hotmtlnovel Chapter 105
Chapter 105
"Huff... huff..."
Lee Soo-ah lay on her bed, breathing heavily. Her face was flushed, as if she were ill.
Her body twisted and turned restlessly.
"What... what's happening to me? Is it because I went to that S-rank dungeon after so long? Huff... huff... Why is this happening?"
Her breathing grew more labored, and the image of Baek Ji-hoon kept surfacing in her mind.
"Ji... Ji-hoon... Why do I keep thinking about him?"
Desperate to find some relief, she grabbed her smartphone and frantically searched through her photo gallery.
She found a few pictures of Baek Ji-hoon.
"This... this is helping a little... But what’s going on with me?"
She rolled around on her bed, staring at his photos.
But the relief was fleeting, and soon her heart began to pound even harder.
"This is strange... What’s happening? Have I really fallen in love?"
Her expression twisted in confusion, unsure of what to do.
"I... I can't take this anymore!!!"
Suddenly, she jumped out of bed and rushed outside.
[Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.] [Ji-hoon.]
Messages poured in rapidly, one after the other.
“What’s going on? Why is Soo-ah acting so strange? This is scary.”
[Yes? What’s the matter?] [Where are you?] [At home.] [Stay right there. Don’t move.]
What?
“What does she mean, ‘Don’t move’?”
It hadn’t been long since I last saw Lee Soo-ah. Naturally, I had returned home and was relaxing on the couch.
The TV was broadcasting news about Blue Guild and me.
[The gathering of four S-rank Hunters in Blue Guild is causing massive waves in the Hunter community...] [Who is Baek Ji-hoon, the rising star among S-rank Hunters?] [S-rank Hunters are rallying to Blue Guild. Will they begin clearing S-rank dungeons?] [We have an interview with the Zeus Guild Master, who lost an S-rank Hunter.]
“It’s causing quite a stir, as expected.”
The situation seemed to be escalating rapidly, shaking up the once-stagnant Hunter community.
“It had been too quiet for too long.”
Not long after, the doorbell rang frantically.
Ding dong. Ding dong. Ding dong.
“What the... Could it be Soo-ah?”
Creeeak.
“Soo-ah? What’s going on? Why are you—”
Without a word, she threw herself into my arms. I was too shocked to react, and the force of her embrace was overwhelming.
"??????" “Huff... huff... I... I’m sorry!!! But... but I couldn’t... hold back...” “What?”
I found myself standing in the entryway, with Lee Soo-ah clinging to me.
“What’s going on here...”
“I... I don’t know why I’m doing this... Ever since we left the dungeon, it’s gotten worse.” “Worse?”
Thud.
Lee Soo-ah returned to her office and almost collapsed into her chair.
“What’s happening to me? Do I really like Baek Ji-hoon?”
She looked utterly confused, like someone who didn’t know herself anymore.
“Is this because of the S-rank dungeon? But I don’t remember it being like this before... What’s happening to me?”
She shook her head, unable to make sense of her thoughts.
“No, Lee Soo-ah. Pull yourself together. This isn’t you. You’re not the kind of woman who loses her mind over a man. You can get through this. You’ll overcome it.”
She slowly began to change her mindset.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Yes?” “Uh, Team Leader?”
A very professional-looking Lee Soo-ah entered the room, reminding me of the woman I first met when I joined Blue Guild.
“What can I do for you?” “I’d like to go to another S-rank dungeon.” “Again? Didn’t you just go yesterday?” “Yes, but I’d like to go again today, if that’s alright with you. If your schedule permits...” “Hmm...”
I tilted my head, studying her. Her sudden enthusiasm for S-rank dungeons was a little strange.
“Alright, let’s do it.”
“Lee Soo-ah, you can do this... Prove to yourself that it’s not the S-rank dungeon. It’s not because of Baek Ji-hoon.”
She was mumbling to herself, trying to psych herself up.
Wow, does the great Lee Soo-ah have a crush on Ji-hoon? Amazing...No, Assistant Manager Cha, I’m not sure if it’s a crush. It’s just... you know, that’s how it seems.But you just said you liked him, so you do. I thought you were going to stay cold and professional forever, but I guess not.A-assistant Manager!!!
Somehow, a brief conversation with Assistant Manager Cha had sparked something within her.
“This is so weird... Soo-ah, get a grip.”
She hadn’t had to push herself like this in a long time.
Everything had been fine until Baek Ji-hoon showed up last week.
But in just two weeks, it felt like she had become a completely different person.
“Let’s get back to who I am... It’s going to be okay... I can do this.”
She recalled the way her heart had pounded yesterday.
“You’re not that kind of person... Are you really going to let yourself get distracted by a man?”
She slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to snap herself out of it.
“Hyung-seok.” “Yes?” “Do we have any S-rank dungeons that two S-rank Hunters could handle? Just the two of us?” “Why do you ask?” “Lee Soo-ah wants to go to an S-rank dungeon again today. But it feels a bit much to bring I-seul or Yoo Hana along just a day after the last one.” “So, it’ll just be the two of you?” “Yeah, she’s so eager that I can’t say no.”
Lee Soo-ah’s reaction seemed a bit odd. It was like she was trying to test something.
“She’s not trying to test my abilities, is she?”
That’s the feeling I got.
But it didn’t really matter. I was curious myself.
“I’m not sure what she wants to test, but I guess I’ll have to go along with it...”
Today, it would just be the two of us—Lee Soo-ah and me—heading into the S-rank dungeon.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ji-hoon... Hmm? He’s not here. Hyung-seok, where’s Ji-hoon?”
It was Yoo Hana.
“Oh... He went to an S-rank dungeon.” “Huh? An S-rank dungeon? Without me?” “Yes, he went with Lee Soo-ah.” “What? Why? Where?”
Yoo Hana’s expression turned slightly panicked.