Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Beginning (4)
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[Yura: This side's almost wrapped up. Heading up now.]
[Arin: Good work!]
[Yura: Is Ju-hee okay?]
Seol Ju-hee, sitting on the living room sofa and staring at her messenger app, slowly moved her fingers to reply.
[Me: I'm fine]
[Yura: You home right now?]
[Me: Yeah]
[Arin: Ju-hee! I'll head over to your place in a bit! Let's grab food together!]
"......"
Staring at Im A-rin's message that casually requested entry, Seol Ju-hee recalled her recently awkward relationship with her.
Ever since Im A-rin had hinted on a broadcast not long ago that she still had lingering feelings for Do Ji-hyeok, a strange tension had started brewing between the two...
Seol Ju-hee, who had gotten entangled with Do Ji-hyeok during this incident, couldn't bring herself to face Im A-rin.
[Me: I'm good. Just wanna rest]
[Me: I'm heading to bed, so call if you need something]
"...Haa..."
Seol Ju-hee let out a heavy sigh, set her phone aside, and glanced at the shirt on her desk.
It was Do Ji-hyeok's shirt.
'Why the hell did I even take this...?'
Dark red stains were starkly visible on the chest area of the shirt, torn in several places.
Even putting it kindly, it was in no condition to be worn—a total rag.
Having brought home that rag, Seol Ju-hee clutched her head in confusion, lost in deep thought.
'Something's off...'
If one word could describe Seol Ju-hee's current state of mind, it was pure chaos.
Every time she looked at the bloodstains stuck to the shirt, she remembered Do Ji-hyeok collapsing, and each time his unconscious face appeared in her mind, her heart would sink.
But...
The truly ironic part was that, amid all this, her blind disgust toward Do Ji-hyeok kept bubbling up endlessly.
"......"
Seol Ju-hee thought her condition was blatantly abnormal.
She despised Do Ji-hyeok for betraying them and living a debauched life, yet at the same time, worry for him welled up inside her.
Anyone would say that made no sense, right?
'...Frustrating...'
At first, Seol Ju-hee had even considered talking it out with Do Ji-hyeok to resolve her frustration.
Talking to the person involved might uncover some clue.
However...
Unfortunately, she had no pretext to approach him readily.
She hadn't contacted him at all because she didn't even want to talk, so how could she show up now?
"......"
As Seol Ju-hee sighed in frustration while gazing at the tattered shirt, it happened.
"!"
A fairly plausible idea suddenly flashed through her mind.
If there was no pretext, she could just fabricate one.
'Yeah... I saved his life, so this much is a bargain.'
She planned to bring up the repair cost for the clothes torn while saving him on the day of the incident.
Sneer—
Having finally come up with a reason to meet Do Ji-hyeok, Seol Ju-hee unknowingly lifted the corners of her mouth,
and naturally picked up his shirt, tossing it not into the trash but into the laundry net.
*
Do Ji-hyeok's hospital room.
"They're totally a thing, right?"
The Team Seoul City Hall members, gathered around a table in the corner of the room, whispered softly while watching Do Ji-hyeok and Im A-rin exude a peculiar atmosphere.
"Has to be. Otherwise, I'll eat my own hand."
They had originally planned to tactfully give Im A-rin some space, but she had insisted she wouldn't be long and stopped them, so they huddled together, observing the pair.
"With Im A-rin as the other person... I knew, but Producer really seems impressive now."
Hearing Han Gyu-ri's admiration, Kim Jun-hyeong chimed in with a tone like it was old news.
"Back in the academy days, he had the Sejin Group heiress chasing after him too."
"No way... For real? That Sejin Guild Leader Lee Hye-ri?"
"There were rumors back then that Queens joined Cheonhwa Guild because of Lee Hye-ri. But looking at it now... maybe it wasn't just a rumor."
Bang Han-na was slightly shocked hearing Kim Jun-hyeong's story.
She knew Im A-rin liked Do Ji-hyeok, but hearing that even the Sejin Guild Leader had her eye on him was news to her.
'...How popular is he...?'
Moreover, suspicions arose that the other two Queens members might also have feelings for him.
Bang Han-na unwittingly started comparing herself to Do Ji-hyeok's potential girlfriends,
'...Childhood friend of ten years... massive guild leader... ugh...'
and soon realized just how inadequate she was.
"...Haa..."
In contrast to the shocked Bang Han-na, Jin Seo-won showed no particular reaction even after hearing everything.
"......"
It didn't really matter who Do Ji-hyeok dated.
Her feelings were closer to fondness than love yet, so she vaguely hoped he'd date Yoon In-kyeong or something.
"Why did you do that?"
At that moment, Im A-rin's slightly agitated voice echoed through the room.
"You know better than anyone how strong Ju-hee is."
"That's true, but..."
"You knew, and you still pushed yourself that hard...?"
Do Ji-hyeok, aware of the team members' eyes on him, calmly tried to soothe Im A-rin.
"A-rin. Like I said earlier, it was really unavoidable..."
"Does unavoidable mean you don't value your life...?"
But Im A-rin wouldn't back down.
"You drilled it into me over and over: All strategies prioritize safety. A strategy where you don't come back is just suicide. You taught me that. Right...?"
"Yeah, that's right, but..."
"Then why didn't you follow it...?"
"Uh..."
"What if you'd actually died? What if Ju-hee hadn't saved you...? Was that part of the strategy too...?"
Do Ji-hyeok fell into the classic "damned if you do, damned if you don't" trap.
He was caught in Im A-rin's quicksand, where any answer dragged him deeper.
"...Sorry."
In the end, Do Ji-hyeok quietly shut his mouth and tried to end it with an apology...
"Did I ask for an apology right now...?"
Im A-rin had no intention of stopping her lecture so easily.
"No, it was my mistake..."
"What did you do wrong?"
Im A-rin, her expression set firm, raised her voice at Do Ji-hyeok as if she'd forgotten the team members were even there.
"Do you know how shocked I was hearing you'd been hurt...?"
"A-rin... that's not..."
"Would you only understand if we went to each other's funerals side by side?"
"...Uh, yeah?"
Do Ji-hyeok jumped at Im A-rin's extreme example.
"A-rin. Even as a joke, don't say that..."
"Joke?"
Do Ji-hyeok was stunned by Im A-rin's chillingly cold voice.
The team members watching were also holding their breath at her icy demeanor.
"...Don't ever say that again."
Do Ji-hyeok nodded blankly at Im A-rin's warning, then belatedly remembered the team was watching and scrambled to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
"Anyway... you came back safe, so that's it for today."
Im A-rin, as if she'd accomplished her goal, checked her watch with a strangely satisfied look and stood up.
"I wanna stay longer, but I have a schedule, so I gotta head out..."
"...Huh? You're leaving?"
'Wait, she's stirring up drama and just bailing without resolving it?'
Do Ji-hyeok was a bit dumbfounded by Im A-rin's actions—causing a scene and slipping away—but he couldn't very well hold back someone with a schedule.
"Sorry. I feel like I ruined the mood for no reason..."
"No, no. Ji-hyeok did mess up."
Im A-rin brazenly greeted the team members,
"Thanks for taking good care of Ji-hyeok...!"
"It's fine. Producer's part of our team, after all..."
"You all seem like such good people—I'm relieved...! Oh, use this for dinner tonight at least."
"N-No need! We don't need anything..."
"No, really. Buy something tasty, and get Ji-hyeok some snacks with whatever's left...!"
She slipped an envelope of cash to the team members as naturally as a devoted wife supporting her husband, leaving a strong impression.
"Take care of him, then...! Ji-hyeok, see you tomorrow...!"
Creak—thud!
After that storm had passed.
Foreseeing the aftermath, Do Ji-hyeok struck first.
"Just so you know, it's not like that."
"Producer! How can it not be?! Anyone can see it is!"
"You little...! Get hurt more! You lucky bastard...!"
The hospital room heated up over Im A-rin and Do Ji-hyeok's relationship.
"I mean, it's not like that..."
"What's there to hesitate about?! Why aren't you dating?!"
"Dude's got it made! If Im A-rin asked, guys would line up for miles!"
"I dunno."
Do Ji-hyeok dodged Han Gyu-ri and Kim Jun-hyeong's barrage, circling around the topic,
"Im A-rin really likes Producer, huh..."
"...Yeah..."
while Kim Na-rae and Bang Han-na chatted quietly a step back.
And.
"......"
Jin Seo-won, standing a bit apart alone, stared blankly at the spot where Im A-rin had left.
As if someone were standing beyond it.
*
Knock... knock...
Hong Yu-ra, submerged in the bathtub, listened to the faint water sounds and sank into deep contemplation.
"......"
She thought this incident felt somehow unnatural,
specifically, the process of resolving it seemed off somewhere.
On the day of the incident.
Hong Yu-ra had been down in the provinces for a long-scheduled appointment.
While getting her makeup done and resting as usual, a gate opened nearby, and she responded to the Hunter Association's call to clear it herself.
The gate was small-scale, and it was pure coincidence she got involved, so she hadn't thought much of it at first...
But hearing that Im A-rin had happened to pass by and cleared the gate in Seoul, and that Seol Ju-hee had closed the one in Chuncheon, she began sensing something strange.
'Something's fishy...'
It felt as if they'd known where gates would open in advance and positioned top-tier hunters nearby.
She had her suspicions, but no concrete proof.
Just like when she'd doubted Cheonhwa Guild and Gu Seok-il—something nagged at her, but she couldn't find solid evidence.
"...Haa..."
Hong Yu-ra gently hugged her breasts slightly floating in the water, recalling what Im A-rin had told her about Do Ji-hyeok.
'...Heard he got hurt pretty bad...'
She too had felt her heart drop upon hearing he'd been injured.
Separate from her ill feelings, she was worried about him.
'Should I go see him...'
She had plenty of reason to meet.
This time too, he'd coincidentally gotten tangled in a gate.
There was ample justification to visit under the guise of investigation.
'...No, don't do something pointless.'
But in the end, Hong Yu-ra decided to hold off on meeting Do Ji-hyeok.
She didn't want to see him and end up blushing for no reason.
Instead...
She decided to dig a little into Cheonhwa Guild on her own.