STC chapter 16

Adorable, he said…?

I frowned at the compliment that didn’t feel like a compliment. Was he joking? The one who should be called pretty was not me, but Ryu Min.

In my 26 years of life, I had never seen anyone prettier than Ryu Min. He was beautiful enough to put most female celebrities to shame.

As my expression hardened, Ryu Min’s smile deepened, almost as if he was trying to flirt.

“I’m serious. Or do you not like being called pretty?”

“I don’t really care, but… hearing it from someone genuinely pretty feels like you’re teasing me.”

“Me? Pretty?”

Ryu Min moved closer as he asked again. I caught a whiff of a rosy fragrance, likely from his perfume.

The fresh yet intense scent seemed to match Ryu Min well.

“Hmm?”

When I came to my senses, we were so close that I could hear each other’s breathing. Each time he blinked, his long, light eyelashes fluttered like his platinum hair.

Does he live without looking in the mirror? No matter what anyone says, Ryu Min was officially the ‘Love War’ representative beauty.

“What’s so obvious…”

Ryu Min murmured quietly at my response.

“Really fascinating.”

“Sorry?”

“Hunter Kang… no, Baram, you are really fascinating.”

Did he just change the way he addressed me? Usually, he would call me ‘Hunter Kang’ or ‘Hunter Kang’ formally.

But before I could voice my suspicion, Ryu Min leaned back and changed the subject.

“People often criticize Ye Ilhu, don’t they?”

Even the way he referred to Ye Ilhu changed. It seemed in private settings, he was more informal. Typically, he kept a deliberate distance, but here, he was more friendly.

I thought about how other hunters talked about Ye Ilhu. No matter how much I racked my brain, no one spoke well of him. That included me.

When I nodded slowly, Ryu Min chuckled.

“But no one dares to confront him directly like you, Baram. Even while criticizing him, they fear him.”

“…”

“So, it was refreshing and intriguing. That’s what I meant, but I misspoke.”

Before I knew it, I was listening intently to Ryu Min’s melodious voice.

“Now, all the misunderstandings are cleared up, right? You seemed like you wanted to avoid me every time you saw me, so I’m relieved.”

He was saying exactly what I wanted to say.

I felt the same way as Ryu Min. There was no benefit in creating tension with others, and it just made encounters uncomfortable.

The uneasy feeling I had whenever I saw Ryu Min disappeared like cotton candy in water. Feeling much more relieved, I smiled and answered.

“Yes, it’s a relief.”

Then, a familiar and somewhat irritating system window popped up above Ryu Min’s head.

[Ryu Min/A-Rank Hunter (Physical Attack Type)

♥ Affection Level ♥: 2/??

System:// Ryu Min expresses affection and curiosity towards you. He wants to know more about you!]

‘Huh.’

Just 2. Such a tiny, cute number, easily dismissible. But seeing the system window appear not only for Chae Goya and Ye Ilhu but also for Ryu Min, a creeping sense of unease began to build.

‘Is this going to be a problem later?’

“But Baram…”

At that moment, Ryu Min’s messenger rang loudly. The smile on his face vanished instantly. He turned and touched his pad.

“Yes.”

– Vice-Guild Master, do you have a moment? We’ve finished organizing the agenda from the previous meeting and would like to brief you.

At those words, Ryu Min glanced at me. It was probably awkward for a mere hunter like me to be around. I decided it was time to leave and nodded silently.

Only then did he turn squarely towards the laptop camera. His gentle voice quickly became businesslike.

“Go ahead.”

As Ryu Min turned on the video camera and spoke, a voice continued from the other side of the screen.

‘Looks like he wants to rest a bit. Being a Vice-Guild Master isn’t easy, after all.’

When I saw him watching Ye Ilhu and me sparring this morning, he seemed like he had all the time in the world, but apparently, he was quite busy.

I glanced at the printed materials Ryu Min had given me, then quickly moved on.

* * *

Jeong Yeonji, who arrived at the cafeteria last because of overtime, frowned with a tray in hand.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“No idea. It’s not like it’s the first time.”

Heo Taekgyun shrugged in response. Both of them turned their gazes towards me. Jeong Yeonji filled the seat next to me and let out a small exclamation.

“Is it because of Ye Gongju?”

“Ye Gong… Ye Ilhu?”

“You said you’re going to spar with him every morning starting today.”

There was no set deadline, so I intended to spar with him until it was appropriate to back out.

Ye Ilhu might be interested in me now because I use an SS-rank ability on par with his, but it wouldn’t last long.

After a few clashes, he’d naturally lose interest, and I would be free.

My current bad condition, however, was due to another reason.

‘No significant clues found.’

I searched through the schedule Ryu Min gave me, trying to find records of the day I first arrived in this world.

But no matter how much I looked, there were no noteworthy traces.

Kang Baram’s schedule was always the same. After breakfast, he’d sneak into the training room for a brief moment, then hole up in his room or the library.

Heo Taekgyun mentioned that Kang Baram seemed to be hoping to excel in theory since he was weak in practice. Thus, he studied battle theory across offense, defense, and support categories.

‘Kang Baram seemed to want to be a good hunter…’

But because of the awkward ability he had, he remained an ambiguous existence.

In any case, there were no special signs even on the day I possessed him. He didn’t enter any gates to fight monsters or spar with other hunters in the training room…

‘There must have been something for me to possess him, but I can’t find the cause.’

Maybe it was because I discovered the lonely and painful side of Kang Baram here. I felt a pang of sympathy.

Although I couldn’t return to my original world due to my death there and having possessed Kang Baram for several weeks now…

Still, I wanted to find out why Kang Baram disappeared.

“Ugh! My head hurts!”

It felt like steam was boiling over my head. When I let out a loud yell, Jeong Yeonji and Heo Taekgyun jumped in surprise.

“Oh, you scared me! Go to the infirmary after eating, before you leave work!”

“I have medicine in my room, want some?”

I wilted like spinach blanched in hot water, resting my cheek on the table.

“No, thanks… I’m at my limit today. I’ll just go back to my room and rest.”

Jeong Yeonji giggled and teased me.

“Sure, you have to meet Yie Gongju again tomorrow morning anyway.”

Ugh, no need to remind me of that reality…

“Ha, I want to pet Chunshik.”

Petting Chunshik’s cool and smooth scales might improve my mood.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible since Chae Goya wasn’t here.

* * *

The area in front of the training room was relatively quiet compared to yesterday.

My coming out of the training room unscathed twice had lessened the spectators’ interest, reducing the number of onlookers.

‘It’d be nice if Ye Ilhu also lost interest in me this way.’

I pondered the uneasy feeling lingering since yesterday.

It was probably because the system window appeared for all the side characters.

Chae Goya, who knew Kang Baram from the start and was starved for affection, could easily take a liking to me.

‘Ye Ilhu seems more interested in my SS-rank ability than in me…’

But my complacent thoughts changed instantly when I saw Ryu Min’s system window yesterday.

‘This feels ominous.’

It was a trait seen only in the side characters. Despite being close with Heo Taekgyun and Jeong Yeonji, no system window appeared for them.

My anxiety was completely reasonable.

Why? Remembering the countless actions the side characters took towards the original protagonist, Ha Seonglim… It was naturally scary to receive their affection.

As befitting a tragic story, kidnapping and confinement were rampant, and Ha Seonglim trembled in fear and cried daily.

Thus, my conclusion was simple.

‘I should keep my distance.’

It’s always better to be cautious. If something can be prevented in advance, it’s better to do so. You can’t fix the barn after losing the cow.

Moreover, Ye Ilhu disliked contacting people, which was convenient.

Yesterday, I had an unexpected meal with him and even got a coffee, but I won’t get swept up again.

Just as I solidified my resolve, I felt a presence behind me.

“Kang Baram.”

“Oh, you’re here?”

His cool, silver-gray eyes looked down at me. With him standing so close, the difference in our sizes felt even more pronounced.

I was about to tell him to go inside when Ye Ilhu suddenly reached out his hand. I flinched and stepped back. I had just resolved not to have any physical contact.

When I stepped away, Ye Ilhu’s face instantly twisted into a scowl. His hand, suspended in the air, looked awkward even to me.

Ah, damn. I dodged too obviously. Look at that fierce expression.