Holding the cap, Geumyi left the hospital.
By then, time had flown by, and the sky had already begun to darken.
“Phew….”
Maybe because she'd cried so much after so long, she suddenly felt thirsty and hungry.
That was when her eyes landed on the convenience store at the bottom of the hospital hill.
“……”
More specifically, she noticed a group of high school boys sitting outside eating cup noodles.
Sniff.
Gulp.
The aroma of instant ramen drifted into her nose.
Her mouth instantly filled with saliva.
In the end, she found herself doing something she normally never would.
'Wow... I must've lost my mind.'
When she came back to her senses, she was standing in front of the convenience store.
Her hands were full of cup noodles, a triangle kimbap, a bag of shrimp chips, and a can of beer.
The situation suddenly struck her as funny.
It almost felt like she'd gone back to her pre-Awakening days when she had no money.
'...No. Even back then, convenience store food was still a luxury I couldn't afford like this.'
The thought made her feel miserable.
Still...
That was one thing, and eating was another.
Geumyi hurriedly prepared the cup noodles and sat down.
While they were cooking, she chugged an entire can of beer in one go and unwrapped a triangle kimbap, eating it with gusto.
Just a little while ago, she'd felt like her world was collapsing and she was about to die.
People were strangely simple.
Once food reached her stomach, her mood improved, if only a little.
As soon as she relaxed even slightly, memories of the disaster she'd caused back at the guild came flooding back.
The movement of her jaw gradually slowed as she chewed.
“…I should apologize.”
She'd really treated Jihan unfairly.
Why had she snapped at him of all people?
She should probably explain everything in a text first, then apologize properly in person tomorrow.
After all, Jihan hadn't done anything wrong.
And...
“…Maybe... I should beg the Guild Master not to fire me….”
Eclipse was an elite guild.
Not a single Hunter's position overlapped with anyone else's.
After Eom Jihan had joined as the youngest member, they hadn't recruited anyone else for two whole years.
Naturally, Geumyi had grown comfortable with the current arrangement.
Then, out of nowhere...
...appeared a mage who was even more capable than she was.
Pyo Haram's existence was an enormous threat to her.
“Ah….”
Apparently she still had tears left to cry.
Her vision blurred in an instant, fresh tears spilling freely down her cheeks.
'The Guild Master is soft-hearted. Even if he doesn't need me anymore... he'll still take me in.'
Maybe if she told him she didn't care about losing the hospital funding, only begged him not to kick her out...
...somehow things would work out.
She could pay Jun's medical bills herself now.
What she needed wasn't money.
She needed people.
Someone to stay by her side.
Adults she could rely on.
Though she was already twenty-one years old, a part of her was still trapped at sixteen.
Sniff...
She rubbed at her tear-filled eyes just as she sniffled.
“What is a young lady doing sitting on the roadside?”
“…?”
A young man's voice came from in front of her.
It was a pleasant voice that somehow sounded familiar.
Looking up, she saw the man she'd met earlier at the guild building.
“Ah...?”
Pyo Haram.
The unknown-ranked multi-type mage Seo Munhyeok had brought in.
The one threatening her place.
“Do you recognize me?”
Geumyi's wide eyes quickly narrowed.
'What's with the way he talks?'
As she stared at him suspiciously, Haran tilted his head before silently pulling out the chair across from her and sitting down.
Completely dumbfounded, she asked,
“Why are you sitting there?”
“Because my leg hurts.”
“……”
“One of my legs is injured. Do you think it's appropriate for someone like me to remain standing?”
The sharpness in Geumyi's gaze softened just a little.
“N-No, when you put it like that, you make me sound like the bad guy.”
“If you insist I stand, then I'll stand here pitifully on my bad leg. Well? Shall I get up?”
“Come on...! Do I really look like that kind of person?”
“How should I know? This is the first time we've met. I have no idea what sort of personality you have.”
His expression remained perfectly serious as he continued speaking utter nonsense.
Without meaning to, Geumyi let out a snort of laughter.
She suddenly remembered hearing he'd lost his memory.
“Why do you talk like that? Did you study by watching historical dramas or something?”
“What's wrong with the way I speak?”
“I don't know. It's just funny.”
Maybe the beer she'd downed earlier was only just beginning to kick in.
Geumyi giggled softly.
Haran suddenly reached a hand toward her.
“They say if you laugh after crying, something grows on your butt.”
Tap.
He flicked the brim of her cap as he said it, leaving her utterly speechless.
“……”
“That's what the child at my house told me. Isn't it true?”
Wow.
What a mood killer.
Geumyi frowned.
He looked like some kind of celebrity...
“…You should really keep your mouth shut whenever you go out. The moment you start talking, the illusion completely shatters.”
The words slipped out before she could stop herself.
Immediately afterward, she smacked herself across the mouth.
That had been incredibly rude, especially considering they'd only just met.
Though...
...it wasn't as if he'd exactly been treating her formally either.
“…Would you like some of these?”
As an apology, she awkwardly pushed the bag of shrimp chips toward him.
Fortunately, Haran didn't seem bothered by what she'd said.
“Very well. Now that I think about it, you really are a kind person.”
“Ha...”
Haran picked up a shrimp chip and popped it into his mouth.
After chewing one, his eyes suddenly widened.
Then he began devouring the entire bag with frightening intensity.
'What kind of person...'
'...eats like a starving monster...?'
The rude thought escaped her before she caught herself again.
For some reason, every time she interacted with this man, her brain seemed to stop working.
“By the way, why are you here? Where's our Guild Master?”
“He took the kid to the restroom.”
“…What?”
“Our child was in a hurry.”
What is he talking about now?
By then, Haran had already finished the entire bag of chips.
He dusted the crumbs off his hands before staring intently at Geumyi.
Something about his gaze felt strange.
It was almost as though...
...he were evaluating the value of a useful object.
Feeling uncomfortable, Geumyi leaned back slightly.
Haran ignored her reaction completely.
“You. Your mana circuits are twisted.”
“…What?”
“So I wasn't mistaken earlier.”
“What are you...”
“Now, now. Stay still.”
Haran narrowed his eyes and reached into empty space.
His fingers traced invisible lines through the air.
He was outlining Geumyi's silhouette.
More precisely...
...the mana circuits inside her body.
“Hmm.... One, two, three.... Roughly five places are twisted.”
“…Twisted? What do you mean?”
“Your mana circuits. If you intend to continue using magic, you should untangle those distorted circuits first.”
Before Geumyi could even process his words, Haran launched into explanation after explanation.
What was wrong.
Where the problems lay.
What consequences they would eventually cause.
Whether Haran intended it that way or not...
...every single word sounded to Geumyi like criticism.
Like he was pointing out nothing but her shortcomings.
Naturally, her expression darkened.
She was already on the verge of losing her place in the guild because of the man standing before her.
Everything about him...
His words.
His attitude.
Even the way he looked at her.
All of it scraped painfully against her pride.
“What do you even know? Who are you to tell me what to do?”
“Oh? That startled me. Why are you getting angry?”
“So because you're some amazing A-class multi-type mage, you think I'm pathetic? Fine! I'm terrible at magic! I just throw attacks however they come out! So what? What do you want me to do about it?!”
Bang!
Geumyi shot to her feet so abruptly that her chair screeched backward.
Several pedestrians glanced toward them.
She didn't notice a single one.
Anger and self-destructive thoughts flooded her mind all at once.
“Did I ever ask you for anything?! Just leave me alone! I'll live like this until I die!”
Haran tilted his head, unable to understand why she was so furious.
“Don't you want to become better at magic?”
“I do! Of course I do! But that's beyond my ability! The system decided my limits from the very beginning!”
“I believe you've misunderstood something.”
“……”
“The only one deciding your limits right now... is you. You're blaming the system, giving up, and convincing yourself nothing can be done.”
“…!”
Geumyi's breath caught.
Her tear-filled eyes widened.
Haran quietly looked at her for a long moment before standing.
“Well, I have no particular desire to help someone like that. This world is overflowing with mages desperate to become stronger.”
He turned to leave.
A desperate hand suddenly shot forward and grabbed him.
“W-Wait!”
“Hmm?”
“H-How... do I do it?”
“…What?”
“I asked how! If I want to grow... if I want to become stronger than I am now... what do I have to do?!”
Whether because of the alcohol...
...or because of the emotions surging inside her...
Her entire face had turned bright red.
Haran looked at her for a moment before slowly turning back around.
Meeting her eyes, he gently removed the hand clutching his clothes.
“If I tell you the method... will you follow it exactly?”
“…Yes.”
“And you're prepared for that?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes sparkled with unwavering determination.
Her answer was equally firm.
A smile slowly spread across Haran's lips.
“Good. Now I finally like what I see.”
“…?”
“That look in your eyes.”
Just then, someone called out from the distance.
“Mr. Pyo Haram!”
Both of them turned toward the voice.
Seo Munhyeok was running toward them with Sua in his arms.
“Oh, over here.”
As if he'd never smiled at all, Haran's face returned to its usual blank expression.
He casually raised one hand in greeting.
As soon as they were close enough, Sua leaped out of Seo Munhyeok's arms and ran straight toward Haran.
“Uncle!”
“So you're back. Why are your eyes red?”
“Mhm! They got itchy earlier, so I rubbed them a little.”
“You'll ruin your eyesight if you rub them carelessly.”
“Okay!”
Haran's tone remained flat and indifferent.
Yet the hand that gently patted the girl's head was unmistakably gentle.
For some reason, that small gesture struck Geumyi as incredibly warm.
It reminded her of the nurse who had silently handed her the cap.
“Geumyi.”
Seo Munhyeok had already walked over beside her.
Startled, Geumyi hurriedly wiped at her face.
Seeing that, Seo Munhyeok silently pulled out a packet of tissues and handed it to her.
“…Thanks.”
Looking embarrassed, she pouted slightly before pulling out several tissues and wiping her eyes.
The pure white tissues quickly turned black with smeared makeup.
“Uncle, that big sister's eyes look like a panda's. I'm a little scared.”
“Shh. Keep your voice down. I've been frightened for quite a while already.”
Their whispered conversation reached Geumyi's ears.
Only then did she realize what she must look like.
What the heck?!
With her makeup completely ruined and smeared across her face, Geumyi let out a horrified scream.
“Ahhh!”
This time, her face turned bright red...
...for an entirely different reason.