Chapter 69

While I was deep in thought, Si-ho approached me.

“Manager.”

“Ah, Si-ho, where’s Soo-ho?”

“I sent him away.”

Quick on her feet.

When I told her she did well, Si-ho stepped closer with a look that seemed to want more.

“Si-ho?”

“Si-ho, did I do well?”

“Yeah, sure?”

As I spoke with a slightly flustered expression, Si-ho took another step closer.

“Si-ho, I think you hit your head.”

Watching her quietly, I blinked.

I’m not a fool.

Realizing what Si-ho wanted, I awkwardly smiled and raised my hand to pat her head.

Feeling the soft texture of her hair, Si-ho smiled faintly, seemingly enjoying my touch.

Watching her like that, I quietly thought.

‘Si-ho likes me.’

The affection in her eyes as she looked at me was now clearly visible.

“Ha-chan, you like her, don’t you?”

The words Eun-namu had said came back to me.

If even a third party could notice, why hadn’t I?

The answer was simple.

Because Si-ho, an S-class Hunter with spatial abilities, aiming for Giraseong, seemed so distant.

Realizing this, I began to feel ashamed.

I had been rude to Si-ho multiple times, only now becoming aware of it.

‘Ji-eun noticed it quickly.’

In that case, my actions towards Ji-eun were also rude.

It was as if I was subconsciously dividing people’s worth.

Thinking like that, I felt pathetic.

“This guy finally noticed.”

And Baek-san, who had been looking at me most pitifully, spoke.

Yeah, I noticed.

‘Perhaps Gwak Sa-yeon’s trauma was deeper than I thought.’

Realizing I had unconsciously avoided people with money, power, and influence, I sighed.

As I did, my eyes looked down at Si-ho.

How should I treat Si-ho, who is happy and likes even the small things I do?

Moreover, if Si-ho likes me, that means both members of our Hunter Team like me.

And both are high school girls.

‘My head is starting to hurt.’

Hearing Eun-namu’s story and realizing it was true, I had a lot to think about.

Should I draw a line with Si-ho like I did with Ji-eun?

The problem is, I know Si-ho’s situation well.

She is currently undergoing rehabilitation training to stand on her own from her past.

She had said she was preparing to say goodbye to her mother.

And I knew she was relying on me a lot in that process.

That day, Si-ho seemed to see her mother in me, and I came back alive.

That fact must have had a huge impact on her.

So I couldn’t hastily put up a wall with Si-ho.

‘Haha, my life.’

There’s nothing as miraculous as someone liking you, and even though it happened twice in a row, I was still a pathetic guy for worrying about it.

‘Wait, then.’

At that moment, another thought crossed my mind.

Among Eun-namu’s advice, it wasn’t just about Si-ho.

There was one more, wasn’t there?

Seeing that she noticed Si-ho’s feelings, her eyes are quite accurate, so then.

‘Does Baek Seol-hyang also like me…?’

No way.

Really?

With many thoughts, thanks to Si-ho’s Space Movement, I quickly arrived at the park entrance.

Si-ho seemed to have overexerted herself again, as her nose bled, but she wiped it off with a familiar expression.

Somehow, Si-ho seemed to be getting stronger.

“Seo-ah!”

At that moment, Soo-ho’s voice echoed as he ran towards us.

Seeing his girlfriend being supported by me, he quickly reached out and took her.

Seeing that, I let go of her support, and he glared at me.

“Who do you think you are, touching Seo-ah?”

Is he crazy?

“You couldn’t do anything and just ran away, and now you’re blaming me for saving your girlfriend? You trash.”

As Baek-san advised, seeing through Soo-ho, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Let go!”

At that moment, his girlfriend pushed him away.

“Huh?”

As Soo-ho looked at her in confusion, she glared at him with tear-filled eyes.

“You left me and ran away, how dare you? Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Hey, Seo-ah, it was dangerous!”

“Wasn’t I in danger? What am I to you?”

She trembled as she asked Soo-ho.

Soo-ho looked angry but shut his mouth as everyone stared at him.

“And this person saved me. Don’t speak rudely.”

Leaving Soo-ho, she stumbled towards me.

From my perspective, I wasn’t particularly fond of her, but she just glared at Soo-ho.

Seeing that, Soo-ho gritted his teeth and turned his anger towards me.

“It’s because of you!”

Probably overwhelmed with self-loathing and anger, he couldn’t control his emotions and charged at me.

As I was about to lift my foot, Si-ho and Eun-hyeon were already in front of me.

“Ugh, ack!”

In an instant, his body was Space Moved into the air, and Eun-hyeon’s kick landed on his back.

Soo-ho, rolling on the ground, gasped for breath, and his girlfriend looked down at him in disgust.

“Trash.”

A fitting end for him.

“Hey, thank you.”

At that moment, his girlfriend suddenly thanked me.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t received thanks earlier due to the situation.

“No, are you okay now?”

As a member of the World Returner Association, I felt responsible for the Giraseong incident, so I asked her, and she nodded.

“And I’m not his girlfriend anymore. I’m Kim Seo-ah. Kim Seo-ah.”

“Ah, yes, I’m Kang Ha-chan.”

As I spoke indifferently, she started to fidget.

“Um, I’d like to repay you. Can I have your phone number…?”

“Manager.”

At that moment, Si-ho hugged my arm.

Si-ho precisely divided the space between me and Kim Seo-ah and looked up at me.

“We’re not done yet. Shouldn’t we hurry?”

“Ah, right. Let’s go.”

Ayu is also worried.

“Then we’ll be going. Please stay safe.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Seeing Kim Seo-ah’s regretful expression, I turned away.

“Eun-hyeon, what will you do?”

“I’ll handle the Artificial Dimensional Gate. I caught the remnants…”

As she spoke, she suddenly stopped.

Then she looked up at something.

“Something bigger than expected has appeared.”

At that moment, camellia petals soared into the sky.

Seeing the large number of camellia petals, I realized it was Ayu and widened my eyes, looking back at Si-ho.

I felt sorry for overexerting Si-ho, but the situation was urgent.

She also seemed to understand my intention and immediately grabbed my collar and Eun-hyeon’s clothes, activating Space Movement.

In an instant, with the shifted view, now accustomed to Space Movement, I realized we were on the rooftop of the Academy’s main building.

Hurrying to the railing, there was a shadow of a giant wolf disappearing and reappearing among the fluttering camellia petals.

“Ayu!”

As I shouted, Ayu appeared among the camellia petals.

She was frowning but effortlessly deflecting the shadow wolf’s fierce attacks.

She was thankfully unharmed.

As her eyes met mine, she smiled lightly.

Feeling relief in her smile, I could finally relax.

“Eun-hyeon, that’s…”

“Asura, the shadow ability of S-class Returner Song Hyuk-seo. It seems he’s here.”

An S-class Returner.

Meaning he’s on the same level as Ayu.

“What should we do?”

“I’ll support Cheonma for now.”

With those words, Eun-hyeon leaped off the rooftop, waving her five tails.

Still only a glass cannon, I couldn’t do much in a fight with a Returner.

“Ha-chan.”

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.

Even Si-ho, who was with me, seemed to notice belatedly, and her eyes followed to where Eun-namu stood.

I widened my eyes in surprise at her presence here, having disappeared for a meeting.

“Eun-namu?”

“What are you staring at, you idiot!”

As Baek-san shouted, my body was flung into the air, thrown off the rooftop.

In the instant of falling, I saw Eun-namu’s usual smile.

What did her actions mean?

The answer was simple.

Zap!

My Aura reflexively moved.

My body, pushed to its limits with full power, awakened all senses.

In the sparking flames, I saw Eun-namu reaching out to Si-ho.

Knowing what that meant, my hand instantly reached out and grabbed the railing, using just arm strength to propel myself.

My flying figure and Eun-namu’s eyes crossed.

Flash!

And a flash followed.

I embraced Si-ho faster than Eun-namu could reach out.

That action took only 0.5 seconds.

But the opponent was a Returner.

Seeing me hug Si-ho, she simultaneously grabbed my collar as I tried to escape.

Realizing this, I threw Si-ho into the air and shouted.

“Si-ho, Space Move!”

As my shout echoed, Si-ho, who couldn’t keep up with our speed, belatedly activated Space Movement.

She also knew Giraseong was targeting them.

Relieved, I was caught by Eun-namu’s hand and slammed to the ground.

“Ugh!”

The recoil from using full-power Aura left me weak, and I groaned in pain from the impact.

This was the second time today I used full-power Aura, so my body had no Aura left.

The sparks from my body had torn part of Eun-namu’s face.

She climbed on top of me, pressing my chest, and scratched her torn face.

“Oops, ruined.”

With those words, she peeled off her skin.

At that moment, instead of her short hair, long black hair fluttered in the wind.

For the first time, her real face looked at me with a languid smile.

“Ha-chan, you seem to have misunderstood something.”

“…That you’re a woman?”

“Hahaha, no, not that.”

What’s so funny? She smiled and pressed my chest.

“I don’t need to target just Ha Si-ho.”

“What?”

“I was targeting you.”

Hearing that, my eyes slowly widened.

For a moment, I wondered why, but remembering the day I first spoke with Baek-san, my words stuck.

The central axis of Returners and the most useful ordinary person.

Me.

It was clear from earlier that she was Giraseong.

And her words meant Giraseong had recognized my existence.

The worst possible scenario had begun.

“You used up all your strength earlier, right? For some reason, you can’t control your power.”

Was that why she infiltrated the Hunter Training Academy?

“Sorry, but I need Giraseong.”

Facing her smiling eyes, I clicked my tongue.

Easily resolved?

“…Eun-namu, there’s one thing I haven’t told you.”

No way.

As a bold smile formed on my face, a small question appeared in Eun-namu’s eyes.

“You were my ex-girlfriend in another world, right?”

“Huh?”

As she looked puzzled by my sudden statement, I was already making eye contact with someone.

The most reliable person in the world, our Returner.

“You damn bastard, using up all your Aura and leaving it to me.”

With those words, my consciousness faded.