Chapter 35: Sisters Are Alike

Jin Se-ah had recently confirmed that someone was tailing Yoo Seon-woo.

However, the other party was quite meticulous, so she hadn’t yet figured out who was behind it.

Still, it was enough to leave a warning.

‘Come any closer, and you’ll vanish without a trace.’

That’s what it said.

They had probably gotten the message. After all, Jin Se-ah had more than enough will and ability to carry out her threat.

As a result, she was monitoring the area around Seon-woo more closely than ever.

That’s when she found it.

The door to the counseling center, which should have been firmly shut, was slightly ajar.

Jin Se-ah’s smile vanished. Soundlessly, she slipped through the gap in the door.

It was then.

From deep inside, a faint sound, like a sob… or perhaps a heated gasp, leaked out.

“Ah…!”

“?”

Without hesitation, she opened the door to the counseling room where the sound had come from.

“Who’s there?”

And that brought them to the current situation.

The person inside was someone Jin Se-ah hadn’t expected.

‘…Luna?’

She knew of her publicly, but she had also seen her once before. That time, too, it had been right in front of Seon-woo’s counseling center.

Before Jin Se-ah could even make a rational judgment, an instinctive displeasure rose within her.

Cheeks flushed as if with a fever. A sheen of moisture on her forehead that might have been a cold sweat. Her ragged breathing and slightly disheveled clothes.

And the fact that she was sitting in Seon-woo’s chair, frankly, bothered her more than when she’d found the lackey who had been tailing him.

Thus, in a much colder voice, Jin Se-ah asked Luna again.

“I asked, what are you doing here?”

Luna also recognized the other woman’s face.

The Haetae Guild’s S-class hunter, Jin Se-ah. A famous hunter who boasted the highest subjugation rate and was always at the center of media attention.

Fidgeting with her fingers, Luna held out a key ring.

“I came… to return this…”

Jin Se-ah’s brow furrowed as she looked at it.

‘Why does this person have the key to Seon-woo’s office?’

Whatever the reason, she was extremely displeased.

Her gaze shifted to Seon-woo’s desk in front of Luna. On it sat a small flowerpot that hadn’t been there before.

One might assume it was a kind gesture, but this was a woman’s intuition.

Jin Se-ah was smiling, but her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“Ah, I see,” Jin Se-ah said in a very gentle voice.

She took the key ring from Luna’s hand as naturally as if she were reclaiming her own property.

“Ah…!”

The moment the keys left her hand, Luna felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

Then, Jin Se-ah picked up an air freshener that was sitting on a nearby shelf.

Spritz, spritz.

The artificial scent of lilac sharply pierced Luna’s nose.

Jin Se-ah smiled at Luna, her expression still bright.

“Looks like your business here is done, then? You can go now. I’ll take care of cleaning up.”

Spritz, spritz.

As if to pointedly erase Luna’s very presence, she sprayed the air freshener into the empty space once more.

Luna couldn’t say anything in response. She just fidgeted with her fingers and rose from her seat.

She hated conflict by nature. Quietly avoiding a situation rather than clashing with someone had always been her way.

It had to be the same now.

She stood up and began to gather her things.

But.

But…

A small voice in her head rooted her to the spot.

‘Luna, why?’

Why should I be the one to leave?

This is the Counselor’s space. It’s not that woman’s space.

Why is she acting like she owns this place, while I have to retreat like an intruder?

‘A blessing.’

The Counselor said my existence was a blessing to some. When he saw Luna’s true form for the first time, he said it was an honor.

Then why?

Why am I being made to feel like my presence should be denied in his space?

That question pushed aside her gentle nature, kindling a fiery emotion she had never felt before.

Rage?

Luna’s eyes blazed a vivid, deep crimson.

“……”

She gently touched the topsoil of the flowerpot on the desk with her fingertips.

“The soil is dry… would it be alright if I just water the lavender before I go?”

“Of course~ Go right ahead~” Jin Se-ah began to tidy up the office, acting as if she didn’t care.

Luna got a cup of water from the kitchenette and approached the flowerpot.

Just as she reached the desk, Luna’s foot slipped slightly.

Splash.

And she poured it. No, she spilled about half of it.

The water from the cup drenched the Counselor’s white gown, which was draped over the chair.

“Oh, no…!”

Luna stared at the damp gown with an expression like her world had just ended. Her face nearly crumpled into tears as she turned her head toward the frozen Jin Se-ah.

“I-I’m so sorry… I’ll take full responsibility and make sure to have it cleaned and brought back…!”

As if to salvage the wet gown, she gathered it preciously in her arms. Pretending to avoid Jin Se-ah’s gaze, she buried her face deep into it.

Hhhp…

The Counselor’s scent burrowed deep inside her. His scent, something no air freshener could ever hide. The true scent of the Counselor sent a shiver through her entire body.

Scamper.

Still in that position, Luna bolted out of the counseling center without a backward glance.

“Wait…!”

By the time Jin Se-ah realized something was wrong and reached out a hand, Luna was already disappearing down the far end of the hallway.

There was no catching an S-class rabbit determined to flee.

Jin Se-ah stood frozen in place, staring at the empty corridor.

The smile vanished completely from her face.

*

Meanwhile, Luna frantically fled to her Rabbit Hole.

The moment the front door closed, the fiery emotion that had possessed her cooled as if it had all been a lie.

“What have I done… What have I done…”

She collapsed by the entryway, replaying what she had just done.

“Counselor, I’m so sorryyy…”

She had gotten his gown wet.

Buried her nose in it.

And then stolen it.

In a way, it was theft. Theft.

Why on earth did I do that?

Lately, a stranger she didn’t recognize kept emerging from within her.

She looked down at the white gown in her arms. But the scent that tickled her nose paralyzed all her rational regret.

Sniff, sniff.

As if mesmerized, she buried her face deep into the gown once more.

Still, just one more sniff…

‘Should I take it into my room…?’

Luna agonized over it for a long time before giving up. If that thing was in her room, there was no way she’d be able to sleep peacefully.

“I should at least get it properly washed…”

She managed to pull herself to her feet and trudged toward the laundry room. As if it were a precious treasure, she carefully enshrined the white gown in the laundry basket.

‘I’m so tired…’

As she returned to the entryway, the door to the room across the hall opened.

“Sis! Are you back from lunch?”

A still-sleepy Elice emerged, scratching her stomach.

“No… I’m tired, so I’m going to take a nap… You’ll have to eat lunch by yourself.”

Avoiding her sister’s eyes, Luna quickly opened her door and disappeared inside.

“Huh? Okay.”

Elice shrugged and headed for the kitchen.

It was at that exact moment.

Sniff.

Her footsteps stopped dead in their tracks.

“…?!”

She’d smelled it.

Her perked-up, ash-gray ears twitched. Elice’s drowsy eyes sharpened in an instant.

A scent that had no business being here. Faint, yet rich and sweet.

“What is this…?”

Sniffing the air, Elice began to move, searching for the source of the scent. The trail grew strongest right in front of the laundry room door.

When she carefully opened the door, a dense fragrance wafted out.

“Huh…? Why is this here…”

Elice found it, deep inside the laundry basket.

A white doctor’s gown with the name Yoo Seon-woo on it. The same clothes she had borrowed briefly at the counseling center.

Elice picked up the gown. On its name tag, the name Yoo Seon-woo was clearly embroidered.

And the back of it was damp.

A few words began to flash rapidly through Elice’s mind.

Let’s put the pieces together.

A wet doctor’s gown.

A tired-looking sister.

Her sister’s flushed red cheeks.

Elice shook her head, stopping that train of thought.

‘Let’s not.’

Connecting the dots seemed like it would be incredibly rude to her sister. And it probably wasn’t true. Her sister, Luna, wasn’t that kind of person. There must have been some kind of mistake.

Maybe she spilled water on it for some reason? Yes, that was the logical explanation.

“……”

Elice pondered something for a moment, then turned her head. She glanced once at her sister’s firmly closed door, then quietly shut the laundry room door.

Click.

She even locked it.

She turned off the light, too.

Darkness and silence. A space where only the rich scent lingered.

Elice sank to the floor in a corner and brought the gown in her hands to her nose.

Sniff, sniff.

She inhaled the scent clinging to the fabric, deeply and slowly.

‘…I can’t help it.’

She had barely managed to hold back last time. Really, it couldn’t be helped.

Wanting to smell a scent that calmed the heart… was a beast-human’s instinct.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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