?"
Im A-rin flinched as if scolded, then carefully lifted her gaze to meet mine and spoke.
"I-I have something to say…."
"…To me?"
A strange emotion coiled around me.
I had no idea what she wanted to say to me, or why she, the victim, was the one watching my reaction.
"What is it?"
Im A-rin hesitated, lips trembling as if about to speak, then glanced at my feet before cautiously continuing.
"Um…. Could we talk inside…? I-It might take a while…."
At that moment.
'Ah.'
I belatedly realized there was already another guest inside.
"…Is that not okay…?"
Whether intentional or not, Im A-rin wore a fragile expression that stirred protective instincts, subtly pressuring me.
My resolve weakened a bit at her look, and I averted my eyes, pondering how to handle the situation.
And….
"……."
Bang Han-na had tactfully left the house at the sudden guest's arrival and was now walking the streets alone.
Being a bustling weekend afternoon, there were more couples out and about than usual….
Every time she passed a pair, for some reason, images of Im A-rin and Do Ji-hyeok flickered in her mind.
'What are they to each other…?'
It had been the briefest of greetings, but Bang Han-na was certain there was something between Im A-rin and Do Ji-hyeok….
More precisely, she felt Im A-rin had feelings for Do Ji-hyeok.
The evidence was overwhelming.
The moment they'd first exchanged greetings, Bang Han-na had felt sharp gazes piercing her entire body.
It was the kind of look women exchanged when sizing each other up.
Having drawn countless stares since childhood thanks to her standout figure, Bang Han-na easily detected Im A-rin's faint wariness.
And she quickly realized it was the defensive instinct of a woman with a beloved man nearby.
Her gaze toward Do Ji-hyeok had been the same.
The way she looked at him was like a woman in love.
Honey practically dripped from her eyes—it would have been weirder not to notice her feelings.
'…She said they've known each other a long time…. Makes sense, I guess…?'
Bang Han-na let out an unwitting sigh of regret and imagined the two dating.
A perfect match.
She couldn't think of a better description.
"……."
Unconsciously, Bang Han-na felt envious of Im A-rin.
Without realizing why she felt that way or what the envy truly meant.
She simply envied Im A-rin for being able to date someone like Do Ji-hyeok.
"……."
The living room, now empty after Bang Han-na left, was filled only with awkwardness.
Im A-rin stared quietly at the spot where Bang Han-na had sat for a while, then met my eyes hesitantly and spoke.
"…It's not, right?"
Her eyes held a strange desperation.
"It's not what I'm thinking… right…?"
There was no subject.
But I instantly understood what she meant.
"No. It's a bit complicated…. But definitely not that."
I wondered why I was even explaining, but it felt like I had to reassure her.
"I knew it…."
Im A-rin smiled faintly, as if believing me, then lowered her lips and readily apologized.
"…Sorry for coming so late. I should have come sooner…."
I couldn't understand why she was apologizing to me.
No, I could guess the reason, but not why her attitude had suddenly changed.
Im A-rin must have thought I was the trash from that video.
Like Hong Yu-ra or Seol Ju-hee.
That's why she hadn't believed my side or even contacted me.
So why apologize so belatedly now?
"……."
As I stayed silent, Im A-rin looked terrified and slid off the sofa, kneeling on the floor.
Tears streamed down her face in thick drops, and she desperately begged for forgiveness.
"…J-Ji-hyeok…. I'm sorry…. For not believing you…. Really… hng…. I'm sorry…."
"A-rin…."
I was utterly flustered by her sincere apology.
Not believing a friend was worth apologizing for, but not to the point of kneeling and begging—especially since even I would have fallen for the evidence. I didn't blame any of them.
But….
"…I-I'm sorry…. Hng…. I was wrong…."
Her desperate pleading stirred an odd pity in me instead.
"…A-rin. It's fine, get up."
I approached to help her up first.
"Hng…. Always me messing up…. Hnng…. Really sorry…. Hng…."
Im A-rin sobbed even harder, tears pouring out, and I wiped her messy face, soothing her calmly as always.
"No, it's okay. Really okay, so stop crying now. Yeah?"
"…J-Ji-hyeok…."
Im A-rin looked up at me with her damp pink eyes and wordlessly buried herself in my arms.
I instinctively stroked her hair, silently comforting her….
For some reason, it felt strangely familiar.
Like the day she had shattered my leg and tearfully promised to take responsibility for life.
"……."
How long had I held and soothed her tightly like that?
Once she'd calmed and stopped crying, she delivered shocking news.
Someone else had sent her my video.
"…What?"
She handed me a USB copy from Gu Seok-il, and I immediately connected it to the TV to check.
And.
'…What the hell is this….'
After watching it all, I was deeply shocked.
The person in the video was unmistakably 'Do Ji-hyeok' to anyone, showing even trashier behavior than before.
"I-I think this video is faked…! Even if, even if you're really a bad guy! I'll always take your side…! …I don't know about the others…."
Still, Im A-rin vowed to believe me unconditionally, promised to try swaying Seol Ju-hee and Hong Yu-ra, and even encouraged me.
"…Thanks. You're the only one, A-rin."
A wave of emotion made my nose tingle.
Forgetting how she'd abandoned me before, I smiled and discussed ways to clear my name.
"I'll set up a meeting!"
"You sure? They might hate it…."
"No! Ju-hee and Yu-ra want to believe you deep down!"
"…You think?"
"Yeah! Definitely!"
"Alright…. Then, please do."
"Just trust me…!"
I even heard she'd arrange a meeting with the other two soon.
A little later.
Team Seoul City Hall's training day.
"Hey, Ji-hyeok!"
"What."
"How'd you sweet-talk that guy?"
"Who?"
"The mayor! What'd you say to get him throwing budget at us like this!"
Kim Jun-hyeong, grinning ear to ear—probably tipped off from above—probed for details.
"Just…. Said I'd work hard."
"Don't mess with me."
"No, really."
"Man, you're sneaky…. Spill it!"
"I already told you everything."
As I bantered with Kim Jun-hyeong while checking the training schedule, Han Gyu-ri approached with unexpected news.
"Our external training field permit came through!"
The request I'd submitted yesterday was approved immediately.
"Whoa…. Power really is nice. It's like a free pass to everything!"
"Producer. Shall we move today?"
"Available from afternoon?"
"Yes! Exactly three spots open!"
We finished morning training at our usual gym, then headed straight to the new hunter training facility.
Not just any hunter training field….
It was the top-tier one used by elite teams.
"P-Produce-nim! We train here now!?"
"Yep."
"No way…! Han-na! Look over there! They're like real monsters!"
"Wow…. So huge…! Just like in the books…!"
"Jun-hyeong-ssi! Check that out! Ranking 9th, Team Crocodile! Hya… So handsome…."
"Facilities are top-notch, alright."
The team reacted with awe, like discovering new tech—it wasn't surprising given the vast difference from our old gym.
'Why not splurge when you've got the cash.'
With 6 billion won secured from Lee Sang-heum, I'd overhauled our tight budget plans entirely, starting with this training field.
Unlike the basic one from my interview, this place was on another level.
The training booths, built with top-grade bulletproof glass, were spacious enough for the whole team, and the robots mimicked real monsters eerily well.
Plus, it recorded all combat data inside, perfect for building our own database.
It embodied the saying 'training is all about the gear.'
"Better facilities don't change what we do. Fill your quotas, don't forget to infuse mana stones. Got it?"
"““Yes!”””
Afternoon training kicked off in earnest.
Still early days, so individual sessions—I circulated the booths giving feedback.
"Su-in. Sword tip's wobbling. Too much grip strength."
"Ah, I'll do it again!"
Jeong Su-in, wielding a rapier, struggled with finesse….
Her larger build made it hard to control her own power.
"Ease up on fingers, more from the waist."
"…Got it!"
Moving on from Jeong Su-in's booth to Kim Na-rae's.
"Go…!"
At Kim Na-rae's command, a low-grade fire spirit formed a small fireball and shot it at the dummy.
Whoosh—fsssh….
The flame scattered weakly on impact; she tilted her head puzzled, then prepped another.
"Go…!"
Whoosh—fsssh…!
She'd remembered my prior feedback, showing clear improvement.
'Handling it herself fine.'
Leaving Kim Na-rae's booth, last was Bang Han-na's.
Boom—boooom—!
Tank specialist Bang Han-na was blocking attacks from a higher-grade robot.
"Nng…!"
She grimaced slightly, burdened, but to me it looked manageable.
'Stance awkward, but good power distribution? Pretty stable.'
Not a genius who turns one lesson into ten, but she executed every instruction perfectly—like she was born to tank.
"Han-na! Lower your stance a bit more!"
"Yes…!"
After checking all three, I figured we'd tackle our first gate sooner than expected.
"…Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden…."
"…Sorry."
That is, until Jeong Su-in quit the team a bit later.