Chapter 520: Meeting Minutes (5)

“R-rank up?!”

“Yeah.”

After Han Min-ah and Eunbyul’s domestic chore debate had subsided for a while.

When I brought up my rank-up during mealtime, Han Min-ah looked quite surprised.

“Congratulations, Master.”

“Thank you, Eunbyul.”

Conversely, Eunbyul accepted my announcement of a rank-up calmly, without suspicion, as she spoke.

For reference, regarding the domestic chores from earlier, we reached a sort of agreement where Eunbyul would mostly continue in her current capacity, but Min-ah would help with grocery shopping and laundry.

Grocery shopping is convenient in terms of route, as I can just stop by the supermarket on my way home from work, and more importantly, it’s a chore only Min-ah can do, being able to substitute for Eunbyul, who cannot go outside.

Laundry would also be convenient to do together after work, collecting all the sweat-soaked clothes.

Incidentally, thanks to the washing machine suddenly becoming two, we can now wash whites and colors simultaneously, cutting the laundry time in half. Though, that’s only for the period Min-ah is staying at my place.

Other tasks like cleaning or meal preparation take a long time and would be a bit tricky for Min-ah to handle in various ways.

Especially cleaning, it would be most convenient for Eunbyul if it’s done in the morning when the house is empty.

“I-I congratulate you too… but is that really possible?”

Although Han Min-ah congratulated me a beat late, she separately asked cautiously, as if worried about something.

I could roughly guess what she was concerned about, but out of courtesy, I asked what her worries were.

“What are you worried about?”

“Well, it’s only been a few months since you ranked up to B-class and I wrote you a recommendation letter to transfer to the company. Normally, you can only take the rank-up exam from B-class once a year, so I’m worried it might cause problems later because of that.”

“The President handled all of that. He said that since the rank-up to B-class was as Kim Sungchul, a Union Hunter, it wouldn’t be strange for Sung Taekyung, a company Hunter, to take the A-class rank-up exam.”

“…Ah, that makes sense. I haven’t seen any cases like that before.”

It’s understandable. Even for someone with exceptional Hunter talent, being promoted to B-class, transferring, and then ranking up to A-class within a year would practically be a first for me.

In the first place, Hunter ranks aren’t something you can just raise arbitrarily whenever you want.

More importantly, Hunters around B-class tend to carefully choose the process of advancing to the next rank, given how their instincts are honed from practical experience in the field.

After all, even just diligently working as a B-class Hunter yields a decent income.

Some people might think it’s a loss to waste time on a rank they can’t even reach, neglecting their main job, and letting their skills decline in the process.

Like people like me or Hye-eun, for whom raising their Hunter rank is the goal itself.

Or like Cheon Jihee, who had other reasons why she absolutely needed to raise her Hunter rank.

Cases like Cha Yuri or Han Min-ah, whose Hunter ranks naturally increased as they actively participated according to their growth trajectory, were usually the majority examples of advancing from B-class to A-class or higher.

…Come to think of it, I should tell Eunbyul in advance too.

“Eunbyul, just in case, please keep the fact that I’m planning to rank up to A-class a secret from Sihee-ssi.”

“…If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask the reason?”

“We’re scheduled to meet soon. I’d prefer to tell her face-to-face if possible.”

“Understood. If that’s the reason, I too will remain silent as Master wishes.”

“Thank you for cooperating, Eunbyul.”

“Another woman’s name came out of Taekyung Oppa’s mouth…”

“…Sihee-ssi?”

Jin-ah and Min-ah reacted respectively to the other woman’s name that came from my lips, but it wasn’t something I needed to explain.

After all, they already knew the fact that I was seeing other women besides the ones here and the members of the Sky Blue Shield.

We had already come too far to be explaining things like this one by one.

The two of them didn’t seem particularly interested in my other women either.

It was Seon-ah, not the two older sisters, who approached me mentioning something that might put me in a difficult position.

“…But, Oraboni.”

“Yeah?”

“If you rank up to an A-class Hunter this time, what about the promise you made to form a party with us…?”

“…”

“Ah, right! You said if Oppa was B-class, we could party up once we reached C-class! We have our C-class rank-up exam in a month!”

Jin-ah, realizing it belatedly after Seon-ah’s words, chimed in agreement.

The pressure from the two younger sisters looking at me felt strangely intense.

…I really didn’t expect my rank to increase this quickly.

I thought I would rank up around the end of next year at the earliest, and figured that within that timeframe, Jin-ah and Seon-ah would have enough time to reach C-class.

I thought we could hang out together for a few months, even if the timeframe wasn’t that long.

It seemed like going into dungeons together with my younger sisters would have to be postponed a bit longer.

“It’s okay. I believe Jin-ah and Seon-ah can rank up higher than just C-class Hunters.”

“Are you changing the subject, Oppa?”

“Are you perhaps changing the subject, Oraboni?”

“…Wouldn’t it be better for you both to rank up higher before we form a party? Don’t you want to show me a cooler side than the amateurish look of beginner Hunters?”

“That’s not wrong, but…”

“For some reason, I feel like I’ve been tricked by you, Oraboni…”

“I’m telling you, no. Once your Hunter ranks increase, we’ll have another chance eventually. I believe you both have potential comparable to Min-ah’s.”

“…That’s true. Above all, we can’t block your path just because we want to form a party with you, Oraboni.”

“Th-that’s right! I-I don’t exactly hate your rank-up, Oppa! Congratulations on ranking up, Taekyung Oppa!”

“I congratulate you too, Oraboni.”

“Yeah, thank you for saying that.”

Fortunately, their sulking didn’t last long; they were younger sisters who cared more about not being able to congratulate me properly.

After appeasing them, I immediately gave Han Min-ah the same cautionary advice I gave Eunbyul.

“Ah, Han Min-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m telling you this in advance too: don’t tell Hye-eun or the people from Sky Blue Shield. I’ll mention it separately later during the Sky Blue Shield assembly day.”

“Huh? Is there a need for that? Why go through the trouble?”

“Why? Because if I’m going to raise my Hunter rank, I want to receive congratulations right in front of me.”

Han Min-ah tilted her head in surprise at my honest confession.

“…You unexpectedly really like receiving praise and recognition. You look like the type of guy who quietly focuses on his own work on the outside.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“It’s just unexpected. Judging by what you’re saying, you seem to be expecting something like this, right?”

“…?”

Han Min-ah wore a strange smile, then suddenly got up and approached me.

Wondering what she was up to this time, I watched quietly as she suddenly moved a bit closer to me during the meal.

She then started stroking my head with her right hand while I was sitting.

“Aww~. Good job, my Taekyung~. You worked so hard~.”

“…”

“You transferred to the company as a B-class Hunter and now, in just 4 months, you’ve already reached A-class Hunter~. I don’t know how proud I am of you, my Taekyung~.”

“…Are you teasing me right now?”

“Huh? No, you said you liked this sort of thing, kekeke.”

…She’s laughing like she’s caught my weakness.

Well, I didn’t feel bad about it. The fact that Han Min-ah initiated physical contact like this, even if it was teasing.

However, letting Min-ah tease me like this and just letting it go was something I absolutely could not accept.

I grabbed her arm as she tried to return to her seat after teasing me, pulling her onto my lap, overlapping my body.

“…Waaah?!”

“Hey, Han Min-ah.”

“Wh-why?”

“Because you seem to not know much, I’ll teach you how to praise someone.”

“Wh-what?! Why are you suddenly hugging me?!”

Why? Because I’m about to properly teach you what praise is.

I pulled her close with my left arm, her sitting height now roughly similar to mine on my thighs.

With her back against my stomach, I stroked Han Min-ah’s head with my right hand.

Whispering into her ear.

“My Min-ah, you’ve truly been through a lot.”

“Euhh-heeek?!”

“For over 5 years, you single-handedly took responsibility for your younger sisters’ livelihood in a semi-basement apartment. Working relentlessly as a Hunter every single day, barely taking five days off a year. You’ve truly worked hard, Min-ah.”

“Nngh, hey?! Wh-what are you doing, being so cheesy all of a sudden?!”

“You worked so hard that you saved up enough money yourself to move to a new house. And you ranked up to A-class Hunter at just twenty-two years old. I can’t tell you how proud I am when I see you, Min-ah. I’m truly proud that you’re my friend.”

“Hyaa, a, a, aaah!!!”

Han Min-ah screamed, unable to endure the continuous praise tickling her ears.

I knew she’d be weak to this. Considering her personality, she definitely couldn’t handle cheesy words like these.

Still, if someone picks a fight with me, I naturally won’t just let it slide.

Whether you die of embarrassment or cringe, it’s all your own doing.

“Ah, okay! I was wrong, so stop!”

“What are you talking about? What did you do wrong, Min-ah? Rather, it’s you who worked hard without proper recognition until now that’s commendable.”

“That’s right, big sister. We, my younger sister and I, always respect you, Min-ah Unnie, for always quietly taking care of us, thinking of us before yourself.”

“Hey, H-Han Seon-ah! Wh-why are you being cheesy too?!”

“M-me too! I’m always thankful to you, Unnie! If it weren’t for you, neither I nor Seon-ah would have graduated from Hunter training high school… Ah, and we probably wouldn’t have met Taekyung Oppa either! Thank you always, Unnie! I love you!”

“Ughhhhhh~~!!!”

Han Min-ah squirmed in my arms, unable to bear the overflowing affection.

But even so, there was no way I, wielding a greatsword, would let go of her struggling with the strength of a cat.

Only after I had thoroughly soaked Han Min-ah in praise until I was satisfied did I release her from my embrace.

By the time she relaxed, Han Min-ah returned to her seat with a dazed expression, as if she had just experienced an orgasm.

“Ah, ahh, ahh…”

Han Min-ah, her face flushed red, continued eating in a daze, unable to look in any direction.

You should have chosen your target more carefully when teasing.