“Ah~~ Lee Sooah~~!”
The photographer welcomed Sooah with a full bow.
“Hello.”
A slightly stiff voice belonging to Sooah was heard.
‘Huh? Why is she dressed like that…?’
She had come in wearing an outfit that was completely different from her usual style. Her makeup was clearly different too.
Of course, it could be that I had only seen her in the Blue Guild up until now.
She had always been in office wear before.
But today, she was dressed up like a celebrity.
‘What? Did she come for a photoshoot?’
“What?? Sooah is here?”
Yoo Hana, who had been comfortably seated in the waiting area, jumped up.
“Oh no! My makeup isn’t done yet.”
“Ah, the makeup isn’t what’s important right now.”
She walked out with determination.
“Hey, Oppa, how does Sooah know to come here? Did she slap a GPS on me? Why is she here?”
“Uh… Sooah, please don’t get mad, just listen… I told her.”
“What??????”
Yoo Hana suddenly made an angry face.
“Why would you say that? Are you insane? Seriously?”
“No… I had to say it, or she’d kill me… she’s an S-Rank Hunter after all…”
“So what? You think she can take me on?”
“No.”
The manager was slowly backing away.
Yoo Hana reached Sooah. A showdown felt imminent.
“Lee Sooah? Why are you here?”
“Why? I’m the team leader of Team A. I came here to make sure Yoo Hana isn’t doing anything bad to our team member. It’s part of my duties as a team leader, isn’t it?”
“Why would I do something bad?”
“You’ve had 15 people from our Blue Guild resign under your watch, haven’t you?”
“Do you think there wasn’t a problem with those people?”
A tense power struggle was occurring.
‘What? Fifteen people quit? How terrible must it be to work under her?’
Until now, I hadn’t felt that it was especially bad or uncomfortable. It was only the second day, after all.
“See? You’re doing well, Baek Jihoon.”
Yoo Hana pointed at me.
“So now, can we leave? I really hate sharing the same space with her.”
She shot a glare at Sooah.
“Baek Jihoon. Are you uncomfortable at all? Has Yoo Hana mistreated you?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
Sooah walked over and asked me that.
‘It feels like the two of them are fighting because of me.’
‘Why is Sooah all dressed up to come here?’
I felt like I was sitting on a bed of nails.
“Yoo Hana, I’ll be watching you. Don’t mess with our Baek Jihoon.”
“That’s ridiculous, Lee Sooah. Don’t cause a scene in someone else’s workplace and just leave.”
“I’ll do my job my way, so just mind your own business.”
With that, Sooah walked over to the photographer.
“Photographer, do you remember you said before that you wanted to take pictures of me?”
“Oh, of course I remember… I think I’ve mentioned it about 316 times… I’ve sent you emails around 234 times too.”
He seemed to be gauging her mood.
“But you always declined, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but today I’d like to try a camera test.”
Suddenly, things took an unexpected turn.
“About five minutes should do, right?”
“Uh… Lee Sooah? Right now? Huhhh.”
His expression lit up instantly.
And he began to prepare in a hurry.
“Wait, photographer. Don’t I have to shoot?”
“Oh, Yoo Hana~ you haven’t finished your makeup yet~”
Hearing that, Yoo Hana suddenly dashed back to the makeup room.
‘What is going on?’
An odd atmosphere filled the set.
‘Are these people really arguing over me? Isn’t that right…? It must be…?’
It was a confusing mix of feeling good and uneasy.
Two S-Rank Hunters were growling at each other in front of me.
If this was truly because of me, it was utterly astonishing.
‘Wow, Sooah and Yoo Hana are fighting over me.’
‘What the hell? Is this even reasonable?’
‘Crazy. Jihoon, you need medication.’
‘Our Jihoon got dumped by Suhyeon, and now he’s completely lost it, huh?’
It was clear.
Even my close friends would laugh at me.
‘It’s not going to happen…’
Click, click.
The noisy sound of the camera shutter rang out, and flashes were going off continuously.
“Wow, Sooah, do you always walk around like this? You look so beautiful today!”
“Yes, this is just the way I usually look. Please take some pretty pictures.”
Sooah focused on her poses as she prepared for the shoot.
‘What do you mean, just the way you usually look? It’s clear you’ve put in way more effort than in the Blue Guild.’
I sneered internally.
It was ridiculous to see her lie so casually.
“Wow. Sooah, since it’s come to this, why not debut in the entertainment industry? You’re just too pretty!”
Click, click.
The shutter sounds kept coming one after another.
“Should I? Well, if Yoo Hana can do it, I guess I could give it a try.”
They were subtly engaged in a competition of their own.
“Tatata-tak.”
“Okay… Photographer, I’m all done with my makeup. Please, let’s get the shoot started quickly.”
Yoo Hana’s expression appeared a bit frantic. Just a moment ago, she had seemed dominant over the photographer, but now it felt as if she was tucking her tail between her legs.
I stood with my arms crossed, watching as Sooah posed for the shoot.
‘She’s indeed beautiful. She was already pretty, but she really shines when she dresses up like a celebrity.’
I stared blankly.
“No, Baek Jihoon. What are you doing? If you’ve been dispatched here, please focus on me. No matter how much of a team leader Lee Sooah is, she’s here to work for me after all.”
Yoo Hana quickly approached me and gripped my arm, pulling me away from Sooah.
I had no choice but to be dragged along helplessly.
“Wow. Lee Sooah. I don’t think there’s a need to continue. You’re perfect. Perfect. Haven’t you done a photoshoot before?”
“No.”
“You have the innate quality of a celebrity. Everything is an A-cut, A-cut. Truly flawless. Nothing to discard.”
The photographer flipped through the recent shots, marveling at them.
“No, photographer. I just finished my makeup, you know? Please hurry up with my shoot.”
Yoo Hana began to follow the photographer around like someone desperate for the restroom.
“Just a moment, Hana. Let me look at this and I’ll get to you right away~”
“Hey, Yoo Hana.”
Sooah glanced at Yoo Hana and snorted.
“Ha. This is just ridiculous. Lee Sooah? Don’t invade someone else’s workplace. Just leave already. Seriously.”
Yoo Hana looked like she was about to explode.
“Uh, photographer? Please contact me later~ I’m leaving for now~”
Sooah casually waved goodbye and headed in my direction.
“Baek Jihoon. Get your act together. I’ll see you later~”
‘Huh? What do you mean by later?’
I felt a bit dazed.
Sooah exited with an air that suggested she’d just demonstrated her worth.
‘What? Is this for real? I feel a bit confused.’
“No, Baek Jihoon?”
Yoo Hana rushed toward me and turned my body to face her.
“What exactly is your relationship with Sooah?”
“Uh? We don’t have any relationship. Just the team leader and a rookie employee relationship, I suppose?”
“Don’t lie. She’s never acted like this before. What’s going on? What are you hiding?”
She looked quite annoyed.
“I really don’t have any relationship with her. Nothing significant happened.”
Her pupils were trembling slightly.
*
‘What’s this? Just what happened?’
Yoo Hana was replaying the bizarre events in her mind.
It was utterly nonsensical.
Sooah had suddenly shown up on set and stole the spotlight entirely.
‘What? This can’t be right. Baek Jihoon, did you charm her? Right?’
She bit her lip hard enough to nearly draw blood.
‘What’s up with Baek Jihoon? He has this mysterious charm that’s hard to pinpoint—a strange power that keeps drawing my attention.’
Yoo Hana began to tremble slightly.
“Um… Hana, I’m sorry… I told Hunter Sooah about this place by mistake…”
“Hmph. No, it’s okay. If anything, it seems to have made things more certain.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Ah, you don’t need to know. I’m leaving.”
“Okay.”
The manager quickly slipped away, sensing the tension.
‘Is she so interested that she tracked down where I was? Right? And what’s up with that outfit and makeup? Is she trying to be a celebrity? Isn’t she supposed to act like a Hunter? What is going on?’
Yoo Hana felt a bubbling frustration within her.
She also felt her strange feelings toward Baek Jihoon intensifying.
A peculiar and unclear sensation began to rise within her.
Moreover, seeing Sooah act so strangely made it impossible for her not to be even more curious about Baek Jihoon.
‘Out of the 15 people sent from the Blue Guild, they all resigned, right? But… Baek Jihoon is different… there’s something strange—something unattainable about him.’
She couldn’t shake the thoughts swirling in her head.
*
“Excuse me, Baek Jihoon?”
“Yes, yes.”
It was Yoo Hana’s manager, looking extremely angry.
“Why is Lee Sooah here?”
“She asked me about the address earlier, so I told her…”
“Heh. Hunter Sooah asked where Baek Jihoon was.”
He frowned, crossing his arms.
“What exactly is going on? No one from the Blue Guild has ever acted like this before.”
“Ha ha… I suppose so…”
I couldn’t really respond.
‘It seems like Sooah and Yoo Hana are competing for my attention. Maybe they both like me?’
I couldn’t say that, of course.
I would undoubtedly be treated like a lunatic.
‘Hmm… I think I need to keep an eye on this. Until it becomes clearer, I should avoid any rash actions.’
I couldn’t afford to become a madman consuming a whole pot of kimchi soup.
Next episode viewing.
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