Chapter 33: Lovely Girlfriend

However, unless someone is a well-known public figure whose face has been known for a long time, it's hard to easily spot a specific person among passersby just by comparing them to a photo.

Fortunately, while passing through streets with fewer people, I received some "could it be?" glances...

But contrary to my expectations, there was no one who directly recognized me.

Of course, this would only last until I entered the classroom.

"Hey, is that her?"

"Seems like it?"

"She dressed up like crazy. Is she thinking, 'Now that it's known, whatever'?"

"Hey, watch your mouth. She's S-Class."

As expected, as soon as I opened the classroom door, the room, which had been buzzing despite the exhausting exam period, fell silent in an instant.

Then, glancing at me, they started whispering amongst themselves, starting with "Is that her?"

From their perspective, there were plenty of reasons to badmouth me.

Skipping lectures was my daily routine, and even when I came, I just slept. Yet strangely, I always got high grades on exams.

And professors were noticeably nice only to me, to the point where even a child could notice they were afraid of me.

Well, there won't be any gossip about that anymore.

Since they realized that I, whom they thought was just a civilian who got in with a good background, was actually someone who could be the most powerful background herself.

"There was a reason she slept all the time."

Of course, starting next year, they will be able to compete fairly in a place without me.

Once I leave the Hunter Department, the ecosystem-destroying species known as an S-Class Hunter will disappear.

Since Kang Tae-woo has a different starting line than me, it will be a relatively fair game.

"Alright, I'm calling attendance, so everyone be quiet."

Well, one way or another, the interest in me seemed hotter than I thought.

The students only shut their mouths after the professor raised his voice once.

But perhaps the interest in me hadn't cooled down yet.

Just because the lecture ended didn't mean stories about me stopped reaching my ears.

No matter how much I tried not to care, amidst the mix of half fascination and half jealousy...

For some reason, the jealousy-laced comments pierced my ears one by one.

"Ah."

A sigh burst out naturally as soon as I walked out of the building.

Ah, why did I do that?

I stepped up out of a sense of justice that came from who knows where, and a desire to crush the monster bastards that almost hurt Jin-wook.

"Hwang Eun-ha?"

Jin-wook's voice came from the side.

Looking at the spot where Eun-ha left, I couldn't wake up from my dazed state.

It was embarrassing enough that I cried in her arms yesterday.

But seeing her in just underwear and an apron as soon as I woke up this morning was truly a culture shock.

'What on earth was she thinking to come up with that?'

Jin-wook...

No matter how much he thought about it, sometimes he couldn't understand his friend at all.

No, maybe trying to understand an S-Class Hunter was wrong in the first place.

Eun-ha thinks she isn't like that, but from his perspective, she wasn't much different mentally from other S-Class Hunters.

She was just a long-time friend, and since he knew every detail of what she had been through, he just tried to understand.

"Ah, fuck, why did you have to stand up there of all times."

But the most humiliating fact amidst all this was...

That it stood up upon seeing her in underwear from the morning.

Hey Junior. Even if Eun-ha looks erotic for a moment...

If you stand up looking at a friend, what does that make your owner?

'Ah, one-day girlfriend, seriously fuck.'

And what does "One-day Girlfriend" even mean?

Jin-wook seriously pondered the meaning of the words Eun-ha said.

Also wondering if this was really the girl he knew, who rejected men because of past wounds.

"Hah, please, let's calm down, Jin-wook-ah."

Perhaps because he recalled the image of Hwang Eun-ha in the underwear apron again.

Seeing his 'Junior' rise again after barely calming down, Jin-wook sighed deeply.

If it were any other woman than Hwang Eun-ha, he would have satisfied himself thinking, 'Yeah, you're a man too,' and pulled down his pants.

But the problem was that the object of his arousal was Hwang Eun-ha.

"Fuck, no matter how much I like her, she's not ready yet, Aaaack!"

Judging by the feelings he had felt looking at Hwang Eun-ha all this time...

It was true that he loved her as a woman, not a friend.

But even so, Hwang Eun-ha is a victim who hasn't completely healed from the sexual assault she suffered in the past.

Even though she gave a hint that he could approach her someday...

Drawing a clear line saying "no lovers" was practically saying in a roundabout way that she wasn't ready yet.

Maybe friends are okay, but men must still be fearful to her psyche.

But then, shouldn't 'girlfriend' be off-limits too?

What is a one-day girlfriend?

It sounds like I paid money to buy a friend's day.

"Haa..."

Jin-wook sighed again at her thoughts, which he felt he knew sometimes but couldn't understand at others.

Seeing the engraving on the silver bracelet Eun-ha always wore, now in his hand, all sorts of thoughts crossed his mind.

Asking him to bring this meant she intended to spend her free time in the afternoon with him.

'What is she thinking?'

Jin-wook sat on the sofa and thought for quite a long time.

Until the alarm he set just in case rang, he spent time searching things like "Female friend one-day girlfriend" on the internet.

Eventually, without finding an answer, he roughly put on a sweatshirt, baseball jacket, and jeans, left the house, and headed to the bus stop.

'No matter how I look at it, this is just an excuse, and she just wants to hang out in the afternoon.'

With that suspicion, Jin-wook headed to school.

No matter how much he thought about it, he could only accept it as her trying to make him feel better to comfort him from his despair.

Although a time limit of "one day" was attached, he thought she used the word "girlfriend" for him, who had no lover, for that reason.

"Hwang Eun-ha?"

However, that thought of Jin-wook vanished entirely upon seeing Hwang Eun-ha coming out after her morning lectures.

Whatever the intention, the current her, just as she said...

Seemed sincere about her role as his girlfriend, even if it was just for a day.

"Oh?"

Usually, when Hwang Eun-ha dressed up, it ended at wearing a casual suit when a dress code was required.

Even then, she wore pants, not a skirt.

"You came? Let's go eat."

Bathed in the autumn sunlight, perhaps because she added light makeup, she was dazzlingly beautiful.

And she was wearing a skirt, something he hadn't seen in the morning because he was distracted, and something he thought she would never wear in her life.

'Ah, I should have dressed up a bit better.'

Jin-wook, who intended to just give the bracelet and go back home, regretted his choice for a moment.

Why is he broken?

I tilted my head looking at Jin-wook, who froze the moment our eyes met.

He's not usually like this. He's the kid who would say "Put some clothes on" without thinking even if he saw my breasts. While I was suspecting why he was like this...

I snatched Jin-wook's hand, which was naturally heading toward my skirt, and demanded, "A-Are you crazy?"

"Hey, you..."

"What, why."

"Is today some special day? Why are you wearing a skirt you don't usually wear..."

Even if I've never worn a skirt in my life.

Where is the crazy bastard who tries to grab a skirt outside where everyone is watching?

I almost slapped him unknowingly.

"No, even so. How could you try to touch a woman's skirt..."

"Were you a woman?"

"You complain even when I wear it. Ah, I should just go home. Change clothes."

It wasn't that I didn't understand why Jin-wook reacted like that.

The only time I wore a skirt was as a uniform shortly after I came back to the old house.

Even then, I replaced the high school uniform skirt with uniform pants.

Actually, I did wonder if I really had to go as far as wearing a skirt.

But men liked skirts more than pants, and since Jin-wook is a man, I dressed accordingly.

It seemed my choice hit the mark.

"Don't change."

"Why."

"That... it suits you."

Jin-wook was like that.

When praising others, he was the type of person who felt more embarrassed than the person being praised.

He said he wasn't good at saying cheesy things.

"Hehe, as expected, you are a man too."

"Then what, am I a woman?"

"A man, yeah. Still, the feeling isn't bad."

I was worried because he cried quite a bit last night.

Seeing Jin-wook showing his usual self, I was inwardly relieved.

It probably hasn't been completely resolved yet, but I was glad this event I thought of to cheer him up seemed to work well.

"Then let's go eat. I'm really hungry."

"You ate breakfast earlier."

"You know. If I don't eat three meals a day, I lose energy and become limp like a paper doll. I don't want to be like that today."

Saying that to Jin-wook who expressed slight puzzlement, I linked my arm with his, hugging Jin-wook's arm tightly with both of mine.

Momentary fluster dwelled in Jin-wook's eyes looking at me like this.

But not long after, perhaps deciding to play along with my girlfriend game today, he erased the fluster as if making up his mind and asked me in a natural voice.

"Shall we? Hmm. Then what should we eat."

"Whatever you like."

"Me? You know I eat anything without being picky."

But that's not enough.

Since you decided to play along, consideration is good, but I wish you'd do whatever you want.

Except for lewd things.

"We've been eating mostly what I wanted to eat so far."

"Hmm. Then I'm really going where I want to go?"

"Yup."

The place Jin-wook led me to was a snack bar (Bunsik-jib) near the school, well-known within the campus for its delicious Tteokbokki.

But also the kind of snack bar that becomes the cause of posts on Eta titled 'Boyfriend took me to a snack bar again, so we fought.'

"You want to eat Tteokbokki?"

"Yeah. Add cheese?"

"Do whatever you want."

I, who wasn't a woman from birth, couldn't understand.

The atmosphere isn't bad and the Tteokbokki tastes good, so why fight over this?

"Should add fish cakes (Odeng) too."

"Right, sorry."

After ordering at the kiosk and sitting down, I started to feel gazes glancing at me from the surroundings.

But not as S-Class Hunter Hwang Eun-ha like at school.

But the gazes of men envying him for having a very beautiful girlfriend.

Jin-wook probably doesn't know.

How envious it is to walk around with the current me by his side.

Although he had some 'Insa' qualities at school, that was the result of 'Ilko' (Cosplay/Acting normal).

Fundamentally, he belonged to the category of otaku who liked anime to some extent and played games, so it was natural that he lacked a sense for real-life women.

"Here, this."

Jin-wook handed over the Mana Control Bracelet I entrusted to him before leaving the house earlier.

"You're going to leave after eating?"

Don't tell me this bastard...

Does he have no thoughts even after seeing me wearing a skirt right now? I asked.

"Anyway, we don't have much to do today, and I wonder what's the point of wandering around."

"Really? You're just going to go home?"

"Why?"

Bingo.

I felt like I understood a little why there were no women clinging to this bastard all this time.

That's why he didn't have a single woman until college despite having a decent face.

...Well, that was a very fortunate fact for me at the time.

"Really? I dressed up like this and you just want to go in?"

Anyway, I didn't call Jin-wook out just to go back in like this today, so I asked with a deliberately disappointed expression.

Jin-wook made a face like 'Why is she like this,' but eventually, seeming unable to handle it, he said in a roundabout way that he lost to me. "Well, if you want to play a little before going in, then do so."

"Then, doesn't our Jin-wook have anywhere he wants to go with such a lovely girlfriend?"

"Love..."

Ah.

Was that line just now a bit too much?

Perhaps it was hard to endure my appearance which was quite different from usual, Jin-wook's expression changed strangely the moment I said that.

Just as I was about to regret the remark I made, the vibration bell rang in good timing, instantly loosening the awkward atmosphere.

"I'll go get the Tteokbokki."

"Okay."