Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Results (1)
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The day I was to meet the Queens members.
Standing in front of the entrance mirror, checking my outfit, I took a deep breath to calm the subtle emotions bubbling up inside me.
"…Phew…."
It was a mix of excitement and nervousness.
There had been plenty of ups and downs along the way….
But good was good. Since I could finally clear up the misunderstanding with the three people I'd lived with like family, I decided to be satisfied with that.
Of course, I had no intention of dropping the search for the culprit who'd slandered me.
First, I'd investigate the Cheonhwa Guild executives—the most likely suspects—and dig up info on the woman from the video.
With the solid backing of Sejin Guild, if I nailed the Black Rose commission, my situation would improve dramatically.
‘…Sorry about this, kids.’
It would indirectly splash over onto the Queens team members too….
But as fellow industry pros, I figured it was unavoidable.
No matter how close they were like family, you still had to draw the line between personal and professional.
"……."
I stepped out, checked the time, and headed for the elevator.
‘About five minutes early?’
A little ahead of schedule, but factoring in the weekend traffic, it should line up fine.
Ding──
The elevator arrived soon enough.
Whirr────
I was pocketing my phone and stepping in when—
"…!"
"Huh?"
I bumped into a familiar face already inside.
"Seo-won?"
It was Jin Seo-won.
"…Hello."
I returned her polite bow and stepped in, eyeing her hooded outfit before casually asking,
"Heading out?"
"…To the convenience store…."
She was apparently off to grab some snacks.
"Yeah? Not sweets again, I hope?"
"……."
"…Well, fair enough. Hanna okay?"
"…In her room."
"Resting up? You eat?"
"…Probably?"
Her vague reply drew a soft chuckle from me. I reminded her to eat properly and steered the chat elsewhere.
Then.
"…Where you off to?"
Jin Seo-won turned the question on me….
Coming from someone who usually shut down talks with one-word answers, it felt oddly fresh.
"Meeting some friends real quick."
"…Friends?"
"Yeah. Been ages, so I might be late."
"……."
Jin Seo-won fixed me with a peculiar look.
"…A girl?"
She blindsided me with that out-of-nowhere question.
"Uh, what?"
"…You look happy."
"Me…?"
I rubbed my face self-consciously and snuck a peek at the elevator's mirrored wall.
‘Do I really look that chipper?’
To my eyes, I seemed totally normal.
Ding─
[1st floor.]
The elevator hit the first floor right on cue.
Bound for the underground garage, I waved off Jin Seo-won as she stepped out first, tossing her a concerned reminder.
"Eat dinner with Hanna, yeah? Delivery if it's too much hassle."
"…Safe travels."
Her farewell carried a don't-worry vibe,
making me feel like I was heading out for fun while leaving a kid behind.
*
‘Been a while here too….’
Hong Yu-ra's spot was a luxury hotel where we'd often hung out with the members.
They'd skipped inviting me home probably because the insinuation about me still hung around.
Whirr────
After valet parking, riding the private elevator up.
The thought of mending fences with the members had my heart racing a touch, so I reined it in and refocused on the objective.
‘…That deeply rooted insinuation isn't budging easy. Stick to just clearing the misunderstanding today.’
If proving my purity was enough, it'd be gone by now.
So goal for today: dispel the misunderstanding, period.
Unraveling the insinuation? We'd tackle that together, step by step.
"This the place?"
I knocked at the room Hong Yu-ra specified, announced myself,
nodded to her manager who opened up, slipped into the parlor—and there they were, my old friends around a round table.
"Ji-hyeok…!"
"……."
Im A-rin bolting up with a beaming welcome, Hong Yu-ra's cool sidelong glance.
Zap─
And Seol Ju-hee, still shooting daggers.
"Long time no see."
Gathered like this after forever, my chest swelled unexpectedly.
"Ji-hyeok…! Over here…!"
Im A-rin scurried over, tugged me to the seat beside her.
She draped a hand lightly on my arm, grinning ear-to-ear like she was thrilled, and took the reins of the talk.
"Thanks for showing…! Huge step for you…!"
"What huge step…."
She hyped me up nonstop, insisting I'd made some massive sacrifice….
"Tch."
Seol Ju-hee, watching, tsked and laid into Im A-rin.
"Hasn't even checked yet—quit the drama."
"Ju-hee… too rough."
Hong Yu-ra, beside her, tried reining her in….
"Am I wrong?"
"Seol Ju-hee."
"Hmph."
Seol Ju-hee, emotions still raw, huffed and whipped her head away.
‘This girl….’
I knew it was the insinuation talking, but it still stung a little.
"So, when's the kit action?"
"Techs from the company any minute. Pros beat DIY."
Hong Yu-ra confirmed a specialist was inbound,
Knock──
and soon enough, a suited young woman knocked and entered the parlor.
"Hello. Team Leader Jeong Min-sook, here for your exam."
Poised and professional, she set her case on the table and launched into the kit rundown.
The virginity checker—swanky case, neatly packed—was a short stick like a pregnancy test,
reagent well in the middle, color indicators printed on either side.
"Made mainly from unicorn blood, which reacts to virginity. Leverages the interaction with the subject's blood…."
I figured the kit for extravagant overkill.
Rare monster or not, shelling out a fortune for this?
But….
"Test covers not just virginity, but rough count too. We've sampled newborns to 80-year-olds, error under 0.01%..."
The details floored me a bit.
‘Wait, it counts times too…?’
The research depth was straight-up chilling.
"Questions?"
"Nah, let's go."
"Right away. Setting up."
At Hong Yu-ra's go-ahead, she prepped reagents, secured two kits, drew the unicorn blood syringe, and announced,
"For transparency, one dry run first? Volunteers?"
That instant.
"“I'll do it.”"
All three chimed in, perfectly synced.
The staffer froze, eyes darting,
but they barreled ahead, each claiming the spot.
"Leader reps us."
"Leader got nothing to do with it."
"Yeah! Just verify!"
"Can't embarrass you guys."
"Embarrass…?"
"We know you're all virgins—what's the big deal?"
"…Ju-hee. Words…."
"Virginity's a badge of honor…!"
Why fight over this crap?
Face burning from their virgin spat, I cut in—anyone, just pick—and shut it down.
"Blood draw, then."
True to tradition, leader Hong Yu-ra took the test.
Click─
Quick prick, crimson drop from her fingertip.
Blood pooled in the test's center well; she grabbed the unicorn-reagent syringe and signaled.
"Administering."
All eyes locked on the kit.
Drop─ drop─
Unicorn blood from the needle mingled with hers.
But….
Long wait, nada.
Just vivid red matching the '0 times' mark.
Hong Yu-ra: virgin confirmed.
"Spot on."
She shot me a smug glance,
I played it off—test verified—and hustled the main event.
"Next up, now."
"Got it."
She passed the used kit to Hong Yu-ra, pricked my finger pronto.
Click─
Sharp sting, red bead welling.
My blood filled the center,
Gulp─
Room breathless, zeroed on her moves.
"Administering…."
I knew the outcome cold—no biggie.
Just wanted this farce over, misunderstanding nuked.
Squish……
Unicorn blood squeezed from the needle onto the kit,
Drop─ drop─
My blood hit unicorn blood….
Sizzle──!
‘…Huh?’
A reaction, blatantly unlike the trial, kicked off.