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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Bizarre Condition
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Ha-ra calmly explained the whole story, but Se-heon had to ask her to repeat it several times. Even as he drove, searching for a rest stop for drowsy drivers, he kept glancing over at her.
Seeing his reaction, Ha-ra said calmly.
“I’m really not lying. If I could show you the system window, I would.”
“I don’t think you’re lying.”
It was absurd, but it was the truth. If she were going to lie, she would have come up with a more plausible excuse.
Se-heon knew that reality was often more dynamic than a drama and that liars always crafted their stories to sound as close to reality as possible.
Besides, considering everything that had happened, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
No, in fact, now everything made sense.
Kang Ha-ra's strange behavior, and Chief Jeong shouting to ask if he had a girlfriend.
Yoon Se-heon knew Chief Jeong Yu-jin well. The Tiger of the Mapo Branch. She might do some ridiculous things now and then, but she wasn't the type to be rude in front of others.
Yet she'd said something so perfect for starting rumors in front of everyone. She wasn't the kind of person to do that without a good reason.
Until just a moment ago, he had thought it was because Kang Ha-ra had a crush on him.
Then his thoughts turned to Kang Ha-ra asking him to hold her hand. The woman who, when they first started filming the documentary, had lightly drawn a blade the length of her arm, had created an arc large enough to split the sky the moment she took his hand.
He also remembered her saying back in the Yeouido dungeon that she needed to be in contact with him to use her skill. Was that why she had asked him to hold her hand?
He could also understand Team K's decision to specifically single him out as the documentary reporter. If he thought of it all as the Hunter Agency's grand scheme to fully awaken Kang Ha-ra as an S-rank, the pieces fit together.
A rest area appeared before a drowsy driver stop. Se-heon immediately pulled the car into it.
It was past 10 p.m., and the rest area was quite crowded. Se-heon parked in a secluded corner, immediately got out, and breathed in the cold air. He needed to clear his head.
Ha-ra got out of the passenger seat as well and stood awkwardly beside him.
“So, you’re saying that for you to fully awaken as an S-rank, I have to be in a relationship with you. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’ve seen it all now…”
At his mutter, Ha-ra glanced at him nervously. Se-heon asked pointedly.
“Then if I break up with you, does the S-rank get canceled?”
“They say that’s not the case…”
“Where in the world does a ridiculous condition like this exist?”
“…Right here, apparently?”
To his dumbfounded question, Ha-ra answered clearly, though she seemed embarrassed. She also looked a little sulky.
Se-heon scrubbed a hand over his face with a sigh. *Of course. She must be just as baffled.* A moment's thought was enough to realize that the most flabbergasted person of all had to be Kang Ha-ra, standing right in front of him.
“But you said it’s a god of love?”
“I know…”
“That’s not what love is supposed to be. A relationship isn’t something that just happens because two people with no romantic feelings for each other suddenly decide to date…”
Se-heon trailed off mid-sentence. He suddenly thought about all the people who meet on blind dates or through arranged meetings, date successfully, and even get married. It wasn't as if such relationships didn't exist. But…
“Um, Anchor Yoon. Please, just hear me out.”
Just then, Kang Ha-ra spoke up. Se-heon, still dazed, answered while staring into space.
“Go on…”
“You see, after I got out of that dungeon, I’ve had to deal with this Constellation. And it’s pretty clear that this Constellation is a little crazy, you know?”
“…”
Se-heon found himself looking down at Ha-ra. *Is she allowed to say that?*
But Kang Ha-ra paid him no mind, glaring irritably at the empty air.
“Oh, so you’re not crazy? They say love makes people crazy! Or maybe I’m the one who’s gone crazy! Because of you, Constellation!”
“…”
*Well, one of them is definitely crazy,* he thought. *Or maybe I am.*
Se-heon wanted to take back his recent declaration that he wouldn't be surprised by anything. There were so many surprising things in the world; how arrogant he had been…
Meanwhile, the woman caught her breath, composed herself, and looked back at Se-heon.
“Maybe… you could think of it as official business and just pretend to date me for a little while.”
Then Ha-ra looked at the air again and stomped her foot. “Agh! Why!” Turning back, her face was now noticeably redder than before as she continued.
“Th-that’s not it. Would you… just go out with me?”
*This must be what they mean by your mind going to Andromeda.*
They said people around Hunters with Constellations often felt like they were dealing with schizophrenics, and Se-heon could see why. He stared blankly at Ha-ra, completely dumbfounded.
Seeing his expression, Ha-ra looked like she was about to cry.
“I know. You must be baffled, Anchor Yoon. But I’m baffled too…”
“…”
“But, you know. Sometimes these things just happen in life. Like falling into a septic tank, or getting bitten by a rabid dog, or something like that…”
*I’ve never fallen into a septic tank or been bitten by a dog in my life.* He was about to retort but felt a sudden pang of pity. This woman, comparing dating him to a septic tank or a rabid dog, must be feeling mortified enough to want to die.
Seeing her face, red as a tomato from embarrassment, he even felt sorry for her.
‘Is this some kind of Stockholm syndrome…?’
He was astounded at his own ability to calmly self-analyze in the middle of this. Shaking his head, he countered her words.
“So what do I get out of this?”
“Pardon?”
“They say falling into a septic tank brings good luck. These days, if you get bitten by a dog that hasn’t had its rabies shot, you get compensation. But what’s the merit in me dating you, Ms. Kang?”
Ha-ra’s eyes wavered.
“Let’s say I date you. You’ll become an S-rank. Your abilities will improve, and your life will get better. You saw how the production crew couldn’t even say a single harsh word to Kwon Wook despite his mistake. I hear he even owns a building in Yeouido. They say there’s a lot to gain by becoming an S-rank.”
“…”
“But what do I get?”
It seemed she had considered this, as she looked hesitant but not entirely surprised.
“I…”
Ha-ra’s eyes darted around before she spoke cautiously.
“Should I… offer you money…?”
“I earn enough to live on.”
“Ah, right. I know you were born with a gold spoon…”
Gold spoon. The thoughtless word annoyed him slightly.
“…Even if my family wasn’t well-off, taking money from a woman you’re dating isn’t usually called a relationship.”
“Ah, that’s true…”
“The rumors about me having a sponsor would be quite a spectacle.”
As he retorted with unnecessary sarcasm, Ha-ra’s eyes went wide with dismay, as if she hadn't considered that.
Se-heon was just as dumbfounded, but he couldn't blame her, so he just stared blankly up at the sky.
A pitch-black sky. The lights of the rest area hid the stars. He just felt resentful.
A Constellation.
From his reporting, he knew there were Constellations that gave mischievous quests. But Hunters with Constellations were like distant stars in the sky; he'd never once imagined a Constellation would interfere in his own life.
Many people dreamed of meeting a Constellation and having a second awakening, but he didn't even watch fantasy movies. Se-heon was a man firmly grounded in reality, with no interest in such absurdities.
*This isn’t some kind of hidden camera show for the broadcast station, is it?* That was the most absurd thing Se-heon could imagine.
He leaned against his car, rubbing his dry face, then suddenly looked at the woman before him. Seeing her troubled face in the rest area's lights, a few words suddenly crossed his mind.
“Just don’t you dare bring something strange into this family.”
“At the very least, meet a woman who can be of some help.”
“Getting tangled up with some nobody from a dungeon, tsk. Even in matters of the state, there are levels.”
His father’s words. And the name Deputy Director Park.
Suddenly, another picture began to slowly take shape in Se-heon's mind.
Deputy Director Park Young-hee. The Hunter Agency, which would be hell-bent on making Kang Ha-ra an S-rank.
Deputy Director Park must have mentioned something to Assemblyman Yoon. And Assemblyman Yoon must have been displeased by it.
“Do you happen to know a Deputy Director Park Young-hee?”
“Pardon?”
Ha-ra blinked.
“Who’s that?”
Se-heon narrowed his eyes.
*She's a civil servant and doesn't know the name of a deputy director from the main office?*
He wondered if she was pretending but quickly changed his mind. If Kang Ha-ra were truly feigning ignorance, she would have at least acknowledged knowing the name.
So, the Hunter Agency had been making this a nationwide effort without even telling Kang Ha-ra.
He rubbed his furrowed brow. *Could the Hunter Agency have orchestrated this situation too?* The smirking face of Kwon Wook came to mind. But Se-heon decided not to let his suspicions go that far.
“Yoon Se-heon, take my hand!”
When the werewolf had lunged, shielding her had been his own choice. The Hunter Agency couldn't have calculated something like that. It might have been a dirty trick, but still.
More than that, what stuck with him was the sight of Kang Ha-ra's back as she stood up in front of him.
And—
“If we just hold on in the safe zone, everyone will be rescued…”
“Not everyone.”
He remembered the sight of Ha-ra, trembling but saying those words as she went off alone to save the little girl.
Considering that, this woman must just be that kind of person.
His head felt like it was about to explode. But two things were certain. Assemblyman Yoon was very unhappy with this situation. And Kang Ha-ra was completely unaware of it all.
He might be falling for the Hunter Agency's scheme, and it seemed there was nothing in it for him.
“…Does your boyfriend have a problem with this?”
Kang Ha-ra’s head shot up.
“I don’t have a boyfriend! I’ve never had one in my entire life!”
“…I didn’t need to know all that.”
