Episode 29 Tag (2)
-Tinkle tinkle-
“Welcome… You? Looks like you finished early today.”
A woman with an elegant and pure appearance who seemed to be the owner of the cafe looked at the man who entered the store and spoke.
“Yeah, today is the guild tour class day, so I handed it over to the guild guide. I guess it would be a bit awkward to show the inside of the guild to an academy instructor who is clearly part of the association.”
“Aha, I see. Hehe, you worked hard. Would you like something to drink?”
“I’ll have a hot Americano, please. Decaf.”
Cha Joo-hyuk answered his wife Seo Yu-jin’s question with a slightly softer tone of voice than usual.
“Okay, just wait a minute.”
Seo Yu-jin looked at Cha Joo-hyuk with affectionate eyes, then headed towards the coffee machine to make some coffee.
“How’s your job as an instructor these days? Is it worth it?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I’ve gotten used to it now, and the other instructors are nice to me too.”
“Hmm… Among those instructors who are so helpful, isn’t there a pretty female instructor?”
Seo Yu-jin glanced at Cha Joo-hyuk with a playful look of suspicion as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Yes. Im Eun-ah, she’s a good instructor. She’s pretty and also very skilled.”
And it was Cha Joo-hyuk who answered Seo Yu-jin’s question honestly and without any tact.
Seo Yu-jin shook her head and let out a small sigh after hearing Cha Joo-hyuk’s answer that seemed to have been taken lightly.
“Haa… how did I end up liking this clueless guy….”
“⋯What did I do wrong again?”
As Seo Yu-jin let out a sigh, Cha Joo-hyuk scratched his cheek and made a troubled expression.
I felt like I had made another mistake because I was so blunt.
“Foot.”
Seo Yu-jin, who was looking at Cha Joo-hyuk who didn’t know what to do with eyes full of love, smiled faintly and placed the coffee she had made on the table.
“I’m just kidding. There’s no way I could like anyone else but you. Here, here’s some coffee. By the way, I feel better now that you seem to be adjusting well. Why did you quit your old job because of me…?”
“We decided not to talk about that. The reason I quit that job in the first place was for you, Eugene, but as you know, it wasn’t a very good thing. It was also dangerous. I’m satisfied with this job now, and I’m happy living like this with you.”
“⋯Thank you for saying that. And I’m sorry for bothering you for no reason. It’s just that⋯, I guess I’ve been feeling uneasy for a while⋯⋯.”
“No. I would do anything for you, Eugene, so don’t be uncomfortable or sorry. And thank you for being honest with me. Although I have great senses in battle, I am not very sensitive to human emotions.”
“Honey⋯⋯.”
Seo Yu-jin looked at Cha Joo-hyuk with longing eyes, as if she was touched by his honest story.
Cha Joo-hyuk, a former secret special agent belonging to the association.
In the past, since his main job was dealing with villains, it was not uncommon for him to incur the resentment of notorious villains.
Because of this, he had no choice but to quit his job for the safety of Seo Yu-jin, a normal person and the person he loved.
And Seo Yu-jin had been secretly worried that Cha Joo-hyuk might have quit his job as a special agent because of her presence.
However, Cha Joo-hyuk was rather satisfied with his current peaceful life with his wife, and was also happy.
Seo Yu-jin, who was watching Cha Joo-hyuk leisurely drinking coffee while enjoying the aroma of the coffee, suddenly remembered something and came out of the kitchen with a paper bag.
“Oh, by the way, I baked some cookies that you asked me to make last time. But why cookies all of a sudden? You don’t really like sweets, do you? Are you planning on giving them as a gift to that pretty female instructor, Im Eun-ah?”
Seo Yu-jin asked in a playful voice as she handed Cha Joo-hyuk a paper bag containing the cookies he had asked for earlier.
“Oh, Im Eun-ah, I’m not going to give it to the instructor, but to a student as a reward. I realized something thanks to that student during the last class.”
“Hmm… If I can give you enlightenment, I guess I’m no ordinary person.”
“No, it’s the opposite. My skills are somewhere in the lower middle of my class. There are some areas where I’m a bit troubled, though⋯.”
With those words, Cha Joo-hyuk picked up the mug and took a sip of coffee.
Meanwhile, as he trailed off, Seo Yu-jin became more curious and leaned toward Cha Joo-hyuk.
“What’s the catch? Are you going to say that and hang up? Tell me quickly~”
Then she grabbed Cha Joo-hyuk’s shoulder and shook him gently, urging him on with a raspy voice.
At that moment, a faint smile appeared on Cha Joo-hyuk’s expressionless lips at her cute appearance.
“I don’t know what to say, but from what I can sense, he doesn’t seem to have any talent for martial arts, but his instantaneous judgment and combat sense are superior to any other cadet. And somewhere, he must have consumed dozens of elixirs, but his physical abilities seem to have grown drastically this week compared to last week.”
“I think you’re more amazing than me, being able to tell that just by watching? Hasn’t it been a week since the new semester started?”
“I’m like that because of my unique ability⋯⋯. By the way, you still haven’t taken off that mask? What if someone finds out later?”
Cha Ju-hyuk, who was savoring the aroma and taste of coffee, stopped answering the question and pointed to a mask hanging on the wall in a corner of the cafe.
“Hey, there’s no way anyone would recognize you. It’s just that I somehow feel like you’re the guardian deity who protected my husband when he was doing dangerous work… Hehe, Oppa~ Just let me display it~ Okay?”
At Seo Yu-jin’s sudden attack of aegyo, Cha Joo-hyuk couldn’t say anything else and just laughed it off.
In one corner of the cafe, a black mask reminiscent of a crow was hung on the wall.
That mask was the one that Cha Joo-hyuk had been wearing since his days at the Academy until he retired as a secret special agent.
But as Seo Yu-jin said.
It remains to be seen whether Cha Joo-hyuk’s crow mask will become a guardian angel or a seed of misfortune.
***
“Okay, it looks like everyone’s roughly organized into groups. Each group leader, please take the defense and offense bands that are in front. Hang them wherever you can so they’re visible. The defense band is blue, and the offense band is red. Oh, and the number written on each band is your group. Now, shall we go inside the dungeon experience center, Seon-ah?”
“Yes, I understand, Guild Master.”
Kim Sun-ah immediately answered Baek A-rin’s call and began to manipulate something on the tablet she was holding.
-Kugugugu-
Then, the large iron door opposite the main gate through which we entered began to open sideways, and we could see what was inside.
The interior of the dungeon experience hall, surrounded by walls and a dome-shaped roof, was a very wide space with a smooth stone floor.
As all the cadets except Han Su-yeon and Go Ju-yeon were looking at the massive scale with their mouths open in amazement, Baek A-rin added an additional explanation.
“This is the inside of the dungeon experience center that Baekhwa Guild is proud of. It is a very large space with a radius of 2km. Cadets, please enter here and wait wherever you wish. Exactly 10 minutes later, when the environment starts to change, the ‘tag’ game begins.”
After Baek A-rin’s final explanation, the cadets began to enter the dungeon experience center one by one.
“Let’s go in first.”
-Nod, nod-
After entering the dungeon experience center, I looked for a suitable place and asked the two people for their opinions to devise a strategy.
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“Then let’s first decide on defense and offense. Since there’s only one defender, it would be right to decide on defense, right? Of the two, which one do you think would be better for defense?”
As soon as I finished asking my question, both of them turned their heads at the same time and stared at me.
Seeing the two people just staring at me without saying anything, I had a feeling something might be going on, so I pointed my finger in my direction.
“me…?”
-Nod, nod-
The two nodded simultaneously without a single error.
Those two really work well together.
Well, anyway, I thought it was right for me to play defense.
‘The two of you will do well on your own. If I just do well, it won’t be impossible to get first place. I hope the strategy I prepared works out well.’
I gave red bands to both of them and tied a blue band around their right wrists.
The belt we were wearing had the number ‘3’ written on it.
‘I guess we’re in Group 3.’
After dividing up the roles and waiting in a suitable place, Baek A-rin’s sweet voice echoed throughout the dungeon experience center.
[Is everyone ready? Then, I will activate the dungeon experience center. Survive until the end while overcoming the given environment to win.]
Ending with Baek A-rin’s words.
A huge blue magic circle was created on the floor, walls, and even ceiling of the dungeon experience center.
-Woong-
The magic circle began to emit a blue light and vibrate slightly, and soon the inside of the dungeon experience center was transformed into a snowstorm.
Additionally, the terrain itself began to gradually change into a snowy environment with several forests and hills.
-Whew-
But even though I was facing the blowing snow and bitter wind, I didn’t feel that cold.
‘Fortunately, the environment is a snowy field like the original. It was probably -60 degrees Celsius. But it’s probably not cold at all thanks to the
While I was briefly admiring the fraudulent nature of the
Fortunately, Han Su-yeon didn’t seem to feel the cold as much as I did, perhaps thanks to her fire attribute magic.
‘But Go Joo-yeon⋯⋯.’
Although Go Joo-yeon’s facial expression barely changed, the tip of her nose and ears were turning red in real time as if she was feeling cold.
I carefully observed Go Joo-yeon’s appearance, then checked my physical condition and approached her.
“Go Joo-yeon.”
At my call, Go Joo-yeon turned her head and looked at me.
Looking at Go Joo-yeon’s bright red nose and cute face, a pure white snow rabbit came to mind.
“… … .”
So, when I called Go Joo-yeon over and just stared at her without saying anything, Go Joo-yeon tilted her head and asked.
“⋯Why?”
“Oh, no, I thought you were cold, so wear this.”
I came to my senses at Go Joo-yeon’s question, took off my school uniform and put it around her shoulders.
Go Joo-yeon stared blankly at my uniform for a moment, then straightened it and buttoned it up.
‘Is it because Go Joo-yeon is small? Fortunately, it fits well.’
“thank you.”
-whoosh-
With a brief thank you, Go Joo-yeon turned towards the front.
And just as I was about to take my eyes off Go Joo-yeon, I noticed that the tips of her ears were even redder than before.
As expected, Go Joo-yeon is really sensitive to the cold.
-Tiring-
[Player ‘Kim Baram’s’ unique ability
[You have gained the favor of the character ‘Go Ju-yeon’. You will receive 100 VP. Go Ju-yeon’s current favorability rating for Kim Baram is ‘Friendly’.]
***
“You… aren’t you really cold?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m the type of person who can withstand the cold well. Haha⋯.”
Han Su-yeon looked at me, wearing only a white shirt, with suspicious eyes.
“Over there!”
“Kim Baram is the defense! Let’s go and catch him!”
“That jealous kid! If he gets caught, he’s doomed!”
At that time, I was trying hard to ignore Han Soo-yeon’s suspicious gaze.
From far away on the hill, several voices, somehow sounding angry, could be heard.
‘What’s the last thing you’re jealous of?’
I don’t quite understand what the last words meant, but anyway, I turned my head in the direction where the voice came from.
A short distance away, four of the six cadets were running through the snow towards us, or rather towards me.
“⋯⋯What is this? Could it be that they’re allied?”
“I think so.”
Han Su-yeon heard my muttering and answered.
She looked at the two groups in the distance and spoke to me and Go Joo-yeon.
“Juyeon, you and I will each take on one of the defenders over there. Kim Baram, you run away as much as you can. I will trust you.”
With those words, Han Su-yeon quickly ran towards the cadet in charge of defense on one side.
However, Go Joo-yeon just stood there blankly, even after hearing Han Soo-yeon’s instructions.
“⋯Why aren’t you going?”
“Who, defense?”
At Go Joo-yeon’s unexpected question, I tilted my head and turned my gaze to the rest of the defense.
‘Is it because the belt is obscured by the snowstorm that you can’t see it well?’
“See that short guy with glasses on the far right back? He’s Subi.”
Let me explain in detail. Fortunately, Go Joo-yeon nodded as if she understood right away.
Then she turned to leave, but instead she turned back to me and opened her mouth.
“I went and I’ll be back.”
-Phajijik-
As soon as he finished speaking,
A yellow-colored brain-attribute magical power formed at Go Joo-yeon’s feet, and she began to charge towards the other side’s defense at a speed faster than Han Soo-yeon.
Meanwhile, I looked back and forth between Go Joo-yeon, who was moving away at incredible speed, and the four cadets who were approaching me with such ferocity that they seemed to want to kill me.
Well, wouldn’t it have been better if Go Joo-yeon took charge of defense?
