Chapter 156 – Counseling Center

There was once a couple.

They were both hunters.

While hunters were objects of admiration for some, it was an incredibly dangerous profession due to the perilous monsters they fought.

For that reason, they could not neglect their daily training.

However, the man thought the woman was taking it too far.

Training was one thing, but their dates always consisted of a circuit at the gym.

So, for the first time in a while, he convinced his girlfriend to go on a date outside.

“The air is so cool and nice today.”

“Muscle loss, troublesome.”

A shadow fell over the boyfriend’s eyes at his girlfriend’s muttering.

“Ah-ra. You won’t die from taking one day off from training.”

His girlfriend was someone who could lift a total of 500kg in the big three, as they say.

For the record, she wasn’t even a warrior class; she was a mage.

Park Ah-ra, the strength mage Hanul Guild prided itself on.

She was quite the celebrity, but from her boyfriend Shin Woo-jin’s perspective, it was a different story.

Shin Woo-jin recalled the first time he met Park Ah-ra.

She was like a small bird.

Though talented in magic, her low accuracy and high spell failure rate had prevented her from joining a guild, so she often worked as a mercenary.

For her sake, he had sought out Team Leader Lee Hyunbin of Hanul Guild, and that was when this whole tragedy began.

“They say this place is amazing. The line’s not too long, so let’s wait and eat here.”

For his girlfriend, who always consumed muscle-building supplements, Shin Woo-jin had brought her to a renowned restaurant.

He hoped that after waiting in line for about an hour, eating delicious food, and doing some shopping, she might start thinking about her happiness as a woman.

“Oppa, how much do you weigh?”

“Me? When I weighed myself a few days ago, I was about 80kg. Why?”

Park Ah-ra stared at Shin Woo-jin intently.

Seeing her gentle gaze, Shin Woo-jin’s face flushed.

It had been so long since he’d seen such a tender look in her eyes.

But what happened next was not what he expected.

“Oh my, what is she doing…?”

“Isn’t that some new form of bullying…?”

While standing in the restaurant’s queue, Park Ah-ra began doing squats.

“Hoo, hooh.”

“Ah-ra.”

“Hoo, hoohook.”

“Let’s…”

Park Ah-ra’s barbell—no, Shin Woo-jin—spoke with dead eyes.

“…break up.”

* * *

Modern people.

It refers to those who live busy lives, unable to rest properly, moving like cogs in a machine.

There is no time to stop and look back.

They are too busy just trying to move forward.

Modern people suffer from extreme stress. And there is no one to soothe their tired and weary hearts.

A taut string is bound to snap eventually.

When that happens, there are several ways to resolve it.

A vacation, or a rest.

And then there is counseling.

The hunters of the modern era also had their light and shadow.

There were heroes who were always in the spotlight on TV, but on the other hand, there were also hunters who received no attention at all.

And they always carried the anxiety that they might die whenever they worked.

This was true even for hunters who were called miners, digging for mana stones in the safest, lowest-grade dungeons.

“Are you really sure you’ll be okay?”

The counseling staff from the Operations Support office asked me with a worried look.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

On my way to take a quick shower after training, I saw the counselor fidgeting restlessly.

When I asked what was wrong, she said she had to go home urgently but couldn’t find a substitute to watch the counseling center.

So I told her I’d do it.

“If you run into any difficulties, you can refer to the manual. Thank you so much, Hunter Lee Hyunbin!”

“Not at all. I’ve already finished all my training for today anyway. And since I manage the hunters’ training, managing their mental state is also part of my job.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

The counseling center staff member, who seemed genuinely grateful as she bowed repeatedly, left for the day, and I entered the center in her place.

Sitting in the counselor’s chair, this feels strange.

As a typical fighter, I’ve mostly been on the side of trading blows. But sitting at a desk like this feels odd.

It’s like I’ve become an office worker.

Honestly, although we’ve sweated and trained together, I am curious about how my colleagues feel and what worries they have.

*Creak.*

Just then, the door to the counseling room opened.

The first client.

The counseling room was, by default, partitioned by a blind.

It seemed to be an effort to protect personal privacy.

“Um…”

A modulated female voice came through.

“Please, speak freely.”

I said in a gentle and soft voice.

“My boyfriend… told me he wants to break up…”

A breakup with a lover.

Parting with someone you love must be an incredibly heart-wrenching experience.

Not that I’ve ever experienced it.

Thanks to my time as a hero rampaging through another world, I’ve never had a proper girlfriend.

*Drip.*

I wiped away something that suddenly trickled down my cheek and listened attentively to the client.

The foundation of counseling is listening.

I may not have professional counseling qualifications, but I’ve listened to the worries of countless people, from the other world to the present.

“Do you know the reason?”

“The reason?”

The woman hesitated before speaking softly.

“I’m a bit fond of working out.”

“Ah, I see.”

Someone who works out is great. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body, after all.

“The reason I focus so much on working out is because I used to be very skinny.”

“I see.”

“Back then, I couldn’t even get into a guild, and I couldn’t find a proper hunter party. It was a time when I would freeze up in fear even against a goblin.”

“Oh, my.”

“But the person who coached me—ah, he’s a very famous person. He’s like a savior to me.”

“I see.”

“I learned to work out from him, and I was so happy to see myself become strong, leaving my weaker self behind. I was thrilled that I was no longer a burden to my boyfriend, but a hunter who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him as an equal.”

A hint of moisture could be heard in the voice of the woman sharing her troubles.

How much must she have worried? How difficult must it have been?

I wanted to solve her problem.

For someone who tries so hard.

“What’s your big three total?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“500kg.”

Wow, with female muscles. And for a mage class to lift 500kg.

“Wow, you must have worked incredibly hard.”

“…!”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just…”

She hesitated for a moment, then continued.

“I wanted to hear those words from him.”

Her voice wavered.

“He suggested we go to a popular restaurant today. But during the wait, muscle loss would occur…”

“Oh man, I know that feeling. Muscle loss is troublesome, isn’t it?”

“When I do military presses or dumbbell shoulder presses, I hate having an imbalance, so I lie down looking at the ceiling, but he wanted me to look at him.”

“It’s upsetting to ruin a day’s workout. I know that feeling. You should have just hung your boyfriend from the ceiling.”

“Ah…!”

She reacted as if it were a good idea.

This is a struggle for all fitness enthusiasts.

“I’ve listened carefully.”

Now it was time to give a conclusion. In truth, clients already unload a certain amount of their emotional burden just by talking about their problems.

This is the right timing.

“Just as muscles grow after being torn, a breakup is also a part of the growth process.”

“But…”

She might understand it with her muscles, but it must be hard to accept with her heart. I know that too.

“As a gym newbie, you were happy with 2kg dumbbells, but as time passes and you work harder, the time comes when you must part with the 2kg dumbbells and switch to 30kg ones.”

“…!”

“Of course, whether you remain satisfied with the 2kg dumbbells or switch to 30kg for your own ambition for more gains is purely your choice.”

The client said nothing in response to my words. Then, I heard the sound of her standing up.

“Thank you. I’ll try what you advised!”

Just seeing the other person happy provides the counselor with an abundant reward called fulfillment.

“Um… is it okay if I come back again later?”

“Anytime.”

As I listened to the client hurry out, I crossed my legs and put a lollipop in my mouth.

Pro. Blem. Solved.

I am who I am. I’m awesome. My own talent frightens me sometimes.

After that, the second client arrived.

It was a woman this time as well.

“This is censored, right?”

“It’s not censored, it’s behind a blind. We can’t see each other.”

“I see. Hmm, how should I put this…”

“It’s alright. Please speak comfortably.”

I took the lollipop from between my index and middle fingers and let out a soft breath.

“My first love doesn’t remember me…”

“I see.”

“For me, the memory of my first love is as clear as yesterday, but he doesn’t remember me at all.”

Another relationship problem, it seems.

First love. How refreshing.

My first love when I was young…

I wiped away something flowing down my cheek.

*I promised I wouldn’t cry.*

“I don’t even know if I can call it a first love. We were too young back then.”

“How old were you?”

“Eight.”

Wow, that’s an early first love. But do kids at that age even know anything?

Isn’t it just that you like someone because you’re so young?

“We met again by complete chance. Well, we were just kids, so it’s whatever. I don’t really have any feelings when I see him now. I don’t care at all.”

She’s clearly bothered by it.

“You must be upset that he didn’t recognize you.”

“Put yourself in my shoes. I remember, but he’s completely forgotten my existence. Like a passing ant!”

I asked the client, who was huffing in frustration.

“And did you recognize him?”

“Well…”

“How many years has it been since you last met?”

“About 15 years…?”

This is ridiculous.

An eight-year-old snot-nosed kid is now twenty-four, how is anyone supposed to recognize them? Especially at an age where a little bit of grooming can change one’s appearance entirely.

“Is the man in question a shaman, by any chance?”

“No?”

“Then how is he supposed to recognize you? Unless he’s some kind of psychic, there’s no way he’d recognize you!”

I mean, I’m right about this.

How could he recognize her? Wouldn’t it be weird if he did? Even his parents might not recognize him.

Besides, she admitted she didn’t recognize him at first either.

“Hey, why are you the one getting annoyed?”

“I’m not annoyed. I’m getting angry.”

For some reason, I felt a strange sense of kinship with that man.

This must be the ‘empathy’ that only super counselors are capable of.

“The nerve. Hmph.”

The second counseling session ends in failure.

I can hear the client getting up from her seat.

Even if I’m not a professional, I can’t let my pride be tarnished by failure when I’ve already committed to this.

“Let me ask you something.”

“?”

“Is the past more important to you, or the present?”

“What…?”

I stopped her in her tracks. And then, I shook her psyche.

“You just have to choose. The present or the past. And your petty pride, or your sincere feelings for him.”

“Hey, what are you talking about? I just said he was a childhood first love.”

“The very fact that you’re bringing up a fledgling childhood memory now, doesn’t that mean your heart is wavering?”

“…!”

The woman fell into a strange silence. Then, she muttered.

“W-Whatever. It’s not. It’s not like that!”

With those words, the client fled as if running away.

She’ll be able to sort out her confused heart on her own.

A ripple caused by a stone thrown into the lake of her heart. For this client, who was waiting for it to calm down, I threw a massive boulder instead.

It wasn’t just a ripple; the ideals she had been nobly protecting had crumbled, and by the time everything settled, she would know what answer she wanted.

There were quite a few people seeking counseling.

The main topic was romance.

I’m starting to feel a little, just a little, envious.

It was almost time for the counseling center to close.

Just then, the last client of the day visited the center.

“Greetings. I am now asking. Are you prepared to converse?”

What’s with this one?

“Yes, of course. Please, say whatever is on your mind.”

I responded to the person kindly.

“My popularity is too great.”

“Ah, your popularity. Isn’t that a good thing? What’s the worry?”

His speech was a bit stilted; he didn’t seem like someone who would be that popular.

Is he the type with a huge ego?

“I am a supporting character. A being who makes someone else shine. However, everyone agrees. This is very terrible! People praise me more than the main character.”

“Oh, I know what you mean. Like the loli-con who’s more popular than the dog-ghost who can only use Wind Blade, or the cleaning fairy who’s more popular than the protagonist whose only talent is getting bigger. There are many cases. Many.”

At my words, the person on the other side seemed to preen, yet spoke as if with unshakable conviction.

“Then why don’t you become the main character? If that’s what everyone wants.”

“That cannot be. If that happens, Lee Ja-rang’s tofu will be damaged. His heart is very spicy, and he is a let’s-go bastard.”

I placed the lollipop I had in my mouth on the table.

Then, I raised the blind.

*Zzzzip.*

The blind went up, revealing a familiar face sitting there.

The black man flashed me a toothy grin and closed the blind.

I opened the blind again and saw Lee Ja-rang’s back as he fled.

I vaulted over the table in one motion.

Seeing this, Lee Ja-rang cried out as he opened the door to leave.

“Hello. The let’s-go bastard is here.”

“No. Ja-rang can explain.”

“No. The only thing you can do is file your death certificate.”

Today, too, the counselor heals the sickness in his client’s heart.