Chapter 49: I'm Thinking About You

[ Gaming. ]

Jin-wook...

He said his parents hate it when he plays games at home.

Now he just plays anyway?

[ I'm thinking about you. ]

After hesitating whether to send it or not after typing it out, I pressed send. The '1' (unread mark) disappeared immediately.

But there was no reply from Jin-wook for a moment.

Ah, no matter what, is it too much for the first day of dating?

Just as I was thinking that.

[ Me too ]

Seeing the reply from Jin-wook, a laugh escaped me automatically.

He must have sent "Me too" because he was too shy to say anything else.

"Hehe, cute."

I giggled while looking at the phone.

No, seriously, how can he deliberate so much just to send that one short phrase?

What is he going to do later when we go back to the rental room?

[ When do you want to go to my house? ]

Unless we get caught by our parents, we have to live together until graduation.

"Ah."

Come to think of it, I completely blew away the Design Faculty building.

Although it was an unavoidable measure.

Thinking about it now, I thought this might end up separating me and Jin-wook if things go wrong.

Because Jin-wook might transfer to another school next year if things go south.

'That can't happen.'

Well, if he moves, I can just follow him since I have few restrictions on my actions.

But the worry was whether my parents would let me follow him.

No matter what, Jin-wook is a man and I'm a woman, so they would want to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

"Whatever, who's going to stop me if I say I'm going."

Well, if it comes to that, I can just act as I please.

Jin-wook's parents wouldn't have any reason to oppose it particularly.

"Excuse me, Noona."

Just as I was giggling alone, rolling on the bed and slowly realizing that I was finally dating Jin-wook.

Jae-hyun's voice came from outside.

When I opened the door, Jae-hyun was standing there hesitantly with a troubled expression.

"That, I have something to ask, can I come in?"

"Yeah. Come in."

Jae-hyun came in and closed the door carefully.

What is he trying to say that he enters so carefully?

"What's up?"

"That, about me going to the Hunter Academy."

"Yeah."

"Noona's thoughts are still the same as back then, right?"

I was about to nod at that question.

Because I still thought I opposed Jae-hyun entering the Hunter Academy.

But the things I had experienced recently made it hard to agree readily.

'If there were more competent Hunters, would I not have had to step in myself like in the Elijah incident last time?'

Evacuating Jin-wook's parents safely.

And stepping in only after all situations were safe.

And the Dungeon Break incident at school last time too...

"Do you still want to go?"

"...Why?"

"I'm not asking just to block you blindly. If you want to go, you can say you want to go."

"Honestly, I want to go."

"Noona earned a lot of money and did a lot of things, right?"

"Yeah."

Jae-hyun nodded at my words, seemingly deciding to be honest.

As expected, the money I earned seemed to have played the biggest role in Jae-hyun's decision.

Since the support fund system was established, my income combined with dungeon byproducts and support funds would have exceeded that of most businessmen.

"But Jae-hyun-ah, that path is too dangerous."

"..."

"Honestly, I don't know how much effort is needed to raise one rank. But I know how dangerous dungeons are."

I held Jae-hyun's hand.

A faint mana was felt from his hand, and I could tell this kid had definitely become an Awakened, just as I had seen before.

Plus, the background of being S-Class Hunter Hwang Eun-ha's brother.

'...A talent the Association would covet.'

Regardless of his own strength.

Jae-hyun's existence was a good excuse to call out me, who had virtually retired from the Hunter industry.

If he falls into danger, I have the ability to enter and destroy that dungeon regardless of its rank.

"Jae-hyun-ah, you've never seen my scars, right?"

"Huh?"

"Look closely and think about it."

I stood up from my seat so Jae-hyun could see, turned around, and took off the t-shirt I was wearing.

When Jae-hyun asked why I was suddenly taking off my clothes, I shouted at him to look straight at my back.

"Wh-What is this?"

Perhaps shocked, Jae-hyun blurted that out unknowingly.

Covering my chest, which didn't even have a bra on, with the taken-off t-shirt, I told him what kind of scars these were.

"Traces of wounds I got when I entered a dungeon someday."

"Isn't this a serious injury? No, if an ordinary person had this wound, wouldn't they have just died?"

Perhaps he couldn't believe that I, an S-Class Hunter, received such wounds.

Jae-hyun placed his hand on my back before he knew it, placing his fingers on the scars left on my back.

"That's enough."

Of course, he took his hand off as soon as I spoke.

"You have to think carefully. These scars are wounds that not just ordinary people, but even Hunters below C-Class can't guarantee their lives against."

"But such wounds are only from high-ranking dungeons..."

"You said you are E-Class right now."

"Yeah."

"Even if you graduate from the Academy, you'll barely be C-Class? Wake up. Even if you graduate there, let alone S-Class, you can't even become B-Class."

Of course, the story would be different if I raised him myself.

I had seen quite a lot of how Guilds raise Hunters.

Plus, as a former S-Class Hunter, I knew about monsters better than anyone, enough to say I've experienced most monsters appearing currently.

"Do you know what the monthly income of D-Class Hunters is? It's about the level of earning a bit more than factory workers doing shift work over there. And that's only when they run dungeons well without dying or getting hurt."

"But if I graduate, C-Class..."

"Do you think C-Class makes a dramatic difference?"

Jae-hyun shut his mouth at my words.

Usually, up to C-Class, the path of growth was somewhat open overall.

The Academy probably promoted C-Class accordingly.

Because currently among Hunters, C-Class is a rank reachable with just some talent.

Accordingly, if a student graduates without even achieving C-Class, they can just slap a 'no talent' label on them and be done with it.

It's vicious to students who entered painting a brilliant future, but what can we do when this is reality?

I wanted to awaken Jae-hyun to that reality.

"Jae-hyun-ah, your grades play in the top ranks of the whole school. Plus, the family has money, and there's me, a former S-Class Hunter who will fly from anywhere if you're in danger."

"..."

"Why do you want to be a Hunter so much? With your grades, you could go to top-tier universities depending on the CSAT, but you could choose almost any university."

"Because Noona struggled too much."

But what came out of Jae-hyun's mouth was a completely different story.

Because I struggled, he aspired to be a Hunter?

"Honestly speaking, that was why I studied hard too. Every time I saw Noona coming back after clearing a dungeon alone and sleeping like you passed out, my heart felt bad too."

"..."

"I know what kind of things Noona went through too. I know what shock made you chase dungeons so persistently."

Hearing Jae-hyun's inner thoughts for the first time, I couldn't say anything.

I realized that the remark he made before—about pretending to be a sister only now—wasn't sincere.

Jae-hyun, who always acted prickly toward me and seemed just like a child, seemed a little more mature now.

"That was why. If I study hard and enter a Guild, the Association, or anywhere in the Hunter industry and discover many Hunters, Noona won't have to suffer anymore."

"My little brother, so..."

"That's also the reason I wanted to become a Hunter. If I become strong and become a Hunter succeeding Noona, Noona won't have to suffer anymore."

A smile formed on its own.

This guy, unlike me, knows how to say quite cool things.

Although he's my brother, I felt like I could be proud of him anywhere now.

"Aww, come here. Noona will give you a hug."

"Ah, what. It's hot, go away."

"Ehey, don't back away for no reason and come here."

I forcibly grabbed Jae-hyun who tried to run away and hugged him in my arms. Jae-hyun hesitated but stayed still.

I patted my brother's back and spoke in a soft voice.

"But Jae-hyun-ah, this Noona doesn't want you to fall into a dangerous path. You can get a job in the Hunter industry. Rather, if you want to borrow my name in that process, I'll lend it unconditionally."

"Yeah."

"However, let's think a little more about being a Hunter. You've studied hard all this time, isn't it a waste to throw it away now with just one year left until the CSAT?"

"...I don't want to live as a examinee (Suseom-saeng)."

"Uh-huh."

Releasing Jae-hyun, I pinched his cheek lightly with two fingers.

It wasn't soft like mochi or anything, but it was enough to hear Jae-hyun say, "Ah, don't do that."

"Cute."

"A-Anyway, I'm going to enter the Hunter Academy..."

"So you're telling me not to stop you?"

Being cut off, Jae-hyun bowed his head deeply.

Jin-wook could at least beat me with words, but seeing this guy challenge me when he can't beat me in strength or words felt nothing but cute.

"Jae-hyun-ah, do you know that?"

"What."

"That Noona got an offer to come as an instructor at the Hunter Academy."

"What?"

Of course, that's that.

Thinking that stopping him with words wouldn't be the answer and deciding to use another method, I brought it up.

At that moment, Jae-hyun's expression began to distort spectacularly.

"You know Noona's personality, right? If I don't like something, I flip everything over whether it's the Association or whatever."

As I said that, Jae-hyun's expression rotted very nicely.

Your own sister coming as the instructor to teach you?

Even I think there's no worst-case scenario than this.

Even if I beat him up asking why he isn't doing it properly, who's going to say anything?

"...That's a bit."

"Why, well if you're scared, you don't have to come."

"I'm going to go..."

Jae-hyun stood up with a drained expression and walked toward the door trudgingly like a zombie.

I giggled watching my brother's back, then tilted my head seeing Jae-hyun stop suddenly.

"Why?"

"Ah, that, I almost forgot."

At Jae-hyun's expression as if he suddenly remembered something, wondering if he had anything left to ask...

Jae-hyun asked me carefully.

"Noona, by any chance... do you have the number of a person named Yoon-jung?"

Hmm.

I pondered for a moment who Yoon-jung might be, then recalled the incident where I beat up a stalker someday and smiled broadly.

"Oho, Hwang Jae-hyun, you."

"Never mind, please pretend you didn't hear."

You rascal, being a Hunter was secondary and THAT was the purpose?

When I grinned playfully and asked again, Jae-hyun spoke in a blunt voice and turned his feet again.

I watched Jae-hyun escaping the room while giggling.

"Hmm, as a sister, shall I help out with my brother's love business a little?"

Soon, I took out my phone from my pocket and looked for So-hee's phone number that I received someday.