Chapter 105
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Tears
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Brüel had left again to pursue her original objective, leaving Ga-eun to wander aimlessly through the camp.
She had to find Su-hyeon and apologize.
...Who knew life without a phone could be this inconvenient.
She'd hurried back to the auditorium right after the conversation ended, but the only one there was So-yeon, slumped over limply.
"Uh, Su-hyeon si…sis? Where'd she go? Maybe with Haneul sis?"
"Where'd Haneul sis go?"
"No idea. I just heard she had some business..."
"I see..."
Ga-eun chewed on her lower lip.
"But sis, what's with your eyes? Were you crying? Hmm… maybe not?"
Ga-eun's eyes were subtly red and puffy.
But as expected of a B-rank hunter, most of the swelling had subsided, leaving it ambiguous enough to question.
"Uh, yeah? No? Probably 'cause the meeting was so boring. Aigoo..."
Ga-eun hurriedly rubbed the bridge of her nose and made an excuse.
"You too, huh? Sigh… I felt so tired and out of sorts myself."
Fortunately, she let it slide without much suspicion.
'But was the training really that exhausting?'
Ga-eun glanced around and tilted her head.
It was right after mealtime, so maybe that was it.
But why were she and the staff perfectly fine?
...Anyway, that wasn't the point right now.
"I'll head out for a bit too."
"Sure. I'll just stay like this a little longer..."
So-yeon slumped back over her desk.
Ga-eun set off once more to find Su-hyeon.
To ease her anxiety as quickly as possible.
And because she had no idea when another interruption might come.
'Should've asked Ms. Brüel for her location.'
Even Room 101, which she'd checked just in case, stood empty.
'No way… she's already disappointed in me?'
As Ga-eun trudged down the corridor, an image flashed in her mind: Su-hyeon ditching her for Haneul, the two of them laughing gaily.
And herself watching from behind a distant tree, face full of regret.
'Gotta find her quick…'
The moment Ga-eun quickened her steps, someone called out to her.
"Ah, there you are. Participant Lee Ga-eun? Hold on a sec, Lee Ga-eun participant!"
"...Pardon?"
A staffer came panting up to Ga-eun, who was alone.
Oh great… here comes the interruption.
Ga-eun's heart churned with anxiety and irritation.
"Ah, I meant to give you this earlier but spaced out."
The staffer handed her a thick stack of papers.
"Here, it's a decent amount, huh? But it's just for three days, so hang in there…"
"Um, what's this…?"
Ga-eun eyed the sudden homework with suspicion.
"You know this camp's run by the council, right?"
Of course she did.
Wasn't she participating because of the damage they'd caused her? That's why she'd come here.
Well, the deciding factor had been the text saying Su-hyeon was joining.
"Think of this as… a sort of leadership test. Do well, and you'll get bonus points from the council—not just excellent support ratings, but they might even scout you directly."
"Mm, okay…"
"You're an independent hunter, no guild affiliation, right? I was the same. These days, guilds are all about hogging the profits among themselves. Honestly, a public body like the council feels way better. Our vibes might mesh pretty well. Haha, so anyway…"
"Yeah, yeah, got it…"
The guy was suddenly chattering away. Was this what hunter pickups felt like…?
Ga-eun let it go in one ear and out the other.
Honestly, she couldn't care less.
She was swamped as it was—just get to the point.
Suppressing her rising irritation, Ga-eun unconsciously scanned and dissected the paper's contents.
It was a habit picked up from recently poring over legal docs with Da-hye for the corporate name change.
"Hmm?"
Ga-eun narrowed her eyes after a quick read-through.
'This is basically invading privacy…'
To her, far too many items seemed unnecessary.
'Family relations, fine. But what's this? Eating habits and favorite foods? How you express emotions under stress…? Why even need this?'
As Ga-eun mulled over the questions, an unavoidable topic cropped up.
"Uh, your team's got a kid, right? Weird hair color…"
...?
Su-hyeon?
Ga-eun answered as evenly as possible.
"Yes, we do."
"I'd like an especially detailed report on her."
"......Pardon?"
"I know it's a pain, but please."
Ga-eun looked up from the papers and met the staffer's gaze.
Her eyes, slightly widened with intent, held a lingering moisture that tugged at the heart.
"......Why single out that kid?"
Of course, inwardly, Ga-eun wanted to throttle the guy right then.
"Ah, well… Her rank's super low, and her looks are so unique, so she needs watching. You're high-rank, B-grade especially? Just think of it as volunteer work…"
Whether from suddenly locking eyes with a beauty or some guilty conscience, he stuttered a little.
"So you're only asking me, not the other team leaders? Why not bring it up when we were all together earlier—instead of seeking me out separately?"
"Heh heh, slipped my mind back then."
The staffer scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
Plausible enough.
But it didn't jibe with his earlier talk of council points.
"Doesn't add up. And it doesn't seem like a safety thing either."
Ga-eun played dumb as she pressed.
She had zero interest in doing it.
Handing over Su-hyeon's info to these shady types.
"Aw, c'mon, it's nothing big. You two seem pretty tight…"
...?
What now?
They hadn't stuck together much today at all. Aside from getting off the bus.
"......What do you mean by that? Tight?"
If he'd guessed from looks, he'd peg Haneul as the close one.
As Ga-eun probed, the staffer faltered.
"H-Huh, not? That's weird…"
Ga-eun's conclusion.
This guy hadn't judged from seeing them—he already knew she knew Su-hyeon before approaching. His reaction screamed secondhand info from someone.
'......Suspicious.'
Clueless to Ga-eun's suspicions, the staffer pressed on casually.
"Heh heh… Well then, why not get close now? Kill two birds with the report."
"......"
Ga-eun opted for a bit of theatrics.
"......Ha."
She swept her hair back, quirking one eyebrow.
Cramming in all the frustration from today's setbacks.
Just like that, the sleazy vibe vanished, replaced by a girl who'd maybe chomped gum back in school.
"Why me?"
"......Huh?"
"Why should I drag myself here to babysit some kid?"
'…Sorry.'
Ga-eun apologized silently to Su-hyeon.
Couldn't quite bring herself to say 'brat.'
That might cross a line with no return.
Guilt made tears threaten to spill.
Of course, to onlookers, she already looked like a top-tier bitch.
'First, pry out their goal as best I can. If not, dodge suspicion and make 'em back off. Then… track down Ms. Brüel.'
This shady backchannel digging alone put them on the no-go list.
Finding Su-hyeon mattered, but she couldn't ignore the potential threat right in front of her.
Ga-eun hardened her resolve.
At that moment, Su-hyeon walked the corridor, cradling the honey water carefully.
No idea why she was so cautious with the lid on, but she was.
Now she just needed to find Ga-eun…
No clue where she was, but dorms nearby first.
As she rounded the corner toward the dorms, a familiar voice rang out.
"What do you mean by that? Tight?"
'Huh?'
It was Ga-eun.
Found her right away—talk about luck.
But…
'…Arguing with someone?'
Her tone felt sharper than usual, maybe imagination.
Su-hyeon ducked out of sight on reflex.
"Why should I drag myself here to babysit some kid?"
'Kid…?'
Su-hyeon's eyes widened.
Of course she wasn't a kid, but contextually…
'…Nah, no way.'
She peeked ever so slightly…
From around the corner.
Eavesdropping was wrong, but circumstances justified it…
"Uh, uh… Aren't you from the same school as participant Kim Su-hyeon?"
Her name popped from the guy talking to Ga-eun.
Staffer, by the outfit…
'Definitely about me.'
Her heart thumped wildly.
Then what was that earlier bit?
Babysit?
"Same school mean we're tight? Whole school your buddies? And how'd you know about the school?"
"Hehe, easy now. Like I said, it's part of the eval. Good score means council award—you know that, right?"
"No, that's what I'm saying! We're not close, so it's pointless!"
Her heart plummeted.
Ga-eun snapping irritably.
Same emotions laced in: annoyance, anger, hassle, unease.
'….'
"Everyone else is here to have fun, and I'm stuck with a pile of papers babysitting someone—think that'll make me happy? You joking?"
"Hey now, don't be like that…"
Rustle-rustle—
Ga-eun shook the papers roughly before shoving them back at the guy.
First time seeing her this pissed.
'……'
I get it.
Ga-eun wanted to relax and enjoy too, like a school trip.
Makes sense—she was only twenty.
Too tough for normal high school.
…Maybe I wasn't considerate enough.
Sharing secrets didn't mean glued at the hip 24/7.
Look at her own self.
Short, stubby limbs.
Eye level barely changes sitting or standing.
Looks that stun just from clear speech.
Grass clump on her head.
Parents' genes made her pretty cute outwardly, but that was it.
Hard to do normal stuff like others.
No bars, can't stay out late.
Drops dead past nine.
Even usually, friends get antsy at eight to shoo her home.
Min-ji and Ji-eun seemed to drink late, though…
"Sigh……."
I know.
I know, but…
Negative thoughts chained endlessly… Once sunk, her mood wouldn't lift.
Vision blurred.
…Maybe they needed some distance.
Friends can't share everything.
Looking back, joining the camp felt cowardly.
She'd tagged along on a friend's pull, just hearing from Jun-hyeok that Ga-eun was coming.
Not Ga-eun hearing from her and deciding.
From Ga-eun's side, hearing she was in, too late to bail.
Bailing after that would've screamed it.
'……'
Overthinking.
Normal Su-hyeon would've spotted the oddity in the talk, no wild leaps.
But cornered emotionally now, only negatives and barbs registered.
Like before meeting Ga-eun.
Squeeze.
Sweaty palm gripped the bottle tighter.
Step back.
I'll keep this to myself. Bury it quietly.
Pretend I heard nothing.
Back to easygoing friends.
If I try a bit harder, we won't drift further…
"……Hic."
Jaw clenched so tight wrinkles formed.
Couldn't stop her lips from drooping.
As she retreated step by step.
Thud—
Hard jolt to the shoulder.
"Ah…."
Hit the wall already?
Didn't hurt.
But…
Clang!!
"So why the freakout over not digging up her background…?"
The unmistakable shatter of glass echoed clearly.
Splash, a small amount of liquid spraying wide.
Ga-eun slowly turned.
At the corridor's end stood Su-hyeon, the one she'd desperately sought.
That perfect face drenched in tears.
And at her feet… jagged glass shards…
"W-Wait, you're not hurt!?"
Panicked, Ga-eun rushed to Su-hyeon.
Forget acting—this was about whether Su-hyeon was injured.
But Su-hyeon's response…
She flinched back.
"Eh…?"
Ga-eun's hand swished through the air a step short.
"Hnn, hnnng……."
"Su, Su-hyeon… you heard…?"
Su-hyeon answered not with words, but a fresh torrent of tears.
Ga-eun's mind went blank.