Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Kim Hyun Manual (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just like that, Chae Seol-ah became Kim Hyun's dedicated handler.
"I, I didn't agree to this!"
There was a bit of resistance, of course.
"Not me—Team Leader, you do it!"
"Yeah, I'm the team leader. I have to manage the team. It's been too much handling my actual duties on top of supporting Kim Hyun this whole time. I've hit my limit."
"If I'm not there...! Who's going to do the measurements?!"
"There aren't that many actual Returnees anyway. The Awakener rank measurements are Team 2's problem. And if a new Returnee shows up, I can just make time to check them out then, right?"
"Th-that...!"
"Fine, fine, money! I can't raise your salary, but I'll pad it out with special activity funds instead. How's that?"
"...How much?"
In the end, though, Chae Seol-ah agreed to handle Kim Hyun solo, so there were no real issues.
Now there was just one problem left.
Getting Kim Hyun's permission.
"Team Leader's too busy?"
"Yes. So from now on, it might be hard for him to accompany you."
"Hm. Well, sure. No reason to call him if he's busy."
And Kim Hyun accepted with her usual straightforwardness.
"So from now on, Agent Chae's in charge of me?"
"Yes, that's right."
"What about Agent Choi?"
At that, Chae Seol-ah flashed an incredibly awkward smile.
"She's busy too... Heh, hehehe."
She couldn't exactly say that after the incident where Kim Hyun tore Hwang Won-uk apart, Choi Eun-ji had been gripped by such terror that she'd protested—even threatening to quit—rather than handle Kim Hyun again.
'Well...'
Chae Seol-ah thought that if she had to deal with someone who'd casually crushed a person to death without batting an eye, even she'd find it uncomfortable.
'...But protesting to that extent?'
Kim Hyun was a little scary, sure, but was she really someone to throw that big of a fit over? Chae Seol-ah herself didn't find her quite so frightening anymore compared to their first meeting.
'Maybe because she hasn't done anything to hurt me?'
Kim Hyun wasn't some monster who lashed out with violence indiscriminately. She always judged by her own standards, only using force when someone crossed the line as she saw it.
And that line was simple.
'Just don't do anything to piss her off.'
Not a tall order for Chae Seol-ah.
[Propose going to the PC bang]
After all, Chae Seol-ah could see a surefire way to boost Kim Hyun's affinity!
With the right answer right in front of her, there was no way she'd get it wrong. She just had to follow the manual's lead to win Kim Hyun's favor!
"K-Kim Hyun!"
And so.
That morning, while eating at a nearby diner close to Kim Hyun's place, Chae Seol-ah voiced the choice hovering before her eyes.
"Um, how about heading to a PC bang afterward?"
"...A PC bang? Out of nowhere?"
It was a pretty out-of-left-field suggestion if she thought about it.
Who suggests ditching a meal halfway through for a PC bang?
But was this the power of the manual?
Kim Hyun nodded agreeably.
"Sure, why not."
'Yes!'
Chae Seol-ah quietly clenched her fist.
If this were a game, it'd be something like Ding! Affinity increased!
Chae Seol-ah giggled to herself at the thought.
'Great, great!'
Just picking the options was enough to raise affinity? It was almost too easy. And Kim Hyun didn't make ridiculous demands or throw tantrums like some other Returnees.
Her job had gotten a whole lot easier!
'I was a little scared at first, but...'
Not anymore.
She was starting to get addicted to how smooth it all felt now.
'Alright. I'll max out her affinity like this!'
Chae Seol-ah glanced at Kim Hyun sipping her water, steeling her resolve. Why she needed to raise affinity in the first place? That question had long vanished from her mind.
Unfortunately.
We settled on a nearby PC bang.
As I settled into the plush chair, I glanced at Chae Seol-ah hesitantly taking the seat next to me.
Her behavior had changed since she took over as my handler.
Before, she'd hung back a step behind the slightly intimidated Lee Min-hyuk. Now, she was way more proactive.
And that wasn't all.
Post-assignment Chae Seol-ah was... clingy, like a tongue in my mouth?
I hadn't even asked, but she'd fetch what I wanted or suggest activities I might enjoy first.
It couldn't just be good luck or intuition.
The cause was probably...
I eyed the swell at her chest. Inside her jacket's bulge, I could make out the Akashic Manual.
'That thing.'
The Akashic Manual.
A sort of artifact created by an 'Outer Being.'
Infused with that Outer Being's thick mana, it had the ability to reveal strategies for handling its target.
I'd overlooked it at first since it didn't seem dangerous.
No harmful functions, no power to summon its creator 'Outer Being' to Earth.
Just your standard detection artifact, I'd thought.
But apparently, it was more impressive than I'd given it credit for.
It was sniffing out my desires ahead of time and feeding them to Chae Seol-ah.
'Maybe I should dissect it later.'
As that thought crossed my mind, the manual in her bosom twitched. Chae Seol-ah looked puzzled at the sudden movement.
I played dumb and signed up for a PC bang membership, logging in.
'It didn't have that function at first, so some trigger must've unlocked it...'
And that trigger seemed to be the contractor's growth.
In other words, Chae Seol-ah had to level up to unlock the manual's full power. She was still too weak to access it all.
'Maybe I should train her up a bit.'
If she was this good already, what heights could it reach at full potential?
And I was curious how far Chae Seol-ah herself could go.
Right then.
"Um, hey."
Chae Seol-ah glanced at the air, then turned to me with a cautious suggestion.
"Wanna play this game together...?"
What she showed me was an old hit game. Not popular anymore—more like a traditional pastime now.
"Sure."
Amusingly, my ID from 15 years ago was still there.
I hadn't touched it since returning. Oh well, why not.
I launched the game and logged in.
"Wh-what?"
But Chae Seol-ah next to me started panicking.
"M-my ID..."
"No ID?"
Makes sense.
I didn't know her exact age, but she looked young—early twenties?
That meant she'd been born after the game's heyday. No reason she'd have played or had an account.
And yet she'd suggested it offhand.
'Relying too much on that manual, huh?'
I smirked.
"Here, use one of mine."
"Th-thank youuu..."
I lent her a smurf account and set her to the tutorial.
After the tutorial, we jumped into a normal match.
'Whoa, it's changed a ton.'
Way more updates than I'd expected—hard to adjust.
New maps, items, characters galore.
So I took it easy, just warming up.
"Eek...! Eeek...!"
Chae Seol-ah beside me was trembling, making weird noises. The furious keyboard clacks of rage followed.
I habitually opened the minimized chat window.
"Ah."
It was already a battlefield—Chae Seol-ah and the enemy ADC cursing each other's families.
I'd put her on support as beginner-friendly, but she'd apparently picked a fight with their ADC.
"Eek! Y-you jerk! You messed up first!"
Watching her smash the keys with bulging eyes, I couldn't help but laugh.
Yeah. This was everyday life.
What I'd wanted.
In the end, the account I lent Chae Seol-ah got banned after one game.
Even back in my day, verbal abuse bans were strict, but 15 years later, they were lightning-fast.
"I'm sorry!"
Having nuked someone else's account with profanity, Chae Seol-ah bowed 90 degrees in apology.
"Eh, happens."
I shrugged.
I didn't care about that account anyway. And if I needed one, I could just buy another. Accounts were cheap, and I'd be rich soon.
"It's a game. Don't sweat it."
Still, Chae Seol-ah bowed repeatedly, looking mortified.
"But it's my fault! I'm sorry!"
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue, and she shot upright. Her eyes still brimmed with guilt, though.
Hm.
Perfect chance to broach the subject.
"If you're that sorry, you'll do whatever I say, right?"
"Y-yes! I will!"
"Promising without knowing what it is?"
No brains, this one.
Only then did Chae Seol-ah gulp and roll her eyes.
"...I-is it dangerous?"
"Probably."
You can't get strong without risks.
Somehow misinterpreting that, she pouted sadly—but still nodded firmly.
"I'll do it..."
"Good."
I sidled up and draped an arm over her shoulders.
"Starting today, Chae Seol-ah undergoes special training to get stronger. Got it?"
"Huh?"
"First up: solo gate clears."
"Whaaat?"
Finally grasping it, her face went pale.
"I-I take it back!"
"Nope."
"S-something else!"
"Not changing it."