Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Han Ye-rim (9)
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Bang bang!
Someone pounded roughly on the door.
I scratched my messy hair and checked the time.
It was still only 8 a.m.
"Damn it, who is it?"
As I grumbled sleepily, Han Ye-rim's voice came through.
"Hey, Kim Hyun-woo! How long are you gonna sleep?"
Why is she at Lee Ji-ah's place?
Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jung lay sleeping on either side of me.
The unfamiliar sight brought back memories of last night.
Right, we talked about guild stuff with Han Ye-rim... and since it was Sunday, we ended up crashing together.
"Ji-ah, wake up for a sec. Yoo-jung, you too."
Unlike Lee Ji-ah, who rubbed her eyes and yawned, Han Yoo-jung was out cold, oblivious to the world.
"Hey. Han Yoo-jung."
Poking her cheek did nothing.
Han Yoo-jung frowned and scratched her cheek in her sleep.
She's a heavy sleeper.
Thud thud!
"Hyun-woo, you still asleep? Should I come back later?"
The knocks sounded oddly urgent, so I hoisted Han Yoo-jung onto my back and headed out. Lee Ji-ah stumbled after me, still half-asleep.
Creeeak!
"What's this first thing in the morning?"
"Hold on a sec."
"Huh?"
Han Ye-rim scanned the room and took a deep breath. Her eyes fixed on the window and the bed.
The closed window and dry sheets.
Han Ye-rim's tense expression eased.
Seeing all that play out, a surge of annoyance hit me first.
Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jung are right here. What the hell is she doing?
It was so obvious what suspicions she had that I couldn't help but get pissed off inside.
"What the hell are you thinking? Cut it out. It's rude to Ji-ah and Yoo-jung."
"...Got it. Sorry."
Her shoulders slumped, and the mood turned awkward for no reason.
As I ran a hand down my face, feeling suffocated, Han Yoo-jung stirred on my back.
"Oh, Yoo-jung. You're up? Was it too noisy?"
"Uncle..."
"Yeah?"
I turned my head, and Han Yoo-jung's face stopped just inches from mine. She peered at me with half-open eyes.
"What about breakfast?"
Was the food going up my nose or down my throat?
In the heavy atmosphere at the table, I forced down spoonful after spoonful until my eyes met Han Yoo-jung's.
Her face screamed regret.
I mouthed silently.
I shouldn't have suggested breakfast.
Han Yoo-jung mouthed back.
I didn't know it'd be this awkward.
"...This isn't working."
Han Ye-rim, who had been picking at her fish, slammed her chopsticks down with a clack. All eyes turned to her.
"I'll let the arm-in-arm thing with Lee Ji-ah slide. Even the bathroom trips together? Fine, whatever circumstances, I'll understand."
Lee Ji-ah furrowed her brows in disbelief and cut in.
"Why do you get to decide what to understand or not?"
"Because you're not just some guy anymore."
"What?"
"I'm the guild master."
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Lee Ji-ah Hunter is going to be our guild's star hunter."
"..."
"You know what the internet would say if an S-rank hunter got caught in a scandal with her exclusive manager? And the hit to the guild's rep? As guild master, I'm managing it upfront. Is that overstepping?"
Lee Ji-ah shut her mouth.
Because Han Ye-rim was right.
She tapped the table and asked.
"So what's the excuse for sharing the bed?"
She was talking to me, judging by the casual tone, but her gaze was locked on Lee Ji-ah.
"I spent all last night trying to make sense of it, but I can't. Explain."
"...As guild master?"
"Yeah. As guild master."
I asked Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jung first.
Truth be told, this wasn't my secret—it was theirs. Especially for Han Yoo-jung, it wasn't something mere curiosity should uncover.
"Yoo-jung?"
I worried she'd refuse, but she surprisingly agreed easily.
"I don't mind."
"Ji-ah, is it okay to tell?"
"Yes."
Lee Ji-ah answered straightforwardly.
A sudden thought hit me. Had she kept her ability secret yesterday just to mess with Han Ye-rim?
Nah, couldn't be.
I broached the topic carefully.
"...Actually, I awakened a year ago..."
"What? Who?"
"Me."
"What?!"
Han Ye-rim yelped in shock. She stared at me with wide eyes, incredulous.
"Hey! That's too much! You awakened a year ago? And you didn't tell me?!"
I averted my gaze and mumbled an excuse.
"You knew I always wanted to be a hunter."
"Of course!"
"With your personality, if you knew, you'd force me into the guild no matter what. But my talent's trash. Even the trainer threw up his hands."
Han Ye-rim's face cycled through joy, sorrow, and complexity. She clutched her forehead and slumped onto the table in despair.
"I shouldn't have left the guild... I could've brought you in as a hunter..."
"You'd have gotten reamed at the guild."
"Better that than this."
Han Ye-rim snapped her head up. Swallowing tears of regret, she asked.
"...So, how does your awakening connect to sharing the bed?"
"Well, my ability is actually Peace of Mind..."
I explained what I knew about Peace of Mind.
And the pasts of Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jung.
Lee Ji-ah with her depression, Han Yoo-jung with Heavenly Killing Star.
Han Ye-rim stared at Han Yoo-jung in bewilderment.
"An S-rank? This little... Han Yoo-jung? With Heavenly Killing Star too?"
At "little," Han Yoo-jung's brow twitched, and Han Ye-rim hurriedly corrected herself. With a short sigh, she brushed back her hair.
"So one guild has two S-ranks now?"
I corrected her misunderstanding.
"Yoo-jung isn't a hunter."
"Even as a force... Anyway, got it."
Han Ye-rim sank into thought.
She frowned, then glanced at Lee Ji-ah with a sly smile.
Ah, I see what she's thinking.
It suddenly hit me about Han Ye-rim's own awakening ability.
"So, you stick to Lee Ji-ah because of Peace of Mind? Even to the bed and bathroom."
Lee Ji-ah nodded brightly.
"What can I do? I feel bad about it, but Hyun-woo says he's fine."
"You feel sorry to Hyun-woo, right? For always clinging. He can't even sleep comfortably in bed. With how attractive you are, you think he'd just sleep without getting distracted?"
"...Right?"
"So if there's another option, you'd step back for Hyun-woo's sake? You're not some pervert who loves glomming onto guys."
"...?"
Lee Ji-ah smiled uncertainly, nodding uneasily.
Because Han Ye-rim was grinning ear to ear.
"Sorry for laughing, Ji-ah. Actually, I'm an awakener too."
"Huh?"
"I can help you, since you're worried about inconveniencing Hyun-woo."
"...What ability?"
Han Ye-rim stood and approached me. She scoffed at the wary Lee Ji-ah and pressed her forehead to mine. That was her activation condition.
Bodies touching anywhere worked, not just foreheads.
Lee Ji-ah asked warily.
"...What ability?"
"Copy."
"Huh?"
"Ability copy. I just copied Peace of Mind. I have it like Hyun-woo now. Got it?"
Han Ye-rim whispered in Lee Ji-ah's ear.
"So quit chasing Hyun-woo and come over here, you vixen."
Han Ye-rim tried to pull Lee Ji-ah over. But Lee Ji-ah planted herself by my side and wouldn't budge. She forced a stiff smile and urgently called out.
"Yoo-jung."
"Yes?"
"Wanna go to Ye-rim?"
"M-Me?"
Han Yoo-jung swallowed hard and looked at me pitifully.
I scratched my head and took her side.
"Ji-ah."
"Yes?"
"Even if it's copied, it's not the full ability. We can't send Yoo-jung to Ye-rim."
"...Why not?"
"It doesn't copy experience, so it only brings out half the original power at best. Even Ye-rim doesn't know if it'd cover Heavenly Killing Star."
Han Ye-rim's copy ability looked powerful. But that was why she went the manager route instead of hunter.
If awakened abilities had levels, hers was like Lv. 1... and only half strength at that.
My Peace of Mind's initial range was about the Bastard Cafe size, so hers would be half that.
No multiple abilities, and every use required re-contact and permission from the original owner. Limited duration and cooldown too.
It was mass-produced junk in every way.
Lee Ji-ah's issue was mental; Han Yoo-jung's was her ability.
Peace of Mind's range barely changed with Lee Ji-ah, but Heavenly Killing Star was different.
If Han Ye-rim's copy couldn't contain it?
Han Yoo-jung would kill her instantly.
No way to test that.
Lee Ji-ah would have to switch.
Han Ye-rim smirked triumphantly, covering her mouth as she laughed.
"From experience, it should cover about 12 hours. Ji-ah? Come here quick. Hyun-woo's uncomfortable."
"Hyun-woo...?"
Lee Ji-ah looked at me with a crestfallen face, then let Han Ye-rim drag her over limply. Han Ye-rim laughed merrily.
"Ahaha. Haven't laughed like this since coming to Korea."
"Y-Yeah?"
"You work without even taking vacation days, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'll take Lee Ji-ah Hunter, so rest easy for those 12 hours at least."
"I'm fine."
"It's a rare break—rest up. What job doesn't give you a single day off in two months?"
"Honestly, I'm home all the time, so it's fine."
Han Ye-rim dragged a carry-on suitcase out from the living room. She said.
"Ji-ah? Come out with me for a bit."
"Huh? Where to?"
"Guild business. Follow me. Quick."
Han Ye-rim hauled Lee Ji-ah away. I waved them off.
Rare holiday. What to do?
I smiled awkwardly, then locked eyes with Han Yoo-jung. Oh right, I promised to show her games.
She remembered too, fidgeting her fingers and pulling a gamepad from the shadows.
"Uncle."
"Yeah?"
"You got time, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then..."
Han Yoo-jung asked with a prim expression.
"Can you teach me the game?"