episode_0009

A stylishly written wide-brimmed hat.

Below, she was wrapped in a dark black coat that was long like a coat and elegantly draped along her body line.

With a small crane drawn on the fan in her hand, just carrying it on her back seemed to create a picture on its own.

The current S-rank 1st place, ‘Tosa’ Seohan.

In short, he was a man who could be described as perfect.

A gentle smile, a calm gaze as if looking at still water, and a unique relaxed atmosphere. This author, who seemed to lack nothing, was not only charming but also handsome.

A flawless individual.

As a member of the same sex, there was a sense of frustration and an undeniable sense of acceptance when faced with someone like him.

“Seohan, how did you…?”

When it came to the 1st place in the S-rank, it was originally a presence that was difficult to encounter even in passing.

Although there were occasional encounters while engaging in hero activities, the reputation of being the 1st place in the S-rank was not something that was easily attainable.

It was rare to see the ‘Tosa’ hunting down enemies.

He finished his tasks in the blink of an eye, so aside from occasionally showing his face to the public for press conferences, there were hardly any opportunities to see him.

If Yeorin had witnessed Seohan subduing a monster with her own eyes, it would have been like winning the lottery that day.

I knew Seohan because I occasionally crossed paths with him at the Hero Association.

Nevertheless, Yeorin seemed to shift her gaze as if she was annoyed by Seohan’s reputation.

She rolled her sharp eyes that were glaring at this side as if she wanted to kill.

“Fox, what are you doing? Where did you suddenly pop out from?”

“Hello.

No matter how many times we greet each other, Yeorin always seems distant.”

“Hey, I just can’t stand your sly smile.

If I had poked you in the ear to wake you up, wouldn’t you have realized by now?”

Another nickname for Seohan and his appearance was a fox.

He was easily associated with a fox because he always smiled like one.

Based on the experiences I’ve had so far, he only had two facial expressions: smiling or expressionless, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

In the face of Yeorin’s hostile attitude, Seohan just shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright, then I’ll take it slow and try to become friends with you.”

“Even if you approach me for a lifetime, you won’t have a chance to be friends with me, you idiot.”

“Is that so?”

Despite the curse, he smiled again and said,

“Then, does that mean you don’t want to know why Eunjiwoo left the Hero Association?”

“….”

Yeorin was dumbfounded by his words.

Seohan easily turned Yeorin, who was easy to handle due to her hot temper, into a puppet, just like giving candy to a child.

“Hehehe.”

“Tsk! Unlucky bastard…”

Seohan knew how to stand above others.

Not only did he not reveal his true self if he didn’t have a perfect advantage, but he also always knew and possessed what the other person wanted.

No… rather,

“Wait a minute! So you know why I left the Association?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Of course… how do you know?”

I personally didn’t think we had such a close relationship.

Yet, the S-rank 1st place brought a smile without any tension towards me and said,

“Eunjiwoo was an interesting observation subject for me.

I always kept an eye on you, and if I didn’t have time, I even sent my doppelganger.”

“…Are you a stalker?”

At the declaration of openly monitoring, I couldn’t even get angry.

Feeling a sense of unease, I straightened my slightly disheveled feathers and chuckled softly.

“Hey, can you guys stop talking like you know each other?!

…Fine, Fox! Speak up. Why did Eunji suddenly leave? Is there a reason behind it?!”

Yeorin snapped when she felt excluded like a ham in a sandwich.

Seohan, on the other hand, subtly raised the corners of his mouth.

“Calm down, Yeorin.”

“If you want to listen, you have to do something, right?”

“…What?”

Seohan smirked at Lin and said, “Just say ‘please,’ and I’ll tell you.”

“….”

‘Enough!’

Despite knowing Lin’s childish personality that everyone addresses informally, it was a clear mocking provocation.

It made me break out in a cold sweat.

Treating Lin as if he were a child, playing a joke on him, made my spine tingle.

Sure enough, as the conversation continued, the red aura that had momentarily subsided began to rise again, and instinctively, I took a step back.

“Alright, you really want to fight properly, right?”

Whack!

With the snap of a punch, it was lightning fast.

Lin acted without hesitation.

He was the type whose actions spoke louder than words.

“….!”

The blow struck deep into his abdomen, a solid body blow.

Even Seohan, who was hit by the heavy blow, momentarily paused, but then grinned.

He laughed again, and like a cloud, his body dispersed.

Lin’s arm, which had turned into steam, swiped through the air.

Lin’s expression quickly soured.

“You little fox, was that a clone!”

Part of his body disappeared, but Seohan’s torso remained.

“My main body has urgent business at the association right now. I saw something interesting while observing, so I decided to intervene.”

Lin held back.

There was no point in attacking the clone, so he just shook his shoulders in frustration.

On the other hand, as Seohan’s thin eyes, which were gradually turning into smoke, turned towards me, a sense of calmness washed over me.

“Jiwoo,”

“Yes?”

“I intervened out of line, but let’s keep this a secret for now, as you wish.”

“!”

The air dried up quickly, as if the palm of my hand had been turned over.

Seohan warned me in a rapid-fire manner.

“If Lin hears the reason, he might be able to understand and help, so let’s keep this between us. Jiwoo, you probably understand what I mean by mentioning this much.”

Ranked number 1.

The hero’s pinnacle, giving me a chilling warning even with a serious expression.

I had no choice but to stiffen my expression under his reputation.

Following Seohan’s serious expression, I whispered to myself with tension.

‘……….What is he talking about?’

I kept my mouth shut.

I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut because I didn’t know why it was so serious.

I kept my secret steadfastly in front of Lin, but I didn’t think there was any grand reason for me to leave the Hero Association.

I even went back to the past to see if I had caused any trouble.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a single small stumbling block.

After finishing my thoughts, Seohan raised his index finger in front of his mouth and added.

“If you reveal it, I’ll also spread Jiwoo’s secret.”

“What?!”

“Continuing to attach clones means that you know Jiwoo’s biggest secret, right?”

This was a bit eerie.

I rolled my head, closed my lips, and pondered.

“Hey, what’s going on! What have you two been talking about since earlier!”

Lin, who had become a screen for Jolji while conversing with Seohan.

Seohan only reached out his arm, which was about to disperse, to Lin, who was causing a commotion.

“Then, even if it’s the last time, we must take revenge.”

“…Huh?”

Thwack!

A sudden strong tap on Lin’s forehead.

Lin’s chin immediately retracted backwards from the surprise attack.

He stayed in that position for a while, then slowly pulled his chin back with creaking eyes, but it was too late.

“I won’t disturb you anymore, so enjoy your private time together.”

Poof.

With a funny sound effect, the clone disappeared completely.

“….”

“….”

Goli ran away in a hurry.

After raising a lot of medicine with a clone, she hit the run.

Above the eyes of the person Lin was about to kill, her forehead was turning red from the impact.

In the extreme tension of finally sealing the deal and shooting, the only one caught in this tension was… me.

“Hey, Lin…?”

“……”

Kugugugugugugu…!

A completely released red aura.

Even to the naked eye, the size of that anger was easily visible.

“He’s dead… He’s dead, dead, dead, dead! Whether you’re a master or a master’s dog, you’re really dead. If I ever see you again, I’ll completely crush you!”

“Calm down, Lin!”

“What do you mean calm down!”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The blocks on the ground shattered like snacks under the light footsteps.

Not only that, but the earth shook as if there was an earthquake.

“Lin, please calm down! If you continue, the whole store will really collapse!”

“So what! Anyway, the Association will bring us all back even if we destroy it!”

“You don’t know because you haven’t done business, but they don’t fix everything! If we don’t catch the monster, the insurance company’s relationship will be complicated─ anyway, it won’t work! Let’s move from here!”

“I don’t know! If you want to stop it, call that master, that master’s dog! From today, I’ll beat up the hero!”

I hope you can bear with that.

If even the Association withdraws due to that uncontrollable personality, who will dare to handle that destructive nature.

The hero will immediately turn into a villain.

“Darn it, darn it, darn it, darn it!”

“Stop, please stop!”

“What the heck is going on?!”

As the commotion became more uncontrollable, Hanbyul even ran out of the store.

Not only that, but passersby who were scared, like a crying baby, desperately clung to Lin.

“Please calm down… Th-then! Would you like to come into our store?”

“What?!”

My face, which alternated between contempt and the pink sign.

“Try calming down while getting a massage. Yeah, I’ll do everything for Lin for free!”

I groveled like a fly, but the aura only swelled.

“Are you crazy?! You’ll die if you step into such a filthy store!”

“But it’s my place… Come on, once you’re inside, it’ll be different.”

“I absolutely refuse. I’d rather die!”

“Just give in once. Lin is stubborn.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no way I’ll calm down with a massage, you idiot!”

*

“Uh…♥”

Lin let out a cat-like whimper as I pressed on her back.

I sweated profusely to massage her small back, trying my best until Lin’s mood improved.

I urged her to forget about the past with a smile.

“Now that you’ve tried it, isn’t it nice?”

“It’s… it’s noisy, you fool!”

I persevered until Lin’s mood improved.

The peace of the surrounding businesses depended on my fingertips, so I did my best.