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A tall, neat man asked Si-yoon for her number.

Si-yoon awkwardly smiled and replied.

“Ah… I’m sorry, but I don’t really like this kind of thing.”

She promptly refused and tried to join her sisters.

But the man didn’t back off easily.

As Si-yoon tried to turn away, he closed the distance with a friendly smile.

“Oh, I think you misunderstood. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, I just want to get to know you.”

“……”

“I know a nice cafe nearby. Would you join me without any pressure?”

He naturally gestured toward the direction Si-yoon was trying to leave.

The man stubbornly blocked her path, maintaining his demeanor.

Si-yoon let out a small sigh and fidgeted with her bracelet.

She had just dressed up for her own sake.

She never expected to face such an annoying and unpleasant situation.

While Si-yoon’s expression hardened, the man just smiled and continued.

“Really, let’s just have one cup of coffee. If you’re still uncomfortable after that, you can refuse!”

At the man’s repeated request, Si-yoon responded firmly.

“I’m sorry, but I have company. Excuse me.”

Si-yoon attempted to twist her body to pass by him.

But he reached out his long arm and blocked that too.

“Your friends will understand. Honestly, would it be so bad to meet someone like me?”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Si-yoon looked up at him with an irritated glare.

The man gazed back at her confidently with a grin.

It was just then.

“…What do you do?”

A cold voice that felt like ice.

The man turned his head in confusion.

His eyes widened as he spoke.

“Are these your friends?”

“…Who are you?”

Si-hyun asked again.

Suddenly, the bracelet’s function activated, making her wonder what was happening.

In the distance, she could see a delinquent grabbing her little sister and bothering her.

Si-hyun’s eyes nearly rolled back in anger, but she managed to hold it in.

She still hadn’t grasped the situation accurately.

Clenching her fist, she glared at the man.

The man flinched momentarily at Si-hyun’s icy voice.

But soon, he began to get lost in her beautiful appearance.

She was a stunning woman, rivaling celebrities.

This was the first time he’d seen someone so pretty.

Even her angry glare now seemed cute.

As he scanned Si-hyun from head to toe, he said with a friendly smile.

“Wow, I’m surprised you’re such a beauty! Would you like to have a coffee? I’ll pay for both of you, so no pressure.”

Si-hyun frowned and glared at him.

But the man didn’t care, acting as he pleased.

“Oh, you’ve got something on you.”

He reached out his hand toward Si-hyun.

“Ugh.”

Si-hyun sharply swatted his hand away.

She looked up at the man, still grinning from ear to ear.

With an expression pinched with irritation, Si-hyun spoke in a low tone as if giving a final warning.

“Don’t test my patience and disappear from my sight.”

“Haha! Don’t be like that—”

“I’ll give you three seconds.”

Si-hyun raised three fingers.

“One.”

The man chuckled, watching Si-hyun.

What was he going to do after counting to three? He wore a look that said he controlled the situation, as if watching a cute little animal put on a show.

He flashed a confident smile that said he thought he could manage things.

“Two.”

While the man was distracted by Si-hyun, Si-yoon quickly moved and clung to her sister.

Si-hyun embraced her sister’s shoulders and started counting again.

“One.”

Ji-a, who returned with a relaxed pace, stood behind Si-yoon.

Thus, Si-yoon became the most dangerous bystander in the world.

In a way, it was like finishing a power play.

“I warned you.”

Si-hyun muttered in a low voice.

She glanced at the man, who shrugged off her warning, and lightly snapped her fingers.

Snap!

“The pain of a burning tongue.”

“……!”

In that instant, the man’s demeanor changed.

He tilted his head in confusion.

Suddenly, a spicy sensation hit his tongue.

Si-yoon, who had been clinging nearby, looked surprised and glanced at her sister.

“Uh, sis… is that the new thing you made?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The man’s expression began to sour as he overheard the women’s conversation.

Si-hyun raised her chin and stated.

“5,000 Scoville.”

“Ugh….”

The man covered his mouth with his hand. An incredibly bizarre situation unfolded.

Suddenly, his mouth was filled with heat, and excruciating pain began.

There was nothing in his mouth, yet the agony was unbearable.

“10,000 Scoville.”

“Ugh!”

The man quickly turned his head and scanned the area.

The pain shot through his mouth more intensely than when he had eaten spicy ramen.

“20,000 Scoville.”

“Ugh——”

The man let out a strange noise and dashed away.

It was toward the park’s water fountain.

“30,000 Scoville.”

“Oh my God….”

Hearing the increasing units, Si-yoon’s expression grew tense.

Just hearing those Scoville numbers was terrible; she wondered how much more pain the man was experiencing.

Imagining the scenario, Si-yoon shook her head vigorously to dispel the thoughts.

“50,000 Scoville.”

The numbers were frighteningly climbing.

Ji-a, who had been quietly observing, scratched her cheek and said.

“Si-hyun, you used magic just now, right?”

“Yeah. It’s a magic that equally makes everyone experience the pain I’ve felt on my tongue.”

“I see….”

Ji-a fell silent.

But still, 50,000 Scoville…

Even foods famous for being spicy aren’t that high.

That man must be experiencing hell in his mouth right now.

It was a cruel magic.

Indeed, the man felt his mind spinning.

He reached the water fountain, desperately gulping down water.

But that was hardly enough relief.

His eyes were bloodshot, and the hand holding the faucet trembled.

Veins bulged on the back of his hand.

“100,000 Scoville.”

Tears began to well up in the man’s eyes.

He was crying and suffering terribly.

The pain spreading from his tongue filled his entire mouth, and no matter how much water he drank, it wouldn’t go away.

Tilting his head back and opening his mouth wide, he poured the water in forcefully.

As Si-yoon blankly watched the tragic scene unfold, she murmured to herself.

“Is—Is he going to die from that…?”

“We can save him.”

“Uh, uh… Is that so?”

Although you can’t bring back the dead, you can save someone who’s merely dying.

The previous conversation flashed through Si-yoon’s mind.

Looking dazed, she nodded.

“500,000 Scoville.”

Suddenly, the number multiplied by five!

At this point, even she started to feel sorry for the villain.

Feeling it was enough, Si-yoon raised her voice.

“Oh, sis! We should go to the wine bar now! Let’s release him and head out!”

“…Should we?”

Glimpsing at her sister, Si-hyun beamed a bright smile.

Silently, she dealt the man another sharp 1,000,000 Scoville of torment.

While ensuring he wouldn’t lose consciousness, she gradually lowered the intensity of the debuff magic, adjusting it to ease off.

Only then did the man pull his mouth off the faucet.

Collapsed on the floor from continuous pain, he had no strength to rise.

At least he wasn’t rolling on the ground, so his clothes were relatively clean, revealing his true character from before when he relentlessly chased Si-yoon.

“Hmph.”

Si-yoon stuck out her tongue toward the man before walking up to her sister, linking arms as they strolled together.

* * *

The three women entered a quiet wine bar.

Si-hyun, who knew little about wine, sat quietly and listened to Ji-a’s explanation.

“Don’t overthink it! Just consider color, taste, and fizziness. That’s all.”

Red, white.

Dry, sweet.

Sparkling.

Ji-a continued her kind explanation as Si-hyun nodded along.

“I’m not really an expert either, but if you ask them to recommend based on that, they’ll pick something great for you.”

“Ah, got it.”

With that, the three women referenced the starred items on the menu while browsing.

Eventually, they received recommendations and ordered white wine along with cheese.

The wine flowed gracefully into the glasses.

Various types of cheese were served alongside snacks.

After politely watching the staff depart, Si-hyun raised her glass and lightly savored the aroma.

“Wow….”

The citrusy fruit scent piqued her nose.

She naturally took a sip.

The cold wine felt refreshingly crisp.

Simultaneously, a sweet and clean taste filled her mouth.

It felt like she was drinking in springtime.

Si-hyun smiled contently.

Ji-a, sitting next to her, rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Si-hyun’s face.

She wore a bright smile, clearly enjoying the taste of the wine.

After watching Si-hyun eat the cheese, Ji-a also decided to relish the flavor of the wine.

In a quiet atmosphere, they enjoyed their drinks and snacks together.

As they began to feel pleasantly tipsy,

Ji-a suddenly asked Si-hyun a question that piqued her interest.

“Si-hyun, I’m curious all of a sudden.”

“Mm? What about?”

“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer.”

After a brief pause, she continued.

“About the hero party you’re in from this world. What was the composition like? I’m suddenly curious.”

“Ah.”

Si-hyun nodded and took a sip of wine.

Feeling the gentle buzz rising, she thought.

So that’s why she’s hesitating, she wants to hear about experiences.

What happened in that other world wasn’t necessarily a pleasant experience.

But it wasn’t something too difficult to talk about either.

Naturally, it might be okay to gossip a little.

Organizing her thoughts, Si-hyun slowly began to speak.

“It was a bit frequent that members changed, so it’d be a lot to go through them all one by one.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Excluding the necromancer types, there were a total of six of us, including me, until the very end.”

“Oh, I see. But a necromancer, is that like a summoner?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s quite similar.”

As Si-hyun nodded, Ji-a scrunched her face.

“Ugh… that kind of profession seems like it fits more with the demon lord’s army than a hero party.”

“Ha-ha, I totally agree.”

Si-hyun lightly agreed.

In reality, many necromancers ended up falling to evil temptations.

Having killed several of them myself, Ji-a’s words weren’t entirely off the mark.

“Whatever they do, it’s just all gloomy.”

“Gloomy, you say?”

“They claim to pursue efficiency but engage in a lot of weird stuff.”

“Umm… I can’t quite picture it. What do they do, for example?”

When Ji-a asked, Si-hyun placed her palm against her cheek, regrouping her thoughts.

Crossing her legs and adjusting her posture, she felt the bare skin from under her dress.

In her tipsiness, she noticed the sensation but soon started fiddling with the tightening strap around her waist, continuing the conversation with Ji-a.

“They claim simple corpses are weak, so they create things like undead.”

“U-Undead…?”

“Yeah, they bind spirits through contracts or something.”

“Oh my God….”

“Sure, they maintain some of their strengths from when they were alive, but they’re still just corpses.”

“I see.”

An unpleasant chill crawled up her spine.

Ji-a rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the bad feeling.

“They even fuse servants together; they’re definitely unconventional.”

“Ah….”

Just then, Si-yoon, who had been quietly listening, interjected with a wave of her hand.

“Ugh! Just hearing that gives me goosebumps. Sis, let’s change the subject….”

“Um, should we?”

With her slightly tipsy voice, Si-hyun smiled subtly and nodded.