episode_0040

Perhaps it’s due to the countless swings.

The handle of the longsword is worn out.

Sticky sweat droplets cling to the shoulders, dripping steadily.

The fallen droplets are absorbed into the training ground floor.

This place is the Hunter Association’s physical training room.

Since becoming an S-rank hunter, From always trains here.

Practicing outside always attracts strange people bothering him for autographs or photos, hence the preference for this place.

“—.”

His phone vibrates.

He takes out his phone from his jacket to check the message.

“Come to the store tonight at 12.”

It’s Seonya.

Why would she want to meet at midnight all of a sudden?

Wiping his forehead with the back of his hand, he finishes his training.

Then, he strolls through the association corridor towards the shower room.

Interestingly, the showers are divided by the rank of hunters.

In an attempt to differentiate, the S-rank shower room is located on the top floor of the building.

Well, thanks to that, he can enjoy the scenic view of Seoul while showering, which lifts his spirits.

However, taking the elevator to go up the building is quite bothersome.

“4th floor.”

The elevator stops at the 4th floor.

Soon, a woman with her hair tied up and a man with a buzz cut enter the elevator.

Between them stands a small boy.

The pale and somber-faced child stares intently at him.

Caught in my hazy gaze, the child suddenly gets scared and bows deeply.

“It seems like you’ve come after training, Miss Anna.”

The woman speaks while staring directly ahead.

He doesn’t respond to her words.

It’s because she addressed the empty space, not him, while gazing.

“…”

“I’m a member of the association.”

A subtle floral scent emanates from the woman.

A natural, rich fragrance.

It tickles his nose, prompting him to briefly cover it with the back of his hand.

“And these days, I run a guild as a hobby.”

The woman glances at him with a hidden agenda.

At that moment, he realizes why she didn’t meet his eyes.

Like me, streaks of black flow down her white face, mixing together.

As if she were a dead person.

“You ranked 30th shortly after becoming an S-rank hunter. Impressive achievement.”

“It’s just playing with numbers. I’m not interested.”

“I know. You’re indifferent to everything. That’s what makes you even more appealing.”

Her bangs sway gently.

Her hazy eyes stare intensely as if piercing through him.

He stares back at her without yielding.

Sweat droplets trickle down his abdomen.

We silently watch each other until the droplets are completely absorbed by his pants’ waistband.

“10th floor.”

The elevator opens.

Ignoring her, he exits the elevator.

To his surprise, the woman and her companions follow him down smoothly.

She even approaches the entrance of the shower room.

“Only S-ranks are allowed here.”

He points to the alphabet drawn on the wall with his finger.

“Oh, what should I do? I’m not a hunter…”

She smiles ruefully, seeming disappointed.

But he knows.

She has no interest in ranks like me.

“If I enter there, what benefit will I gain?”

“Benefit?”

She, who had been using formal language, reflexively retorts.

“Yes, the most important thing to me is benefit.”

“There must be. Everyone around you sticks together for that ‘benefit.’”

She pats the shoulder of the boy and the man standing beside her.

“If you help us, you can know about the impending dreadful future.”

Future…?

His eyebrows twitch.

Unexpectedly, his expression involuntarily grimaces at those words.

Such a reward in life is unheard of for him.

“I never believe in such ambiguous words. If you heard rumors about me, you should have known that.”

“I understand. You handle tasks decisively and only invest in clear matters.”

She pinches her shirt near the chest, as if feeling suffocated.

Then, she unfolds the collar of her shirt and continues speaking.

“However, for those kinds of people, isn’t preparation for the future essential?”

The woman’s joyous white shirt had stretched a bit.

Yet, my heart remained tightly constricted as I turned away from her.

“Save those nonsensical remarks for someone hanging onto your coattails.”

Not a gypsy shaman, utterly absurd.

Without even glancing back, I headed straight into the shower room.

If I’m going to see Seonye later, it’s better to clean up thoroughly.

“…”

Even after I entered, the woman didn’t leave immediately.

Her cloudy eyes still lingered in the direction of the shower room.

A man accompanying her asks, “What’s so appealing about such a delicate girl like her?”

He crosses his arms and grabs the elevator.

By the time they reached the top, the elevator had already descended to the first floor.

“She’s a rare talent that may only come around once in a lifetime.”

The woman murmurs with half-closed eyes.

“A kid with your level of talent wouldn’t stand a chance against a dozen of them.”

“Ridiculous talk,” the man retorts angrily at his superior’s words.

To calm him down, the woman changes the topic of conversation.

“So, did you kill all the freelance hunters? I told you to search from Sindorim onwards.”

“I haven’t gone there yet. There’s a wyvern nest over there. I plan to wait until some folks come to capture it.”

“You plan to pick off the exhausted ones, huh?”

The man chuckles and nods.

Impressed by the guild member’s strategy, the woman claps her fingers in admiration.

“It’s a brilliant idea. Teaching them is paying off quickly.”

The man with cropped hair coughs awkwardly at the praise from his superior.

She suggests to him, “Take the eighth one with you next time.”

“This brat? Annoying…”

The woman subtly pushes the child clinging to her leg towards the man.

The child slowly approaches him.

“Having extra help must be nice, right?”

The woman smiles slyly.

Reluctantly, the man responds, “Fine…”

The woman’s loose hair dances.

She catches a whiff of the steam scent wafting from the shower room.

“The smell is nice. It’s the fragrant scent of soap.”

Feeling warm, she brushes off her clothes.

Then, a tattoo on her collarbone is revealed.

「01.」

Approaching midnight.

I left the Association building and headed towards Seonye’s bar.

Usually, people stay at home due to security issues at night.

So just by seeing the light by the window, you could tell if someone was there or not.

But oddly, the uncle who had asked me to come out late at night had his shop’s lights off.

Thinking it strange, I cautiously pulled the front door handle.

As expected, the inside of the shop was very dark.

It was as quiet as a mouse, and the usual lively atmosphere where Seonye would be present was nowhere to be found.

I put my hand on my hip.

And I moved quietly, so silent that not even the sound of footsteps could be heard.

“Seonye?”

I asked in a small voice.

But there was no response.

Before I knew it, I had reached the counter.

Still not seeing her, I took out my phone.

Only the light from the small LCD screen illuminated the dark store hall.

I slowly dialed Seonye’s phone number.

“010…”

Around the fifth digit…

“Whoosh!”

Someone suddenly appeared from behind the counter.

I almost put my hand on my hip instinctively.

But the blade I was about to draw stopped abruptly.

It was because the girl I had been looking for suddenly popped up from under the counter.

“Surprised?”

Her face reflected dimly on the phone screen.

But my expression remained unchanged.

“Oh. I almost split you in half.”

Despite my harsh comment, Seonye remained unfazed.

Instead, she confidently replied, “But you wouldn’t have done that, right?”

She laughs at me as if she has already seen through everything.

Does this guy have nine lives or something…

“So, why did you call me to the shop at this late hour?”

“Just. It’s been a while since we spent time alone.”

When I asked, Sunye murmured, twisting her body.

“I’ve been busy.”

I deliberately avoided her gaze.

Then her face moved like a puppy following my gaze.

“How was your day today?”

“Just. Same as usual. Train, go catch monsters, come back after catching them.”

“Must be tough.”

She made a tired expression as if she had pictured my daily routine in her mind.

As if responding to that, I asked a formal question.

“How about you? Isn’t it tiring to just pour drinks at the shop all the time?”

It’s hard to believe that she, who was an ace at the facility, would do such a job.

Having survived there for four years each, she could probably reach S-rank even as a hunter.

Why bother with entertaining someone like me?

“It’s tough. But I like it now.”

Sunye gazes at me intently with her chin resting on her hand.

Her eyes are clear and sparkling unlike mine.

“I find happiness in pouring a drink for people and seeing those comforted by it.”

Happiness…

I rolled the word around in my mouth slowly.

“And today, I plan to welcome my best guest ever.”

While I was still trying to grasp the concept of happiness, she took out a hidden glass.

It was a tall, transparent glass.

The moonlight reflected on the glass, making it sparkle like some enchanted potion.

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

“But… I prepared diligently for you today…”

Sunye looked at me pitifully.

Being shorter than me, she often wore this expression whenever things didn’t go her way.

“Sigh…”

I sighed in resignation.

If I refused, she would sulk all day again.

Not wanting to see that, I gestured for her to do as she pleased.

“You can look forward to it.”

Soon, she began to take out the cocktail ingredients she had prepared in advance.

As if predicting that I would drink, everything was already set up.

A very cunning puppy.

She focused on the ingredients she held.

In a shaker with ice…

1 ounce of clear vodka.

1 ounce of fragrant peach tree.

5ml of blue-hued Blue Curacao.

And poured golden apple juice.

Then, she rhythmically shook the mixture lightly.

She poured the chilled shaker into the glass.

Eventually, the blue moonlight slowly flowed down the glass.

Grade: ★★★★☆ (???)

Effect: Increases all abilities of the target by 2.

Information: Flawless aquamarine.

Beautiful like the blue sea.

Anna, who had never swum before, found the color of this sea very familiar.

It tasted so impressive, as if it could retrieve something lost.

“Aquamarine is the birthstone of March.”

Sunye pushed the glass towards me, speaking quietly.

“And we left the facility on March 14th.”

The blue waves gently undulated in the glass.

“I think we were reborn then.”

Sunye clasped her hands politely, gazing at the Aquamarine like me.

“You said you couldn’t remember your birthday. So, how about we set our birthdays to March from now on?”

The moment I heard that, I looked away from the Aquamarine.

And stared at Sunye intently.

She was clearly smiling.

But somehow, her smile felt sad to me.

Unknowingly, that sadness made me agree to her proposal.

“Yes.”

I slowly lifted the glass.

And cautiously sipped the blue sea.

The sweet apple flavor filled my mouth.

It was a calm and fragrant taste that suited the late night well.

When the glass was half-empty…

Sunye slowly approached me.

Her eyes were calm like aquamarine waves lapping gently.

Perhaps due to that gentle undulation, my heart seemed to sway slightly as well.

I tried to attribute that vibration to the strong liquor.

However, soon those waves grew uncontrollably larger.

Because…

Seonye kissed me on the lips.

“…”

The aquamarine lingering on her lips stained Seonye as well.

The beautiful girl, who had just turned twenty, half-closed her eyes and spoke to me.

“Happy birthday, Anna.”