Chapter 1054: Side Story – Summer Vacation with Older Sister’s Friends (2)

Eunyoung Noona’s party of three from her active days, and me, tagging along as the odd one out.

Unlike how I initially thought it was a somewhat awkward combination, talking with Kyungsook Sunbae was surprisingly not that boring.

“As expected from active hunters, they’re in great shape. Those guys too, S-Class hunters really are something else.”

“Kyungsook Sunbaenim, just looking at your appearance, you still look like you’re in your 20s. I’d believe it even if you said you were still actively working as a hunter?”

“You’re good at flattery. Surely you’re not being sarcastic, are you?”

“No, no, no. I’m only speaking with genuine sincerity.”

“Just so you know, it’s actually those guys still working as hunters at this age who are a bit strange. I just worked as an active hunter for about 5 years and then retired normally.”

“Yes. I know that too.”

President Seo Ok-hee was a truly unique case due to her upbringing, which made that possible.

…Eunyoung Noona’s return to active duty was significantly influenced by my relationship with her, though.

“Sigh, normally when Eunyoung does things like this, it wasn’t me who got dragged along, but Hyerim and Hyeonkyung…”

“Were those two also original party members?”

“Yeah. If you just look at their abilities as hunters, they were more similar to me. Hyerim was A-Class just like me, and Hyeonkyung was A+ right before retiring? But now, both of them seem to be completely under their husbands’ thumbs.”

“That means they’re loved that much by their husbands, right?”

“What? Are you taking the men’s side just because you’re a man? Honestly, men…”

The names of the other party members that caught my ear momentarily sparked a little interest, but that was it. I don’t really have much interest in women who already have boyfriends or husbands.

I had no intention of stopping the act of restoring weakened awakened abilities in a slightly lewd way and returning them to active duty, but I absolutely had no intention of doing so by ruining an ordinary, happy family.

“Aigoo, it’s a workday for me today, but here I am, dragged along… Well, nowadays, even if I go to work, there isn’t really much to do, though…”

While she seemed to be speaking self-deprecatingly, seeing the faint smile drawn at the corner of her mouth… perhaps Kyungsook Sunbaenim was secretly enjoying this kind of impulsive trip departure?

It was the same when I saw President Seo Ok-hee talking with Eunyoung Noona earlier. To be honest, I wasn’t exactly disliking the current situation either.

Getting caught up in Eunyoung Noona’s energy was sometimes burdensome, but I never regretted it or had a bad outcome because of it.

It was often helpful in releasing pent-up emotions when Eunyoung Noona would forcibly drag me and Hye-eun along whenever academic stress piled up and I wanted to release it somewhere.

“So, where do you want to go today?”

“Today’s destination is~! Dugudugudu…”

“Stop stalling and tell me quickly, Kang Eunyoung. I’m the one driving, not you?”

“Today’s destination has been decided as the valley!! Let’s go, to Odaesan Mountain in Gangneung!!”

“Right, I was already heading to get on the Yangyang Expressway, expecting you to say that.”

“Just like always, Ok-hee-bari~! You get it right away even without me saying anything~!”

The Odaesan Valley trip for the four of them, initiated by Eunyoung Noona.

It was a bit sudden, but it was a decent vacation spot to take a breather for a moment.

Maybe it was because it was a weekday morning with light traffic. After entering the Yangyang Expressway, the four of them drove smoothly, heading east.

Since I was traveling on the expressway instead of a warp gate after a long time, I somehow remembered the various things Eunbyul and I did on the expressway not too long ago.

Of course, it’s something I obviously couldn’t do in the current situation. Unlike Eunbyul, Eunyoung Noona and President Seo Ok-hee don’t have a penchant for exhibitionism, and besides, Noh Kyungsook Sunbaenim, sitting next to me, is someone who has never formed any kind of relationship with me in that regard.

“President Seo Ok-hee and Eunyoung Noona… have you known the two of them for a long time?”

“Knowing each other… it’s been about 23 years, maybe? Even after retiring and opening my shop, I saw them a few times a year. Your adoptive mother has such a warm-hearted personality.”

“Well… Eunyoung Noona definitely has a lot of affection.”

Thanks to that, I received a lot of help even when I was left alone in the world during my young childhood. If it weren’t for Eunyoung Noona, I don’t know how I would have spent those early years.

Even with 20 years’ worth of knowledge in my head, there wasn’t much I could do alone when my body was only in my mid-teens. The kindness I received from Eunyoung Noona back then would probably be impossible to repay, even after a lifetime.

“But you know.”

“Yes.”

“Hubae, you keep calling Eunyoung ‘Noona’ since earlier. Is it perhaps because you and Eunyoung don’t have much of an age difference, or something like that?”

“Eung-hat?!”

Kyungsook Sunbae questioned it, seeming quite curious about the way I called Eunyoung Noona, and Eunyoung Noona responded with a cute sound, squirming slightly.

President Seo Ok-hee also seemed similarly awkward about my way of addressing them, holding the same question and interrogating me and Eunyoung Noona.

“It’s not like there isn’t an age difference. Her resume said she was 23. Ah, since a year has passed, she must be 24 now.”

“Ah, really? Then you’re practically like her son? It’s a 20-year difference, right? But you call her ‘Noona’?”

“…I find it a bit strange too. I’ve heard you call Eunyoung ‘Noona’ a few times before, but seeing it now, it doesn’t seem like a slip of the tongue; it looks quite natural?”

“…Uh, yeah?”

“Judging by your reaction, Hubae, it seems you call her Eunyoung Noona even in private? Still, she’s your adoptive mother, isn’t calling her that a bit awkward? Or did Eunyoung tell you to do that?”

“I, I never told him to! My, my son calls her that of his own free will~!”

“Really, Taekyung?”

“Yes. I just call her Eunyoung Noona because I want to.”

I obviously couldn’t give the explanation that I started calling her ‘Noona’ because calling her ‘Mom’ or ‘Hye-eun’s mother’ during sex made it hard to get immersed.

If President Seo Ok-hee were here, we might have been able to talk about it nonchalantly since there’s some kind of relationship, but Noh Kyungsook Sunbaenim, sitting next to me, is someone I’m meeting for the first time today.

No matter how shameless I am, I’m not the type of person to make lewd jokes in front of someone I’ve just met today. Especially not in front of others watching.

“It must be awkward, but you’re doing it anyway.”

“In the first place, if you just look at appearances, you look like Noonas. Both Eunyoung Noona and Kyungsook Sunbaenim.”

“Huh? Are you suddenly flattering me too?”

“At least, that’s how it looks in my eyes. Honestly, who would think you’re in your 40s looking at Kyungsook Sunbaenim?”

“Hubae, I didn’t think you were like this, but you have an unexpected tendency to flatter?”

It wasn’t flattery, but sincerity, and besides, Kyungsook Sunbae didn’t seem to dislike what I was saying, sporting a faint smile.

Sitting next to her, facing each other, she felt like a senior with a strangely mature charm, different from Eunyoung Noona or President Seo Ok-hee.

“Hey, you punk! Why are you mentioning everyone else but me?”

“Honestly, if you just look at her appearance, President Seo Ok-hee is definitely not a Noona. If I had to say, maybe a younger sister?”

“P’heup.”

“…Do you want to die?”

“Wow, seeing you talk like that even to Ok-hee, you really are honest. If it were me, I would have treated her like a Noona just to avoid getting hit.”

“I’m just speaking honestly because I don’t want to lie. Besides, even if I lied, you’d figure it out by reading my mind anyway.”

“You haven’t seen me for a few months, and your mouth has gotten lively, huh? Let’s see each other when we arrive at the valley later?”

…It was a statement from President Seo Ok-hee that was truly full of threats, unlike the others. The President is someone who really follows through.

“But, you say you’re Eunyoung’s ‘adopted son’, yet you seem quite close with Ok-hee too? Surely I wasn’t the only outcast among us?”

“President Seo Ok-hee took good care of me when I was previously affiliated with a company. We still meet occasionally regarding guild collaborations. And also…”

“…Hey, hey. Don’t mention that part.”

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘that part’?”

“…When I was starting my guild, she really helped me a lot as a senior in that industry. I think she told me not to mention it because she’s embarrassed.”

“Hmm, really? That’s unexpected. Ok-hee, you don’t usually take care of people like that unless they’re ‘yours’.”

“…Well. I just took care of you because you showed promise. There’s no hidden meaning.”

I understood immediately what President Seo Ok-hee’s ‘that’ referred to, so I tactfully changed the subject and mumbled an evasion.

In the first place, I had no intention of suddenly bringing up her and my relationship in a place like this.

Even so, it’s in front of people I’m seeing for the first time, and maybe if it were with Eunyoung Noona, who I have some common ground with, but…

“…….”

-Jjirit.

Through the rearview mirror, the President’s sharp gaze flew towards me.

She was probably indirectly telling me not to mention it to Eunyoung Noona either…

…Well, that wasn’t something that could be hidden forever, even if I wanted to.