The Drinking Party

Yu Seha, having returned, reported to Peng Jin-ah and Yu Neung-hae, obtaining permission for the <Trial> subjugation.

The next part of the story takes place as he seeks out Im Hyeja to recruit her.

“…Ugh! This is it.”
“…It’s nice.”

Moon Bora and Ju Na-young.

The two were sitting at a food stall, sharing drinks.

They had met by chance at the railing of a bridge.

After talking for a while, they concluded that lonely(?) people like them should share a drink, leading to the current scene.

It was a bitter story, but the onlookers were too focused on their appearances to notice.

―Wow… That’s amazing. Look over there. That red-haired girl is really pretty. Does she have a boyfriend?
―…The other one is just as striking. This is a real treat for the eyes.
―But aren’t they both Awakened?

When the two of them pass by, they attract the attention of both men and women due to their stunning looks.

The murmuring reactions here and there were expected.

Especially among the men who came to drink.

They were all busy admiring and glancing furtively.

However, no one even dared to approach, let alone talk to them.

Moon Bora and Ju Na-young emitted a subtle yet highly pure magic aura.

It created a barrier that not only civilians but even novice hunters couldn’t easily breach.

Moreover, <Mana> reacts heavily to the mental state of Awakened individuals. The slight annoyance both women were feeling at that moment created a kind of protective field that repelled anyone from approaching.

As for why they were both in slightly sour moods—well, it was simple.

“…Honestly, Seha’s always acting on his own without a word.”
“I agree. He needs to reflect on that.”

“…I’m not mad about him hanging out with Ma Hana or anything. It’s just, can’t he at least say something? Maybe invite us, too?”
“I agree.”

The topic was the man named Yu Seha.

Feeling slighted by Yu Seha’s attitude of only caring for Ma Hana, the two downed their drinks in one shot.

‘…Sigh.’

Moon Bora let out a sigh.

She thought it was a bit hot.

The alcohol entering her body stirred up heat.

It made her mind hazy.

Ironically, the more that happened, the more sensitive the mana flowing through her body became.

Thanks to that, Moon Bora could feel her true feelings very well.

She was angry.
She was hurt.

And…

‘…I miss him.’

Yu Seha…

Ju Na-young quietly watched Moon Bora.

She took a bite of the seafood pancake they had ordered as a snack and asked subtly.

Since things had come to this, she decided to pry into what she had been curious about.

“Moon Bora.”
“…Yes?”
“…I’ve recently noticed. You call Yu Seha just by his name now.”
“……”

As if it were nothing.
As if it were no big deal.
Just a casually thrown remark.

But Moon Bora flinched unknowingly.

In her mind, it felt like a transparent window.
As if someone had thrown a stone and shattered it.

Suddenly, she felt wide awake.
Moon Bora took a sip from her glass.

With that brief action, she regained her composure.

“…Adding ‘Mr.’ feels a bit uncomfortable. Besides… I’m two years older than Seha.”
“…But why do we still call him ‘Mr.’ then?”
“……”

Moon Bora averted her gaze.
She quietly picked at the snacks.
No matter how much she thought about it, she had no excuse for this part.

“…Y-you know…”
“But anyway, about the handkerchief incident—I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to have seen that.”

Moon Bora changed the topic to divert attention.

She had already been explaining the situation for a long time.

She once broke out in a cold sweat in the [Sticky Sewer], and Yu Seha had kindly lent her his handkerchief.

It was just a matter of bad timing.

“…That’s all. I’m sorry.”
“…No, it’s okay. It’s not like you tried to hide it.”
“…Right.”

Moon Bora felt a pang of conscience.

It wasn’t exactly a lie.

Of course, well…

Yu Seha had come over to gently wipe her hands, arms, and face.

She had had opportunities to return it earlier, but she had deliberately kept quiet about it.

Anyway, maybe because the topic was brought up.

The conversation shifted to the [Sticky Sewer].

“How was it? I’ve been to quite a few [dungeons]… but I’ve never heard of that place.”

“There were <Slimes>. The boss was a <Slime Knight>.”

“Oh, that’s a bit interesting.”

“What do you mean?”

In response to Moon Bora’s question, Ju Na-young made a gesture for her to think about it.

“Slimes usually attack by ambushing, using their gelatinous bodies, right? But the boss was a knight?”

“…Yes, so?”

“That means it was acting like a person. Wearing armor, and using weapons and shields—it had learned human techniques. How could a slime, which barely has any intelligence, figure that out?”

“…Ah, are you perhaps referring to the <Otherworldly Record Theory>?”

<Otherworldly Record Theory>.

It proposed that places like <Fields, Dungeons, and Trials> were actually fragments of other worlds, containing their histories and knowledge.

Some scholars argued that it was a vast chronicle, gathered only with fragmentary information, without distinguishing time and space.

Moon Bora, before being a <Mage>, was also an explorer and researcher.

She thought it was a plausible claim in its own way.

“Perhaps that <Slime> was once a knight who protected the citizens in life.”

“Do you think so? I rather thought the <Slime> ate a dead knight and absorbed his knowledge.”

“That makes sense, too.”

Their conversation flowed from monsters to rewards.

“…Hey, about that necklace.”
“Oh, this one?”
“Did you get it as a reward? It’s pretty.”
“Yes, we were lucky to find a <Treasure Room>.”

At Moon Bora’s words, Ju Na-young fidgeted with her fingers.

Actually, this was what she wanted to ask from the beginning.

“Ho, could it be… did Yu Seha give it to you personally?”

Moon Bora almost inadvertently answered ‘yes’ but barely held back.

That was close.

‘…That’s strange.’

She felt a bit off today.
No, if she was being honest, she’d been feeling strange for a while now.
It was becoming harder to control her emotions.

She almost made a rash reply just now.

“…No, it’s not. I just used what was given to me after the reward distribution.”

“…Is that so?”

“But why do you ask…?”

“Well, it’s a bit childish… but it feels like I’m the only one who hasn’t received anything from Yu Seha.”

“Pardon?”

Ju Na-young said.

The shield that Ma Hana always cherished was actually something Yu Seha had given her.

That’s why she treasured it so dearly.

“…It’s not that I want anything material. It’s just… a bit disappointing. I sound so childish, don’t I? Haha…”

Ju Na-young scratched her head, looking embarrassed.

“Additionally, I realized I don’t have a nickname. Ma Hana is called Meowi, and you are called BoraBora.”

“…I don’t particularly like it. I just gave up. That’s why I changed my profile name on Talk. Don’t misunderstand.”

“Anyway, I just feel like… he’s been less affectionate lately.”

“…How many times has he done that for you?”

“Huh? Oh. Maybe two or three times?”

“I’ve only had it once…”

“Ah…”

They both fell silent for a moment, their lips twitching.

Ju Na-young felt a slight satisfaction at having received more affection than Moon Bora.

Meanwhile, Moon Bora struggled to hide the fact that the [Voice of the Little Mermaid] had indeed been put on her by Yu Seha himself.

Both of them cleared their throats awkwardly and took another sip of their drinks.

They conveniently ignored the fact that Ma Hana had received all of those things—and more.

A subtle silence followed.
Both of them sipped from their glasses.

“…Shall we order more snacks?”
“…I’m fine with it. How about some grilled eel?”
“Uh, I’ve never tried it before…”
“Then, give it a try. It’s tastier than you might think.”

For a moment, Ju Na-young hesitated.

At least, in her memory, she had never heard Moon Bora say something was ‘tasteless…’.

She was always impressed by her reactions to food.

But now, Ju Na-young knows.

‘…Glutton.’

Despite looking like a refined young lady, Moon Bora had quite the broad palate.

So when she said something was good, it didn’t necessarily mean much.

Still, it seemed rude to refuse, so she nodded.

“Well, let’s give it a try.”
“Got it. Excuse me? Can we have two servings of grilled eel, please?”
“Sure~”

After the order was placed.
Before long, new snacks arrived.

“Not bad?”
“It’s pretty good.”

Indeed, it was delicious.

But that was it.
It wasn’t enough to break the suffocating atmosphere.

They both knew each other well.
Even if it was a friendly drinking session…
They were aware of the subtle probing beneath it all.

In the end, Ju Na-young, who was weak in such endurance battles, made the first move.

“…Do you remember? The question I asked on the bridge railing.”

At Ju Na-young’s sudden words, Moon Bora tilted her head.

Soon, memories of the past flashed through her mind.

―You and Yu Seha… are you… like that?

A question about whether they were dating.

“Ah.”

“I was just asking. I couldn’t answer properly because of the call… Anyway, I’ll ask again.”

Ju Na-young cleared her throat.

“…You and Yu Seha… are you… like that?”
“……”

Moon Bora took a half sip of soju and thought.

Ju Na-young had been with her for months.
There was no way she wouldn’t know the answer.

Nevertheless, the reason for asking…

It signified that Ju Na-young’s inner anxiety was growing.

‘What did I answer back then?’

―Wh-wh-wh-wh-what do you mean?!

…Truly an embarrassing reaction.

Feeling a bit ashamed, Moon Bora answered nonchalantly this time, as if it were nothing.

“…You’ve seen us. We’re not like that.”
“…I see. Sorry.”
“No worries.”

Normally, it would have ended here.

Moon Bora had no intention of creating a rift with Ju Na-young.

She was a close friend, after all.

She clearly had feelings for Yu Seha, but it wasn’t at the stage where it could be called love.

‘……’

Yes, that’s what she would’ve thought.

Buzzz!

If the [Voice of the Little Mermaid] hanging around her neck hadn’t turned red.

An item that raises the owner’s [Obsession].

The necklace, which hadn’t left Moon Bora’s side for a moment recently, slightly broke down her rationality.

And that’s what caused her to mutter one additional phrase.

A phrase filled with a deep, honest emotion she hadn’t even realized she was feeling.

“…Not yet.“

“…Huh?”

The silence that followed was deafening.

Moon Bora’s foggy mind slowly began to clear.

‘…Huh?’

Soon, she realized what she had said.

She covered her mouth with both hands and looked at Ju Na-young with a shocked expression.

‘…Wh-what did I just…?’

She was confused.
B-but…
She had to manage it for now.

Moon Bora quickly waved both hands before it got more awkward.

“I-it was a slip of the tongue! I misspoke.”

“R-really?”

“Th-there’s no way I would like someone as… foolish, stupid, oblivious, teasing, and annoying as him. Right?”

“…W-well, there’s no need to put it that way…”

“A-anyway, I don’t!”

“O-okay… I’ll believe you.”

Silence ensued once again.

Ju Na-young looked at Moon Bora with an awkward expression.

Moon Bora tried to calm her blushing face.

Since things had come to this, she decided to pay the bill and get up.

Then, a notification sound rang.

Ding!

“Hm?”
“A message…?”

They both checked their phones.

【Yu Seha】: Where are you two? I just finished up and saw your messages… It’s too late, right? I’ll explain everything tomorrow.

“……”
“……”

The two looked at each other at the typical message from Yu Seha.

Then, as if nothing happened, they smiled brightly.

“Shall we go back for now, Na-young?”
“Yes.”
“When we get back, we’ll have to give him a piece of our minds, right? He ignored all our messages and just sent one little text.”
“Yes!”

With warm yet dangerous smiles on their faces, the two women stood up.

The boundary of magic flowing between them exuded a menacing aura that began to intimidate the surrounding guests.