How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 40

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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 40】
“Are you okay, Lia?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
Ari looked at me with concern. From her reaction, I could tell—my dark circles must have dropped all the way to my chin.
‘I pushed myself too hard over the weekend trying to get a special effect.’
Since I had to match Lee Hyun-woo’s schedule, I could only go in the late evenings. As a result, I’d stayed up all night last night.
But the effort paid off. I’d finished collecting mushrooms and slimes, earning myself a special effect.
“Now I just need to unlock the next new menu.”
I muttered quietly to myself and discreetly pulled up the System window. It looked like I’d be able to unlock a new menu once today’s business ended.
And just as I’d predicted, as closing time approached, a welcome status window appeared.
Conditions met! Unlock new menu?
> Menu List
1. Red Bean Fish Cake
2. Cream Fish Cake
3. Spicy Fish Cake
4. Chewy Fish Cake Skewers
5. Locked (Available to Unlock)
‘I can already guess what this new menu is.’
While the new menus seemed to unlock randomly, there was definitely a pattern to them. After fish cake skewers, the logical next menu had to be tteokbokki.
After closing the shop, I asked Ari as she prepared to leave.
“Ari, do you like tteokbokki?”
“Tteokbokki? Of course I do!”
Ari’s eyes lit up as if asking, ‘Are you really preparing that as the new menu?’ I nodded and simultaneously pressed both the new menu unlock and special effect synthesis buttons.
A popup window appeared with a burst of fireworks effects.
Nostalgic Tteokbokki: Addictively spicy-sweet sauce, just like the tteokbokki from In Front of School
*Special Effect: This is a secret (Honesty +85%)
As expected, this new menu was tteokbokki. Along with unlocking it, I received “Soft Rice Cakes” and “Secret Sauce” as gifts.
“Wow, Ha-nyang! The shop has a second floor now!”
“The shop got way bigger, meow.”
With the new menu unlocked, the shop upgraded as well. A second floor had appeared. Now I could accommodate more customers who wanted to eat at the shop.
‘An 85% increase in honesty, though. That’s an incredible stat.’
I marveled internally while looking at the status window. This special effect had much higher numbers compared to the previous ones. I glanced sideways at Ari, who was standing beside me marveling while cradling Ha-nyang in her arms.
‘To fully enjoy this effect, I first need a place where the two of us can have a proper conversation.’
After a moment of thought, I quickly grabbed Ari as she was putting on her padding jacket.
“Ari, let me make you some tteokbokki. Just wait a moment!”
On the flat iron griddle created by the shop upgrade, I mixed water and fish cake broth in the right proportions, then dissolved the secret sauce. Adding soft rice cakes and fish cake skewers, I let it bubble away….
“Wow, the smell is absolutely incredible!”
“My mouth’s watering, meow.”
The tteokbokki was complete—moist and savory, just like the kind from In Front of School. Watching Ari swallow hard beside me, eager to eat, I smiled.
Now it was time to execute my plan.
“Ari, I have a favor to ask….”
“A favor?”
“I heard Soo-hyun Hunter is nearby at the office. Would you mind delivering some tteokbokki to her? You can eat some too.”
While preparing the tteokbokki, I discreetly contacted Lia Hunter and learned that Soo-hyun Hunter was indeed still at the office. I devised a subtle plan to have them meet at precisely the moment the tteokbokki would be ready.
“…Me?”
Ari pouted reluctantly. I patted her back reassuringly and handed her the packaged tteokbokki.
“You said you wanted to apologize if you got the chance, remember? Go talk to her today.”
“But she probably hates me….”
“It’s fine. If it doesn’t work out, you can just come back to the shop. You know I’m always on your side, right?”
Ari hesitated for a moment before finally accepting the packaged tteokbokki. I clenched my fist and sent her an enthusiastic cheer.
‘Please let the tteokbokki work its magic!’
* * *
Soo-hyun sat askew on a bench, exhaling a small sigh. In her hand dangled a rabbit-shaped keyring.
“…Was the gift I gave really that disappointing?”
My friends had said they wanted it, so I’d painstakingly searched overseas websites just to obtain this keyring. I’d bought four of them to match our friendship, but now I was the only one who still had one.
“You could have at least told me if you were going to sell it….”
I felt foolish for getting excited about taking a four-cut photo with the keyring.
Soo-hyun had been an introverted and quiet child from a young age. That’s why it wasn’t until first year of high school that I finally managed to form a “friend group.” Of course, that group had drifted apart awkwardly once I awakened.
‘You awakened as an A-rank? You?’
‘I wish I’d awakened too. Isn’t that supposed to be amazing?’
‘Ugh, I’m jealous. Now you don’t even have to study.’
My friends said they wanted to stay close even after my awakening, but it wasn’t as simple as their words suggested.
Once I started going to Gates more often than to school, we ran out of things to talk about. I’d rush to Hongdae where my friends were hanging out right after leaving a Gate, but it was difficult to join their conversations.
‘Hey! Wasn’t that math teacher hilarious last time?’
‘When his wig fell off? That was so funny!’
‘Um… no, not that. That was months ago.’
I closed my mouth awkwardly several times. What caught my attention was the small keyring my friends kept saying they wanted.
‘Isn’t this so pretty? The ribbon rabbit is a limited edition.’
‘I really want one, but they’re all sold out. The secondhand prices are way too expensive.’
I secretly searched for the keyring my friends said was pretty. And I swallowed hard at the higher-than-expected price.
‘…Since my friends said they wanted it.’
The price was a burden for me, who relied on my parents’ allowance, but my desire to get along with my friends was stronger.
So I worked hard to obtain the keyrings and gave them as gifts, but days later, I discovered the unbelievable outcome: they’d sold them on the Secondhand Marketplace.
What’s more, I found out they’d posted a story with matching friendship items, conveniently leaving me out and pairing with someone else instead.
“Awful people.”
Soo-hyun kicked at the ground with her shoe. The grass was marred by the footsteps of an A-rank Hunter, but the hurt didn’t fade easily.
That’s when it happened. I felt a presence approaching on the wind. Looking up, I saw Ari standing awkwardly with a black bag, looking at me.
What does she want now? I reflexively frowned.
“…What are you doing here? Why did you come to this place?”
“Is there a rule that says I can’t be here?”
Ari glanced at Soo-hyun and sat at the edge of the bench. From her reaction, it seemed she’d come looking for me.
Soo-hyun suddenly remembered how Lia had pushed her out the door, insisting she go for a walk. Surely not—
‘…are they trying to make us reconcile?’
The mere thought made Soo-hyun cringe and squirm slightly. I knew Lia and Ha-neul were earnestly trying to mediate between us, but I hadn’t expected them to go this far.
‘What’s with that look? I don’t like you either, you know.’
Ari ignored Soo-hyun’s wary gaze and thrust the bag in her hand forward bluntly.
“This is something new from our shop. She told me to bring it to you.”
“…what is it?”
“Open it and find out.”
‘Her personality really is strange.’
Soo-hyun wanted to coolly refuse, claiming she wasn’t curious, but the spicy-sweet aroma of tteokbokki was already seeping out of the bag.
‘Tteokbokki made by Ha-neul? I’m so curious….’
The fish-shaped pastries and fish cakes were delicious, but how good could the tteokbokki be?
Heart racing, Soo-hyun unwrapped the packaging to reveal tteokbokki coated in red sauce. Unable to resist, she picked up the included skewer and popped a piece of rice cake into her mouth.
“…!”
Her eyes widened in shock.
The moment it touched her tongue, the spicy-sweet sauce burst across her palate. The rice cake, gently infused with the sauce, compressed softly as she chewed before melting slowly across her mouth.
‘It’s, it’s delicious!’
The harmony of sweetness and spice was exquisite. It was a fantastic flavor she couldn’t experience from the fish-shaped pastries or fish cakes.
‘This is exactly like the tteokbokki I used to buy after school!’
As Soo-hyun bounced on her feet and reached for another piece, she felt an intense gaze from beside her.
—gulp
“…what? You want some too?”
“I haven’t tried it yet either. It’s a new menu item she just made.”
Soo-hyun didn’t want to share, but Ari’s gaze was far too intense. Besides, there was plenty of tteokbokki.
Reluctantly, Soo-hyun handed over the skewer, and Ari picked up a soft rice cake and popped it into her mouth.
“Mmm! It’s really delicious. It’s not as spicy as I thought?”
“Right? The tteokbokki sauce is really tasty. It’s sweet with a bit of spice, and you can even taste a hint of pepper….”
Ahem.
Soo-hyun, who’d gotten excited without realizing it, cleared her throat and looked away. Both of them fell silent again, focusing on the tteokbokki.
One bite, two bites. After eating quietly, Soo-hyun spoke first.
“…the tteokbokki is good. Thanks for bringing it.”
Her voice was very small, but Ari, sitting right beside her, could still hear it. Ari hesitated before nodding.
“Um, ahem. I’m sorry about what I said last time about you being blessed.”
“….”
“I wanted to awaken to a higher rank, but I couldn’t. I guess I was jealous of you.”
At Ari’s candid apology, Soo-hyun shook her head. Without thinking, she murmured what was on her mind.
“No, I said thoughtless things too. The truth is, after awakening, I drifted apart from my friends. Now that I think about it, it probably would’ve happened anyway even if I hadn’t awakened.”
…I was the only one who thought of them as friends. How foolish.
But regardless of her situation, it was reckless to regret her awakening in front of others.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. And about telling you not to touch the keychain before—thinking back on it, I overreacted.”
“It’s fine. I looked it up and that thing is seriously expensive. I would’ve done the same.”
“It’s not just the price… I was worried the ribbon might come loose and get damaged.”
“That makes sense. Still, even an A-rank Hunter thinks something’s expensive. I thought it was just me.”
Soo-hyun smiled softly at Ari’s candid words. There was something comforting about her unguarded honesty.
“Of course it’s expensive! Honestly, our family has massive debts, so I’m barely scraping by on pocket money while paying them off.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. This is a secret, okay? Only Kang Min and Lia know about it at the Management Bureau.”
Soo-hyun fidgeted with her hands. The fact that most of the money she’d earned as a Hunter went toward paying off her father’s gambling debts was something she didn’t want to reveal.
But strangely, it felt right to tell the girl standing in front of her.
“Don’t worry! My lips are sealed. Besides, I don’t have any friends anyway, so I can’t tell anyone.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m serious. I dropped out of school, so I literally have no friends.”
At Ari’s bold declaration, patting her chest for emphasis, Soo-hyun finally burst into laughter.
“Huh? You laughed.”
“What? You’re laughing too.”
What started as a small laugh soon spread and grew louder. The bright laughter of two girls melted into the cool night air.
After that, everything fell into place.
“What?! It was fake? I had no idea!”
“I’m telling you! I didn’t want anyone to find out it was a knockoff, so I threw it away that night!”
“What! But it was cute. No wait—want to get a matching one with me? I saw this really adorable keychain.”
“Really? Sounds good! Let’s wear it and go take pictures together. I’ve been wanting to get a four-cut photo with you.”
Before long, the two of them were so absorbed in animated conversation, gesturing wildly, that they didn’t even notice their tteokbokki growing cold.
“Looks like it worked out well, doesn’t it?”
“It really does. I was worried, but I’m relieved.”
Ha-neul and Lia, watching from a distance, smiled with relief. They’d cautiously followed the two girls, worried about letting them go alone, and fortunately everything seemed to have gone smoothly.
“Ahahaha!! Lia really did that?!”
“She really did! I was shocked too. Can you believe it?”
It was the day two people who seemed destined never to get along found a new friend in each other.

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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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