Chapter 20: Chapter 20

A quiet park with only a few people passing by here and there. Han-Gyeol paced around, lost in deep thought.

Recently, the elite party from the Wings Guild had returned from a mission outside the city. Most members were D-rank Hunters like himself, but among them was one C-rank: Seo Ji-Han, a Hunter rapidly climbing the ranks with an air of arrogance.

Watching Ji-Han’s smug demeanor stirred something within Han-Gyeol. He wanted to be a C-rank Hunter as soon as possible.

But it was easier said than done.

To put it bluntly, Han-Gyeol lacked decisiveness and drive. Despite being a D-rank Hunter, he mostly stuck to E-rank dungeons out of caution. He was the type to struggle even with opening a bag of chips in one go.

Still… that longing persisted. He couldn’t shake the memory of his last D-rank dungeon expedition with Si-Hyun, where, for the first time, his body moved fluidly, beyond his usual limits. In that critical moment, he hadn’t noticed it, but looking back, he realized he had felt stronger than usual.

‘It must have been Si-Hyun’s Paladin skills,’ he thought.

There was no other explanation. He didn’t know exactly how, but he was certain it was due to Si-Hyun’s influence.

Just once more, he wanted to feel that power. To experience a version of himself closer to C-rank.

Han-Gyeol sat down on a park bench, took out his phone, and opened the messaging app. Si-Hyun’s profile appeared on his screen, automatically saved after they exchanged numbers. Her profile was minimalist, with just a headband in the display picture, which somehow seemed fitting for her.

‘You can do this. You can do this,’ he told himself.

He nervously opened a one-on-one chat with her. A blank screen greeted him, mirroring the distance he felt between them.

‘Maybe I should just drop this…’

He wavered again but shook his head. Even a timid guy like him had to step up once in a while.

Resolutely, he typed out a message.

- "Hello, Si-Hyun. This is Han-Gyeol. If you're not too busy, could I ask for your help with something?"

He typed the message but couldn’t bring himself to hit send. His finger hovered over the send button, going back and forth, up and down.

Just then…

A leaf drifted down and landed softly on his head, startling him into standing up.

“Oh, just a leaf…”

Irritated, he brushed it off, only to look back at his phone and freeze.

The message had been sent.

In his startled moment, he must have hit send by accident. He could feel his hands shaking as he covered his face with his hands, trying to calm himself.

She hadn’t read it yet.

Han-Gyeol placed his phone on the bench, stretched his arms, and then glanced at the screen again.

Still unread.

He sat there, tense, as time slowly ticked by. The chilly wind brushed past him.

Still unread.

‘Maybe I should just go home and check later…’

He sighed, got up, and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

And then…

*Buzz*

His phone vibrated.

Han-Gyeol froze on the spot.

It could be a message from someone else… or maybe it was from her.

If it was… was it a yes? A no? What if she refused?

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone, and checked the message.

It was from Si-Hyun.

- "How about tomorrow afternoon?"

It was a positive reply.

“Yes!” he shouted, jumping up and raising his fists in celebration. It felt like a victory fanfare was playing in his mind as he basked in the euphoria. He felt on top of the world.

A few people passing by glanced at him curiously.

“…Ahem.”

Blushing, Han-Gyeol lowered his arms and cleared his throat.

---

In a quiet jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle) restaurant in Seoul, Si-Hyun stepped inside, and the small bell above the door chimed as she entered. It wasn’t yet lunchtime, so the place was nearly empty.

“Welcome!” The waitress, who had been wiping down tables, looked up and immediately broke into a smile upon recognizing her.

“Sit wherever you’d like!”

“Thank you.”@@novelbin@@

The waitress remembered her. With her strikingly exotic appearance, Si-Hyun was hard to forget, and this was her third visit, roughly a week apart each time.

As Si-Hyun took a seat in a quiet corner, the waitress asked, “One jjambbong, right?”

“Yes, please.”

With a gentle nod, Si-Hyun confirmed her order, and the waitress relayed it to the chef.

“Hey, boss!”

“Yeah?” The middle-aged chef turned around, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

“She’s back!”

“Oh, really?”

The chef’s face lit up. He had only caught a brief glimpse of her on her first visit, but she had left a strong impression.

The first time she came, she had left nearly half of the noodles untouched. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the spice, the portion size, or if it simply wasn’t to her taste.

When she returned a few days later, she left slightly less in the bowl. He had found himself rooting for her progress.

And now, she was back. The chef was curious to see how much she’d manage this time.

He always did his best, but he took extra care with this bowl.

The waitress brought the jjambbong to her table, and both she and the chef quietly watched.

Si-Hyun looked down at the steaming bowl, then tucked her long hair behind one ear and blew on the noodles before taking a cautious bite.

*Slurp*

Both the chef and the waitress watched intently as she took a second, then a third bite, despite her face already showing signs of struggle.

“She’s eating faster than last time!”

“Maybe she’ll finish it this time!”

They exchanged a knowing glance, silently cheering her on.

*Cough, cough!*

She took a big gulp of water as her eyes teared up from the spiciness. The chef’s fists clenched involuntarily in encouragement.

In another valiant attempt, Si-Hyun took another bite. The chef and waitress cheered silently from afar.

“You’ve got this! Just a little more!”

“Focus! You’re almost there!”

Perhaps their encouragement reached her. Gritting her teeth, Si-Hyun began eating faster, as if charging toward a finish line.

*Slurp, slurp*

The noodles in the bowl began to vanish quickly.

*Gasp!*

Suddenly, she sprang up, hurriedly approached the counter to pay, and dashed out of the restaurant. The waitress watched her with an amused smile.

She was racing toward a nearby convenience store—no doubt to buy something to soothe her burning mouth.

“She ate a little more than last time!”

“Did she?”

The chef nodded with a satisfied grin. If she visited again next week, maybe he’d throw in a freebie. Or better yet, he’d keep a bottle of milk ready for her.

Maybe strawberry-flavored?

---

“Ahh…”

Si-Hyun took a sip from a straw, savoring the banana-flavored milk and feeling life return to her. She shook her head, relieved to have finally quenched the burning in her mouth.

She hadn’t originally planned on having spicy jjambbong for lunch. But ever since that first time at the Wings Guild, the association was hard to shake. That initial memory had imprinted itself vividly.

Spicy food could be so treacherous. She knew it would hurt, yet once the craving struck, she couldn’t resist. Just recalling the taste made her mouth water. And then, after eating, came the inevitable regret.

Yet she could never quite give up that first, blissful bite while her tongue was still unscathed. Perhaps that’s why she kept coming back.

It was a worthy spot.

After finishing her milk, Si-Hyun took public transport to the Wings Guild building. The place was familiar now after several visits, and she made her way to the office with ease.

Han-Gyeol greeted her stiffly as she entered.

“Oh, welcome!”

“Hello.”

Si-Hyun sat down across from him, and he stammered out his thanks.

“Thank you so much for coming today!”

Si-Hyun simply nodded and took a sip of her banana milk.

Watching her drink, Han-Gyeol seemed momentarily captivated before he shook his head and continued.

“The thing is, if it’s alright… I’d really like it if you could join me for just one dungeon trip!”

“Yes, let’s go.”

“I’ll make sure you get all the rewar—Wait, what?”

“Let’s go to a dungeon.”

Han-Gyeol’s eyes widened in surprise. He’d spent all night thinking of ways to make this a win-win for her, but she had agreed so easily.

Si-Hyun took another sip, unfazed. She’d already guessed this was his request, and it wasn’t difficult. Besides, Han-Gyeol was a good person, so she’d figured helping him once wouldn’t hurt.

“We’ll split the dungeon rewards evenly, per standard rules.”

“No, no! I couldn’t take half. Please, you keep everything!”

Seeing Han-Gyeol’s insistence, Si-Hyun decided to steer the conversation. He’d mentioned feeling empowered last time because of her skills, and she was willing to help him again.

As they discussed which dungeon

to choose, a loud voice interrupted.

“Master! Are you here?!”

The door burst open, and a young man barged in. Si-Hyun frowned at the noise, while Han-Gyeol stiffened.

It was Seo Ji-Han, the Wings Guild ace.

“Not here either, huh? Hey, where’s the master?” he asked.

“Ji-Han, please mind your manners. We have a guest,” Han-Gyeol said sternly.

Ji-Han turned, his expression smug until he saw Si-Hyun. His mouth dropped.

“Oh, hey there!”

“…”

Seeing him treat Han-Gyeol with such disdain, Si-Hyun ignored him entirely. She’d encountered this type of person often enough in the other world and wasn’t about to waste her energy.

She took another sip of her milk, musing over whether to buy more on her way home.

Ji-Han’s brow furrowed, visibly irked by the lack of response.

“Just because you look cute doesn’t mean you can ignore people, you know?”

“…”

He moved toward her, but she slid effortlessly out of reach.

“What the…?”

His face twisted in annoyance, and Si-Hyun turned to Han-Gyeol.

“Han-Gyeol.”

“Yes?”

She looked at him, her face serious.

“Didn’t I say no conditions were necessary?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Well, I changed my mind.”

“…?”

Han-Gyeol was taken aback but nodded. It had seemed too good to be true when she agreed without conditions.

“Make that guy be quiet, and I’ll help you.”

“…What?”

Han-Gyeol gaped at her, not sure what to make of her request. As a D-rank Hunter, he had no chance against Ji-Han, the guild ace.

“Are you serious?”

Ji-Han’s anger flared. The gall of this girl to think she could make demands based on her looks.

But Si-Hyun smirked, seeing him as the perfect opportunity.

Han-Gyeol’s wish was to feel the rush of combat again. A dungeon was merely a default choice. But with this volunteer before them, there was no need to venture far.

“Alright…” she thought with a smile. It was time for a lesson. Or perhaps… a little redemption.

TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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