NOVEL WEB Chapter 17
“Hah… what’s going on?”
Lee Sooah’s face flushed as her heart raced in her office.
“No, Sooah, what’s up with you today? We said this was urgent, remember?”
“Sooah? You really need to get it to us today. You know that, right?”
“Um… Hunter Lee Sooah, please… when can we expect it? I’m really sorry, but today you seem different from your usual self.”
She recalled the things she had heard throughout the day.
It was unlike her to be overwhelmed with so much work.
‘Why… why am I like this…?’
She was incredibly famous, known just for being a professional.
Even though she had come into work and started her day in the morning, she hadn’t been able to make any progress at all.
‘Why… why can’t I focus on work…?’
Her heart was completely racing.
It was a sensation she couldn’t seem to calm down.
This feeling was utterly bewildering.
It felt good yet chaotic all at the same time.
She couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything.
It was as if she was floating in the air.
Moreover, she couldn’t shake the image of Baek Jihoon from her mind.
‘What… what is this…? Did I get too attached to Hunter Baek Jihoon…?’
She believed she was heavily influenced by the shocking Medusa incident from yesterday.
There was nothing else she could relate to Jihoon.
‘I’ve never seen him before. We only met for one day yesterday.’
It was clear.
No matter how hard she tried to think back, she had never seen Baek Jihoon before.
Plus, looking at her career, there was nothing overlapping with him.
There was no overlap whatsoever in college, work, or any social activities.
‘I don’t understand… This feeling is so new to me.’
Alone in her office, with her face flushed and heart racing, Lee Sooah felt she couldn’t bear the situation any longer.
‘It looks like I need to leave work early today.’
She grabbed her clothes and headed out.
‘Ah, Sooah. Seriously, what’s up with you today… Hah…’
‘I really need that today.’
‘Sooah…? You’ll hand it over today, right?’
Ignoring countless messages and calls, she stepped outside.
She was compelled by this strange feeling she couldn’t overcome.
It felt like she really needed to get out quickly…
“What could this feeling be…?”
“Huh? Hunter Baek Jihoon?”
Then she spotted Baek Jihoon in the company’s lobby.
“Ji… Jihoon-ssi!!!”
*
“Hmm…?”
It was a phrase I had heard repeatedly throughout the day.
[ Jihoon-ssi! ]
I had heard it so much that I could tell who was calling me without even looking up.
Of course, it was S-Rank Hunter Lee Sooah.
“What is it… Why again…?”
She had called for me all day in the office, and now it felt like she was following me on my way home.
‘What is it? Why do I feel like she’s constantly following me…?’
I watched as Lee Sooah ran towards me.
Hyungseok was next to me, looking bewildered as he switched his gaze between Lee Sooah and me.
“No, Senior, look at this. This is definitely odd, right? You should handle it well.”
He tapped my shoulder.
He whispered quietly.
He had a somewhat devious smile on his face.
“No, what do you mean ‘handle it well’?”
I found myself getting lost in quite a complicated train of thought.
“Hah. Hah. Jihoon-ssi, are you on your way home?”
For some reason, Lee Sooah was panting with a flushed face.
“Yes… I guess so…?”
I couldn’t continue speaking.
Since I was confused about what was happening, it was hard to come up with an appropriate response.
After all, context is important in a conversation.
Considering our relationship…
We were on our second day of seeing each other… superior and subordinate…?
Furthermore, I couldn’t simply describe her as my direct superior.
To liken it to a company… it was more like a general manager and an intern…
Socially speaking, being S-Rank is quite a big deal.
Lee Sooah was a key executive, significant enough to say she held more than half the pillars of the Blue Guild.
If a general manager asks an intern if they’re going home after work, what should the intern say?
1. Yes, that’s right.
2. Should I do more work?
3. Would you like to leave together?
4. Where are you going, General Manager?
5. I’ve finished my work, but why do you ask?
6. Then let’s go home. Where else would I go?
I couldn’t think of what to say.
“Uh… by any chance, which direction is your house?”
Before I could respond, another question came at me.
Even while panting, they kept asking questions.
“Uh… I’m in district Gwanak… I live in Sillim-dong.”
It was a bit embarrassing. I didn’t have much money saved at my age. District Gwanak is in southern Seoul, and Sillim-dong is known for its busy roads like Gwanak-ro and Sillim-ro. I wondered why she suddenly asked about my home.
“Oh, I see. That’s a relief. It’s in the same direction as my house… so we can go together?”
Her expression turned into a slight smile.
‘Huh? No way… what’s going on? Is she saying we can go home together? What the hell…’
Either she liked me or had immense affection for a team member. It had to be one or the other.
Of course, I thought the latter was much more likely. Considering her usual image, she seemed completely cool and professionally intelligent. That was the social image of Lee Sooah. Even within our guild, it was the same.
Did she like men and cling to them, following them home?
“Eh, there’s no way. This is nonsense, right?”
“Haha. Jihoon, you’d have better luck imagining you’ve woken up as a famous VTuber girl. That’s how ridiculous this is.”
“You really can’t read people. Our Sooah isn’t that kind of person.”
“Jihoon, do you seriously think about such weird things? Ugh…”
“You seem to be reading too many web novels… You should live in reality… you’re not on +19 Novelpia, are you?”
“You look perfectly fine on the outside but seem a bit out of it inside…”
It was all too obvious.
Everyone’s reaction.
Not just from our Team A, but if you asked anyone nationwide, they would give the same kind of answer.
I didn’t know Hunter Lee Sooah, well either, but I had a vague image of her from the newspapers.
She always appeared stiff and composed in press conferences. No matter what dungeon she was in, she handled everything calmly and without panic.
“Huh? Isn’t Hunter Lee Sooah’s house in Cheongdam? That’s in Gangnam… How is it in the same direction?”
Hyungseok immediately reacted with disbelief, as if hearing something completely absurd.
After all, Sillim and Cheongdam were in entirely opposite directions from Gangnam Station.
At his words, Sooah shot him a very frightful glare.
I could feel an overwhelmingly heavy aura pressing down, though I hadn’t said a word.
The bright neon signs and lights of Gangnam were definitely overflowing, but in an instant, it felt like they all disappeared, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.
There was a strange sensation, as if the moment I slightly opened my mouth, I’d be immediately cut down on the spot.
It was like being frozen in place, merely by the gaze of a tiger shining with light before it let out a sound…
Because of that, Hyungseok fell silent, unable to finish his words.
He appeared just like a hamster completely cornered by a cat.
“Ugh…”
For the first time, I felt a sense of fear towards Lee Sooah.
‘So this is the feeling.’
The reason why the team members had been trembling…
The reason they called it Hellish Lee Sooah Team.
They had partied joyously at the gathering place, but when it was time to work, she was utterly thorough and serious.
Without saying a word, she could completely crush anyone just by looking at them.
“Ah, by the way… I have a prior engagement today… Haha… with Hyungseok…”
Suddenly, the words slipped out of my mouth without my awareness.
I didn’t know why I said it, but reflecting on it, it seemed my desire to go to a bar with Hyungseok and vent about Chae Suhyeon had been overwhelming.
Of course, it was important that Lee Sooah suggested leaving together, but there was something even more important to me.
That was taking down Chae Suhyeon.
Suddenly, I recalled the smartphone in my hand.
At this moment, the Blue Guild and Lee Sooah didn’t matter.
‘I need to see what Chae Suhyeon said to me today…’
There were so many things piled up…
I was genuinely curious.
And besides, I hadn’t lied. I was on my way to have drinks with Hyungseok anyway.
I had so much to say…
Suddenly, Hyungseok grabbed my hand abruptly.
Then he shook his head side to side rapidly at a frequency of 5Hz, wearing a look that clearly expressed disapproval.
He said nothing, but his eyes conveyed his intention.
‘Senior, please don’t do that.’
‘If I do, I’ll die. Just go along with what Hunter Lee Sooah wants.’
‘I want to live, you know. We can have our drinking session later.’
‘Senior, are you crazy? You want to die?’
‘Why are you doing this!!!!!!’
It was a gaze and expression full of numerous meanings.
Very earnest.
A person can speak with their eyes.
But the words had already escaped my mouth.
“Y-Yes…? A prior engagement…?”
Hearing my words, Lee Sooah displayed an incredibly flustered expression. It was as if she hadn’t even considered that possibility at all.
Moreover, her reaction felt like it was completely unprecedented.
It felt like a chaebol man, acting on his whims, was struck by the pitiful and unfortunate female lead, exclaiming, ‘I’ve never met a woman like this before.’
Her response was as if she were hearing about a prior engagement for the first time.
Seeing Lee Sooah’s reaction, my hand started to ache.
Because Hyungseok was gripping it tightly as if it was the most critical crisis of his life.
“Why is he acting like this?”
“Even though Lee Sooah can be a bit scary, is she really going to kill someone?”
While I could understand Hyungseok to a certain extent, I thought his reaction was overly dramatic.
“Well… then… ah… got it… Go ahead and chat with Hyungseok… Haha… I didn’t realize… I’m sorry. Uh… um… Ah… um. Eeehee! I should head home. Where was it?”
Seemingly too shocked by my words, she began to mumble strangely and then, as if embarrassed, suddenly turned and ran away.
“What… What was that…?”
For two days, I witnessed various sides of Lee Sooah.
“Is it possible… that there is a status ailment I didn’t notice…? Or could it be… she’s always been this crazy?”
Isn’t there a saying that geniuses are a bit eccentric?
With someone like Lee Sooah, it wouldn’t be unusual for her to have somewhat deranged traits.
Looking at the reactions of my teammates… even if she were originally crazy, it wouldn’t be surprising…
As I stared at the retreating figure of Lee Sooah, I felt perplexed, while Hyungseok next to me had his jaw nearly unhinged, wearing a completely dazed expression.
As if he had just seen Medusa, he was frozen in place.
“Dude… close your mouth. Your jaw is going to drop.”