Yuri's Room (2)
“Haaah… You’re so handsome.”
Yuri muttered those words almost absentmindedly. One wall was covered with Minsu’s photos, as if he were watching her even now.
Thinking about it, her chest felt full to bursting. The days at Eins Academy. She remembered the look in his eyes back then.
That warm, sun-like gaze that always turned only toward her.
Yuri Tarkovskaya, the Snow Maiden who wielded the gift of ice and was an elite cryomancer. She had never truly understood the meaning of warmth. As smart as she was, she had only accepted the dictionary definition.
But when she finally understood the meaning of the gaze Minsu had given her… she finally understood the word as well.
And… I want that gaze to turn toward me again.
Yuri reached out and gently stroked the photo. It was just a picture, nothing more. No warmth could ever be transferred.
She traced her fingertips over the image, Minsu’s face. In the end she could not hold it back. She lightly pressed her lips to the photo.
‘What would a kiss feel like?’
Her cheeks suddenly flushed. A few years ago, when graduation from Eins Academy was approaching, Minsu had begun holding her hand more often.
He probably hadn’t noticed, but Yuri had never let go of his hand. Just the warmth of that touch was enough to make even the cryomancer inside her feel as if she might melt away.
She still remembered that warmth. And when she had captured Rex… the moment their bodies had touched while she tried to calm the feverish Minsu.
‘My heart… it really raced.’
It wasn’t just that. After signing the contract with Pyotr Kim and Minsu’s fever flaring again because of the alcohol, she had hugged him tightly from behind to soothe him.
‘I want to feel that touch again. With Minsu.’
And if one day their relationship returned to the way it had been back then… perhaps they would even share a kiss, a more developed form of intimacy.
Of course, just thinking about a man and a woman doing such embarrassing things made Yuri’s face burn with embarrassment.
Shhhwwwww.
The air in the room suddenly dropped several degrees. Mana of the cold attribute had been released in an instant. Yuri forced herself to calm her excited heart.
Her room was filled with Minsu’s photos and gifts. She could not risk catching a chill.
Once a Snow Maiden had tasted warmth, there was no going back to a world without it.
“Damn it!”
Yet Yuri’s head hurt. Frustrated by the helplessness, she slammed her palm against the desk. They were not just ordinary people who could stand beside each other. They understood each other’s hearts. She was certain of that.
To be precise, she and Minsu were not dating. So Yuri had never had any experience with romance at all.
So how could she make things work with Minsu again? The answer felt completely out of reach in her mind.
‘There’s no way I could pull off something like foxing.’
If strategy no longer worked, then the old truth remained: use the body.
Though she was CEO of a company and wore makeup every day, the face she saw in the mirror every morning was hers. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if she was pretty.
‘Compared to me… Minsu might prefer Soso’s looks, who is also East Asian.’
And even Seong Arin, who was always right beside him and constantly on his nerves, had that cute pink bob cut. To men she would be a popular choice. Yuri could not even compare to her level in a foxing contest.
Seong Arin even came and went from Minsu’s apartment freely.
‘Both of them… have better figures than me.’
Her own slim frame seemed hopelessly lacking beside them. Yuri felt a sudden wave of gloom wash over her.
‘Then I can’t use the ultimate method… I’ve looked at every dating forum online.’
The best way to seduce a man she had learned from those sites was to drink together and then take an active approach to intimacy.
But Minsu drank and things went wrong like before. She had no idea even how to take that step. Yuri glanced at the self-help book she had placed on her desk.
[When wanting to reconcile with an ex, never attempt physical intimacy in the process of communication.]
‘What exactly are they telling me to do?’
Her feelings for Minsu ran deep, but at the moment she had no idea what to do.
In the end her head ached so badly she lay down on the bed and pulled the giant teddy bear toward her. The bear was a gift from Minsu. For the past two years it had been her companion whenever she missed him.
It was impossible, but she could still smell Minsu’s scent on the bear. Yuri buried her face in its fur as if it were Minsu himself.
‘It’s troubling… it’s really troubling…’
As she had read in the article a little while ago, a few days earlier Minsu and Soso had gone on a one-night, two-day business trip together.
They had stayed at a famous hotel, so no matter how hard she tried not to think about it, erotic thoughts filled her mind like a demon.
‘Soso’s heart toward Minsu is still there too.’
If she lured him with that deadly figure, she might even deliver a stronger strike than Arin.
Moreover, Soso had never been what was called “casual dating.” So if their relationship was simpler than Yuri’s complicated one, she might be even bolder with Minsu.
‘No, that could never happen. They were on a business trip. They were just friends. Of course they hadn’t even held hands. That’s the way it has to be.’
Yet some uneasy feeling lingered. The hotel setting only made her imagination run wild. She could not stop the strange thoughts.
‘Now they’re both adults. Not virgins.’
Unable to calm her heart, Yuri headed to the living room. She filled a square cup ramen with water, sliced in some sausage, and generously squeezed in mayonnaise, almost filling the small tube half full.
She poured some vodka into a glass as well. A perfectly round ice sphere summoned from mana dropped into the glass, becoming on the rocks.
Recipe prepared: Vodka-soaked Ramen (alcoholic recovery drink)
‘I have to drink vodka to clear my mind.’
She downed the glass in one shot. The alcohol cooled her head. The perfect thought struck her.
Regardless, she was the Guild Master of Flame. With that authority she could create time alone with Minsu anytime she wanted.
‘And he just bought an A+ grade Ancient Gear with wind-attribute properties.’
It was an excellent idea. No matter what, she needed some time alone with Minsu to get closer again. She needed to use any method she could.
She grabbed another crab-shaped cookie as a snack and began mentally organizing the detailed trip plan.
After finishing the Pyongyang business trip, Flame returned to its usual daily routine.
The guild was currently on a brief hiatus from all missions. They would dispatch patrol teams to Seoul if the Association requested it, but otherwise they were busy with self-repair.
This was because the S-rank dungeon in Paju had a fixed raid date.
‘March 3rd.’
Only two weeks remained. Missing the two weeks of missions would mean a loss, but that was not the case.
The capture of A-rank villain Ghost Step Jang Gyesin in Pyongyang had brought substantial benefits to Flame.
“Jang Gyesin is not the only person who stole the artifact. Although we have not yet secured all the stolen goods, we have managed to recover at least some. The Association officials are overjoyed.”
“Team Leader Seo told me,” she said. “The Association is praising the incident highly. And the trading exchange in Pyongyang owes us a great favor. Haha, it’s good to be able to take a break without going on raids.”
Priest Stefano smiled warmly as he handed Minsu a mug of Americano.
Priest Stefano: Coffee, Brother Lee Minsu?
“Thank you, Father.”
“As Team Leader Seo said, the Association is evaluating the situation very highly. And the trading exchange in Pyongyang owes us a great favor. Haha, it’s good to be able to take a break without going on raids.”
Priest Stefano smiled with a kind expression.
“All of that is thanks to you, Brother Lee Minsu. But the internet article… it was a little biased, I think.”
Team Leader Seo answered.
“Still, the Association officials all know the truth. And it seems the rumor is spreading that Flame has a very skilled fire mage.”
“A skilled tanker and healer?”
“Well… Dong-hyuk and Arin too. They’ll become famous soon enough, especially with the S-rank dungeon cooperation mission. The results will decide everything.”
“I’ll work hard! But I’m already feeling tense. Haha.”
Like Team Leader Seo, the other interns had naturally begun mixing with Flame’s elite members.
‘After this cooperation mission ends, the interns will officially become regular members.’
And because the interns had already decided to support the mission as regular members, they were effectively being recognized as Flame’s official raid team.
At that moment, a gaze from far away felt fixed on him. It was Soso. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
‘Soso seems to be more conscious of me than before.’
After the Pyongyang trip, sharing a room and spending the night together… she could not ignore the possibility.
Even when she had attended Eins Academy, Soso had been a very shy girl. The kind of personality that hid itself.
Perhaps the bold action she had shown was out of character. Meanwhile, Seong Arin’s eyes suddenly cooled.
“Senior. What are you looking at?”
She leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
“Could it be… that something happened with the team leader on the last trip? A female boss and a one-night two-day trip… they stayed at a hotel, of all places… I’m worried. That title… I know there’s a video of it on your junior’s computer hard drive.”
‘The erotic demon has entered my junior’s head. I swear on the Lord of the White Cross Society there is no such video.’
“Tsk. Senior is not even a believer.”
Minsu turned her words aside with a slight smile. There was no need to keep secrets between a man and a woman, but he did not want to cause misunderstandings.
“Playing with words is suspicious. Are you hiding something?”
“I’m telling you, there’s nothing.”
Yuri said that, then leaned in close to his ear again.
“Senior, if you’re caught cheating or lying, I’ll be the one to speak first. Before another woman touches you.”
She looked into Seong Arin’s eyes. Pink bob, pink irises that matched the hair color. The light in those eyes was dead for a moment. A chill ran down his spine. Seong Arin sometimes spoke in dead earnest.
“Don’t joke like that.”
“Yes, Senior.”
Seong Arin smiled bashfully. Her eyes were not smiling, though.
“Then, Senior. Shall we go to the indoor training ground and train together? We both need to get used to the new gear…”
Just as she said, now that he could use high-grade Ancient Gears, he was finally able to wield the A+ Wind Cutter.
But the mention of the indoor training ground made Minsu feel the air around his neck flow as if the room were refusing to let him stay.
It was as if the gear itself were saying it did not want to be used indoors. It was a wind-attribute gear, so it was not strange in itself.
‘Outside, then. Well, training a new flame master properly does have limits in an indoor space.’
Even an A+ gear was not easy to control. Wind Cutter had chosen him as its master, but an untrained weapon could easily injure its owner.
But since it was work hours, he would finish basic training first, then set aside time for proper adjustment.
“All right, then the training ground…”
At that exact moment, every employee in the office suddenly turned their gaze toward one place. A woman with white hair was walking toward them.
“Good day, Guild Master!”
“Welcome, Guild Master!”
Yuri had entered the field team’s office. She raised a hand in greeting and then suddenly stood right in front of Minsu.
“Um, Minsu. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
At that instant, both Soso’s and Seong Arin’s gazes turned toward the two of them.