Translator: Vine
Translated At: Nyx Scans
Chapter: 103
#103. Revisit
2022.11.11.
"Ah, Hunter-nim. Over here!"
As Eunha exited the Immortal Guild headquarters, Jehwi, who had been waiting near the entrance, waved his hands enthusiastically.
On Sungyoon's advice, she had informed Jehwi of this address beforehand, but if she had known nothing(?) would happen like this, she wouldn't have bothered calling him.
Eunha, settling into the passenger seat, thought so as she fastened her seatbelt.
Jehwi, who was about to press the accelerator in the driver's seat, twitched his nose and sharply turned around.
"Wow, the smell of alcohol. How much did you drink?"
"I don't know."
Huh?
Jehwi blinked.
She doesn't know?
Does that mean she drank that much?
Indeed.
It was a well-known fact that the Monkey King was a heavy drinker.
That's why when Eunha sent the Immortal Guild headquarters address via message, Jehwi had stopped what he was doing and rushed over.
'Where did Sunbae go?'
'Sh-she went to the Immortal Guild...'
'Why?'
'I don't know either... Heek!'
That was precisely why Siwoo had glared fiercely when he learned of Eunha's visit to Immortal.
It was said that even renowned heavy drinkers in the hunter world would suffer from a hangover for several days and nights after a drinking session with the Monkey King.
It was so bad that there were even rumors that the Association President, known for his love of alcohol, avoided drinking sessions with the Monkey King.
"..."
Jehwi observed Eunha's face.
Contrary to his worries, Eunha's face, as she emerged from the Immortal Guild, was as calm as usual.
Except for this smell of alcohol pervading the entire car.
"Hunter-nim, I knew you liked alcohol, but it seems your tolerance is also remarkable."
As he spoke, feigning nonchalance while gripping the steering wheel, Eunha replied in an unconcerned tone.
"I used to drink a lot back in the day."
"You did... you say?"
"Yes."
A time when it wouldn't have been strange to die anytime, anywhere.
When it was hard to endure with a clear mind, she would drink heavily with her comrades.
Eventually, it became a sort of event within their squad, and they would have drinking parties every time a gate subjugation ended.
'Well, anyway, it seems like nothing happened...'
Jehwi, while feeling relieved, diligently tapped his phone screen whenever he got caught at a traffic light.
It was for that one person who was eagerly awaiting his report.
[Me] [9:49 PM] I just picked up this Hunter-nim and am heading to the officetel.
[Me] [9:49 PM] She looks fine on the outside.
Then, a reply arrived in less than a few seconds.
[CEO Shin] [9:49 PM] Why did she go there?
Of course, he'd be curious about that.
Jehwi, casually putting down his phone, glanced at Eunha.
"Ahem... By the way, Hunter-nim, why did you suddenly visit the Immortal Guild? Was it perhaps about the Jagalchi Market Unknown Gate incident, or..."
"No. It's something else."
Eunha shook her head, then recalled Yoo Hwan's appearance just before leaving the Immortal headquarters.
'Uuuugh, Roje... not there...'
Sprawled out on the floor, he was grinning with a beet-red face.
His appearance was so unsightly that the cat had spewed scathing curses at his face.
Eunha, carefully tucking away his unexpected appearance in a corner of her mind, parted her lips.
"...I couldn't have a detailed conversation today because the Monkey King passed out. I'll have to visit again soon and finish talking."
"Yes?"
Startled, Jehwi's eyes widened.
Not only her intention to visit the Immortal Guild again, but...
'Passed out? Who?'
The Monkey King?
Countless question marks filled Jehwi's mind.
The moment he parted his lips to say something, a honk! came from behind.
The traffic light had already turned green.
'Ah, no, more importantly than that...'
The fact that the Monkey King had passed out wasn't the important thing.
Jehwi turned the steering wheel and decided to probe Eunha.
"Um... when will you be visiting again soon?"
"They said they'll contact me again. Tomorrow at the earliest, within a few days at the latest. By the way, Manager-nim."
Eunha, having said that much, turned her gaze sharply towards Jehwi as if she had remembered something.
"What's 'butt-warmers'?"
The next day, a call came from Immortal.
It was news that the Monkey King was suffering from a terrible hangover and couldn't get his act together.
Sungyoon repeatedly apologized and hung up, saying he would call again tomorrow.
And then the next day.
This time, the call came not from Immortal, but from Ayeon.
「Unnie, remember that movie you said you wanted to see last time? I got free tickets, want to go together?」
Ayeon said in an excited voice.
The movie theater Ayeon mentioned was close to Eunha's officetel.
"Sure, sounds good."
「Yay! Then Unnie, can you come out now?」
"Now?"
「Yes. We still have plenty of time before the movie, so I was thinking of going shopping. Well, an arcade or something like that is fine too. Ah! Want to try the VR playground that's trending these days? I get a discount there.」
Eunha, holding her phone, glanced at the clock on the wall.
4:30 PM on a weekend.
It would be crowded wherever they went.
"The movie theater is nearby, so come to my place."
「Yes...? Really...?」
Suddenly, a choked sob of emotion came from over the receiver.
「C-can I really go...?」
"Yeah. It's nothing special, but if you're okay with it."
「I'll go! I'm going! Right now! Right now!」
Ayeon, who had hung up the phone like a thunderbolt, rang the doorbell in about 30 minutes.
"Hello!"
"What's all this?"
Eunha, opening the front door, looked at the bags Ayeon was holding in both hands with a puzzled expression.
"Umm, toothbrush, pajamas, cup... Ah! I also brought skin lotion just in case. I only use this brand, you know."
Ayeon began to take out and display the items on the dining table.
Though the reason was unknown, she seemed incredibly excited.
Eunha stared blankly at the items Ayeon had bought.
Should I say this or not...
After deep contemplation, Eunha slowly spoke.
"...I, I never said you could sleep over."
"Hey, you never know, right? Gotta be prepared. Ta-da! I bought pajamas for Unnie too. I'm Donald Duck, Unnie is Daisy! Pretty, right?"
"..."
"..."
At Eunha's silence, Ayeon looked back and forth between the pajamas in her hand and Eunha, then said dejectedly.
"...Does Unnie want to be Donald Duck?"
About 10 minutes later.
Ayeon, having organized all the items she had brought in both hands, finally looked around Eunha's house.
Dazzling afternoon sunlight pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling glass veranda window.
The marble floor sparkled like beach sand.
Even the lighting in the living room was quaint, reminiscent of a cafe with a good atmosphere.
A high-quality leather sofa, a huge TV covering the wall, and a soft, fluffy carpet.
She had sensed the smell of money from the officetel entrance, and the interior was even more so.
However.
"Unnie, you haven't lived here long, have you? Why is it so empty?"
Besides the essential furniture, there were no items that suggested a lived-in feel.
What should she say, it felt like looking at a beautifully decorated model house.
"Sit down. I'll get you something."
"Hey, it's fine. The fridge is probably empty too—"
...Huh?
Ayeon's eyes widened.
The refrigerator was packed with various side dishes, seasonings, ready-to-eat frozen foods, instant meals, as well as alcohol and drinks.
Not only that.
There were also plenty of homemade fruit preserves like lemon, yuzu, and plum, displayed by color in cute glass jars.
All of them were personally made by Jehwi.
Eunha, picking out instant meatballs from among the many foodstuffs, microwaved them and brought them to the table.
'There's a house fairy in this house.'
Seeing that, Ayeon was convinced.
No matter how she looked at it, it didn't seem like this Unnie would have personally bought and neatly stored so much food.
"By the way, aren't you going to the academy today?"
At Ayeon's question, Eunha, stabbing a meatball with her fork, answered curtly.
"I quit."
"Huh? You quit?"
Ayeon, who was bringing a meatball to her mouth, paused.
Just last time they met, the person who said she was going to prepare for the certification exam from now on, why suddenly?
"Something more important came up."
"Something important..."
Ayeon, muttering to herself, suddenly lifted her head.
"Ah, I get it! As expected, Unnie, you're going to continue being a hunter, right? That's a really good decision. Then, have you thought about working as my partner—"
Rrrrr...
The phone rang.
It was Eunha's phone.
<010-93XX-XXXX>
Though she hadn't saved it in her phonebook, it was a familiar number.
Probably Immortal.
"Just a moment."
Eunha, after excusing herself to Ayeon, got up from the table, took her phone, and disappeared into the master bedroom.
Ayeon, left alone at the table, rested her chin on her hand and waited for her, rolling the meatballs on her plate with her fork.
Her gaze, meaninglessly wandering in the air, soon stopped abruptly at one place.
A bag, left forlornly under the standing lamp next to the sofa.
'What's that?'
Unbefitting the neat interior, she was curious about the identity of that bag, left carelessly with its zipper open.
Ayeon got up from the table and approached it.
<Kang Haengwook Dog Grooming Academy>
Ah.
Ayeon, confirming the logo printed on the surface of the bag, realized it was Eunha's dog grooming academy bag.
Around the open-zippered bag, various brushes, scissors, a pencil case, workbooks, and such were scattered messily.
It's not mine, so I shouldn't touch it carelessly.
Ayeon turned back without touching the bag.
Just as she was about to return to the table.
"Ouch."
Something caught her foot.
It was a notebook.
Surely it didn't tear when I stepped on it, right?
Just as Ayeon was about to reach for the notebook under her foot, she froze, still bent over.
The open notebook was densely filled with characters written in bad handwriting.
At first glance, it seemed to be a notebook where she had jotted down what she learned at the academy, such as dog breeds or the order of nail clipping.
Words filled one entire page of the notebook.
At the very bottom, she found a short sentence scribbled with a ballpoint pen.
Fighting.
"..."
For some reason, her gaze didn't easily leave those three characters.
While she stood stiffly, her upper body tilted, Eunha, who had gone into the master bedroom, closed the door and came out.
"Sorry, but I think we'll have to cancel the movie. Something came up and I have to go."
Eunha, sweeping her hair back as she approached, tilted her head upon seeing Ayeon standing awkwardly beside the sofa.
"...What are you doing?"
"Ahaha, a notebook was lying on the floor..."
"Ah."
Eunha's eyes slowly narrowed.
Eunha, who was about to part her lips but then closed them again, turned back with a calm face.
"Those are things I don't need anymore."
At Eunha's answer, Ayeon just lowered her gaze and stared at the notebook under her foot again.
Dense notes, appearing like black paper from afar.
Though Eunha had never seen her attending classes at the academy herself, just looking at this notebook, she could feel how diligent she had been.
But Unnie earlier...
'I quit.'
She had said so very blandly.
"Anyway, I have to eat this and leave. It's urgent. Let's watch the movie next time."
Eunha said, spearing a slightly cooled meatball with her fork.
Ayeon, sitting opposite her, also picked up her fork.
"Is it something that will take long?"
"No. I'm just going to talk and come back, but I don't think I'll make it in time for the movie. Sorry."
"If it's like that, we can just postpone it. What time should we aim for? Around 10 PM at night should be fine, right?"
"Postpone, how?"
"Huh, how? Just go into the app and change the time, it's a piece of cake?"
It was an amazing world.
Eunha keenly felt the advancement of technology.
Ayeon, after changing the movie time, put her phone in her pants pocket and asked.
"All done. Unnie, you said it'll be over soon, right? Then should we just go together? That seems faster."
"I don't mind, but... you probably won't be able to enter the headquarters with me."
"Headquarters?"
Ayeon tilted her head.
—And.
'Oh my god.'
About an hour later, Ayeon, arriving at the 'headquarters' Eunha had mentioned, was greatly flustered.
A large fist mark was drawn on the red flag fluttering at the top of the building.
Eunha glanced at Ayeon, who had frozen like stone.
"Wait here for a bit. I'll finish up quickly and come out."
"..."
Ayeon, forgetting to answer, just blinked blankly.
No, wait a minute.
'This... This is Immortal, isn't it?!'
This pungent smell of sweat and that tacky flag hung up as if proud were still the same.
"No, Unnie, why are you here—"
Though Ayeon belatedly whipped her head around, Eunha had already entered the headquarters.
