Chapter 394: The Two People’s Secret Meeting (3)

About three days ago.

The fact that Cheon Jihee Sunbae had romantic feelings for Hye-eun.

This was during the time I had an impromptu secret meeting with Hye-eun about it.

「…Hello?」

“Yeah, Hye-eun-ah. Are you busy right now?”

「Huh? Oh, no. I just finished all the day’s events and was taking a short break at the dorm.」

It had been quite a while since I’d last seen Hye-eun’s face, busy as she was with her part-time jobs. Just around the time I felt that way, I had a rather long phone call with Hye-eun, who finally had some free time for once. As we were catching up and asking about each other’s well-being through various topics, I thought it was a perfect opportunity, so I brought up the matter concerning Cheon Jihee Sunbae with her. Specifically, about the fact that Cheon Jihee Sunbae was harboring unrequited feelings for Hye-eun.

「…You think Jihee-ssi likes me, Taekyung-ah?」

“It’s not that I think so, I’m certain.”

「Aren’t you being a bit too definitive? Sure, Jihee-ssi can be a little over-the-top with her affection, but to be certain based on just that seems a bit…」

“If it were just excessive affection, there are many actions she takes only towards you, not towards Min-ah or Yuri-ssi. Have you ever seen Cheon Jihee Sunbae put her arm around Min-ah’s or Yuri-ssi’s shoulders or hug them from behind?”

「I’ve never seen anything like that, though….」

“Of course, it might be presumptuous of me to say this, considering I haven’t been in the party long, but no matter how I look at it, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s feelings for you, Hye-eun, seem more dangerous than ordinary friendship.”

「…….」

A brief silence followed, as if she started pondering my words. Hye-eun probably had suspicions about the situation even before I brought it up. However, given her position as the party leader and the immediate issue concerning the survival of the Sky Blue Shield, she couldn’t make a hasty judgment before being more certain. Before I joined her party, if Cheon Jihee, an A-class Hunter vanguard, were to leave the Sky Blue Shield, it would become quite difficult for the Sky Blue Shield to maintain its position as an A-class Hunter party. But with my recent recruitment, even if Cheon Jihee Sunbae were to leave the party, the Sky Blue Shield could still maintain its status as an A-class Hunter party. With that newfound breathing room, Hye-eun likely also gained the space to look at her relationship with Cheon Jihee Sunbae more objectively.

「Certainly….」

“Mm-hmm.”

「Certainly, it was a bit strange. She was always overly, uncomfortably clingy towards me, yet acted as if she had no interest whatsoever in Yuri-ssi or Min-ah. I just thought it was because she’d been working with me the longest, feeling a sense of closeness….」

“If that were all there was to it, she would have shown at least a similar attitude towards the other two. While she’s been with you the longest, Min-ah and Cha Yuri-ssi have also been active in the Sky Blue Shield for a year or two, haven’t they?”

「Min-ah has been with us for about a year and a half, and Yuri-ssi for a little over two years….」

“Especially towards someone like Min-ah, who is so friendly and approaches others first, showing no affection at all while focusing solely on you, Hye-eun, isn’t that strange?”

As soon as I finished speaking, a brief silence followed over the receiver, and soon Hye-eun replied, her voice tinged with a hint of bewilderment.

「I had thought it was a bit strange before, quite a few times…. So that’s why….」

“So you had considered it before.”

「Yeah…. Whenever those thoughts crossed my mind, I just brushed them off as insignificant….」

Seeing Hye-eun gradually confirming Cheon Jihee’s feelings towards her only after hearing it directly from someone else. Perhaps because I had stimulated the suspicions she vaguely felt, it wasn’t difficult to make Hye-eun understand the current situation. However, her subsequent reaction was something I hadn’t anticipated.

「So, what do you want to do, Taekyung-ah?」

“Huh?”

「Do you want Jihee-ssi to leave the Sky Blue Shield? Or do you think it’s better for her to remain as the vanguard of the Sky Blue Shield, hiding her feelings for me?」

It was only natural that I was momentarily speechless, as she was asking me the question I should have been asking Hye-eun. After all, since this issue concerned her more directly than me, I believed it was right for Hye-eun to make the final decision. I had merely provided her with information I learned from a third-party perspective to make her decision easier. If she felt discomfort from Cheon Jihee’s actions, viewed objectively, then expelling her from the Sky Blue Shield was Hye-eun’s right. If she wasn’t bothered by it, as before, then keeping Cheon Jihee as part of the Sky Blue Shield’s strength while pretending not to notice was also her choice. Besides, Hye-eun, not me, was the leader of the Sky Blue Shield.

Yet, despite conveying this, Hye-eun still sought my opinion over the phone.

「…Still, I’m not sure, so can’t you choose for me, Taekyung-ah?」

“Huh?”

「Even though Jihee-ssi is a woman like me, she definitely has romantic feelings for me. If you feel uncomfortable with Jihee-ssi liking me, Taekyung-ah, then I think it’s fine to expel Jihee-ssi.」

“But she’s a Sunbae who founded the Sky Blue Shield with you. To expel her based solely on my opinion….”

「If that’s not preferable, then it’s okay to keep Jihee-ssi as the vanguard and continue as we have. Honestly, Jihee-ssi’s feelings are a bit burdensome, but considering everything that’s happened so far, it’s not really something I need to worry too much about.」

“…Really?”

「Besides, the only one I love is you, Taekyung-ah, so a little hug from a woman, not even a man, doesn’t really bother me.」

Hye-eun said that so casually, words that would undoubtedly shock Cheon Jihee Sunbae if she heard them. Her statement that she’d expel Jihee-ssi solely because I felt uncomfortable was frightening, but the follow-up, ‘it’s okay to continue like this,’ actually stirred pity for Cheon Jihee Sunbae. It meant that to Hye-eun, the object of Jihee Sunbae’s nearly three years of unrequited love, Jihee Sunbae evoked only feelings of ‘not bothering her’. In a way, this answer felt far more shocking than if Hye-eun had expressed discomfort.

「So, which do you prefer, Taekyung-ah?」

“Well, I don’t think I can make a decision right now….”

「Actually, regarding Jihee-ssi, I don’t think you’ll need to make the decision, Taekyung-ah.」

“What do you mean?”

「I’ve been vaguely sensing it while working with Jihee-ssi recently, but I’ve been getting the feeling that she’s become a bit weaker compared to when she was in her prime.」

“…That was considered weaker?”

Based on the skills I’ve seen so far, she looked like a solid A-class fighter Hunter. If someone who can pulverize a mature White Crystal Spider with just punches and kicks is considered weakened, just how strong was she in her prime? As I tried to imagine Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s past, which was hard to fathom, Hye-eun’s additional explanation came through the receiver.

「You probably don’t know since you joined the party recently, Taekyung-ah, but until two years ago, Jihee-ssi was in her absolute prime as a Hunter. Now, including Min-ah and you, five of us enter A-class dungeons, but in the early days, the Sky Blue Shield used to tackle dungeons with just three people: me, Jihee-ssi, and Yuri-ssi.」

“Hearing you say that, I think I get a rough idea of her skill level.”

「Of course, scouts were needed, so other Hunters occasionally joined and left the Sky Blue Shield, but most had no combat ability, so until Min-ah joined, it was essentially a three-person party. Back then, Yuri-ssi’s awakening ability hadn’t weakened yet, and Jihee-ssi was on a completely different level compared to now.」

“That much…?”

「In her prime, she had the skill level to almost reach S-class Hunter status. She just never took the promotion exam, so she continued as A-class. I heard she refused, saying things like she couldn’t become S-class, but I don’t know the specifics.」

“……”

Perhaps she didn’t want to become an S-class Hunter without Hye-eun. If she became an S-class Hunter, the leadership of the Sky Blue Shield would naturally shift from Hye-eun to her. Maybe she didn’t want that, which is why she deliberately avoided the promotion exam. It’s entirely possible she thought the leader of the Sky Blue Shield should always be Hye-eun, not herself. It might be a bit of a stretch, but considering she’s been harboring unrequited feelings for Hye-eun, a woman, for three years, any kind of obsession wouldn’t be surprising. Yet, here was Hye-eun, who felt nothing for Cheon Jihee Sunbae and was even willing to expel her if I wished. It was a cruel reality, hard to believe for Jihee Sunbae. Even if Hye-eun didn’t actively expel her, Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s departure from the Sky Blue Shield was imminent. If she could somehow find a way to satisfy her desires, she might regain her prime awakening abilities and remain in the Sky Blue Shield. However, loving a woman, and one who was already taken, Hye-eun, made that path virtually impossible. Even if she could get over her feelings for Hye-eun and find another man she was compatible with, that would mean Cheon Jihee Sunbae would have no reason left to stay in the Sky Blue Shield. The only reason she gave up the chance to become an S-class Hunter and settled for being a member of the A-class party, the Sky Blue Shield, was solely for Hye-eun.

“Hmm….”

Just as I started thinking that the past few days spent worrying about Hye-eun and Cheon Jihee Sunbae’s relationship might have been completely pointless. Another unexpected question came from Hye-eun over the receiver.

「…Hey, Taekyung-ah.」

“Yeah?”

「If you don’t like the idea of Jihee-ssi leaving the Sky Blue Shield, what about this method?」

“What method?”

「…What method do you mean? You know perfectly well, Taekyung-ah.」

Just as I was about to ask if she meant the method I was thinking of, Hye-eun’s next words came immediately over the receiver. Her slightly flustered words left me momentarily stunned. I never imagined I’d hear this suggestion, which I thought only I had considered, coming from Hye-eun’s lips.

「Just have sex with Jihee-ssi too, Taekyung-ah. That’s the simplest solution, isn’t it?」