How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 46

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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 46】
“My goodness, why does the Shop feel so heavy?”
“Ah, haha… Is the atmosphere strange?”
“It feels kind of gloomy? That’s odd. The weather outside is clear.”
The Customer who’d received the tteokbokki trembled slightly, rubbing their arms. The Shop had always been brimming with vitality, but today the energy felt off.
Of course, the reason was obvious.
“Sigh….”
It was because of me, standing here baking fish-shaped pastries with my soul completely absent. Ari had even gestured around me, saying it looked like dark clouds were gathering only in my vicinity.
‘…She must be really upset.’
Since that day, Gong Ju-hee had stopped coming to the Shop. Her behavior was starkly different from before—she used to visit to eat fish-shaped pastries on days she wasn’t entering the Gate, but not anymore.
“Sister, is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing like that. I’m just not feeling well.”
I offered a small apology. Because I was gloomy, the Shop’s atmosphere sank along with me. Ari was watching my mood too.
I knew I shouldn’t run the Shop like this, yet my spirits continued to plummet. I’d realized just how terrible my attitude had been that day.
‘I should have considered that this wasn’t just a simple request—it was Gong Ju-hee’s family matter. I was far too reckless.’
Every time an incident occurred, the System conveniently displayed a mission, and I’d grown accustomed to that convenience.
Even after receiving Gong Ju-won’s request, I’d only thought, ‘What will the reward be this time?’ I was utterly ashamed of myself.
‘…I never deeply considered how Gong Ju-hee would feel.’
Gong Ju-hee was right. I’d been arrogant, thinking I could restore their relationship. That’s why I hadn’t even tried to learn what had happened between them—I’d simply brought up his story carelessly.
“Shop Owner? Are you alright?”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Several Customers who’d noticed my state spoke to me with concern. I shook my head with a weak smile.
“I’m really fine. Thank you for worrying about me.”
And there was something I’d only just realized, though it was late. Somewhere along the way, I’d grown comfortable with Gong Ju-hee, whom I’d once found troublesome. I smiled bitterly.
‘What good does it do to realize this now?’
If I’d understood sooner, I could have approached Gong Ju-hee more carefully. As I spent the morning digging myself deeper into this hole of melancholy, it happened.
“This won’t do.”
Ari approached me and spoke with a resolute tone.
“Ever since you talked to Gong Ju-hee separately last time, your condition has been really strange. Something definitely happened, didn’t it?”
“No, that’s not it….”
“I have eyes too, you know.”
There was no way Ari, who’d been watching from beside me all this time, wouldn’t notice. I averted my gaze and nodded slightly.
“It seems like Sister made a mistake. Right? If it were Gong Ju-hee’s fault, you wouldn’t be this depressed.”
“…Yeah, I suppose that’s true.”
Ari placed her hands on her hips and grinned, baring her teeth. It was a smile that felt almost playful.
“Moping around like this isn’t like you, Sister. Just apologize first instead.”
“But Gong Ju-hee probably doesn’t want to see me….”
“That can’t be true. Sister, trust me!”
As I hesitated, Ari sent me a message. When I checked my phone, there was an address I’d never seen before.
Could this address possibly be…?
“Gong Ju-hee took the day off and is at home. Why don’t we go see her before it gets any later?”
Ari shrugged, mentioning that Gong Ju-hee had previously sent her address and invited her to visit.
I stared blankly at the address before looking up. Wait. She’s telling me to go right now? What about the Shop?
“I can manage the Shop on my own! You said so yourself. I’m an A+ employee.”
She then pressed a generous bundle of packaged food into my hesitant hands.
“Good food always helps, just like ‘back then’!”
“Back then…?”
“When you and Soo-hyun had that fight!”
Ari whispered with a wink. Now that she mentioned it, the situations were remarkably similar. Friends of the same age. A misunderstanding. A quarrel.
I eventually nodded.
“Thanks, Ari. I’ll go see Gong Ju-hee like you said.”
And so, for the first time, I left the Shop during business hours. A cool breeze swept past. But strangely, it felt refreshing rather than unsettling.
‘I should give Ari a bonus when I get back.’
* * *
“I’m not sure what brings you here at this hour… but come in.”
Fortunately, Gong Ju-hee, though reluctant, let me inside. I was genuinely relieved she didn’t turn me away at the door.
‘The interior design is so perfectly Gong Ju-hee.’
Elegant marble flooring with vibrant paintings hung throughout the walls as focal points. The space was neither too small nor too large for living alone. Despite my sudden visit, everything was remarkably tidy—perhaps she was naturally neat.
“Your home is really nice. It smells wonderful too.”
“C-compliments later! Why did you come so suddenly? What else do you want to say?”
Gong Ju-hee, dressed in a lace-trimmed pajama dress, glared at me with her arms crossed. I hesitated before broaching the subject.
“…Actually, I came to apologize to you.”
Gong Ju-hee’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting an apology.
“An apology?”
“Yes. You were right—I was reckless. I really did believe I could handle everything myself. I shouldn’t have thought that way…”
I calmly acknowledged my mistake. While completing the request was important, Gong Ju-hee meant more to me. Once I admitted that truth, my heart felt lighter.
“I spoke carelessly without understanding anything. I’m truly sorry.”
“…W-wait! You’re apologizing just like that?”
Gong Ju-hee, caught off guard by my apology, took a small step back. Her lips moved several times as if she had much to say, before she finally exhaled softly.
“…Well, you didn’t mean it that way. I forgive you.”
Then, looking embarrassed, she twirled her wavy hair around her fingers and murmured.
“Now that I think about it, I might have overreacted too… Well, I was planning to apologize as well! I just couldn’t find the right moment!”
Gong Ju-hee suddenly raised her voice, then began briskly wiping the floor with her slipper, claiming there was dust. Her transparent, adorable reaction made me chuckle softly.
“W-what! Why are you laughing?”
“Just because. You matter so much more to me than Gong Ju-won, whom I barely know.”
My honest words worked better than expected. Gong Ju-hee’s expression softened visibly.
Watching the corners of her mouth gradually lift, I exhaled a sigh of relief internally.
“Oh, and I brought a gift too.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. Fish-shaped pastries. And fish cakes and tteokbokki as well. I brought plenty so we could share.”
I pulled out the food Ari had packed from my Inventory, and Gong Ju-hee’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“Fish-shaped pastries… you brought fish-shaped pastries.”
It had been quite some time since Gong Ju-hee, who used to visit our Shop almost daily, had stopped coming by. Without saying a word, I knew she must have missed our Shop’s food terribly.
I grinned widely and waved the bag containing the fish-shaped pastries.
“Smell them. They’re fresh from the oven. Still warm.”
“…Well, since you went through the trouble of bringing them, I suppose I should eat a few. Just sit anywhere.”
I laid out the food on the Dining Table. Gong Ju-hee approached with renewed energy, holding a fish-shaped pastry in one hand and fish cake in the other, and began eating.
After taking a single bite, her eyes widened, and her eating pace accelerated noticeably.
“You… were hungry, weren’t you?”
“N-no, I wasn’t!”
Yet her eating speed was quite fast despite her denial. Instead of teasing her as I usually did, I simply smiled gently.
Gong Ju-hee handed me chopsticks and boldly picked up some tteokbokki. Hadn’t she said she disliked spicy food? As I looked at her questioningly, she spoke.
“…Well. Today is a special day, so maybe it’ll be okay.”
It seemed she didn’t want to waste the food I’d brought. Watching her eat the tteokbokki eagerly and then chug milk because of the spiciness, I finally burst into laughter.
“Phew—I’m so full.”
“Right? I’ll need to exercise more than usual today.”
Most of the food I’d brought had disappeared by now. Realizing she’d eaten far more than intended, Gong Ju-hee looked over the Dining Table with a somewhat regretful expression.
“…He won’t come back again, right?”
“Who? Your older brother?”
“Don’t call him that. Don’t call him that. We’re less than strangers.”
Gong Ju-hee grumbled with a disgruntled tone. I leaned toward her and asked carefully.
“…Is there something you could tell me about? You don’t have to if it’s uncomfortable.”
Gong Ju-hee, who had been hesitating, opened her mouth as if she’d made a decision.
“Do you remember the school trip we took in first year of High School?”
A High School school trip. The moment Gong Ju-hee mentioned it, that day came vividly back to me.
‘How could I forget? A Gate opened the day we returned from the school trip.’

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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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