S-Rank is My Side Character (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11

“Are you cold?”

“A little. But it’s fine—I’ll be home soon anyway.”

“Oh, come on, still!”

The winter dawn air was colder than expected. Seeing Na Ri exhale a white puff into the air, Lee Hyeon smiled and opened his palm.

[Trait :: ‘Eternal Flame’ activated!]

“Here. Take this.”

Whoosh—a golden holy flame blazed in his hand, instantly spreading warmth around them. He held it out toward Na Ri. Take the flame?

“C-can I really touch it… with my bare hands?”

“Of course. It’ll just feel warm. It has no offensive power at all unless I intend harm.”

He extended his hand toward her reassuringly. After a moment’s hesitation, Na Ri lightly touched the holy flame in his palm. It was warm.

The golden flame flickered slightly. Seeing Na Ri’s stiff expression, Lee Hyeon chuckled softly and continued,

“Now press your palms together like this—clap!”

“Uh… okay….”

Clap! As their palms met, the holy flame burst brightly in Na Ri’s hands. Along with the sensation of his holy energy seeping into her, warmth filled her body.

[High-tier Priest skill :: Body Temperature Maintenance]

“So this works too, huh.”

“Well, I am technically classified as a Priest! You’ll stay warm at least until tomorrow morning. You’ll be able to sleep soundly.”

“…Thank you.”

Na Ri blinked, gazing at her softly glowing hands.

Today had been utterly strange for Na Ri. Clutching her crossbody bag tightly, she took step after step. Lee Hyeon followed behind her.

At the deserted dawn crosswalk, a red light forced them to stop for a while. After a brief silence, Na Ri spoke up.

“You probably already know, but I went to see Dad.”

“Yeah…”

Was she finally going to tell him everything? Kang I Hyeon glanced down at Na Ri. She was pressing her reddened eyes firmly with her sleeve. When he offered his handkerchief, she hesitated for a moment before snatching it abruptly.

She reminded him of a hedgehog—prickly yet oddly endearing—and he couldn’t help but smile. Na Ri continued,

“After Mom… after what happened, Dad immediately started seeing another woman. And right when I started working, he moved in with her…”

“I see.”

“I just thought they were living happily… but then, for some time now, rumors online kept spreading about Mom—that she only knew Dad and me. That’s when I realized—Dad’s selling her information to reporters because he’s broke.”

She sniffled once, then wiped her nose with the handkerchief. She tried to act composed, but her voice trembled slightly. Kang I Hyeon stared at her, stunned.

“So when I told him to stop, he said, ‘What am I supposed to do? I’ve got no money!’ Ever since then, whenever he runs out of cash, he calls me—threatening to sell Mom’s information if I don’t send him money.”

“If that’s true… isn’t that just criminal? Shouldn’t you report it…?”

“I already made a huge scene. It probably won’t happen again. And you don’t have to help me—that’d just bruise my pride.”

She paused, then sighed. “I even summoned the Black Half Scissors and pointed it at his throat.” Lifting her head, she looked straight at Kang I Hyeon.

“This isn’t me asking you to spread rumors or feel sorry for me. I’m just telling you because… if you heard that phone call, I don’t want any weird rumors spreading. I don’t want my personal info ending up online.”

“Okay, I understand. I won’t say a word. And… thank you for trusting me with this. It must’ve been hard.”

“…It’s not like it was that difficult or anything.”

Na Ri averted her gaze again, then turned her head fully the other way, looking slightly embarrassed. The traffic light was still red—though it would turn green soon. Watching her stand there awkwardly, Lee Hyeon said,

“Let me walk you home. It’s late already…”

“No thanks. I’ve got to prepare for work tomorrow, so I’ll open a warp gate somewhere without CCTV and go.”

“Work? You have a job too?”

“The convenience store right in front of my place.”

“Wow, that’s impressive. Holding down two jobs isn’t easy…”

Ding-dong—the light turned green. As Na Ri took a step forward, Kang I Hyeon matched her pace. Suddenly, Na Ri turned sharply and demanded,

“Hey! Why are you following me!”

“I-I just… got worried. I wanted to see you safely through the warp gate, at least…”

“Just go! I don’t need you!”

Whoosh—Na Ri pulled something from her inventory and tossed it toward Kang I Hyeon. He caught it instinctively. It was a BS25 convenience store bag containing a packed meal and a beer that looked freshly taken from the fridge.

“…Since I made you come out like this tonight because of me… consider this repayment. I don’t like owing anyone.”

She clenched her fist, then relaxed it. She’d probably regret this tomorrow—definitely regret it. But Na Ri had always been weak toward kind people. Her conscience prickled painfully.

Maybe it was her mother’s influence. Glancing sideways, she saw Kang I Hyeon beaming with a bright smile.

“Thank you, Miss Na Ri!”

“It’s not like I could give you anything else right now…”

“It’s the thought that counts. This is the first time you’ve ever given me something! Aside from the scissor-cutting, of course.”

“You’re ridiculous. Of course it’s the first time—we just met today.”

Na Ri turned on her heel right there. From behind, Kang I Hyeon called out—sounding as if offering a final farewell,

“Miss Na Ri, I’ll see you again. I’ll definitely contact you. If anything’s ever hard, talk to me anytime. Seriously!”

“…”

Her pricking conscience now stabbed deep. Na Ri finally stopped mid-crosswalk. Whirling around, she marched straight back toward Kang I Hyeon, who watched her with wide, friendly eyes.

Her life had always been filled with nothing but useless, despicable men. There wasn’t a single person left in the world she could trust. That’s why she insisted on being alone.

Being alone was lonely—but it was fine. I’m strong. If there’s something I can’t solve, it’s only because I’m weak. If I just eliminate every weak part of myself, I’ll be okay.

It had been ten years since Na Ri started thinking this way. She’d managed well enough.

Still… there were days when things truly felt unbearable.

Truthfully, she often wished someone would just listen to her. So she wanted to believe Lee Hyeon’s words—that some things really couldn’t be solved alone.

‘Maybe… just maybe, it’s okay to trust him a little. Just a tiny bit—say, for about a year…’

Na Ri gently tugged at Kang I Hyeon’s sleeve and mumbled shyly,

“Um… your guild. Do you guys really pay a lot?”

[Wait, isn’t this going too far? The Ruler of Chaos stares at you with dark eyes.]

And so, she made the life-defining choice she might one day regret.

[This is the timeline separator] [Trait :: ‘Natural Lucid Dream’ is activating.] [Depth World Floor 0. Entering the lobby.]

Na Ri opened her eyes from sleep. Broken windows, dusty furniture, cigarette packs and shattered liquor bottles littering the floor—evidence that delinquents had made this their hangout. Walls smeared with paint scrawls of vulgar curses and lewd remarks.

Na Ri sat on a worn-out sofa, its stuffing spilling out and leather faded. A man trudged toward her—Rude.

“Hmm, thanks to that priest, this place looks cleaner than yesterday, doesn’t it? Right, our Na Ri?”

“…Why do you look like that today?”

“Thought this might look cool?”

The Ruler of Chaos—in Rude’s form—now wore a doctor’s coat and frameless glasses, sitting beside Na Ri and throwing an arm around her shoulders.

“Well then, to make sure our dear Na Ri doesn’t get devoured by the terrifying Depth World, your loving older brother has specially come into your dream again today.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Our Na Ri is my precious little sister and princess.”

Ever since her awakening, Na Ri had experienced lucid dreams nightly. The routine never changed: in her dreams, she was always trapped inside this ruined house, unable to leave on her own.

Before meeting the Constellation, she couldn’t even sleep properly. She needed someone beside her just to drift off—and even then, she often woke up mid-seizure. Without the Ruler of Chaos visiting her dreams every night, things would likely still be that way.

“Did you take your psychiatric meds before sleeping?”

“Yeah. Makes me super drowsy.”

“But you have to take them if our Na Ri wants to get better. Understand?”

The Ruler of Chaos pulled her into a hug and patted her gently. Na Ri closed her eyes tightly in his embrace. After patting her a few times, the Ruler of Chaos stared straight at her.

“Are you thinking of joining the Temple?”

“…”

When she didn’t answer, he gently stroked her head. Na Ri spoke sulkily,

“I’m considering it.”

“Is this just a whim—or are you serious?”

Through his glasses, his eyes glinted dangerously. She might have offended him. After a moment of silence, Na Ri finally spoke,

“I might… be able to buy the house soon.”

“Well, that is our Na Ri’s biggest goal, after all.”

The Ruler of Chaos clapped his hands, as if finally understanding.

This ruined setting in Na Ri’s dreams—the house where she once lived with her mother and father. Restoring it to its original state was Na Ri’s greatest life ambition.

After her mother’s death, the house was sold to some anonymous billionaire and left abandoned. Designed by a famous architect, its value was easily in the hundreds of millions—more if you included the land.

“If they’re just going to leave it like this, why not just give it to me…”

Na Ri looked around at the neglected ruin. For years, she’d worked as a hunter just to afford this house—even though she knew it was nearly impossible.

She didn’t fully understand why she clung so desperately to this house. She only felt that buying it would somehow bring happiness back. Amid a world where her entire family tragedy was being commodified and sold as content, this house was the one thing she refused to lose.

“…I’ll join the Temple.”

“So? You’ll buy the house?”

Na Ri slowly rose from the sofa. Even as a hunter, earning enough alone to buy the house was impossible. Her father kept demanding money, and with just the name “Na Ri,” she could only sell low-tier items. In this situation, there was no way she could ever afford that house—unless…

“But the opportunity has come.”

Until now, her plan had been blind and vague. But finally, a real path to achieving her goal had opened—a chance to protect her last memory. Na Ri lifted her head again.

“Good, good! Our Na Ri’s eyes are burning bright again. Having an achievable goal is a good thing—much better than wallowing in despair, right?”

The Ruler of Chaos smiled contentedly. Na Ri, now calm and composed, picked up a shard of broken mirror. In it reflected Rude’s face.

“…I’ll gather enough money within a year and buy this house.”

“Hmm, one year?”

“Yes. Just wait until then.”

“Well, why not? When my little sister finds something she truly wants to do, how could this older brother not support her?”

The Ruler of Chaos smirked and snapped his fingers. A black door appeared before Na Ri. Rubbing his hands together gleefully, he grinned.

“Alright—it’s almost time for your alarm to ring. Our Na Ri.”

“…Right.”

Na Ri stared unwaveringly at the black door. Beyond it lay reality—the very reality that had tormented her for so long.

Office politics, higher-ups meddling, and the constant tightrope where a single misstep could cost dozens of lives.

Beneath its glittering surface, countless hunters debuted brilliantly only to retire within a year, crushed by hidden anguish. Now, she was stepping fully into that world.

“Our Na Ri will do great. After all, you’re someone’s incarnation, aren’t you?”

The Ruler of Chaos adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. Na Ri took a deep breath.

Then, she opened the black door.