Kapitel 11: Chapter 11
As they walked back to the parking lot.
Lee Yoo-ri stared at the back of Jin Yuha's head.
"So, Yuna. Don't worry. Anyway, what you told them was the idea, not the leather outfit itself."
Jin Yuha was stroking Yuna's head, reassuring her that the crude coats wouldn't affect their earnings.
'Strange man.'
He had always been a mystery, but now his strangeness had reached a new level.
'Haa, how much am I taking…?'
He should have taken his rightful share, but now he was giving it all away to the other party members at his unilateral request.
He didn't have to and could take everything for himself.
'But he even brought in Yoon-seo and So-yeon to make sure I got something…'
It was clear that Jin Yuha had joined the dungeon raid because he needed money, but now he seemed desperate to give it all away!
'Suspicious… What's with that skill, anyway…!'
He could take down a Blood Goblin with a single strike.
The level of that skill belonged in B-grade or C-grade gates, not E-grade.
Suddenly, she remembered something Go Yoon-seo had said earlier.
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On their way out of the dungeon.
After the nagging session was over.
Go Yoon-seo and Lee Yoo-ri shared their experiences in the unknown area.
"Ah, right, Soup. I have something to ask you—! Kek! Ack! Mo, don't choke me! Ouch!"
"Go Yoon-seo, you keep calling me Soup, so Jin Yuha is calling me Soup too!"
Go Yoon-seo turned her head away, looking surprised.
"Huh? Isn't that what I was about to ask you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, after you ran off in the unknown area, Jin Yuha drew his sword to rescue you…"
"Yeah, I know. Jin Yuha saved me."
"But at first, I told him not to interfere. I thought it wasn't right to sacrifice him for our party's affairs."
"I understand."
Lee Yoo-ri nodded. It made sense. She had thought the same thing while facing the goblins.
It was unfair to involve someone who had just come to make money.
"Then Jin Yuha got really angry and swung his sword—! A goblin far away, swish~ The tree behind it, boom~"
"Get to the point."
"Kheum! Anyway, he suddenly revealed his hidden skills and lowered his voice."
Go Yoon-seo turned her head away, her eyes and voice lowered.
He was nothing like Jin Yuha.
"I'm sorry, but Lee Yoo-ri has been Soup to me for a long time."
"... Yes? He did? Jin Yuha?"
"Yes, so I wanted to ask you. Did you know him before?"
No way.
In her twenty years of life, she had never met a man her age.
Especially not one as dazzling as he was, straight out of a comic book.
Lee Yoo-ri shook her head, and Go Yoon-seo spoke in a hushed tone.
"Soup, do you think… maybe he likes you? He's always been watching you from behind…"
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Flush.
Her face turned red.
At the time, Lee Yoo-ri had dismissed it as 'no way, a guy like that wouldn't be interested in an ordinary girl like me,' but…
Now, his suspicious behavior and kindness made sense.
'As soon as I was in danger, he came to rescue me alone…'
To be honest, she felt a little embarrassed about being rescued by a man, but that didn't diminish her gratitude.
'If he really needed money, he wouldn't have given up his share of the earnings… He was trying to make sure I got something.'
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. A flash of insight.
'Could it be that Jin Yuha knew about the impending gate explosion in Carmel's Forest Gate in advance…?'
According to Go Yoon-seo, Jin Yuha had been watching her for a long time.
It made sense, given that he had such incredible skills but had claimed to need money.
'But he's always been watching me from behind. Even I didn't know.'
She didn't feel bad about it. If the genders were reversed, it would have been creepy, but since he was such an incredibly skilled and handsome man…
'It just feels surreal…'
A scenario formed in Lee Yoo-ri's head.
Jin Yuha, who has the body of a man, overcame the limitations of his gender and led the life of a hunter with excellent skills.
But he lacked the courage to approach the girl he liked.
In other words, he couldn't bring himself to talk to her directly, so he just watched her from a distance.
Then, he obtained information.
Lee Yoo-ri was going to the E-grade gate, Carmel's Forest.
There was a possibility of a gate explosion there.
'So, despite his incredible skills, he made up the ridiculous excuse of needing money…!'
All the puzzle pieces fell into place in her mind.
'In the end, he realized he had to step in himself, so he revealed his identity.'
Shiver.
Goosebumps spread across her body.
Gratitude for him watching over her and saving her when she was in danger and the conflicting emotions of not being able to accept his feelings made her heart flutter.
Ugh. The emotions welled up inside her, but…
Lee Yoo-ri swallowed it down, forcing herself to take it lightly.
If she took it too seriously, she would have to face reality.
So, she decided to take it lightly, just accepting the surface meaning.
That Jin Yuha liked her.
And someday, if he was in danger, she would risk her life to save him.
Whoosh.
Lee Yoo-ri took a deep breath and chuckled.
'Haa, Jin Yuha. You like me, huh? And you've been teasing me this whole time?'
As she was lost in thought.
"Team Leader. Team Leader. Team Leader!!"
"Huh…!?"
She snapped out of her reverie to find Choi So-yeon waving her hand in front of her face.
"Are you feeling unwell? Are you experiencing any after-effects from the gate?"
She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't realized they had already arrived at the parking lot.
"Soup. We're done for today!"
The party members surrounded Lee Yoo-ri, waiting for the dismissal order.
Among them was Jin Yuha.
She felt a little sad that they would be parting ways.
'Now that I know why he acted the way he did…'
Of course, she would see him again at the Academy, but she wanted to get to know him better.
"Hmm…"
Lee Yoo-ri looked at him sideways and said something she wouldn't normally say.
"First of all, everyone worked really hard today. Now you can all go home, but…"
Cough, cough.
Lee Yoo-ri coughed awkwardly.
"Would anyone like to join me for a drink? It's on me today."
"Soup! Are we having a party!?"
Go Yoon-seo's face lit up at the mention of drinking.
"Yay! Our Soup is treating us to a party! Let's go! I want to go!"
"I'd love to. I also wanted to have a drink with you before you go to the Academy."
Yoon-seo and So-yeon nodded in agreement.
And Jin Yuha…
She glanced at him and saw him nodding casually.
"Sure, Team Leader. Where are we going?"
Hmm… She hesitated here.
She didn't know any drinking places, to be honest.
Despite being an adult for a few years now, she had never tasted alcohol.
So, she hesitated for a moment, and Jin Yuha spoke up.
"It's already dinnertime, so how about we go for some 'soup'? We can have a shot of soju as a side dish."
Jin Yuha suggested it with a slight lift of his lips.
"...soup?"
"Yes, soup."
"..."
He was definitely teasing her.
Who calls 'Soup' 'Soup'?
'Why do you keep teasing me! If you like me, just be nice to me…!'
Suddenly, a surge of anger rose within her, but…
If he was method of trying to be nice to her, it was also cute in its own way.
Maybe this distance was just right.
But she didn't like being on the receiving end of his teasing all the time.
'Okay. This is… a chance to pay him back for all the teasing.'
Jin Yuha was just joking about wanting to eat soup, but she had heard somewhere that soup was 'the number one food that men don't like to eat.'
Because the chili powder and perilla seeds get stuck between their teeth.
How could anyone dislike Soup? It was hard to understand, but…
Yes, it would be fun to take this incredibly handsome man, who looked like he only ate steak, to a shabby soup restaurant.
Then she could see him flustered and dismayed.
"Hmm… Sure, let's go. To eat soup."
Lee Yoo-ri clenched her teeth and spoke.
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.
.
A shabby sign, smoke rising from a large pot, an old soup restaurant.
This was a place Lee Yoo-ri rarely visited, only when she had a good haul from a dungeon.
'I bet you didn't expect me to bring you here.'
Lee Yoo-ri glanced at Jin Yuha as he got off the truck.
If he looked displeased, she would suggest going somewhere else.
"Wow! This place looks great! It's looks like a really good restaurant, and it's cheap too!"
But Jin Yuha immediately lit up and said, "Let's go in!"
'...Do you really like soup?'
No, she couldn't be sure until she saw him eat.
Jin Yuha was a man who expressed his affection through teasing.
He might be doing this just to tease her.
"So, are we really going in…?"
She asked, but Jin Yuha didn't listen and walked right in.
Instead, he stuck his head out the door and said, "What are you waiting for? Come on in!"
Lee Yoo-ri and the party members exchanged awkward glances and entered the Soup restaurant.
.
.
.
We sat around an old wooden table.
Soon, five bowls of soup, radish kimchi, and soju were served.
And Jin Yuha…
Slurp!
He eagerly scooped up the soup with his spoon.
But it seemed like soup wasn't to his taste after all.
He frowned.
'I knew it.'
It was obviously an act to tease her.
'Ahhh, why are you so serious about teasing me? Now that we've ordered, we can't just leave…!'
But Jin Yuha scooped up another spoonful and seemed to realize something.
Then he reached for the radish kimchi.
He poured the radish kimchi broth into his soup.
"Kkeu—! This place is really good!"
'...He really likes soup.'
There was no way he was acting now.
She watched him curiously for a moment, and…
Jin Yuha looked at Lee Yoo-ri.
"Ah, I feel bad just eating this by myself. Team Leader, try this."
"...Eh?"
Slurp!
He poured the radish kimchi broth into Lee Yoo-ri's Soup without giving her a chance to refuse.
"Ah, you have to eat it like this for the real flavor to come out."
Lee Yoo-ri stared at the soup in front of her, her mouth hanging open.
The soup had been completely stained red by the radish kimchi broth.
'This crazy man!!!'
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