Ch.54Blue Sky 1

“Us…?”

Siho and Jiwook asked simultaneously.

Jiwook was the first to catch on to Sea’s intention.

His lips twitched as if he knew Sea had fallen for him.

Jiwook entertained an amusing thought.

And soon opened his mouth to make that fantasy a reality.

“We could say we’re quite close. Right, Siho?”

At Jiwook’s sudden teasing, Siho covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

She shook her head with a shy smile.

Sea stared intently at that fragrant smile.

Their expressions were so cheerful, as if they had done all sorts of intimate things together.

“Someone with a girlfriend shouldn’t make jokes like that.”

Siho gently patted the chef’s shoulder.

Sea’s face grew gloomy at that gentle, soft physical contact.

In Sea’s eyes, Jiwook seemed like a wolf trying to devour Siho after his girlfriend.

“Sea, we’re just workplace colleagues. Don’t worry.”

But Sea wasn’t interested in Jiwook’s words.

She stared at Siho with an expressionless face.

Siho swallowed dryly under the girl’s serious gaze.

“That’s right. Just colleagues.”

When the bartender shrugged her shoulders, Sea was finally able to avert her gaze.

She murmured with her head lowered.

“I see.”

The bartender covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

And muttered in a low, small voice.

“I’ve never actually dated anyone anyway…”

The moment Siho spoke, everyone in the shop froze at her unexpected confession.

The shop became as quiet as if no one was there.

Sea in particular stared intently at the embarrassed bartender with her mouth covered.

“So, you didn’t have any relationship with those killers either?”

Jiwook asked with a surprised expression.

Siho shook her head in startled embarrassment at the question.

Her face looked embarrassed as if recalling what had happened with them.

“With them… I just happened to become friends…”

Siho vehemently denied as the situation escalated.

But Sea’s expression, listening alongside her, grew even more serious.

There are already women close to her sister?

And they’re killers, no less?

“Unnie… are you being threatened by killers?”

Siho grew increasingly uncomfortable under her persistent questioning.

Sea looked ready to charge in if she said yes.

Sensing the bartender’s discomfort, Sehee covered her friend’s mouth.

Already knowing who the killer was, Sehee cut off the conversation to protect her friend’s life.

“Unnie… we should get going now.”

Embarrassed by her excited friend, Sehee linked arms with Sea.

And carefully rose from her seat.

“Oh, and if you look at the back of the invitation, there should be an invoice.”

“An invoice?”

“Yes. It’s the guest lecturer’s compensation. Please check it and decide.”

Sehee discreetly made a money gesture with her fingers.

Her expression suggested the amount would be substantial and satisfying.

“I’ll be waiting…”

Sea muttered as she was dragged away.

The girl disappeared outside, cradled like a doll by Sehee, who specialized in physical enhancement.

The two employees stared blankly at the traces left by the two schoolgirls who had passed through like a storm.

Soon Jiwook turned his head to look at Siho.

He seemed somewhat surprised by the fact that Siho had never dated anyone.

The chef cleared his throat and headed toward the kitchen.

“I, I should prepare for opening too.”

The apron on Siho’s shoulders slipped down limply.

The bartender looked haggard, as if drained of energy even before the shop opened.

What did I just say…

She was embarrassed for unintentionally revealing her dating history.

The bartender sighed deeply and picked up the invitation again.

She wanted to check the lecture fee Sehee had mentioned.

As she had said, there was a payment statement on the back of the invitation.

Siho’s eyes widened as she confirmed the amount.

“Wait, how many zeros are there…?”

A whopping 2 million won.

With this much money, she could pay off all her overdue rent.

Is this the power of the Academy?

As expected of Korea’s premier training institution, the lecture fee is enormous.

Siho swallowed hard.

“It should be fine, right?”

Just one day.

Just one hour of lecturing, and 2 million won would be deposited in her hands.

Money that would take a whole month of working to death as a bartender.

Siho’s hand holding the invitation began to tremble.

“—.”

Two days passed.

The bus carrying Siho left Sindorim and headed for Ilsan.

Roads everywhere were riddled with holes from battles with monsters.

The bus navigated around these holes as it traversed the road.

Siho had ultimately accepted the invitation.

She couldn’t refuse when suffering for just one hour meant receiving 2 million won in a lump sum.

This would solve her frustrating rent problem.

With that mindset, Siho looked at her reflection in the window.

Her hair had grown to her shoulders.

Looking at her hair, Siho thought.

“Should I tie my hair up…”

Suddenly, she recalled Rina’s face from a few days ago.

She looked pretty with her hair neatly tied to one side.

The bartender brushed her hair.

A soft, subtle scent of herbs tickled her cheek.

“The next stop is ‘Korean Hunter Academy Main Gate’.”

This is it.

Siho got off the bus.

And savored the forest air she hadn’t breathed in a while.

The academy’s main gate could be seen in the distance.

Soon, two hunters who appeared to be security guards blocked her way.

“What brings you here?”

A hunter with a fierce expression asked her.

A longsword and holster were attached to his waist.

“I’m here to visit the Academy.”

“A visit?”

“Yes… I’m scheduled to give a lecture here tomorrow. I’m visiting for a tour beforehand.”

Unlike before, Siho faced them with a fairly articulate voice.

She had become somewhat accustomed to such situations after multiple experiences at Ilshim.

But despite her words, the hunters’ reactions remained indifferent.

No matter how they looked at her, the woman before them didn’t look like a lecturer.

She was a head shorter than them, with a body that appeared to have no muscle at all—how could she be a lecturer?

The hunter raised his gaze that had been gradually lowering.

Then cleared his throat as if nothing had happened.

“Please wait a moment. Let me check with the administration office.”

He kept his guard up and turned on his radio.

And began the tedious entry procedure.

“J-just a moment…!”

During what seemed like a prolonged standoff, someone walked out from inside the academy.

Siho’s face brightened at the familiar voice.

“Sea!”

The bartender waved her hand as if she had found a reliable ally.

The girl in her neatly worn school uniform approached her in response.

Sea looked even more elegant up close.

On her chest was a brooch with the letter ‘E’, symbolizing the elite class.

“Senior, this person is indeed the lecturer.”

Sea, who was usually timid in front of Siho, spoke confidently.

Though somewhat reluctant, the hunter eventually stepped aside.

It wouldn’t have worked if she were an ordinary student.

But the testimony of an elite class student seemed quite absolute even here.

“Was it difficult getting here? The roads here are quite rough…”

Sea asked as she walked alongside Siho through the academy corridor.

The bartender shook her head with a smile.

“Not at all-. The bumpy road was actually fun.”

Siho gently clenched her fists and swayed her body.

“Trust me today. I’ll guide you properly.”

The girl raised the corners of her mouth as if she had prepared a lot.

“Thank you. But I don’t see Sehee?”

When Siho mentioned another woman’s name, the smile disappeared from Sea’s face.

“Sehee will be busy today.”

The two walked together, touring various facilities of the academy.

From the arena where ability users trained for PVP,

To the fountain where statues of the first-generation rankers were displayed.

After touring the exterior of the buildings, the two entered the main building.

There was a small coffee shop in front of the main building.

“Unnie, it’s your first time at our school café, right?”

Sea pointed to the café sign.

The sign read ‘Coffee Academia’.

“Yes, this is my first time at the Academy itself.”

“The coffee here is famous. Let’s have a cup while you’re here.”

Sea slipped her hand into Siho’s arm.

The girl naturally linked arms with her unnie and turned toward the café.

“S-sure… I like coffee too.”

Siho agreed to her assertive behavior.

Why is she suddenly acting like this?

Sea slowly seated Siho.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Sea calmly headed to the counter.

Her unnie watched her intently.

Sea seemed to have overflowing pride in her school.

To even personally recommend a school specialty.

As expected of a prestigious academy student.

Siho imagined herself in a school uniform, leisurely ordering coffee like Sea.

Having envied academy students during her time as an F-rank hunter.

“…”

Suddenly, the area under Siho’s eyes twitched.

The image of herself in a school uniform wasn’t that of a male student.

The self-image Siho instinctively conjured was of a girl in a skirt with a seductive smile.

The bartender slapped her own cheek to erase that scene.

The drug must not have worn off completely…

Otherwise, this wouldn’t be happening.

Since ‘that time,’ Siho occasionally had strange unconscious thoughts.

To shake off those thoughts, she frequently gave herself physical jolts.

“—.”

Meanwhile, Sea received the two drinks she ordered.

Coffee in tall glass cups.

Sea carried the tray and gracefully returned to her unnie.

Siho watched her intently.

Perhaps because the girl was returning with quick steps.

The coffee on the tray wobbled precariously.

“—!”

Soon the coffee couldn’t control its wobbling and tilted.

And one glass began to spill toward Siho.

“Oh my, what should I do!”

The dark, rich coffee thoroughly stained Siho’s white shirt.

It was so soaked that the tank top Siho wore underneath was visible.

“Unnie, are you okay? I’m so sorry…”

Sea covered her mouth with both hands and wore an apologetic expression.

“It’s okay. Are you hurt?”

“No… but what about you? Your clothes…”

Sehee fidgeted anxiously looking at the blackened shirt.

To reassure her, Siho awkwardly said.

“You’re right. Should I just go home for today?”

Siho muttered with a sigh.

But Sea shook her head firmly.

“That won’t be necessary.”

“Huh…?”

Siho looked up at Sea’s calm voice.

Sea’s face didn’t look apologetic at all.

“My dormitory happens to be nearby.”

Sea smiled brightly.

Her voice, usually stuttering, had become calmer and more concise than anyone else’s.

“I’ll lend you some clothes.”

As if she were a different person.