"Vice Guild Master-nim, are you really in your right mind?"
"Well, it's like..."
"What? You're going to grow Crystal Guild into a major guild? Wow, seriously... No. Ha..."
The moment I got home, she laid into me. At first, she was asking why someone who hadn't been like that before was making such a huge fuss. But when I explained that we could use the attention to rebrand the guild's image, she clutched the back of her neck, unleashed a torrent of words, and let out a deep sigh.
"Do you think a guild that pulled off something like that could even pull it off?"
"I know it's going to be tough, but once we normalize things, I could bring you back in too?"
"Do you think I'm saying this because I'm dying to get back in right now?"
"Well, that doesn't seem to be it..."
"Why go and do something out of character all of a sudden and make everyone suspicious? Ugh, seriously."
"I'm sorry..."
"Were you dying to go around blabbing that you're not actually Lee Seo-woo?"
"Huh?"
What did she just say? I stared at Seo Ji-hyun in stunned shock, and instead, she looked back at me like I was the ridiculous one.
"You thought I wouldn't notice? The guy who raped me and dumped me back then has turned into this super sweet person now. You thought I wouldn't figure it out?"
"Wait, hold on. I don't understand what you're saying."
"Who are you, really? Where's the real Lee Seo-woo?"
"I am Lee Seo-woo."
I tried to play it off, but she clearly wasn't buying it. More than that, though—what was this about raping and dumping her? That hadn't happened yet. My head was a complete mess; nothing was making sense. Precognition? No, regression seemed more plausible. But what the hell was really going on?
"Ha. You're going to play dumb to the end, huh? Fine. It'll be faster if I just look into it myself."
"No, wait—what do you mean by rape..."
"You don't need to know that. Even if you did find out, you wouldn't remember anyway. Sigh."
Seo Ji-hyun let out a frustrated sigh, then raised her hand and snapped her fingers together—middle finger against thumb.
-Snap!
The sharp snapping sound hit me like a wave, and suddenly my mind went blank. I looked up in a daze to find Seo Ji-hyun gazing at me with worry.
"What happened all of a sudden? Are you feeling really worn out?"
"I've been tired lately. My mind keeps wandering like this."
"You did seem pretty busy today. I saw the video. As expected of our Vice Guild Master-nim?"
"...It was kind of embarrassing."
I'd looked up that post Yoo Soo-jung showed me earlier and read some comments, but they were so cringeworthy I couldn't get through many before closing it.
"It was cool, though. Anyway, go wash up quick. I'll get dinner ready."
I sent Seo Ji-hyun to the kitchen and checked the time—it was already 8 p.m. I could've sworn I got off at 6:30. How had it taken so long? My head was still foggy, but a hot shower cleared it up a bit. Plus, the simple joy of someone else cooking dinner—something I'd forgotten during my solo apartment days back in the old world—lifted my spirits.
Now that I'd gotten a feel for my abilities that morning, I used a touch of mana to evaporate the water from my body, got dressed, and stepped out. A delicious aroma hit me right away. Seo Ji-hyun was waiting by the door with a towel in hand.
"Huh? Weren't there no towels inside?"
"Fire affinity, remember."
"Oh, right. That's surprisingly convenient, huh?"
"Yeah. I was worried about setting the bathroom on fire at first."
"They say fire mages can control the flames they create with mana, and it looks like that's true."
"Otherwise, every fire-affinity Awakener would be a terrorist."
On the contrary, they could smother naturally occurring fires with their mana-born ones to put them out, so some even worked in firefighting. Of course, that assumed they had enough mana.
"Anyway, come to the table. It's Friday, and I suddenly craved meat, so I made marinated ribs. No work tomorrow, right?"
"I get weekends off too."
Chicken last night, ribs tonight. It was luxurious compared to my college part-time days. And today came with all sorts of side dishes too. Staring at the table in fresh appreciation, Seo Ji-hyun added from the side.
"The namul's fresh-picked."
"Good job."
Indeed. How long had it been since I'd eaten a home-cooked meal like this instead of restaurant food?
"Let's eat."
"Enjoy."
With simple greetings, we ate quietly amid the clink of utensils. The ribs were perfectly grilled, not a single burnt spot. She was supposed to be good at cooking, right? I'd never known in Heroine Revenge, since the story focused solely on growth and revenge.
Come to think of it, I should tell Seo Ji-hyun about this.
"We might overhaul the guild big-time soon."
"The guild?"
"Yeah. Kick out the shady ones, bring in some new blood. The Guild Master-nim's thinking expansion too."
"Makes sense. This incident drew a ton of eyes. Guess we'll put out a big recruitment notice. Beyond just the healer spot."
"You saw that too, huh. Yeah. After that, you might even be able to come back."
"But the Guild Master-nim knows about me."
"That's the tricky part, but if I convince her that you and I worked things out, it might fly."
It felt the most uncertain, but what could I do? We had to bridge the gap between Crystal Guild and Seo Ji-hyun somehow.
"Speaking of which, Vice Guild Master-nim... why are you helping me out like this, even defying the Guild Master-nim's orders?"
The old Lee Seo-woo might have had his reasons, but to me, it was a crystal-clear question.
"Because it's the only way I can atone a little."
Because it's the only way my chances of survival go up even a bit.
I just wanted to end this inexplicable possession nonsense and get back to my own life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Seo Ji-hyun quietly sat beside Lee Seo-woo, who had the TV on but had apparently drifted off to sleep with his eyes closed.
-[Kim Jung-woo's walk-off homer! Samik hands Sky Eagles a crushing 18-game losing streak, winning 4-3...]
She turned down the blaring TV first. As she gazed quietly at his face, memories from the past flooded back. Dragged off without knowing why, forced into her first experience, then dumped on the cold dungeon floor. She'd thought she'd gotten over it since it haunted her so much, thought she'd grown numb after getting her revenge over and over until she was sick of it.
She startled herself realizing her hand was gripping his pale neck without thinking and yanked it away. Good thing she hadn't put any strength into it.
If she'd left even a handprint by accident, he'd obviously suspect her, and her plan to live quietly this life would be ruined. Especially now that she was sure this man was different from the old Lee Seo-woo—he was basically a stranger, and she didn't want to hurt innocents.
Yet here he was, stepping up to help her despite having the face and body of her enemy. It had been so long since anyone showed her kindness like this. Gratitude mixed with complicated fondness as she gently stroked his sleeping cheek—and he leaned into her hand.
She scooted back a bit and slowly guided his head to rest on her thigh instead. No idea why she'd done that.
Damn bastard. He's too damn handsome.
Back then, she was too busy grinding dungeons to think random thoughts, and after the betrayal, rage filled her completely. But up close now, it pissed her off for no reason, so she lightly pinched his forehead. His scrunched-up face made her chuckle despite herself.
She never could've imagined the old Lee Seo-woo looking this defenseless. She'd prepared the most for facing him during her revenge quests. Of course, now she was strong enough to toy with him and kill him if she wanted. She stroked his sleeping hair, lost in thought.
What the hell was this guy, really? No way some hidden personality of Lee Seo-woo had popped out. The guy had devoted nearly half his life to Yoo Soo-jung and Crystal Guild in this crazy modern world of nonsense events. Parallel world Lee Seo-woo or something? With dungeons connecting to other worlds right now, it wasn't impossible. Though that didn't explain why he'd been scared of her when she tried hypnotizing him before.
But whatever. She liked this life for now.
"Oppa. Wake up."
"Mm... Huh?"
His sleepy expression mixed with confusion about why he was pillowed on her thigh.
"Go sleep in bed. Not on the sofa."
"Sorry. Legs okay?"
"Yeah. Hasn't been long."
"Really sorry. Must've dozed off without realizing."
He bolted up, apologizing profusely—it was almost cute. After several more sorrys, he headed to his room.
Yeah, this wasn't bad. Toying with him was fun too. Overall satisfying life, so this one was definitely better.
You can read more chapters at novelshub.org