Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Escalating Tensions
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◈ Chapter 156
- Where are you? Have you arrived?
Inside the car.
A middle-aged woman's voice flowed from the speaker.
"I got here a little while ago."
- Good. Have you picked up Do-young?
"Not yet. The bell rang just a moment ago, so he should be out soon."
- Bring Do-young home safely!
"I will, so you don't have to call like this!"
- Oh? Didn't you run late last time? Do you have any idea how long Do-young waited? It's a good thing he's such a sweet boy. The weather's getting cold, so don't make him wait. Pick him up on time!
"I know. Hmph, I can't tell if I'm your daughter or if Do-young is your son anymore."
- Ho ho, of course my Eun-hee is my pretty daughter too. Drive safely.
Click.
As the call ended, Eun-hee grumbled.
When no one was watching, she was one to complain.
"Even if the car gets totaled, I'd be fine… but all Mom thinks about is Do-young."
Eun-hee looked out the window with a pout.
But a faint smile graced her lips.
"Mom, really…"
For the first time in a while, Eun-hee had come to the school to pick up Do-young.
Usually, her mother came, but occasionally, she would come herself to get him after school.
"I'm glad the atmosphere at home has gotten better, thanks to Do-young."
After the Busan Suppression, Eun-hee and Jeong In-gon's relationship had grown awkward.
After all, she had left the Association and gone to Busan on her own terms.
However, Do-young, along with her mother, had worked hard to mend their relationship, using all sorts of cute antics, and recently, they had grown much closer, just like before.
Furthermore, with Jeong In-gon and Eun-hee busy and out of the house every day, Do-young was filling the void, which made her mother, who was going through menopause, feel less lonely.
"It's already been two months…"
It was the 55th day since Do-jae had left.
Right after he left, the increase in monsters kept her so busy she barely had time to feel his absence, but every now and then, he would come to mind.
Especially when she saw Do-young.
Clack.
"Sis!"
"Did you have a good day?"
Do-young got into Eun-hee's car.
Unlike when she first brought him home, he had put on some weight and looked healthy.
"Yeah! You came today, sis? Where's the lady?"
"She went to the supermarket for a bit. Said she's going to make you something delicious."
"Wow! She's the best! Thank you!"
"Hehe, you little rascal."
Eun-hee vigorously ruffled Do-young's hair as he fastened his seatbelt.
"Shall we go?"
"Yep! Let's go!"
Eun-hee slowly pressed the accelerator.
The engine roared to life, a sound somewhat embarrassing in front of a school, and the car moved forward.
Vrooom-!
***
"Sis, sis! Did you hear? The dungeon break in Russia! It was just on the news!"
Park Kyung-min rushed over to Ji-yoon, his face a picture of astonishment.
Ji-yoon shook her head, her expression weary.
"It's craaazy. They said two of Russia's S-rank hunters died. But they still couldn't clear it, so they're asking other countries for help… Whoa, does that mean Russia only has one S-rank hunter left now?"
Ji-yoon didn't answer, taking off her armor and setting down her sword.
She had cleared three dungeons today alone, and her fatigue was indescribable.
But oblivious, Park Kyung-min chattered on excitedly.
"It's not just Russia. Cambodia, Norway, and where was it… ah, Lithuania? Things are really bad there too. The countries without S-ranks are in huge trouble. What are we going to do? What if our country is next…"
"Phew… Kyung-min."
Ji-yoon let out a heavy sigh, as if the ground might collapse beneath her.
She found Park Kyung-min pathetic.
"Yes?"
"It's not 'what if our country is next.' Don't you realize our country could be in trouble right now?!"
"Ugh… What's with you, sis…"
Ji-yoon suddenly shouted.
Startled guild members walking by turned to look.
She had been trying to temper her personality lately, but Park Kyung-min's foolish words made her blood boil.
"What did you do today?"
"Me? I trained a bit in the morning, had lunch, rested for a while, and then went to the Association with Director Shim…"
"And?"
"That's it…"
"Ugh! Look around you. You're the only one with clean clothes. Everyone else is fighting for their lives, and you're the only one with nothing to do, aren't you?"
"Gasp…"
Park Kyung-min clutched his chest and stumbled back.
Ji-yoon's contemptuous expression seemed to have dealt him a significant blow.
"Kyung-min, this isn't the time to worry about other countries. We have to be dispatched to Muan tomorrow. Did you even know that?"
"Muan? All of a sudden?"
"Yes!"
As Ji-yoon said, the situation in South Korea was no different from other countries.
Official announcements stated that Taebaek's Gwak Ji-hyeok was in critical condition after a failed dungeon raid, and other top-tier guilds had barely managed to clear it in his place.
Furthermore, rumors circulated that Manseong's Kwon Ran-hee had been seriously injured overseas and had returned to the country, and the ROM Guild was said to be all but completely shattered.
"Am I going too?"
"I said 'we'! The entire Guardian Guild!"
"Why… why?"
"Ugh…!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Whether from the West Sea or China, we don't know, but monsters are appearing on an island in Sinan. Several islands have already turned into monster dens. Our role will be to stop them at Muan."
Toss!
Ji-yoon took a leather vest from her locker and threw it at Park Kyung-min.
It was a piece of armor she had bought for the Peppermint Trio a while back.
"Wear this tomorrow! And get out of my sight, now!"
Catching the vest, Park Kyung-min stammered for a moment before disappearing like an arrow at Ji-yoon's furious outburst.
"If only he were half as good as Tae-sung and So-eun."
Ji-yoon stared for a moment at the spot where Park Kyung-min had been, then grabbed some clean clothes and headed for the shower room.
***
Whoosh.
'It's already been two months.'
Ji-yoon swept back her soaking wet hair.
Warm water trickled down her bronze skin in droplets.
'I'm so tired…'
Ji-yoon closed her eyes tightly and focused on the sound of the running water.
This was the only time in her hectic day that she could truly relax.
After her shower, she would have to go back to the office to help Young-jin, and she would only be able to fall asleep in a corner of the break room near midnight.
The Guardian Guild was so busy she couldn't even remember the last time she'd gone home.
'Tae-sung and So-eun are busy too, and I don't even know when I last saw Eun-hee.'
Ji-yoon herself was clearing several dungeons a day.
In the past, the standard procedure was to hunt every monster in a dungeon to collect all the spoils.
But now, they could barely handle the sheer number of dungeons. They often had to leave spoils behind, and it was common to quickly take down the boss and move on to the next dungeon.
As a result, raid parties were getting smaller, with only the minimum number of people deployed. She was occasionally assigned to the same raid party as Ha Tae-sung and Gong So-eun, but Eun-hee, whose skills were at a much different level, entered high-level dungeons with a separate team.
"Ngh…"
A soft moan escaped her lips as she scrubbed her body with fragrant body wash.
A wound on her waist stung.
"Hah…"
Ji-yoon looked down at her own body.
She recalled seeing Eun-hee when they had showered together once.
Compared to her, she felt so plain.
Her muscular body, though not comparable to a man's, was covered in countless small scars and wounds.
Eun-hee, on the other hand, boasted a body that was more firm and flexible than muscular, with smooth, fair skin.
Thinking of Eun-hee's body made her own feel shabby and pathetic.
Slap, slap!
Ji-yoon slapped her cheeks hard.
It was to chase away such useless thoughts.
'This is all the result of my hard work. I don't need to worry about it.'
Rinsing off the soap, Ji-yoon turned off the shower.
The Guardian Guild's numbers were constantly growing, with nearly 100 members, but the proportion of women was still small, so the shower room was quiet and empty.
Only the sound of water dripping from the showerhead echoed in the silence.
'Ah… I wish we could go on another trip.'
Their last trip had been ruined by a dungeon break, but until then, it had been truly wonderful.
Laughing and talking, she had felt like they had become a real family.
But on the other hand, this feeling of family wasn't entirely welcome.
'It's a job where you could die at any moment…'
The members of the Chilgok Unit's 3rd Platoon, whom she had considered family, had all died.
The grief was immense, beyond words.
Even as she worked herself to the bone, their faces would flash in her mind.
They say time heals all wounds, but it was still too soon to forget all of them.
"Hup!"
Ji-yoon let out a spirited shout.
This was no time to be down.
There was someone she wanted to see, and she would wait patiently.
'I should buy some spicy tteokbokki and eat it with Young-jin. It's been a while.'
Ji-yoon wrapped a large towel around herself and walked out of the shower room.
***
Click.
Creeak!
The back door of a large cargo truck opened.
The waiting staff and the truck driver began to carefully carry the boxes inside into the Association building.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Hwan-soo."
"It's nice to meet you, Chief. I'm Song Jeong-eun, Head of the External Support Division."
Kim Hwan-soo, who had gotten out of the truck, and Song Jeong-eun, who had been waiting, shook hands.
They both wore pleasant expressions, but their inner thoughts were anything but.
'So this is Song Jeong-eun? She certainly has the look of someone who would rise to a division head position at the Association.'
'The Chief of Information Operations himself? What's his angle?'
After a brief handshake, they watched the boxes being carried.
The back of the 10-ton truck was filled with boxes, so it didn't look like the job would be over quickly.
"Do you plan to distribute these to the guilds from the Association?"
"That's right. For now, we plan to manage it from our end."
"An amount like this should improve the guilds' situations."
"Thanks to you. The Association President is extremely grateful."
Song Jeong-eun smiled brightly.
Kim Hwan-soo laughed heartily as well.
"Hahaha. We have to help each other out. This isn't just a problem for the guilds, is it? It's a problem for the entire nation."
"We are simply grateful that you see it that way. It looks like it will take some time to unload everything. How about I get you a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, I would appreciate that."
"Then let's go to the cafe on the first floor. It's a private cafe, but it's famous within the Association for being delicious."
"Ah, no. Could I have the coffee sent to the Association President's office, please? I came here to meet with him."
Song Jeong-eun's words paused for a moment, and her eyebrow twitched.
But she quickly put on a bright smile again and replied.
"You can speak with me. The President is busy…"
"I'm sorry, but I don't believe there is anything further to discuss with you, Director. Please guide me to the President's office. If you don't mind, we can talk on the way."
"Hohoho… Is that so? Very well."
Song Jeong-eun turned her head sharply.
Out of Kim Hwan-soo's sight, she frowned deeply.
'The nerve of a mere Suppression Corps Chief…'
Then she turned back to Kim Hwan-soo and spoke.
"Follow me. I'll show you the way."
"Thank you."