Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Home and Vigilante Member (4)
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"Crazy..."
Did I even give her my home address? How the hell did she find this place? And what time is it right now anyway?
My thoughts raced down a simple path before spiraling wildly out of control. That chain of reasoning kept getting interrupted by the increasingly frantic knocking.
"J-Jungwoo... Y-You're in there, right? P-Please open up quick..."
Moon Hayeon was stuttering far more than usual. I didn't know her all that well yet, but I could tell that was a warning sign of danger for me.
I kicked off the blanket in a hurry and jumped out of bed. I straightened my baggy clothes as best I could and half-ran to the front door, making a racket the whole way.
Whether I was in pajamas or my clothes were disheveled—it didn't matter right now. I was just about to fling the door open when my hand suddenly stopped.
'What if Moon Hayeon sees Chae Seoah...'
I could pass since I'd gotten dressed, but Chae Seoah's lower body still bore the intense marks from last night's activities.
I had no idea how Moon Hayeon would react to that. She was the type who might snap and unleash a barrage of spells without warning.
I quickly hooked the chain lock on the door. I unlocked the deadbolt and carefully nudged the door open with my body.
Bang!!
What was more like irritable violence than knocking slammed the slightly ajar door shut again with a massive thud.
The recoil sent me stumbling back a step as I clutched my stinging shoulder, staring wide-eyed at the heavy steel door.
Silence fell beyond the closed door. That chilling quiet was broken by a faint sound.
"...Hee hee."
It was laughter. For some reason, Moon Hayeon was laughing.
I hurriedly opened the door. The chain rattled taut with a clink.
"Ah... Phew... Thank goodness..."
Moon Hayeon let out a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to her chest. Her lips curved up in a feeble, sinister smile as she looked down at me.
"S-Sorry for coming over so early in the morning... But you weren't picking up since last night, so..."
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, fidgeting with her fingers as she spoke softly. She put on a slightly crestfallen expression, bowing her head while peeking up at me.
I didn't have the energy to get mad or anything. I was scared. Standing before her, I froze like a pathetic rabbit in front of a fox.
"Y-You're okay, r-right...?"
"O-Of course! I was just tired yesterday, so I crashed as soon as I got home. I'm fine now! Totally fine!"
"G-Good... I was worried something happened..."
She'd been speaking calmly, but suddenly lifted her head. Sniff. Sniff. Her nostrils twitched as she sniffed the air.
Her deep purple eyes scanned the entryway. After looking around for a while, she slowly bent at the waist.
...I wanted to slam the door shut right then. But I didn't have the confidence to deal with the fallout. Through the narrow gap held by the chain, she poked her face in, her head gradually lowering.
Moon Hayeon squatted right in front of the door. She leaned way back at my waist, sniffing right in front of my crotch.
Suddenly, her movements stopped. She slowly looked up at me, a lewd smirk playing on her lips as she smacked her plump ones together.
"...Y-You must be backed up a lot? You didn't c-call me..."
Her flushed lips parted slightly. The corners of her mouth quivered as they lifted.
It was a smile I knew all too well. As if it were a conditioned response, I felt blood rushing below, making the front of my pants bulge faintly.
"Ah..."
She let out a small exclamation, staring intently at my crotch. Her alluring lips kept twitching.
Her arm, which had silently reached through the gap, paused. Probably uncomfortable with the narrow space, she pulled it back. She stood up and flicked the chain on the steel door with her index finger.
"O-Open the door, Jungwoo. I p-promised to help you out..."
Moon Hayeon whispered in a soft voice. Her cheeks were strangely flushed. Her breathing ragged. Her lips trembling.
It was the same expression I'd seen in the Goblin Forest cave. So familiar.
"N-Not right now. I'm still a bit tired. I shouldn't push it..."
"B-But you said you were all better...? It's fine, I'll g-get it out quick..."
Her nails scraped at the chain faster and faster. I could see her patience wearing thin with the naked eye.
Clink clink clink. The grating sound of metal on nails. My head was spinning. I was terrified. I wanted to fling the door open right now.
But not now. If Moon Hayeon saw Chae Seoah, the consequences wouldn't fall on me alone. Chae Seoah would surely try to help me. It might even turn into a huge fight.
I forced myself to hold it together and gripped the door handle, pulling it shut. My voice came out tinged with a sob before I knew it.
"N-No. Not today..."
"W-Why? Is it because I c-came without calling? Is it t-too early...?"
No. Even so. No. It can't. Moon Hayeon's muttering picked up speed bit by bit. She dipped her head slightly, her long bangs hiding her eyes.
Mumble mumble. She'd been whispering rapidly to herself for a while when it suddenly cut off.
"...I get it."
Her shoulders slumped after trembling like she was about to explode. Her utterly deflated voice carried only resignation, no drive or anger.
Honestly, it surprised me. I felt my resolve weakening instantly. My hand on the doorknob twitched involuntarily. In the end, I slipped my hand through the gap and took her slender, trembling one.
"If you call ahead next time, I'll definitely open up... Sorry for today..."
"N-No, it's fine... I was wrong to show up unannounced... Anyway, glad you're okay. I'll g-go now..."
She fiddled with my hand using both of hers as she spoke. After stroking my fingertips for a while, she slowly let go. She picked up the staff she'd leaned against the wall by the door.
"T-Take care..."
"Yeah. Call if anything happens. I'm w-worried..."
Moon Hayeon headed up the stairs. She must have been reluctant to leave, turning back every two steps with a pleading look.
I kept the door slightly open, peeking out and waving until she was completely out of sight.
Park Jungwoo jumped in surprise when he closed the door and turned around. Chae Seoah popped out from the one blind spot in the entryway—the back of the closet where she'd been pressed flat against the wall.
"...Ch-Chae Seoah?"
She brushed off her clothes as if tidying them, then glanced toward the front door as she spoke. A chill laced her voice.
"You have a girlfriend? And yet you kept your mouth shut about it yesterday?"
Chae Seoah whipped her head around to look at Park Jungwoo. A faint contempt mixed into her previously emotionless gaze. He waved his hands frantically in panic.
"No! She's just... uh, just... Anyway, not a girlfriend. Really!"
"Then what is she? What kind of relationship has someone showing up at 6 a.m. because you didn't answer calls? And... I didn't mean to see it, but here."
Chae Seoah held out his phone to Park Jungwoo. It was still set to the wallpaper Moon Hayeon had forcibly changed right before they parted on the day they first met.
A selfie of her with him sprawled on the floor in the background. Anyone seeing it would misunderstand.
There were 109 missed calls and over 300 texts piled up, but ignore that for now.
Park Jungwoo took the phone in a daze. The contempt in Chae Seoah's eyes grew thicker.
"M-Me and Moon Hayeon are just..."
One of Chae Seoah's eyebrows arched up.
"Hold on. Moon Hayeon? The mage Moon Hayeon?"
Chae Seoah cut in before Park Jungwoo could finish. He blinked slowly before asking her in a puzzled tone.
"...You know Hayeon?"
"Not personally. We've crossed paths through work a few times. ...Her style's changed so much I didn't recognize her. Anyway, if it's her, then she's probably not your girlfriend."
Work-related? If it's her? Park Jungwoo was utterly confused.
In truth, Park Jungwoo had memorized every hunter with even a modicum of fame. If he didn't know her, but a Vigilante Corps executive did...
"She hasn't done anything. Just... No. Never mind. No need for me to meddle if she hasn't said anything herself."
It wasn't just Chae Seoah's words that unsettled Park Jungwoo. That look in her eyes. The faint pity in her pink gaze fanned his confusion.
But as usual, his thoughts didn't last long. The phone he'd been holding blankly lit up suddenly.
It was a call from Moon Hayeon. Park Jungwoo glanced between the screen and Chae Seoah. She nodded as if understanding, covering her mouth with one hand and stepping back a few paces to stay quiet.
Park Jungwoo answered with trembling hands.
"Hello."
- Y-Yeah, J-Jungwoo. Y-Your voice sounds... w-weak. S-Something wrong?
Moon Hayeon was stuttering worse than usual. Was the walk home tough? Or was her outfit too hot? It was pretty muggy today. Wandering around bundled up like that must've been stifling.
But Park Jungwoo wasn't in any state to ask kindly. Chae Seoah's cryptic words kept swirling in his mind.
"No, nothing's wrong."
- R-Really? F-For real?
"Yes. Totally fine. Nothing happened."
- I-I... h-hate... l-liars...
Suddenly, something darted into Park Jungwoo's peripheral vision. Chae Seoah, plastered against the opposite wall in attention stance, was frantically waving one hand.
As his gaze reached her hand, she desperately pointed with her fingers—only her wrist moving, directing toward one spot.
Her finger pointed toward the window.
"...Hayeon. Um..."
- Why are you dodging the question?
Her voice dropped chillingly cold. Chae Seoah let her hands fall limply as if giving up. Park Jungwoo slowly—very slowly—turned his gaze toward the basement window.
Bloodshot eyes. Dark shadows under them that seemed heavier than before. Fog from her breath clearly smeared on the nose and mouth area after pressing against the glass for a while. Quivering lips and twitching eyes.
Moon Hayeon was staring straight through the window at Park Jungwoo.
- Why. Are you dodging?
Park Jungwoo dropped his phone.