How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 47

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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 47】
“Mom! Yesterday, my math teacher said—”
“Sorry, sweetie, but Mom needs to head out. The housekeeper left lunch for you, so eat that. Goodness, why does this company have so much work!”
Gong Ju-hee watched her mother vanish before she could even respond, her lips pouting. The dining table was laden with appetizing food, yet she had no appetite whatsoever.
‘This is the first time my math teacher has ever praised me.’
She had once been a math dropout—someone who’d given up on the subject entirely—yet she’d managed to improve her midterm math score by a full twenty points.
The sting of disappointment cut deeper because she’d spent sleepless nights grinding through tedious studying, hoping for nothing more than a word of praise from her parents.
As she lay slumped over her desk, drowning in her sorrows, the door creaked open and someone entered.
“Why does our princess look so glum?”
“Ugh… I told you not to call me that.”
“But you are a princess, so why shouldn’t I call you one?”
It was Joo Won, her older brother—six years her senior. Unlike their parents, who were consumed by business, he was the only family member she could truly talk to.
She’d been grumbling half-heartedly, but when Joo Won asked gently what was wrong, she finally unfolded the crumpled math test she’d been keeping hidden and handed it to him.
His eyes widened as he took the test paper.
“Wow! Our princess’s math score improved this much?”
“Well, the problems were a bit easier this time.”
“Still, that’s amazing! I should frame this. We’ll hang it in the living room.”
“Come on, don’t exaggerate like that.”
Even as she said it, the corners of her mouth crept upward. Joo Won ruffled her hair roughly.
“You really did great! Did you show Mom and Dad? They’d be so proud.”
“I tried to tell them, but they said they were busy…”
“Hmm, I see. They’ve been especially busy lately.”
Father barely came home anymore, and Mother only stopped by occasionally to grab what she needed before leaving again.
“But don’t be too sad, okay? Your big brother is right here beside you.”
Joo Won puffed out his chest, telling her to come to him if she needed anything. Finally, she let out a small laugh.
At fifteen years old, Gong Ju-hee’s older brother—six years her senior—was both mother and father to her, the only presence that could coax laughter from their bleak home.
‘I’m so grateful to have my brother by my side.’
But that small happiness didn’t last long. When she entered high school, her parents’ company began to crumble.
‘Are they saying this is my fault? I didn’t know they’d end up like this!’
‘What’s the point of bringing that up now! We need to fix this situation immediately. At this rate, everything will fall apart.’
She couldn’t know the exact details of the company’s troubles, but listening to fragments of her parents’ conversations drifting through the door cracks, she could tell the situation was serious.
Even Joo Won, who’d been gradually learning about management, had no choice but to jump into the actual work. Was that when it started? When she spoke to him, a faint hint of annoyance would flicker across his face.
“Brother, do you know what happened at school today? So Hye-jin told me—”
“Ju-hee, I’m sorry, but I’m exhausted. Let’s talk next time.”
“…Oh, okay. Sorry. I wasn’t being very considerate. Get some rest.”
Watching her brother rub his tired eyes, Gong Ju-hee quietly closed the door and stepped into the living room. Burying her face in the sofa cushion, she murmured the words she couldn’t tell Joo Won.
“Hye-jin bought me a headband for my birthday. Brother doesn’t even know today is my birthday, does he? Idiot.”
Even her brother—the only family member who used to remember her birthday—had changed. What was this business thing that stole everyone away?
‘Do all adults become like this when they grow up?’
If so, she never wanted to become an adult. Gong Ju-hee thought the house felt unusually quiet today as she buried her face in the cushion for a long while, trying to soothe her wounded heart.
Then, an incident occurred.
―A D-rank Gate has appeared near the XX Rest Stop! A D-rank Gate has appeared! All nearby citizens are advised to evacuate to a safe location immediately. Let me repeat the announcement….
On the way back from a short two-night, three-day school trip, a C-rank Gate had suddenly opened at a rest stop where we’d stopped briefly.
“W-what?! Why is a Gate appearing all of a sudden?!”
“Everyone! Don’t go that way!”
The unexpected emergence of the Gate turned the surroundings into complete chaos. Monsters that we’d only ever seen in videos came pouring out, and screams and cries echoed from all directions.
Fortunately, Hunters stationed nearby responded quickly and contained the Gate, but the terrified children, instead of following their school supervisors, called the person they trusted most.
“Mom! I’m at the XX Rest Stop… A Gate suddenly opened. Yeah…. Can you come pick me up?”
“Dad, where are you? Come quick. I’m really scared.”
Gong Ju-hee, huddled inside the express bus, picked up her phone with trembling hands. After hesitating on the screen for a moment, her fingers finally entered Joo Won’s number.
―Hello?
“Joo Won, are you busy right now? I’m at the XX Rest Stop and there’s a Gate here….”
Just as she was about to explain the situation and ask for help, she heard someone calling out to Joo Won from the other end of the line.
―Sigh, I’m a bit busy right now. Let’s talk later.
“J-Joo Won?”
Joo Won sighed and hung up without even listening to what she had to say. Gong Ju-hee stared at her phone screen for a long time.
‘At least he could have asked what was wrong. He could have said one word asking if I was okay….’
Something inside her snapped. The fragile thread of family that she’d been clinging to alone had broken.
“Ju-hee, did you call your brother? Is he coming?”
Her oblivious friend spoke to her. She said her mom was coming right away. Without thinking, Gong Ju-hee lied.
“…Yeah, he said he’d be right here.”
“I knew it! You two are so close. Your brother must be really worried, right?”
“Yeah, he is.”
Wondering if he might call back once he learned the situation, Gong Ju-hee clutched her phone for a long time after sending a message. But as her friends’ families arrived one by one and left for home, her phone never rang. In the end, it was the mansion’s bodyguard who picked her up.
“Are you alright, Miss? I’ve parked the car nearby.”
All the way home in the car, Gong Ju-hee remained silent. So her brother truly valued his business more than her. That realization hurt far more deeply than the terrifying incident she’d experienced today.
“Shall we go to the Hospital?”
“Why suddenly the Hospital? Oh….”
Only then did she notice the scratches scattered across her body. Would her family worry about her if they saw these wounds? Realizing the childish thought she’d unconsciously harbored, Gong Ju-hee shook her head vigorously.
‘They probably won’t even care. What kind of family are they anyway! Forget it. I won’t worry about them anymore.’
Her eyes stung, but she bit her lip hard and barely held back the tears. From that day on, Gong Ju-hee sealed her heart shut.
* * *
‘So something like that happened between them.’
On my way home after parting with Gong Ju-hee, I let out a small sigh at an inexplicable frustration.
Since Gong Ju-hee and I had been in the same class for the first time in our third year of high school, I hadn’t known these detailed circumstances. I’d only heard in passing that she had an older brother with a bit of an age gap.
‘Since she relied on her brother in place of her busy parents, the wound must have cut even deeper….’
Recalling the image of Gong Ju-hee wiping away tears under the pretense that the tteokbokki was spicy, I made a decision.
‘If I clumsily interfere, it might only cause her more pain.’
The next day, I eventually called Joo Won and offered my apologies. He spoke in a tone dripping with regret.
―Come to think of it, this wasn’t something I should have asked of you from the start. I need to make more effort to restore our relationship.
He offered a brief word of thanks, saying he appreciated my effort nonetheless. Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked carefully.
“But if you care so much about your sister, why didn’t you go pick up Gong Ju-hee that day? She was really upset about it.”
My parents had also closed the shop and rushed to pick me up when they received the call. Yet this man, whose affection for Gong Ju-hee was so visibly apparent, had coldly refused that day. The pieces didn’t fit together.
―…It’s an excuse, but the situation was dire. The new product we were set to launch had been leaked externally, and the investors turned their backs as if they’d made a pact.
He hesitated for a moment, as if recalling that day, before continuing.
―I couldn’t sleep more than three hours a day and kept working continuously, so my mind grew foggy. Honestly, I’d even forgotten that Gong Ju-hee had called me.
It took a full three years for the company to stabilize. But by then, Gong Ju-hee’s heart had already closed firmly, and no matter how hard he tried, it wasn’t easy to mend a relationship that had been broken.
―Looking back now, family was more important than the company. Why didn’t I see that then?
“There are things that only become visible with time. Gong Ju-hee will understand Joo Won’s sincerity someday. I’ll be rooting for you.”
After that day, Gong Ju-won no longer lingered near the shop. However, he often stopped by in the early morning to place food reservations under his name. Along with a request that when Gong Ju-hee visited the shop, I pass along the reservation made in his name. Upon hearing this, Gong Ju-hee scoffed, saying he was doing something pointless.
―…It doesn’t seem to be working at all.
When he called after a long time, he sounded dejected upon hearing that Gong Ju-hee had cleanly ignored his reservation.
“Hmm. It seems difficult to restore a relationship in an instant.”
A bitter laugh came through the phone. Gong Ju-won occasionally called like this to ask whether Gong Ju-hee had accepted the reservation he’d made. It seemed this call would be the last one.
―In any case, thank you for everything. I’ll try a different approach now….
It was the moment he offered his final greeting in a deflated voice. A commotion erupted, and a news alert began playing from someone’s phone.
―Breaking news. The Snowy Field Gate, which was predicted to be D-rank, has been corrected to B-rank. The Hunter Management Bureau stated, “Internal mana concentration has risen sharply, causing the prediction to change,” and an emergency support team is being deployed to the scene….
“Oh no! Isn’t that the gate Ju-hee went into?”
I urgently checked the news. In doing so, I failed to notice that Joo Won was hearing all of this through the phone.
-Gong Ju-hee is in a gate accident…?
And with a sudden rush of noise, the call cut off without warning.

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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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