Chapter 39 - Who are you?
[ Who Are You? ]
=== Who Are You? ===
A warm, sweet scent still lingered in the house, as if the heat of yesterday had yet to fade.
Three women were sprawled across the sofa.
Yoo Ra-eun lay with her legs stretched out and her face buried in a pillow, letting out a long, lazy yawn.
Han Cho-yeon leaned against the armrest, her light green hair a disheveled mess.
Yoo Seo-rin sat primly with her knees tucked together, though her navy-blue hair was also slightly tousled.
I leaned back on the opposite sofa, sipping a glass of water as I lazily took in the scene.
"Ga-on."
Yoo Ra-eun lifted her head slightly from the pillow and shot me a sharp glare.
"How do you still have so much energy? I can't believe the three of us were the ones who passed out first."
Han Cho-yeon smiled warmly and stroked Yoo Ra-eun's waist.
"Ahaha! I feel like I'm still completely full..."
Yoo Seo-rin silently tucked a strand of navy hair behind her ear, her cheeks flushing slightly as she stole a glance at me.
The intense, lingering heat of yesterday was still burning in her eyes.
Just then—
Buzz—
The smartphones of all three women buzzed almost in unison.
Yoo Ra-eun checked hers first, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the screen.
"...Is this from the Association?"
It was an official notice.
[Korea Hunter Association Official Request]
- Recipient: S-rank Hunters Yoo Seo-rin, Yoo Ra-eun, Han Cho-yeon
- Sender: Association Strategic Planning Office
- Date & Time: Today at 2:00 PM
- Location: Association Central Branch, 7th Floor, Special Meeting Room
- We would like to congratulate the three of you on your recent promotion to S-rank. We wish to discuss your future activities as S-rank Hunters, national-level support measures, and your cooperative relationship with the Association.
※ This meeting will be held in a strictly confidential space secured by high-grade barrier Artifacts. ※
※ Please contact us if you need to reschedule the date, time, or location. ※
Yoo Ra-eun read the notice aloud.
The message, written in a highly respectful tone, was an invitation for the three newly minted S-ranks.
"Hmm... An official meeting? I figured they'd reach out, but they're fast."
Han Cho-yeon chimed in.
"With fewer than ten S-ranks in the entire country, three new ones appearing at once is a massive deal. Of course the Association is scrambling."
Yoo Seo-rin set her phone down and looked over at me.
"Ga-on, you're coming with us, right?"
I set my glass down and shrugged.
"Sure, I don't have any other plans. I can just hang out in the waiting room. Shall we?"
The three of them exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
Yoo Seo-rin checked the time.
"Then let's get ready and head out. We need to be there by two."
We arrived at the Association's central headquarters at 1:50 PM.
The lobby was quieter than usual, but the moment we walked in, every eye in the room locked onto us.
The stares directed at the three new S-ranks were incredibly intense, and I received plenty of bewildered, questioning looks for walking alongside them.
We passed through the lobby to the security checkpoint for a routine ID check.
Once the three of them were cleared, the receptionist gave a polite smile.
"All three of you are cleared. I'll escort you to the seventh floor."
Without sparing me so much as a glance, she turned and began to lead the way.
She completely ignored me, clearly dismissing the F-rank pass in my hand.
Instantly, the girls' expressions turned ice-cold.
Yoo Ra-eun stepped forward, her voice low and sharp.
"Excuse me."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What about Ga-on? He's with us. Why are you just ignoring him?"
The receptionist turned back, looking flustered.
"Ah, due to security protocols, F-rank Hunters aren't permitted in the special meeting room. He'll have to wait in the—"
Yoo Ra-eun scoffed, taking a step closer as her voice dropped to a freezing register.
"So you're just going to treat him like he's invisible?"
"Ah, no! It's not that at all—"
"We literally just became S-ranks, and you're already treating the person we brought with us like trash? You'd better make sure he's treated with the utmost respect, even if he's just in the waiting room."
Yoo Seo-rin stepped forward, her face a mask of cold indifference as she added in a quiet, chilling tone,
"...If Ga-on is made to feel unwelcome, we will find it very difficult to cooperate with the Association."
Han Cho-yeon's usual gentle smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, warning look as she quietly chimed in.
"If this is how you treat our people..."
All three of them glared at her with icy intensity.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, the receptionist bowed deeply.
"I-I'm so sorry! We will make sure he is accommodated with the absolute highest level of comfort!"
Yoo Ra-eun finally let out a sigh and turned back to me.
Her eyes softened with apology as she whispered,
"I'm sorry, Ga-on. Please wait just a little bit. We'll wrap this up as fast as we can."
Yoo Seo-rin silently squeezed my hand,
while Han Cho-yeon, her expression still firm, gave my shoulder a gentle pat.
"Wait for us, Ga-on."
The three of them headed toward the elevator, led by the trembling receptionist.
Just before the doors slid shut, Yoo Ra-eun looked back and gave me a small wave.
I watched them go, letting out a soft chuckle the moment the doors fully closed.
A warm feeling bloomed in my chest.
Seeing them get so fiercely protective over something so minor—
felt a lot better than I expected.
Clutching my F-rank pass, I walked down the hallway toward the waiting room.
It was tucked quietly away at the very end of the hall, right next to the main meeting room.
An employee opened the door for me, speaking in an apologetic tone.
"You can wait in here. Please let me know if you'd like any tea or refreshments."
"I'm fine, thanks. I'll just wait here."
I gave a brief nod and stepped inside.
The room was small but tidy.
The only things keeping me company in the silence were two sofas, a low coffee table, and a clock ticking on the wall.
Once the door clicked shut, the room fell into a profound silence.
I sank deep into the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling.
As I sat there, letting my mind wander—
Click—
The door to the waiting room swung open quietly.
I turned my head to see a tall, slender woman walking in.
Glossy, shoulder-length red hair framed her face, and she carried herself with a bright, refreshing smile.
Closing the door behind her, she looked straight at me and offered a warm, easy smile.
"Hello."
She sat down on the opposite sofa, crossed her arms, and simply stared at me.
She didn't say a word. She just watched me.
Caught off guard, I tensed up slightly.
'...What is her deal?'
I had never met anyone who stared so blatantly without speaking. Her gaze was incredibly sharp, yet it brimmed with an undeniable curiosity.
As the silence stretched on, I finally broke it.
"Um, excuse me. Is there something you need...?"
Right then—
Ping!
[A new quest has been issued.]
[Quest]
- Repair the Artifact in Room 2302, prepare dinner (03:34:50)
Reward: Permanent acquisition of Free Repair (SS), Strength increase for 'Kang Seo-yoon', Magic Power increase for 'Snail Husband'
Penalty for Failure: Skin flaying
[To assist with quest completion, Intangibility (A) has been temporarily upgraded to Intangibility (SS).]
[To assist with quest completion, Free Repair (SS) has been temporarily granted.]
[Free Repair (SS)]
- Instantly restores the durability and condition of a designated weapon, armor, or Artifact.
- Temporarily boosts the performance of the targeted equipment to a set threshold.
"...!"
The sudden, absurd quest notification nearly made my heart stop.
'Room 2302? Where is that? Is it talking about our building?'
As I trailed off, lost in a flurry of confusion and panic, the woman sitting across from me let out a soft chuckle.
"Pfft, sorry. I didn't mean to stare. I just lost track of myself."
She slowly stood up, her smile never fading.
Her red hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders.
"Well, then..."
Without another word of explanation, she gave a light wave and slipped out of the room.
Only after the door clicked shut did I find my voice.
'Was that woman... Kang Seo-yoon?'
I sat in a daze for a long moment before sighing, leaning back, and pulling up the quest window again.
"Huh?"
A small, softly glowing arrow had appeared next to the notification, pointing in a specific direction like a compass.
'...It's pointing toward Room 2302. Should I head out now?'
I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head.
"No... I need to wait until their meeting is over."
Skin flaying.
It had been a while since I'd faced a quest with a time limit, and the penalty was terrifying, but I still had over three and a half hours left.
I couldn't just vanish without a word to the girls, especially after they'd worried so much about me.
I settled back into the sofa, deciding to study my newly acquired skill while I waited for them to finish.
The meeting finally wrapped up around 3:40 PM.
The moment I saw the three of them step out of the elevator, I stood up.
Yoo Ra-eun ran over and immediately grabbed my arm.
"Ga-on! That took way longer than we thought. I'm so sorry."
Yoo Seo-rin silently took my hand, while Han Cho-yeon offered a gentle smile.
"You must be exhausted, Ga-on. Let's head home."
On the drive back, they gave me a brief rundown of the meeting.
The Association had primarily focused on their future plans, offering national-level support, and trying to recruit them into the Association directly.
But the three of them had drawn a hard line: 'We operate as a party of four, alongside Yoo Ga-on.' They had even demanded that the same information-protection protocols granted to S-ranks be applied to me.
To my relief, the Association had reluctantly agreed, despite their disappointment.
Yoo Ra-eun muttered, staring out the window,
"So that's basically how it went. We basically forced them to recognize us as a package deal."
Han Cho-yeon smiled warmly and added,
"They didn't push back too hard when we insisted on keeping your information strictly confidential, either."
I stared out the window for a moment before speaking up.
"Thanks, guys. But... actually, a quest popped up while I was waiting for you."
All three of them snapped their heads toward me at once.
Yoo Ra-eun's eyes widened. "A quest? What kind?"
"I have to repair an Artifact in Room 2302 and cook dinner. There's a time limit... and if I fail, the penalty is skin flaying."
The temperature inside the car plummeted instantly.
As I explained the rewards and details, Yoo Ra-eun's brow furrowed.
"Room 2302? Do you even know which building that is?"
Han Cho-yeon and Yoo Seo-rin exchanged uneasy, worried glances.
"The system is giving me a navigation arrow. I have enough time, so I'm going to head there first."
Since it didn't seem dangerous, I planned to handle it alone, as I usually did.
If the tasks were just repairing an Artifact and cooking dinner, I'd inevitably have to interact with whoever lived there. Still, I knew by now that as brutal as the system's penalties were, it wouldn't send me on a suicide mission.
The three of them looked at me with deep concern.
Yoo Ra-eun spoke up first.
"You're going alone? Call me the second anything feels off, Ga-on."
Han Cho-yeon added firmly,
"If anything goes wrong, back out immediately. Don't push yourself. Promise?"
Yoo Seo-rin leaned over, resting her cheek gently against the back of my hand as she whispered,
"...Please be careful, Ga-on."
I looked at each of them and gave a reassuring smile.
"I will. I'll be back before you know it."
Once the car pulled into our apartment's underground parking garage, I opened the door and stepped out.
"Go on up ahead. I'll head back as soon as I finish."
They watched me go, their faces still clouded with worry.
I pulled up the quest window one more time as I walked out of the garage.