How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 26
“Come on, here. Something sweet will make you feel better.”
“Thank you.”
To comfort Ari, who was sobbing pitifully, we moved to a nearby cafe. Her face brightened instantly as she took a sip of the strawberry latte, brimming with fresh strawberries.
“Wow! This is delicious!”
“I’m glad. So you’re living with your grandmother right now?”
Ari nodded slightly.
After my parents passed away in a Gate accident, with no relatives to rely on, I had continued living with my grandmother. That’s why my grandmother meant as much to me as my parents did.
“I was at school when the hospital called. They said my grandmother collapsed again. I didn’t even know she was sick….”
It turned out that my grandmother had already known about her condition. But for the sake of her only granddaughter, she had hidden her illness and gone to work.
“I told her not to go to work and rest at home. She kept pushing herself, saying she needed to send me to university.”
Ari’s gaze fell to the floor again. She seemed to think that her grandmother’s illness was her fault.
I gently patted her small hand, feeling sorry for her.
“So you keep entering Gates?”
“That’s where the money comes in fastest. Once I save enough for my grandmother’s hospital bills, I’ll really quit.”
So please don’t report me. Ari spoke in a small voice, watching my reaction carefully.
I swallowed my complicated feelings and took a sip of coffee. It broke my heart that this child was entering Gates just to earn her grandmother’s medical bills.
“Does your grandmother know you dropped out of school?”
“I told her a while ago. She got really angry when she heard.”
Ari said she had dropped out as soon as she learned her grandmother was ill. Fortunately, once she mentioned being an Awakened One, she was able to drop out without much resistance.
“But these days, being a Hunter is better than going to university anyway, right?”
Even though she was only E-rank, Ari muttered that she was grateful she had at least Awakened—otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to work even as Gate bait.
Hearing Ari’s story, I felt sorry for having offered her a job simply out of greed to bring in talented personnel.
Then her phone vibrated with a short ring.
“…Why is the hospital calling?”
Ari, muttering under her breath, answered the call. The cafe was quite quiet, so I could hear the conversation from where I sat in front of her.
―Are you the guardian of Kim Moon-rye? Your grandmother has collapsed right now!
“My, my grandmother?”
―Where are you right now? Can you come to the hospital immediately?
Ari’s face drained of color in an instant, and she looked at me with eyes full of tears. Her hands trembled slightly.
“What do I do, sister? My grandmother….”
“Let’s go together. I’ll call a taxi right now.”
I quickly called a taxi and took the panicked Ari with me. Throughout the ride to the hospital where my grandmother was, Ari anxiously bit her nails.
“What if something’s wrong with my grandmother? She’s really all I have….”
“She’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much, okay?”
I wrapped my arm around Ari’s shoulders and patted her gently. She nestled into my embrace and sobbed quietly.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t as serious as I had feared. My grandmother had lost her strength while trying to go to the bathroom alone and had fallen.
“Goodness, you really scared me! Why do you keep falling…!”
I could hear Ari’s voice through the door, crying out in surprise. I stood in the hospital corridor, listening quietly. I was truly relieved that my grandmother was safe.
Hearing Ari’s story naturally brought my own parents to mind. They too had passed away in a Gate accident. Sadly, I had no close relatives to contact, so I had to continue living alone.
‘At least Ari has her grandmother. That’s a blessing.’
When I lost my parents, I had just turned twenty. It was frightening, but I was old enough to manage on my own.
But Ari still needed a guardian to care for her.
“Sister, Grandmother wants to say hello to you.”
Lost in thought, the Hospital Room door slid open and Ari peeked her head through. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
I had been meaning to greet Grandmother anyway. I carefully entered the Hospital Room and bowed respectfully.
“Hello, Ari’s close sister….”
“Oh my, who could it be? Isn’t it our Ha-neul?”
At the warm voice, I lifted my head and saw someone I never expected.
“…Grandmother Moonrye?”
“That’s right! What brings you here? Hmm?”
It was Grandmother Moonrye, a regular customer at my parents’ Shop.
Ari’s grandmother was Grandmother Moonrye? Ari beside me looked bewildered as she gazed at me.
“You know our grandmother?”
“…Yes. She was a longtime regular at our Shop.”
“Could it be the Taiyaki Shop?”
“No, before that. My parents’ Shop.”
Grandmother used to visit the Shop so frequently, and when she suddenly stopped coming, I worried about her. Seeing her now filled me with genuine joy.
“Grandmother, why did you stop visiting the Shop so suddenly? You have no idea how much I worried.”
“I suddenly had to take care of my granddaughter. I had no choice. I should have at least sent word.”
Grandmother gestured for me to come closer.
“My goodness, that little child has grown so much already….”
Her weathered hand gently caressed my cheek.
‘Warm and comforting hands.’
Her touch awakened forgotten memories. The day she pressed candy into my small hands, saying she was helping my parents. The time she brought kimbap to my school sports day when my busy parents couldn’t. The day I came first in my class and she took me out for jjamppong.
My parents were always busy running the Shop, so Grandmother Moonrye had looked after me often. But after they passed away, I had forgotten everything while struggling to run the Shop alone.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were ill. I came too late….”
“No, it’s not late. Dear, how is the Shop doing?”
Grandmother asked me kindly.
I forced a smile and shook my head.
“I closed it.”
“What? How did that happen?”
“Just… various things came up….”
“Oh dear, that’s alright. You’ve been through so much, child.”
Without me explaining the details, Grandmother seemed to understand what had happened and patted my hand gently.
“You did well, you did well. It must have been hard keeping the Shop going alone.”
“…I’m fine. Please rest. I’ll talk with Ari for a bit.”
I barely held back the tears welling up and left the Hospital Room with Ari.
I found the Doctor and heard the explanation: the window for natural healing had passed, and surgery was now inevitable. If this condition persisted, walking would be difficult in the future, and a quick decision was advisable.
Throughout the explanation, Ari hung her head like a criminal. I couldn’t fathom how heavy the burden on that small child’s shoulders had become.
“To remove the solidified mana cluster near the knee, we’ll need a high-purity mana stone.”
“A mana stone is necessary?”
The Doctor nodded with a grave expression.
“Mana that has seeped into an Awakened person’s body can only be handled with mana stones. That’s why sourcing the materials is more of a challenge than the surgery itself. We’re doing our best to procure them as well.”
There was a reason the surgery was so expensive—it required high-purity mana stones.
Fortunately, my Inventory still contained the mana stone I’d received from Lia. I’d been keeping it just in case I needed it later, and it seemed today was that day.
‘Grandmother was so fond of me when I was young. I want to repay the love she gave me back then, even if it’s now.’
With the mana stone I possessed, I could proceed with Grandmother’s surgery immediately. Having made my decision, I took Ari’s hand and spoke carefully.
“Ari, I have a mana stone. I’d like to use it to help Grandmother. Is that okay?”
“You… you would?”
Ari shook her head frantically, saying I didn’t need to help her that much. She had money she’d saved up, and if she entered the Gate just a few more times, it would be resolved.
I shook my head firmly.
“Let’s stop doing such dangerous things. If you get hurt, how sad would Grandmother be?”
“But sister, Grandmother’s surgery costs…”
“Leave that to me. But there’s one condition.”
“A condition?”
I gazed at Ari’s wavering eyes and offered a warm smile.
“Once Grandmother is safely discharged, would you like to work at our Shop?”
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find anyone better than Ari. She was smart enough to earn money by utilizing her rank, and kind enough to sacrifice herself for Grandmother’s surgery.
And I wanted to repay Grandmother Moonrye, who had been like my own parents when I was young.
“…Thank you, sister. I’ll really work hard.”
Ari nodded with tears glistening in her eyes. Her chest heaved deeply as she tried to hold back her sobs, then fell still. But eventually, thick tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry. Everything will be fine.”
“But you’re crying too, sister…”
Without realizing it, my own cheeks had grown wet. We looked at each other’s faces and burst into laughter.
I handed over the mana stone I possessed to the Hospital right away. Upon confirming the mana stone, the Doctor was delighted and said they could proceed with surgery immediately.
After gently embracing Ari, who kept offering her thanks, I stepped outside the Hospital. The winter wind was cold, but with each breath I took, my heart grew warmer.
It was a precious day—one where I could finally give back the love I had only received as a child.
* * *
[Moved Grandmother to a regular Hospital Room! I’ll start work right away once Grandmother is discharged >0< ]
I chuckled at the message Ari sent. It even came with an adorable emoticon that looked just like me.
Fortunately, Grandmother had safely undergone surgery and was currently recovering. The surgical prognosis was good, which was truly wonderful news.
I shared the update with Lee Hyun-woo via message. After all, he'd seemed quite surprised when I mentioned hiring Ari, whom we'd met in the Gate.
[So you had a separate purpose for entering the Gate after all. By the way, are you really never going to practice shooting?]
I chuckled at his reply, which came back quickly. Ever since we'd gone through the Gate together, Lee Hyun-woo had been persistently trying to convince me to let him teach me how to shoot.
What would a Taiyaki Shop owner do as a sharpshooter? I was laughing to myself at his message when someone slowly opened the door and entered the Shop.
"So this is the famous Taiyaki Shop. How interesting."
I quickly put my phone away and greeted them.
"Hello! Do you have a reservation?"
"No, no reservation. I was just curious and decided to stop by."
He silently surveyed the shop with deliberate care.
Even as I prepared the taiyaki, my eyes kept drifting toward him. Beneath his soft, chestnut hair with its natural wave, I caught glimpses of eyes that held an unsettling coolness. The inexplicable tension made me clear my throat, and I forced myself to focus intently on the taiyaki batter.
After examining various corners of the shop, he approached my counter.
"Um, I'm curious about something—would it be okay if I asked?"
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. And before I could even respond, he opened his mouth.
"What's your relationship with Lee Hyun-woo?"

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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