Chapter 17: Encounter (5)
Chapter 17: Encounter (5)
Standing next to her black suitcase, Kang Yujin’s long ponytail swayed in the wind. She wore a black women’s suit and found herself face-to-face with an unexpected intruder in her own home.
It was a platinum-haired beauty dressed in a white tracksuit.
Yujin was bewildered by the presence of someone she hadn't anticipated at all. If there was going to be a woman here, she had assumed it would be a Korean... It was beyond her imagination that a woman with such striking platinum hair and ethereal beauty would be in this house.
Yujin was confident in her own looks and knew she was beautiful. However, looking at the woman before her—with her platinum bob, clear aqua eyes, and a face that seemed utterly flawless—she immediately realized this was a woman who could not be ignored.
Above all else...
As an S-Rank Awakener, her instincts were screaming. They signaled that the woman standing before her was a powerhouse, someone she could never afford to underestimate.
Normally, Yujin was the type of person who could kill such a woman in an instant, before she could even let out a scream. But her sixth sense was blaring a warning... and she couldn't do such a thing here, in the home she shared with Han Shin.
Even without using her psychokinesis, she could tell Han Shin was showering from the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
Suppressing her rising aura, Yujin tried her best to calm herself, fearing she might lose control and cause an accident. But she couldn't suppress it entirely.
"Who are you?" Yujin asked in a low, heavy tone, her eyes filled with wariness as she glared at Grace.
She showed blatant hostility toward this intruder who had invaded the sanctuary she shared with Han Shin.
Grace, for her part, wasn't quite sure what to say. She hadn't expected to encounter Han Shin’s noona so soon. After a moment of deliberation, Grace decided that trying to dodge the question or tell a clumsy lie at this stage would only make things worse.
Grace could also sense that Kang Yujin was no ordinary opponent. Both women recognized that the other was formidable.
Grace bowed her head slightly toward Yujin in a polite gesture.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Grace, the knight who serves Lord Han Shin."
"What...?"
Yujin wondered if this woman calling herself Grace was joking. However, the woman’s demeanor was so sincere and devoid of any playfulness that Yujin found herself at a loss for words, unable to respond.
It was only natural. Even though they lived in a world of supernatural abilities and Yujin herself was a psychokinetic... there was no such thing as a "knight."
Occasionally, there were Awakeners with overinflated egos who went around calling themselves knights, but even to the biased eyes of Yujin, Grace didn't seem like the type to indulge in such empty bravado or pretension.
Clack!
"Noona, you're here?! Wait, I can explain everything!"
Han Shin, who had been showering, had thrown on some clothes and rushed out, his hair still dripping wet. While showering after his training, he had heard the electronic beep of the door lock and the sound of the front door opening over the noise of the spray.
Utterly panicked by the fact that his noona, Kang Yujin, had returned home earlier than scheduled, Han Shin had scrambled out of the bathroom. Having heard the voices of Grace and Yujin, he knew they had already met, and his mind was a whirlwind of complications.
‘I didn't think Noona would be back this early.’
"Shin-a... How are you...?"
The Kang Yujin who had been growling like a bristling wildcat at Grace just moments ago was gone. She was utterly stunned to see Han Shin running out of the bathroom looking perfectly healthy.
Knowing all too well how much Han Shin had suffered since his injury two years ago, tears naturally welled up in Yujin’s eyes.
There stood Han Shin, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and black shorts, standing firmly on his own two feet. She had feared she might never see him like this again. Overwhelmed by emotion at the sight of him, Yujin abandoned her suitcase and sprinted into the house to pull him into a tight embrace.
"Shin-a!!"
In his panic over the early encounter between Yujin and Grace, Han Shin had momentarily forgotten one crucial detail: Yujin didn't know he was healed yet. This was the first time she was seeing him like this.
As Yujin threw herself into his arms, he felt once again just how much his noona cared for him and how happy she was for his recovery.
"Thank you so much for taking care of me all this time, Noona."
"No, it’s..."
"It’s true. I survived because of you, Noona... You don't have to suffer anymore."
Yujin had searched for every possible way to fully heal Han Shin. Even though she knew that the priests serving Ahura Mazda—who possessed healing powers—couldn't heal a Holy Priest, she had checked again just in case. She had insisted that Han Shin receive every possible treatment during his year in the hospital, regardless of the cost.
The fact that Han Shin, who had miraculously survived an Orc attack, had even recovered enough to move his upper body was largely due to Yujin’s tireless efforts.
As Han Shin gently wrapped his arms around Yujin and patted her back, she finally felt the reality of what she had wished for so desperately.
For a while, the two remained embraced, sharing their overflowing emotions, until they both began to feel a bit self-conscious.
For Han Shin, the sensation of her soft, supple body pressing against him through her black suit triggered some stray thoughts about his noona.
‘Ugh... what am I, some kind of animal...?’
Han Shin slowly released his hold and noticed Grace watching them.
‘Ah... right. Grace.’
"Noona, let's go to the living room for now."
Yujin, on the other hand, was acutely aware of how Han Shin—who had been so frail just five days ago—now felt healthy and possessed firm muscles. Since her feelings for Han Shin had always been strong, he appeared even more attractive to her now, acting as a key that unlocked the desires she had hidden deep within her heart.
She had enjoyed being in his arms, so she felt a twinge of disappointment when he suddenly let go and suggested moving to the living room. However, seeing his gaze shift behind her, she remembered that Grace—the woman she had been confronting—was still there.
Deciding to follow Han Shin’s lead for the moment, Yujin moved toward the living room.
In the meantime, Grace had quietly closed the front door and moved the black suitcase inside. Grace had heard that Yujin was Han Shin’s noona, but seeing the way Yujin treated him now, she suspected the woman didn't view him as just a younger brother.
Though their thoughts were miles apart, the three of them gathered in the living room. Since there was only one long sofa, they sat around the coffee table.
From Han Shin’s perspective, Grace was on his left and Yujin was on his right. While the sight of the two beauties—contrasting in black and white—was pleasant, he now had to worry about how to explain everything to his noona.
‘First, I should introduce them...’
"Noona, this is the person who’s been helping me—"
Grace, who had been silent until now, cut him off as he tried to introduce her, perhaps worried he might say something wrong to Yujin.
"Lord Han Shin, I have already introduced myself as the knight who serves you."
"Ah... right."
‘I guess... I should just tell her the truth...’
Han Shin didn't know if Yujin would believe him, but since Grace had already declared herself a knight, there was no way to dodge the subject or hide it with lies. Originally, he had planned to vaguely describe Grace as someone associated with the Awakener who had healed him.
Han Shin cleared his throat and introduced his noona to Grace.
"Ahem... Grace, this is my noona, Kang Yujin."
"It is an honor."
"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you too."
Yujin didn't like Grace, but she couldn't be openly hostile or sharp in front of Han Shin. She had always played the role of the gentle, kind noona in front of him. She wasn't about to let that image crumble now, so she forced a smile as she responded to Grace.
Han Shin breathed a mental sigh of relief, thinking Yujin was taking Grace’s presence better than expected. Now, it was time to explain the most important part.
"Noona, what I'm about to tell you isn't a joke or a prank... so please, listen seriously."
"I understand, Shin-a. I believe everything you say."
Slowly, Han Shin explained everything that had happened since Yujin left for her business trip. Once he started, he felt a sense of relief, realizing it was better than trying to keep it a secret.
Naturally, Han Shin’s explanation was difficult for Yujin to wrap her head around. However, seeing Han Shin fully recovered and this woman named Grace suddenly appearing, it didn't seem like he was lying. Above all, the fact that Han Shin and Grace weren't dating or in a relationship relieved one of Yujin’s biggest worries.
Once Han Shin finished his explanation, Yujin finally spoke.
"Well, I suppose I should be grateful to this god named Tiamat. After all, she healed your body."
"Yeah, it's all thanks to Lady Tiamat."
Han Shin replied enthusiastically, glad that his noona seemed to believe him without suspicion.
"But... Shin-a, do you really have to enter dungeons...?"
"Ah... that part is unavoidable, Noona. But don't worry! I have Grace with me, and I'll be careful!"
Han Shin had expected Yujin to worry about this. But since he had already formed a contract with Tiamat, it was something he couldn't avoid. It was a burden he had to carry alone, so he tried his best to reassure her.
The problem was that this didn't reassure Yujin at all.
Yujin decided that since things had come to this, she should reveal the truth about being an Awakener to Han Shin.
"Shin-a."
"Yeah, Noona?"
"Actually, I have something to tell you too."
"Huh? What is it?"
After a brief hesitation, Yujin steeled her resolve and spoke.
"The truth is... I'm an Awakener too."
"Wait, what??"
Han Shin was left speechless, his mind going blank at Yujin’s unexpected revelation.