Who was she? I couldn’t recognize her at all. She had pale skin, moderately large eyes, and a small, delicate nose and mouth. Overall, she was a petite, slim woman. From the way she acted, she didn’t seem to be a hunter; she looked like a regular person. But what could she want with us? No, she was definitely staring at Eden. Still, she didn’t take her eyes off him.
A young woman who knew Eden. She looked to be in her twenties. Even back when Eden was in the Loki Guild, he rarely appeared in public, and despite his flashy appearance, not many people knew him. So there was no way an ordinary person, soone who wasn’t a hunter, could know him personally. At least, not that I knew of.
“Who are you?”
“Oh.”
Eden stood quietly, so I asked first. That’s when the woman seed to notice , her face showing surprise. She was staring at Eden so intently that I couldn’t help feeling a little suspicious. Co to think of it, Eden had appeared on YouTube by chance and had beco quite popular.
Could she be a huge fan of Eden? But she didn’t really look like one. As I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, the woman stepped back in surprise. Then Eden, who had remained still all this ti, stepped forward as if to stand in front of .
“What are you?”
“No, I…”
The woman looked startled, overwheld by the intimidating presence Eden was giving off. Not wanting an innocent person to get caught up in this, I stepped forward as well. Grabbing Eden’s shoulder, I pushed him slightly to the side and asked.
“I apologize for startling you. But may I ask what brings you here?”
“Ah…”
The woman blinked, trying to conceal her flustered expression, and extended sothing toward . It was a business card. I reached out and took it from her.
“…!”
「Joo Eun-young | Reporter | The Korea Daily.」
The mont I saw the na and occupation on the business card, I imdiately recognized her. She was the sub-heroine who had a developing romance with Eden in the original story.
Joo Eun-young was a dedicated reporter. While working, she happened to et Eden’s mother, Lee Eun-soo, while investigating illegal activities carried out by villain guilds. At that ti, Lee Eun-soo was dying, and Joo Eun-young, a rookie reporter, heard her tragic story and wanted to help.
But back then, Jang Tae-san was riding high with the solid backing of the Laufey Guild, and there was nothing Joo Eun-young, a powerless rookie, could do. After Lee Eun-soo passed away, Joo Eun-young, who had heard her last words and received her keepsake, went looking for her son, Eden.
Eden t Joo Eun-young, learned about his mother’s death and her will, and that was when he decided to betray Jang Tae-san completely. At the sa ti, while he was grateful to Joo Eun-young for helping him and his mother, he also began to develop so feelings for her, and there was a subtle romantic vibe between them.
This revealed an unexpectedly cute side of Eden, who usually acted sly and hard to read, and readers liked it quite a lot. Even I, who normally wasn’t a fan of side couples, ended up liking it too.
“Joo Eun-young… a reporter? What business do you have with Eden?”
For now, I played dumb and asked. The timing was already quite different from the original story. Since Eden had left the Loki Guild too early and was spending most of his ti at the accommodation with , his eting with Joo Eun-young had been delayed, and it seed they were only eting now.
Still, I supposed they were destined to et eventually. To think they would run into each other so suddenly, without any warning. Since their eting had been postponed so much because of , I decided to take responsibility and make sure they ended up together. With that in mind, I looked at Joo Eun-young with anticipation.
“Hunter Eden… could it be that your mother is Ms. Lee Eun-soo?”
“…!”
There it was! She went straight to the point—just like the bold, straightforward reporter she was. I even thought that maybe they could continue the conversation on their own, without getting too involved. With that in mind, I looked back at Eden.
“…?”
But Eden’s face was completely stiff. Was it because he had suddenly heard his mother’s na? Well, it was understandable that he might be a little taken aback. He would probably ask soon enough how she knew about his mother. That was likely how their conversation would start…
“Get lost.”
“Yes?”
“I said, get lost.”
Then Eden grabbed my hand and pulled toward him. Caught off guard, I froze and was dragged along before I could react. When I finally ca to my senses, I glanced back at Joo Eun-young, who had been left behind, and shouted.
“Hey, wait, wait…!”
“…”
“Stop for a second. Wasn’t she soone you knew?”
“…No.”
“Still, that na…!”
I stopped mid-sentence, realizing Han Yi-jin probably wouldn’t know Eden’s mother’s na. Still, I made sure it was clear that I understood how important that na was. Even so, Eden didn’t slow down.
“It doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“What?”
“You said it yourself, my mother’s dead. I’m not really curious about what that woman has to say.”
“…”
Eden’s calm words left speechless. Before I knew it, we had reached Yong-sik’s hospital room, and Eden opened the door without knocking. Was it my fault their eting hadn’t gone as planned? Because I was the one who first told him about Lee Eun-soo’s death and got him out of the Loki Guild?
“Aren’t you going in?”
“…”
Eden held the doorknob and tilted his head at . I just stared at him, unable to say anything.
***
“Haa…”
“…?”
Hearing my sigh, Do-gyul looked at in puzzlent as he peeled fruit, while Yong-sik ate every piece he cut.
“Hyung, is sothing wrong?”
“Ah.”
Do-gyul, who was peeling an apple and feeding it to Yong-sik, spoke up as I kept sighing. The detailed checkup showed nothing wrong with Yong-sik’s body, and based on the testimonies of the hunters who had cleared the Ginnungagap Dungeon, his rampage against them was given considerable leniency.
Normally, Yong-sik might have been isolated for losing control, but thanks to the Odin Guild stepping in, he wasn’t punished. Things had turned out fine for everyone, but since I kept sighing with a troubled look, Do-gyul seed worried.
“It’s nothing.”
“Then why do you keep sighing, hyung?”
“I don’t know. It just ca out on its own… haha.”
“…?”
I couldn’t bring myself to tell Do-gyul the truth, so I just brushed it off. He narrowed his eyes, but I deliberately looked away. What should I do? I needed to find a way to get Eden and Joo Eun-young to et again. There had already been quite a few heroines whose relationships with the main characters got ssed up because of , so I really wanted this one to go smoothly.
But if Eden kept refusing, there was nothing I could do. Even if I forced him to et her, he’d probably react the sa way again. I didn’t know what to do, so I just kept agonizing over it. It wasn’t that I wanted to stick my nose into other people’s business, but since I’d already ssed up the original story so much just trying to survive, I couldn’t shake the sense of responsibility.
Kang Yoo-hyun would probably end up with soone, but Eden only had a potential romance with Joo Eun-young. Side couples in novels usually didn’t get much spotlight, but those two were genuinely well-liked. As soone who was once a reader, I really wanted to make sure they ended up together.
“…Alright!”
“What is alright?”
“Hmm, nothing.”
First, I needed to try persuading him again. Eden, who already knew about his mother’s death, probably wouldn’t be interested in Joo Eun-young right away, but he would be curious about his mother’s keepsake and will. If I could persuade him that way, even Eden would want to et her again.
For now, my main priority was to get the two of them to et once more. After sorting out my thoughts, I returned to the accommodation. Yong-sik decided to stay another day in the hospital just in case, and Do-gyul went back to the guild headquarters for classes and counseling. Only Eden, Yong-sun, and I were left at the accommodation.
“Ppik! Ppiik!”
“Alright, alright. Are you hungry?”
After feeding Yong-sun a magic stone to ease her hunger, I went back down to the living room. Eden was sitting there watching TV, looking unusually tired.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“…”
I sat down next to Eden, sneaking a few glances at him before quietly clearing my throat. At that, Eden’s gaze, which had been fixed on the TV screen, shifted to .
“Do you have sothing to tell ?”
“Um, well…”
Even though I finally had the chance to speak, the words wouldn’t co out. It would be strange if I knew who Joo Eun-young was and that she had his mother’s keepsake and will. I needed to co up with a reasonable excuse, but nothing ca to mind.
“The reporter we saw earlier today.”
“…”
“She might… know sothing important, don’t you think?”
“…”
“How about eting her once?”
“…”
Eden stayed quiet, looking uneasy. He stared at with an unreadable expression, and I swallowed hard. He had always seed a bit silly to , but in truth, Eden was sharp and calculating. I felt nervous because I didn’t know how he would react to my words.
“Yi-jin-ah.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to et that woman again?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
I nodded instinctively. Eden’s pink eyes glinted as he asked.
“Then what will you do for ?”
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