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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Between a Regressor and a Returnee
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“How long have you had the contract?”
“Not that long. Has it even been a month yet?”
Thinking about it made her gloomy again. What sin had she committed to have met not one, but two L-ranks in such a short time, and to have her identity exposed, no less?
“Shorter than I thought. Hearing you use a nickname, I figured it had been a few years.”
“If you put your mind to it, you can get close to anyone, can’t you?”
“Are you teasing me, Miss Civil Servant? I can tell just by the nickname.”
“How could you say that? Don’t you dare disrespect my brilliant naming sense. My Eliza loves it!”
【Administrator: ꒪⌓꒪ 】
“See? He’s overjoyed right now.”
Seora beamed and gently stroked the Administrator’s emoticon. Jarim, unaware of the truth since she couldn't see it, was impressed.
“Wow, that’s amazing. The contractor for Baskar’s administrator was always having a hard time because he was constantly being tormented.”
“Tormented? How?”
“Oh, you know, making him do this and that. Like catching monsters that come through the Gates, or telling him to close dungeons. Doesn’t the Earth Administrator make you do things like that? You said you’re actually an S-rank.”
Seora, who had told Jarim the truth before they started eating chicken, blinked. The Administrator had told her to be careful and had even cheered her on in fights, but…
“Um… no, he hasn’t. He’s never forced me to do anything, not even once.”
“Wow, he must really cherish you. The Baskar contractor would throw a fit if he found out.”
【Administrator: ٩(*˙︶˙*)۶】
Even while raising both hands, the Administrator smiled happily. It was cute, and she felt a little embarrassed that he cared for her so much. Seora cleared her throat and took a bite of a chicken leg.
*You can put your hands down now, Liza.*
“It’s a good thing you came to Earth now.”
“Why?”
“You said you’re actually an S-rank, right? It’s probably because your skill proficiency is low, but with a little time, you’ll probably reach L-rank.”
*What?* Seora, in the middle of eating chicken, stared blankly at Seong Jarim.
“You’re an S-rank in name only. An Administrator’s contractor is a broken character, so if we fought head-on right now, we’d probably be evenly matched.”
*Why would you tell me something so important while I’m eating chicken?*
Her appetite suddenly vanished. Seora put the chicken down.
“Hah. You look like you could kill me with your presence alone right now, but if you become an L-rank, won’t you basically be a walking disaster? Ooooh. Awesome. Eonni, let’s get your rank up quickly.”
“Don’t say such horrible things.”
Telling her to just eat her chicken, Seora shoved a drumstick into Jarim’s mouth.
Not just S-rank, but L-rank? The L-rank that sends a notification to every Awakened in the country upon achievement?
Oh, she would absolutely pass on that.
“By the way, excuse me, Miss Returnee. Why are you calling me ‘eonni’? It’s embarrassing to be called that by an old lady who’s over a hundred.”
At the merciless attack, the chicken leg fell from Jarim’s mouth with a thud.
“Old lady? Did you say old lady?!”
“I saw that you’re 129, so there’s no use denying it, ma’am.”
“On Earth, I’m a fresh and vibrant twenty-six!”
“Oh. I’m twenty-two. 107 years your junior, ma’am.”
Seora raised both hands, flashing two fingers on each, and wiggled them. Jarim shed a tear and quietly ate her soggy chicken.
*My, my, our dear elder. You must be tired at your age, but you’re eating your chicken well.*
“Ah, I have a question. What happened to that contractor you knew, Miss Returnee?”
“What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”
“Like, was she ever in danger because of her contract with the Administrator?”
“Because of the contract? The Administrator made him do all sorts of things, but the contract itself was never a problem.”
“I see. So the position of a contractor isn’t inherently dangerous.”
At Seora’s words, Jarim looked as if she’d been struck.
“Is that all you’re curious about? Not the Administrator’s identity or anything like that? You wouldn’t know, would you?”
“Yeah, I don’t. I wasn’t curious, so I never pestered my Liza about it either.”
Instead, Seora gave Jarim a strange look, as if wondering why she would even be curious about such a thing.
“It’s obviously not a simple matter, so what good would knowing do? Like I said, my well-being and peace are my top priorities. I absolutely refuse to be the center of a storm.”
Just having you next to me is tiring enough, Seora grumbled under her breath.
*If it weren’t for this hotel life, I’d just shoot you…*
Hearing the pointed muttering, Jarim asked no more questions and fell silent.
*Right, don’t bother Yoon Seora. Annoy the Earth Administrator’s contractor, and you get a bullet in the head.* Jarim went as far as to kneel, nodding her head vigorously.
It had been about two hours since she met Yoon Seora. Seong Jarim had perfectly grasped her personality.
***
That night.
A faint light flickered in the small bedroom of the suite where Seora slept. The light, resembling a gentle touch, hovered in the air before softly landing on her black hair.
【The System Administrator quietly murmurs that he won’t force you to do anything you dislike, so you shouldn’t worry.】
Though Seora was already asleep and couldn't see the message, the Administrator conveyed his crumpled-up sincerity to his contractor.
The light, which had been swaying as if stroking her hair, soon vanished.
But the Administrator’s ears remained here, so the voice of the person in the other bedroom reached him clearly.
“Administrator-nim. I certainly saw many things in Baskar, but I will not speak of them here. This is not Baskar.”
Jarim looked into the empty air, as if she knew the Administrator was there.
“Even if your contractor asks, I will distinguish between what I can and cannot say. At least until you permit me to.”
Jarim’s golden eyes retraced the past.
A hundred years. It was not easy to spend a century in a place that wasn’t Earth.
Jarim clenched her fists tightly.
“...However, Administrator-nim. If I do happen to say something I shouldn’t, please don’t kill me. Could you just quietly shake a carrot at me instead? I’ll know to shut my mouth, so please, just don’t kill me…”
There was no reply. She knew she couldn’t hear a response since she wasn't the contractor, but she was still incredibly anxious.
“The Administrator of Baskar always wanted to crush me with a rock at every opportunity… Please, Earth Administrator-nim, don’t be like that…”
One such experience was enough.
Jarim knelt, prostrated herself, and began to pray.
Unaware that the System Administrator had let out a baffled laugh and returned to Seora’s side, she offered her prayers all through the night.
***
“Mmphl.”
A curse escaped through Seora’s tightly clenched lips.
Jarim, who had been whistling beside her, flinched and tried to put as much distance between them as possible.
But she couldn’t escape Seora’s icy glare.
Just that morning, Seora had been in top condition. She must have had a good dream, as she was in an unusually good mood, and the lounge breakfast service had been perfect.
But that happiness shattered the moment she saw the cameras and reporters camped out in front of the Association on her way to work.
“Yh tink I cn gt thrgh tht bcs f yu? Bcs f yu?”
“I don’t know what you’re saying, Seora.”
“I’m asking if I have to push through that crowd because of you.”
Seora smacked the back of the dramatically-appearing L-rank Awakened.
“Ow, ow, ow! Ouch! Why does that hurt? I’m a higher rank than you! Hah, could this be that famous mom-style back smack…!”
“If you want, I can give you a full-body smackdown.”
Jarim instantly fell silent.
“How are we supposed to get through that? Just one look at your eyes, and everyone will know you’re not an ordinary person.”
Impressive red hair and, even more striking, golden eyes.
Those eyes, which seemed to hold flames rather than a gem-like brilliance, were said to have changed when she received the title ‘Eyes Steeped in Madness’ in Baskar. She had no idea how that madness came about, but that special color, fitting for its name, would surely arouse suspicion in anyone who saw it.
But wearing a hat would only make her look even more suspicious.
*‘But do I really have to go to work?’*
Since it’s come to this, couldn’t I just contact Siljangnim and tell him I’ll be staying at the hotel for a while due to the circumstances? A happy hotel life with room service awaits me, so why struggle to get to work?
*‘Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’*
Her mood instantly improved, and Seora chuckled, “Ehehehe,” as she pulled out her phone.
“I think I can help with that.”
But at the familiar voice that seemed to be waiting for its cue, she turned her head blankly.
The still-handsome—though slightly less so than before, perhaps because of the sculpted beauty she’d seen in her dream—Regressor, Kang Sejun, was standing there with a calm expression.
*Why are you here…?*
“Am I feeling faint? Why am I seeing the Mage who should be at Daegwallyeong? What is this? A ghost? Did you die, Mr. Mage?”
“So you’ve decided to start talking nonsense now? Of course I’m back; I finished clearing the dungeon. Besides.”
Kang Sejun glanced at Jarim.
“...I have a few things I’m curious about, too.”
“Well, well. I felt a thrilling energy coming from somewhere, and it was this person! Goodness, look at this fearsome aura. How scary, how very scary!”
“Hey, ma’am. You could feel him coming?”
When Seora asked in disbelief, Jarim beamed and nodded.
“Yep!”
Oh, for crying out loud! You stupid mutt! You should have told me sooner!
A Returnee to her left, a Regressor to her right.
It was truly a terrible position to be in.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to walk in flanked by two L-ranks.
That was because Kang Sejun revealed himself first and headed toward the Association.
“Mr. Kang Sejun! Have you met the new L-rank Awakened? Why have you come to the Association!”
“Do you know who it is? Please, just one word!”
“Mr. Kang Sejun!”
The reporters, who had been waiting with bated breath for his arrival, immediately turned their cameras toward this new goldmine.
Their viewfinders filled with a handsome face that was a joy to photograph, but unfortunately, he was the last subject their cameras would ever capture.
“Aargh! Ack! My c-camera!”
“N-noooooo! My memory caaaard!”
For the crime of capturing Kang Sejun, every single camera exploded with a series of pops. Against a backdrop of desperate wails and explosions, Kang Sejun calmly walked into the Association.
The sight of reporters collapsing one after another behind him made it look like a scene straight out of a movie.
*‘So he was a movie protagonist, not a novel protagonist.’*
But Seora couldn't bring herself to be impressed. Thanks to Mr. Regressor personally taking care of the reporters, her happy hotel life had just flown out the window.
*You villain, Kang Sejun… I won’t forget this.*
