How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 71

—————

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

—————

【Chapter 71】
Ha-nyang returned from a brief absence bearing a special gift—a hair ribbon adorned with a crimson bow. The thought of her carrying it diligently in her small mouth warmed my heart completely.
“You brought this for me? That’s so adorable. Thank you.”
I divided my hair in half and tied the upper section with the ribbon. Checking my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I was delighted—the ribbon became the perfect accent against my short hair.
“Ha-nyang, how do I look? Does it suit me?”
“Well, it’s not bad, meow.”
Ha-nyang spoke in an indifferent tone, but her eyes sparkled. It must look good on me. I smiled repeatedly at my reflection in the mirror.
“Now that I think about it, my Father used to tie my hair with ribbons like this too.”
When I was young, my Father would tie my hair every morning in place of my busy Mother. His large hands fumbled clumsily, and the result was never symmetrical, yet those moments were filled with happiness.
‘It was a ribbon like this back then, wasn’t it?’
I wore it every day, calling it my princess ribbon, until one day it simply snapped. The sorrow and disappointment I felt was immeasurable.
“This one looks sturdy though.”
Ha-nyang spoke as I tilted my head this way and that, admiring myself in the mirror.
“Stop looking at the mirror and check your status window instead, meow. The gift I brought is very special, meow.”
Now that she mentioned it, a light had been blinking at the bottom of my status window. I raised my finger to select it, and an item description appeared before my eyes.
Ribbon of Wishes (S)
: Accessory-type item. Creates protective barrier when wearer senses danger (0/3)
“Whoa! S, S-rank…!”
I let out a low exclamation at the unexpected magnificent effect. An S-rank item, and a defensive one at that! Though I could handle weapons, my defense was practically nonexistent—this was exactly what I needed.
‘I absolutely must wear this no matter what happens.’
I retrieved some homemade cat treats I’d purchased recently and gave them to Ha-nyang for bringing me such a wonderful gift. After that, we lay on the bed and shared the everyday moments we hadn’t been able to discuss.
Before long, Ha-nyang curled up into a ball beside me and fell asleep. I draped a blanket over her and closed my own weary eyes. That night, I dreamed a happy dream of my late Father tying my hair.
The next morning, as soon as I arrived at the shop, Ari’s eyes lit up at the sight of my new hairstyle.
“Sister, it’s been a while since you’ve worn your hair up!”
“Yeah. I received a hair ribbon as a gift. What do you think?”
Ari gave me a thumbs up, saying it suited me perfectly. Perfect for this kind of weather, she said. Then she spotted Ha-nyang standing blankly behind me and bounced in place.
“Our Ha-nyang! You always said it was annoying and stayed home, but now you’re finally showing your precious face? Is that right?”
“Don’t be so bothersome, meow.”
Ari approached on her knees, attempting to touch Ha-nyang’s plump belly, but was stopped. She drooped her shoulders dejectedly.
“When will Ha-nyang ever allow me to touch her belly….”
Watching Ari gaze longingly at Ha-nyang’s retreating form, I barely suppressed my laughter. It would probably take at least a hundred years before Ari could freely touch that belly.
I clapped my hands lightly to cheer up the dejected Ari. Before opening the shop, I had something to share.
“Alright! Starting tomorrow, I’m thinking we should begin selling ‘Tteokbokki Skewers’ at our shop. What do you think?”
“Customers keep asking when we’ll sell them… but can the two of us manage it?”
Of course, just the two of us wouldn’t be enough. Between fish cakes, tteokbokki, and fish cake soup, we were already stretched thin with our existing menu.
‘But if we don’t expand the menu, it’s possible.’
Exactly like this!
“Let’s sell fish cakes only until today, then switch to Tteokbokki Skewers starting tomorrow. The weather has warmed up now anyway, right?”
The fish cake’s special effect was self-heating, raising cold resistance by 20%. But now that the weather had improved, replacing it with another menu seemed sufficient.
Actually, there was another reason I confidently proposed starting Tteokbokki Skewers. I pointed proudly at an item resembling a coffee machine placed in one corner of the shop.
“Tada~ Behold the ‘Skewer Press’! An item that automatically threads skewers with the push of a button. I went all out ordering this.”
The operation was remarkably simple. Load empty skewers vertically into the top slot, fill the bottom chamber with ingredients in the desired order, and that was all there was to it.
Jeoseung-i.com truly had everything. Since I’d purchased two units, I’d need to send the spare to Branch 2. All those grueling Quest Board commissions had been worth it for this.
“Wow, such an innovative item exists!”
Ari bounced excitedly, absolutely delighted. After filling the bottom chamber with sausages and rice cakes, I pressed the button firmly, and perfectly threaded skewers began emerging in rapid succession.
“With this, we can launch the new menu without any issues, right?”
“Absolutely! Everyone’s been waiting for the skewer release. It’s finally here. Hooray!”
True to Ari’s words, the skewers became the top seller the very day we launched them. But did the Skewer Press really make running the shop easier, you ask?
‘…I didn’t think about the sauce application.’
The sauce container turned out to be surprisingly heavy. As a result, Ari spent the entire day dispensing sauce, allegedly developing impressively toned forearms in the process.
* * *
“Director, here’s the Nutrafile first quarter sales report.”
Han Manager carefully placed the document folder on my desk.
“As I reported previously… the sales data isn’t looking good.”
The graph Han Manager presented showed a clear downward trend. Sales had dropped 38% compared to last year’s average. Ever since Park Jae-min’s civilian murders came to light—he’d been our primary model—the numbers had been in free fall.
“We hastily replaced the main model, but the image damage is already substantial. The investors are growing anxious as well.”
Han Manager hesitated before continuing.
“Moreover, with ‘that shop’ continuing its expansion…”
“So you’re saying our product was ultimately crushed by that convenience shop?”
At Park Sung-chul’s displeased tone, Han Manager couldn’t finish speaking and bowed her head deeply. Park Sung-chul’s frown deepened further.
He irritably hurled the report onto the desk and pressed his temples firmly. He’d anticipated some sales impact from the Park Jae-min incident, but seeing the actual decline data made his blood boil with barely contained rage.
What’s more, that pathetic ‘Ha-neul’s’ shop continued expanding its reach day by day. Park Sung-chul exhaled a breath heavy with resentment.
“…How is the flavor implementation for Nutrafile progressing?”
“The Research Team is currently reviewing it. They say that adding the newly developed chemical compound could subtly disrupt Hunters’ brains. However,”
She glanced around before lowering her voice.
“The addiction potential is extremely high. Even minimal use would be lethal to ordinary civilians. And there’s the risk of exacerbating existing side effects that Hunters already experience…”
“Stop, stop! You were so confident last time, saying I should trust you. How much longer must I wait?”
Park Sung-chul glared at the trembling Han Manager with bloodshot eyes. Park Jae-min, who’d caused such a massive scandal. The researchers who only consumed money with no results. And that F-rank insect daring to act above her station. Nothing pleased him anymore.
“…Fine. You may leave now.”
Han Manager, trembling with fear, hurriedly fled the Vice Director’s Office. Beneath the dim lighting, Park Sung-chul’s fingers slowly tapped against the whiskey glass.
“AAAAHHHHH!!!!!”
Unable to contain his fury, Park Sung-chul hurled the whiskey glass at the window. The sharp crash of shattering glass echoed through the room.
“How far have I climbed to reach this point!!”
He slammed his fist on the desk. From a successful congressman to a capable Vice Director of the Hunter Management Bureau. The pristine career he’d meticulously built was now accumulating unforgivable blemishes.
“Where exactly did things go wrong?”
He slowly retraced his past. When he’d abandoned his first wife to marry a congressman’s daughter? When his ex-wife’s son awakened as an S-rank? When he discovered his own son had killed civilians? When he decided to cover it up?
No, none of that mattered. There was one singular cause that had unraveled everything.
“…Jung Ha-neul.”
Finally, he slowly raised his bowed head. If not for those items she created, those foolish Hunters would still be buying Nutrafile. His son’s mistake would never have been exposed to the world.
“That woman has been destroying my life. Just an F-rank insect!”
Park Sung-chul burst into laughter as if possessed, retrieving the discarded report. As he flipped through the pages, a side effect caught his eye: “Highly addictive.”
“Addictive, you say….”
His lips curled into a contemptible smile as he fell into thought.
‘Difficult to replicate the taste? Then I simply force them to consume it until they have no choice but to keep eating it.’
He rose unsteadily from his seat and made a phone call. He needed someone who could rapidly execute his innovative scheme.

—————

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

—————