Chapter 33 Meeting Again with an Ex-Girlfriend

The day after the final battle with Reytana.

I was able to greet a rather refreshing morning.
In fact, ever since I obtained the [Hero] skill and stopped feeling fatigue, mornings have always been refreshing.

But the [Hero] skill isn’t omnipotent; it can’t do anything about mental fatigue.

But now, perhaps because I had completed a major task, both my body and mind felt refreshed.

Moreover, today was a relaxed Saturday.

I didn’t have to go to the guild, and it was a day I could rest with peace of mind.

Who wouldn’t like holidays? But I really loved holidays.

Ever since working as Yoo Eun-ha’s manager, I had had an incredibly busy life on weekdays.

Even on holidays, I couldn’t be completely relaxed, but still, there was a guaranteed feeling of getting some rest.

That feeling hasn’t changed even now.

Even though I now have a body that doesn’t feel fatigue, it still felt like I was regaining peace of mind.

“Si-eun. Good morning.”

“Um… okay…”

But somehow, I didn’t feel that comfortable.

The reason was Si-eun’s somehow changed attitude.

Somehow, since yesterday, Si-eun had started avoiding me.

When I’m watching TV, she keeps sneaking glances at me.

Even during meals, she stops eating and stares at me.

And even when our bodies just slightly touch, she gets flustered and her face turns red.

Certainly, Si-eun’s condition had changed noticeably, enough to say it was strange.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but judge that Si-eun was hiding something from me.

‘What should I do in this situation…’

To be honest, I don’t intend to forcibly ask Si-eun about this.

Si-eun is a teenage girl in her prime, and naturally, it’s normal for her to have one or two secrets.

I know that and understand Si-eun.

But even knowing that, on the other hand, it’s a brother’s heart that feels regretful.

If she would just consult with me straightforwardly, I could give her appropriate answers, which is a shame.

‘No. Should I ask her once?’

I think that in times like this, I should steel my heart as a brother.

No matter how close you are with your younger sister, drifting apart can happen in an instant.

At times like this, I needed to feel the necessity to approach and speak first.

“Si-eun. Is there something going on lately?”

“N-No… Nothing…!”

So I asked Si-eun directly, but Si-eun turned her eyes away and clearly took a stance that she didn’t want to talk to me.

And she tried to leave.

“Brother. I’m going to hang out with my friends.”

“Okay. Have a good time.”

Seeing Si-eun leave in such a hurry also hurts my heart in a way.

It’s no exaggeration to say that I raised Si-eun, and while she’s my younger sister, in some ways, she’s like a daughter to me.

Is this what a father feels as his daughter grows up and gradually distances herself?

It was a bit lonely.

‘But I have to endure it.’

I sighed slightly and decided to stop thinking about this issue.

Now the appointment time was gradually approaching.

The request Park Jin-ha made to me after I finished with Reytana yesterday—to go shopping for clothes together.

I showered and changed clothes to prepare for it.

I arrived at the place where I had agreed to meet Park Jin-ha.

And I could see a red-haired girl in the distance.

“Si-woo…! You’re here.”

“You came early?”

Even though I arrived 10 minutes early for the appointment, Park Jin-ha was already there.

As I approached Park Jin-ha, she welcomed me happily.

I looked at Park Jin-ha once.

She was wearing a cute outfit consisting of a black skirt that came down to her thighs, a pure white cardigan, and black stockings.

It definitely gave a strong impression that she had dressed up.

Until yesterday, Park Jin-ha had worn casual clothes like hot pants and a leather jacket.

It wasn’t that she dressed poorly then, but now she seemed to be dressed much more girlishly.

“Si-woo… Thank you so much. For accompanying me like this…!”

“It’s nothing. I had nothing to do anyway.”

Park Jin-ha bowed her head to me in gratitude.

I smiled at Park Jin-ha and told her it was okay.

“Shall we eat first?”

“Yes…!”

I took Park Jin-ha and walked to the store I had in mind.

—Wow… Isn’t that Park Jin-ha?

—Who’s Park Jin-ha?

—You know. The one who became 10th rank recently. The person next to her must be her boyfriend, he’s extremely handsome.

—Hmm… I guess you need to look that good to have an S-class hunter as a girlfriend.

Naturally, we couldn’t avoid drawing attention as we went.

There were quite a few people who recognized Park Jin-ha, who had just become S-class.

It wasn’t the same level of popularity as other S-class hunters, but still, people glanced at us.

But even if that wasn’t the case, a handsome man and a beautiful woman walking down the street naturally attract attention.

I didn’t particularly care.

Even when I was dating Yoo Eun-ha in the past, I always received stares from those around us, and I wasn’t particularly concerned about such things now. It’s not like I’ve done anything wrong.

It might be right to say that I’ve become accustomed to situations like this.

“Ahaha… To say we’re lo… lovers… is funny, right?”

But Park Jin-ha obviously wasn’t like that.

I could see Park Jin-ha with her reddened face and lowered head.

Well, that’s a natural reaction when you’ve just become S-class.

I hurriedly headed to the store for Park Jin-ha’s sake.

The place I arrived at was a somewhat quiet spaghetti restaurant.

A little past lunchtime, fortunately, there weren’t many people.

We sat in an empty seat.

We each ordered spaghetti, and the ordered spaghetti arrived.

“This is really delicious…!? Do you know many great restaurants like this?”

Park Jin-ha twirled the spaghetti, put it in her mouth, and exclaimed in admiration.

Her eyes seemed to sparkle.

Fortunately, she seemed to like it.

“Well… due to the nature of my job, I got to know them well.”

Actually, this spaghetti restaurant is a hidden gem that only those in the know are aware of.

It was a restaurant I had discovered when I was serving as Yoo Eun-ha’s manager.

Honestly, I thought a reaction like “it’s delicious” was expected.

“By the way, what do you do when you have free time, Jin-ha?”

“I… watch YouTube or… read novels.”

“Hmm? Novels? What kind of novels do you mainly read?”

“Romance… novels.”

“I see.”

And during the meal, we conversed.

“What do you usually do when you have free time, Si-woo?”

“Hmm… well. Nothing in particular.”

“Don’t you have any hobbies that you do when you have free time?”

“Hmm… I don’t remember having free time.”

“Si-woo. You’ve lived quite a busy life.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Just these kinds of conversations.

“By the way… Si-woo… you’re a really cool person. Really interesting…”

“Haha. Thanks for the compliment. You’re a really cool person too.”

“I’m not just saying that…”

“I’m not just saying it either.”

I didn’t particularly feel bad as it was like talking with my younger sister.

“Now that we’ve pretty much finished eating, let’s get up. You said you wanted to buy clothes, right?”

“Yes…!”

“By the way, what kind of clothes are you going to buy?”

“Hmm… I want to buy clothes to wear when I go out with my friends this time.”

Time had already passed, and we ate the spaghetti deliciously.

Now we paid the bill and left the restaurant.

“Um, Si-woo, can I hold your hand?”

“Sure. Here.”

Once again in the city.

And with a slightly reddened face, Park Jin-ha reached out her hand to me, and I held her hand.

Park Jin-ha seemed slightly happy when I held her hand.

‘Wait… now that I think about it, is this something like a date?’

Seeing Park Jin-ha whose hand I was holding like a couple, I felt like I realized something.

A man and a woman eating together and going to buy clothes, it was certainly something that could be called a date.

But I decided not to think too deeply about it.

Because I don’t think of it that way at all.

Park Jin-ha is a 17-year-old high school girl. She’s the same age as my younger sister, Lee Si-eun.

In contrast, I am a 24-year-old proper adult.

Given the significant age difference, and the fact that I am an adult while Park Jin-ha is a student, I have no particular intention of trying to seduce Park Jin-ha.

There’s nothing that receives more social criticism than touching a naive high school girl.

And I don’t live recklessly enough to go around touching one woman after another.

So while this is a date, it might be more appropriate to think of it as just having a brief social gathering with a company colleague on the weekend.

“Si-woo. This way is a shortcut, shall we go this way?”

“Sure. Why not.”

Park Jin-ha looked at me and guided me to an alley.

I followed Park Jin-ha.

“Si-woo. Look, someone is sleeping over there.”

“Must be a homeless person, I guess.”

And in the alley, we could see someone lying face down on newspaper and sleeping.

It was a young woman with silver hair, sleeping on the ground in the middle of the day, drunk.

I was going to pass by without giving her particular attention.

Because it wasn’t a particularly good sight.

“Huh? But it looks kind of familiar?”

But I couldn’t help but look because of the somehow familiar outfit.

“Si-woo… isn’t that… Hunter Yoo Eun-ha?”

Park Jin-ha looked at me with a slightly surprised expression.

At this point, I couldn’t help but realize it too.

That the person sleeping like this in broad daylight is Yoo Eun-ha.