Reading the death threat comment, I briefly thought. If I report this to the police… it won’t work. It might lead to my identification.
A week after the article was published, there was still no contact from Cheon Shinwoo, and Cheonrang hadn’t reacted to the dating rumors.
Whenever I almost forgot, someone would post an article or a news story would come up. Mostly, they were harsh criticisms of me. Harsh and juicy curses directed at a mere civilian who had snagged Cheon Shinwoo.
Feeling dizzy from unjustified anger, I wondered why I even bothered to look at these reactions.
Eventually, my team leader asked with a worried expression, “Do you want to take sick leave?”
“I’m fine, thank you. I’ll make sure there are no mistakes in my work.”
“No, it’s more about… you’ve just experienced a gate incident, haven’t you? Even newly started hunters take a few days off for post-traumatic counseling after returning from a gate. I’m just wondering if you’re really okay. Do you want me to recommend a good counselor?”
At that moment, something welled up inside me. The well-intentioned concern, though misplaced, felt warm. My problem wasn’t post-gate syndrome, but still, I appreciated the thought.
“Thank you, but I’m really okay. I won’t make you worry.”
“Alright, but please let me know if it gets tough, okay?”
“Sure.”
The team leader left with a still uneasy look. I pretended to be fine and continued with my work.
‘It’s been several days without any unusual incidents, so it should be okay.’
Perhaps I was just being overly sensitive.
I took a deep breath, calming down.
Then another thought struck me.
It was strange. Normally, even most hunters suffer severely from post-gate syndrome, but why don’t I feel anything like that?
Buzz.
My phone rang, distracting me from my thoughts. Looking at the screen, I saw a message from someone who kept worrying about me and contacting me despite my lack of response.
[ㅂㅇㅎ: I heard from Min-Young noona. You got caught in a gate incident recently. Are you okay?]Relentless, this guy.
‘Hmm.’
I pondered for a moment. If I asked to meet, he would likely make time for me. Given my limited social circle, there aren’t many people I can meet.
Should I call him to vent a bit?
‘Nah, I have my pride. Baek Yi-Hyun is not an option.’
Just as I was about to dismiss the idea.
[ㅂㅇㅎ: If you’re okay, do you want to meet today? I’ll treat you to dinner.] [Me: Okay. Treat me to chicken and beer.] [ㅂㅇㅎ: ?] [ㅂㅇㅎ: Who are you?]After responding, he asked who I was.
“This guy…”
I almost got angry at his reaction after finally replying, but then remembered my own karma and couldn’t find the words to say anything. I just quietly typed my response.
[Me: I devoured Park Ha-young. If you want her back, bring half-and-half boneless chicken and 900cc beer at ㄲㄲㅊㅋ.]
[Baek Yi-Hyun: Haha, you scared me. Got it. Just wait at the usual spot, right?]
[Me: Yep. I’ll be there around 7:30 after work.]
[Baek Yi-Hyun: I’ll wait.]
He’s a returnee just like me, yet I don’t understand why he’s the only one who speaks so formally. Am I just cheap?
Still, it felt good to have made plans to meet someone, even though he was an uncomfortable presence for me. Since I wasn’t paying, I decided to ask for something expensive.
During the bustling rush hour, I arrived at the noisy meeting place. From afar, I spotted a lone figure with white hair.
Of decent height with a well-built physique, he had strikingly white hair and blue eyes resembling the sky. This exotic appearance was characteristic of Baek Yi-Hyun.
It’s fascinating. They say appearances change to some extent after awakening, but such an unreal transformation is rare.
Baek Yi-Hyun was an enigmatic boy with white hair and light eyes since his return. His mixed Eastern and Western features had gained him a lot of attention for their cuteness.
He seemed to be waiting for me while looking at his phone. Other than his attire, he hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw him, which somehow irritated me.
Time to tease him.
I blended into the crowd, erasing my presence and quietly approached him, about to yell “Boo!” when…
“Long time no see, Ha-young. How have you been?”
As if it was the most natural thing, Baek Yi-Hyun turned to face me.
“…Boring.”
“Haha, I thought I’d pretend to be fooled just this once, but it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Baek Yi-Hyun, with his angelic appearance, said with a warm smile.
I knew he wouldn’t be fooled. After all, he is a high-ranking awakened with sharp senses.
But it was still disappointing. Of course, I would have been even more upset if he had pretended to be scared.
“Next time, I’ll react properly. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Almost a year?”
“It’s been four months.”
“No, it’s half a year. You haven’t changed at all.”
“You know that already. You haven’t changed either.”
“Haha, is that so?”
Baek Yi-Hyun laughed, then slowly started walking. There was no awkwardness in meeting after a long time; he just seemed happy.
“How have you been lately?”
“Me? Same as always. The newest thing is that I entered an A-grade gate for the first time recently.”
“Wow… that’s impressive.”
“And you?”
“Just the usual, getting by.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say I had experienced an S-grade gate he hadn’t ventured into yet, so I vaguely brushed it off. His expression remained a kind smile.
“I heard you joined Cheonrang. Congratulations.”
“You’re late to the news. I joined a while ago.”
“You hardly ever respond to my messages.”
“…….”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
