chapter 13
When Lee Ji-ah arrived at the house, she slammed the door and went into the room.
“… … .”
“Mister, where is my room?”
Should I say that Han Yoo-jung has a thick face? Should I call it a stronger heart than it looks?
It didn’t matter that Lee Ji-ah gave off a lot of tea he didn’t like.
“Let’s use the room next door.”
It seemed fine to be within the scope of his abilities. Han Yu-jeong nodded her head as if there were no complaints.
“Oh right. Can you guide me to the house?”
“That’s Okay. I looked around enough last week.”
Turns out he was an assassin.
I rubbed my forearm in response to the chill in my back and went into my room.
As I was about to close the door, Yoojung Han called me in a low voice.
“mister.”
“yes?”
“thanks.”
Han Yoo-jung was scratching her cheek as if she was unfamiliar.
“what?”
“It was about the president of the association earlier.”
association president? what do you mean
Let me know if you understand my question.
“I was only thinking of ending it with the president of the association, but he deleted all the evidence because he feared that I would be in danger.”
“it? don’t mind. It’s only natural for adults to help.”
“… … Some people didn’t.”
Is it because of the contrast with the president of the association who tried to take advantage of the pain of others?
Han Yoo-jung seemed very grateful that I took care of things that she had not thought of.
She nodded and greeted her.
“good night.”
“Yeah, you too.”
Han Yoo-jung went into the room.
* * *
tiriling
I wake up to the sound of the phone ringing. I woke up and checked my phone.
[Changsik type]
He was the owner of Café Bastard.
What’s the call at dawn? I thought so, but looking at the time, it was still 10 in the evening.
I wiped my face and answered the phone.
“Yes, bro.”
– Hey, Kim Hyun-woo, you man! I saw all the articles, man!
“What knight?”
The boss shouted in an excited voice.
-Lee Ji-ah Hunter Hearing Case! When I saw the news, did you come out too?
“ah.”
Well, it’s probably the most tumultuous event right now.
-men and horses! If there was such a thing, I should have told my brother! You were surprised when your face suddenly appeared in the article!
“What a surprise.”
-yes?
The boss asks in a muffled voice.
– You haven’t read the article yet?
“Oh, bro, don’t talk. I was preparing for a hearing, so I haven’t been able to sleep properly lately.”
With Lee Ji-ah, he trains for peace of mind and prepares for a hearing, all night with a lawyer.
It wasn’t very fussy.
Scratching her messy hair, she turned on the computer.
I’m curious because the boss is making a lot of fuss.
I sat down in my desk chair and waited for the computer to boot up.
The boss talked nonstop.
-how’s work?
“Is it work? It’s hard. I thought I was going to die.”
In fact, I almost died from Han Yoo-jung.
I’m glad you have peace of mind. But when I think back on the last month I had been busy, it wasn’t a bad memory either.
No, rather, a strange sense of achievement tickled my heart. It was so strange that I helped an S-class hunter with my own hands.
“Still, it’s fun.”
-okay? I’m glad.
“The salary is incomparably higher than Bastard.”
– This bastard.
“Ahaha.”
He smiled and moved the mouse.
Click, click.
I went to the internet and looked at the article.
[Why was Hunter Lee Ji-ah framed?]
[Discord between the Incarnation Guild and Lee Ji-ah Hunter! Why did the guild leader throw out Lee Ji-ah?]
Articles pouring out every time you press refresh.
Most of them were about Lee Ji-ah’s hearing. The articles with the highest number of views were entered at the top. When I scrolled down and checked the comment box, the battlefield was still unfolding.
[President Majang-dong Kim: I was strict with only Lee Ji-ah, but people say it ends when people die]
[wldk123: I knew it was going to be like this hahaha Where did all the malicious comments go? Can’t you say anything? It disappeared without a trace? Hahahaha]
[Bangbae-dong Rider: I believed in Lee Ji-ah Hunter from the beginning! Look at the list of comments! Guys who were swearing and swearing, did I say that?]
There were many good responses.
It was natural because the incident itself consisted of Lee Ji-ah as the victim.
Opinions defending Lee Ji-ah with sympathy for her were on the top of the list of best comments.
scrolled down again.
[Try eating wrapped in kimchi: That doesn’t change the fact that you failed to capture the Abyss Dungeon. Lee Ji-ah is a top-ranked domestic player, not a world class member.]
[Tteokbokki yum yum: No, but isn’t it a fact that the attack failed and you dived? It’s true that you don’t take responsibility for anything you write on your own.]
There were no negative comments. Malice was not built on grounds.
Lee Ji-ah, who already looked hateful to them, existed as an enemy even though she became a victim.
I pressed all downvotes and published the article.
– Did you read the article?
The boss asked with a hint of anticipation.
“Yeah, what… … It’s just as expected.”
– You expected it?
“From the moment I won the hearing, I thought the response would be good.”
– No, not that… … Man, you look up manager Lee Ji-ah on the internet.
“yes?”
I hit the keyboard at the boss’s words.
[What is the identity of this man who seems close to Lee Ji-ah Hunter?]
It was in entertainment news, not current affairs news.
what?
I couldn’t contain my curiosity and clicked.
The video was played.
[Jia!]
In the video, I called Lee Ji-ah. Lee Ji-ah found me and ran to me with a wide smile.
[Mr. Hyunwoo! saw? Did you see me?]
[Are you good at talking?]
[Is that right?]
[I think the cheering I did… … .]
My eyes fluttered left and right.
Wasn’t the camera turned off then?
In the video, I and Lee Ji-ah were talking intimately.
They are so close to each other that it cannot be seen as an official relationship between the Hunter and the manager.
I didn’t know it normally, but I wondered if the sense of distance with Lee Ji-ah was this narrow.
“No, what is this… … .”
I’m a normal person, can I just upload it like this?
It’ll be news. Dirty media bastards.
Inside, he curses reporters, but the boss smiles over the receiver, probably because he heard the voice in the video.
– You’re capable, bastard.
tiling.
Another phone call came in while talking to the boss. This is Park Ji-young, a cafe part-timer.
“Hyung, is Jiyoung off today?”
-uh.
“I got a call from Jiyoung. I’ll call you back later.”
-i get it. Don’t just talk, make a real phone call, bastard.
“Yes Yes.”
got a call Park Ji-young shouted.
-brother Brother! Are you really dating Lee Ji-ah Hunter??!!
“No, a little… … I’m not dating!”
I hung up the phone and threw it onto the bed.
woo woo. wow.
My phone vibrated like crazy no matter how many texts I was sending.
I ignored it and continued to browse the internet.
Actually, there was one more thing I was curious about as much as the hearing.
[The association that shifted responsibility to Lee Ji-ah Hunter, is it okay?]
[Is the association president inappropriate? Hearing in two weeks… … .]
When I search for the president of the association, related articles come to mind.
It seemed that the headwinds of public opinion had already been reversed.
Looking at the pictures of the exhausted president of the association, I feel like my stomach is open.
I hit the typewriter.
[gusdn999: Flirting Teenager. Did the people look like you? If you want to protect the remaining honor, resign voluntarily.]
Do you feel bad comments like this? He smiled happily and scoured the internet. It was time to pass the time watching the articles from the hearings.
Tick tock tock.
After all, it’s 12 o’clock at night.
The accident happened suddenly.
“Ahhh!”
“Hey!”
Lee Ji-ah and Han Yu-jeong’s screams.
“What, what?”
It was the moment when I was about to get up from my seat and go to Lee Ji-ah.
Bump!
Lee Ji-ah and Han Yu-jeong opened the door and rushed into the room. They quickly looked around. Eyes gleaming in the dark caught me.
“Mr. Hyunwoo!”
“mister!”
Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jeong ran towards me. They were in a panic and hugged me tight.
“What is this… … Are you both okay?”
As he caressed his shoulder, his breathing, which had been panting for a bit, was calmed.
In their arms, Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jeong lift their chins. Both are in tears.
Lee Ji-ah asks with a trembling voice.
“Tongue, Hyunwoo-san… Did you just turn off your ability?”
“yes? ability?”
“Peace of mind, did you turn it off?”
I don’t understand what’s going on, so I keep my mouth shut, and Lee Ji-ah taps my chest with her forehead like a whimper.
“Are you being grumpy because of your sprain after the hearing?”
“… … .”
“But, think about Hyun-woo from my point of view as well. You just did it.”
“… … ?”
I did not understand the current conversation at all.
“Turn off peace of mind? I never hung up.”
Lee Ji-ah put on a bewildered expression.
grumpy? What do I have to complain about to Lee Ji-ah?
And even if I was grumpy as Lee Ji-ah said, I knew how difficult it would be to turn off the peace of mind, but I had no intention of turning it off just for that reason.
“Then why… ?”
I was contemplating with Lee Ji-ah without knowing English.
“ah.”
Suddenly, Han Yu-jeong exclaimed as if she had realized it.
She raised her hand sly.
“I think it was because of me.”
“What?”
“Actually, I was nearby when you were training for peace of mind… … .”
“By the way?”
“I heard you all of a sudden lamented that the range of your peace of mind kept getting jagged. It seems that as the number of people covered by their abilities increases, the range decreases.”
It is a convincing hypothesis.
As peace of mind suppressed not only Lee Ji-ah but also Han Yu-jeong’s slaughter, the scope of her abilities was reduced.
With that in mind, the range that continued to be jagged during training made sense.
But one thing is strange.
As Han Yoo-jeong said, it is true that my peace of mind was jagged during training, but it was the first time that it had changed as dramatically as it is now.
Han Yoo-jeong smiled awkwardly, perhaps noticing my question.
“Well, it’s my first time, so I couldn’t tell you in advance… … .”
“… … .”
“If you don’t deal with the urge to kill that comes every week, it seems that every time you move on to the next, the urge to kill gets stronger.”
“… … .”
“Suddenly, my mind went blank. It was the first time I had such a strong will to kill.”
“… … .”
“Ahaha… … .”
As I watched Han Yoo-jung scratching the back of her head, it became dark in front of me, and I touched her forehead without realizing it.
In other words, Han Yu-jeong’s murderous intentions are rebooted every week.
It is weak on the 1st day, but every time you go to the 2nd or 3rd day, the killing intent becomes stronger, and on the 7th day, it explodes to the point that it cannot be suppressed.
Previously, this was initialized as a contract murder by the president of the association.
However, there was no need to kill the contract while I was there, and Han Yoo-jung passed the Cheonsalseong without resetting it.
As a result of that reaction, the murderous intent on the next 7 days was sharply strengthened.
The scope of peace of mind has dramatically narrowed as it tried to suppress even the intensified murderous intentions of Han Yoo-jung.
“First of all, I understand the situation, so the two of you are far apart… … .”
As I was about to take a few steps back, Lee Ji-ah and Han Yoo-jeong were startled and stuck together.
“Tongue, Hyunwoo. I don’t think it should fall.”
“Uncle, can’t we stay like this?”
“No, how are you going to sleep?”
At my question, their gaze turned over their shoulder.
When I turned my head to follow my gaze, the small bed I was using was lying there.
* * *
what the hell is this
I’m lying down looking at the ceiling, but there’s no sense of reality, so I think it’s a dream.
On the one hand, Lee Ji-ah. On the other side is Han Yoo-jung.
He put me in the middle and lay on the bed with me.
Lee Ji-ah calls me with a trembling voice.
“… … Hyunwoo.”
“yes?”
“The bed is too narrow, but… Can I sleep on my side?”
I thought I could do that for her request.
It was very cramped with three people crammed in a single bed.
But since I, as a man, is lying flat, Lee Ji-ah and Han Yu-jeong are inevitably uncomfortable.
“then… … .”
I turned to my side and stopped.
The face of Han Yoo-jung, who was sleeping softly, turned towards me.
High school students are a little dangerous.
hastily turned around.
As I lay my head on the pillow, my eyes met with Lee Ji-ah, who was looking at me.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Lee Ji-ah blinks her long eyelashes and looks at me.
A distance that is soft enough to touch the tip of your nose. The smell of flesh permeates the five senses.
My face reflected in Lee Ji-ah’s eyes is making an embarrassed expression.
Actually, Lee Ji-ah’s face is not that different from mine.
“… … Jia, aren’t you sleeping?”
“yes.”
“Why do not you sleep?”
“I can’t sleep.”
I can’t help it if I can’t sleep.
I close my eyes and try to sleep, but I can still feel Lee Ji-ah’s gaze.
“Mr. Hyunwoo.”
“… … yes?”
“sleep?”
“Do not sleep.”
“Why do not you sleep?”
“I can’t sleep.”
At my answer, Lee Ji-ah laughs playfully. Every time that happens, my breath continues to touch. I said impatiently.
“Jia, can you give me back?”
“The more you turn it, the more embarrassing it becomes. Just be patient.”
Would you like to reach
Oh, I’ll get it.
As Lee Ji-ah said, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Uh… … .”
Because our conversation was noisy, Han Yu-jeong tossed and turned. Lee Ji-ah, conscious of Han Yoo-jeong, whispered softly.
“Mr. Hyunwoo.”
“yes?”
“thanks.”
Only one eye slowly opened. Again, Lee Ji-ah was looking at me intently.
“What?”
“It was so hard for everyone to point and criticize me saying it was my fault… … With Hyun-woo by my side, all problems were easily solved.”
“… … That’s because it’s not Jia’s fault.”
You can’t change what’s wrong with what’s right.
In the first place, because Lee Ji-ah did not commit any crimes, it was simply cleared of the frame.
“However, I am so grateful and grateful that you were by my side and helped me when I was having a hard time.”
“… … .”
“He stopped him from trying to commit suicide, and he was framed at the hearing. I saw a news article earlier, you know what? The people who had bad comments about me disappeared.”
It is also oily to lacquer the face. I was embarrassed, so I just listened without answering anything.
“Before I met Hyun-woo, I couldn’t sleep well because I was afraid of the next day, but these days, every time I sleep, I look forward to the next day.”
In addition to words, Lee Ji-ah had a really happy face.
At this time, I wanted to bring up the story.
“… … Jia, then that’s it. Can you grant me one request?”
Lee Ji-ah’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled tremblingly and nodded her head.
“… … What is your request?”
“Now that the hearing case is over, we are slowly starting to work like hunters… … .”
“I do not like it.”
Where did the warm atmosphere from a while ago go? Lee Ji-ah just said what she had to say and closed her eyes.
“Jia? Jia?”
“… … .”
Lee Ji-ah didn’t answer.
Is it because of this hearing?
Unlike me, who actively wants to take on the role of Lee Ji-ah’s manager, Lee Ji-ah often shows signs of getting tired of the world.
I asked because the atmosphere was good, but it seems they aren’t ready yet.
tiling.
A phone ringing in my arms.
I got it urgently because I was afraid that Han Yoo-jung, who was sleeping, would wake up.
“hello?”
-Hyunwoo, I’m Yerim.
“Huh? When did you come to Korea?”
– I’m here today!
“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have met you.”
– To surprise you!
Han Ye-rim’s voice over the receiver suddenly becomes gloomy.
-By the way, did you see your face on the news?
“saw?”
-… … can we see you tomorrow
“okay. You can see it.”
– See you tomorrow then.
drop.
The phone is disconnected. Whoops, whoops. My phone vibrated and a few messages arrived.
[Han Yerim: Hyunwoo, you must be tired, sleep well today and see you tomorrow!]
[Han Yerim: /(^3^)/]
I turn off my phone and suddenly I feel a tingling sensation in the back of my neck.
What, did you turn on the air conditioner? not really. It is the changing season, so the nights are very cold.
It was time to close the window while stroking the sprouting chicken meat.
Something grabbed my collar and drooped.
“yes? Jia, let go of your hand… … .”
I was suddenly speechless.
With a stiff face, Lee Ji-ah was holding my collar as if her hand was about to crumble.
After staring at me for a long time, she barely lifted her heavy lips.
“Who are you just now?”
cold voice.
I stuttered without realizing it.
“Yes, yes?”
“The person you just called, who the hell is it?”