The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 161

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

Yeo Joo Saves the World – Episode 161

The sun was just beginning to set.
Sa Ma Young stood gazing up at the Justice Guild Building in Jongno, concealed beneath an invisibility skill.
“Decrepit. Small.”
Compared to the Sama Guild located in the Samseong-dong Trade Center, the Justice Guild was utterly unremarkable.
With both hands thrust into his pockets, he halted his approach toward the entrance.
“Interesting.”
Without even opening the door, he could sense the presence of awakened devices installed near the entrance—mechanisms crafted by Awakeners.
His senses had grown far more acute since his S-rank re-awakening.
“They’ve invested some money into this.”
This wasn’t Kang Han’s handiwork—he would simply block any intruders with his own body. It had to be her decision.
It seemed to be the doing of that woman, Yeo Joo.
After observing the main gate with an indifferent gaze for some time, Sa Ma Young gently rolled one foot to activate an item.

[ Flight Loafer (S)
: When activated, this item grants the ability to fly. ]

Sa Ma Young confirmed the item was functioning properly and rose lightly, defying gravity.
He’d flown for only a few seconds at a speed so leisurely it could induce a yawn, yet he’d already reached the highest point of the Justice Guild Building.
Observing the paper-thin windows through which the interior was plainly visible, he furrowed his brow slightly.
“Hmm.”
The building’s defensive barrier was as shabby as the aged structure itself.
During the Justice Guild’s golden age long ago, it might have been considered cutting-edge, but recently even fledgling guilds just starting out maintained better defenses than this.
“Living in a place like this.”
Yeo Joo came to mind—the one with wide eyes who stared people down directly and preferred speaking bluntly.
She was so meticulous in looking after those around her like a mother dog, yet she didn’t know how to properly protect her own body.
The system was even an outdated method where the alarm would deactivate only if someone opened the window from inside—a technique no longer in use.
Sa Ma Young slowly extended one hand toward the building’s defensive barrier.
Zing—
The moment his fingertip made contact, the barrier vibrated gently.
Having gone unreinforced for so long, it resembled a withered leaf ready to crumble at any moment.
The Justice Guild members were currently clearing a Dungeon, leaving the building completely empty.
Even if someone remained, they wouldn’t be able to detect his presence while he was concealed—unless it was Kang Han.
Sa Ma Young, having decided to explore the vacant interior until the Dungeon was cleared, placed his hand on his sword hilt.
Perhaps he would discover the secret behind the Justice Guild’s recent rapid growth.
When Kang Han returned to the Guild and found the broken barrier, he’d raise hell—but that suited him just fine.
After all, he could test the power he’d never properly used since his S-rank re-awakening.
That was when it happened.
Beyond the window presumed to be Yeo Joo’s room, there existed a living creature.
It was a cat with crimson eyes, its tail swaying gently.
Sa Ma Young glided smoothly toward that window.
The cat’s eyes, red as blood, followed his movement.
“Would you open the door for me?”
Sa Ma Young asked.
Uncertain of what the cat was thinking, it continued swishing its tail while staring at him intently for a moment, then rose from where it had been sitting and approached the window.
And remarkably, it complied with his request, lifting its small front paws to push the window open.
The old window shouldn’t have opened easily, yet the cat managed it without exerting much force.
Then, to make it easy for him to enter, it even hopped down from the windowsill with a light bounce, clearing the way.
Thanks to this, Sa Ma Young entered Yeo Joo’s room without bloodshed and without breaking the barrier, quickly surveying the space before lowering his gaze.
The cat that had opened the window for him sat obediently at his feet.
As if seeking praise.
“You’re well-behaved.”
Unlike someone else.
At Sa Ma Young’s words, the cat lifted its rear from the floor and approached, rubbing its head against his shin.
Purr, purr.
The pleasant sound the black cat produced filled the quiet room.

* * *

“W-what is this?”
I was genuinely startled.
I’d cleared the Gate and returned home only to find Sa Ma Young sitting in my room.
I quickly turned around and tried to open the door to leave.
Click.
But with the sound of a button being pressed, all four walls of my room suddenly gleamed as if coated in glass.

[ ‘Glass Sealed Room (A)’ has been activated. ]

This bastard Sa Ma Young.
As I glared at him with irritation, his smug smile only deepened.
“For the next 30 minutes, no one can leave or enter. Of course, it’s also completely soundproof.”
Sa Ma Young spoke in a low voice.
“I think we can do quite a lot in 30 minutes. Don’t you agree?”
“What could I possibly do with you for 30 minutes? Stop being annoying and deactivate the item.”
“Why are you upset? Shouldn’t I be the one who’s angry?”
What nonsense was this?
A home intruder playing the victim—that’s rich.
At my bewildered expression, Sa Ma Young’s face grew even more hurt.
“You saved me like that, but you never even came to check on me. How could you do that?”
Damn it.
Sa Ma Young remembered what happened back then.
I’d thought he wasn’t in his right mind.
I decided to play dumb for now.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’ve been waiting for you, Yeo Joo. I got tired of waiting, so I came to find you first.”
“That’s exactly why I’m asking—why were you waiting for me? We’re not that close.”
“But you seemed to enjoy the coffee I sent. The photo was pretty too.”
In that instant, the coffee truck from the Photo Shoot Studio flashed through my mind.
“That was from you?!”
I felt like vomiting up the coffee I’d drunk so long ago.
“You took such a pretty selfie and posted it, so I saved it like this.”
Sa Ma Young laughed while showing me his phone screen.
“First of all, I don’t like that Sa Ma Young is keeping that photo, so please delete it. And leave my room. How did you even get in here?”
Sung Yo Na had clearly said there was nothing unusual at the Guild.
It didn’t seem like Sa Ma Young had been affected by a charm skill either.
So he really had gotten in without Sung Yo Na knowing.
“Well, you see…”
Sa Ma Young’s voice came from right in front of me.
Startled, I lifted my head to find a strikingly handsome face mere inches from my own.
“How did you save me?”
“….”
I exercised my right to remain silent.
Sa Ma Young’s intuition was uncanny.
If I fumbled through some half-baked lie, it would only backfire spectacularly.
“Are you choosing not to speak, or can’t you?”
Both, you bastard.
Until Jung Je Hwa created a device to measure Darkness addiction, I had no intention of revealing my skills—and I absolutely could not.
As I kept my lips firmly sealed, Sa Ma Young murmured.
“I really don’t like this. The earring didn’t work either.”
Then he wound a strand of my fallen hair around his finger, caressing it tenderly.
What are you touching?
Goosebumps erupted across my skin, and I slapped his hand away with a sharp crack.
But for someone who felt no pain, Sa Ma Young simply smiled.
“But that’s what I like about you, Yeo Joo. You’re really strange.”
I hesitated, taking a half-step backward.
Because floating above Sa Ma Young’s head, I could see a pink speech bubble with perfect clarity.

[ ♥ 1 ]

His words were sweet like those of a man in love, but his affection rating for me was merely 1. Just 1.
“Calling a perfectly normal person strange. Should I be the one doing that instead?”
I dropped the formal speech and spoke plainly as well.
“Is that so?”
Sa Ma Young chuckled.
Not the practiced smile he usually wore, but a genuine laugh like someone who’d heard something truly amusing.
Into the taut standoff between us—like a rubber band stretched to its limit—came a new sound.
Purr, purr.
It was Gung Gi.
Perhaps he’d been grooming himself especially well today, for Gung Gi was busy rubbing his sleek black fur against Sa Ma Young’s legs while humming contentedly, his coat gleaming with a lustrous sheen.
“Unlike you, this one seems to actually like me.”
“….”
Even I couldn’t argue back this time.
This was the same creature who usually showed indifference to everything and occasionally grew shy even around me.
Yet now Gung Gi paid me no mind whatsoever, his eyes shining with fervent affection as he gazed only at Sa Ma Young.
Watching Gung Gi like that, Sa Ma Young let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“Since you don’t seem willing to tell me, I’ll head back today. There’s no need to earn your hatred just because I can’t earn your affection.”
It appeared Sa Ma Young hadn’t come to settle things once and for all.
I’d been worried he might torture me to uncover my true skills, so this was a relief.
“Take care. I’ll be back soon.”
It was just as Sa Ma Young turned to leave.
“Meow.”
Gung Gi let out a long cry as if pleading him not to go.
It was a voice I was hearing for the first time—so thin and small.

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