Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World
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As the sun was just beginning to set.
Sama Young gazed up at the Justice Guild building in Jongno while cloaked in his stealth skill.
"It's shabby. And small."
Compared to the Sama Guild's headquarters in the Samsung-dong Trade Center building, the Justice Guild was so pitiful it wasn't even worth comparing.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and headed for the entrance but halted midway.
"Interesting."
He didn't need to open the door to sense that an awakener's skill had been used to install some kind of device near the entrance.
It was thanks to his senses, now even sharper after reawakening as an S-rank.
"They must've invested some money."
It couldn't be Kang Han's handiwork—he was the type to just tank any intruders with his own body.
It had to be that woman Nayeo-ju's decision.
Sama Young stared blankly at the front door for a long while before lightly rolling one foot to activate an item.
Confirming the item worked perfectly, Sama Young defied gravity and floated up lightly.
He flew at a yawn-inducingly slow speed for just a few seconds, yet he had already reached the tallest point of the Justice Guild building.
He frowned faintly as he peered through the paper-thin windows that offered a clear view inside.
"Hmm."
The building's defense barrier was as pathetic as the rundown structure itself.
It might have been cutting-edge back in the Justice Guild's heyday long ago, but nowadays even fledgling guilds had better protections.
"To think they live in a place like this."
He recalled Nayeo-ju, the woman with big eyes who stared people down and always spoke her mind bluntly.
She fussed over everyone around her like a mother dog, yet couldn't properly protect herself.
The system was even more outdated: opening a window from inside would disable the alarm—a method no longer in use.
Sama Young slowly extended one hand toward the building's defense barrier.
ZZZing—
The barrier vibrated lightly at his fingertips.
Untouched by reinforcement for so long, it seemed as fragile as a leaf ready to crumble.
The Justice Guild members were all out raiding a dungeon, leaving the building empty.
Even if anyone remained, they wouldn't detect his stealth presence unless it was Kang Han.
Sama Young placed a hand on his sword hilt, intending to scout the empty interior until the dungeon was cleared.
Perhaps he'd uncover the secret behind the Justice Guild's rapid growth.
Kang Han would throw a fit when he returned to find the broken barrier, but that was fine by him.
It'd give him a chance to properly test the power he hadn't used since reawakening as an S-rank.
That was when he spotted it.
A living creature was visible through the window of what he presumed to be Nayeo-ju's room.
A cat with blood-red eyes, its tail swaying lazily.
Sama Young drifted smoothly toward the window.
The cat's crimson eyes tracked his movement.
"Mind opening the window for me?"
Sama Young asked.
As if pondering the request, the cat kept wagging its tail while staring intently at him for a moment before rising from its spot and approaching the window.
And astonishingly, it raised a small paw and pushed the window open just as requested.
The old window shouldn't have budged so easily, yet the cat managed it without much effort.
It even hopped down from the sill with a bounce, clearing a path for him to enter easily.
Thanks to that, Sama Young slipped into Nayeo-ju's room without shattering the barrier. He glanced around the room before lowering his gaze.
The cat that had opened the window for him sat obediently at his feet.
As if awaiting praise.
"Good kitty. Unlike some people."
At his words, the cat lifted its rear from the floor and rubbed its head against his calf.
Purr... Purr...
The black cat's contented rumble filled the quiet room.
"Wh-what the hell."
I was genuinely shocked.
We'd just cleared the gate and come back, and there was Sama Young sitting in my room.
I spun around to bolt out the door.
Click.
But with a sound like a button being pressed, all four walls of my room suddenly gleamed as if coated in glass.
That bastard Sama Young.
I glared at him with all my irritation, but his smug smile only deepened.
"No one can enter or leave for the next 30 minutes. Completely soundproof, of course."
Sama Young said in a low voice.
"We could do quite a lot in 30 minutes, don't you think?"
"What the hell would I do with you for 30 minutes? Quit screwing around and deactivate the item."
"Why are you annoyed? If anyone's angry, shouldn't it be me?"
What nonsense.
This home invader had some nerve turning the tables.
As my expression turned incredulous, Sama Young's face grew even more hurt.
"You saved my life like that, then didn't even come check on me? How could you?"
Damn it.
Sama Young remembered what happened.
He'd seemed out of his mind at the time.
I decided to play dumb for now.
"No idea what you're talking about."
"I've been waiting for you this whole time, Nayeo-ju-ssi. I got tired of waiting, so I came to you first."
"Why wait for me? We're not even that close."
"You seemed to enjoy the coffee I sent, though. The photo was pretty."
A memory flashed of the coffee truck on set, like a pictorial shoot.
"That was you?!"
I felt like puking up the long-digested coffee.
"You took such a cute selfie and posted it, so I saved it."
Sama Young showed me his phone screen with a grin.
"First off, delete that photo—it's creepy that you have it. And get out of my room. How did you even get in?"
Seong Yo-na had said nothing happened at the guild.
He didn't seem to have charmed her either.
Which meant he'd slipped in without even her noticing.
"About that."
Sama Young's voice came from right in front of me.
I startled and looked up to find his dangerously handsome face inches away.
"How exactly did you save me?"
"……."
I invoked my right to silence.
Sama Young was sharp as a tack.
Any half-baked lie would backfire.
"Not gonna talk? Or can't you?"
Both, you jerk.
I couldn't reveal my skill until Jeong Je-hwa finished the dark addiction detector—and I shouldn't anyway.
As I kept my lips sealed, Sama Young muttered.
"Really don't like this. The earring doesn't work either."
He twirled a stray lock of my hair around his finger.
Don't touch me.
Shivers ran down my spine as I smacked his hand away hard enough to sting.
But Sama Young, who wouldn't feel pain from that, just smiled wider.
"That's what makes me like you more. You're so weird, Nayeo-ju-ssi."
I took a half-step back unsteadily.
A pink speech bubble floated clearly above Sama Young's head in my vision.
[ ♥ 1 ]
His words were sweet like a man in love, but his affection was a measly 1. Just 1.
"Calling a perfectly normal person weird? Look who's talking."
I dropped the polite speech too.
"Is that so?"
Sama Young chuckled.
Not his usual fake grin, but like a boy genuinely amused.
A new sound cut into the tense standoff between us, stretched taut like a rubber band.
Purr... Purr...
It was Gungki.
Maybe because he'd groomed extra hard today, Gungki's glossy black fur shone as he vigorously rubbed against Sama Young's legs, purring away.
"Unlike you, this one seems to like me."
"……."
I couldn't argue this time.
Gungki usually ignored everything and was standoffish even with me sometimes.
Right now, he paid me no mind, gazing at Sama Young with fervent eyes.
Sama Young smirked at the sight.
"You don't seem keen on talking, so I'll head out for today. No need to earn your hate when I can't even win your favor."
Sama Young apparently hadn't come to force a conclusion today.
Thank god—I'd been terrified he'd torture my real skill out of me.
"Take care. I'll come again."
As Sama Young turned to leave.
"Mrow."
Gungki let out a long, thin mew, as if begging him not to go.
A voice I'd never heard from him before, faint and tiny.