Face-to-Face
On the way back home, the inside of the car was silent. Well, actually, my phone was crying out with constant *dings*. That damn Hero... he had been spamming me with messages for a while now. I quietly tapped my phone to mute it.
"Ahem. Seohui, do you happen to dislike the Hero?"
The car swerved for a split second. "W-what are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Playing dumb, are we? "Your attitude when we were with him earlier made it pretty obvious."
I didn't press her too hard, since I understood how she felt to some extent. "Sigh... Of course I dislike him. He's a nuisance stalker."
Well, to be fair, before I realized he was the Hero, I was planning to beat him to a pulp myself. But when I went to check, the guy turned out to be the Hero. Unbelievable...
"Is that why you don't like him?"
"Yeah. They call him a Hero, but he's just a nuisance, and he looks weird too..."
My lips twitched when she insulted his looks. "True, he really was a massive pain."
I could completely understand my sister's disgust. "Honestly, it's ridiculous that a guy like that is the Hero."
"But the fact that he's the Hero doesn't change."
That seemed to be exactly what annoyed her. "Well, you don't have to treat Yu Jin like some grand Hero. Just think of him as an ordinary guy."
"That's..." Still...
"Don't judge him too harshly. From Yu Jin's perspective, someone he thought was dead suddenly turned up alive."
Still... he really had changed a lot. I stared at my phone, which was still lighting up with incoming messages. No matter how shocked he was, wasn't this behavior a bit too extreme?
"Fine... but he was still a nuisance."
"I know you were just worried about me."
My sister had been worried sick that he might be some dangerous creep. But then he turned out to be the Hero? She must have been incredibly disappointed. If this was anyone's fault, it was mine... but if I hadn't made that choice back then, we would have been wiped out by the Demon King.
Even so, it was starting to get a little terrifying. I sneaked a glance at my phone. Over 400 unread messages? Just how many did he send?
"What are you going to do now, Sis?"
"About what?"
"With that Hero guy."
With Yu Jin? "We'll probably just hang out like friends."
For some reason, Seohui didn't reply. Since she was driving, I couldn't read her expression. What on earth was she thinking?
Anyway, as soon as we got home, I tossed my buzzing phone onto my bed and headed straight for the bathroom. Seohui claimed she wanted to shower first, but I was faster.
"You dirty, underhanded sister!"
Hehe! Who told you to be so slow? We're both girls anyway, so why waste time grabbing fresh underwear beforehand?
When I walked out with just a towel wrapped around me, Seohui glared at me, huffing.
"You should at least bring your underwear with you!"
"What's the big deal? We're both girls."
Unless I found a way to turn back into a man, insisting I was male would just make me look insane. Well, if I ever did find a way, things would be different... but the chances of that were practically zero. Though, to be fair, my dangerously voluptuous body was getting a bit too difficult to cover with a single towel...
After putting on my underwear, I sat in front of the electric fan to dry my hair instead of using a hairdryer. Having nothing to do while my hair dried, I picked up my phone...
"Why is this thing so hot?"
The phone was burning hot, almost like a pocket heater. I unlocked the screen to check...
999+ unread messages? Just how many texts did this crazy Hero send? Was he really that worried about me?
I let out a deep sigh and typed a reply, explaining that I had just gotten home and showered, which was why my response was late. Since women's grooming takes time, surely he would understand. Instantly, the torrential storm of incoming messages ground to a halt.
I didn't bother reading through all of those hundreds of messages, but a quick scroll showed they were almost entirely asking if I was okay. Because I hadn't responded, he had worked himself into a panic, convinced I'd gotten into an accident. What do you even call this...? An anxiety disorder? Separation anxiety? Good grief...
Even though I knew the reason behind it, it was still suffocating and annoying. Regardless, I texted back and forth with the Hero for a bit. It seemed he wanted to talk about all the things we hadn't been able to discuss earlier... but having a deep conversation over text was way too tedious and exhausting. So, I suggested we meet up in person next time to talk.
It seemed this damn Hero wouldn't let me go until we set a concrete date. The moment my replies slowed down, the messages began piling up again like he was begging for attention. It was honestly starting to give me goosebumps. Regardless, once I left that warning, my phone finally fell silent.
"Sis? What are you doing?"
"Huh? Just texting."
"The Hero?"
Why was she always so quick-witted at times like this...?
"Yeah."
Seohui opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself. "It's your life, so do whatever you want. I'm washing my hands of this."
"Yeah, don't worry. He's not a bad person."
The Hero I knew in the other world was definitely a good man, but the Hero I reunited with on Earth... had developed a rather pitiful side.
I spent the days leading up to our meeting as usual. I informed the guild that I had met with the "stalker."
"So he was an acquaintance. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble. He said he didn't have my contact info, so he couldn't reach me directly."
Jegal Cheon stared at me intently, looking a bit skeptical. "Hmm... I see."
"I'm sorry for making everyone worry."
"No, it's fine."
If only I had met him a bit sooner, the guild members wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble...
After that, I passed the time quietly until the weekend. I tutored Gyuri... and sparred with both Namgung Min and my sister. Sparring with Seohui was especially fun. Even though the gap in our skills was so massive that I had to hold back tremendously, it felt like playing with her, which made it highly enjoyable.
And then, the day of our meeting arrived. I woke up early in the morning.
"Ugh, so tired... Maybe I shouldn't have scheduled the meeting so early."
I needed to shower and get ready before Seohui woke up. Today, I washed myself more thoroughly than usual and even wore a matching set of underwear. Then, while drying my hair, I pondered what to wear.
Since it was still hot, I wanted to wear something thin... but my chest was the problem. Then, my eyes fell on a sleeveless knit top. Because it was knit, it looked a bit thick, but it was actually quite breezy and cool once put on.
"Should I wear this?"
It was a safe, decent choice. Next was the bottom... Wearing normal pants would be comfortable, but...
"A flare skirt..."
It was a light, flowy skirt. I usually wore pants when going to the guild, but I occasionally wore skirts when just wandering around. This was one of those skirts, but...
"Hmm..."
While I was standing there debating over the clothes, Seohui woke up.
"What are you doing so early in the morning...?"
"I have an appointment, so I'm getting ready to go out."
"What about breakfast?"
"I should eat, of course."
My sister let out a long yawn and stretched. "Alright, I'll get it ready."
"Seohui, before you start cooking, take a look at this." I held the top and skirt against my body. "Do you think this looks good on me?"
For some reason, Seohui's eyes turned mischievous. "Hmph... Who are you meeting that you're dressing up like this?"
"Dressing up? I'm just picking out clothes."
I always put some effort into my outfits anyway... Besides, since I ended up with such a beautiful appearance, wouldn't it be a waste not to enjoy it?
Seohui kept staring at me with suspicious eyes. "You're meeting the Hero, aren't you?"
Instead of answering verbally, I simply nodded.
"It'll look good on you."
"Right?" I had a feeling it would suit me well from the start.
"Even if it's summer, the air conditioning indoors can be cold, so bring a light outer layer."
That was genuinely practical advice. "I should do that."
After eating the simple breakfast Seohui prepared, I immediately changed into the clothes. I put on the sleeveless knit top and the flare skirt, then finished the look by throwing a light cardigan over my shoulders. Once I grabbed my handbag...
"You look exactly like someone going on a date."
"R-really?"
Seohui gave me a highly teasing look. "You even put on light makeup. Look at you, all dolled up."
She noticed that too...? "I-isn't this pretty normal?"
"For normal people, sure... but you don't usually do this, Sis."
Well, it was true that I rarely wore makeup.
"Whatever, I'm leaving."
Realizing I would only lose if I kept bickering with her, I practically fled the house.
"Have fun," Seohui called out as she saw me off.
The meeting spot was a cafe with private rooms relatively close to our house. It seemed like a place typically used for study groups... but the soundproofing was excellent, making it perfect for discussing secrets.
Upon entering the cafe, I headed straight to the reserved room and ordered a coffee. It seemed the Hero was going to be a bit late. Well, I had a relatively easy trip since it was near my house, but he had a long way to travel. It was only natural that traffic conditions might delay him.
My coffee arrived before the Hero did, so I sipped it while waiting. Checking my phone, I saw a message from him apologizing for the delay.
I scrolled through my phone contentedly as I waited. I wondered if the hunter industry was experiencing a boom lately... Everyone seemed exhausted from the sheer volume of work. It would be fine if the work was easy, but the dungeons were getting tougher too...
Checking the guild's news, I saw that today, the S-class Sword Saint himself, Namgung Min, was heading out to clear a gate.
"To think the Alliance Leader had to step up personally."
They should have called me too... Of course, even if they had summoned me, I would have declined because of my promise to meet the Hero...
I waited endlessly for the Hero. Out of sheer boredom, I pulled out a hand mirror to look at myself.
"Hmm..."
The mirror reflected a breathtakingly beautiful woman, as always. Thanks to the light makeup, I looked even prettier than usual. I checked to see if my bangs were out of place...
"Hehe."
Not bad.
While I generally preferred a natural hairstyle, with my looks, any style would probably suit me perfectly. I gently twirled the ends of my naturally dried hair around my finger.
"Maybe I should change up my style later?"
Though maintaining it would be a hassle... looking good is always a plus, right?
Before I knew it, I had finished my coffee. I wondered what was taking him so long, or if he had gotten lost. I unlocked my phone to check...
It seemed I only had to wait a little longer. I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time. No need to touch up my makeup... Yep, this was perfect. I slipped the hand mirror back into my bag and quietly waited for the Hero to arrive.