Chapter 181 – Side Story 1

What was Valentine’s Day, the Entity? As far as Cho-i knew, it was a big corporation’s marketing ploy to sell chocolates and expensive items to lovers. But the problem was that she felt she might have to play along with that big corporation’s scheme.

“Have these bastards left something with me?”

Cho-i scrolled through the accumulated nonsense in the message window, indifferently flicking the screen. The first piece of nonsense.

[I’m looking forward to it ^^]

This bastard Taehyeok Sa has no conscience. Do you even have the nerve to expect anything from me on Valentine’s Day? She lay on the sofa, her head tilted back, and read the message upside down. It was still nonsense, even after re-reading it.

The second piece of nonsense.

[Honey. There’s nothing between us, is there?]

What do you mean, nothing? This bastard Gihyeon Park also has no conscience. More importantly, was Valentine’s Day a day for begging like this? Come to think of it, it’s all begging. These shameless, conscienceless bastards. And the third was Taeyang Kang’s message. This was less nonsense and more like…

[Are you free on February 14th?]

It was closer to a date invitation. He’s somewhat decent. But isn’t Valentine’s Day when the woman gives something to the man? Well, it wouldn’t be a big deal to receive something in return, though. As Cho-i Hyeon squirmed on the sofa for a long time, Nara Shim, who had just finished showering, saw her and asked.

“What? What are you staring at so intently? Is there something there?”

“Uh, hey.”

“Yeah?”

“If a lot of guys ask for things for Valentine’s Day, do I have to give it to them all?”

“Why would you? And usually, they don’t even make demands. It’s a matter of pride.”

“These bastards must have no pride.”

“Who is it?”

“Taehyeok Sa, Gihyeon Park, and Taeyang Kang just seem to be asking for a simple date.”

“Wow, you’re busy too.”

Nara Shim checked her smartphone, just in case. But it was still empty. It was full of messages from Cho-i Hyeon, telling her to buy late-night snacks on her way home from work. Mala hotpot, pig’s trotters, chicken, braised chicken. The menu was so damn diverse. Nara Shim smiled faintly and turned off her smartphone screen.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Oh, do I have to take care of this?”

“It’d be good if you did.”

“What?”

“Well, there’s something that comes back on White Day.”

“Ah.”

At those words, Cho-i Hyeon, who had been sprawled on the bed, suddenly sat up. Right, if there was Valentine’s Day, there was also White Day. Right, let’s give something tiny and get something huge back. Having decided that, Cho-i shouted to Nara, who had just finished washing up,

“Hey! Let’s go out!”

“I just got in!”

“Good. Then I just need to buy a Golden Toad as a Valentine’s Day gift, right?”

“No, damn it. No. Fine. Let’s go, let’s go.”

Nara Shim ruffled her still-damp hair and went into her room to change. Cho-i Hyeon just threw on a hooded zip-up over the dolphin shorts and loose t-shirt she was wearing at home, and headed to the front door to put on her slippers. Nara Shim put on neat jeans and a t-shirt, and a white outer layer over it.

“Who’s going to buy a gift…?”

“Do I have to show sincerity even when buying a gift?”

“No, no. Let’s just go.”

EX-Rankers don’t even get cold, so what does it matter? So the two of them took a taxi to a regular department store. Incidentally, neither of them had a driver’s license yet.

“Hey, but what are you really going to buy?”

Nara Shim’s deep 고민 began about what kind of gift to give to a high-rank hunter who already had all the items they could possibly want.

“Can’t we just buy chocolate?”

“If we’re going to do that, we might as well buy a chocolate-making kit and…”

“Precious handmade chocolate~. If you’re going to say that kind of crap, shut up.”

“…Okay.”

Nara Shim shut her mouth. Come to think of it, she had never seen Cho-i Hyeon cook. She meant that if they were told to make chocolate with a kit, there was no telling what kind of hell would unfold. Nara Shim slapped her own mouth.

“What?”

“No. I just thought I was talking nonsense.”

“You know it well. Get another hit.”

Cho-i Hyeon chopped Nara Shim’s lips with her palm. It hurt. She thought her front teeth were going to fall out. When she screamed, Cho-i Hyeon giggled. And in the meantime, the taxi dropped the two of them off in front of the department store. Still bickering, the two got out of the taxi and, for now, shuffled their feet into the department store. Since it was getting close to Valentine’s Day, there were discounts and event promotions everywhere. What on earth did Valentine’s Day mean to Koreans? Cho-i Hyeon chuckled and ambled through the perfume and cosmetics sections.

“Oh, isn’t that Cho-i Hyeon, the hunter, over there?”

“I think so?”

“What did she come out to buy?”

“Isn’t it a date?”

People held up their smartphones, their eyes sparkling. With Valentine’s Day approaching, the public was very interested in her love life. However, everyone looked disappointed at the fact that the person standing next to her was a woman, not a man.

“Who’s next to her?”

“Probably Paehyeok, the hunter?”

“Oh, it’s Nara Shim, the hunter.”

“Is she famous?”

“Well, on Ansta. She’s pretty.”

Nara Shim furrowed her brow. That’s right. It had been about a year since Nara Shim also started Ansta, following Cho-i Hyeon. Thanks to her improved rank and in-demand looks, she had set a record of 3 million followers. The problem was…

“Oh, the notifications are noisy. I turned them off, but they keep popping up.”

It was Cho-i Hyeon next to her. Yes, the number one ranked woman in the world. And a crazy top star with 100 million Ansta followers. People didn’t approach Cho-i, but only took pictures from afar. If someone with 100 million followers appeared, the first floor of the department store should have been in an uproar, but they didn’t come closer than a certain distance, as if they were looking at a wild beast trapped in a cage.

‘That’s understandable….’

Nara Shim chuckled to herself. After that one incident where people bothered her on the street, and she picked one as an example, repeatedly throwing them into the air and catching them, Koreans tried their best not to get too close to her.

‘That person was thrown up to the height of a 10-story building.’

They probably would have died of a heart attack if something went wrong. Anyway, thanks to that incident, Cho-i Hyeon could move around freely for a hunter whose face was well-known. By the way, that wasn’t the only incident. Humans are creatures of forgetfulness, and it took several similar incidents for this safe distance to be established.

‘Considering that Guild Master Taehyeok Sa Ansta has 60 million followers…’

100 million is an insane number. But Taehyeok Sa is generally well-mannered – though Cho-i Hyeon wouldn’t admit it – so whenever he appeared, people would flock around him. Of course, since his ability is Telekinesis, he could prevent people from getting too close, but the fact that Cho-i Hyeon could secure a safe distance without Telekinesis meant her level of craziness was the strongest in the world. Cho-i Hyeon casually walked towards the jewelry store. Hmm, her expression was ambiguous. She glanced at the watches too. It seemed like there was nothing she liked.

“Just buy me something designer instead.”

“Why would I?”

“Hey, don’t you think you should buy something of that level, considering there’ll be something in return? You didn’t really come here just to buy chocolate, did you?”

“I really just came to buy chocolate.”

Cho-i Hyeon scratched her head and looked around. Then she fixed her gaze on the Gucci store. Nara Shim crossed her arms and looked in that direction.

“Why, do you think designer is the best after all?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Cho-i Hyeon grinned. Nara Shim knew well that whenever she did this, something bad was about to happen.

“Why, what? What are you thinking about now?”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“No, what is it?!”

Nara Shim was dragged along by Cho-i Hyeon’s hand. As they entered the Gucci store, the staff greeted them with bright faces. Since it was a weekday, it was quiet without many people. Cho-i Hyeon immediately threw Nara Shim onto a sofa, and although there was a cry of ‘Ow!’, no one paid attention. Not even the staff. Cho-i Hyeon grinned and gestured to a staff member. The staff member tilted their head towards her with a questioning look, and Cho-i Hyeon whispered something into their ear. When Nara Shim finally sat up straight on the sofa and looked at them, the staff members were already picking out and wrapping something as if they understood perfectly.

“What did you buy?”

“Oh, just something ordinary.”

“You’re smiling ominously for something ordinary, though?”

Cho-i Hyeon was still grinning to herself.

“No, no. Really.”

She finished the payment and seemed to be sending the gifts for delivery, as she wrote down an address.

“Isn’t it better to give it directly?”

“Oh, no. I have a plan.”

At those words, Nara Shim became even more uneasy, but surprisingly, Cho-i Hyeon bought something and sent it to five people in total, then left the store.

“…No, even if there’s something in there, what could it be?”

Nara Shim looked back and forth between the store and Cho-i Hyeon. Cho-i Hyeon’s steps were light.

“Now, let’s go buy bait.”

“Bait?”

“Chocolate.”

“…Why is that bait?”

And Cho-i Hyeon picked out various ordinary chocolates. There were five gifts bought from Gucci, but there was more chocolate. Ha, what now? What kind of trouble was she going to cause? Nara Shim didn’t ask her, even though she was curious. No, honestly. She didn’t want to get involved. Regardless of Nara Shim being lost in thought, Cho-i Hyeon picked up the shopping bag full of chocolates and started sending messages.

[See you at Ondae Entrance Station by 2 PM on the 14th.]