Chapter 52: Job Change Plan

Hearing that not only Cha Yuri, whose name came from Han Min-ah’s lips, but even Hye-eun were in the same party, my head felt momentarily blank.

Up until now, when selecting targets for point acquisition, I thought I had been gathering people who had no connections with each other as much as possible.

Even if it was unavoidable that Han Min-ah, who had a deep connection since our school days, was part of the same party as Kang Hye-eun, it was an unexpected situation that Cha Yuri was included in the same party.

“So the close wind mage you mentioned is also….”

“Of course, it’s Yuri Unnie.”

“Haha….”

…Right, Cha Yuri was definitely a 5th-circle wind mage who could use contraception magic.

‘What should I do about this.’

If I handle this wrong, not only Kang Hye-eun but also Cha Yuri and Han Min-ah might completely ruin their relationships.

Of course, I had clearly told Kang Hye-eun that I wasn’t her boyfriend, and since I hadn’t officially exchanged ‘we are dating’ talks with Cha Yuri either, they wouldn’t have the right to interfere with me seeing other women, but…

Having two, no, three people with whom I’ve shared intimacy within the same party was, after all, quite dangerous.

“Min-ah, is that it for the party members, just those three?”

“No? There’s also a fighter named Jihee Unnie. So, four people.”

“…Sihee Unnie?”

“Ji, Hee, Un, Ni. Cheon, Ji, Hee.”

…I almost had a heart attack. Why does her name have to be so similar to Do Sihee’s, causing confusion. If she had also been part of the same party, I would have truly lost my mind.

Well, thinking about it, Do Sihee is clearly affiliated with the Foundation, so why would she bother joining a company party.

Still, I had to calm my racing heart, so I resumed stroking Han Min-ah’s tail, which I had stopped momentarily to talk, to soothe my mind.

Indeed, petting the soft ball of fur makes me feel more at ease.

-Rub, rub.

“What, you don’t mean, hng, Jihee Unnie too…?”

“I just got confused because her name is similar to someone I know.”

“…Haaah, R-right?”

Of course, that ‘someone I know’ wasn’t just a casual acquaintance.

-Stroke, stroke.

“Lately, Yuri Unnie seems more interested in talking about men, I didn’t expect that you, Sung Taekyung, huaa, would be the cause….”

Kang Hye-eun, Cha Yuri, and Han Min-ah.

Although it wasn’t intentional, the situation where I had already shared intimacy with three people within the same party meant I had essentially created a ticking time bomb.

Even setting aside Han Min-ah, who already knew the truth, it was an issue that would inevitably lead to conflict, big or small, the moment Kang Hye-eun or Cha Yuri found out there were two more ‘pillar sisters-in-law’ within the same party.

Perhaps it would have been better if I had been part of the same party from the beginning, being a party member and simultaneously in a position where I openly resolved everyone’s sexual desires….

“Ah.”

My stuffy mind suddenly cleared, and at the same time, a single idea to turn this crisis into an opportunity flashed through my head.

“Hey, Han Min-ah.”

“Hng, Why, why…?”

“Could you perhaps write me a letter of recommendation?”

“A recommendation letter…?”

Perhaps she hadn’t expected the words ‘recommendation letter’ to come out, as her vagina, holding my member, tightened as if surprised.

“W-what kind of recommendation letter?”

“A recommendation letter for a job transfer, of course.”

“A job transfer…? You’re trying to join the company?”

“Yeah.”

“What nonsense is this….”

As if unable to understand what I was saying at all, Han Min-ah muttered incredulously.

“Are you perhaps trying to get a job as an office worker or a guide? The company hires for those positions themselves; my recommendation means nothing.”

“What are you talking about? A Hunter recommendation is obviously needed when joining as a Hunter.”

“Seriously, there’s a limit to the nonsense.”

“Why? Can’t you?”

“If I had to say, it’s not impossible, but… based on the last time I saw your skills, Sung Taekyung, you’d probably barely pass the entrance exam?”

If she last saw me, it would have been Sung Taekyung before his awakening, so Han Min-ah’s reaction was understandable.

“If you hadn’t given up on the sword you loved so much and had wielded it until the end, you might have been able to join as a D-rank Hunter. But honestly, you know it too. If the skill you showed back then was all you had, joining the company would have been absolutely impossible.”

“But I already got a Hunter license from the Union. And I’ve gained some practical experience, haven’t I?”

“The Union accepts anyone who fills out an application, regardless of gender, as a trainee Hunter. A Hunter license issued there is practically worthless to the company. Unless you’re at least C-rank, maybe.”

Surprisingly, I am indeed that C-rank Hunter right now.

I considered taking out the license right then and showing it to her, even revealing my awakening, but I held back the moment I realized the name on my Hunter license was an alias.

“So, if I just get C-rank qualification from the Union, will you write the recommendation?”

“C-rank is considered quite strong for a guy, but whether that’s enough for a recommendation letter is a bit ambiguous… Besides, the Union tends to hand out ranks rather carelessly compared to the company or the Foundation, so, um…”

“Spit it out. Are you going to write it or not.”

“Hag, J-just a moment…! I need to think, so don’t touch me suddenly…!”

While stroking Han Min-ah’s breasts, which she hadn’t confirmed definitively, I coaxed her next words out of her. Finally, Han Min-ah, as if having no choice, blurted out her decision.

“B, B-rank! If you reach B-rank by the Union’s standards, I’ll write you a recommendation!”

“You promise?”

“Of c-course, I’ll need to verify your skills with my own eyes in a public dungeon! There’s a possibility you raised your rank with someone else’s help!”

“Alright. That’s naturally necessary.”

In any case, the important thing was the confirmation that she would write the recommendation.

Unlike transferring affiliation from a company or foundation to another guild, it was quite a troublesome process for a Hunter affiliated with the Union, which lacks proper structure, to move to another guild.

In the worst-case scenario, even Hunters ranked B or higher in the Union often started as D-rank Hunters in the company, which is why a recommendation letter from an existing company Hunter was necessary. With this, it’s possible to transfer to the company while maintaining your rank from the Union.

Especially in a company with slow promotions, starting from D-rank Hunter would require at least 2-3 years, even optimistically, to reach A-rank.

That’s far too late.

Kang Hye-eun is A-rank, Cha Yuri is also A-rank.

And Han Min-ah, who is in the same party as them, must also possess at least an A or B-rank Hunter license.

As my next goal is to join Kang Hye-eun’s Hunter party, Han Min-ah’s recommendation letter was quite crucial.

…Come to think of it, I almost forgot something important.

“Min-ah, I’m just saying this in case.”

“Euus, Wh-what is it…?”

“The story about me sleeping around with various women to manage… resolve the sexual desires of Hunters, if possible…”

“Don’t tell Hye-eun or Yuri Unnie. Is that the kind of favor you’re asking?”

“Yeah, I’m asking.”

“…Alright, for now.”

It was a secret with considerable weight, so I thought it would be unavoidable even if she refused, but her readily nodding was an unexpected situation for me.

“Really?”

“Well, for one thing, I’ve done wrong by you too. Let’s consider it as us having leverage over each other, and I’ll stay quiet for now. You must have your own timing for wanting to confess. In fact, Yuri Unnie’s condition improved noticeably after she came back from resting. Though I’m not sure if it was really because she shared intimacy with you, Sung Taekyung.”

“Thanks, Min-ah.”

Thanks to having such an understanding friend, I’ve bought myself time to safely defuse the bomb.

“But, only until the end of this year.”

“If it’s only until the end of the year, does that mean you’ll reveal the secret to everyone at midnight on January 1st next year?”

“…I won’t be that strict about the timing, but if this strange relationship continues until next year, I’ll be the one to tell the two of them when the opportunity arises. It’s for Hye-eun and Yuri Unnie’s sake. And, it’s for your sake too.”

I found the part about ‘for my sake’ a bit hard to understand, but anyway, the message was clear: she wouldn’t stand by and watch Kang Hye-eun or Cha Yuri-ssi be manipulated by me.

Either confess honestly and declare myself a ‘slut’, or systematically end all relationships and pretend they never happened. I should take this to mean I have to choose one of the two within six months.

“Right, I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”

“You’ll handle it well, sure. Actually, that’s what worries me more right now….”

To comfort Han Min-ah, who uttered her last words with a bitter voice, I simultaneously petted her tail and continued our unfinished conversation.

“I mentioned earlier that there are Hunters who can’t perform at their best because their sexual desires build up, remember?”

“Yeah. I still don’t fully believe it, though.”

“I also said that’s why I sleep with various Hunters.”

“Yeah. I still can’t understand it, but…”

“Now, you’re included in that group too, Han Min-ah.”

“…Huh?”

“Let’s talk during your next heat. Don’t suffer alone.”

“……”

“No, asking you to relieve my heat is over. Today is the last time.”

“Why? Did you perhaps not like the sex we had?”

“That was obviously good…. Ah, no. Anyway, I’m stopping here.”

“Why?”

“…Because I don’t have the right to be by your side.”

I couldn’t understand what Han Min-ah was saying at all, so I repeated her words back to her.

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t have the right to be by your side’?”

“Back in school, I just watched you get bullied by the girls and couldn’t do anything. What right do I have to shamelessly share love with you….”

“Just by not doing anything, it was enough gratitude for me. You were probably the only Animal Awakener who graduated without ever touching me, Min-ah?”

“That might be true, but it’s still something I feel sorry about towards Hye-eun… And besides, if you think about it, Jin-ah and Seon-ah didn’t exactly do anything strange to you either….”

And according to Han Min-ah’s logic, Kang Hye-eun wasn’t much different in terms of doing nothing during school days. Even if she was busy with external activities and couldn’t grasp my bullying situation, it meant there was no reason for Han Min-ah to put herself down by comparing herself to Kang Hye-eun. Moreover, the various sexual assaults against me stopped around the time Kang Hye-eun started attending diligently, Perhaps Kang Hye-eun still doesn’t know about the terrible things I went through in high school.

In the first place, it was entirely my will to endure and stay at school until the end instead of transferring or dropping out, so blaming Han Min-ah for that bullying was obviously unreasonable.

Well, anyway, about having more sex, that’s no longer her decision to make. This is entirely my decision. Whether it’s guilt or shame, relieving the pent-up sexual desire that one suffers from without being able to tell anyone is precisely what a Hunter’s sexual desire manager should prioritize.

“Enough of that, contact me again later.”

“Ah, I said I wouldn’t!”

“Huh? I just meant a friendly check-in between friends?”

“…Hmph, you say confusing things like that!”

“If you understand, then contact me more often. I honestly thought you’d suddenly cut contact and disappear, leaving me thinking I was the only one considering you a friend. Or I even thought I might have done something wrong to you without realizing it.”

“I’m sorry about that… Even when breaking up, I should have explained properly….”

As the heart gauge next to her, showing 40, refilled while she looked apologetic, I was subtly considering trying to move my member inside her again when Han Min-ah hastily sat up, urging me off the bed.

“Hey, hey! Sung Taekyung!”

“You startled me, why?”

“G-get dressed quickly, now! Hurry!”

“Why the sudden panic?”

“I-it’s time for my sisters to get home from school! They’re already close to the house!”

“Jin-ah and Seon-ah?”

“Yeah! So hurry!”

…Indeed, being seen like this would be quite problematic.