The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 149

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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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Yeo Joo Saves the World – Episode 149

“What is this supposed to mean?”
“Why would Master sponsor us?”
Everyone looked just as bewildered as I felt.
Kang Han even spoke with a grave tone.
“This seems like a mistake. We should request a correction from the media immediately.”
“Could it be a different Justice Guild?”
Han Ji Sung opened the Awakeners Association website and searched for other Justice Guilds.
It wasn’t that.
Guild names couldn’t be registered with duplicates anyway.
“Sigh.”
I had intended to head straight home and sleep deeply.
“I’ll step out for a moment.”
I needed to have a conversation with Jung Je Hwa.
As I turned to leave with that thought,
Tap.
Someone grasped my wrist carefully, yet urgently.
It was Kang Han.
I raised my gaze and questioned him with my eyes about why he was holding my wrist.
“…?”
“Ah, well.”
Kang Han seemed quite surprised by his own action.
As if he himself didn’t understand why he had stopped me.
“Yeo Joo.”
“Yes.”
“…Be careful out there.”
It seemed like he had more to say.
But the urgent matter right now was Jung Je Hwa.
“I will.”
I hurried out of Seyeon University Campus, hailed a taxi, and headed toward Jamsil.

* * *

“What? Why is it closed?”
The lights in Workshop Sugar, located in the basement of the Maestro Building, were dark.
I peered into the pitch-black interior and even knocked on the locked door, but there was no sign of anyone inside.
When I realized Jung Je Hwa wasn’t here, I stood there momentarily stunned.
Even though I’d received special treatment as some kind of Muse, I didn’t even know where Jung Je Hwa lived outside of this place.
“I should try calling.”
If he had any conscience, he’d answer.
Just as I was pulling out my phone with that thought—
“Yeo Joo?”
I turned at the unfamiliar voice to find a man in a suit standing a few paces away.
I hadn’t even noticed him approach this close.
No matter how distracted I was right now, I shouldn’t have missed the presence of an ordinary person.
This person is a Hunter.
A high-ranked one at that.
“Who are you?”
“I’m running an errand for the Master. I was instructed to escort you upstairs if you came to the Workshop.”
“Upstairs?”
“Let’s go together.”
A thought flashed through my mind—what if this person wasn’t sent by Jung Je Hwa?
“Show me your ID.”
“I have a business card as well.”
The man produced both a Hunter Association ID and a business card bearing Maestro’s symbol—a gear—and showed them to me.
Click.
I photographed both and immediately sent them to Han Ji Sung.
If you asked why not Kang Han or Jang Su Ho—
Those two would come rushing to Jamsil the moment they saw the business card.
Jang Su Ho might even destroy the entire Maestro building while shouting “Give Yeo Joo back!”
“You’re not stopping me from photographing your ID and business card?”
I didn’t bother hiding my lingering suspicion as I asked.
“The Master mentioned you would likely do this.”
“Ah.”
Really.
If he knew me that well, he should have just waited quietly at the Workshop.
“Let’s go see the Master.”

* * *

Jung Je Hwa’s home, located on the top floor of Jamsil Tower, was unmistakably Jung Je Hwa.
The muted-tone interior contained not a single vibrant hue, and the only thing that caught the eye was a single black coffee table that seemed to absorb all light, as if made from some unknowable material.
And above all, it was silent.
So quiet you could almost hear the clouds drifting past below.
I stood alone, taking in the sight of Jung Je Hwa’s home.
The Maestro employee who had guided me here had long since descended back down the elevator, claiming he couldn’t enter this space.
“Hmm.”
After watching the clouds drift past the window for a moment, then examining the incomprehensible painting hanging on the wall, some time had passed.
There was a perfectly comfortable-looking sofa, but I didn’t sit on it.
“Yeo Joo.”
I knew Jung Je Hwa would emerge like this eventually.
He closed the door to what appeared to be his bedroom and walked toward me.
“Why aren’t you sitting?”
The way he spoke while observing my expression was exactly like Jang Su Ho—someone who acts carelessly then watches nervously for a reaction.
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
“How could you announce it so unilaterally like that? Shouldn’t you have given me some advance notice?”
At my rapid-fire barrage of words, Jung Je Hwa fell silent for a moment.
Then he smiled quietly.
“As expected, Yeo Joo, you’re not surprised that I’m the Master.”
Ah, that’s right.
It had happened right as we exited the Gate, so my thoughts hadn’t caught up to that yet.
“How could I not know? Every item you create has such excellent quality.”
Words of excuse spilled from my lips before I could stop them.
“I should apologize first. I’m sorry for pretending not to know who you were when I actually did.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m the one who didn’t tell you.”
Honestly, I thought my affection would drop around this point.
But Jung Je Hwa actually looked pleased.
“Thanks to you seeking me out as just myself rather than as the Master, I was able to escape my creative slump.”
Ding—

《 ♥ 29 : Muse 》

My favorability rating was climbing.
A pink speech bubble swelling up in this colorless room.
“Let me introduce myself properly, Yeo Joo.”
Jung Je Hwa straightened his posture and spoke.
“I’m Jung Je Hwa, the Guild Master of Maestro.”
“Jung… Je Hwa?”
“Yes.”
When I called his name, Jung Je Hwa smiled.
His smile was handsome, sure, but that wasn’t the problem.
“Is it really okay to just reveal your name like that? I mean, how many people on Earth know the Master’s real name?”
“No one knows yet. But Yeo Joo, you’re not just anyone to me. Never. And.”
Jung Je Hwa smiled again and spoke.
“You look beautiful today, Yeo Joo.”
Ding—

《 ♥ 30 : Beautiful Muse 》

My goodness.
The keyword had changed.
But “beautiful,” really.
My face flushed with embarrassment.
“No, I just came from a photo shoot.”
“I know. Nice Sports is running an event where you get a random poster with shoe purchases. So I’ve already placed a pre-order for fifty pairs.”
“Fifty…?! My money must be rotting away.”
So what if he’s the Guild Master of Maestro.
I was about to nag out of habit, but I closed my mouth.
Seeing me like that, Jung Je Hwa chuckled softly and guided me to the sofa.
I’m not sure what it’s made of, but the texture supporting my body is remarkably soft yet firm.
He had me sit in the best spot—a single-person sofa—while he sat in the closest seat to the left, and asked me.
“Did you like the gift I gave you?”
“Well, about that.”
Right, that’s why I came rushing here.
“An official sponsorship? Is that really okay? Maestro never does things like that.”
“There’s no ‘never’ in front of you, Yeo Joo.”
Kang Han says the same thing, and this man also speaks so casually in ways that invite misunderstanding.
I sighed softly and spoke.
“Don’t say it so lightly. Maestro, and with the Master’s name no less—announcing a sponsorship. It’s good for us, sure. But Maestro doesn’t need publicity anyway.”
What’s the point of a sponsorship.
To buy the Master’s creations at fair price, a single item would make the entire guild stagger.
So receiving the Master’s works as full sponsorship is an enormous privilege.
I’m hardly in a position to complain, having accepted everything for free up until now.
“Actually.”
Jung Je Hwa, who had been listening to me in silence, finally spoke.
“I thought you’d be more angry, Yeo Joo.”
“Angry? Why?”
“Because you essentially made a public declaration that you’re someone precious to Master—or rather, to me.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“I wanted to send a message to the other Crafting Guilds. The Justice Guild that Yeo Joo belongs to is my territory. So don’t even think about offering shoddy items.”
In other words, it was a kind of “claiming.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised, but it didn’t make me feel bad.”
“That’s a relief then.”
Jung Je Hwa pulled two sheets of paper from his Subspace.
“It’s a contract. I should have prepared this first, actually. Would you sign it now?”
“A c-contract?”
If I had an affection meter like the others, it would be going absolutely wild right now.
A contract that legally bound Maestro’s sponsorship to me.
My heart felt like it might burst.
“Where do I sign?”
The contract terms were overwhelmingly favorable to the Justice Guild.
Except for one condition: ‘The sponsorship is valid only while Yeo Joo remains a member of the Justice Guild.’
But I would remain with the Justice Guild until I prevented the apocalypse, so it didn’t matter.
I quickly signed and tucked my copy of the contract into my Subspace.
As I sipped the coffee Jung Je Hwa had given me, I suddenly became curious and asked.
“Oh, right. Did you happen to send that coffee truck, Jung Je Hwa?”
There was no one else around me who would pull off such a surprise.
But the answer that came back was unexpected.
“A coffee truck? Who sent a coffee truck?”
Jung Je Hwa clearly had no idea.
Since he wouldn’t lie to me, that meant the coffee truck wasn’t his gift.
“Then who was it?”

* * *

“Damn rat bastard.”
Sa Ma Jung spat the words at Sa Ma Young, who was just emerging from the chairman’s office of the Sa Ma Group.
‘A rat bastard.’
It was an insult I’d heard constantly since the day I set foot in the Sa Ma Group Mansion, so there was nothing particularly novel about it.
But today’s feelings carried a new dimension.
“Can hamsters and flying squirrels be considered rats too?”
Such an amusing thought had crossed my mind.
If they were also rats, then it wasn’t such a bad thing to be called.
Even rats could become beloved pets if someone cared for them.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
I brushed past Sa Ma Jung, who was glaring at me.
“Ugh, hack!”
I seized his throat in one hand.
Against the overwhelming physical power of my body, now far stronger after re-awakening to S-rank, Sa Ma Jung—a non-combatant A-ranker—was utterly helpless.
“I don’t have time to deal with trash like you right now, so get lost.”
I spoke in a low voice.
“If you have time to make drugs that cause rampage, why not try making re-awakening drugs instead? Who knows? Maybe even someone like you has hope.”
Thud!
“Hack! Cough!”
I hurled my half-brother away like garbage on the street and stood before the elevator.
“Here you are, sir.”
Woo Jun Kyung, who had approached from behind at some point, offered me a handkerchief, and I wiped the hand that had gripped Sa Ma Jung’s throat.
“What about what I ordered?”
“It’s been handled well, sir. Here—would you like to see the photo that Yeo Joo posted?”
Woo Jun Kyung pulled up the Justice Guild’s Instagram account and showed it to me.
Yeo Joo’s smiling face, with a coffee truck in the background, filled the screen.
“She’s beautiful.”
“Um, but sir. You should see this as well.”
Woo Jun Kyung switched the screen and displayed an article he’d prepared, then handed it back to me.

[ Master “Declares Return,” First Move is Official Sponsorship Proposal for Justice Guild! ]

I read the article in silence, then took the phone into my own hands.
Whoosh—!
The phone burned away to nothing in my grasp, not even ash remaining.
Ding!
As the elevator arrived and I stepped inside, I ground my teeth and muttered.
“Flies keep swarming around the flower.”

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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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