The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 393

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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 214

Only then did I realize the situation, and I flinched.
“Ah, it’s become a habit….”
“A habit? You’ve always been like this? Why?”
Why, you ask.
How would I know if you’re asking me that?
Then Je Hwa chimed in from beside me.
“I was curious about that too.”
“If I don’t look after her like this, Yeo Joo has picky eating habits.”
“So why is the Kang Han Guild leader the one looking after her?”
“Then who else would do it besides me?”
As the argument was about to escalate in earnest, I quietly set down the spoon I’d been holding.
Kang Han, Sa Ma Young, Je Hwa.
The absurdity and irritation of these extraordinary men childishly bickering over my meals was beyond words.
And most of all, I simply found this entire situation unbearably uncomfortable.
‘I’m really going to get indigestion at this rate.’
It seemed far healthier to eat a simple meal alone later instead.
“I think I’ll excuse myself now….”
Clack.
Kang Han set down the chopsticks he’d used to give me shiitake mushroom and quietly rose from his seat.
“Don’t do that—eat a bit more. And you two, let’s talk for a moment.”

* * *

Kang Han arrived at the entrance to the hiking trail leading up the Back Mountain, bringing Sa Ma Young and Je Hwa with him.
It was the most remote and least populated spot from the Outdoor Training Ground, where guild members frequently gathered for physical training after lunch hours.
“Perfect place to start a fire.”
Sa Ma Young spoke with a twisted smile, gazing at the densely packed trees.
The rage still simmering within him from moments ago, when Kang Han had clung so closely to Yeo Joo and whispered to her, felt like it would consume every tree on this mountain and still not be satisfied.
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
Kang Han warned Sa Ma Young sharply.
The formal speech he’d maintained so carefully in front of Yeo Joo had already vanished.
Je Hwa let out a quiet laugh at how Kang Han made no effort to hide his twisted feelings, just like Sa Ma Young.
“So you don’t need to pretend to be a decent person when Yeo Joo isn’t around?”
Kang Han didn’t deny it.
Instead, he simply watched the two of them with cold eyes.
Sa Ma Young was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.
“Since we’re all here, let me make one thing clear. I’d appreciate it if you both kept your distance from Yeo Joo from now on.”
“Why should I do that?”
Je Hwa asked, making no attempt to hide his displeasure.
“Are you asking because you don’t know? I’ve abandoned everything I had, and Yeo Joo accepted me despite that. I’m taking responsibility. You must understand what that means to her.”
Je Hwa’s face hardened at Sa Ma Young’s triumphant words.
It felt as though his weakness had been exposed.
He knew all too well Yeo Joo’s nature—how she couldn’t simply pass by someone in need and would take them into her embrace.
After all, that’s how his own connection with her had begun.
But he couldn’t simply be pushed aside like this.
“You seem to place too much meaning on the sympathy you obtained by playing the victim, Sa Ma Young.”
“Then why don’t you abandon Maestro and ask Yeo Joo to take you in?”
“…So you knew all along.”
“If the person lingering around Yeo Joo had truly been just some third-rate workshop owner, I would’ve left it alone.”
“Ha.”
Je Hwa let out a hollow laugh, yet nodded in acknowledgment.
Among the item commission orders he’d accepted before resuming his work, Sa Ma Young was the only one whose reservation he’d cancelled.
Though he didn’t know exactly when, it must have been an action taken after learning who Sa Ma Young truly was.
“From now on, just keep making armor for Yeo Joo and offering it to her.”
“You mean the things you can no longer provide now that you’ve left the Sama Group?”
At words that struck the mark, sparks flew in Sa Ma Young’s eyes.
It wasn’t merely a visual phenomenon—his ability had merged with his anger, manifesting visibly.
“Enough.”
Kang Han stopped both of them.
His rough, dry hands as he wiped his face carried the weight of his own barely suppressed rage.
If he had his way, he’d abandon these two and return to the Guild Dining Hall where Yeo Joo sat alone.
Whether Je Hwa’s identity as Master was exposed or Sa Ma Young set the mountain ablaze, what mattered more to him was putting delicious food into her mouth.
“If you make her meal times uncomfortable like this again, next time you’ll have a conversation with me in an empty Dungeon instead of a mountain. Combat class or non-combat—it doesn’t matter.”
“Are you looking for a fight?”
Sa Ma Young, still seething with anger, laughed savagely as if ready to pounce at any moment, but Kang Han had no intention of obliging him.
“Why do you think I haven’t clashed with Je Hwa until now? We’ve irritated each other plenty.”
“Because Yeo Joo is a pacifist.”
At Je Hwa’s answer, Sa Ma Young’s brow furrowed.
“What do you mean by that?”
“…That’s why dealing with youngsters is….”
Je Hwa muttered in exasperation, roughly sweeping back his hair before speaking each word with emphasis.
“Didn’t you see just now when Yeo Joo put down her chopsticks entirely? If we create an uncomfortable situation, that person will distance herself from all three of us. Because she’ll think it’s the ‘right’ thing to do.”
“….”
Unable to refute the words, Sa Ma Young clenched his fists while keeping his mouth shut.
He hated admitting that Je Hwa and Kang Han were right, but Yeo Joo really was that kind of person.
The memory of himself throwing chopsticks in the dining hall made him dizzy.
Then Kang Han’s next words made him realize his mistake once more.
“Both of you need to understand the situation properly. Do you think we three will be the only ones she’ll distance herself from?”
Distance creates loss.
Sa Ma Young and Je Hwa simultaneously grasped the meaning and gritted their teeth.
“If you don’t want to see new faces at this table next time, straighten up your behavior.”

* * *

I didn’t know what the three of them discussed, but things became noticeably more comfortable afterward.
Their relationship still seemed poor, but they no longer showed it openly like they had in the dining hall.
That alone made it easier to breathe.
Before long, the sun set and the sky darkened.
As if by prior agreement, everyone from the Justice Guild gathered in the new courtyard between the two Dormitory Buildings.
The chilly night air from the late spring cold wasn’t felt at all thanks to the bonfire lit in the center and the warmth radiating from the bustling crowd.
“Boss, is it okay that you’re not returning to Jamsil?”
Though there was a Sugar Workshop Branch Office, this was the first time Je Hwa had spent such an extended period within the guild grounds.
“The sub-guild leader is quite capable.”
“Wow, I’m really jealous.”
A major guild like Maestro runs smoothly even without a guild leader.
That’s practically automatic hunting.
“Yeo Joo, could I ask you for a favor?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“I’d like the Sugar Workshop to be integrated as an item development department within the Justice Guild rather than as a branch office. The team would consist of just me.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m quite capable as a crafter even without the Master title—would you hire me?”
“…Wouldn’t that be something you need to discuss with that capable sub-guild leader?”
Geum Eun Dong would probably voice strong opposition.
Ah, I might even cry.
But Je Hwa simply shrugged and shook his head.
“Maestro is my possession, not the other way around.”
“Hmm.”
That was quite a cool thing to say.
“You don’t like it?”
“How could I not? It’s just that good things keep happening, and it makes me uneasy.”
As the saying goes, fortune never lasts forever.
Sa Ma Young bringing all the elite hunters to the Justice Guild, and Master voluntarily asking to be employed—it was almost too much.
I was beginning to fear what catastrophe might be lurking behind all this.
“I’ll sign the contract tomorrow. We just need to change the nameplate at the Sugar Workshop Branch Office.”
I was staring blankly at Je Hwa, who seemed to already be mentally designing a nameplate for the “Item Development Department,” when I suddenly noticed how quiet everything had become.
Everyone was holding back laughter, their eyes fixed on something.
At the center of their attention lay Na Baek Ho, gazing mesmerized at the bright red campfire, with Baek Young Ee curled up asleep in his fur.
And Hong Joo was creeping toward them both, body lowered in a stalking posture.
“[Hong Joo!]”
“Hisss—!”
Moments later, a startled Na Baek Ho and Baek Young Ee, now thoroughly annoyed, chased after Hong Joo as he bolted away in delight, the three of them spinning in circles around the backyard.
“Pfft! Baek Young Ee is mad!”
“Hong Joo, you’re going to get caught!”
“Run!”
Regardless of which guild they came from, they were all having fun.
It was a boisterous welcome party without a care in the world—the kind worth recording.
I savored the warm air of the backyard for a moment longer before standing up.
“Where are you going?”
At Kang Han’s question, Sa Ma Young and Je Hwa immediately turned their attention to me.
“I’m tired, so I’m going to get some rest.”
“Are you hurt?”
I shook my head in response to Sa Ma Young’s concern.
“I’m fine. See you all tomorrow.”
After saying goodnight to the guild members in addition to the three men, I returned to my room.
After a thorough shower, I pretended to sleep and turned off all the lights in the room.
Then I retrieved a coat from my subspace and put it on.
It was the invisibility item Je Hwa had given me before.
I’d been worried all day that Je Hwa might ask for it back, even though I’d said I would keep it.
“Perfect.”
Standing in front of the mirror, my reflection had completely vanished.

[ Transparent Coat for Yeo Joo (S)
: Perfectly conceals appearance and presence.
Let’s not use it too frequently.
Creator – Je Hwa ]

An S-rank item that could even erase my presence—remarkable.
On a day like today, when I needed to evade the watchful eyes of three men who were always attuned to my every movement, it was the perfect tool.
Since Je Hwa had crafted it, I harbored no doubts about its functionality, though I couldn’t deny a lingering unease.
Yet as I walked out of the Justice Guild, not a single person detected my departure.
Not even the creator who had made the item.
As I descended the dark path toward the Downtown District, I found myself recalling the joyful scene from the backyard.
I didn’t want to lose that laughter.
‘I need to verify this first.’
Finally arriving at the Downtown District and waiting for the pre-booked spatial transfer service, an old Quest window materialized before my eyes.

[ ! Quest !
I can’t provide a translation for this text as it appears to be corrupted or contains only special characters and symbols rather than actual Korean text.

A runaway Double Dungeon spawned outside the normal flow, and a corrupted Quest window.
Tonight, I had to meet with Shane, the intermediate administrator.

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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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