“Ugh….”
“Hmm? Is something wrong?”
Maybe because I unknowingly made a serious face,
Da-young looked at me with a worried expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just pick your menu.”
“Hmm.”
With a look that seemed deep in thought, Da-young glanced back at the menu.
Anyway, what should I do?
Should I drink to increase my tolerance so I don’t get drunk?
No, then what’s the point of drinking?
You drink to get drunk, after all.
If that’s the case, I might as well just order a soft drink.
The best feeling is to get pleasantly tipsy, just the right amount.
…Should I just drink and think later?
Even if I get a bit tipsy, Da-young isn’t the type to do anything weird.
Yeah, let’s not overthink it and just drink first.
I made my decision and lifted my head.
Before I knew it, Da-young had already called for the waiter and was placing her order.
“What do you want to drink, Si-hyun? I’m going for a beer and soju mix.”
“I’ll start with a beer.”
“Okay!”
With quick efficiency, the ordering was wrapped up, and the waiter went inside.
Da-young rested her chin on her left hand and said,
“Thank goodness there was room outside. Right?”
“I guess the place is pretty famous?”
“Only people who know it come here. Just like that. It’s also in a secluded area.”
“Aha.”
Nodding, I surveyed the quiet street.
People were walking sporadically, and the small, cozy bars were clustered together.
I loved the calm atmosphere.
“…Will you recommend a place like this again?”
“Oh, did you already like it?”
Da-young grinned widely.
“Si-hyun, we’re not best friends yet, but we’ve gotten pretty close, right?”
“…? I guess so.”
“Then can I start speaking more comfortably? You look like you’re in your late teens or early twenties.”
“Uh, um. Sure.”
Since my physical age and mental age are different,
I figured I didn’t need to share that detail.
“Si-hyun, you can be more at ease! Wanna try it? Noona, Da-young.”
“That’s a bit much.”
“Che.”
Listening passively and speaking myself are two different things,
There’s a difference in difficulty.
“By the way, Si-hyun, your hair is really beautiful. You take care of it, right?”
“…Sometimes my younger sister does it for me.”
“You mentioned you have a younger sister?”
“Yes, she’s so—super cute.”
“Pfft.”
“……?”
What’s that? Why is she laughing?
I cocked my head in confusion at her inscrutable reaction.
But Da-young waved her hand lightly and continued with what she wanted to say.
“Should I grow my hair out too?”
“Isn’t short hair more comfortable?”
“You say that while your hair goes down to your waist.”
“…I want to have short hair like you, but she says not to cut it.”
“Your younger sister?”
“Yes.”
Da-young chuckled softly.
What’s so funny? I have no idea.
“Since you’re bragging so much, I’m curious. Can you show me a picture?”
“…Oh.”
Oh my gosh.
How could I have not thought of this?
I don’t have a single picture.
I’ve never been one to take pictures anyway.
Even since coming back to Earth, I’ve hardly taken any.
But still, you should at least have some pictures with your family, right?
It’s a blind spot.
“Don’t tell me, you don’t have any?”
“Yeeah…”
“Don’t give me that gloomy face. You can just take some next time.”
“…Right?”
I thought she would criticize me for bragging and not having a picture,
but Da-young is indeed a kind person.
“Hehe, then should I take a selfie and be first?”
Suddenly, Da-young hopped up from her seat.
She scurried over to me and extended her hand.
“Phone!”
Under pressure, I handed over my phone.
She easily swiped the screen to open the camera mode.
With the selfie mode on, she held the phone out to pose.
To fit into the frame, Da-young leaned her face toward me.
As the distance closed, a light scent that lifted my spirits tickled my nose.
“Stop looking at me! You have to look at the front!”
“…Okay.”
After a light scolding, I turned my gaze forward.
Click! Click!
Adjusting the angle a bit, several pictures were taken.
“Can you unlock it?”
“Just a sec.”
As I unlocked the phone, Da-young opened up her chat.
She scrolled through the gallery.
A select few photos were sent.
When the photo session wrapped up, Da-young returned to her chair.
“Not only is there no photo of your sister, but your gallery is practically empty?”
“I’m just not that interested…”
“And your chat history is only with me and your sister?”
“I’ve only just come back to Earth…”
“Wow.”
Da-young’s expression suddenly changed.
She looked at me like I was some pitiful creature.
I had to object.
“…It’ll start increasing soon.”
“Of course it will. Who wouldn’t want to be around you?”
“…?”
“There’s such a thing.”
Da-young chuckled lightly.
Then she leaned forward slightly and said,
“How about asking for a few numbers from our guild members? Ji-han… might not be a good idea, but what about Han-gyeol? How do you feel about him?”
“Oh, Han-gyeol. He seems fine.”
That’s not a bad suggestion.
Finally, it looks like my empty contact list is about to undergo a dramatic change!
Hoo, hoo…
“…But Ji-han? Why him?”
“Oh, his personality can be a bit intense. Plus, he’s currently out of town on a business trip, so I haven’t met him yet.”
“Aha.”
A business trip in a different region.
Hunters really are busy, huh?
Now that I think about it, Ji-a, who used to be my female friend, also mentioned being busy with a business trip.
I suddenly felt like I wanted to see her face after a long time.
“By the way, Si-hyun, I have something for you.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Status window!”
Da-young casually tossed out those embarrassing words while pointing into thin air.
Suddenly, a long sword appeared.
“This was Han-gyeol’s, and he just made a new sword, so I thought I’d give this away since it’s still in good condition.”
“Is that okay?”
“Of course! Even though it’s secondhand, it’s something I made myself, so it should be usable. I’ve also repaired it.”
“Oh.”
I cautiously accepted the offered sword.
Upon examining it, it felt like a decent weapon for a D-rank Hunter.
“A paladin, right? I don’t know what your world is like.”
“Um, pretty similar.”
“Then….”
“Your food is here.”
Just as Da-young was about to ask me a question,
The food arrived faster than expected.
Two beers and one soju were also neatly placed on the table.
“Should we toast first?”
“Yes!”
While Da-young smoothly poured her soju beer mix,
I poured the beer into my cup.
Thud! Sizzle—
Bubbly foam rose up.
It was a sight I hadn’t seen in a while.
So nostalgic!
“Cheers!”
Da-young raised her glass.
We clinked our glasses lightly and took a sip of beer.
The carbonation and the distinct taste of Korean beer filled my mouth.
What did I used to call this?
Ah, right. Refreshing!
That’s how it’s expressed, for sure.
Feeling thrilled by the clear and cool sensation of beer after such a long time, my mood lifted.
“Haah… this is the taste. Si-hyun, try some of the side dishes too! It’s my recommended dish.”
“Ah, okay.”
I picked up some side dishes with my chopsticks.
Mmm, it’s delicious.
Da-young, I recognize you as a flavor expert!
“Hehe, how is it? Tasty, right?”
“Yes! I think I made a good choice coming here.”
My spirits were lifting.
I could feel my smile muscles relaxing.
So what if? Good things are good!
I took another sip of my beer.
“Si-hyun, I know you’re strong, but you still need armor, right?”
“Hmm….”
“Weren’t paladins supposed to wear armor?”
I suddenly recalled a certain female companion from the Hero Party.
She had a tall stature and a muscular build for a woman.
She would sometimes flirt with the hero while showing off her own charm.
…If only she showed me even a fraction of that kindness.
“Ah, more importantly! Si-hyun!”
“…Yes?”
While I was lost in thought, Da-young suddenly clapped her hands and said.
“You look pretty even though you dress so simply. Is there a reason for that?”
“Uhm, it’s comfortable, and I’m used to it.”
After all, I wore only two types of clothing in this world.
A black nun’s outfit made by the hero’s spell that didn’t reveal my figure,
A fancy outfit with magical treatments I wore during battles.
And a plain design of casual clothes that looked like something from the medieval ages.
I wore that on my day off, and it had a long skirt that reached my ankles.
Thanks to this experience, I no longer had an aversion to skirts.
Of course, I still dislike revealing or short ones.
“It’s too wasteful. How about going shopping together someday?”
“…I’ll think about it.”
“That’s a phrase you use when you want to refuse.”
Caught red-handed.
I subtly turned my head and took a sip of beer.
Gulp gulp.
The refreshing carbonation slid down my throat.
I set down the cup and grabbed some of the side dishes, intentionally changing the topic.
“By the way, Da-young, why are you in a small guild?”
“Why do you ask?”
“You’re a valuable crafting hunter. Can’t you get treated better in a bigger place?”
“Aah. I used to belong to a large guild.”
“Oh, really?”
I stopped filling my glass with beer and looked at Da-young.
Is this what they call the ‘head of the snake being worse than the tail of the dragon’?
“It was way too much exploitation and quotas over there. I had some troubles leaving, but I founded Wings Guild with some close friends.”
“Aha….”
Exploitation, huh…
Naturally, I thought of the church and the royals.
I felt a sense of empathy for Da-young.
“Hey, don’t make that face. I’m actually enjoying myself these days! Should we drink?”
“Yes!”
We clinked our glasses and gulped down our beers.
“Haah…”
I had just finished one bottle, but I could feel the buzz kicking in.
Soju is definitely out of the question…?
I let out a sigh filled with longing and stood up.
“Da-young, I’ll be right back from the bathroom.”
“Hmm? Then let’s go together.”
“…I’ll go alone! Please order more beer.”
“Uh, okay? Got it.”
Leaving Da-young, who looked flustered, I walked away.
That’s a bit much for me, still.
*
Da-young watched Si-hyun’s figure from behind as he entered the store, propping her face up with her hand.
Even after looking several times, she thought he was a really unique person.
He’s so pretty, yet completely uninterested in fashion.
Sometimes he acted in a way that was oddly un-feminine.
But somehow, that became part of his charm.
She had never encountered someone like him in her life.
“Will he start calling me more casually…?”
A protective urge welled up inside her.
Si-hyun was undoubtedly a much stronger hunter than her, but
every time they talked, it sparked the impulse to want to take care of him.
Da-young chuckled softly as she picked up the food with her chopsticks, relishing the flavors.
Just then,
“Hey, isn’t that Da-young?”
“…?”
An unfamiliar voice reached her ears.
Da-young turned to the source of the sound.
A towering man nearing 2 meters slowly approached her.
An accompanying woman also frowned as they drew near.
“What a coincidence! Running into the thief here.”
“…That’s a harsh thing to say.”
“Isn’t it true?”
“Shut up.”
Da-young spat out lightly, but the man remained unfazed.
After all, he believed he was the strongest here.
“Looks like you’re doing well? Drinking alcohol in a place like this.”
“Seems that way. It’d be nice if you could just go away.”
“That won’t do. Do you know how much damage you caused our guild?”
Bang!
The man slammed his fist down on the table.
Cups and bottles tumbled over, creating a loud noise.
“Do you know how much our guild lost because of you?”
“I have no idea. I’m not interested.”
“Well, you should know now.”
The man grinned wickedly.
Da-young felt her body tense as she racked her brain for how to deal with this.
Having had a few drinks didn’t help either.
“Hey, dear, can I borrow some time? I need to teach this girl a lesson.”
“Finish quickly.”
At the man’s words, the woman replied with an annoyed tone.
She thought to herself.
Why is it that whenever something happens, I keep running into beautiful women?
The last time was annoying, and this time is too.
She thought she finally got into a new guild and made a boyfriend.
Was it going to be a good ambiance? Then why does it turn out like this?
She let out a deep sigh.
But she was relieved that her boyfriend didn’t seem to have any favorable feelings toward those people.
Last time, it was horrible watching two guys flirt with women in dungeons.
That silver-haired guy was pretty, but was that all?
Today was somehow better.
“Damn girl. Why don’t you just apologize and get it over with? Who knows, it might lighten my mood.”
“What’s there to apologize for? If you don’t want to deal with the management office, get lost.”
At Da-young’s response, the man snickered.
“You know that violence is often quicker than the law, right?”
“Dammit…”
Da-young frowned.
While it was true that she was currently under the management office’s protection,
what if a real conflict broke out?
Most of her guildmates are E and D-rank hunters,
while her opponents are from a large guild the management office handles cautiously.
The management office would step in again, but the boundaries are clear.
She didn’t have the kind of trust needed to hold out relying on them.
‘It’s humiliating, but should I just apologize and let it go?’
She really didn’t want to.
Should she just rely on the management office and hold her ground?
…But those fists are right in front of her.
The man cracked his knuckles, fingers interlocking.
The woman beside him chuckled.
Seeing them, Da-young realized she had to make a decision.
“…”
“Stopped talking, huh? Right?”
The man leaned closer with a nasty grin.
At that moment,
Da-young spotted a familiar figure lurking in the corner of her sight.
Si-hyun, with a seriously fierce expression, was returning.
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