Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Fan Meeting
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Can I post this on Instagram?
While foreign Hunters are welcomed with open arms when crossing from South to North Korea, things get a little tedious when they try to return to the South after the Manchurian subjugation campaign.
This is because the North Korean authorities know that the longer foreign Hunters stay in South Korea, the more South Korea's national prestige rises.
Their goal is to sell them expensive plane tickets out of North Korea and send them back to their home countries immediately after the campaign ends.
Of course, they don't actually block them from leaving. That could escalate into a messy international incident.
"Ms. Camila Torres, Ms. Tennoji Utaha. Thank you for your hard work."
Yoo Chae-rin greeted Camila Torres and Tennoji Utaha in fluent English. As soon as they crossed into the South at the Panmunjom Joint Security Area, dozens of black limousines were there to meet the two Hunters in a conspicuous display.
Of course, since Camila Torres and Tennoji Utaha were friends and would be riding in the same car, so many vehicles weren't necessary. However, if a car carrying a top-tier international Hunter were to be attacked, it would immediately become a matter of national reproach.
Nova's limousines appearing at a time that anyone with an interest would vaguely know about? It was obvious they were there to pick up S-rank Hunters from overseas.
It was also common for die-hard Hunter fans to block the roads, so they often used dozens of decoy vehicles.
"I heard the news. They say Nikolai came all the way down to southern Heilongjiang this time."
"Ah, you knew about that, Ms. Chae-rin?"
"Yes, to some extent."
Nikolai Petrovich Orlov is a Russian Hunter, ranked 4th in the world by CHAD. He normally only guarded the Russian border in northern Manchuria, so it was a mystery why he had come down.
As Utaha and Yoo Chae-rin were chatting, Camila suddenly thrust her phone in Yoo Chae-rin's face.
"Hunter Chae-rin! Do you know this kid?"
"Who are you referring to... ah."
On the screen was someone's Instagram feed.
"Ah, this child... Yes. I'm somewhat acquainted with her."
"Really?! Where does she live?!"
"May I ask why you're asking..."
"Eve told me she loves me! Aren't you jealous?"
Yoo Chae-rin took the phone from Camila and scrolled up a few times, revealing a record of their conversation. Camila was the type to just strike up a conversation with anyone she wanted to befriend. That was how she'd become friends with Utaha, too.
'Come to think of it...'
If she recalled correctly, Eve had once mentioned that Maxy was her favorite Hunter. Coincidentally, after Eve started her Instagram, Maxy had found her account and contacted her first.
Tennoji Utaha and Camila Torres were scheduled to stay at the Shilla Hotel for a night. Utaha's departure was set for the next day, but Camila, who didn't want to return to Mexico, had no departure date scheduled yet.
"Eve is an acquaintance of mine. She's also an A-rank Hunter."
"Really?! Utaha, she's a real Hunter!"
"Ms. Chae-rin. How old is this child?"
"She is ten years old."
"A-rank at such a young age... She has a bright future."
"Indeed."
After dropping Eve off, Han Do-hee's phone rang while she was driving.
—*Kyurukyurukyun~ Kyurukyurukyun~ Sunao ni narenakutemo~*
"Do-hee, your phone's ringing."
"Who is it? Hand me the phone."
The caller was Yoo Chae-rin. Kim Chae-ah, who had moved to the passenger seat after dropping Eve off, took Han Do-hee's phone out of her bag and handed it to her.
"Hello? Do-hee?"
"Hey, I'm driving right now. What's up?"
"Are you with Eve by any chance? Didn't you say you were going somewhere with her today?"
"Ah, I just dropped her off at home. Why?"
"Oh... is that so?"
"What is it? Why are you suddenly asking about Eve?"
"What should I do? Is it hard to turn the car around? I was hoping you could bring Eve to the hotel."
"Hmm..."
Han Do-hee quickly checked the traffic. She hadn't gotten very far, having just navigated the narrow streets of the hillside neighborhood. She could still turn back if she had to.
"But... um, have you talked to Ophelia about this?"
"Not yet, but I can call her. Is Eve busy right now?"
"I don't think so, but she said she was going to rest at home."
Even though she had been carried by her friends from time to time, Eve had been walking for about three hours straight, so Han Do-hee figured she must be quite tired. Despite being an Awakened, she had no abilities related to her physical body.
If there was one, it would be her ridiculously cute face. If you could call that an ability, then that was it.
"Hmm, is that right? Can you pull over for a moment? I'll call Eve."
"Sure."
—*Beep... Beep...*
After the call ended, Han Do-hee pulled the car over to the side of the road.
"Chae-ah, she's asking me to bring Eve to the hotel."
"Did something happen?"
"How should I know? I'm asking what you want to do."
"Oh, right."
Kim Chae-ah thought for a moment before deciding to stay in the car. She had nothing to do at home anyway, and for her, watching Eve was a form of rest.
Kim Chae-ah was the type of person who recharged her energy by being around people—a concept that introverts might never understand.
What food did you order 500 million servings of this time?
Did you really see the Windmill thing by yourself?
(Mint twin-tails with a crown emoji)
"Ah, I should change my memo."
Mr. Min-ho cursed at me, but he also apologized, and I got to see something interesting. Plus, he tried to stop everyone from fighting during the gate raid. Maybe he's a better person than I thought.
Anonymous [RMH]
"They should be able to recognize him with this, right?"
I put my phone down on the floor and was about to unwrap the sandwich I had wrapped in plastic when my phone suddenly started ringing.
—*Diri-ring, diri-ring*
"Huh? What's this? It's Chae-ah."
"Hello? Eve?"
"Yes, Chae-ah. What's up?"
"Are you resting right now? What were you doing?"
"Ah... I was just lying down..."
Something... something about Chae-ah's high-pitched voice sounded ominous. I had a feeling something was up.
"What are you having for dinner? Should we go to the hotel and eat together?"
"The hotel? The Shilla Hotel?"
"That's right. It would be so~ nice if you could come with us. Please?"
"Ah... um..."
I was just about to eat a sandwich. And it wasn't even dinnertime yet. Hotel food is delicious, sure, but I also kind of wanted to just rest at home... I'm tired, and this and that...
"O-Okay..."
"Really? We'll come pick you up right now, okay?"
I can never say no when Chae-ah asks for something. Not that she means it in a bad way, but I feel like if I refuse her request, there'll be unpleasant gossip behind my back.
It's like she's the head of a global girl-clique cartel. 'I heard you turned down Chae-ah's request the other day? People are talking, you better watch yourself. You think you're hot stuff now that you're getting popular? You think life's over once you've Awakened?' and so on...
"Ah, ah! But I have to ask Ophelia! Just a moment."
In times like these, it's best to use someone else as a shield. And it really is better to ask Ophelia anyway. I'll just call Ophelia and tell her I'm super tired and want to rest at home, but another plan just came up.
I don't want to leave the house, so Ophelia, please make up a good excuse for me—that's the plan...!
"Chae-rin already spoke with Ophelia~ Just get ready in some comfy clothes~"
"Oing."
Sigh, my life.
"Are you okay, Eve? We didn't force you to come out when you were resting, did we?"
"Of-Of course not... I like eating with you guys too."
"Heehee, really? That's a relief!"
That's just how social life works. You have to make compromises, like going to gatherings you don't want to attend. But then again, while getting ready is a pain, once you're out, they drive you everywhere. You get to eat delicious food for free. It's not so bad when you think about it.
"By the way, Eve. Did I tell you why we're going?"
"Aren't we going to eat?"
"We'll eat, but Maxy and Utaha are at the hotel. They said they mentioned you."
"Gasp, really...?"
I never imagined Maxy would actually want to meet me. It's not unheard of for Maxy to send the first DM, so I thought she just sent it and moved on.
Maybe Chae-rin remembered me saying I liked Maxy and called me here on purpose so we could meet again.
"I should have worn something prettier..."
"Huh? You look cute right now, why?"
"Really...? Hmm."
On the way to the Shilla Hotel, Ophelia called too. She said she was done with work and would head straight to the hotel. Ophelia is in her little kid form right now, so I wonder if she did her job well.
"Alright, we're here. Get out first, I'll go park the car and be right there."
"Okay, got it."
Following Chae-ah, I entered the Shilla Hotel entrance and saw the same security guard from before. I don't remember her name.
"Ah, you've arrived. I will guide you."
"Do-hee is parking right now, should we wait a bit?"
"Very well."
After a while, Han Do-hee, having parked the car, joined us, and we all followed the security guard upstairs. I honestly had my doubts about whether Maxy and Utaha would really be there, but...
—*Ding*
"Gasp..."
Maxy and Utaha were really inside the lounge. It wasn't that they were staying at the Shilla Hotel just to see me; it was more like they were staying here after the regular Manchurian subjugation and just happened to call me over.
Maxy, who had been wandering around the lounge destroying the dessert bar, turned her head at the sound of the elevator door opening. She peeked over, looked startled, and then hurried towards us.
Seeing her in person, I was surprised by the even more fascinating color of her hair. So this is what it really looks like, I thought. And more than anything, seeing her in real life...
'She has a more... provocative vibe than I expected. Isn't she embarrassed...?'
I had thought her revealing outfits were nice, but seeing them in person, they were a bit risqué. It makes me realize I'm still under the influence of Confucianism.
"¿¡Guau, sí era una persona real!?"
"H-Hello...?"
I wasn't sure what she said, but I heard "real" at the end. Was she saying something like, "Is this for real?"
"Eve, you know who Camila is, right?"
"Ah, yes! I'm a huge fan!"
"¿Qué? ¿Qué dijiste?"
"Eve es una admiradora suya."
"¿De verdad? ¡Qué emoción!"
"It seems Camila is very happy."
"Ehehe..."
After that, Chae-ah and the security guard took a break in the lounge, while Han Do-hee started talking with Utaha in fluent Japanese. With Chae-rin's help, I managed to have a short conversation with Maxy...
"¡Te ves igualito a como sales en Instagram! ¿Nos tomamos una foto?"
"She wants to take a picture together. Is that okay, Eve?"
"Gasp... Really? I'd love to!"
"¡Ay no, qué ternura!"
Maxy pulled her phone out of her back pocket, grabbed me, and led me over to the sofa. She immediately pressed close to me and brought up the phone's camera.
"Say cheese!"
"Ah... cheese..."
Yoo Chae-rin, watching from the side, thought to herself.
'This seems like a bad influence...'