-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Matchmaking Constellation
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Constellation.
Beings that appeared alongside the Awakened after the Gates emerged.
They revealed themselves only to a select few of the Awakened whom they chose. Those chosen few received rare abilities from the ‘Constellations’ and awakened as S-ranks…
[The Nameless Star asks if you can skip this since they’re busy.]
[The Nameless Star is bored.]
Ah, yes. Ha-ra felt awkward. But a corner of her heart shone with the joyful hope of ‘what if.’
In South Korea, the government checks if non-Awakened can awaken and what their rank might be if they do. Then, immediately after appointing them as civil servants, they forcibly place them in an awakening machine to unlock their abilities.
This is the first awakening. Most who awaken on their own also end here.
However, some people undergo a second awakening. Second-awakened individuals become several times stronger than before. A C-rank Hunter might suddenly become an A-rank, and an A-rank might become an S-rank. So, naturally, every Awakened dreams of a second awakening.
And when does this second awakening become possible?
When they meet a Constellation.
Even an ordinary person could instantly become an S-rank if they just met a high-tier Constellation. The Oppa that Kang Ha-ra used to serve, the "Oh-Really Man," was a prime example.
After that shopping mall incident that had made Ha-ra cry out in despair, that damn ‘Ugi Oppa’ returned as an S-rank. He claimed he’d met a Constellation in a dungeon. Now he was living like a superstar, as if his time as a nobody idol had never existed.
“No way, am I having a second awakening? Did you appear for me? You’re a Constellation, right?”
Ha-ra asked, suppressing her excitement. The appearance of a Constellation before her eyes likely meant it was here to awaken her.
Most Awakened with Constellations didn't disclose information about them. However, according to the little information available, it was speculated that Constellations were close to ‘divine beings.’ They were that rare and didn't appear before just anyone. When they did, it was for a necessary reason.
‘Could it be that the necessary reason is me?’
Am I about to shed my ten-year loser life and be reborn as an S-rank?
The Constellation hadn't said a word, but Ha-ra’s heart fluttered with joy. She suddenly felt like getting up and dancing.
[The Nameless Star rejects your dance.]
“Why…?”
[The Nameless Star re-examines user ‘Kang Ha-ra’s’ information.]
[The Nameless Star doubts whether Kang Ha-ra has a conscience.]
[The Nameless Star recalls Kang Ha-ra’s company dinner last month.]
Ha-ra’s face turned beet red. Wait, a Constellation can see things like that?
The memory of her boss forcing her to drink at last month’s dinner, leading her to think, ‘Ah, screw it,’ and then drunkenly dancing until she fell over, was still vivid. At the Constellation’s remark, the knee she had scraped when she fell suddenly seemed to ache again.
But that damn ‘Nameless Star’ seemed to have no further interest in Ha-ra’s inner turmoil.
[The Nameless Star is bored.]
[The Nameless Star asks if the man next to you is your boyfriend.]
Ha-ra glanced to her side and recoiled. The man was still lying there, unconscious.
“No!”
Absolutely not!
Ha-ra denied it with all her might. Of all the men in the world, news anchor Yoon Se-heon? Never. Just being near him was like having a machine that automatically replayed her dark history.
[The Nameless Star shows interest in your ‘dark history’ keyword.]
[The Nameless Star accesses user ‘Kang Ha-ra’s’ information.]
Ha-ra’s eyes widened in alarm. Wait, a Constellation can just look up someone’s dark history like this? No! Stop accessing my information! Ha-ra flailed her arms wildly in place, but it was no use.
[The significant difference in tier between you and the Nameless Star forces access to be granted.]
[The Nameless Star bursts into laughter.]
[The Nameless Star asks if your life is some kind of sitcom.]
“What, are you crazy? Hey, you need permission to look up personal information these days! Even the government can’t just do it whenever they want!”
The South Korean civil servant, who had to get consent signatures from citizens every time she looked up their information, was indignant. But it was unlikely a Constellation cared about South Korean law.
Ha-ra let her arms fall limply.
“It used to be like a sitcom, but now it’s more like a human-interest documentary.”
[The Nameless Star asks if this man isn’t handsome, though.]
“I could date every single person in the world, but not him… We don’t even know each other well in the first place!”
Of course, that was separate from the fact that there was no way Yoon Se-heon would ever like her. Wasn’t he ranked number one for the most desirable media personality to marry in South Korea?
But even if he did like her, Ha-ra felt she would just want to run away. Thinking back, her life seemed to have gotten tangled up ever since she met him.
[The Nameless Star is indignant.]
“All of a sudden?”
[The Nameless Star gets angry, saying kids these days have no love in them.]
[The Nameless Star gets annoyed, asking why you can’t date such a fine man.]
[The Nameless Star accesses user ‘Kang Ha-ra’s’ information.]
[The significant difference in tier between you and the Nameless Star forces access to be granted.]
A significant difference in tier… Of course, they’re a Constellation and I’m just an E-rank.
Her personal information being stripped away in real-time by the suddenly enraged Constellation, Ha-ra, now too drained to even be angry, stared blankly into space.
[The Nameless Star is indignant about your history of being single since birth.]
The word “indignant” suddenly made Ha-ra feel wronged. Indignant? Did you contribute anything to me being single my whole life? I’m not even indignant, so why are you getting indignant over my history…
“That’s too much. It’s hard enough just living in this cruel world, what time is there for dating…”
[The Nameless Star asks if you shouldn’t be finding love precisely because you were born into a cruel world.]
A sigh escaped her lips. This naive Constellation. But then again, she doubted a Constellation could possibly understand the life of an E-rank.
“In other countries, even E-rank Hunters make good money selling dungeon byproducts, but you can’t do that here… Dungeon byproducts basically belong to the government. Even private guilds have to purchase dungeon mining rights from the government.”
[The Nameless Star asks what that has to do with anything.]
“Try working for a low-grade civil servant’s salary, Sir Constellation… See if you feel like dating then.”
You see, I put 800,000 won into savings every month. Then there are fixed living expenses. The incentives I manage to get are gone in a flash. And after all that, I have no money… I can only save that much because I’m still living with my parents.
Ha-ra mumbled on, but the Constellation seemed uninterested in her pathetic personal life.
[The Nameless Star clicks its tongue.]
[The Nameless Star says that love can overcome anything.]
Now she was starting to get pissed off. Seriously, did a Constellation show up, or was it my supervisor? Why are you suddenly making a fuss about whether I should date or not? Why don’t you go date someone? Are you from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family or something? Are you hoping I’ll sacrifice myself to contribute to the national birth rate?
But before that thought could even reach the Constellation, Ha-ra rubbed her forehead and calmed down. She couldn’t afford to show her annoyance in front of a revered Constellation.
She probably already had, but it was better to just smile sweetly.
[The Nameless Star scowls, asking why you’re suddenly smiling.]
“Oh, my dear sir.”
Ha-ra clasped her hands together and pulled the corners of her mouth up into a bright smile.
Kang Ha-ra, age 29. Snatched up by the government before she could even take her high school entrance exams, she had lived for ten years as an E-rank Hunter civil servant. The standard term of service for a civil servant was twenty years.
But even when her Hunter service ended at 39, as an E-rank, it would be difficult for Ha-ra to even get into a guild.
So, for Ha-ra, this was like winning the lottery. No, it was like winning first and second prize in the pension lottery ten times over, both online and offline simultaneously.
She had almost forgotten because of this Constellation going on about her love life, but Ha-ra was meeting a Constellation, the very being that all Hunters in the world yearned to meet.
If she could just secure one, she could achieve the second awakening she had dreamed of for so long. Hadn’t she just been joking with Yu-jeong in the broadcasting station’s waiting room about where to find a Constellation so she could go catch one?
She couldn’t let this chance slip away.
In the working world, when a superior suddenly starts picking on you, it’s better to give them what they want rather than talk back. That’s just how it is.
Ten years of professional experience whispered to Kang Ha-ra.
*Ha-ra. Gather up the last dregs of energy and the rock-bottom social skills you’ve saved up while living as a loser. You can’t lose this Constellation, even if it kills you.*
‘People of Earth, lend me your energy.’
“Sir Constellation, even love can’t overcome reality. Look at my specs. I get called a loser even on the anonymous Hunter forums. Are these the specs for dating?”
[The Nameless Star is disgusted, saying kids these days are too weak.]
[The Nameless Star boasts that in their day, they crossed seas and traveled to the underworld.]
“Oh, I know, I know. If I had the rank, I’d cross seas and travel to the underworld too.”
[The Nameless Star is suspicious of your lightning-fast change of heart.]
“But I’m an E-rank.”
[The Nameless Star has seen through your scheme!]
“Oh my, you’ve noticed. Well, that makes things easier. Look, Sir Constellation. I’m not even asking you to make me an S-rank. An A-rank—no, even just a B-rank would be enough, and I’ll do whatever you ask with all my heart. Dating? If you say so, I’ll do it. If you want, I can even meet a different man every day of the week…”
[The Nameless Star snaps that that’s not love.]
“Ah, so you don’t like that sort of thing.”
Ha-ra’s mind spun.
“Anyway, I’ll do anything you want. So, won’t you please become my Constellation?”
Even as she said it, Ha-ra prayed desperately that this Constellation was high-tier. Among second-awakened individuals who had met a Constellation, there were rare cases of people who had stopped at C-rank.
‘B-rank… Even just B-rank would be amazing…!’
[The Nameless Star smiles slyly.]
[The Nameless Star asks if you want to become an S-rank.]
“Heck, yes! Absolutely yes!”
Ha-ra’s eyes sparkled. She flailed about, even elbowing the man collapsed beside her. Yoon Se-heon let out a pained groan, his brow furrowing.
Ha-ra reflexively said, “Oh, sorry,” and patted the unconscious Se-heon in apology.
[The Nameless Star smiles slyly again.]
[The Nameless Star asks if you could date that man, then.]
“Yes! Wait, what? No, hold on. I need to think about that…”
What was this all of a sudden? Ha-ra was flustered. Sir Constellation, are you from a matchmaking agency? Still, asking if I can date the guy right next to me is…
[The Nameless Star says that when you’ve lived for eons, even watching ants mate can be interesting.]
[The Nameless Star asks if you haven’t had times like that, too.]
Ants what? And in the next moment, Ha-ra was horrified by the message that appeared.
[The Nameless Star accesses user ‘Kang Ha-ra’s’ information.]
[The significant difference in tier between you and the Nameless Star forces access to be granted.]
[The Nameless Star brings up the post ‘[Fanfic Board] [KangJae X Ugi] Love Is….’ written by the user ‘UgiHara’ on a fan cafe in 201X.]
“Aaaargh! Are you crazy, for real!”
[The Nameless Star brings up the post ‘[Wish Fulfillment] [My dream is to be a matchmaker I’m gonna marry off KangJae and Ugi Oppa]’ written by the user ‘UgiHara’ on a fan cafe in 201X.]
A dark moment from her fan-crazed teenage years had just resurfaced. In that instant, she didn't care about Constellations or anything else.
Panicked, Ha-ra shrieked and swiped at the air, trying to erase the system messages. But there was no way they would disappear like that.
[The Nameless Star claps like a seal, delighted.]
While Ha-ra writhed in agony as another piece of her dark history she had never even thought of was dredged up, that damn Constellation laughed for a good while before finally displaying another message.
[The Nameless Star offers you a quest.]
[Constellation Contract Quest]
The Constellation ‘???’ offers you a Constellation Contract.
Condition: ??? (To be revealed upon contract)
[Will you accept the contract? Y/Y]
“……Where’s the N?”
[The Nameless Star asks if you’re in any position to refuse.]
“Well, no, but still!”
Instead of an answer, the Constellation smugly displayed another message window.
[Contract Completion Reward: 5-Rank Increase]
A five-rank increase? Ha-ra felt like her eyeballs were about to pop out. She was currently an E-rank, so…
S.
She had to do it. This was a must. The condition being ‘???’ was extremely unsettling, but who cared about that now? Ha-ra raised a trembling finger and pressed Y.
[The Nameless Star snickers.]
Unsettling…
[The Constellation Contract is complete.]
With that, her vision went white.
