Chapter Title: Director Deokja
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Well, calling it Hulk was spot on, at least for now...
In my previous life, the word "support" never existed.
I'd grown up in an environment where I had to handle everything alone from the moment I was born.
An orphanage director who sold kids like merchandise.
Schoolteachers who treated me like I was invisible because I had nothing worth taking.
And even on the construction sites, that kind of childhood made it impossible for me to blend in with others easily.
Looking back now, I do regret it.
Even the uncles I met on those sites were all overflowing with humanity, at least.
For example, that day.
"Young fella! You look awful—why don't you just rest today? We can pitch in if you need it?"
"Huh? Oh, no... I'm f-fine..."
"Yeah?"
The dawn I died.
If I'd just accepted that "help" without fear, maybe I'd still be living a normal life on Earth right now.
'Well, it probably would've just extended my bum life a bit longer...'
Squish squish.
Still, this second life ended with me dying to save someone, so it might've been a better death than getting smashed by a truck the first time.
Regrets... honestly, I did have some.
Squish squish.
I'd lived a life constantly at risk of rape, having to call the cops for protection just to step out at night.
Squish squish.
But this time around, I had people like family, screwball but genuinely kind friends, and above all, the chance to pour my heart into the work I wanted to do.
Squish squish.
Here's hoping the next life is happier...
Squish squish squish squish.
Wait, who the hell's been doing that since earlier?
"...Quit groping me."
"G-gasp?!"
"Y-you, you woke up?!"
"Q-quick, get the Director! Call the Director!"
"Yes! Right away!"
For a second, I thought I'd reincarnated as bread dough.
My hazy mind snapped awake from the sensation of hands roaming all over me, top to bottom, no holds barred.
And what I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
"Where... is this?"
A hospital room?
Looking around, I spotted countless medical devices plastered excessively all over my body.
Which meant I was lying there with my upper body completely bare.
"My body's... luckily seems fine?"
Normally, anyone hooked up to this many machines would start panicking first.
But I'm a guy in the Reverse World.
Back in kindergarten, I'd gotten this level of "care" just for a cold, so I was pretty used to situations like this.
"Helmet?"
I was carefully sitting up in bed, checking for any pain spots.
That's when my hand heading for my face bumped into something hard.
I'd figured the armament was off, so everything should've been released—but the helmet part of my suit was still covering my face.
"...Nice."
If my identity had leaked like this, I might've had to worry more about people than monsters on the next dungeon run.
Good thing that wasn't the case yet.
I was breathing a sigh of relief when—
"Hyunjun! Hyunjuuun!"
"Huh? Instructor Kwon Sora."
"Y-your body! Is your body okay?!"
A woman came rushing up to me, yelling my alias at the top of her lungs in the hospital room.
It was Instructor Kwon Sora, her chest bandages jiggling, her whole body drenched in cold sweat.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"Ah... Th-that's a relief! Really, such a relief!!"
Was she that moved?
Instructor Kwon Sora suddenly checked my condition and started shedding a few tears.
Then came the totally unexpected hug.
Squish.
I should say it again: I was stark naked from the waist up right now.
In other words, unlike when I had the suit on, I could feel her breasts directly this time—and the woman in front of me was the so-called Bandage Girl with no bra at all.
With that faint milky scent wafting too, my lower half was screaming in delight...
"Uwaaaang! I thought something terrible happened! Really."
"Y-yeah?"
"Yes! I wanted to give you a potion, but that helmet of yours wouldn't come off no matter what! We had no choice but to rely solely on Haseon's healing abilities!"
I heard from Instructor Kwon Sora about what happened right after I collapsed.
About my actions after firing the Fire Cannon.
"We fed you every potion I had and made Haseon cast recovery magic nonstop for a full two days."
"T-two whole days?!"
"Yes! Luckily, we ran into a party coming up from the 9th floor just two days after you went down."
"Wait, then how long was I out?"
I'd been lying there way longer than expected.
Shocked, I carefully asked how long it'd been since I opened my eyes.
And she said:
"Um... well, as of today, exactly ten days."
"T-ten days?!"
Ten days had already passed.
I couldn't help but yell in shock at that answer.
"I was out that long?"
"Yes... For reference, we got out of the dungeon exactly five days ago."
"Ah. So the folks who found us made it up to the 1st floor in three days."
"Huh? Oh, y-yeah... that's true, but..."
"...?"
Instructor Kwon Sora trailed off awkwardly mid-sentence, turning her gaze away from me.
'What's with her all of a sudden?'
We hadn't been escorted out under protection?
Or maybe they'd demanded a massive reward from that hunter party for carrying us?
"Did you pay them some kind of fee or something?"
"...Y-yes?!"
"You know, like asking for money in exchange for helping us..."
"Sigh. If only it'd been something like that... God, I wish it had been."
"...?"
She let out a deep sigh, dropping her eyes from me like she'd committed some grave sin.
'What the heck happened?'
Should I press for more?
I was personally dying to know.
But the vibe she was giving off made it hard to keep pushing the conversation.
That was when—
"Outta my way, punk!"
Thwack!
"Ow?!"
A clipboard came swinging down fast at Instructor Kwon Sora's head as she groaned.
'She hit a B-rank hunter?'
Even if it was a sneak attack, scolding the Beginner Course instructor like some misbehaving student.
Maybe because someone of that caliber showed up.
My body went rigid from the tension.
I'd only glanced at Instructor Kwon Sora for a moment.
"..."
"..."
Our eyes met shortly after I got out of bed.
She was a woman in a white coat—modified for high exposure in a way no doctor should wear.
"Hmm..."
Her eyes scanned me from helmet... no, head to toe.
They gleamed like pink diamonds, and she had a face that'd be super cute if she just smiled.
But the icy, corpse-like aura killed any such thoughts.
Her gray hair looked like dead white strands, giving me chills.
If I judged by looks alone, she came off like a mad scientist experimenting on humans.
The doctor radiated that much dark energy...
"Oh my~. Yippee☆ Whee★ Our handsome male hunter's finally come to?"
...Or not?
'Huh? Sudden character switch?'
There's an old Reverse World saying: "You can't spit in the face of a smiling man."
Just moments ago, she'd been giving off a chilling vibe while scolding a B-rank hunter.
Now she was channeling full idol mode, striking the cutest pose and hitting me with aegyo.
"Uh... so..."
"Annyeong~. I'm Kim Deokja, the cute★ kawaii☆ sexy★! director in charge of the Korean Hunter Association's medical facilities~."
"Ah, yes..."
Her energy was through the roof.
Seeing her like this, she suddenly looked kinda cute.
But I shelved those feelings for now.
Because of the name I'd just heard.
Kim Deokja.
This wasn't a name any modern Korean woman would have.
'This lady... no, ma'am. Gotta be at least 60 years older than me, minimum.'
In this world, monsters tough even for modern weapons existed—and so did humans who could beat them barehanded.
In a setting where superhumans transcended human limits, it wasn't weird for strong "hunters" with those bodies to age slowly.
Sure, even among hunters, ranks meant individual differences in prowess...
'Our orphanage director was born in the Joseon era and still gets her periods...'
At minimum, the strength to chide a B-rank hunter like a kid.
And that age-feeling name had me politely thanking Director Deokja like the grandma she was.
"Thank you, Director. Thanks to you, I got great treatment."
"Uh... huh?! Oh, yeah... glad to hear it, but... our boy... Hyunjun, right? Your reaction's weirdly too polite..."
"In the land of courtesy, isn't this basic manners for someone older?"
"Ehh?! N-no? I'm not that old..."
Director Deokja floundered, trying to dodge.
But I'd dealt with enough "young-acting" grannies at the orphanage.
Her excuses weren't gonna fly with me.
"No need to push yourself, Director."
"N-no, really?! I'm young enough to date guys! W-what, want me to pull out the pad from my panties to prove it?"
"...Please stop. It'll just make you look worse."
"Hyunjuuuun! I'm really still young! Born sometime after the 19th century, at latest!"
After the 19th century...
That meant the 20th, at least.
'Minimum age gap over 100 years...'
Kim "Deok"ja realized too late what her mouth had spilled and clapped her hands over it.
Anyway, as a modern guy, I had no choice but to gently rebuff the one trying to flirt despite our century-plus age difference.
"I'm not menopausal yet—!!"