Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Department Store, Mage, and Vigilante (1)
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To cut a long story short, the catfight never happened.
"So... that's what happened..."
Me, Moon Hayeon, and Chae Seoah were gathered in my room. The three of us knelt in a triangle formation.
The room was filled with a musky scent, so I'd left the window open. But there was nothing I could do about the smell soaked into the sheets and stockings.
Chae Seoah, the main culprit behind the aroma, remained utterly calm. Moon Hayeon, on the other hand, kept flaring her nostrils, wriggling as if desperate to inhale even a bit more before it all drifted out the open window.
It seemed like I was the only one feeling awkward and embarrassed, which left me a little down.
"Yes. That's why I've been assigned to protect you starting yesterday."
Unlike Chae Seoah, who sat ramrod straight, Moon Hayeon had adopted a strangely submissive posture ever since entering the house.
I felt oddly conflicted. Was this the strong-weak-weak-strong dynamic? Her pitiful figure, head bowed and fidgeting nervously unlike how she treated me, was almost heartbreaking.
"Ah... th-then, that... um, how did that..."
Moon Hayeon, hands resting on her knees, hesitantly lifted one. Her long, slender finger pointed at Chae Seoah's thigh.
The pristine white stockings still bore the traces from the night before. Chae Seoah, fiddling with the slightly discolored, yellowish, hardened patches where the fluid had dried, glanced at me.
Her eyes seemed to seek permission. My gaze flicked between her lower abdomen and her eyes. With a sigh of resignation, I slowly nodded.
"If you look here..."
Chae Seoah leaned closer and gently lifted the hem of my shirt. Nestled between the slight folds of my lower abdomen was the heart-shaped tattoo sticker, still firmly in place.
Neither blurred nor faded. If anything, the color seemed a touch deeper than yesterday. Her cool finger pressed against it, and I reflexively straightened my bent back at the sensation.
"This is the tattoo sticker Oroji attached. It tracks location and has a mild aphrodisiac effect..."
Chae Seoah continued her explanation impassively. I kept my hands lightly clenched on my knees, face scrunched up, waiting silently for her to finish.
Moon Hayeon listened quietly. Her eyes were fixed on my abdomen, which rose slightly with each breath—more precisely, on the tattoo below it. But her expression as she absorbed the explanation was quite serious.
"Aphrodisiac... B-but, what's that got to do with those marks...? Y-you could've handled it alone. There was no need to go that, um, far..."
She rattled off the words in a breathless rush. A faint hint of dissatisfaction crept into Moon Hayeon's unusually meek expression.
Ahem. Chae Seoah cleared her throat briefly and began explaining calmly. She gave the same reasons she'd told me yesterday, convincing Moon Hayeon it was to prepare for any contingency.
'Huh...?'
I hadn't noticed last night amid the pleasure radiating from the tattoo, but suddenly a contradiction jumped out in her words.
I wasn't much of a fighter anyway. Even if I ran, Oroji—with all her stats boosted two levels—wouldn't have trouble catching me.
What if I fled while Chae Seoah stalled her? That was nonsense too. Oroji's ability was teleportation. The moment I separated from Chae Seoah, she'd teleport after me, grab me, and bolt.
I glanced up at Chae Seoah. Her face remained stiff as she spoke to Moon Hayeon.
It probably wasn't like Moon Hayeon's case. For someone known for her upright nature to volunteer as a bodyguard with my body as the goal?
I'd been burned not long after naively trusting people easily, but who encounters two such unusual cases in one lifetime?
Then, could it be...
'She wants my skill...?'
That seemed most likely. A week-long, two-level stat boost—even I thought it was too good to pass up.
Maybe she'd approached me to build affinity over a week, so she could get the buff whenever she needed it later.
I'd half-expected something like this might happen someday, but now that it was staring me in the face, a wave of depression hit first.
"Mr. Park Jungwoo. Are you listening?"
The sharp voice snapped me out of my reverie. I jerked my head up, which had been drooping lower and lower.
"Yes? Oh, sorry. I zoned out for a sec..."
"You barely slept, so it's understandable. Anyway, Ms. Moon Hayeon has agreed to help us too."
What?
"Yeah. If you're, um, in danger, I can't just sit comfy alone... Hehe, hi..."
Moon Hayeon spoke while pressing her index fingers together. If she was trying to hide it, she failed miserably. Her triumphant grin as she looked at me made her intentions crystal clear.
"Three is safer than two, after all..."
"Exactly. Ms. Moon Hayeon is a capable mage, so she'll be a big help."
"Th-then, I guess I'll stay here for a while too. You never know when you might be, um, in danger..."
Chae Seoah turned to stare right at me. It felt too late to probe her intentions, but since I had no right to refuse anyway, maybe not.
We could gloss over the caught lie thanks to Moon Hayeon's strong-weak-weak-strong vibe. But if I said Chae Seoah yes and you no, Moon Hayeon might explode.
Resigning myself for the umpteenth time today, I nodded meekly.
"Th-then. We should go buy some stuff! I, uh, d-drove here, so you and I can go shopping real quick, hehe..."
Moon Hayeon clapped her hands excitedly. It might've seemed cute, but hearing that lecherous laugh with her ulterior motives plain as day killed any such thought.
"No."
Chae Seoah cut her off decisively.
Moon Hayeon, who'd been buzzing with excitement, lowered her head slightly and peeked at Chae Seoah sidelong. After pouting for a bit, she eventually drooped her head in defeat.
Chae Seoah spoke in a voice thick with reluctance.
"I mean... you two going out alone isn't safe. We don't know when she might show up. Let's all three go together."
Moon Hayeon's face lit up instantly, while mine paled. The thought of three people crammed into my already tight space for one made my vision blur.
And we were going shopping too. Fine for Chae Seoah, but Moon Hayeon was the type to use this as an excuse to plant herself here permanently.
Still, she had a point. We only had singles: utensils, blankets, pillows, everything.
In the end, I gave up and stood.
"Alright, I'll go wash up..."
No energy meant a listless voice. I staggered up, hand on the wall, and headed to the bathroom.
The living room fell deathly silent after Park Jungwoo left. Moon Hayeon and Chae Seoah sat with lips pressed tight, each tending to their tasks.
Moon Hayeon, rifling through Park Jungwoo's closet quite naturally, turned and said,
"Earlier... you lied, didn't you?"
Chae Seoah, digging through her suitcase, looked up at Moon Hayeon impassively. Expressionless and calm, she stared before snapping the suitcase shut with a click.
"Jungwoo probably noticed too. That you lied..."
Chae Seoah showed no reaction. No affirmation or denial followed Moon Hayeon's words. She zipped the suitcase a bit irritably, louder than necessary.
"You didn't tell him everything either, Ms. Moon Hayeon."
Now it was Moon Hayeon's turn to be surprised. Midway through opening a drawer of underwear, she slowly turned her head.
"Are you going to tell Jungwoo?"
"No intention to. He'll find out eventually. Besides, it wasn't something worth hiding in the first place. If you hadn't refused, it would've been public already..."
"I..."
Chae Seoah's words cut off. The quiet room filled only with the sound of running water from the bathroom and Park Jungwoo's oblivious humming.
"don't want to think about it anymore."
"...Understood."
As if grasping her feelings, Chae Seoah closed her eyes briefly and replied.
Moon Hayeon turned away too, taking a deep breath. Shaking her head made her long black hair fluff up. She bowed her head again, diving back into her task.
That day, two pairs of underwear vanished from Park Jungwoo's drawer.
Moon Hayeon drove better than expected. Park Jungwoo knew hunters had money, but lacking experience in such luxury cars, he was floored by the comfort.
The big mart wasn't far. The six-story building with two basement levels and a food court stood out from afar.
Stepping out brought a cool breeze. Midweek morning meant few people, so the vast parking lot was nearly empty.
"So..."
Park Jungwoo said.
"why are we walking like this?"
One hand held Moon Hayeon's warm one. The other gripped Chae Seoah's stiff, gloved one.
Three people crossing the lot hand-in-hand was peculiar. Not quite family, too many for a couple.
Chae Seoah's blank face and Moon Hayeon's unmasked excitement created an awkward temperature clash.
"B-because it might be dangerous..."
Hehe, hehehe. Moon Hayeon giggled softly nonstop. She fiddled with Park Jungwoo's small hand clutched in hers, stepping lighter than usual.
"For safety. Don't worry about it."
Chae Seoah replied flatly, as if devoid of ulterior motives.
Changed into similar designs, she acted as if last night never happened, troubling Park Jungwoo.
'Well, without skills, I'm nothing special...'
Average stats barely D-rank. A hunter with an ambiguous exclusive skill unusable solo. Park Jungwoo reaffirmed his place.
He had no intention of denying the skills luck granted him. But lacking any foundation to leverage them troubled him.
The automatic doors parted, and they boarded the escalator. Amid light, upbeat CM music, Park Jungwoo's upper body suddenly pitched forward.
Ugh, ngh. A stifled groan followed. His grip on their hands tightened fiercely.
"Ah, why, now, of all, ngh..."
"J-Jungwoo? What's wrong, you okay?"
Heat crept up from his lower abdomen, spreading through his body. Park Jungwoo felt blood rushing to his groin again, against his will.
Moon Hayeon looked panicked, patting his back and bending to check his face. Lucky no one around, or her fussing would've drawn eyes.
Chae Seoah calmly scanned the surroundings. Spotting one spot near the escalator's top, she pointed.
"...Seems like the tattoo sticker. Hurry. Over there."
At the end of Chae Seoah's finger hung a sign reading "Women's Restroom."