Chapter 63

The next morning.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-bam! Good morning!

Click.

I turned off the alarm, which was as noisy as ever, and opened my eyes.

And when I checked my phone in my half-asleep state, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.

“……What’s all this?”

There were a ton of unread messages.

If it had been a group chat, I would have assumed they were just chatting among themselves, but these were individual chats with each party member.

My pupils quivered as if they were shaking from an earthquake.

‘Did something happen on the way back last night…?’

Was it really about the cooking?

Or did they get into a fight and decide they couldn’t stand being in the party anymore? Or were they upset because I made the decision to not accept temporary party members without consulting them first? Or was it because of the stupid thing I said at the end yesterday…?

Various assumptions intertwined and made my head spin.

‘Calm down.’

Gulping down my anxiety, I reminded myself, ‘I know their personalities. I know how to cheer them up when things go wrong. I know them well enough.’

As I repeated these words in my mind, my heart gradually calmed down.

‘First, Shin Se-hee.’

I had entrusted the management of the party members to Shin Se-hee, so if something had happened on the way back yesterday, she would have informed me.

‘There are a lot of messages from Shin Se-hee.’

With tense fingers, I opened Shin Se-hee’s chat.

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[April 11, Tuesday]

【Flower Bud ✿】

Are you sleeping, Jin Yuha? [11:58 PM]

You’re asleep.

Sleep well. [11:59 PM]

[April 12, Wednesday]

【Flower Blossom ✿】

Jᅟᅵᆫ Yᅟᅵᆷha. [1:31 AM]

Jᅟᅵᆫ Yᅟᅵᆷha.

I’m really drunk.

But do you really trust me? I was really touched by that, but…

Huff… so what? I know I shouldn’t get my hopes up, and I know I’m not supposed to.

But did I do something weird to you at the time? I swear, I didn’t do anything to you, really. [1:33 AM]

【Flower Blossom ✿】

Yeah [7:41 AM]

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah

Yeah [7:42 AM]

Yeah

Shit [7:43 AM]

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“Did she drink last night?”

I frowned as I read Shin Se-hee’s messages.

And there was also a separate text message from her, not just a chat message.

[ (Urgent) Jin Yuha! There was a temporary glitch on the server I manage. The chat app seems to have been maliciously hacked. The content written there has nothing to do with party activities. If you read it, your phone could be infected with a virus. I’m currently dealing with it, so please delete the app and reinstall it. Do not open the chat under any circumstances. ]

‘Hmm, I already opened it…’

In any case, the fact that Shin Se-hee drank meant that something frustrating must have happened. I frowned as I looked at her chat messages again.

Although the text was messy because she was drunk, I could still understand the general gist.

In summary, she was questioning whether I truly trusted her and asserting her innocence, claiming that she hadn’t done anything to me.

‘…Did someone say something to Shin Se-hee?’

The first person who came to mind was Kang Do-hee. Their relationship had been strained since the basic training session.

I opened Kang Do-hee’s chat next.

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[April 11, Tuesday]

【Fire Fist】

Hey, Little Fool. Are you asleep?

I’ll teach you some simple recipes that you can make by yourself in your room. [11:44 PM]

【Fire Fist】

Beef Seaweed Soup recipe.

First, you need to soak the seaweed, but these days you can buy pre-soaked seaweed, so use that. Seaweed may seem like a small amount, but it expands when added to the soup, so 10g is enough for two servings. It’s better to season the meat. For 50g of beef, add some salt and soy sauce…

[View Full Recipe]

【Fire Fist】

If you make the recipe I just sent you exactly as it is, you’ll be able to make delicious food by yourself. Try it and bring it to me. I’ll taste it and give you my evaluation.

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Fortunately, Kang Do-hee’s messages didn’t contain anything of concern. They were just a few simple recipes for dishes that could be made at home.

The momentary tone of superiority, as if she was looking down on me, made the chef’s soul in me stir, but regardless, she had sent them with my well-being in mind. And since I had already lost to her in terms of cooking skills, it was only natural for the winner to claim their due.

‘Chet, anyway, it’s not Kang Do-hee… then could it be… Soup?’

Lee Yoo-ri, Shin Se-hee’s arch-nemesis.

Shin Se-hee couldn’t stand up to her, so it was possible that she had been hurt by something Soup said but couldn’t say anything in front of her in response.

‘So she might have gotten drunk and vented her frustration later.’

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[April 11, Tuesday]

【Not Soup】

Jin Yuha! Are you… asleep?

Are you doing anything right now?

I’m listening to music.

Hmm! Friends usually share music with each other, right?

I have a song that I like. Do you want to listen to it together? You can listen to it in the morning, it’s actually better to listen to in the morning than at night! [10:54 PM]

【Not Soup】

I’ll send you a link, so please give it a listen! I like songs like this.

“Look at the Sky When You’re Tired and Weary”, “Uccacha!”, “I Have No Problems”, “Give Me Strength”, “You’re Not Alone”, “From Caterpillar to Butterfly”, “Fighting Against the World”, “We Can Do It!”, “Tough Woman” … … (link) [10:56 PM]

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I smiled wryly as I read the Soup Boss’s messages. They were exactly the kind of songs I would expect her to recommend.

I tapped on one of the songs and played the music.

I am a tough woman who doesn’t bow down to the world~

Hmm, even after reading the Soup’s messages again, I couldn’t find any signs of discord from yesterday. And judging by the time she sent the message, she seemed to have gone straight to the dorm.

‘Then what the heck is it…?’

The only unread chat left was from Lim Ga-eul.

“……Shin Se-hee met Senior for the first time yesterday, and Lim Ga-eul isn’t the type to get into arguments with people anyway.”

I furrowed my brows, then bit my lip as a sudden thought occurred to me.

‘Could it be that she felt a sense of relative deprivation because I suddenly brought in a new person as a supporter? Because she’s not even an official party member herself…’

It was a fairly plausible hypothesis. Shin Se-hee tended to be sensitive about such matters.

And Lim Ga-eul’s chat preview added weight to that idea.

[ I’m sorry, Junior. Really… ]

Unlike the others, who started with asking if everyone was asleep, Lim Ga-eul began with an apology.

The first sentence made it clear that Lim Ga-eul had had a dispute with Shin Se-hee. Given her personality, if she felt that she was the cause of the conflict, she might even volunteer to leave the party.

‘……The chemistry between Shin Se-hee and Lim Ga-eul was originally not bad.’

As I felt my heart grow complicated, I opened Lim Ga-eul’s chat.

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[April 11, Tuesday]

【WarmAutumnWeather】

I’m sorry, Junior. I really don’t know how to say this, but if you woke up in the middle of the night because of this chat, I’m sorry for that too… But I felt like I had to say this now, or I wouldn’t be able to say it later. [11:34 PM]

【WarmAutumnWeather】

First of all, I want to express my gratitude.

I don’t know how you feel about this, Yuha Junior, but I am truly, truly, truly grateful to you.

For recognizing my abilities and helping me blossom. For reaching out to me, insignificant as I am. For protecting me when I was about to be devoured by a maneater. I’m thankful for all of it.

…I don’t know how much help I’ll be in the future, but I’ll do my best as a party member!

Oh, and I’ll repay that top-grade magic stone as soon as possible, so don’t worry about it! [11:36 PM]

[April 12, Wednesday]

【WarmAutumnWeather】

And… I wasn’t sure if I should say this, but I think it’s better to say it.

When I said that you have a lot of mothers yesterday, it was a metaphor for success and failure. It absolutely, definitely wasn’t meant in any other way!

Junior, you don’t have a lot of mothers! You have fewer!

No, none.

…… [12:16 AM]

【WarmAutumnWeather】

…I’m sorry. I keep messing up my words. I shouldn’t have said anything. Good night, Junior. [2:52 AM]

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‘What the heck is this.’

As I read Lim Ga-eul’s messages, I couldn’t help but feel confused.

‘……It doesn’t seem like Lim Ga-eul fought with Shin Se-hee either, so what’s going on? And she’s not even saying that she wants to leave.’

My head tilted involuntarily.

Since I had a class with Kang Do-hee in the morning, followed by a class with just Shin Se-hee, I figured I’d ask her about it then.

‘By the way, this older sister really is a bit awkward in a kind way.’

I chuckled.

And then I headed to the bathroom to freshen up.@@novelbin@@