Chapter 10

“Uummm….”

“Huh? Is something wrong?”

For some reason, I must’ve had a serious look on my face.

Da-young looked at me with a worried expression.

“Ahh, it’s nothing. Go ahead and choose your menu.”

“Hmm.”

Da-young looked back at the menu with an expression like she was deep in thought about something.

“Tch, what should I do…”

Should I drink while raising my tolerance so I don’t get drunk?

Nah, then there’s no point in drinking.

Alcohol is for getting tipsy, right?

If I’m going to do that, I should just order a soft drink.

The perfect balance is getting just tipsy enough to be all warm and fuzzy inside…

…Maybe I’ll decide after having one first?

Even if I get a little drunk, Da-young isn’t the type to take advantage of the situation.

Yeah, I shouldn’t overthink this. Let’s just have a drink and see how it goes.

With that decision made, I lifted my head.

Da-young had already called the waiter over and was in the middle of ordering.

“Si-hyun, what would you like to drink? I’m going for so-mac (soju beer cocktail).”

“I’ll start with beer.”

“Hmm, good choice.”

The order was quickly taken and the waiter disappeared into the back of the store.

Da-young rested her chin on her hand and spoke.

“It’s lucky we could even get a seat outside, huh?”

“Is this place famous or something?”

“People who know, come here. That’s all. It’s out of the way too.”

“Ah.”

I nodded and looked around the quiet street.

Occasional pedestrians passed by.

Small, cozy bars were clustered together.

The calm atmosphere felt nice.

“…Could you recommend more places like this sometime?”

“Oh, you already like it?”

Da-young smirked.

“Si-hyun, we’re not best friends yet, but we’ve definitely gotten closer, right?”

“Uh… Yeah.”

“Hmm. How about we start being more casual with each other? You look like you’re in your late teens to early twenties.”

“Eh, sure.”

Because of the difference between physical age and mental age…

There’s no need to go into all that, though.

“Si-hyun can be more relaxed too! What about ‘Unnie’? How about calling me Da-young Unnie?”

“That’s…”

“Tch.”

Just hearing it and actually saying it are different things, you know.

There’s quite a gap in difficulty.

“Anyway, Si-hyun’s hair is really pretty. Do you specially take care of it?”

“Just my sister doing it occasionally.”

“You mentioned having a younger sister before, right?”

“Yeah, super cute~”

“…”

“…Huh?”

Why is she laughing like that?

I tilted my head, confused by her incomprehensible reaction.

But Da-young just casually waved her hand and said what she wanted to say.

“I might grow my hair out too.”

“Don’t you prefer it short for convenience?”

“You’re one to talk. Yours reaches down to your waist.”

“…I’d rather have short hair like yours. Please don’t cut it.”

“My sister says that?”

“Yeah.”

Da-young chuckled.

What’s so funny? I have no idea.

“With how much you brag about her, I’m curious now. Can I see a picture?”

“…Uh…”

Oh no.

How could I forget this?

There aren’t any pictures at all.

While I’ve never been one to take many photos,

Since returning to Earth, I’ve hardly taken any either.

Still, shouldn’t I at least have some family photos?

This was a blind spot.

“Wait, you don’t have any?”

“Yeah…”

“No, don’t look so down. We can take some next time.”

“…Right?”

I thought she’d scold me for boasting without proof.

As expected, Da-young is a kind person.

“Hohoho, then let me become number one!”

Suddenly, Da-young jumped up from her seat.

She came over to me with a swish and held out her hand.

“Phone!”

Crushed by her momentum, I handed over my phone.

She naturally slid the screen to camera mode.

Extending the selfie-mode phone forward,

Da-young moved her face closer to mine to get in the shot.

As she got nearer, a faint, pleasant fragrance tickled my nose.

“Don’t look at me, look forward!”

“…Okay.”

After lightly scolding me, I looked ahead.

Click! Click!

Several photos were taken as she adjusted the angle bit by bit.

“Can you unlock it for me?”

“Just a sec.”

After unlocking the phone for her, Da-young opened KakaoTalk.

She scrolled through the gallery in private chat mode.

A few selected photos were sent.

Once the photo session was done, Da-young returned to her seat.

“Wow, not only does Si-hyun not have any younger sister photos, but the whole gallery is empty?”

“I’m not really interested…”

“Only chat history with me and your sister?”

“I haven’t been back on Earth long…”

“My goodness.”

Da-young’s expression instantly changed.

It was the look one gives to a pitiful creature.

I should probably counter that…

“…It’ll increase over time.”

“Of course it will. Who would leave you alone?”

“…Huh?”

“There’s such a thing.”

Da-young smirked.

Then she leaned forward slightly and spoke.

“How about asking a few of our guild members for their numbers while we’re at it? Ji-han…might be a bit much. How about Han-gyeol? What do you think?”

“Ahh, Han-gyeol seems fine.”

Not a bad suggestion.

Finally, the time has come for my empty contacts list to undergo a dramatic change!

Hehehe…

“…But why not Ji-han? He seems…”

“Ah, his personality is a bit intense. Plus he’s currently on a regional mission, so we haven’t met yet.”

“I see.”

Regional mission, huh.

Truly, hunters are busy people.

Speaking of which, Lin, a female friend, also mentioned she was busy with a regional mission last time.

Thinking about it, I might want to catch up with her face-to-face after a while.

“By the way, Si-hyun, there’s something I want to give you.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Status window!”

Without hesitation, Da-young blurted out something embarrassing and gestured with her finger in the air.

Soon after, a long sword appeared.

“This was something Han-gyeol used, but I recently made him a new one. Since this one is still in good condition, it’d be wasteful to throw away. What do you think about using it?”

“Would that be alright?”

“Of course! Though it’s secondhand, I made it myself so it’s still usable. I’ve repaired it too.”

“Oh.”

I carefully took the sword she offered.

Checking its condition, it feels like a decent weapon suitable for a D-rank hunter.

“Isn’t a holy knight still a knight? I don’t know much about the world you were in.”

“Ah, roughly similar.”

“In that case…”

“The food’s here!”

Just as Da-young was about to ask me something.

The dishes arrived faster than expected.

Two bottles of beer and one soju bottle were naturally set on the table.

“Let’s have a drink first?”

“Ye-ss!”

While Da-young smoothly drank her so-mac,

I poured my beer into a glass.

Clunk! Ssssh—

The foam bubbled up.

Really, it’s been so long since I’ve seen this sight.

It feels almost nostalgic.

“Cheers!”

Da-young held out her glass.

We clinked glasses lightly and I took a sip of beer.

The carbonation filled my mouth along with the distinctive taste of Korean beer.

How did they describe this again?

Ah, right. Refreshing!

That was definitely the word they used.

Getting to feel the clear, refreshing sensation of beer after such a long time made me feel good.

“Haa… This is the taste. Si-hyun, try some of the appetizers too! They’re my recommendations.”

“Ah, okay.”

I picked up some of the appetizers with chopsticks.

Mm, delicious.

Da-young, certified foodie.

“Hehehe, how is it? Tasty, right?”

“Yes! I’m glad I came.”

My mood started lifting.

I could feel my facial muscles relaxing into a smile.

Whatever, good is good.

I took another sip of beer.

“Si-hyun, I know you’re strong, but don’t you need armor?”

“Hmm…”

“Didn’t the paladins in your world wear armor too?”

Paladins and armor…

The female member of the hero party naturally came to mind.

Tall for a woman, with a muscular build.

She used to flirt with the hero shamelessly.

……If only she had shown me even a fraction of that attention…

“Ah, speaking of which! Si-hyun!”

“…Yes?”

In the middle of my thoughts, Da-young suddenly clapped her hands and spoke.

“You’re pretty but dress too plainly. Is there a reason for that?”

“Umm, it’s comfortable and I’m used to it here.”

There were only two types of clothing I wore in that world.

The pitch-black nun’s habit made by the hero’s request, designed to conceal one’s figure.

An expensive outfit treated with various magical enhancements for combat use.

And the plain everyday wear reminiscent of medieval designs that I wore on days off, with long skirts that reached my feet.

Through this experience, my aversion to skirts disappeared.

Though I still dislike anything too revealing or short.

“That’s such a waste. How about we go shopping together sometime?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“That’s your polite refusal line, isn’t it?”

Caught.

I turned my head slightly and took a sip of beer, pretending not to hear.

Glug glug.

The refreshing carbonation went down my throat.

I put down the cup and picked up some appetizers, deliberately changing the subject.

“Da-young, why are you in such a small guild?”

“Why?”

“Equipment-type hunters are rare, aren’t you better off in a bigger organization?”

“Ah, I used to belong to a large guild.”

“Really?”

I stopped filling my cup with beer mid-action and looked at Da-young.

Is this it?

Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon, or something like that?

“The quotas and exploitation were just too severe. When I left, there was some trouble, but I founded Wings Guild with close friends.”

“Ah…”

Exploitation…

The church and nobility naturally came to mind.

A sense of camaraderie welled up for Da-young.

“Come on, don’t make that face. Lately, I’ve been having quite fun! Shall we have another drink?”

“Ye-ss!”

We clinked glasses and I gulped down the beer.

“Haa…”

I’ve barely finished one bottle, but I can already feel the buzz.

Soyju is definitely out of the question…

I sighed deeply, filled with regret, and stood up from my seat.

“Da-young, I’ll be back after using the restroom.”

“Huh? Want me to come with?”

“Alone! I’ll be right back. Could you order more beer for me?”

“Geez, fine. Got it.”

Leaving behind Da-young with a bewildered expression, I moved my steps.

It’s still too much for that kind of behavior, you know.

* * *

Da-young rested her cheek on her hand and watched Si-hyun’s retreating back as she entered the store.

No matter how many times I look, she’s such an unusual person.

So pretty, yet completely uninterested in appearance.

Occasionally makes actions that aren’t very feminine.

But somehow, that’s part of her charm.

I’ve never met someone like her in my life.

“Doesn’t she ever call me more casually…”

Protective instincts welled up.

Clearly, Si-hyun is a much stronger hunter than herself.

Yet, during conversations, there’s often an urge to comfort and protect her.

Da-young smirked and picked up some food with her chopsticks.

She savored it slowly.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, isn’t that Da-young?”

“Huh?”

A familiar voice.

Da-young looked toward the direction of the sound.

A towering man nearly 2 meters tall approached.

He slowly walked over to Da-young’s side.

The woman accompanying him also frowned and came closer.

“What a coincidence meeting you here, thief.”

“That’s harsh, isn’t it?”

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”

“Bastard.”

Da-young casually cursed under her breath, but the man didn’t care.

After all, he was the strong one here.

“Living comfortably these days, huh? Coming to places like this to drink.”

“And you? Living comfortably? In that case, wouldn’t it be better if you just disappeared?”

“Can’t do that. Do you know how much damage you caused to our guild?”

KONG!

The man slammed his fist on the table.

Cups and bottles toppled over, making a loud noise.

“Do you know how much loss your actions caused to the guild?”

“Not really. Don’t care either.”

“Well, maybe it’s time you found out.”

The man grinned wickedly.

Da-young tensed up, trying to figure out how to handle the situation despite being tipsy.

“Dear, let me borrow you for a moment. I need to teach this girl a lesson.”

“Hurry up.”

The woman responded with a mutter.

At the same time, she thought to herself.

Why do beautiful women always appear whenever there’s trouble lately?

Last time’s white-haired woman was annoying, and this one’s bothersome too.

I finally joined a new guild and got a boyfriend.

Was hoping to set the mood a bit…

Sigh…

At least it’s fortunate that her current boyfriend doesn’t have any romantic feelings toward this woman.

The scene of two men fawning over a white-haired woman in the dungeon last time was disgusting.

She was pretty, but really, to that extent?

Today’s situation is somewhat better.

“Fucking bitch. How about apologizing properly? Might improve my mood.”

“I haven’t done anything wrong. Why apologize? Contact the Management Bureau before you leave.”

Da-young’s response made the man scoff.

“Violence is closer than law, you know?”

“Fuck you…”

Da-young furrowed her brows.

While it’s true she’s currently protected by the Management Bureau’s mediation,

What would happen if a full-blown conflict broke out?

Wings Guild, consisting mostly of E to D-rank members numbering less than ten.

Their opponent – a large guild that even the Management Bureau handles cautiously.

The Management Bureau might intervene again, but the limits are clear.

There’s not enough trust to rely solely on that.

‘Humiliating, but should I apologize and move on for now?’

I really don’t want to.

Should I just stubbornly stick to the Management Bureau’s protection?

…But the fists are right in front of me.

The man in front of Da-young crossed his arms and cracked his knuckles.

The aunt beside him giggled.

Seeing this, Da-young realized she needed to make a decision.

“…”

“You’re speechless now, huh? Huh?”

The man grinned wickedly and leaned forward.

At that moment,

Da-young caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner of her vision.

Si-hyun, with a tense expression, was returning.

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