Chapter 126

[Attention all! Hae-un’s special fan signing event is happening tomorrow at 1 PM!]

– Tomorrow afternoon, starting at 1 PM sharp, there will be a super exclusive fan signing event with Hae-un, Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa themselves! Come on down to Hae-un’s Lair if you’re interested!

Please note: This isn’t an official fan signing event. It’s just a fun little get-together to give the kids some happy memories. If they get too tired or don’t feel like signing anymore, we might have to cut it short. Thanks for understanding!

—

NANI?! A Hae-un fan signing event? I’m going right now.

Wahahaha, my hunting life has been so boring, dull, joyless, and stressful… but THIS? THIS is pure honey-sweet fun!

Hae-un is gonna be SO CUTE!!! I need to stick her signature on my phone immediately.

—

A post on the Hunter Community forums.

Normally, private announcements like this wouldn’t be posted as official notices to maintain fairness…

But this time, it was specially bumped up to the top of the notice board!

“Reasons include…”

First off, Hae-un has brought about SO much positivity that it’s impossible not to love her. Plus, since she’s technically not a registered hunter, no one feels jealous. And let’s be real—if anyone messes with her, those “corrupt dragon forces” might come after them. So… yeah. No one in the Hunter Association is complaining about this.

“Actually, they might even secretly approve.”

Whenever these four adorable ones show up, the usually tense atmosphere totally relaxes. Everyone gets along happily, which is pretty rare in our accident-prone line of work. They’re basically the only hope around here.

Seorin watched with satisfaction as more and more people RSVP’d to attend…

…until hundreds of people swarmed Hae-un’s Lair. Then she stopped smiling.

*****

I stared blankly at the massive crowd waving at me.

Honestly, I thought maybe 20 people would show up at most… but there were easily hundreds of people here. Way too many!

Just as chaos started to set in, Spirit Master Uncle approached us, laughing heartily.

“Hae-un, word got out about your signing event, and everyone who had the day off came rushing over!”

“…?”

Is that even allowed on a day off…?

Overwhelmed by the excessive attention, I could only sit there dumbfounded, making soft “meeeeeeng” noises. Suddenly, someone called out to me in a gentle voice.

“Hae-un, look over here once!”

Without thinking, I turned my head… and the sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air.

As the flashes went off, I couldn’t help but think, “Am I really becoming an idol now?” I hugged my tail close, blushing furiously while Arin patted my back comfortingly.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m right here with you.”

“Nyeh…”

“Alright, shall we start signing? Did you practice enough?”

I awkwardly nodded.

Arin smiled warmly, leading me to a pre-prepared chair.

“If you ever feel tired or want to stop, just let us know, okay?”

“Nyeh!”

“Alright, let’s begin!”

She handed me a pen that felt super soft in my grip.

“But hey, your hand might hurt later… hmm…”

While pondering how mental strength might solve that issue, Chae-a, Yuna, and Seoa arrived late but ready, each chiming in enthusiastically.

“Chae-a practiced A LOT! I can draw 100 earthworms!”

“Of course! I can do plenty of signatures!”

“…”

Everyone seems fully prepared!

Thinking we could probably go all day, I greeted my first fan…

“It’s me.”

And there stood Perseus. With a somewhat cheeky grin, he held out a marble slab for us to sign.

“Please.”

Startled by his sudden appearance, I blinked repeatedly, but the other girls didn’t seem fazed. They giggled and grabbed their pens, scribbling away.

“Chae-a drew worms! Yuna did neat signatures, and Seoa… well, mysterious squiggles!”

Their individual styles were so unique and cute. Inspired, I followed suit and added my own signature.

“One more thing—can you draw a heart below it?”

“Whaaaat?!”

Though slightly odd, it wasn’t too hard, so I quickly obliged. Perseus looked extremely satisfied as he spoke.

“Great job! Next time, aim for two hearts, alright?”

“Meeeeeeng??”

Still confused about what just happened, I was interrupted again when Arin and Seorin showed up next.

“I also wanted Hae-un’s autograph…”

“Isn’t this fun?”

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why they were here, but decided to humor them and quickly signed. They left happily afterward.

“Hey, can you sign for me too?”

Next came Na-yeon, shyly offering small stuffed animals for us to sign.

It seemed a bit challenging, but definitely doable. As I carefully wrote, Na-yeon hesitated before speaking.

“Oh, uh… here, take this. It’s a gift.”

Before we could respond, she disappeared into the crowd.

Confused by the strange chain of events, I blinked again when strangers approached us with sheets of paper.

Finally, we’re having a proper signing session! But as I diligently worked, one hunter receiving a signature caught my attention.

“Man, lately Hae-un has been such a healing presence for me. Look at her—she’s SO CUTE! She looks like sticky rice cakes stuck together. How does a hamster hamster talk to ME like this?! KYAAAAAA!”

Proper signing session…?

Realizing something was off about the hunters’ behavior, I stared blankly.

“Of course! Hunters’ lives are super tough, right?”

Maybe this is how they relieve stress?

While mulling this over, Arin chuckled beside me.

“Definitely true. Hae-un does resemble a hamster.”

“Yeah!”

Watching their excitement, I reflected on the true purpose of a fan signing event.

“The goal is to make visitors happy, right?”

Agreeing with this sentiment, nearby Yuna suddenly muttered absentmindedly.

“Hae-un also looks like a fluffy white bear.”

At that, Seoa perked up, eyes shining brightly.

“Coooom!”

Ah, that’s right. Yuna loves bears. Probably because they live in cold places yet have warm fur, giving off a comforting vibe.

One fan nodded approvingly.

“Right! Yuna knows her stuff!”

Yuna wagged her tail happily upon receiving praise.

Smiling warmly, I finished the last signature.

*

After signing for about ten people…

We realized progress was slower than expected.

“Wait… if there are hundreds waiting and we’ve only done ten…”

Even running through every possible solution in my mind, it was clear we couldn’t possibly reach everyone.

As I fretted over this dilemma, Seorin suddenly raised her phone.

“There’s a comment on the fan signing announcement suggesting we stamp handprints instead of signatures.”

At the mention of handprints, all our eyes met.

Seorin grinned mischievously, explaining further.

“Apparently, using paint to stamp handprints is faster AND makes recipients super happy!”

Her words sparked excitement in me, and I eagerly nodded.

Wow, what a great idea!

Feeling like we’d found a solution, I beamed with relief.

Since we needed paint right away…

Just as we were about to fetch some, Perseus somehow appeared with high-quality paints.

“I found these on my way here.”

These certainly don’t look randomly found. Regardless, with so many people waiting, we pushed aside questions and began squeezing out the paint.

“Maybe this could actually work…”

With four of us working together, each handling one person at a time, things moved surprisingly fast.

After stamping handprints for quite a while, Chae-a made another suggestion.

“How about we try footprints too?”

That startled me. While hands were fine, feet might come across as rude…

But before I could decline…

“I’ll go first! Pick me!”

Seorin eagerly volunteered, creating an unstoppable momentum.

—

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