"Did I just hear that correctly…?"

Lee Soo-ah's face was frozen in disbelief. She had been so sure of her victory, but now, nothing was going as planned.

She found herself speechless, realizing that Baek Ji-hoon hadn’t even flinched in response. It was clear to her, deep down, that no matter what she said, it wouldn’t have any effect on him.

"Yes... we... did," Yoo Hana replied, her voice trembling slightly. Earlier, they had been so confident, sitting atop Ji-hoon's desk as if they had already won.

• "So, you hadn’t done this until now?"

Those words had left them dumbfounded.

‘He’s not wrong... but still...’

They had no response.

"Isn't this strange, though? Right, Yoo Hana?" Lee Soo-ah said, turning to her friend with uncertainty in her eyes.

"Yeah, it is... but Ji-hoon wasn’t exactly lying, either."

"No, that’s not it! Ji-hoon was just trying to make us submit, so we reacted the way we did!" Lee Soo-ah insisted, growing defensive.

"Is that so?" Yoo Hana responded, but her uncertainty was clear.

The two women were confused. Their attempt to outmaneuver Baek Ji-hoon had completely backfired.

"I think we might be in big trouble," Yoo Hana finally said, recalling the undertone in Baek Ji-hoon's words.

"Trouble?" Lee Soo-ah looked puzzled.

"I mean... Ji-hoon looked like he’s going to push us even harder now. Didn’t it seem like he was thinking, ‘If they could handle this, I can give them even more complex and difficult missions’?”

"Ah..."

Lee Soo-ah’s face reflected realization.

"No... no, this can't be happening!" she protested.

"Yeah..." Yoo Hana sighed.

Knock, knock.

"Who... is it?" Lee Soo-ah snapped, her voice tense.

"Heeey, what's going on in here?"

Cha Manager poked his head in, his face beaming with his usual cheerful grin.

"Sigh, why are you here, Cha Manager?" Lee Soo-ah asked, clearly on edge.

"I was just wondering if something serious was going on?"

"Sigh..."

Lee Soo-ah slumped, clearly frustrated.

"Of course you'd sniff out drama right away, Cha Manager."

"Hey, that’s who I am, Soo-ah! So, what’s going on with you two, Soo-ah? Hana?"

"Well..."

Lee Soo-ah sighed and spilled out everything that had happened.

"????"

Cha Manager was left with question marks practically floating above his head.

"So, you gathered S-rank hunters... and actually completed everything?"

"Yes..."

"Wow... wasn’t that really hard? We made sure those tasks were especially difficult…"

"Wait... you’re the one who planned this, Cha Manager?!"

Lee Soo-ah’s voice went sharp with sudden anger.

"No, no, no! I misspoke!" Cha Manager waved his hands frantically, clearly fearing for his life as Lee Soo-ah’s reaction intensified.

"Sigh... we almost died doing it..." Lee Soo-ah muttered, shaking her head.

"I know, right? I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard before," Yoo Hana added.

"But the real problem is… Do you know what Ji-hoon said to us?" Lee Soo-ah exclaimed.

"What did he say?"

"He asked why we hadn’t done it sooner!!"

Lee Soo-ah exploded in frustration. After all the effort she had put in, she had expected praise, not scolding.

"Well... he’s got a point, doesn’t he?"

"Cha Manager!!!"

Lee Soo-ah’s face twisted in frustration.

"I mean, he’s not wrong, is he?"

"We were trying to one-up Ji-hoon!" Lee Soo-ah shouted.

"And why would you do that?"

"Well, because... Ji-hoon is a spy for Baekho Guild!!!" Lee Soo-ah blurted out.

Cha Manager shook his head in disbelief.

"Soo-ah."

"Yes?"

"Just admit the truth."

"The truth?"

"You just want Ji-hoon to notice you. That’s the real reason, right?"

"W-what??"

Lee Soo-ah’s face flushed red, caught off guard by the accusation.

"And Yoo Hana, you’re no different."

Cha Manager, showing a rare moment of sharpness, targeted both women, forcing them to confront their true motivations.

"Soo-ah, Hana, I think you both need to get a grip on yourselves."

"What are you talking about...?"

"Look, I’ll give you a hint."

"A... hint?"

"Maybe, just maybe... Ji-hoon actually likes both of you."

"What...?"

"Ever hear that saying? How sometimes guys push the women they like, to make them stronger?"

"!!!!"

Both Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana were stunned by Cha Manager’s words.

"Yeah, I’ve heard rumors around the office that Ji-hoon is actually doing this to help you grow stronger. Maybe whoever becomes the top S-rank hunter will earn his favor."

Cha Manager’s gaze was piercing as he delivered his theory. His words left Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana looking like they’d just been hit with a hammer.

"No way…"

Lee Soo-ah was deep in thought. The conversation she’d just had in the office was turning her entire perspective upside down.

‘So, Ji-hoon... actually likes me? And he’s been pushing me harder so that I can improve?’

Her mind was spinning, but strangely enough, it was starting to make sense to her.

She had, of course, interpreted everything through her own lens, seeing what she wanted to see.

"Then... maybe…"

Her eyes began to gleam with newfound determination.

‘That’s why he gave me such a difficult mission. It was to help me grow. Nothing else would make sense.’

Slowly, she was convincing herself of this new reality.

"Could it be true?"

Back in her own office, Yoo Hana was having similar thoughts.

She too was taking Cha Manager’s words to heart, thinking deeply about the possibility that Ji-hoon’s actions were actually for her benefit.

‘If Cha Manager is right and Ji-hoon is pushing me to grow… Then this must be a competition. A competition with Soo-ah?’

Her mind was in turmoil.

‘Ji-hoon… you’re doing this for me, aren’t you? You wanted me to come back from the entertainment world to join Blue Guild again, didn’t you?’

She bit her lip.

‘Yes, it must be true. When I first met Ji-hoon, he seemed so naive. But now, he’s different.’

She replayed the recent events in her mind and realized how much her perception of him had changed.

‘Yeah, that’s definitely what’s happening.’

Yoo Hana felt like she was finally understanding what she needed to do next.

Knock, knock.

"Come in~"

I was going through the details of the auction when there was a knock on my door.

"Uh, Ji-hoon…?"

It was Lee Soo-ah, and following behind her, Yoo Hana as well.

"We apologize for our behavior earlier. I’m sorry for not understanding your true intentions, Ji-hoon."

Both women bowed their heads in apology. The sudden shift in their demeanor was unsettling.

‘Huh? What’s going on?’

It was hard to process the sudden change in atmosphere.

‘What happened? Why are they acting like this?’

My expression hardened instinctively. Based on their past actions, I couldn’t help but suspect they were up to something again.

‘What now? What’s their new scheme?’

Knowing their history, this new, obedient attitude felt completely out of character.

"What is it, Soo-ah? What are you up to now?" I asked cautiously.

"Please... push us harder!!!"

"...What?"

"We understand now... we didn’t see the bigger picture earlier. Please, we’re ready for more!" Lee Soo-ah said, practically pleading.

None of this made sense.

‘What the...?’

"Alright, well, we’re a bit busy right now. Please step out, and we’ll assign your next mission soon," Hyung-seok chimed in, quickly stepping in to show them the door.

Creak.

Click.

They were gone.

"Hey, Hyung-seok, what did they mean by 'push harder'? What’s going on with them?"

"Heheh. Hyung, I think they’ve completely misunderstood something," Hyung-seok replied, grinning from ear to ear.

"Misunderstood?"

"Yeah, I think we should press them even harder. If we do, Soo-ah and Hana will be completely under your control."

"Really...?"

‘If they’re going to be this obedient, that’s fine by me. I have no idea what’s gotten into them, but…’

Whatever the reason, it seemed like everything was turning in my favor.