Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Sinful Man (4)
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"Haa.... In the end, I couldn't talk about any of the things I planned to discuss today...."
Kang Hye-eun let out a sigh while doing the dishes after feeding Sung Tae-kyung an early dinner.
Originally, she had planned to pour out all the pent-up stories she'd been holding onto during their date today.
Why he hadn't acknowledged her as his girlfriend, why he'd been away from home so much lately, whether he truly felt nothing for her beyond their childhood friendship.
She'd intended to ask him all those nagging questions on this date, but his sudden cold turned every one of them into an unfinished thought.
"I can't grill a sick person, after all...."
There would be another chance someday to have a serious talk, even if it wasn't today.
With that thought, she finished washing the empty plastic containers and lids, then divided the remaining porridge into single servings, stored them in sealed containers, and put them in the fridge.
This way, he could just heat it up tomorrow morning for a meal, so he wouldn't go hungry even if he was too sick to prepare food.
"...It's gotten this late already."
It was time for her to decide.
Should she head home for dinner with her mother, or stay here at his place and spend time with him until tomorrow?
"It's been a while since we've seen each other like this. Maybe I should stick around a bit longer...."
They'd had a rare date, yet hadn't done a single couple-like thing, so personal desires did flicker through her mind—but she shook her head and decided against acting solely on her own wants.
"No need to stress him out more when he's already sick. I'll head home today."
Setting aside whether the cold was contagious, she didn't want to tire him out.
If he wasn't better tomorrow, she could come back then to check on him—and with that, she changed out of his loungewear back into her outdoor clothes and headed to his room.
"Rest up well today. Contact me once your cold's gone."
Just as she was about to leave with a greeting light enough not to burden her childhood friend,
"Hye-eun-ah."
"Yeah?"
Her steps halted at the suddenly serious voice from behind her.
She briefly entertained a cute fantasy—like maybe he was begging for a goodnight kiss before parting—but the words from Sung Tae-kyung were far weightier than any simple affection.
"I've awakened as a hunter, Hye-eun-ah."
"......"
A sudden silence fell.
Sung Tae-kyung, who had dropped the bombshell so casually, wore an expression as if he'd simply stated what needed saying.
"......Huh?"
It took Hye-eun a long while to process his words before she could squeeze out a single exclamation.
"Awak...ened?"
"Yeah, I awakened."
"Oh, uh, really...?"
What reaction was she supposed to have in a situation like this?
What was the right way to respond when her childhood friend was earnestly insisting on something that sounded like an outright lie?
Men couldn't awaken—that was a famous fact known worldwide.
Recalling all the cases where so-called male awakeners turned out to be scammers or delusional patients, Hye-eun's first thought was naturally one of worry.
If he was just spouting nonsense to her alone about awakening, that might be fine—but if he claimed to be a male awakener in front of others, he'd be ridiculed for sure.
'More than that, with Tae-kyung's personality, he'd definitely...'
What if his delusion led him to charge recklessly into a high-rank dungeon?
That wouldn't just be a matter of damaged pride anymore. Her expression turned cautious, like she was watching a child about to swallow a toy whole.
"I-I see. Congrats, Tae-kyung-ah."
"......"
"Y-You've worked so hard, and it paid off. I always knew you'd make it someday if it was you..."
"Save it. You don't have to pretend to believe me awkwardly."
"Huh? N-No! I do believe you!"
"After all these years together, you think I can't read your face?"
In truth, he'd been oblivious to her feelings for him all that time. Swallowing the retort that rose in her throat, Hye-eun forced a calmer expression and continued the conversation.
"H-Honestly, it's a bit surprising..."
"You still don't believe me?"
"Yeah... S-Sorry, Tae-kyung-ah...."
"It's fine. I wouldn't have believed it either."
"......"
"I'll show you something simple."
What did he mean by showing her something simple?
Before Hye-eun could fully grasp his words, his hand moved to the cup holding pens on the desk. He pulled out a utility knife, casually extending the blade, and a foreboding thought flashed through her mind.
"W-Wait, Tae-kyung-ah! Don't!"
"...I'm not doing anything weird. Just watch."
"......"
"First time trying this, but it should be fine, I think."
Muttering to himself, Sung Tae-kyung tossed a pencil lightly into the air in front of her, then swung the blade several times at it as it fell from above.
-Crack!
"......Wha-what?"
The single pencil hit the floor split cleanly into five vertical pieces.
Four identical wooden splinters and the central graphite core. It was unmistakably the mark of a cross-cut and precision slice from swordsmanship—proof enough that he'd awakened swordsmanship skills.
"Whoa, th-that's amazing, Tae-kyung-ah...."
Hye-eun, stunned for a moment by the display, quickly snapped out of it and forced an impressed reaction.
If a female hunter had shown the same skill, anyone would call her an awakened swordsmanship hunter without hesitation. But the Sung Tae-kyung etched in her mind and body was 100% male.
Naturally, her first assumption was trickery—like he'd pre-sliced it somehow.
"You still don't believe me."
"......"
"Got a coin? Toss me one."
"......Okay."
Sung Tae-kyung demanded it with serious eyes, as if proving his innocence, and Hye-eun obliged, pulling a 500-won coin from her pocket and tossing it to him.
He didn't even catch it, just swung the small knife in his hand. The coin hit the floor, neatly divided into four pieces.
-Clink!
Not just fanned out into four segments, but sliced parallel across the wide face into four thin discs.
They looked just like four thinned coins—so even Hye-eun had no choice but to believe this time.
Her own 500-won coin from her pocket, untouched by his hand, perfectly quartered.
"Now you believe me, huh."
"I-Is it real? You really awakened?"
"Yeah, that's right."
Unlike the flustered Hye-eun, who still looked like she'd witnessed the impossible, Sung Tae-kyung continued in his unchanged tone.
"My main weapon's actually a greatsword, but I can't swing that in the room."
"......"
"I'll show you next time. In the yard or somewhere else."
Watching him speak matter-of-factly, as if merely relaying facts, Hye-eun felt a strange unease creep in.
A man awakening was already an unprecedented absurdity, yet he delivered the news without a hint of emotion—like he was steeling himself to reveal something even more important than the awakening itself.
"It was a long road. Really long."
"......"
"Twelve years from the day I first set my goal. It really dragged on."
"...Yeah."
Hye-eun had watched him closest of all—his peerless determination to become a hunter, starting from when other boys his age were just learning basic math.
She could dimly imagine the emotions he'd felt upon awakening and guess what silent actions he'd taken afterward.
"I haven't said it until now."
"Yeah."
"I've already been active as a hunter."
She saw him flash what seemed to be a hunter ID tag from who-knows-where, but surprisingly, this news landed more ordinarily than the first.
"I see."
"Not shocked by this one?"
"I already figured you'd do that. After finally achieving your lifelong dream of awakening, there's no way you'd just sit on that power, Tae-kyung-ah."
"Yeah, true."
Not putting off what needed doing was one of Sung Tae-kyung's greatest strengths as far as Hye-eun knew. Awakening meant he'd use it right away—no great leap there.
If anything, it resolved one of the doubts that had tormented her lately. Hearing he'd truly awakened lifted her spirits bit by bit.
"S-So that's why you've been away from home so much lately!"
"Huh?"
"You awakened hunter powers and you've been out hunting with a guild, right? Right?"
If his frequent absences were due to dungeon raids as a hunter, that alone would comfort her greatly.
It eliminated the worst scenario she dreaded most—like overnight flings with shady women. So she hoped for a positive confirmation,
"Halfway, yeah."
"Halfway...?"
"...There's that to it."
His ambiguous reply reignited her anxiety, and it soon hardened into certainty.
"I wasn't gonna say this much, but since it's come to this, I'll just tell you."
"...Tell me what?"
"My awakening ability... it's a bit special."
"Special how? It's not just swordsmanship-related?"
"It is swordsmanship-related. ...Just the way to level it up is pretty weird."
Unlike his previous two confessions, clear tension etched his face, stirring bad premonitions in Hye-eun's mind.
"Wh-what is it...?"
The next sentence from her childhood friend turned that ill omen into reality.
"Having sex with women—that's the condition for my awakening ability."