Ch.4917. The Glass Room (2)

“Hah… He’s so handsome.”

Yuri unconsciously blurted out those words. One wall was filled with Minsu’s photos, making it seem as if he was looking at her.

Thinking about it made her heart feel full. She remembered the way Minsu used to look at her during their time at Eins.

That gaze, warm like the sun, always directed only at her.

Yuri Tarkovskaya, an exceptional frost mage blessed with ice powers, once known as the Snow Woman. She used to not understand the meaning of warmth. Being intelligent, she only accepted its dictionary definition.

But when she finally understood the meaning behind Minsu’s gaze. Yuri also came to understand the meaning of that word.

‘And… I want that gaze to be directed at me again.’

Yuri caressed the photo with her hand. It was just a photo, not a living person. There was no way warmth could be transmitted.

As her fingertips traced the photo, Minsu’s face, she eventually couldn’t contain her feelings. She gently pressed her lips against the photo.

‘What would a kiss feel like?’

In that moment, her cheeks flushed red. A few years ago, as graduation from Eins approached, she had started holding Minsu’s hand more frequently.

Minsu probably hadn’t noticed, but Yuri had always held on tightly, never wanting to let go. Just the touch of his hand, just that warmth, made her feel like she, a frost mage, would melt completely.

Even now, Yuri still remembered that warmth from back then. And when she caught Rex. When her body and hands touched Minsu’s as she tried to calm his fever.

‘My heart… was really pounding.’

That wasn’t all. After finishing the contract with Pyotr Kim. When Minsu’s fever flared up again due to alcohol. She had hugged him tightly from behind to calm him down.

‘I want… I want to touch him like that again. With Minsu.’

And if someday their relationship returned to how it was then. Perhaps they might even engage in more advanced skinship… like… kissing.

Of course, for Yuri, just thinking about a man and woman doing such embarrassing things made her face turn red.

Shuuuuuu-

In that moment, the room’s temperature dropped by several degrees. It was the instantaneous release of cold-attribute mana. Yuri calmed her excited heart.

Her room was filled with Minsu’s photos and gifts. It would be a disaster if they were to freeze.

And once a Snow Woman has known warmth, she can never go back to not knowing it.

“Damn it!”

But Yuri had a headache. In frustration, she slammed her hand on the desk. She was certain that she and Minsu weren’t just ordinary friends. That they knew each other’s feelings. She was sure of it.

Strictly speaking, she and Minsu weren’t in a dating relationship. So Yuri had no dating experience whatsoever.

Therefore, she had no idea how to make things work with Minsu again.

‘It’s not like I can do something coquettish.’

If strategic thinking wouldn’t work, then using physical means was an unchanging truth.

Although as a CEO responsible for a company, she wore makeup daily. But seeing her own face every day, she honestly wasn’t sure if she was pretty.

‘Maybe Minsu prefers Soso’s looks over mine, since she’s also Asian.’

And even Seong Arin, who was always by his side and bothered her greatly. With her cute appearance and pink bob haircut, she was bound to be popular with men. In terms of being coquettish, she was on a completely different level compared to Yuri.

Seong Arin even visited Minsu’s home regularly.

‘Both of them… have better figures than me too.’

Compared to them, her thin figure seemed lacking. Yuri became dejected for a moment.

‘Then I can’t use that ultimate method either…’

Yuri had lurked on countless dating forums online.

The best way she found to seduce a man was to drink alcohol together, just the two of them, and then take the initiative with skinship.

But when Minsu drinks, it leads to big trouble like last time. Moreover, she wasn’t even confident about skinship. Yuri picked up the dating guide on her desk again.

[When you want to reunite with an ex-lover, attempting to communicate through physical means is absolutely forbidden.]

‘Then what am I supposed to do?’

Her feelings for Minsu were strong, but for now, she had no method.

Eventually, with a headache, Yuri lay down on her bed. She hugged a giant bear plushie that was much larger than herself.

This bear plushie was also a gift from Minsu to her. For the past two years, whenever she missed Minsu, she had hugged this plushie tightly in his place.

It was unlikely, but it felt as if Minsu’s scent was emanating from the bear plushie. Yuri buried her face in its embrace as if it were Minsu himself.

“I’m worried… so worried…”

And just as she had read in the article earlier, Minsu and Soso had gone on a one-night, two-day business trip together a few days ago.

To make matters worse, they had stayed at a famous hotel. No matter how much she tried not to think about it, Yuri couldn’t help but have impure thoughts.

‘Soso still has feelings for Minsu too.’

With her fatal figure, she could seduce Minsu and deliver a much more decisive blow than Yuri could.

Moreover, since Soso didn’t have what people call a “some” relationship with him, unlike Yuri’s complicated relationship, she might be able to approach Minsu more aggressively.

‘No… nothing like that would have happened. They went on a business trip. They’re friends. They definitely wouldn’t have even held hands. Definitely.’

Still, she couldn’t help but have uneasy thoughts and strange ideas due to the implications of a hotel.

‘Now… everyone’s an adult, not cadets anymore.’

Unable to calm her mind, Yuri went to the living room. She poured water into a square cup of instant ramen. She cut up some sausages to add, and squeezed in a generous amount of mayonnaise, using almost half of the small mayonnaise tube.

She also poured vodka into a glass. Plop. A round ice cube, summoned from thin air with mana, fell into the glass, making it on the rocks.

‘Vodka always clears my mind.’

She downed one shot immediately. The alcohol cooled her head. At that moment, a good idea came to her.

After all, she was the guild leader of Flame. And with her authority as guild leader, she could create opportunities to be alone with Minsu anytime.

‘And conveniently, the A+ grade gear that Minsu recently acquired has a wind attribute.’

It seemed like a very good idea. After all, to get close to Minsu again, she needed time alone with him.

‘I have to use whatever method I can.’

Yuri took out some crab-shaped snacks as a side dish and began to mentally organize the specific details of the business trip plan.

***

After returning from the Pyongyang business trip, I returned to Flame’s daily routine.

Currently, all missions at Flame are temporarily on hold. We might be dispatched for patrol in Seoul if requested by the Association.

Otherwise, everyone was focused on self-improvement. This was because the date for tackling the S-grade dungeon in Paju had been confirmed.

‘March 3rd, huh.’

Just two weeks left. It might seem like a loss not to go on missions during those two weeks, but that wasn’t the case.

Capturing the A-grade villain Gwibo Jang Gyesin in Pyongyang had brought great benefits to Flame.

“Jang Gyesin stole quite a number of items. Of course, we haven’t recovered all the stolen goods yet, but we were able to retrieve some. The Association officials were quite excited about it.”

Team Leader Seo told me. We were now in the field team’s office. Father Stefano handed me a mug of Americano.

“Would you like some coffee, Brother Minsu?”

“Thank you, Father.”

“As Team Leader Seo said, the Association highly values this achievement. And the exchange in Pyongyang also gave Flame a considerable reward, so haha, it’s good that we can rest without going on missions.”

Father Stefano smiled kindly.

“It’s all thanks to Brother Minsu. Though the internet articles seem a bit biased.”

Team Leader Seo responded to that.

“Still, the officials all know the truth. And rumors are spreading that Flame has a very skilled fire mage.”

Uncle Donghyuk chimed in.

“What about the skilled tanker and healer?”

“Well… I’m sure you and Arin will become famous soon too, Donghyuk. Depending on the results of the S-grade dungeon cooperative mission.”

“I’ll do my best! But I’m already nervous, haha.”

Like Uncle Donghyuk chatting with Team Leader Seo, the other interns had also naturally blended in with Flame’s elite members.

‘After this cooperative mission, the interns will become official employees.’

And since it was confirmed that the interns would accompany as support members for the cooperative mission, they were already recognized as regular raid members of Flame, not just interns.

At that moment, I felt someone watching me from a distance. It was Soso. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away.

‘Soso seems more conscious of me now.’

The Pyongyang business trip. We spent the night in the same room, so it was natural for her to be concerned.

Even during our time at Eins, Soso was a very shy and timid girl.

Her bold actions were actually out of character for her. Meanwhile, Arin’s gaze instantly turned cold.

“Senior, what are you looking at?”

Then, she pressed her face close to my ear and whispered.

“You didn’t do anything with Team Leader Yeon during the last business trip, did you? A one-night, two-day business trip with a female superior… and the accommodation was a hotel… It bothers me. That… it’s kind of suggestive, isn’t it? I know you have videos with titles like that on your computer’s hard drive.”

“My junior has dirty thoughts. I swear by the Lord of the White Cross Society, I don’t have such videos.”

“Tch. You’re not even a believer.”

I deflected Arin’s words. There was absolutely nothing to keep secret between a man and a woman, but I didn’t want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

“It’s suspicious how you’re changing the subject. Is there something you’re guilty about?”

“Absolutely not.”

Hearing that, Arin whispered in my ear once more.

“Senior, if I ever catch you cheating or lying, I’ll make the first move. Before any other woman can touch you.”

I looked into her eyes. Pink bob haircut, and pink eyes to match that hair color.

Those eyes looked dead for a moment. It sent a chill down my spine. Arin sometimes made jokes that sounded serious.

“Don’t joke like that.”

“Yes, senior.”

Arin smiled broadly, though her eyes weren’t smiling. She continued.

“Then, senior, shall we go to the indoor training ground and train together? Both of us need to adapt to our new gear…”

As Arin said, not only she and Uncle Donghyuk, but I too could now use high-grade Ancient gear.

The A+ grade Ancient gear I finally acquired: Wind Cutter. But at the mention of the indoor training ground, I felt a flow of air suddenly wrapping around my neck.

As if saying it didn’t like indoors, as if saying let’s go outside. Since Wind Cutter was a wind-attribute gear, it wasn’t particularly strange.

‘Outdoors, huh. True, the indoor training ground has its limitations for properly practicing new flame spells.’

Being an A+ grade gear, it’s not easy to adjust to. Although Wind Cutter chose me as its owner, a weapon not properly tamed can harm its master.

But since it was work hours now, I thought I should do the basic training first and then set aside separate time for adjustment.

“Alright, then to the training ground…”

But just then, the eyes of all the employees in the office turned in one direction. A woman with silver-white hair was walking from there.

“Hello, Guild Leader!”

“Nice to see you, Guild Leader!”

Yuri entered the field team’s office. She raised her hand to lightly respond to the greetings. Then she stood right in front of me.

“Excuse me, Minsu. Can we talk?”

At that moment, Soso and Arin’s gazes turned towards the two of us.