Chapter 55

After casually skimming through the news and articles, Si-hyun got up from her seat.

She had spotted her younger sister rushing back from afar.

Even if an S-rank Hunter goes missing, it’s not like they’re an acquaintance—so it quickly slips out of mind.

Si-hyun and Si-yoon took public transportation to their meeting spot. Not long after arriving, a taxi stopped in front of the restaurant, and Ji-a stepped out.

“Sorry! Did you guys wait long?”

“Nope, we just got here too.”

Ji-a and Si-hyun exchanged greetings first.

“Sis, it’s been forever!”

“That’s true. How’ve you been, Si-yoon?”

Si-yoon gleefully clung to Ji-a with excitement. Ji-a hugged her tightly and smiled brightly as she spoke.

“You look so pretty dressed up! Someone might think we’re going hunting instead of dining!”

“Pfft, it’s basic, sis, basic.”

“Did Si-hyun pick this out for you?”

“Of course!”

Both Ji-a and Si-yoon’s gazes simultaneously turned toward the same person.

Si-hyun was wearing a vibrant-colored dress that accentuated her slender yet curvaceous figure with its delicate ribbon wrapping around her waist.

Si-hyun awkwardly turned her head, scratching her cheek as she mumbled,

“Well… I said I’d make an effort….”

Her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. Si-yoon giggled mischievously at her reaction.

“I prepared the outfit beforehand. Though, at first, she didn’t want to wear it?”

“Huh? How did you manage to convince her?”

At Ji-a’s question, Si-yoon snickered and replied,

“Tribute works wonders, doesn’t it?”

“Aha.”

Ji-a immediately caught on to what Si-yoon meant—it involved Momobin merchandise again.

‘This’ll get exposed soon enough.’

Ji-a glanced at Si-yoon cautiously.

Still, she thought, ‘When it does come out, it could be fun.’ While Si-yoon clammed up nervously, Si-hyun fidgeted awkwardly, almost freezing up momentarily.

Imagining the situation, Ji-a smirked lightly before casually suggesting,

“Standing outside the store like this is kinda pointless. Shall we go in?”

“…Yeah, let’s do that.”

“Let’s go!”

The three women entered the restaurant. Since Ji-a had made reservations, they comfortably took their seats.

Si-hyun leisurely observed the ambiance of the place. The private room-style restaurant exuded elegance under soft lighting, adorned with sophisticated decorations and classy artwork.

‘This would be perfect for a date.’

Recalling the brunch café where they’d eaten together earlier, it seemed like Ji-a knew some great spots in Seoul.

Si-hyun decided to ask about it sometime when needed and addressed Ji-a.

“Did you mention reserving one dish ahead of time?”

“Yeah, it’s a menu item that requires booking a day in advance.”

Ji-a flipped through the menu handed over by Si-yoon, pointing at the dish Si-hyun asked about.

“Beef Wellington. Have you tried it?”

“…Nope, never even heard of it.”

“I saw it on TV!”

Upon hearing Ji-a’s question, Si-hyun shook her head, while Si-yoon eagerly raised her hand and chimed in,

“It was on that chef reality show where they threw cold dishes across the kitchen! Right?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“I was curious watching it on TV, but actually trying it will be a first! Wow, I’m really excited!”

“Hehe, you won’t be disappointed.”

Watching Si-yoon’s excitement, Ji-a covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Si-yoon resumed scanning the menu diligently. Meanwhile, Si-hyun hesitated slightly before speaking up.

“…Hmm, I don’t know much about these kinds of places, so I’ll leave my order to you.”

“In that case, I’ll take this!”

“If that’s settled, then another safe choice would be this.”

Menus were swiftly decided. After placing all orders,

Si-hyun stood up and said,

“I’ll be right back from the restroom.”

With graceful movements, she walked toward the bathroom, her platinum hair catching the light softly as it swayed elegantly.

Ji-a quietly watched Si-hyun’s retreating back until she disappeared completely, then turned to Si-yoon and asked,

“Si-yoon.”

“Yes?”

“Has the broadcast thing not been discovered yet?”

“Umm… not yet.”

Her lips drooping slightly, Si-yoon responded. With that reaction, Ji-a gave a wry smile and continued,

“Sometimes Si-hyun texts asking about stuff like housing prices or things like that.”

“Oh…”

“Like what hunter rank you need to afford a standalone house or something.”

“…Uh-huh.”

Si-yoon awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers. Ji-a looked at her and gently laughed, asking,

“How long do you plan to keep this secret?”

“…Until it gets found out?”

“Won’t it feel more awkward later when it does?”

“Well… It’s my favorite, and I watch it every day, so it’s kinda hard to bring up…”

“Heh, yeah… That makes sense.”

Ji-a nodded in agreement. Given how shy yet well-dressed Si-hyun was today, it was clear how much she loved her idol.

“How did she get so into it?”

“…Apparently, she likes the voice.”

“Puuh, the voice?”

“It reminds her of someone she used to know or something like that.”

Seeing Si-yoon pout cutely, Ji-a couldn’t help but burst into quiet laughter. Voice—such a simple yet impactful factor.

“Hmm… Anyway, I’ll keep your secret until it gets exposed.”

“Thanks, sis! But seriously, what should we do? Is there any good way to handle this?”

“Hmm? Not sure…”

“Gah… Maybe we could fake an accident and get sis onto the show too?”

“Oh my…”

That was an extremely drastic suggestion. While Ji-a widened her eyes in surprise, Si-yoon seriously evaluated her idea.

“…Actually, it might work? Honestly, the viewers would probably love it too?”

“Hehe, that could be true. Si-hyun has such a lovely voice too.”

“Yes! Mental note taken.”

Si-yoon grinned slyly, thinking,

‘A cornered rat bites the cat.’ There’s truth to that saying. If pushed into a tight spot, maybe she really will go for it.

Though she knew this wasn’t a fundamental solution, perhaps creating a series of shocking events could cover things up nicely?

Si-yoon began seriously considering the idea.

“What were you two talking about?”

Returning from the restroom, Si-hyun sat back down beside Ji-a. Ji-a playfully smiled and looked at Si-hyun, asking,

“Si-hyun, what do you think of my voice?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking about voices?”

“Just curious, that’s all.”

Confused but still sincere, Si-hyun answered.

“…Umm, I’m not great with words, but….”

Her gaze drifted upward as she deeply contemplated. Tapping her cheek with her finger, she pondered briefly before snapping her hands together.

“Ah! Let me compare it to Momobin, the VTuber. You know him, right?”

“Yeah, we watched him on TV last time, didn’t we?”

“Exactly. Personally, my favorite voice recently is Momobin’s, though he sometimes stumbles on his words or sounds tongue-tied.”

“…”

“Puuh… G-got it.”

Unable to contain her laughter, Ji-a covered her mouth. “Cute” and “tongue-tied” were just too adorable!

Ji-a subtly glanced at Si-yoon sitting opposite, who wore a mortified expression while trying hard not to show it.

Her facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, making it even harder for Ji-a herself to suppress her laughter.

While Si-hyun remained oblivious, being stuck between them felt like torture. Eventually, Ji-a decided to just laugh it off.

“Fufuht…”

“…?”

Was the story that funny? Si-hyun tilted her head in confusion. Due to her complete lack of awareness, she calmly continued explaining.

“Compared to that, Ji-a’s voice… hmm. It’s the kind that soothes the listener’s heart?”

“…Mm-hmm.”

“Oh, geez! Saying it face-to-face makes me embarrassed. Anyway, second only to Momobin!”

“Haha, thank you!”

It was undoubtedly high praise from Si-hyun. Ji-a smiled warmly and expressed her gratitude.

At that moment, a waitress approached their table.

“Here’s your order.”

She briefly announced before setting the food on the table. Once everything was ready,

Si-yoon, having composed her expression as much as possible, spoke up.

“U-um, sis?”

“Yes?”

“You know about broadcasting tones, right?”

“Sure, varies from broadcaster to broadcaster.”

“I wonder what sis would sound like if she stumbled on her words? Could you try once?”

At Si-yoon’s request, Si-hyun gasped dramatically before firmly declining.

“Nope. Never gonna happen.”

“But whyyy? Just once?”

“Not even if you give me a full set of Momobin merch.”

“Chiii—”

Seeing her sister put on a serious face, Si-yoon reluctantly backed off, inwardly thinking, ‘Guess there’s no other way.’ Of course, she kept her inner thoughts to herself.

Afterward, the three women chatted casually about everyday topics.

Their impressions of trying Beef Wellington for the first time, the creamy taste of the pasta,

Peaceful mealtime passed, and when dessert arrived,

Ji-a scooped up a spoonful of ice cream before pulling out her smartphone. Habitually checking the news,

“Eh…?”

Her surprised expression prompted her to scan through the article carefully. Her unusually serious demeanor intrigued Si-hyun, who wondered what had caused such a reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, um. I just read that Hunter Yu Byeong-jun went missing. Do you know who that is?”

“Aah, I saw that earlier. He’s an S-rank Hunter, right?”

After Si-hyun confirmed, Ji-a nodded and continued,

“The dungeon he went missing in was the one we originally planned to visit.”

“That large guild-preempted A-rank Dungeon?”

“Yeah. Kinda gives me the creeps now.”

“Aha.”

Si-hyun recalled a previous conversation at the brunch café with Ji-a. As she reminisced,

‘Oh!’

An important fact came to mind.

“That dungeon… wasn’t it nearing its expiration date? Before it goes berserk?”

“Yeah, that’s correct. Things have gotten quite dangerous. The Management Bureau must be on high alert.”

“Mm-hmm…”

Satisfied with her curiosity being resolved, Si-hyun gave a small nod.

Management Bureau would surely handle it properly, wouldn’t they?

That was the extent of Si-hyun’s interest. Since neither herself nor anyone close to her was involved, she didn’t feel compelled to care further.

“Shall we head out? We can take a light stroll at the nearby park and then visit a wine bar.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Having finished dessert, the women stood up. After settling the bill, they left the restaurant and naturally headed toward the nearby park.

As they happily walked along, admiring the scenery,

Si-yoon grinned and suggested,

“Let’s take pictures! Pictures!”

In an instant, photo time commenced.

They snapped group shots together.

Took turns posing individually.

Dozens of photos piled up rapidly.

“Why don’t you two go stand by that tree over there? I’ll capture a stunning shot from far away!”

“Hehe, alright, sis, count on us!”

“…Hmm.”

Excited, Si-yoon requested, prompting Ji-a and Si-hyun to move toward the distant tree via the steps, striking a cozy pose.

Watching her flustered sister, Si-yoon quietly chuckled. She was certain that opening her sister’s phone gallery would reveal nothing but emptiness. This was her chance to fill it up properly! Determined, she began taking photos.

From afar, the two noticed Si-yoon and exchanged words. Ji-a pointed somewhere and signaled Si-yoon with her fingers before walking over.

Si-yoon nodded and was about to join them when—

A man approached her, standing alone.

“Excuse me, I couldn’t help but notice… Could I get your number?”

It was a hunter.

And a persistent one at that.