The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 263

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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
Part 2, Episode 84

By the time Je Hwa finished moving and decorating the Workshop, the sun had set and evening had arrived.
I invited him to have dinner with me, partly to introduce him to the Guild Dining Hall he’d be frequenting from now on.
“Wow, this looks absolutely delicious.”
The menu of the dining hall, which had just reopened today after repairs, was spectacular.
It started with various meat side dishes that the guild members loved, and today’s special featured fresh salmon sashimi.
The food piled high on the tray looked so appetizing that my stomach rumbled audibly.
Kang Han, sitting beside me, must have heard the sound with his keen hearing, because he laughed and spoke to me.
“Go ahead and eat first, Yeo Joo. Je Hwa will join us once he arrives.”
“Come on, how could I do that? You’re not a guest anymore, but still—I invited you both to eat together, so I should wait.”
Just then, Je Hwa came through the door and looked around the dining hall.
“Boss, over here!”
Je Hwa walked over with a wide, confident stride that matched his tall frame and sat down across from me at the four-person table with a gentle smile.
“Did the move go smoothly?”
“Yes, Yeo Joo. I’ve prepared everything so I can start work tomorrow.”
“I’m glad it went well. I had your food brought over early. Since I wasn’t sure what you liked, I got a bit of everything.”
“Thank you.”
Fortunately, Je Hwa ate everything without complaint.
The way he moved his utensils quickly while maintaining proper dining etiquette was just as refreshing as Kang Han’s manner.
I watched the two men eat for a moment with satisfaction, then began my own meal.
I started with a spicy beef soup.
The moment it touched my tongue, the peppery and refreshing broth spread through my mouth, and my tense body seemed to melt away.
“Ah, our dining hall’s chefs really are the best.”
“Is it that delicious?”
Kang Han asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Of course. I’ve been struggling by eating packed lunches all this time. I wonder how I even survived before you came.”
“Those were difficult times for everyone. Especially for you, Yeo Joo.”
“Difficult? That’s just how things were at the beginning.”
“Is that from when the Justice Guild was in Jongno?”
Je Hwa asked while taking a sip of water.
“Yes, back then there was no one in the guild who could cook, so we just bought whatever we could for each meal. We didn’t have much money either.”
“Really? But you still brought snacks whenever you visited the Workshop?”
He was referring to the time I’d brought sweet gifts to win his favor in the early days.
“You were generous with me too back then. And you still are now, of course.”
“You know what my condition was like back then, Yeo Joo. Thanks to you, I’m doing fine now, but I still have a long way to go before I can repay that debt.”
“Come on, there’s no need to talk about debt.”
“It’s just that Yeo Joo is such a warm-hearted person.”
This time, Kang Han placed a Vienna sausage on my spoon as he spoke.
“You really do love helping people, don’t you?”
Then Je Hwa asked.
“So the Kang Han Guild Master is one of those people too?”
“To be precise, I’m the first. Isn’t the order of things important?”
What was this?
The conversation was flowing naturally like water, yet somehow I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles.
Worried the food would give me indigestion from the tension, I quietly set down my utensils.
“Yeo Joo!”
Just then, Jang Su Ho suddenly appeared and called out to me from behind, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace.
Normally I would have scolded him for startling me, but at this moment, Jang Su Ho felt like my savior.
“Where have you been? Always eating first every day.”
“I was working out with the Team 2 guys. Man, I’m starving to death.”
“Go grab your food quickly. Let’s eat together.”
“Ugh, I don’t even have the strength to go get my tray right now.”
Jang Su Ho whined and leaned his weight more heavily against me.
For someone who was the second largest in the Justice Guild, his weight made me sway even while sitting.
“Oh, the pork cutlet is out! Just one bite for me!”
Jang Su Ho’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the pork cutlet, which he particularly loved among all the meat dishes.
“Ugh, why are you like this? Go get your own.”
“Today’s training was really tough, I’m telling you. I’m so hungry. Just let me have one bite first.”
His hunger was no exaggeration—Jang Su Ho’s eyebrows drooped downward.
He looked just like a whimpering country puppy, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.
“No way, really. You trained hard, so I’m giving it to you.”
I was shaking my head and turning to put a pork cutlet in Jang Su Ho’s mouth when it happened.
Clang!
Clatter!
Kang Han and Je Hwa roughly set down the cup and spoon they were holding onto the table.
Startled, I looked at them both, and they were staring at Jang Su Ho with rigid, hardened expressions.
Jang Su Ho, receiving the cold gaze of both men, and I beside him froze in shock.
In the noisy dining hall, only our table fell silent, and it was Kang Han who moved first.
With a small sigh, he picked up his chopsticks, took the pork cutlet I was holding, and offered it to me.
As I accepted the food that came before my mouth, Kang Han asked me.
“Does it taste good?”
“Yes.”
“Eat a lot. Don’t give it to anyone else.”
“Yes.”
For some reason, I felt compelled to answer that way.
I was quietly chewing the cutlet in my mouth when Je Hwa fixed Jang Su Ho with a cold, piercing gaze.
“You should have had Eternal Steel make chopsticks instead of a shield, don’t you think?”
“Uh….”
Jang Su Ho, like me, stood there bewildered with his mouth hanging open, unable to comprehend what was happening.
“Jang Su Ho.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Go get it yourself and eat.”
Kang Han spoke curtly, then resumed eating in silence.
After a moment of hesitation, I heard Jang Su Ho grumbling as he walked toward the serving counter.
“Why are you both treating me like this?”

* * *

The day of the Regular Gate auction had arrived.
Inside the car heading to the Awakeners Association, I broached the subject with Kang Han, who was driving.
“Guild Master, why don’t you try getting along better with Je Hwa?”
“There’s no particular need for that.”
“But people don’t only get close out of necessity, do they? We’re going to see each other often anyway, so wouldn’t it be better if you two were on better terms?”
I grumbled, frustrated.
Looking at their personalities alone, they seemed like they’d get along quite well, but whenever they met, the atmosphere turned icy.
“See each other often….”
Kang Han started to say something, then clamped his mouth shut before finally speaking.
“I’ll try.”
Then he immediately changed the subject.
“We should probably put Hunter Yang Hwa Yeon on leave for now.”
“Her father’s condition is critical, isn’t it?”
It was news I’d heard early this morning.
Yang Hwa Yeon’s father, who had a chronic illness, had taken a turn for the worse, and she would be unable to participate in raids while attending to him at his bedside.
“I hope her father recovers quickly.”
I spoke casually, but my heart felt heavy.
To clear the Gate we were trying to win at today’s auction, Yang Hwa Yeon’s presence as a flame-type ability user was essential.
To make matters worse, she was the only flame-type hunter in the Justice Guild.
‘I’ll have to find a mercenary somewhere.’
But the chances of success were virtually nonexistent.
There was no way to immediately hire an A-rank or higher flame-type hunter, and even if we could find one, it would cost an enormous sum of money.
While we were earning money through various means like potion sales, the guild’s growing size meant our expenses had increased proportionally, leaving us without that kind of spare capital.
‘We barely scraped together enough to bid on today’s Gate.’
I didn’t want to rely on others, but it seemed I might have to ask the Dongbaek Guild for help.
However, that plan fell through the moment we arrived at the auction house.
“So you’re planning to clear the Glacier Dungeon….”
“I heard they’ve been dropping some decent items lately. But why are you asking, Yeo Joo?”
“Oh, no reason. Just curious.”
The Dongbaek Guild had only one flame-type awakener.
I swallowed back a sigh that threatened to escape and smiled toward Yoo Myung Hwa.
“By the way, where is Guild Master Kang Han?”
“He’s outside talking with the Association Director. He should be coming in soon.”
Yoo Myung Hwa said she’d see me later and turned back toward where the Dongbaek Guild members were seated.
Left alone, I racked my brain earnestly.
Should I save up and buy mana bombs to bring in?
But it was obvious that wouldn’t be enough to clear this Gate.
Then, a small murmur came from the entrance.
Wondering what was happening, I turned my head and saw Sa Ma Young just entering the Auction House.
What was this about?
Sa Ma Young, who always sent Woo Jun Kyung as his proxy, had actually come to the Auction House himself.
I tilted my head, wondering if he had some free time lately, and our eyes met directly—his a vivid crimson.
“What? Why are you coming this way?”
The Gong Gil Yeon Affiliated Guilds were gathered over there.
Ignoring the gazes that followed him, Sa Ma Young headed straight toward me and soon drew near.
His coat, clearly expensive at a glance, swayed softly with each step.
Before I could even try to stop him, he plopped down in the seat beside me, grinned, and asked.
“Didn’t you want to see me?”

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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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