episode_0363

It might be some kind of opportunity.

A chance to learn a little more about Ban Harin.

The Yang Soa I encountered this time was a woman who carried all of Ban Harin’s unspoken secrets within the fluff of her hair.

Ttrurururu…… Beep—.

— Yes, Eunha-nim.

“Ban Harin-ssi. I’m sorry for calling when you aren’t feeling well, but I have something to tell you.”

Always pretending to be just an ordinary office worker.

Ban Harin, who had been secretly watching from the shadows, appearing whenever needed to offer help.

Come to think of it, the relationship between us wasn’t one of give-and-take.

It was purely a one-sided relationship where only she came to me.

That’s why.

At least once, when you were in a difficult situation.

I wanted to be the one to help.

A foolish lingering attachment.

……Though I had overlooked one thing.

Perhaps I should have remembered that I had recently taken a pill.

……

Ever since swallowing the pill containing the story of the [Bug Princess], the [Iron-source Rift Zone] had turned into chaos.

During [The Saint of Forgetfulness], I had completely erased Do Jongha’s memories,

and during [The Blood-Donation Mother], there was a mother and child unable to let go of their attachments.

Stories of anomalies I had mostly forgotten in the busy days that followed.

Yet, they all had something in common.

Every time I swallowed a pill and entangled myself with them,

people other than Eunha would get dragged into grudges.

‘Come to think of it… what color was the pill that [Black Person] forced into me this time?’

Grudges intertwined.

Like actors gathering to perform,

stories filled with nothing but pain… yet also slightly more dazzling stories,

were piled atop the grudges like layers.

Grudges with nowhere to go always needed someone.

— I’m listening.

“There’s someone here to kill Ban Harin-ssi. Since she’s not feeling well right now, is it okay if I handle this myself?”

A pink cotton candy fluff suffering from a headache… [Euncheon Restaurant], where I had brought Yang Soa.

With the ability of the ‘Mirror Anomaly’, Eunha—disguised as Ban Harin—had seated Yang Soa at the table and stepped into the restroom to make a call.

She wanted Ban Harin’s permission before acting, just for peace of mind.

— It’s fine. Don’t worry about the consequences—just do as you please, Eunha-nim.

“Got it. Be careful too, Ban Harin-ssi.”

— I should be back to normal by tomorrow.

After ending the call with Ban Harin—whose voice sounded calmer than usual—Eunha hung up after exchanging brief pleasantries.

“Sleepy… drowsy…”

“You’re sleepy?”

Fluffy…

The ‘Ban Harin’ who finished the call returned to the table.

Yang Soa, slumped facedown on the restaurant table, nodded obediently.

Fluffy hair cascading down to her thighs.

With her sprawled like that, her voluminous hair draped over her like a turtle’s shell… resembling a massive pink cotton candy slowly swaying.

Quite a unique person, isn’t she?

‘Ban Harin’ sat beside Yang Soa and stretched her sleepy body up, stretching her arms out like a cat.

“Yaaawn… Stretches…”

“Your mouth will go numb if you sleep outside.”

“Ban Harin sunbae…… Stretchie skills…… Amazing…”

“I’ve done this plenty with kids, so I’m used to it.”

After being stretched like dough, Yang Soa slumped lazily against the chair’s backrest.

Is she really a hunter who came to kill someone?

At least she probably wouldn’t cause trouble inside the restaurant.

Fluffy…

Then, feeling refreshed from the stretches, Yang Soa reached into her fluffy hair.

Fluff… fluff…

A rustling motion, as if searching through a bag.

A moment later, she pulled out several photos from her hair and placed them on the table.

So hunters can store things inside their hair too. Impressive.

‘Ban Harin’ frowned slightly as she stared at the wavy pink mane.

‘What’s the principle behind this? Friction?’

Tomorrow at the café, I should try slipping something into Kang Nari’s hair.

Among the café staff, hers is the longest.

Lost in thought, ‘Ban Harin’ examined the photos on the table.

“…….”

“Recently… sunbaenim’s team… ‘Rare Hunter’…”

The photos showed the Rare Hunters under Ban Harin’s care.

All of them were of Eunha.

‘Ban Harin’ picked up each photo Yang Soa had laid out, one by one.

‘These are pictures of me… I had a rough idea of what Ban Harin-ssi was doing for the Association, but…’

Thinking was one thing—actually seeing it was different.

At the very least, I wanted to hear it from Ban Harin herself.

“…….”

She forced a practiced smile.

‘Ban Harin’ checked each photo.

Eunha being pulled into a dim alley by a woman in a pure white dress.

Eunha having breasts larger than her head grabbed by a woman in a black formal dress, sharing an umbrella as they returned to an apartment.

Eunha lounging with Eunbangeul at the café.

Eunha chatting with Kang Nari while making milk coffee in the café’s kitchen.

Eunha exchanging greetings with Do Jongha on the street…

Eunha being surrounded by Kim Yoohee and members of the Amryongdae after shopping at the grocery store, desperately guarding cans of tuna from five cats…

Eunha being dragged around Euncheon District by the lost mother-daughter duo, Kim Sarang and Kim Hayang… Without question, Eunha.

Photos of Eunha together with others.

Apart from Eunbangeul and Ban Harin, she had formed this many connections.

But… why?

‘Ban Harin’ absentmindedly rubbed her suddenly warm cheeks.

“……Easy woman…?”

“Not easy.”

Not easy.

Is this how it looks from an outsider’s perspective?

Perhaps because she had suffered from anomalies, as long as it didn’t hurt, she didn’t care what others did.

But maybe being too friendly is also a problem.

It’s a strange realization.

“…Why the photos?”

“Our team leader… sunbaenim… kill…”

“If you kill me, the responsibility for this ‘Rare Hunter’ falls to your side. Did your leader tell you to take over in advance?”

“Wow…… amazing… first time…”

Fluffy.

This might be the first time someone understood her words this well.

Yang Soa, her half-lidded eyes sparkling.

She bumped her obsidian-like horns affectionately against ‘Ban Harin’s’ shoulder.

Apparently, after playing around a few times with the taciturn ‘Doll Girl’, she had somehow gained this useless skill.

Fluff… fluff…

Not same team.

Not Ban Harin.

Doesn’t matter.

“Rare Hunter… definitely… enjoying it too… seduced by looks…”

“Not at all? No?”

“Then…?”

“Like I said… they’re just close friends.”

“Friends don’t… let this happen…?”

“Eh…?”

The assassin and the Rare Hunter herself.

The two conversed across the table, with Eunha’s photos between them.

Fluff…

At the same time, she pondered.

Given that she went as far as taking these photos… does this pink fluffball ultimately intend to kill Ban Harin?

Should I just dunk her now?

Or meet this so-called team leader first and decide later?

‘Ban Harin’ was lost in thought.

‘…Wait.’

Then, a sudden realization.

Eunha—no, ‘Ban Harin’—posed a question to Yang Soa, whose black horns were rubbing against her shoulder.

“If you were surveilling this woman, how far did you get?”

“How far…?”

“Like where she lives.”

“……Yeah…… apartment…… just loitered entrance…”

She went all the way to the apartment?

How did she manage to survive?

“Do you ever meet someone at the apartment? Or almost get hurt?”

“Nope…… not really…”

“Um… customers?”

Just then, a restaurant attendant quietly approached and spoke to ‘Ban Harin’.

The attendant, sporting a customer-service smile, glanced between the two.

Only then did ‘Ban Harin’ realize they hadn’t even ordered yet.

Perhaps since it wasn’t even 6 PM and the restaurant still had many empty tables, the attendant only now came over.

“Sorry. I’ll order soon.”

“Press the bell when you’ve decided.”

“Thanks.”

After sending the attendant away, ‘Ban Harin’ picked up the menu.

As expected of a family restaurant, it had plenty of dishes suitable for all ages, but Eunha settled on ordering risotto and turned her head.

“Me…… lots of meat…”

Slump—.

Yang Soa, having briefly stated her order, flopped back onto the table.

A steak should do for her.

Fluffy…

She sleeps a lot, huh?

I’m impressed she even survived sneaking around the apartment.

‘She hasn’t realized the anomaly yet, right…?’

‘Ban Harin’ gently stroked the pink fluffball’s hair as she lay face-down on the table.

Fluff. Fluff.

It was as soft as cotton candy, with smooth wavy strands.

As Eunha pressed lightly into the soft hair, her hand sank deeper into the pink fluff.

The sensation was like touching clouds…

Thunk—.

Something brushed against her fingertips within the fluff.

Does she keep things in her hair, like the photos earlier?

A trivial curiosity.

‘Ban Harin’ pulled out the object her fingers had nudged against.

Fluff…

From within the pink strands,

drawn out by her hand,

a human head emerged.

“…….”

『…….』

The ‘something’ hiding in Yang Soa’s hair stared blankly at Eunha.

『Put it back.』

“Next time.”

Fluff…

She obediently tucked the head back inside.

Way too clingy.

‘That’s the one. The anomaly I met at the claw machine room before.’

Is it protesting because I haven’t visited lately?

Or did Eunha’s action just now resemble ‘playing a claw machine’?

Thankfully, since it wasn’t literally a claw machine, the rules didn’t apply. No prize chute here.

Suppressing the sudden shudder in her chest, she sighed.

“…Is there more?”

Damned curiosity.

Gathering her courage, Eunha reached into Yang Soa’s hair again.

Fluff…

Carefully rummaging through the thick locks,

her fingers soon bumped into something solid, pulling it out.

A [Black Book] emerged.

“Wow…! Convenient.”

What is this?

What’s the principle? Friction?!

I should try this with Kang Nari’s hair later.

Flipping it open.

The [Black Book], which should’ve been in her carrier back at the café, had apparently struggled with separation anxiety and followed her here.

Patting it apologetically, she quietly checked for any new rules before tucking it back into Yang Soa’s hair.

Yang Soa.

Truly. A unique individual.

……

……

After that, nothing unusual happened.

Yang Soa wasn’t dragged into the kitchen to be turned into steak, nor did any mysterious entities leap out from her fluffy hair.

Their ordered food arrived normally, and the two began their slightly early dinner.

“Here… tasty…… later…”

“You’ll come back because it’s tasty, right?”

Fluff…

The pink fluffball nodded while cutting into her steak.

Packing her mouth with poorly sliced meat, she chewed like a hamster.

Chewed forever…

Unable to bear it, Eunha cut the steak properly and fed it to her.

Happy to skip the effort, Yang Soa immediately set her utensils down and opened her mouth like a baby bird.

Half-lidded from drowsiness.

Tiny open mouth.

『Ah.』

A mouth emerging from within her hair.

“…….”

First feeding Yang Soa,

then, while she chewed with her eyes closed, Eunha held out meat to the ‘something’ in her hair.

Chomp.

The ‘something’ that bit down clung stubbornly to the fork before vanishing again.

Smiling awkwardly, Eunha grabbed a fresh fork from the utensil tray.

“…Tell me, have you come close to dying lately?”

“Huh……? Nope…”

Maybe she survived by sleeping through dangers without noticing anomalies.

I’m kinda jealous of this oblivious pink fluffball.

Fluff…

Yang Soa munched noisily before opening her mouth again.

‘Ban Harin’ chuckled and fed her more steak.

Such a weirdo.

“After dinner, will you try to kill me?”

“……Maybe…”

Scritch-scratch.

Leaning back, Yang Soa rubbed her obsidian-like horns against the chair’s backrest.

Hesitantly, she answered.

“But… dislike……”

“You dislike killing me?”

“……But also dislike… dying…”

She stroked the swaying mane of fluffy hair.

Almost protectively, the strands moved on their own, cocooning her like a sleeping bag.

[Fabric Manipulation] skill.

Hair she could control—or perhaps ‘fibers within proximity’.

Alternatively… ‘fibers within sight’—an assassination specialist’s skill.

Swoosh—

Gazing at ‘Ban Harin’ with an unreadable look,

……she withdrew the mana and blinked drowsily.

Then, obediently opened her mouth for Eunha to feed her.

“Ban Harin sunbae…… fake death… okay?”

“…….”

“Me… annoying but…… sunbaenim. I’ll feed you forever…”

A drowsy murmur, trailing off mid-sentence.

I don’t know why. We literally just met.

No personal history shared, no past discussed—just strangers.

A hunter who came to kill Ban Harin.

But maybe because she seems so harmless…

Or perhaps because I stupidly brought her to a restaurant and created this fleeting bond.

Hesitation squirmed in Eunha’s chest.

Grind—

“Ngh…”

Yang Soa winced from a sudden pang in her head, gripping her glossy obsidian horns.

“…….”

A person who came to kill Ban Harin.

Yet keeps complaining of headaches,

saying she’ll die if she doesn’t kill her.

Gnash—

Over the severed ‘original horns’, pitch-black obsidian horns jutted out.

“…….”

Hesitation.

After hesitation, after conversation,

Eunha reached a conclusion about this human named Yang Soa.

“Yang Soa-ssi.”

“Yeah…?”

“I’ll die for you once.”

Ban Harin did say I could do as I pleased.

So I’ll go with my heart.

“Only once…?”

“If Ban Harin dies, your side takes over managing the ‘Rare Hunter’, right?”

“Yeah…… ‘New Director’s’ orders…”

“Without anyone knowing?”

“Mm… strictly confidential… mission’s top secret…… no one knows…”

I simplified it in my head.

Is there even a need to stop them?

I don’t know what they hope to gain by surveilling me.

But if they’re willing to take over Ban Harin and ‘The Mouse’s’ workload,

I might as well repay the debt from the [Ancient Dragon Mountain Rift Zone] and get those two some vacation time.

They’ll probably realize their mistake after staking out the apartment a few times.

Looking at the bigger picture, this was just a matter of spectating for a few days.

‘Is it a good thing I’m the one replacing her…?’

Perhaps a decision only she could make.

Eunha was glad she was here instead of the real Ban Harin.

Had the real Ban Harin met Yang Soa, one of them would’ve been seriously hurt today.

A problem that could only end with someone’s death.

So, I decided to die once.

Right now,

‘I’ can take ‘your’ place.

“Okay… huh…?”

“But in return, if you see anything strange later, don’t tell anyone.”

“Mm… noted…”

Eunha looked down at the pink fluffball seated beside her.

A woman peering up with sleepy eyes, a tired smile on her lips.

“…If you ever find yourself in danger……”

“…….”

“Try reaching deep into your hair.”

Eunha recalled the [Black Book] she had pulled from the pink fluff earlier.

With those words, she stood from the table.

A bond that began with talk of killing someone precious.

This much kindness is enough.

If we meet again alive, then we’ll form a proper connection.

“Ugh… annoying…… why…?”

“Then die.”

“……Mm… remember…”

Fluff.

And so, after finishing dinner,

the two left the restaurant in search of a suitably secluded place for someone to die.

Maybe the originally intended [Euncheon Park] would do.

……

……

“Eunha-nim… Eunha-nim…!”

Meanwhile,

someone watching Eunha and Yang Soa exit the restaurant—

from the backseat of a taxi stopped on the road.

Bang! Bang!

Ban Harin, who had been ‘observing’ the restaurant through her [Observation] skill,

pounded the taxi window hard enough to crack it, eyes wide.

The door wouldn’t open.

“That call wasn’t from me! Eunha-nim!”

An identical twin.

If I could take your place.

When you see me,

cold and lifeless,

what expression will you make?

“Eunha-nim…!”

I hope you smile,

happy that you survived in my place.

I really do.

“……Go… straight ahead.”

『I’ll get you there safely.』

Vroom—

The taxi moved forward.

Ban Harin stared stiffly out the window.

Like watching the world through a mirror,

gazing at an unreachable scene,

“…….”

『That’s my spot.』

The smiling face reflected in the dark window—

was just like a mirror.

Vroom—

Towards where the grudge was headed.

Ban Harin covered her face as the taxi radio buzzed with updates.

Anomalies.

Is this… how they all feel?

Vroom—

The taxi drove on.

Like grudges soaring into the dark night sky.