The Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with a Song - Chapter 122

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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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Tone-Deaf Healer Kills with Song – Episode 122
“Really?”
“Truly. I’m not sure how much help I’ll be in an unfamiliar place, but.”
Jung Hwan-jae watched Hwa-jon carefully.
He showed no signs of deception.
Not that I expected him to lie about something like this anyway.
I should escape before he asks me anything else.
“Then I’ll keep that in mind and check it out. I’m exhausted today anyway, and I think I need to contact Researcher Harp.”
“Sure.”
“Thanks for the tea. I’ll see you later, or maybe tomorrow.”
Yeom Ye-ah left the room with a bright smile, and Hwa-jon leisurely finished the remaining tea.
The room was filled with the pleasant fragrance of tea, yet my heart felt inexplicably uneasy.
Jung Hwan-jae had never intended to hinder Yeom Ye-ah’s growth or dismiss her path forward.
He was aware that he himself tended to shield her.
“You mentioned this is your first time going to the United States.”
“Yes, I’m not even ranked high enough for Dungeon dispatches, and I don’t particularly enjoy traveling around.”
His silver hair shimmered.
At first, I’d suspected he had some ulterior motive given how kindly he treated Yeom Ye-ah.
But the more I observed, the more I vaguely understood that wasn’t the case at all.
“I’m curious about something. Ah, of course, I’m not interrogating you—just answer comfortably.”
Surprisingly, it was Hwa-jon who spoke first.
He poured pu-erh tea into Jung Hwan-jae’s empty cup and offered him a seat. He hadn’t dared sit beside him while Yeom Ye-ah was present, worried it might be awkward.
Jung Hwan-jae sat in that spot and looked at Hwa-jon.
[Lucy: This feels like being tested by the family of someone you like?]
[Lucy: And my precious contractor is completely overwhelmed…]
Though Lucy spoke in a tone of sympathy, Jung Hwan-jae knew better.
Lucy was having the time of his life right now.
And what was this about a woman I liked? What nonsense was that?
‘A woman I like. I have no right to such a thing.’
Unbeknownst to himself, Yeom Ye-ah possessed a gift for stirring people’s hearts.
She was clumsy, lacking any confidence in herself, yet equally kind to others and remarkably brave.
Hunters are drawn to strength.
Whether it’s physical or emotional.
Yeom Ye-ah was strong as a Hunter, but the strength within her—how profound it was.
“I noticed you seem somewhat concerned about me being quite close with Ye-ah.”
“….”
“Am I right? Or should I say I’m mistaken?”
Hwa-jon wore a smiling face.
He seemed to already know everything.
But admitting it aloud was another matter entirely.
So embarrassing.
Isn’t this mortifyingly embarrassing?
Jung Hwan-jae wasn’t a man with much pride, but even he had his limits.
“That’s not—”
“No, I’m not saying it’s wrong that I care for Ye-ah. That much is true. But what I feel is genuinely the relationship between a master and disciple.”
“Master and disciple…”
“Senior and junior of the same sect, if you will. And once you’re part of the same school, you’re practically family.”
He continued his explanation with measured calm.
Even without Jung Hwan-jae’s response, Hwa-jon conveyed it to him steadily.
That it wasn’t that kind of feeling.
“When I see her not merely listening to what I teach, but thinking deeply and striving to improve, I finally understand why one takes on disciples.”
“I see.”
“She may not be someone who learns one thing and understands ten, but she’s the type who digs deep to perfectly master even a single concept.”
He knew this well.
Yeom Ye-ah, aware of her poor singing, had supposedly spent five hours every day in a Coin Karaoke after becoming a Hunter.
With her voice completely hoarse, she’d gone to part-time jobs and squeezed in time for Hunter Guild interviews.
Even after joining Hanttae, whenever she had a spare moment, she’d go to the Training Room or Karaoke to practice.
Even though she only needed to worry about herself.
“I’m aware.”
It was the same in the Dungeon they’d just cleared.
She’d made an effort to demonstrate the results of her mana research.
Regardless of the outcome, I couldn’t ignore that effort.
The problem was that she was too strong.
Being strong as a Hunter meant the data one had to process was equally powerful and vast.
Sometimes the body and mind simply couldn’t endure it.
[Lucy: Yeah, newly awakened Hunters often go through that.]
[Lucy: You did too.]
Jung Hwan-jae had also reduced dozens of solo Dungeons to rubble in the past.
Even he, among the top five in the country for mana control, had gone through this process.
For Yeom Ye-ah, it was only natural.
“Ye-ah said she wanted to be helpful to you.”
“She’s already helpful enough.”
“Even if just being by your side gives you strength, you won’t know unless you say it directly.”
His tone was so calm and gentle that I hadn’t noticed until now.
But now it was clear.
Hwa-jon had been teasing me.
The moment I glared at him slightly, his expression softened immediately.
As if asking what I’d just said.
“Anyway, that’s how I learned this—she doesn’t like talking to others about the problems or difficulties she’s facing.”
“I understand how she feels and what she’s thinking.”
Hwa-jon nodded.
At the very least, I wished she would confide in me, but the truth was something else entirely.
The person she found most difficult to open up to was, without question, myself.
Yeom Ye-ah didn’t want to reveal how hard she was working to the people whose acknowledgment she craved.
She didn’t want them to see her mistakes either.
Knowing this, I simply waited.
“You don’t want her going to the United States, do you?”
I believed that if I waited and remained by her side, eventually she would trust me and open her heart.
To be precise.
I thought that because of this, I could send her off with dignity, even if such a situation arose.
“…Yes.”
But I was wrong.
I wanted to follow her anywhere and watch over her from beside her.
And that wasn’t all.
I wanted to know every moment of Yeom Ye-ah’s time in places I couldn’t reach.
To such an extent that even everyone who had known her during those twenty-three years before I met her—years I knew nothing of—had begun to bother me.
‘This is serious.’
I hadn’t thought of it that way back then, but looking back now, I seemed like a madman.
I suddenly became aware of my own situation and pressed my forehead with my palm.
“But I know I can’t follow her.”
“I don’t want Ye-ah to hate me.”
I didn’t even glance at the expensive tea cooling before my eyes as I sank into anguish.
She said not to come, so I won’t go.
There were ways to follow her secretly, but I’d been away from the Guild too much lately.
Of all people, I had no confidence I could avoid being caught by Dante and Yeom Ye-ah.
“Your mana’s leaking. Try to suppress it.”
Hwa-jon, whose expression remained utterly unmoved, spoke leisurely as he resumed sipping his tea.
He’s an impressive person.
Most people would flinch when I unconsciously leaked mana like this.
But he didn’t lose his composure in the slightest.
Regardless of what he actually felt, the fact that he showed no sign of it now spoke to considerable skill.
It was partly because of that composure and his inscrutable conduct that Ye-ah chose him as her teacher.
“Ah, my apologies.”
“I’m not saying it to be uncomfortable. I’m just pointing out that you should learn how to hide things in front of Ye-ah. You don’t want to be caught right now, after all.”
His tone no longer bothered to conceal the teasing in his words.
But he wasn’t wrong.
I didn’t want to be caught.
Caught obsessing over her with what feelings, questioning what about her, and what I wanted to do together with her.
[Lucy: Sometimes that’s nice, but stubbornness isn’t always a good thing, you know.]
[Lucy: It’s the observation of someone who’s lived longer, but you won’t listen anyway, will you?]
I didn’t want to reveal such feelings.
“Yes, then….”
“I’ll keep it to myself. Ah, of course, since the Guild Master didn’t answer, I’m just making an assumption.”
Hwa-jon, laughing casually, finished emptying his tea.
Apart from the embarrassment, I felt a small sense of relief.
Now I was certain.
Hwa-jon didn’t care for Yeom Ye-ah the way I did.
Then his words continued.
“Ah, if you’re going to be cautious, someone other than me might be better. Though I’m not sure if they even count as a person.”

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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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