Cyborg-tl
"Huff... huff..."
Lee Soo-ah lay on her bed, breathing heavily. Her face was flushed, as if she were ill.
Her body twisted and turned restlessly.
"What... what's happening to me? Is it because I went to that S-rank dungeon after so long? Huff... huff... Why is this happening?"
Her breathing grew more labored, and the image of Baek Ji-hoon kept surfacing in her mind.
"Ji... Ji-hoon... Why do I keep thinking about him?"
Desperate to find some relief, she grabbed her smartphone and frantically searched through her photo gallery.
She found a few pictures of Baek Ji-hoon.
"This... this is helping a little... But what’s going on with me?"
She rolled around on her bed, staring at his photos.
But the relief was fleeting, and soon her heart began to pound even harder.
"This is strange... What’s happening? Have I really fallen in love?"
Her expression twisted in confusion, unsure of what to do.
"I... I can't take this anymore!!!"
Suddenly, she jumped out of bed and rushed outside.
[Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.]
Messages poured in rapidly, one after the other.
“What’s going on? Why is Soo-ah acting so strange? This is scary.”
[Yes? What’s the matter?] [Where are you?] [At home.] [Stay right there. Don’t move.]
What?
“What does she mean, ‘Don’t move’?”
It hadn’t been long since I last saw Lee Soo-ah. Naturally, I had returned home and was relaxing on the couch.
The TV was broadcasting news about Blue Guild and me.
[The gathering of four S-rank Hunters in Blue Guild is causing massive waves in the Hunter community...] [Who is Baek Ji-hoon, the rising star among S-rank Hunters?] [S-rank Hunters are rallying to Blue Guild. Will they begin clearing S-rank dungeons?] [We have an interview with the Zeus Guild Master, who lost an S-rank Hunter.]
“It’s causing quite a stir, as expected.”
The situation seemed to be escalating rapidly, shaking up the once-stagnant Hunter community.
“It had been too quiet for too long.”
Not long after, the doorbell rang frantically.
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
“What the... Could it be Soo-ah?”
Creeeak.
“Soo-ah? What’s going on? Why are you—”
Without a word, she threw herself into my arms. I was too shocked to react, and the force of her embrace was overwhelming.
"??????" “Huff... huff... I... I’m sorry!!! But... but I couldn’t... hold back...” “What?”
I found myself standing in the entryway, with Lee Soo-ah clinging to me.
“What’s going on here...”
“I... I don’t know why I’m doing this... Ever since we left the dungeon, it’s gotten worse.” “Worse?”
Lee Soo-ah was holding onto me tightly as she spoke.
“I... I’m sorry!!!! I... I didn’t mean to... Please, forget this ever happened!!!!!” “Uh...?”
After hugging me for about 30 seconds, she suddenly let go and bolted out the door.
“What the...?”
I could only stare in disbelief at the direction she ran off in, utterly bewildered.
“Huff... What... what was that?”
Back home, Lee Soo-ah seemed to have regained her composure.
“What just happened? Why did I do that? Get a grip, Lee Soo-ah...”
She was clearly struggling, her thoughts wavering.
“Seriously... How could you just go and hug someone like that? That’s not who you are.”
She tried to rationalize her actions, but it was clear she was disoriented.
“Remember, Lee Soo-ah, you’re a professional, a cold, rational woman. So why...?”
She couldn’t believe she had completely lost control of herself like that.
“Ugh... What am I going to say to Ji-hoon?”
She still couldn’t clear her mind, the feelings swirling uncontrollably.
Her heart continued to race.
“Ji-hoon... Did you do something to me? Did you use some kind of trick...?”
She bit her lip, but no answer came to mind.
The next morning.
“Soo-ah? About yesterday...” “Yesterday was a mistake. Don’t read too much into it.”
It was as if she had become a completely different person overnight. Even before we entered the dungeon yesterday, she had seemed different, but now she was even more changed.
“That’s the old Lee Soo-ah, the Hunter I knew... She’s been off for about ten days, but now...”
I couldn’t help but watch in confusion as she walked away, her heels clicking sharply on the floor.
Bang.
Lee Soo-ah slammed her hand down on the table.
“Chief of Department 1.” “Yes... yes?” “The performance over the last two weeks... What’s going on with these numbers?”
She looked fierce, like a tiger ready to pounce.
“I... I’m not sure...”
The chief of Department 1 was nervously shifting his gaze around the room.
“What’s going on with her? She was getting softer and gentler, but now she’s back to her old self? Why?”
The confusion was evident on his face.
“Chief, is this really the best Department 1 can do? I’m a little disappointed. I hope you’ll get back on track,” she said sharply, glaring at him.
“Yes... yes, of course... I’ll take care of it...”
Lee Soo-ah returned to her seat.
“What’s going on? Is Hunter Lee Soo-ah back to her old self?” “That’s what it looks like. Wasn’t she acting differently after Baek Ji-hoon came in?” “Yeah... But why did she suddenly change back?” “Man, I kinda liked it when she was softer.” “I prefer her like this. A Hunter should be tough.” “True, but the problem is she’s taking it out on us...”
The staff in Department 1 murmured among themselves, clearly unsettled.
“What are you doing now? You’re not slacking off, are you?” Lee Soo-ah’s sharp voice cut through the air.
“N-no, we’re getting back to work!”
Thud.
Lee Soo-ah returned to her office and almost collapsed into her chair.
“What’s happening to me? Do I really like Baek Ji-hoon?”
She looked utterly confused, like someone who didn’t know herself anymore.
“Is this because of the S-rank dungeon? But I don’t remember it being like this before... What’s happening to me?”
She shook her head, unable to make sense of her thoughts.
“No, Lee Soo-ah. Pull yourself together. This isn’t you. You’re not the kind of woman who loses her mind over a man. You can get through this. You’ll overcome it.”
She slowly began to change her mindset.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Yes?” “Uh, Team Leader?”
A very professional-looking Lee Soo-ah entered the room, reminding me of the woman I first met when I joined Blue Guild.
“What can I do for you?” “I’d like to go to another S-rank dungeon.” “Again? Didn’t you just go yesterday?” “Yes, but I’d like to go again today, if that’s alright with you. If your schedule permits...” “Hmm...”
I tilted my head, studying her. Her sudden enthusiasm for S-rank dungeons was a little strange.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
“Lee Soo-ah, you can do this... Prove to yourself that it’s not the S-rank dungeon. It’s not because of Baek Ji-hoon.”
She was mumbling to herself, trying to psych herself up.
Somehow, a brief conversation with Assistant Manager Cha had sparked something within her.
“This is so weird... Soo-ah, get a grip.”
She hadn’t had to push herself like this in a long time.
Everything had been fine until Baek Ji-hoon showed up last week.
But in just two weeks, it felt like she had become a completely different person.
“Let’s get back to who I am... It’s going to be okay... I can do this.”
She recalled the way her heart had pounded yesterday.
“You’re not that kind of person... Are you really going to let yourself get distracted by a man?”
She slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to snap herself out of it.
“Hyung-seok.” “Yes?” “Do we have any S-rank dungeons that two S-rank Hunters could handle? Just the two of us?” “Why do you ask?” “Lee Soo-ah wants to go to an S-rank dungeon again today. But it feels a bit much to bring I-seul or Yoo Hana along just a day after the last one.” “So, it’ll just be the two of you?” “Yeah, she’s so eager that I can’t say no.”
Lee Soo-ah’s reaction seemed a bit odd. It was like she was trying to test something.
“She’s not trying to test my abilities, is she?”
That’s the feeling I got.
But it didn’t really matter. I was curious myself.
“I’m not sure what she wants to test, but I guess I’ll have to go along with it...”
Today, it would just be the two of us—Lee Soo-ah and me—heading into the S-rank dungeon.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ji-hoon... Hmm? He’s not here. Hyung-seok, where’s Ji-hoon?”
It was Yoo Hana.
“Oh... He went to an S-rank dungeon.” “Huh? An S-rank dungeon? Without me?” “Yes, he went with Lee Soo-ah.” “What? Why? Where?”
Yoo Hana’s expression turned slightly panicked.