Cyborg-tl
"Ha... sss..."
Lee Soo-ah was pacing back and forth in her office, her restless energy making even those watching her feel uneasy.
"Ha... What do I do? What should I do? Why did I act like that?"
She seemed on the verge of losing her mind, her expression increasingly reflecting the realization that she had made a serious mistake.
‘I messed up... I should have been more considerate... Why did I do that?’
Her face twisted in distress.
‘Surely... there won’t be a flood of S-rank Hunters rushing to our guild, right?’
What had started as a joke was now beginning to feel like a frightening possibility. After all, this had been the Guild Master’s plan all along.
Even Chief Cha had echoed this sentiment.
‘Is it really going to happen? No, it can’t...’
A deep sense of unease settled in her heart. She realized that the competition for Baek Ji-hoon’s attention was growing fiercer.
‘Ah... damn... Yoo Hana...’
The biggest problem for her was Yoo Hana, who had immediately positioned herself as Baek Ji-hoon’s assistant, practically throwing herself at him.
She felt as if her position was being usurped.
‘Ha... Why did I do that...’
Memories of the surveillance cameras she’d set up, the times she had followed Baek Ji-hoon to and from work despite his objections, all came flooding back.
‘I... I’m sorry, Ji-hoon... I thought I was above you...’
Lee Soo-ah stood there, trembling, not knowing what to do next. She glanced out the window towards Baek Ji-hoon.
He and Yoo Hana were intently focused on something, clearly deep in thought.
‘Ha... So it’s true, he’s already been boosted to S-rank... His stats are already at that level...’
Her shaky eyes betrayed her growing anxiety.
‘Hmm... No... This won’t do...’
She began to feel that she needed to take drastic action.
"Um, unni? What’s going on?"
S-rank Hunter Chae Soo-hyun looked at Lee Soo-ah with wide eyes, waiting for her to speak.
"Uh, yeah. I wanted to talk more about what you mentioned earlier."
Lee Soo-ah sat down, her voice trembling slightly.
"About what?"
"That guy, Baek Ji-hoon."
"Oh, right."
"What’s the deal with him?"
"Well, this is supposed to be a secret, so you need to keep it quiet. According to Hunter Lee Ye-ji, that Baek Ji-hoon guy is apparently really rich in points? And it seems like he can invest points in other people? Maybe even remove status ailments?"
"What...? R-really?"
Lee Soo-ah’s expression grew more anxious.
"But isn’t Baek Ji-hoon part of your team? That’s what I heard."
"Yeah, that’s right."
"So, how is he? Is he a good guy? Should I try to get closer to him?"
"NO!!!"
Suddenly, Lee Soo-ah slammed her hand on the table, startling Chae Soo-hyun, who flinched and pulled back.
"Oh... okay... unni... Why are you acting like this?"
Chae Soo-hyun seemed genuinely shocked by the twisted expression on Lee Soo-ah’s face. It was as if she had never seen her like this before.
"Calm down."
"Uh, what I mean is..."
Lee Soo-ah herself seemed surprised by her own reaction, her eyes darting nervously.
"Uh... well... he’s... he’s gay!"
"What?"
Chae Soo-hyun tilted her head, clearly confused.
This was one of the tactics often used among women to ward off competition.
"Gay?"
"Yeah, yeah. There’s this guy named Park Hyung-seok in our company who was in the military with him, and apparently, they were... you know."
"Uh-huh...?"
"So you shouldn’t bother trying to get close to him~ You’d just be wasting your time and effort, hohohoho."
"Uh-huh... I see... I was thinking it would be amazing if I could date him, given what I heard."
"Uh. No. Way."
Lee Soo-ah spoke with a rigid tone.
"Aww, I was getting excited for nothing. I thought I might try to get close to him if he didn’t have a girlfriend."
Lee Soo-ah’s face twisted further.
‘Damn it... Does everyone really think like this?’
She could feel the momentum rapidly shifting. Just last week, when Baek Ji-hoon first joined, she had thought he was just a simple new recruit. Now, he had become a target of interest for S-rank Hunters nationwide.
"And those points... That’s just a rumor. I checked, and it’s completely false."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah, yeah! He’s just a D-rank Hunter, and everything got blown out of proportion. Why would Ye-ji spread such nonsense?"
Lee Soo-ah pouted as she dismissed the rumors as baseless.
"Oh... And about that... Park Hyung-seok? You said they were close... in the military..."
"Ha..."
Lee Soo-ah’s expression soured even more.
"Haha... I see... I caught you, you liar."
She seemed to be deep in thought, mulling over something complex.
"Hey, Hyung-seok."
"Yes, yes!!!"
Park Hyung-seok greeted Lee Soo-ah with a bright smile. He was pleased that she had called him aside like this.
"What have you done?"
The atmosphere shifted to that of an interrogation room in an instant.
"Uh? What... did I do?"
Park Hyung-seok was taken aback.
"Why did you connect Hunter Lee Ye-ji with Baek Ji-hoon? Encouraging other S-rank Hunters to approach him... Isn’t that against our internal rules?"
Lee Soo-ah’s tone was icy as she cornered him.
"Uh, I think there’s a misunderstanding, Hunter Lee Soo-ah."
"Misunderstanding? I’ve already heard everything. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused because of your actions?"
"What trouble?"
"S-rank Hunters from all over the country are trying to get close to Baek Ji-hoon!"
"Isn’t that a good thing?"
"NO! IT’S NOT!"
Lee Soo-ah slammed her hand on the desk again.
‘What the... What’s wrong with Lee Soo-ah? Has she reverted to her old self?’
Park Hyung-seok flinched, completely thrown off by her aggression.
"Ha. This is unacceptable. Attempting to poach talent through external S-rank Hunters...”
Lee Soo-ah began writing something down furiously.
"Ah... no!! Hunter Lee Soo-ah, you’ve got it all wrong. I just introduced him to Hunter Lee Ye-ji because he had some issues that needed fixing. You know how skilled she is!"
Park Hyung-seok stood up abruptly, his voice frantic. The sudden shift towards disciplinary action had caught him off guard.
"I’m disappointed in you, Park Hyung-seok. You’re facing disciplinary action..."
"No, please! It’s really not what you think."
"Then what is it? Why did you connect him with Hunter Lee Ye-ji? Explain yourself."
"Ha... sss..."
Park Hyung-seok hesitated. If he told her, it would inevitably bring up information about Chae Soo-hyun, something he knew Baek Ji-hoon wouldn’t want to be exposed.
"Ha... It’s nothing major. Ji-hoon hyung was just curious about S-rank Hunters, so I introduced him."
"But I’m an S-rank Hunter too. Why didn’t he ask me?"
Park Hyung-seok suddenly realized that the tables had turned on him.
"Hunter Lee Soo-ah."
"Yes?"
"Do you think a guy would want to ask you anything when you act like this?"
"What?"
"Do you think a guy would want to confide in someone who behaves so forcefully? Do you think a woman like that would be popular with men? Yes or no?"
Park Hyung-seok stepped closer, pressing his advantage. The dynamic in the room shifted.
"What... what are you saying..."
"S-rank or not, if you act like this, of course he’s going to seek advice from another S-rank Hunter."
Park Hyung-seok was now almost nose-to-nose with Lee Soo-ah.
"Th-th-that’s..."
Lee Soo-ah was so flustered that she seemed to have lost her words.
"Ha. Hunter Lee Soo-ah?"
"Y-Yes...?"
"This won’t do. I think I need to tell Ji-hoon hyung about what just happened."
Lee Soo-ah’s face paled.
"N-No!!!!"
She suddenly dropped to the floor, clinging to him.
"Hyung... Hyung-seok, I’m... I’m sorry. Please forgive me."
‘What? Why is she reacting so strongly?’
Park Hyung-seok was surprised. He hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
‘Is S-rank Hunter Lee Soo-ah really begging me...? Could this be a green light?’
He began to entertain a very pleasant thought.
"Ha. Move aside. I’m going to Ji-hoon hyung right now."
"Noooo!!! Please don’t go!!!!"
She reacted even more desperately.
‘Wha...? Is Lee Soo-ah really clinging to me? Wow...’
Park Hyung-seok started to get the wrong idea.
"So... then..."
"Yes..."
Lee Soo-ah had turned into a meek, compliant figure.
"What do you want?"
Park Hyung-seok had quickly assumed the upper hand.
"Uh... well... I want to... be the woman closest to Baek Ji-hoon... as a member of Team A..."
"What is it that you want, exactly?"
He slammed his hand on the desk for emphasis.
"I want to be the woman closest to Baek Ji-hoon!!!!"
Park Hyung-seok was momentarily taken aback by her sudden boldness.
‘Ha... Why is Ji-hoon hyung so popular... Damn, I’m jealous.’