Chapter 21: Sharks and Sibling Bonds: Navigating Missions and Family Ties

I wanted to spend my day off productively, but it felt like I had slept all day.

Worried that something might be wrong with my health, I asked Yoon Bora about it, but she only smiled.

She assured me that I was probably fine.

‘Am I really okay?’

I was a little concerned, but since Yoon Bora said I was fine, I decided to trust her. She seemed to know my body better than I did.

‘… I should get to work.’

Knock knock-!

I knocked and entered Jinhyang’s office.

“It’s me.”

I expected the usual unresponsive Jinhyang, but oddly enough, she was looking at me, holding a rustling candy bag in her hand.

“What’s that?”

“… Don’t you know what candy is?”

“No, I meant why are you holding it?”

It wasn’t like Jinhyang to buy candy just because she wanted to eat some.

I wondered if there was some story behind it, so I asked.

“The kid you saved last time wanted to thank you.”

“Oh…”

Was it the child who almost fell into the dungeon?

Feeling a little touched, I almost teared up, but suddenly Jinhyang ripped open the candy bag.

Pop!

With the sound of the packaging bursting, she pulled out a grape-flavored candy and popped it into her mouth.

‘So Jinhyang eats candy too.’

She never seemed like someone who liked sweet things.

I found it curious and kept watching her, and then she held out the candy bag to me.

“Here.”

“Ah, yes.”

I put the candy down on an empty shelf, thinking I could grab one every time I passed by.

“So, what should I do today?”

“Before that, I have something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

It was a bit strange for Jinhyang, who seemed to know everything, to ask me a question. I looked at her with curiosity.

“Bora said that you sensed the dungeon forming before it happened.”

“Ah…”

Now that I thought about it, that was true.

For some reason, I had seen the process of the dungeon forming.

“What did you see?”

“Yeah. I saw something like a crack before the dungeon appeared.”

“Hm.”

Jinhyang nodded lightly and then opened a drawer in her desk.

What she pulled out was the latest smartphone, and she handed it to me.

“Take it.”

“Oh.”

Was I finally getting my own phone?

I took it with a happy heart.

“That’s your task for today.”

“…What do I do with this?”

“If I think I know the person, go and ask for their number.”

Ask for their number?

Isn’t that a bit too easy for work?

“Can’t you just tell me directly? It’s just Bora and Raxy anyway.”

“I was going to do that, but you seem to lack social skills. I thought it might be a good idea to ask directly to build your social skills.”

…

She hit the nail on the head, so I had no words left.

My shoulders felt heavy.

“Okay, then I’ll be going…”

I turned my back to Jinhyang and walked toward the door, feeling deflated.

“Wait.”

Jinhyang called out to me from behind.

“Yes?”

When I turned around, I found her with her eyebrows tightly furrowed.

“Do you not remember what I just said?”

“…You told me to ask for the number from someone I know.”

“And?”

“…”

What does she mean by that?

I was at a loss and could only stare at her in confusion.

“Tsk, aren’t you going to ask for my number?”

“Oh…”

Right. Jinhyang is also included in the people I know.

I completely forgot that the person right in front of me was someone I was supposed to “find.”

Given that I messed up right from the start, I could understand her frustration.

“Um, um…”

I hesitated and stepped closer to Jinhyang, but it didn’t seem like her anger would subside.

Given that I always made mistakes when she assigned me tasks, it was no wonder she was upset.

‘What do I do?’

I had no idea how to soothe someone who was angry, especially someone in a higher position like my boss.

‘Should I just run away and ask later?’

I thought about it, but I didn’t act on it.

If I just left now, it would be like crossing an irreversible river.

So, I had no choice but to approach Jinhyang.

Thud, thud –

As I moved toward her, Jinhyang didn’t push me away.

I could take that as a sign that she was giving me another chance.

I quickly held out the smartphone to Jinhyang.

“I’m sorry; can you please give me your number?”

I said that while watching her reaction closely.

Jinhyang, who had been silently staring at me, reached out her hand.

I thought she might take the smartphone, but she grabbed my tail instead.

“Ah.”

I looked at Jinhyang and my tail in surprise.

Since it was my mistake first, I had no choice but to stay quiet.

Gulp –

As I swallowed hard, I braced myself for the impending shock.

“Hmm.”

Jinhyang put my tail down and took the smartphone.

‘Phew.’

Thank goodness she didn’t squeeze it.

Though I did feel a bit disappointed…

‘Huh?’

What was I disappointed about?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Jinhyang handed the smartphone back to me.

“…Take it. Turn on the broadcast.”

“Ah, yes.”

A single number was saved on my smartphone.

I still had a long way to go.

I needed to save at least two more numbers.

Yoon Bora and Raxy Bora.

They were the only people I knew.

‘…Should I add Kim Eunhyuk as well?’

That would make four people.

That’s quite a lot.

Feeling a surge of confidence, I left the office.

‘Bora definitely said…!

We were supposed to go to the aquarium in the morning and then to the dungeon in the afternoon.

I headed straight to the underground level 2, where the aquarium was located.

‘Oh.’

The underground aquarium was filled with shimmering blue waves.

A variety of colorful fish, whose names I couldn’t even guess, swam around, creating a stunning spectacle.

Looking down at my tablet, I saw viewers logging in.

I needed to show them this beautiful sight.

After all, these were the people who saved my life.

“Can you all see? Isn’t it pretty?”

[Aquarium, how romantic.]

[Unnie, you’re so pretty.]

[Harang is the manager here, right? ]

[I keep forgetting because you always show a silly side of yourself. ]

When did I ever show a silly side?

I grumbled and put the tablet down, admiring the aquarium.

“Wow.”

That blue fish looked really delicious.

I never liked fish that much before.

Did my preferences change since my body transformed?

Slurp.

I could feel my mouth watering as I imagined the taste.

It felt like the scent of the ocean was spreading through my mouth.

‘Red-fleshed fish…!

It looks so tasty.

As I envisioned the flavor of the fish swimming past me, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Harang.”

“Hmm?”

I turned around in surprise to find Yoon Bora standing there.

With a bright smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah. That looks tasty, no, that’s not it… What was it again?”

I couldn’t remember why I came here, so I glanced down at the tablet.

It was definitely something related to this…

[Why are you trying to eat the aquarium? ;;]

[It’s a gourmet spot for cats ]

When did I say I was going to eat it? I just said it looked delicious.

Feeling wronged, my lips drooped down in a pout.

“Geez…!”

Ignoring the rude viewers, I stroked my chin, trying to remember why I was here.

‘…Ah.’

Right, I came to ask for a number. The aquarium was so beautiful I’d forgotten.

“Bora, I came to ask for this.”

I handed my smartphone to her.

“Wow, did Unnie give this to you?”

“Yeah, I came to ask for your number.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yoon Bora took my smartphone and began typing on the screen.

“But Bora, what are you doing here at the aquarium?”

“Oh, today we’re getting a shark-type monster delivered.”

“A s-shark monster?”

“Yeah, because of safety concerns, a Hunter has to accompany it during transport.”

Wait, do aquariums have monsters now?

A shark monster would definitely be stronger than an ordinary shark.

I wondered if the aquarium could even handle something like that.

“That’s… pretty impressive.”

“It’s actually kind of cool-looking. Wanna come see it?”

“N-no, thanks.”

Yoon Bora had no fear at all. What if the shark suddenly broke the glass and jumped out?

Sometimes I couldn’t understand her behavior, as her sense of danger as a strong Hunter was different from that of ordinary people.

“Harang, do you not like sharks?”

“Y-yeah.”

I didn’t want to end up as shark food at an aquarium.

I quickly nodded, taking back the smartphone Yoon Bora handed to me.

“Huh? This…?”

I noticed something familiar in the profile picture saved with her number.

It was a photo of Raxy Bora sleeping, with me sitting on top of her with sleepy eyes.

‘This was definitely taken yesterday.’

The photo clearly showed my rude behavior, and I stared at Yoon Bora in embarrassment.

I couldn’t understand why she’d use such a picture as her profile.

“Bora, what’s up with this photo…?”

“Oh, the photo? I thought using a family photo would give me some strength.”

“Family?”

It was true that the only family Yoon Bora had was Raxy Bora.

But did she really need to post a picture where Raxy was all squished up?

‘Is it because they’re sisters…?’

Teasing siblings seemed to be a universal thing.

Even the sweet Yoon Bora had to follow this rule of the world, apparently.

‘Hmm.’

Yeah, I guess that’s how it is.

While I nodded to myself, Yoon Bora suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Harang, are you really not going to see the shark? It’s really cool.”

“Well, um…”

I wanted to firmly say no, but with Yoon Bora’s eyes sparkling like that, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

‘Oh…!’

The way she kept asking made it clear that she really wanted me to see the shark.

‘Is this her thing?’

It wasn’t uncommon for people to like monsters or creatures.

Given her profession as a Hunter, she probably encountered monsters often.

‘But I really don’t want to.’

While I hesitated, I glanced down at my tablet.

The people who had helped me before were there, and I found myself unconsciously looking for advice.

[Show us the shark too!]

[The shark monster sounds interesting]

The viewers were getting rowdy, all wanting to see the shark.

One user named TheNyuKman donated 50,000 won!

[Here’s for that last mission.]

It reminded me of a mission where I had to survive in a dungeon.

The massive donation lifted my spirits, and I found my tail wagging gently.

TheNyuKman donated another 1,000 won!

[If you show us the shark, I’ll send more.]

“Ah…”

I was thrown into an unexpected high-difficulty mission once again.