How to Seduce S-Class Hunters with Bungeoppang - Chapter 86

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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 86】
‘Ugh, my entire body aches.’
I winced internally, my muscles throbbing as though I’d been crushed beneath a boulder. It felt exactly like I’d spent the entire day training with Kang Geon.
“You’re awake?”
A gentle voice drifted down from above my head. The warmth in that affectionate tone jolted me back to full awareness.
“Lee Hyun-woo! Are you alright? What about the Basilisk?”
I bolted upright, and he brushed my disheveled hair back reassuringly.
“It’s all over. We made it out safely.”
“…Thank goodness.”
Relief flooded through me in a long exhale. The oppressive killing intent and mental manipulation skill that had tormented him seemed to have vanished completely.
Looking around, I realized I was lying in the passenger seat of a truck, reclined all the way back. It seemed they’d exited the Gate and waited for me to wake up, just in case something went wrong.
Through the window, I saw the dusky evening sky and familiar high-rise buildings—the exact same view we’d seen on the road just before being pulled into that vicious Rift. Only then did it truly sink in that I’d survived an S-Rank Gate.
“We did it, Hunter!”
Unable to contain the overwhelming emotion, I pulled him into a tight embrace. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been terrified. But we’d actually succeeded in clearing an S-Rank Gate.
“…I’m so relieved you’re safe.”
And that we’d rescued Lee Hyun-woo. The warmth had returned to his eyes—eyes that had been consumed by killing intent and lost consciousness. I held him even tighter.
“Thank you for saving me too, ugh…”
“Huh! Are you okay?”
Startled by my low groan, I pulled away. Blood was seeping through the tattered combat suit.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I forgot you were hurt…”
“It’s fine. Wounds like this heal in just a few days.”
But the depth of the injury looked far from trivial. I wasn’t doubting an S-Rank’s extraordinary physical capabilities, but still…
“Wouldn’t it be better to get proper medical treatment?”
He shook his head at my concerned question.
“Let’s think about that later. For now, shall we head home?”
He skillfully started the truck’s engine. Just then, Ha-nyang, who’d been huddled in the back seat, hopped over and settled naturally onto my lap. I gently stroked the small cat’s head.
“I’m so glad you didn’t get hurt either, Ha-nyang.”
“Think of yourself first, meow.”
Despite the grumbling tone, Ha-nyang’s affection was unmistakable as the cat licked the back of my hand. This honest little furball.
“We should arrive in approximately 42 minutes. You must be exhausted—feel free to rest.”
I tried to shake my head. Or rather, I meant to. My eyelids grew inexplicably heavy, and I couldn’t stay alert.
“No… I should drive…”
I should be driving instead of the injured Lee Hyun-woo. With that thought, I surrendered to a deep, dreamless sleep.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on my bed in my familiar room. As I sat up, Ha-nyang scrambled up from beneath the bed and nuzzled my arm. I reached for my phone on the table to check the time.
“It’s already past 10 PM. How did I get here?”
“Lee Hyun-woo carried you up, meow.”
“…What?”
I buried my face in my hands. Not only had I let an injured person drive, but he’d carried me up to the second floor.
“You should have woken me when we arrived!”
“You needed rest, meow.”
“But that applies to Lee Hyun-woo as well…! Sigh, never mind. There’s no point explaining it to you.”
I exhaled deeply, my gaze settling on Ha-nyang. Now that I thought about it, the Tricolor Fat Cat looked absolutely dreadful. The lustrous tricolor fur that once gleamed was now matted with dirt and grime.
“Hmm, come to think of it, you need a bath too, Ha-nyang.”
“W-what are you saying? This body maintains impeccable cleanliness through grooming…!”
“Let’s take a nice bath together, sister!”
I snatched up the protesting Ha-nyang and carried her into the bathroom. The Tricolor Fat Cat wailed in betrayal, but there was no helping it—she’d been rolling around in the underground dirt floor. Sure enough, when I washed her, the water ran brown with accumulated grime.
“Don’t you feel refreshed after washing up?”
“Hmph! You must immediately present this body with premium treats as compensation!”
After appeasing the thoroughly offended Ha-nyang with top-tier snacks, I grabbed the first aid kit and headed downstairs to the first floor. Lee Hyun-woo was on the living room sofa, reviewing something on a tablet.
“You’re not working, are you?”
“I was organizing information to report to the Management Bureau. Apparently, the people we encountered on the road were arrested for illegal item possession. It seems they’ll face immediate imprisonment without leniency. But are you certain you’re alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m more concerned about Lee Hyun-woo.”
Unlike Lee Hyun-woo, who was bleeding profusely, my injuries amounted to nothing more than minor scrapes from the fall. I set the first aid kit on the table and looked at him.
“I’m no expert, but I can help treat your wounds. Could you show me the injured areas?”
At my words, he hesitated, his expression growing awkward. When I glanced down, I noticed white bandages were already wrapped around his forearm.
‘Oh, he’s already done first aid.’
Well, as an S-Rank Hunter who’d experienced everything under the sun, basic self-treatment would be second nature to him. Embarrassed, I quietly tried to put the first aid kit away.
Rip—
“…Then I’ll accept your help.”
Lee Hyun-woo roughly tore away the bandage wrapped around his forearm. He’d ripped it off so abruptly that the bleeding, which had finally stopped, began seeping through again in small beads.
“No, wait! What are you doing!”
“You offered to treat me….”
Who tears off a perfectly good bandage like that? My bewilderment was short-lived, replaced by an involuntary laugh at the sight of him brazenly extending his arm.
“Ha! So you really just wrapped it with a bandage?”
While it’s true that commercial medicine doesn’t work well on Hunters, this was remarkably careless treatment. Lee Hyun-woo coughed softly, clearly embarrassed.
I gave him a light glance, then meticulously disinfected the wound with an alcohol swab and carefully dabbed Hunter-specific ointment—obtained from the Management Bureau previously—onto the injury.
As he quietly accepted my ministrations, he broke the silence with a cautious voice.
“…Though it’s late, I wanted to thank you, Ha-neul.”
“Thank me?”
“For saving me from the mental manipulation. If it weren’t for you… I would have remained trapped in that illusion until my death.”
He clenched his lips tightly and lowered his head. I paused in wrapping the bandage, studying his expression before asking carefully.
“Would it be alright to ask… what kind of illusion you saw? You looked so tormented.”
I recalled the way he’d stumbled about unfocused, muttering incoherently.
‘It’s all my… my fault. I… couldn’t save them….’
Those were clearly words of self-reproach. What agonizing illusion had he witnessed to suffer so intensely?
Lee Hyun-woo fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
“Mental manipulation skills stimulate the victim’s trauma. They continuously remind you of painful memories, trapping you so you can’t escape.”
He continued with a bitter smile.
“In the illusion, I saw countless people I couldn’t save. And I watched those close to me die at the hands of monsters.”
Lee Hyun-woo lifted his gaze to meet mine. In the careful way his eyes examined me, I understood that I had appeared in his illusion.
Now that I thought about it, that madman on the road who’d shoved us into the Rift had also blamed Lee Hyun-woo for not saving his sister.
‘Just how much undeserved resentment and heavy burden has this person endured alone beneath the title of S-Rank Hunter?’
I wrapped both my hands around his large, solid hand.
“Even if you’re an S-Rank Hunter, you can’t save everyone. You’re not a god, after all.”
“But if I had only been a little faster….”
“You’ve already saved countless lives by throwing yourself into Gates day and night. Don’t torment yourself by calling yourself a sinner. That’s… too painful.”
At my words of comfort, he, who had been staring at me blankly, slowly broke into a gentle smile.
My single sentence wouldn’t erase the deep trauma he’d carried his entire life overnight, but I wanted to continue whispering beside him whenever he tormented himself with guilt.
That it wasn’t Lee Hyun-woo’s fault. That even if others didn’t understand, I did. We stood quietly facing each other for a long while, feeling the warmth of our clasped hands.
“How much longer are you going to hold hands, meow?”
At Ha-nyang’s blunt voice suddenly interjecting, I startled and hastily pulled my hand away, stumbling backward.
I clutched my racing heart and forced an awkward smile. I’d bathed her and she was sulking about it—when had she come downstairs?
Lee Hyun-woo’s ears flushed red as he cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, did something happen in the Gate? Ha-neul’s mana reserves have changed noticeably.”
“Ah… I should have known you’d notice immediately.”
Since Lee Hyun-woo was also S-Rank, detecting my changes was natural. What was surprising was that I could now sense his mana clearly too. An overwhelming presence I hadn’t felt before. Now I understood why other Hunters feared him.
I didn’t hide my re-awakening from him and confessed everything. He nodded with interest.
“Re-awakening… I’ve heard it’s theoretically possible, but this is the first time I’ve actually witnessed it. Judging by your mana reserves, you’re at least S-Rank.”
He was right. Actually, I was SS-Rank, but when I hesitantly revealed my grade, his eyes widened.
“SS-Rank? So such a grade really does exist.”
“…You’re hearing about it for the first time too?”
“Yes. As far as I know, Ha-neul is the first SS-Rank in history.”
A look of pride briefly crossed his face. Like a father whose beloved daughter had gotten into Seoul National University… Wait! What am I even saying?
But Lee Hyun-woo soon returned to a serious expression, lowering his voice as he spoke carefully.
“That’s truly something to celebrate. However… it would be best to keep the fact that Ha-neul has re-awakened as SS-Rank hidden for now.”

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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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