The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 386
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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 207
Master and Jung Hee Ok being mother and son-in-law? That was unexpected.
My heart, which had just begun to settle, started pounding again.
“Um, I think I’ll sit down for a moment.”
As I collapsed beneath the slide, Je Hwa approached me with concern.
“Are you alright? Should I get you some water, Yeo Joo?”
“I’m fine… or maybe I’m not fine.”
“What good is being so fragile?”
Jung Hee Ok came over and touched my forehead as if checking my temperature, then clicked her tongue once more.
Then she pulled out a small water bottle from the Subspace and handed it to me.
“It’s a decoction made from precious medicinal herbs.”
“Thank you. …Wow, this is incredibly bitter!”
“Think of it as medicine and drink it!”
I’m not the type to be intimidated in front of others, but I simply couldn’t resist Jung Hee Ok.
In the end, I had to pretend to drink a few sips before returning the bottle.
“How do you plan to stand against soldiers like this?”
Jung Hee Ok didn’t seem to mind that her fine skirt was getting dirty as she sat on the slide beside me.
Then she added with a sigh.
“You had to have such a dangerously powerful ability. Why did you reveal it? You should have kept it secret and just looked after the hunters around you.”
It was a reproach, but ultimately it was concern.
I couldn’t help but smile at the worry I felt beneath her grumbling tone.
“I just couldn’t let people die.”
“Goodness, how frustrating.”
Then she glanced at Je Hwa.
“I understand why you were absent.”
“…Mother.”
“But you must never let anyone discover the side effects of that skill.”
Did Jung Hee Ok possess some skill that allowed her to see through people’s hearts?
I flinched without realizing it.
“How did you know?”
“The world flows according to the law of causality. There’s no way such an ability would be granted without any price.”
Causality.
It’s an absolute principle that even System administrators cannot escape.
“It might be good for swaying public opinion in favor of Yeo Joo the Healer for now, but ultimately it will become your weakness.”
“…I think the same way, Master.”
Skills that consumed stamina instead of mana, the inability to drink potions beyond a certain threshold, and the reduced efficiency of purification skills when favorability was low—there were certainly aspects that could work against me as weaknesses.
Moreover, my blood was necessary to create potions.
There was no benefit in more people knowing about it beyond those who absolutely needed to.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Concern, my foot.”
Jung Hee Ok waved a hand dismissively.
I smiled watching the mother and son pair.
“You two really are mother and son, aren’t you?”
Now I understood where Je Hwa’s warm heart came from beneath that stoic exterior.
* * *
Somewhere in the residential area of Samcheong-dong.
Sa Ma Young, who had arrived at a safe house primarily used for confidential meetings among high-ranking officials, had completely shed the haggard appearance of the past few days.
“My lord, just to be safe, perhaps you should drink a bit more potion….”
Woo Jun Kyung, whose concern for Sa Ma Young had intensified due to lingering aftereffects, remained close by his side.
“Jun Kyung.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Be quiet.”
“…I apologize.”
Woo Jun Kyung lowered his head upon recognizing his mistake, yet his gaze never ceased its careful scrutiny of Sa Ma Young’s condition.
Click.
Sa Ma Young opened the door without knocking and entered directly.
Sa Ma Jin and Captain Yoo Se Ran, who had been seated across from each other at a large table, stopped their conversation and turned to face him.
“You’ve arrived.”
Sa Ma Jin rose with a broad smile to greet Sa Ma Young.
It was undoubtedly the first warm welcome he had ever received from his father.
“I apologize for being late.”
“Everyone knows how busy the Sama Guild Master is—there’s no need to apologize.”
Captain Yoo Se Ran smiled and offered him a seat.
Yet her true intentions were quite twisted.
‘Arrogant bastard.’
Had the situation not been so dire, she would never have extended her hand to the Sama Group.
‘But there’s no choice.’
To confront the Jung Dong Alliance, the Gong Gil Yeon Alliance was necessary.
Among them, the Sama Guild with the most hunters and Sa Ma Young’s presence were essential.
Though tea was placed before the three of them in a semblance of formal protocol, none of them brought it to their lips.
Yoo Se Ran spent an hour explaining a detailed infiltration and capture operation using satellite photographs and blueprints of the Justice Guild’s Doksan Gate Branch, obtained through military privilege.
“Actually, Guild Master Sa Ma Young, you don’t need to worry about anything else. Just stop Kang Han. We’ll handle the rest.”
“You failed to mention the most crucial part. Yeo Joo, the Healer, is currently in the custody of Sama Guild, correct?”
“Well, about that…”
Captain Yoo Se Ran looked displeased and was about to say something, but Sa Ma Young was faster.
“There’s no room for negotiation. Yeo Joo, the Healer, goes to Sama Guild. That’s my condition.”
“…Very well then.”
Yoo Se Ran ultimately conceded ground.
“Then, regarding what happens after the operation succeeds…”
Sa Ma Jin seized the moment and interjected.
As the tedious back-and-forth continued, Sa Ma Young rested his chin on one hand, observing them.
[ Using ‘Whispering Earring (A)’ to cast skill ‘Charm’. ]
[ Skill cast failed! ]
[ Target is already under the influence of a higher-tier mental control skill! ]
It was a system message I’d confirmed countless times already.
A significant number of high-ranking social figures, including Sa Ma Jin and Yoo Se Ran, were already in someone’s grasp.
‘Who could it be?’
A crooked smile played across my lips.
But that was fleeting—all eyes turned to me as I rose without hesitation.
“I’ll be taking my leave now. As you know, my schedule is quite tight.”
“But the meeting isn’t over yet…”
Captain Yoo Se Ran frowned in bewilderment, but I didn’t return to my seat.
“Let’s move just before dawn tomorrow. I’ll see you then, in front of the Justice Guild.”
* * *
As the sun set and twilight gradually painted the sky, Je Hwa and I left the orphanage.
Our footsteps fell in sync, two rhythms merging into one.
Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong, and when we reached the wheeled apartment waiting where we’d parked, I extended my hand to Je Hwa.
“Give me back my phone now, boss.”
“Our date isn’t over yet, is it?”
Je Hwa shook his head.
“Besides, didn’t you say you had somewhere to go from here?”
“I’m not going.”
“Why not?”
I looked up at Je Hwa’s face, which towered far above mine, and answered.
“Why? If you’re bold enough to confiscate my phone, something’s either happened or about to happen.”
“…You knew?”
“I’m pretty perceptive.”
“Sigh.”
Je Hwa let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“I really can’t beat you, Yeo Joo.”
“Don’t be too discouraged. No one beats me anyway.”
The moment I got my phone back, I dove into assessing the situation.
While I’d been playing with the children at the orphanage, Seoul had been in an uproar.
A government statement had been released.
“This is absolutely ridiculous.”
Now I understood why Sung Ro Sa cursed so much.
In a rotten world like this, it’s not easy to speak only kind and proper words.
“Hmm.”
I thought for a moment.
The statement was a kind of declaration of war from the government.
Since public opinion against me was beginning to form, there was no need to wait long.
“I think they’ll make their move tomorrow.”
Part of me wanted to rush back to the Justice Guild immediately.
But my rational judgment was clear.
I’d only be a burden if I stayed at the guild.
“Maybe it’s best if I just hide somewhere…”
“Would you stay at my place?”
“Your place, boss?”
I hadn’t considered imposing on Je Hwa like that.
But it would be an excellent hiding spot.
No one would ever suspect I’d be hiding in the Master’s personal residence.
However.
“Boss, I didn’t realize this about you. You’ve got quite the cunning side…”
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
“I know. I was just joking around. Even with a thick face like mine, I couldn’t just agree to something like that so easily.”
“Yeo Joo….”
Je Hwa let out a sound of genuine surprise.
“Let’s go then. Our guild master probably already knows I’m with the boss, and if I don’t come home tonight, he’ll assume I’m at the boss’s place.”
“How did you know that?”
“Did the boss and our guild master conspire together?”
Of course I’d notice something like that.
“I checked my phone after a few hours, and there’s not a single missed call from Kang Han. That’s impossible unless he knows exactly who I’m with and where I am.”
Kang Han, stoic as he is, obsesses over my every move, and Je Hwa, who seems interested in nothing but making items, wants to plaster my body with his name.
This is why you can’t judge people by their appearance alone.
* * *
“The night view is insane.”
Je Hwa’s penthouse, which had been impressive even in daylight, became even more beautiful as night fell.
After showering in the guest room he claimed he’d never used, I found pajamas laid out on the bed that fit me perfectly.
They clung to my body so well that I actually checked the brand name, thinking I’d buy a few more pairs.
But there was no label anywhere on the clothes.
“Yeo Joo.”
Just then, Je Hwa emerged into the living room.
Whether he’d washed away his fatigue with hot water or not, the flushed-faced homeowner stopped a distance away from me by the window rather than approaching.
“These pajamas are incredibly comfortable. Where are they from?”
“…I made them.”
“You made them yourself, boss?”
“Since you like them, I’ll make a few more pairs in a similar design.”
…Je Hwa made these pajamas that fit so perfectly?
This fit was impossible without knowing my exact measurements.
While I narrowed my eyes and became slightly wary, Je Hwa turned on the massive TV that covered an entire wall of the living room with oddly deliberate movements.
“Want to watch a movie together?”
“…Well, I don’t have anything else to do, so sure.”
That was the moment I was about to turn on the OTT platform.
“Wait. Isn’t that Sa Ma Young?”
Sa Ma Young’s face appeared on the broadcast channel.
It wasn’t a rerun of a strategy stream.
Sitting in front of a microphone in neat formal wear, it looked like a press conference.
When Je Hwa unmuted the TV, Sa Ma Young’s voice flowed from the high-quality speakers.
[ “…Therefore, from this moment forward, I, Sa Ma Young, and the five hunters under my command have decided to leave the Sama Guild.” ]
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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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