Chapter 87

Chapter 87

It’s not that I have any particular grievance against Jeong Seojin, but getting annoyingly tangled up in that damn dating rumor was more than enough after what happened with Yoon Juyeong.

Even as she listened to me firmly deny it, Hunter Joo Minju kept her willow-green eyes sparkling brightly. Just as Hunter Joo Minjeong had said on the plane, that look made it clear she was very interested in other people’s love lives.

“Honestly, it was a bit weird from the start, you know? Huh? You think that bastard Jeong Seojin is the type to just go along with something just because the government asked him to? But then I heard that guy took on the job of guarding Yoon Seohee… Ah, I knew there was something going on. I really did feel it.”

“I-I see. But it’s absolutely not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”

If anything, my relationship with Jeong Seojin was closer to a master-servant relationship, unilaterally established. I narrowed my brow slightly at the fresh wave of unfairness. Come to think of it, even now, that guy was keeping his skill active because *he wanted to*.

“But then, huh? From Korea all the way until we got here, that guy never strayed a single step from Yoon Seohee. Then suddenly she tries to go off somewhere alone, and when you ask her where she’s going, she says she needs to give Yoon Seohee time to think, so she’ll go take care of something she needs to do. What do you think? That’s a dead giveaway, right! Aha, this bastard’s got something going on~!”

The way Hunter Joo Minju said, “This bastard’s got something going on,” was incredibly folksy and amusing. I gave a clumsy laugh and chugged down the iced chocolate latte set in front of me. Since my insides were burning up, the cold drink was especially welcome.

“So I pressed our Seohee just a *liiittle* bit, and what do you know, huh? Things just kept popping out one after another like sweet potato vines. Oh my, goodness. I should have met Seohee much sooner.”

“No, um, like I’ve been saying from the start… I really don’t have that kind of relationship with Jeong Seojin, or with Yoon Juyeong either.”

“Ayy. Yoon Seohee, don’t you think even you think that’s a pretty shameless denial? Honestly, isn’t it? Saying something like that, huh? Like that? How could it not mean that kind of thing?”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what Hunter Joo Minju was saying. As she said, I had initially suspected that Jeong Seojin might genuinely like me in a romantic sense. But after thinking it over carefully, it felt really strange.

First of all, point one. Jeong Seojin and I were in a master-servant relationship through the ‘Ruler’s Garden’ skill. That meant, no matter how much he claimed to have a skill that nullified mental interference, it was hard to assert with certainty that my skill’s effect had absolutely no influence on his emotions.

And second, which ties into the first reason… Jeong Seojin wasn’t the type of person who wouldn’t know that I would doubt his feelings because of the first reason. If he truly had romantic feelings for me, he would have doubted his own emotions far more than I did. Whether this was genuine human-to-human affection, or affection influenced by the skill.

‘And in that state, he confesses to me? That Jeong Seojin?’

I hadn’t spent that long living with Jeong Seojin, but I could still tell some things. Jeong Seojin was an incredibly meticulous person, more than one might think. And at the same time, he was someone who doubted and examined all the information he perceived before accepting it. It was a trait hidden by his usual words and actions that seemed utterly devoid of consideration for others, but he was someone who thought and thought more than he appeared to.

There was no way someone like that would confess to me without being aware of the unstable situation he was in. No, if he *was* aware of the unstable situation, he wouldn’t have confessed knowing that. Because he himself wouldn’t have been able to be certain of his own feelings.

Besides, this part might be rude to him so I couldn’t say it out loud… but honestly, I even doubted whether his feelings were truly romantic affection in the first place. Think about it. He was someone who grew up under a guardian he wasn’t exactly fond of. And after awakening as a hunter, because of his own strength, he was someone who rarely received proper concern from anyone.

So maybe, just maybe, he mistook his affection for someone who worried about him, and the possessiveness one might naturally feel toward such a person, for that kind of feeling.

“Ah, I think I know what Yoon Seohee is thinking right now.”

“…Huh? Yes?”

“It’s totally that, isn’t it? Like, ‘Maybe he’s just mistaking pure goodwill toward someone who worried about him for something else~’ Something like that.”

“…….”

Good heavens. How did she figure that out? I stared at Hunter Joo Minju, unable to even think about managing my facial expression. Hunter Joo Minju smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting high as if she’d seen something amusing.

“It’s not like that, you know.”

“What’s not like that?”

“You know, there’s that talk going around about us. S-Ranks have no manners. S-Ranks are arrogant. They think they’re the only ones who matter. Lone wolves, above everyone else. Et cetera, et cetera.”

“…Ah, um, well…”

I never thought I’d hear that from an S-Rank hunter themselves. I couldn’t deny it, but I couldn’t exactly agree either, so I just made a vague expression. Hunter Joo Minju saw my face and grinned, the corners of her mouth lifting high again. Was my expression really that amusing?

“The thing is, as you know, it’s true. Frankly, when someone we don’t like worries about us, it pisses us off.”

“…Even if it’s pure concern?”

“Yeah. Honestly, isn’t it? Most of them are people who’d drop dead if you so much as tapped them—why would they worry about us? Ahaha. They should mind their own business first.”

That was a brutally sharp dose of truth. I nodded, looking dazed. Part of me thought it was a bit harsh toward someone who genuinely cared about her… but when I thought about it, what she said was one hundred percent true. Frankly, it was like someone earning a few hundred million a month being worried about by someone who only makes two or three hundred.

“Honestly, even with blood relatives, it’s like that. I feel good when my mom worries about me, but when my dad does it, it’s just… meh. Hmm. It’s not like my dad’s a bad person or anything, but still.”

“I see…”

“And yet, in the middle of all that, he takes a complete stranger’s concern and feels good about it? And that’s from an S-Rank with a shitty personality? That’s a hundred percent love, isn’t it?”

Wait, how did the conversation end up like this? Wasn’t that a huge logical leap? I stopped nodding out of habit and shook my head as firmly as I could. It was true that Jeong Seojin and I weren’t blood-related. It was also true that he and I were complete strangers. But the fundamental reason I doubted his feelings was his unfortunate childhood, wasn’t it?

“It’s a bit hard to say out loud, but… there’s another reason I think what Jeong Seojin said doesn’t mean that.”

“Oh, what is it? Does that bastard have some tragic past or something?”

Was this woman a fortune teller? Or was she possessed by some god? I stiffened my facial muscles as much as possible to avoid showing any surprise. Luckily, it seemed to work this time—Hunter Joo Minju looked puzzled, as if wondering, “What could it be?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Hunter Yoon Seohee, Hunter Joo Minju.”

Just as Hunter Joo Minju was about to grab me and press me for that “reason,” a man in a suit—clearly a government official at first glance—approached us. Hunter Joo Minju stared at him with a somewhat sharp expression, apparently annoyed that he’d suddenly appeared and derailed the conversation.

“What is it?”

“Hunter Jeong Seojin has summoned Hunter Joo Minju. He says there are matters to discuss regarding your escort duty and the upcoming ‘Britten Dungeon’ raid.”

“Him?”

Hmm. Hunter Joo Minju stared at the man in silence for a moment, as if lost in thought. The man tightened his lips, clearly uncomfortable with an S-Rank hunter staring at him like that. Honestly, I’d probably feel the same if someone at S-Rank level just stared at me without saying a word.

“Well, fine. Where is that Jeong Seojin guy?”

“He’s currently waiting in the lobby.”

“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

With that, Hunter Joo Minju downed her hot café latte in one gulp. I flinched, gripping my iced chocolate latte with both hands. Wait, was it okay to drink something that hot all at once? …Did S-Ranks have iron palates too?

“All done. I’ll be gone for a bit, Yoon Seohee. I’ll be right back, so make sure you stay right here, okay? Promise me.”

“Huh? Yes, yes, I understand.”

I was startled because I’d been planning to go back to my room and rest once Hunter Joo Minju left. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I felt like a student caught by a teacher while thinking about something else.

After giving me one more stern reminder to stay at the café, Hunter Joo Minju left with the man. I watched her back gradually disappear through the glass door of the café, silently sipping my iced chocolate latte. Just as she’d instructed, I planned to sit there for a while and drink my iced chocolate latte.

“Hunter Yoon Seohee.”

That would’ve been the plan, if only a voice hadn’t suddenly called out to me after Hunter Joo Minju left. I let go of the straw I was biting and stared at the man who’d called me. He was wearing sunglasses that reminded me of Kim Seongmyeong, who I’d raided the Third Dungeon with before.

“What business do you have?”

“I came to see you because there’s something I need to explain further regarding this dungeon raid. Could you spare a moment?”