Though progress remained slow, our happy life continued.
Before I knew it, late December had arrived.
The cold weather made us curl up more.
Today I came to Si-hyun's studio apartment.
"When it's cold like this, I don't feel like doing anything."
Lying on Si-hyun's bed under the covers, I could smell his scent.
"Yeah, we should get moving though."
"Should we take today off too?"
Si-hyun was scrolling through his phone, and I peeked to see he was checking Gate-related information.
"Oh! Should we go check our performance ratings?"
"Rank up?"
"Yeah, I heard you can rank up if you meet the requirements."
"Then I'll check mine too."
"We can't just stay cooped up here all day. Let's go out."
Though it was nearly noon, we headed out.
Having a car really made things convenient.
Waiting for public transport in this cold would be torture, but now we didn't have to wait and the car heater kept us warm.
We reached the Welfare Center quickly, but poor timing put us there during lunch break.
"What should we do?"
"Let's get lunch too."
After eating at a nearby soup restaurant, we returned to the Welfare Center.
Service resumed after lunch break, but the place was crowded and busy.
While waiting with our number ticket, Si-hyun suddenly hugged me from behind.
He pressed his face against the top of my head.
"What are you doing."
"Nothing."
Si-hyun wrapped his tall frame around me inside his coat.
"Hey."
The looks from people around us weren't friendly.
While I appreciated it as an expression of affection, I wished he'd be more considerate of the setting and others' reactions.
The men's stares felt particularly intense.
Jealousy, envy, anger... various eyes fixed on us.
The women's gazes weren't much better.
I endured the piercing stares until our number was finally called.
"Si-yeon, it's your turn."
Oh right.
I slipped out of Si-hyun's embrace and approached the staff.
"How may I help you?"
"I'd like to check my rank-up eligibility."
After I handed over my Hunter Certificate, the staff member began verifying.
"Confirmed, you're eligible to rank up to C-Class Hunter."
"Please proceed with the update."
"The certificate update will take some time. Please wait."
Ah, I'm going to be a C-Class Hunter too!
I'll be the same rank as Si-hyun.
But wait, wouldn't Si-hyun rank up to B-Class?
"Your update is complete. Congratulations."
"Ah, thank you."
Finally C-Class!
My efforts paid off.
I returned to Si-hyun with my updated C-Class Hunter Certificate.
"Look at this, I'm C-Class now too."
"That happy?"
"Yeah, now we're the same rank!"
Seeing Si-hyun's pleased smile, I suddenly felt uneasy.
That smile clearly held a hint of mischief.
Could it be... he'd already ranked up to B-Class?
"No... way?"
"Yeah, I heard I'm eligible for promotion."
What?
Si-hyun becoming B-Class?
I thought I'd finally caught up to him.
"I put it on hold because of contract conditions and such."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
"Huh? There's such a thing?"
"Yeah, apparently from B-Class onward you have to sign agreements with the government."
So B-Class and above get special management as key combat forces?
That makes sense since tax benefits start from B-Class.
I thought the contracts only began at A-Class.
"I thought about how we operate together and decided I shouldn't rank up yet."
I pouted.
So this basically means we’re not actually the same rank.
I’d always known Si-hyun’s abilities went beyond this level, but I’d still hoped we could at least be temporarily ranked the same due to performance metrics.
If only I’d come earlier to confirm and upgrade first.
Even though I’d accumulated enough achievements, I kept forgetting about it because I was always busy having fun with Si-hyun.
-
-
After finishing the task, I felt strangely empty.
Being with Si-hyun made me happy, but it seemed boredom was unavoidable.
“What should I do now?”
The timing was awkward.
It was already past two, too late to go anywhere far.
“Actually, I have plans today.”
Si-hyun pulled something out of his jacket to show me.
“Ta-da!”
It looked familiar.
I snatched it to check, and sure enough, I’d seen it before.
It was an invitation to a top-tier hotel.
The same one we went to last time with the pool.
Where we’d met Mira.
“Where did you get this?”
Looking it over, I saw it was another three-day, two-night package, just like last time. This must be worth millions? How did he get it?
Did Oppa give it to him again?
I tilted my head in confusion, and Si-hyun gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… actually, Yoo Mi-ro gave it to me.”
“Mi-ro!?”
Mi-ro gave it to him?
She and Si-hyun had stayed friends since the modeling job.
We hardly ever met in person, but we texted and called often. That’s why it felt even stranger.
“Why would she give you this?”
That girl was meticulous about every detail when it came to friendships. She wouldn’t give such an expensive gift for no reason.
As a third-generation chaebol, her wanting to be friends with someone ordinary like me was suspicious enough. There must be some motive, right?
“Actually, I introduced her to a boyfriend…”
“Really?”
“Yeah, looks like it worked out.”
Come to think of it, I think I heard something like that before?
Must have been over a month ago…
Now that I think about it, it does ring a bell.
Ah! Oppa mentioned he had a girlfriend, right?
And that girlfriend was introduced by Si-hyun…
Even someone as slow as me could connect the dots now.
Si-hyun’s words and Oppa’s words, the two clues lined up.
The man Si-hyun introduced to Yoo Mi-ro must be my brother.
And the girl Oppa was introduced to was Yoo Mi-ro.
No wonder Yoo Mi-ro had been asking about my family so warmly. So that’s why?
Pretty slick… And not telling me about any of this? That’s just sneaky.
“Hey! How could you introduce a girl like that to my brother!”
“What’s wrong? Someone of Yoo Mi-ro’s caliber suits Seong-yeon just fine.”
Hah, true. As a highly-regarded S-Class Hunter, it’s not strange for Oppa to stand beside a third-generation chaebol.
But for some reason, it still made me mad.
“Ugh, no wonder Oppa’s been so full of himself lately.”
So that’s why he’s been on the phone so long in his room since he got a girlfriend, and even tidying up his clothes.
Not that I haven’t done similar things myself.
“Anyway! Tomorrow is Si-yeon’s birthday, so I thought we could go here.”
Birthday? Now that you mention it, today’s the 11th, so tomorrow is December 12th, my actual birthday.
“Oh right? Tomorrow is my birthday?”
“I was wondering how to invite you without making it awkward.”
Si-hyun gave an embarrassed smile.
“We’re staying two nights, so you’ll need some spare clothes.”
“The clothes you left at my place are already packed.”
Those were from that time after an Expedition when our laundry got mixed up in Si-hyun’s bag, and some of my clothes ended up at his place.
They’ve been at Si-hyun’s rental unit ever since, and I sometimes change into them when I visit.
"Hmm, those clothes aren't pretty enough."
"What does it matter."
"But we should dress more formally for that kind of place."
"I wanted to create a more romantic atmosphere, but it's harder than I thought."
Si-hyun scratched his head sheepishly.
Too adorable to resist.
Though I cared about the clothes, seeing Si-hyun put in effort for me made me happier.
"I'd forgotten about my birthday myself."
"Of course I'd remember my girlfriend's birthday."
Unlike our usual dates, this counted as our first celebration since we started dating, right?
Si-hyun had already neatly packed my clothes into his backpack and loaded them in the car.
We skipped returning to the rental apartment and headed straight to the hotel.
-
-
Just like last time, showing our invitation letter got us through check-in without any issues.
Our assigned room was just as luxurious and comfortable as before.
I tossed my luggage aside and flopped onto the bed.
"Ah, so soft-"
The expensive mattress had hypnotic Mana just from lying on it.
"What should we do now?"
Well, yeah? What would be good?
The hotel had many entertainment facilities, simulated golf, and the brochure said the pool was even temperature-controlled.
There was also a fitness club (though we wouldn't use it) and luxury boutiques.
Last time I only visited the pool and the bar.
Si-hyun might have gone to the gym...
"Not sure. Dinner first, then the gym?"
Working out with Si-hyun had improved my physical condition.
Especially Pilates, it enhanced my posture and flexibility.
"So we're doing our usual routine?"
Though similar to our daily pattern, we couldn't skip it.
Thanks to Si-hyun, I'd grown fond of exercising too.
Consistent training made my figure more balanced and toned, even the women in my Pilates class envied me.
We passed time playing around.
I pounced on Si-hyun but got pinned down and tickled instead.
Damn it...
"What about dinner?"
We could order room service or eat at the restaurant.
"Let's get room service."
"Easiest option, right?"
"And fancy restaurants have dress codes, but we didn't bring formal wear."
"Ah."
"What do you mean 'ah'! Si-hyun, you should consider these details in advance."
"Sorry, I don't really know about these things."
"N-no! Was I too harsh?"
Si-hyun looked hurt.
"S-sorry!!!"
Seeing him so dejected made my chest ache.
I felt so sad I nearly cried.
I hugged the discouraged Si-hyun tightly.
"This is my fault!"
"Urk."
Si-hyun tried to push me away but I held on tighter.
"F-forgive me, please."
"Pfft, l-let go."
I loosened my grip but still hung from his arm.
"Your, your chest is touching me."
"Well... but."
"It's fine. I should have considered this."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Crying over something like this, aren't you embarrassed?"
"But..."
Peck
Si-hyun sat me on his lap and held me close.
"How can you be this cute."
Hehe, anyway, being held by Si-hyun always relaxed me.
We passed time watching TV movies together.
When dinner time came, we ordered room service.
This time we ordered enough for about six people.
I ate maybe a portion and a bit, while Si-hyun alone consumed over four portions.
Last time was mainly Western food, but this time focused more on Korean dishes.
Portions at places like this were indeed slightly smaller than regular restaurants.
It became obvious when I saw him eating nearly two portions by himself.
After finishing four portions alone, Si-hyun collapsed on the spot.
"Si-hyun, aren't we going to the gym?"
"We should."
Watching Si-hyun’s unusually sluggish movements felt strange.
He seemed different from usual. Was something on his mind?
Even at the gym, he didn’t exercise with his usual focus, his expression clouded with worry.
-
-
After two hours of light exercise, we stopped by the hotel convenience store. Seeing Si-hyun still dawdling, I grew restless.
I pretended to browse items away from him while secretly observing.
I stole glances, careful not to be noticed.
Si-hyun was staring intently at something.
I crept up behind him to see what held his attention.
Condoms.
Huh? Why was Si-hyun looking at those?
“S-Si-hyun?”
Startled by my voice, Si-hyun jolted, dropping the condom in his hand.
His face had completely stiffened.
Oh, did I mess up?
“Uh, yeah.”
“S-so, are we d-doing it tonight?”
He lifted his lowered head, revealing a gloomy expression.
“S-sorry.”
I should have pretended not to notice.
“Ah, no. I was planning to talk about this back in the room anyway.”
Tomorrow is my birthday, it seems Si-hyun had made up his mind and come prepared.
This whole trip was carefully arranged by him.
I’ve been so dense.
If I’d been quicker to catch on, I could have played along and let Si-hyun surprise me properly.
Well, there’s something I need to tell him now.
“Then… I’m s-safe tonight.”
Si-hyun froze again, halfway through picking up the dropped condom.