Chapter 58
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Gift
“So, you want to celebrate Seo-yeon’s birthday, so the two of you will spend the day together?”
“Yeah. Is that okay?”
Yu-ra sis asked with her face slightly flushed, unlike her usual self.
Unlike her typical gentle and relaxed demeanor, she seemed unusually excited today.
“Hmm, well, it’s her birthday, so I guess I have to yield? And you said your condition isn’t great right now?”
“Because she straight-up said I smelled last time...”
“Jun-hyuk! Even a woman would get hurt if her boyfriend criticized her like that!”
It wasn’t just excitement; something felt off.
Her usually pale face had a faint red glow, and her voice was a bit sharper and higher than normal.
“And, hmm... you don’t need my permission. Seo-yeon is... your girlfriend. Just let me know ahead of time in case schedules overlap.”
Above all, the nasal moan she let out was concerning.
It looked a bit sexy, but there was no reason for sis to be having lewd fantasies and moaning in a crowded café like this, so she must just be unwell.
“Sis, are you hurting somewhere?”
“Uh, huh? Oh, no? I’m not hurting?”
It seemed absurd for an enhancement-type skill Awakener like sis to get sick, but that was ignorant talk.
Physical enhancement types had fewer injuries and strong resistance to germs or viruses, but constantly going in and out of Gates built up fatigue that could lead to illness easily.
“Really?”
And sis went in and out of Gates more than any Hunter in Korea, so she had a higher chance of getting sick.
Just in case, I moved closer and pressed my forehead to hers.
“You’re burning up. Looks like a cold.”
“Hnngh!”
“Wait a sec.”
She was absolutely feverish.
I brewed some ginger tea, good for colds, and brought it to her.
After she carefully sipped it, her face calmed down more than before, the red flush fading.
“...Thanks.”
“No big deal. I’m your boyfriend, so it’s natural to worry. Don’t push yourself for a bit. No cough or other symptoms, so you’re probably on the verge of a cold. Must be built-up fatigue.”
“Y-Yeah.”
With that, I got her not-exactly-permission but firm approval and refocused on café work.
‘Man, Yu-ra sis was super hot just now, right?’
If I hadn’t sealed my lust, I would’ve dragged her to the bathroom and done bad things right then.
Moaning like that in a public place.
If my life were an erotic novel, I’d think she wasn’t sick but secretly using adult toys.
‘Nah, no way sis would do that.’
Having such perverted fantasies about a sick person!
Even in this gender-reversed era, how many women would do something as extreme as outdoor pervy stuff?
And Yu-ra sis couldn’t be that kind of pervert, right?
‘Anyway, how can I cheer Seo-yeon up?’
With past-life memories, I could somewhat understand women in this era.
Let’s think empathetically about what gift would make her happy.
‘Hmm, if I were her, what gift from my girlfriend would make me jump for joy?’
I thought hard, but weird answers kept coming.
‘...Wanna touch my boobs?’
Straight to the lewd ones.
Having died a virgin without a girlfriend in my past life, no easy answers.
Even if I’d dated, as a guy, lewd stuff is all that comes to mind.
‘Lewd’s fine, but with her so down, it won’t land right.’
She’d probably self-deprecate with “Thanks for putting up with my smelly self,” and hearing that would kill the mood for me too.
‘Don’t fixate on gender; put myself in Seo-yeon’s shoes.’
Best gift is something the recipient joyfully accepts.
If I were Seo-yeon, what would I like?
What Seo-yeon likes for sure...
“No, that’s all that comes to mind.”
You know, that thing.
The incident so shocking I’d sealed the memory.
If it’s that...
“Sigh... what to do...”
Like a lightbulb flashing, an idea hit.
But it was so humiliating for me that I really didn’t want to.
“Tie up your own knots. I made it, so I untie it.”
Lots to research.
Internet has everything, so I’ll search.
While working, I started searching on my smartphone.
“First, order clothes.”
＊＊＊
“Sigh...”
On the way to Yoo Jun-hyuk’s house, Lee Seo-yeon’s steps were heavy as lead.
She was grateful he remembered her birthday and invited her over to celebrate, but against that gratitude, the horrific memory of her past stupidity kept surging.
‘I don’t smell, right?’
She knew. After the pheromone incident, her body no longer stank.
But the human heart doesn’t bend to logic.
After hearing from the man she loved that she reeked, she couldn’t face Yoo Jun-hyuk without recalling it.
‘I won’t smell.’
She didn’t want to be abandoned. To her, Yoo Jun-hyuk wasn’t just a boyfriend; he was a once-in-a-lifetime oasis in her life.
The first person to ever try and comfort her for her sake.
“Phew, get it together and go.”
She didn’t want even the possibility of rejection from such a person, but after the second failure since the movie date, she couldn’t help feeling dejected.
“Can’t stay down forever?”
Arriving at Yoo Jun-hyuk’s place, she cautiously rang the doorbell.
She knew the passcode but waited for him to open as usual, then a message came.
[Come in. You know the code, right?]
Something’s off. With that doubt, she entered the code and stepped inside to an empty living room.
[Come to the bedroom.]
Another message.
Puzzled, she opened the bedroom door and...
“You’re finally here? Why so late! Making this body wait!”
Lee Seo-yeon doubted if this moment was a dream.
There stood Yoo Jun-hyuk in a black-and-white mixed coat, eyepatch over one eye, white wig.
He looked just like...
“What’re you dawdling for? I’m starving, so hurry up and make food!”
Her favorite game.
Ushimusuko’s beloved character, Wagyu Kyube.
‘Is this really a dream?’
She secretly pinched her thigh. The sharp pain proved it wasn’t.
“Hmph, fine, it’s your birthday today? Just for today, I’ll specially make food, so be honored!”
“Y-Yes, yes!”
Following Yoo Jun-hyuk to the kitchen, she tried to help, but got nagged and pushed away.
“A nobody like you would just get in the way. Sit quietly on the sofa and wait.”
Yoo Jun-hyuk definitely didn’t like Ushimusuko.
She’d dragged him to the theater hoping he would, but his sour face on the way out said it all.
‘Then why?’
Lee Seo-yeon stole a glance at Yoo Jun-hyuk preparing the food.
His reddened nape revealed his feelings, and tears welled up, about to overflow.
‘For me, this much.’
Doing something he didn’t like, for someone she loved.
What act shows more care for the other?
“Here, eat up and give your impressions. Of course, it’ll be so delicious you wouldn’t notice if one of us choked to death.”
Even role-playing a character totally opposite his personality.
But Lee Seo-yeon swallowed her tears without crying. After two failures, she absolutely didn’t want a third mistake of showing tears in front of a guy.
“I’ll gratefully partake.”
For now, she just felt his warm heart and thanked the heavens for arranging this meeting.
Mid-meal, which filled her heart more than her stomach, she felt toes nudging her leg.
“Ahem, got a question. Tonight... you’re staying over, right?”
Yoo Jun-hyuk looked at her expectantly.
The sight shocked Lee Seo-yeon greatly.
“Jun-hyuk.”
First, that Yoo Jun-hyuk was initiating bedtime.
Second, that her dream of making him cosplay and then bed had come true.
And third...
“Kyube doesn’t say stuff like that.”
That she’d kick away such a dream.
Her own virtue was sky-high.
“Kyube is everyone’s idol and boyfriend. Therefore...”
Thus, on her twenty-third birthday, Lee Seo-yeon experienced three firsts.
“Kyube is eternally chaste. No, he must be chaste.”
Her first birthday celebrated since adulthood.
Her first boyfriend cosplaying her fave character, just for her.
“Hey, you fucking bitch!”
Her first time cursed out by her boyfriend.
＊＊＊
“Hmm. Secretary Kim, what’s this?”
Top floor of a hotel overlooking all of Seoul.
In a space not for guests but the hotel owner, a woman shook some documents.
“A personal reservation from a guest a few months back.”
“I’ve got eyes? I mean, who the hell reserves an entire floor?”
She was stunningly beautiful, but her sharp eyes and impression made her seem fierce, her speech adding a bitchy vibe.
“It was... Hunter Choi Yu-ra.”
“Choi Yu-ra? Oh, that chick, world’s first EX-Rank Hunter? Hmm, why her? Millennium Guild party? Nah, for a guild event, Iron Blood would’ve booked it herself. Learned to splurge like a global star?”
“Witnesses said not just her, but a man was with her.”
The woman glaring at the documents on her desk twitched an eyebrow.
“What? For real? Wow, a boyfriend? Impressive. Thought she’d Hunter her life away and die alone. Guess she’s a woman after all.”
That ended the talk. Surprisingly busy, she was meticulous with work unlike her personality.
“Know what?”
After lingering silence, broken near work’s end.
“That someone else’s rice cake tastes better?”
“Miss. Please.”
“What, think I’ll threaten with a knife? No plans for novel suicide by getting beaten by an EX-Rank Hunter. And I haven’t decided to do it yet. So...”
Grinning genuinely, she beckoned her secretary.
“Bring the CCTV footage. Let’s see the face of the rock who melted Choi Yu-ra.”