“Ugh... Ugh…”

Lee Soo-ah was sprawled out completely in her office. She had collapsed onto her desk, unable to concentrate at all.

“Um… Soo-ah, what… are you doing?” “...” “Soo-ah??”

The Section Chief walked in to ask something but had no choice but to turn around and leave again. He tilted his head in confusion, glancing back at her as if she was acting strange.

'What’s wrong with her today? Her mood swings seem extreme.'

“Sigh… Why is this happening to me? Why do I keep… thinking about Baek Ji-hoon?”

Until now, she had tried to brush it off lightly. For the past two weeks since Baek Ji-hoon joined, she convinced herself that her thoughts about him were nothing more than a friendly curiosity, something natural when a new person joins.

But now, it wasn’t just a mental feeling anymore. She found herself wanting to be physically closer to him.

‘Why do I feel like I need to be near Ji-hoon…? What is this?’

She had never felt like this in her life.

‘No... No, you’re not that kind of person.’

Desperately, Lee Soo-ah turned on her computer and started looking through her past photos and records. Just two weeks ago, she had been the image of a professional woman. A formidable leader who commanded the A-Team with an intimidating presence.

‘Look at this. This is me. This is who I am. But why now…? I have to get back to being myself…’

She was completely confused, not knowing what to do.

“Sigh… This is… I can’t stand this anymore…”

Unable to bear it, she jumped up from her seat. A friend who might have the answer suddenly came to mind.

“Um… Hey~~” “What’s up?”

There was someone waiting expectantly for Lee Soo-ah to speak, tilting their head slightly.

It was S-rank Hunter Lee Ha-ru, a Hunter specializing in aquatic environments.

“So… I wanted to ask you something. Is it possible for someone to have a trait that makes others infatuated with them? Have you ever heard of something like that?”

Lee Soo-ah asked the question as if testing the waters.

“A trait that makes others infatuated?” “Yeah… A trait that makes others unable to resist, both mentally and physically…?” “Is that happening to you?”

Lee Ha-ru asked directly, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Lee Soo-ah.

“N-no!! No, no!! Not me!!”

Lee Soo-ah waved her hands frantically, almost having a seizure from how startled she was. Her expression was one of complete panic.

“Really?”

Lee Ha-ru looked at Lee Soo-ah with a pure expression, not understanding the situation. The two had been friends for a long time, though their relationship was ambiguous—not quite close but not distant either.

“There’s… someone in our guild, and it seems like he’s making other women infatuated with him…”

She tried to explain, but her words were shaky.

“You’re talking about Baek Ji-hoon, aren’t you?!”

Lee Ha-ru spoke with a bit more force.

Flinch.

At that, Lee Soo-ah almost started convulsing, her body trembling violently. She was so shocked that her neck and shoulders tensed up as if she were about to get a cramp.

“H-how… How did you know that?”

Lee Soo-ah looked at Lee Ha-ru with a very surprised expression, clearly puzzled by the unexpected turn of the conversation.

“I just guessed… But he’s famous, right? He’s really hot among the S-rank Hunters these days.” “Why is he so popular…?” “Well, from what I heard from Ye-ji… he’s someone who can do things for others. Isn’t he the first Hunter who can directly affect others like that? At least among the well-known ones...” “Really? Is that so?” “Yeah… Well, Ye-ji’s ability is more about nullifying other people’s skills, but as for someone who can directly influence others, he might be the only one…”

Lee Ha-ru was deep in thought, then she looked at Lee Soo-ah calmly.

“Hmm… I see.” “But why? Did he do something to you?” “No, it’s not like that…”

Lee Soo-ah mumbled, looking off into the distance. Lee Ha-ru watched her, trying to read her expression.

“So… He did do something, huh? That guy’s bad news.” “Wha… What do you mean by that…?” “I mean, didn’t he do something bad to you? Isn’t that what you’re saying?” “No… That’s not it.”

Lee Soo-ah blushed slightly, flustered by the implication.

“Isn’t your body refusing to move the way you want it to?” “Yeah, that’s right.” “And you don’t like it?” “Yeah, that’s right.” “Then he did something bad to you.”

Lee Ha-ru clapped her hands as if she had found the perfect answer.

“Hey, Soo-ah. Whatever it is, you should try keeping your distance from him.” “Distance…?” “Yeah. Isn’t that what you want to do?” “Yeah… I guess…”

Lee Soo-ah felt a bit more confused.

“Maybe if you distance yourself and observe how he behaves, you’ll get a better sense of things. I really think that guy’s trouble~”

Lee Ha-ru pursed her lips, looking suspicious.

“Hmm… Is that so…”

Lee Soo-ah seemed deep in thought, troubled. She had heard a lot from Lee Ha-ru, but none of it was particularly positive. She had a feeling that if she asked other Hunters, they might say something similar.

‘Hmm. The problem is… Baek Ji-hoon, right? It must be.’

She recalled how she was two weeks ago. Back then, she was perfect as the number one S-rank Hunter.

Admired by everyone, a Hunter that other guilds would kill to recruit.

But then Cha Soo-hyun came along, took her spot as the top S-rank Hunter, and Baek Ji-hoon joined Blue Guild.

Since then, Baek Ji-hoon had been slowly taking over Blue Guild.

‘Hmm. No way… Could Ji-hoon and Soo-hyun be in cahoots?’

She started noticing some similarities between the two. The timing was just too coincidental.

She had even seen Cha Soo-hyun visit Baek Ji-hoon’s house. And now, both of them were putting pressure on her.

‘No way…?’

Her face showed a sudden realization.

‘Could it be… Ji-hoon is Cha Soo-hyun’s spy? A spy for Baekho Guild? To bring me down and take over…?’

It all started to make sense. When she had visited Ji-hoon’s house, there was that four-way confrontation with Yoo Hana and Cha Soo-hyun. Cha Soo-hyun seemed to know Baek Ji-hoon. It was as if they wanted to have a deeper conversation.

‘I was so blind… Those two were working together all along. So, while I was unaware, Ji-hoon took over the A-Team in Blue Guild…?’

Her mouth hung open in shock as she realized what had been happening.

Things that didn’t make sense over the past two weeks were suddenly becoming clear.

‘So, they plan to ruin me, take over the guild, and hand it to Baekho Guild? Ah… I need to inform the Guild Master.’

With a hurried and anxious expression, Lee Soo-ah rushed out of the room, determined to stop Baek Ji-hoon by reporting this to the Guild Master.

‘Of course. I’m Lee Soo-ah. I don’t just fall for any man. Baek Ji-hoon must have used some trick on me, taking my position while I was out of my senses. That man’s nothing but bad news. And here I was, trying to nurture him as part of the A-Team? Stupid Lee Soo-ah.’

She furrowed her brows deeply and headed straight to the Guild Master’s office, feeling desperate.

“Guild Master, I have something urgent to discuss with you, alone.” “What is it?” “We need to remove Baek Ji-hoon.”

“...”

The Guild Master remained silent for a moment.

“Why…?”

His response was tinged with slight disbelief, almost like he found the situation humorous.

“According to my investigation, Baek Ji-hoon is an agent of Baekho Guild.” “...”

The Guild Master sighed softly, as if the idea was too absurd to entertain, but said nothing.

“Guild Master..?” “Hunter Lee Soo-ah.” “Yes.” “Have you been under a lot of stress lately?” “What?” “I don’t understand why you’re having such delusions. Have you been too shocked by something recently?” “N-no. I’m certain Baek Ji-hoon is a spy from Baekho Guild. We have a lot of Baekho Guild spies here, don’t we?” “I’m sorry, but I’ve already identified and dealt with the spies from Baekho Guild. You don’t need to worry about that.” “But… Baek Ji-hoon is definitely a spy…”

Lee Soo-ah insisted, but the Guild Master’s demeanor made it clear he didn’t believe her. She felt like her words were falling on deaf ears.

But this situation was too important for Lee Soo-ah to back down easily. She needed to restore her position and image. If she gave up now, it would mean handing over the A-Team to Baek Ji-hoon without a fight.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle the guild’s management. Hunter Lee Soo-ah, please focus on leading your team.”

It was a polite way of saying, “Mind your own business.”

With no choice but to back down, Lee Soo-ah left the office.

“Damn it… This is bad. Ji-hoon must have charmed even the Guild Master. Damn it… What was his plan with gathering all the S-rank Hunters here?”

She left the Guild Master’s office with a deep scowl, convinced that even the Guild Master’s judgment had been clouded.

She then set off toward Baek Ji-hoon, ready to confront him.