Chapter 393: The Two People’s Secret Meeting (2)

Kang Hye-eun, the leader of the company-affiliated A-rank guild, Sky-blue Shield.

And Han Min-ah, also company-affiliated and a scout for Sky-blue Shield.

From their middle school days when they were merely aspiring hunters, to becoming A-rank hunters, close to the top tier among hunters.

The two, who had been together through a tenacious bond for many years, walked side-by-side on their way home from work, chatting about various things.

To be precise, it was mostly talk about someone else who was always included in their conversations.

Another person, who graduated from the same middle school and high school as the two, and belongs to the same party in the same hunter guild.

While talking about Sung Taekyung, the world’s only male Awakener hunter, Kang Hye-eun and Han Min-ah took steps that led them further and further away from the company.

“What business does that Sung Taekyung guy have staying at the company all of a sudden? He should have at least told us what it was. If it was something quick, I could have waited for him at the company cafe or something.”

“If it was something quick, Taekyung would have told me to wait first. He probably said to go ahead because it’s something that takes a long time.”

“Hye-eun, aren’t you even curious? …I know his relationships with women are quite seriously promiscuous, but still, since you’re his girlfriend, isn’t it something you can say at least a word about?”

“I am curious, but still, it’s Taekyung’s business, so I won’t doubt him anymore. Even if he really were plotting something worrying somewhere we don’t know, if it’s Taekyung, he’d be doing it with a reason.”

“You’re really a severe case….”

Although it’s because of his Awakener ability, Sung Taekyung goes around having relationships with multiple women while in a man’s body.

Kang Hye-eun, despite being the girlfriend of such a Sung Taekyung, doesn’t impose any restrictions on his actions and just agrees without doubting, saying it’s good.

In Han Min-ah’s eyes, they were a type of people she couldn’t comprehend no matter how much she thought about it.

Even she herself, who was ‘not romantically involved in any way’ with Sung Taekyung, naturally felt anxious just thinking about the possibility of him getting other women.

She worried about the ‘what if’ he came to have deeper interest in other women, not her, to the point where he wouldn’t even care whether her heat cycle came or not.

Especially since recently, there were her younger sisters who came back after staying out overnight starting from New Year’s Day, telling their first experience stories with very excited expressions, so her anxiety could only intensify.

Including Hye-eun and Yuri Unnie, there were already four people she knew who had slept with him.

If she included herself, it meant five people were already entangled in promiscuous relationships with Sung Taekyung, so from Han Min-ah’s perspective, she was honestly already in a dizzying state just with the current relationships.

In the last half-year, she had become co-wives with the same party members and her younger sisters.

She couldn’t even imagine that she would get entangled in such complicated human relationships just as a price for failing to endure one heat cycle.

…Even so, the feeling that she wished Sung Taekyung would be the one to handle her heat cycle hadn’t changed.

‘Still, if it’s someone like him, he’s not bad….’

Stories like her husband not providing partners at all even during her heat cycle, causing her sexual desire to build up for months, leading her to almost pounce on another man by mistake; or a husband who doesn’t do any housework or childcare despite her being a full-time housewife, forcing her to do all the chores and childcare every day without rest; or a husband who borrows money and meets other women in secret, yet she can’t divorce him despite knowing all this.

The anecdotes she had heard countless times from senior beast-type hunters, who were now retired and working in other professions, were still quite terrifying horror stories from Han Min-ah’s perspective.

It was unavoidable that she developed good feelings towards Sung Taekyung, who actively helped with her heat cycle relief, even though they were just friends from middle and high school.

Even after experiencing that time when he half-forcibly relieved her first heat cycle.

Even if it was because of her Awakener ability, his personality, actively exploring his partner’s body and exchanging affection in every sexual encounter, was on a completely different level than ordinary men.

‘…It would be nice if he could just fix that habit of sometimes inserting it into the back hole instead of the front.’

Lately, Han Min-ah found the sensitivity she felt every time they did it through the back hole was gradually increasing. It reached the point where she wondered if she might be awakening to a new preference.

She didn’t know yet that the time she had awakened to that preference was actually a long time ago.

Anyway, even someone like her was bound to be concerned about Sung Taekyung’s relationships, yet her friend Kang Hye-eun, who was his actual girlfriend, showed such an attitude of letting go of suspicion to such an extent.

If she, Sung Taekyung’s girlfriend, showed that attitude, then she herself couldn’t actively intervene in his relationships either.

“…Doubting Taekyung was enough last time.”

“……”

Seeing Kang Hye-eun muttering in a self-deprecating voice, she felt she could understand a little why she couldn’t help but withdraw her suspicion towards Sung Taekyung.

Glancing at Kang Hye-eun like that while walking side-by-side on their way home from work, she received quite a welcome suggestion from her after a long time.

“Ah, Min-ah. Shall we grab some chicken and beer at that place in front of the station after so long? We haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”

“Not a bad idea. Anyway, Jin-ah and Seon-ah said they’d be home late today too.”

“Come to think of it, those girls started working at the company recently too, right? Next time we meet at the company, maybe we could all have a meal together….”

From school classmates to work colleagues, and from colleagues to co-wives.

As time passed, for some reason, her old friend Kang Hye-eun became increasingly entangled in strange relationships.

Spending time with her like that, Han Min-ah could only quietly wish in her heart.

Herself, Kang Hye-eun, and Sung Taekyung.

That this somewhat complicated yet close relationship between these three people would continue as much as possible in the future.

…She was fully aware in a corner of her heart that it was a future close to impossible and difficult.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“…You knew?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I brought up that I knew about the relationship between herself and Kang Hye-eun, Cheon Jihee Sunbae made a blatantly flustered expression.

It must have been a confession made with a big decision from her perspective, so it was understandable that she was flustered upon hearing that I already knew.

“……How?”

After a long silence, Cheon Jihee Sunbae carefully asked back about the process by which I found out.

As I couldn’t honestly speak about the Lustful Eyes, I naturally had no choice but to give an answer mixed with a suitable excuse.

“How? What do you mean ‘how’? I could just see it by watching.”

“What…?”

“The way Cheon Jihee Sunbae treats Hye-eun is noticeably different from how you treat me or other party members. It would be strange if one didn’t notice that.”

“…Until now, other people haven’t noticed?”

“They might not have wanted to deliberately interfere in complicated love lives. If they said unnecessary words about you, Sunbae, and it led to the party’s division, that obviously wouldn’t be good, right?”

As much as I showed an attitude as if I had known for a long time, I needed to boldly push forward, saying it was unreasonable not to know.

And to be honest, after finding out she liked Hye-eun, I could feel the intention so obviously in every single action of Cheon Jihee Sunbae.

Even if it wasn’t the Lustful Eyes, if I had spent just one or two more months, I surely would have realized her feelings too.

It was unreasonable that the other party members of Sky-blue Shield, who had worked together for at least over a year, hadn’t noticed.

Considering the personalities of each Sky-blue Shield member, I could sufficiently infer the reason they didn’t deliberately speak up first.

Hye-eun, the party leader, valued the party’s strength the most, so she must have worried about the relationship with Cheon Jihee Sunbae becoming strained if she brought up ambiguous suspicions.

In a situation without certainty, an awkward misunderstanding could arise, potentially causing difficulties in operating Sky-blue Shield in the future, so it was natural for her not to speak rashly as a party leader.

Min-ah too, as her income from group expeditions with Sky-blue Shield was the highest, would not have brought up words that could cause a rift in the party.

In the first place, initiating discord when Hye-eun and Cheon Jihee Sunbae themselves weren’t saying anything didn’t fit Min-ah’s personality at all.

Cha Yuri… in the first place, she had no interest in other people’s affairs, so she probably wouldn’t have even considered the option of speaking up.

Perhaps there was even a possibility that she truly hadn’t noticed the relationship between the two. …Surely she wouldn’t be that unobservant, though.

Anyway, from their respective positions, there were sufficiently valid reasons not to deliberately let the relationship between the two become strained, so it wasn’t strange that no one mentioned their relationship.

There was sufficient reason for Cheon Jihee Sunbae to mistakenly believe her feelings were undiscovered.

“It was also a bit strange that someone with a bold and unhesitating personality like yours, Sunbae, would only have a one-sided love for several years.”

“……”

“I also wished, if possible, that your feelings, Sunbae, which I noticed, were just my misunderstanding. But after hearing your words just now, it seems it can’t be passed off as a simple misunderstanding.”

“…Yes.”

Cheon Jihee Sunbae readily nodded and agreed upon hearing my words.

It seemed she had fully expected this level of reaction, as she had difficulty spitting out the truth after making a big decision.

Hearing the words ‘It’s natural to know,’ she soon spoke with a flustered expression, as if urging an answer from me.

“Wait, you knowing who I like… surely you haven’t told Hye-eun too…?”

“Well. Even if other people don’t know, Hye-eun doesn’t seem to be sure of your feelings yet, Sunbae, you know?”

“…How do you know that? And the possibility that you told…”

“If Hye-eun had been sure of your feelings, Sunbae, Sky-blue Shield would have already cracked long ago. It’s a bit strange for me to say, but in the first place, Hye-eun only loves me.”

“……”

“If she had known there was a same-sex person in the same party who liked her, it would have been difficult for her to treat Cheon Jihee Sunbae without reservation like she does now, wouldn’t it?”

“…If so, that’s fine.”

As soon as she heard the story that Hye-eun hadn’t discovered it yet, Cheon Jihee Sunbae sighed with relief.

Seeing her like that for no reason, I felt a strange sense of guilt in a corner of my heart.

Because Hye-eun had already been certainly aware of Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s feelings even before today came.

…And that too, due to the secret meeting I had with Hye-eun.