Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: A Woman's Intuition
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Incheon Airport's storm finally crashed into Jo Ayoung's apartment.
"You made it? Sisters?"
Sangjin casually welcomed the two women.
"Bro, where'd he go?"
Aileen asked, but Sangjin just shrugged.
"Young master, please. Any idea at all where he might be?"
As Yoo Jihyun pleaded, Sangjin's resolve softened a bit, and he spoke up.
"Hmm... I really don't know. But if I had to guess..."
The two women leaned in to listen.
"Had to guess?"
"Probably somewhere crowded? Bro's way of thinking is obvious. If you're hiding, a place with lots of people is best."
That was when it happened.
"A-Aileen... h-help... please."
It was Catherine's voice.
Aileen and Yoo Jihyun headed toward the sound, their eyes widening in shock.
"...What the hell is this? Are they bragging about dating or something?"
Where their gazes landed, Catherine and Kim Cheolsu were tied up face-to-face, pressed so tightly together it was downright embarrassing.
Tied with such meticulous care that their breaths mingled in the ultra-close proximity.
"N-No, it's not...!"
Catherine flushed red and struggled, but that only made her burrow deeper into Kim Cheolsu's arms.
"C-Catherine, if you move like that!!"
Kim Cheolsu's face was beet red as he turned his head away.
"I don't know what trick he used, but this rope... it won't come undone no matter what. Even mana doesn't loosen it."
Aileen frowned at Catherine's words and grabbed the end of the rope.
'Tch... This isn't ordinary rope.'
Aileen's player eyes scanned the rope.
It looked like a prank, but one done with extreme dedication...
+5 enhancement on a rope, of all things.
No way could Catherine, a level 1 Hero-grade player, untie it on her own.
Krunch—!
Aileen activated her mana and forcibly tore the rope apart.
Even as it snapped, the rope spat mana in resistance.
Aileen tossed the rope fragments to the floor and issued a chilling command.
"Mobilize every available resource in Korea. Track Woojin oppa's last known location and scour every nearby CCTV."
Yoo Jihyun, standing beside her, fixed Kim Cheolsu with an icy glare.
"Request police cooperation. Issue a wanted order, whatever it takes. We have to find him. Right now."
Aileen nodded at Yoo Jihyun.
"Yeah, home turf advantage. Using the police—smart choice."
"Basics."
Flames ignited in the two women's eyes.
The peaceful streets of Seoul were now fated to be combed through by the world's two strongest factions.
At the same time, in Myeongdong's ultra-luxury L Hotel.
Woojin stepped into the suite room—charging millions per night, a first for him—and let out a sigh of relief.
From the entrance, suited Awakener security teams stood like immovable walls. With enough money, this was one of the safest fortresses on earth.
"Whoa..."
Ayoung couldn't close her mouth, taking in the lavish living room.
Marble floors, chandeliers, and Seoul's nightscape beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows—it was worlds apart from her usual views.
"O-Oppa. This place is really okay? It looks way too expensive..."
"It's fine. I've got money. And right now, money's not the issue. Security here is top-notch—no one gets in without clearance. Not even Aileen or Yoo Jihyun without proper procedures."
Woojin flopped onto the sofa. Tension released, his body felt like lead.
'After a couple days holed up, heading home should calm things down.'
Woojin recalled his own experiences.
Back in high school, when Sangjin pulled some stunt and he planned to give him hell, the kid didn't come home for a day, then two.
How his heart had plummeted then...
He'd called the cops, raised hell, and finally tracked the punk down at a PC bang in the next neighborhood.
That relief...
No scolding crossed his mind.
Just gratitude that he was safe.
Those two women doted on him fiercely.
If he vanished for two days, their worry would pierce the skies.
Then bam! Showing up unscathed would make everything okay.
Their anger would have burned itself out.
Woojin's actions were all calculated from experience.
'Perfect. Sorry a little, but I've gotta survive.'
But as tension faded, a different kind of 'tension' began to creep in.
Luxurious lighting, faint fragrance, a vast room with just a man and woman.
Woojin glanced at Ayoung fidgeting beside him.
Remembering how he'd called her 'my woman' earlier, and her blushing before Catherine, made him awkwardly embarrassed.
'No way... Does Ayoung actually like me?'
Woojin scratched the back of his head.
Thinking that way, her reactions came to mind.
Flushing red, acting shy for no reason.
At twenty, such girlish responses seemed natural—he'd chalked it up to that.
That was when.
"Um... Oppa. I feel kinda sticky... Mind if I shower?"
Ayoung asked in a tiny voice.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Massive bathroom over there."
Woojin nodded, feigning nonchalance as he lay on the bed.
Moments later, the shower roared to life—shhh aaaah—
The instant the sound hit, Woojin's heart started pounding.
'Damn it, why's the water so loud? No, why am I even tense?'
Woojin swallowed dryly.
They'd rushed here in a panic, but this was his first time alone with a woman in a place like this.
'Shit, should've gotten separate rooms.'
Woojin shook his head.
That would've left him without protection if things went south.
Ayoung was his bodyguard; he was the employer.
Right, this was just an extension of work.
'Two beds anyway! Nothing'll happen. Ayoung's just a kid. Gotta get used to female protection.'
Legally 25, but Woojin's soul was a 35-year-old uncle.
A 15-year life gap.
Woojin brainwashed himself and flicked on the TV.
But nothing on screen registered. His mind painted only silhouettes from the bathroom.
In the bathroom, under the warm water, Ayoung listened to her heartbeat.
Thump, thump.
'Alone with Oppa... in a hotel. Is this really happening?'
She touched her face in the mirror.
Wet hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Suddenly, Woojin's daytime words resurfaced.
– Doesn't it look kinda ridiculous for my woman to hand over my every move to the government?
'Oppa... so cool...'
Even if acting, that forceful expression and voice had etched deep into her heart.
'Acting or not, doesn't matter. If not now, maybe never.'
Ayoung recalled a talk with her mom around age twelve. Her mom's back, prepping dinner in the kitchen, vivid.
– Mom, how'd you marry Dad? Did he confess?
– Hehe, a shy guy like Dad confess? Mom just tackled him!
– Tackled? Pushed him over? Does that lead to marriage?
– Choi Yoojin!! Watch your mouth around kids!
– Hehe, Ayoung, remember this. Sometimes, if a guy catches your eye, a girl has to muster courage and tackle him. It might be your last chance.
– How do you know it's the last?
– A woman just senses it.
'Right! Mom said be brave! This is my once-in-a-lifetime first and last chance, Jo Ayoung! Time to be bold!'
With grim resolve, Ayoung shut off the shower.
Toweled dry, she donned the prepared white robe.
Then hesitated.
'Underwear... on or off?'
No.
Twenty-year-old boldness allowed no such timid qualms.
Ayoung tied the robe sash bare underneath.
A faint shift threatened to reveal glimpses.
Deep breath, and she opened the bathroom door.
Click—
The bathroom door opened, and Ayoung stepped out.
Warm steam and luxurious amenity scents filled the living room.
Woojin instinctively turned—then froze solid.
'Is she insane?! Why's she dressed like that!'
Wet hair, slender neckline and collarbone peeking from the robe.
Utterly unlike her usual baggy tracksuits—Woojin whipped his head away!
"U-Um... All done showering, Oppa."
Ayoung smiled shyly and sat beside him on the bed.
The mattress dipped, parting her robe slightly.
'Oh fuck, God, why do You keep testing me lately...?'
Woojin screamed internally.
When Yoo Jihyun lunged at home, Yoo Daeho was outside.
But this room was empty.
No help, no intervention.
Worst, despite her cute looks, Ayoung was 'Hercules.'
If she truly pounced with intent, Enhancer weakling Woojin was doomed.
"Oppa... You not showering?"
Woojin bolted upright.
"Y-Yeah, gotta shower!"
Desperate to escape the situation.
But moments later.
Even after scrubbing extra long and thorough, Ayoung's outfit remained.
'Screwed. Now it looks like I planned this too!?'
Woojin deliberately sat on the other bed.
"Ahem! You sleep there. I'll take this one! N-No funny ideas about crossing over!"
But Ayoung had already slipped onto his bed.
"...Don't wanna... Close protection, right?"
Not just close.
And was that sash loosening bit by bit? Imagination?
Woojin gulped.
Ayoung's eyes held strange resolve.
'No way... Right, Ayoung?'
Ayoung confirmed his trembling pupils.
Now was the moment.
Time to live Mom's lesson.
Swish—
Her hand reached for the sash.
Very slowly, the robe's undoing echoed in the silent suite.
"Oppa......"
Woojin was going mad.
As Ayoung's robe began slipping from her shoulders.
Woojin squeezed his eyes shut and turned away.
At the same time, inside a black van racing through Seoul.
Aileen and Yoo Jihyun suddenly clutched their chests and doubled over.
"...Kuh!!"
"...Guhk!!"
"Misses, what's wrong!?"
Kim Cheolsu yelped from the wheel.
Aileen glared out the window, sweating coldly.
"We have to find him fast! My gut's screaming! A super ominous, dogshit foreboding feeling!"
Yoo Jihyun gripped the handle tight.
"Kuh... Me too! This crisis sense is worse than an A-rank gate bursting!! If we don't find Woojin oppa now, we'll regret it forever!"
Their instincts never failed.
That razor-sharp sense from surviving countless death traps in Unriworld was ringing alarms now.
"Found him!!!"
Catherine shouted from the passenger seat, tapping her laptop.
"Myeongdong L Hotel! Monitored all CCTV in Seoul's busy districts—entered 30 minutes ago!"
Blue murder flashed in Aileen and Yoo Jihyun's eyes.
"A hotel!? Hotel!?"
"Floor it!! Wreck the car if you have to—get there in 5 minutes!"
"Already flooring it!!"
Screeeech—!
Tire smoke billowed as the black van tore through central Myeongdong.