The Cat Needs Permission to Be Petted
Wiji Yeon lay sprawled across the bed, and Lee Da-yeon suddenly burst into tears, clinging to her like a lifeline. “Eek, eek! Ji-yeon, Ji-yeon!”
“It’s fine. You just fainted, that’s all.”
“Really? Our Ji-yeon is okay, right?”
Da-yeon must have been terrified. She kept glancing at Wiji Yeon’s untouched body, her eyes wide with relief, then giggling through her sniffles. “Ehehe. My baby.”
Even unconscious, Wiji Yeon muttered in her sleep, arms still locked around the red gem she refused to let go. “No one’s taking this. It’s mine.”
Kim Na-yeon stayed right beside her, stroking the girl’s hair for a long while with her sister and adoptive sister.
After a while, the guild headquarters settled back into its usual rhythm.
The sun was already dipping toward the horizon when they laid the exhausted Da-yeon to rest beside Wiji Yeon. Kim Na-yeon headed to the office.
Yoon Deok-ja was waiting there, looking genuinely apologetic. “Aigo, Na-yeon-ah. This old lady is so sorry. I must have passed out from exhaustion. Where on earth did Ji-yeon go?”
“Nothing happened, Auntie. I found her and brought her back.”
“Ji-yeon, you little rascal. I told her the outside is dangerous, yet she kept trying to sneak out. I went to smack her backside, but the moment I turned my back she fainted like a light. Do you think the Ancient Species’ influence reached this far? Or is it just her age? Uuu, I’ll have to drag her to the medical center tomorrow.”
“Haha…”
Na-yeon forced an awkward laugh.
Clearly Wiji Yeon had used some method to put the old caretaker to sleep.
Once Deok-ja stepped out of the office, a young man entered, and Na-yeon’s face lit up with joy. “Opba!”
“How have you been?”
“So full of yourself…! How long were you away from the guild!”
“Ouch.”
Na-yeon gave his butt a sharp kick.
She spent the rest of the evening filling him in on the Ancient Species battle.
The rumors had already spread across the internet, but only Na-yeon and possibly Lee Myeong-won knew the truth: the black hunter who had slain the monster was Wiji Yeon.
After a long while of chattering, Na-yeon suddenly realized she had been talking only about herself. “So, opba, did you meet Master Kim Jin-seong? How was it?”
“Hm? You met him too? You went over there, right?”
“…Ah!”
Na-yeon clapped her hands.
Only now did she remember the eerie feeling she had felt while holding Ji-yeon during their return home. Back then she hadn’t connected the dots, but now it made perfect sense.
“Ah, so that’s why I felt so… unnatural coming back.”
“Master Kim Jin-seong probably stopped Myeong-won.”
“How fast is that? The emergency alarm only went off a short while ago. I thought it would take ages for the top five guilds in other regions to send support.”
“Brother and Hunter Kim Jin-seong were already heading to Seoul before the alert.”
“…That’s actually a relief.”
Looking back now, the situation had been terrifyingly close.
If Jin-seong hadn’t shown up, no one would have been able to stop Myeong-won.
At the time, Myeong-won must have believed he would win.
He was certain a lab-created Wiji Yeon had defeated the Ancient Species and that the exhausted girl was hiding somewhere nearby.
Na-yeon had been frantic.
“But what now? Myeong-won must know Ji-yeon is in Seoul by now.”
“What are you so scared of? He lost to our own black cat. If he tries to storm in, he’ll just get blown away, right?”
“…Ji-yeon showed power that was beyond belief, yet she’s been sleeping like this ever since. It doesn’t seem like she can keep using it. She looks completely helpless most of the time… and.”
Na-yeon cut herself off, narrowing her eyes at her brother.
“You’re going to use Ji-yeon’s abilities? She’s still a child. We have to protect her.”
“Hah. After seeing something that terrifying, only you can wrap her in cotton like that.”
“Eh, now you’re the strictest mom ever,” Kim Do-yoon teased, chuckling.
“For now, don’t worry. Myeong-won won’t be able to move.”
“How?”
A creak sounded. The office door opened.
A young man with a mischievous smile stepped in, looking genuinely kind. “Hunter Lee Myeong-won is currently under house arrest inside the Jeokpung Guild.”
“Who?”
“None other than the Kim Jin-seong Hunter I was just talking about.”
“Ah… Hello. I’m Kim Na-yeon, B-rank Hunter.”
“What!? When did you become B-rank?”
“You didn’t mention it in the message? I picked up a Level Upper in the gate and ate it.”
“Wow, you went through all that trouble…!”
Do-yoon’s eyes widened as he prepared to argue, but Kim Jin-seong laughed and stepped between them. “Haha, you two aren’t fighting, are you?”
“Hm hm.”
Now was not the time for sibling bickering in front of a famous S-rank.
The siblings cleared their throats and returned to their normal, polite selves.
“…I see. The investigation team from the Five Great Guilds has been launched. They are heading to the Ancient Species’ sanctuary branch.”
“Yes. I strongly persuaded the other Masters. This is the only chance we may get to restrain Myeong-won—before the Jeokpung Guild’s reputation sinks any further.”
“Do you think he’ll stay quiet?”
“Even if Jeokpung is strong, all five S-rank Hunters in the country are gathered in Seoul right now. Myeong-won cannot act rashly.”
Kim Jin-seong stated without hesitation. “We will conduct a thorough investigation and uncover everything that happened there—why he was wandering the sanctuary, what he was hiding, and every detail.”
Na-yeon breathed a sigh of relief.
If an S-rank Hunter said so, she could believe it.
Jin-seong smiled warmly, but his expression suddenly turned serious. “…Even from the video alone, the power was truly terrifying.”
“………”
Na-yeon fell silent, watching him carefully.
What he was referring to was Wiji Yeon’s strength.
The Ancient Species that even five S-rank Hunters could barely handle.
Yet they had been crushed without effort by a single meteor shower of power.
Who in the world could wield such strength?
“I heard you were protecting her. May I meet her?”
“…She’s asleep right now.”
Na-yeon shot a resentful glance at Do-yoon, who had clearly spilled the beans.
But Do-yoon only patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Master Kim Jin-seong is a trustworthy person.”
“Still…”
A soft voice came from the inner room. “Eung… Na-yeon unnie? Are you out there?”
“Ah, Ji-yeon woke up!”
Na-yeon hurried into the room.
Jin-seong turned to Do-yoon, eyes sparkling. “Oh, can I meet her?”
“…It depends on how my black cat feels.”
A moment later, a small black-haired girl was carried out in Na-yeon’s arms. “Uuu, I overused my strength. My legs feel weak.”
“I’ll carry you for a bit.”
“Thanks.”
Jin-seong’s jaw dropped. “I heard about it, but… what do I even call this? …A cute little lady.”
“……?”
The girl’s gaze toward Jin-seong was sharp enough to pierce.
Startled, Jin-seong gave an awkward laugh. “Haha… Did I do something wrong to you, Miss?”
“Ji-yeon hates being called pretty or cute.”
“T-that’s… Ahem. Her name is Ji-yeon. What a lovely name.”
“It’s Wiji Yeon.”
“Eh? You’re helping our guild, yet you speak so rudely…!”
The girl suddenly looked at him with curious eyes. “Oh, you’re the first ultra-peak expert I’ve seen since arriving here. Hmm… Oh? What kind of aura is this? Did you obtain it from some mysterious source?”
“……?”
Jin-seong felt a chill run down his spine.
It was as if the girl’s piercing gaze was scanning every inch of his mana.
Maybe his imagination. The feeling vanished in an instant.
Soon Wiji Yeon raised a finger and pointed straight at him. “You won’t come to the Cheonma Sect, will you?”
“…Cheonma Sect?”
“Ji-yeon calls our guild that.”
“Haha, I run a guild myself.”
“Hmm. That’s unfortunate. If your guild falls, you’ll always be welcome here.”
Wiji Yeon spoke casually, as if dropping something enormous.
Jin-seong felt an inexplicable pull toward the girl.
Her tone was strangely familiar. “By the way, Wiji Yeon’s speech is a little…”
“Kukuku, it’s tough to handle, isn’t it?”
Do-yoon nodded in agreement.
“May I stay here while I’m in Seoul?”
“You’d better ask permission from the one being protected.”
Na-yeon urged her as the guardian. “Wiji Yeon, may I stay here a while?”
“Hmm. Fine. If I stay here, I might actually join the guild.”
The permission was granted without issue.
Wiji Yeon seemed like a difficult young lady.
Yet for Jin-seong, staying here had a purpose.
Forming a close relationship with the girl was crucial—both to draw out Myeong-won’s hidden intentions through her testimony and to figure out what to do with the terrifying power coiled inside her.
Wiji Yeon clung to Na-yeon’s neck, complaining. “Na-yeon unnie, after using so much power today, my body feels all sore.”
“Want a bath?”
“Yeah.”
While nestled in Na-yeon’s arms, the girl was the picture of an ordinary child.
Jin-seong’s mind was filled with questions he couldn’t shake.
Could it really be that the harmless-looking girl was the dangerous lab subject?
She was simply too cute.
He wanted to pet her.
“Um… Excuse me.”
“……?”
Jin-seong stood up as if hypnotized, reaching toward the girl in Na-yeon’s arms.
And then—
“Kyaak!”
Wiji Yeon bit his finger.