CHAPTER 43: THE SLEEPING SALON

"DO YOU wanna slap me, Wonhee-ya?"

Oh.

Wonhee only realized that her hand was raised as if she was about to slap Yejun when he mentioned it. "I’m sorry, Yejun-ah," she said, lowering her hand that suddenly had a mind of its own. "I’ve lived longer as a Civilian than a Guide. So, when this kind of talk comes up, I still get a bit startled. I’ve been reading the Guidebook that my brother-in-law gave me, but it will still take time before I adjust fully to my new life, Yejun-ah. So please be patient with me."

To be honest, she thought people who were calling the Hunters and Guides who chose to do the Advanced Treatment ’immoral’ were just being narrow-minded.

But now that Wonhee was experiencing the life of a Guide firsthand, she realized that she may not be as open-minded as she thought she was. Although she accepted the fact that Advanced Treatment between a Hunter and a Guide was necessary, only now did she truly see the "dark side" of the matter.

[Having sex with your colleague for the sake of your job is a little...]

"You don’t have to apologize, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said, interrupting Wonhee’s thinking process. "I’ve been a Hunter for so long that I’ve already become desensitized to matters related to sex. Did I scare you?"

Wonhee shook her head. "You didn’t scare me because I know you didn’t mention sex in an inappropriate way. You’re a Hunter and I’m your Guide, and we have a perfect matching rate. So, it’s only natural for us to discuss whether we’ll do the Advanced Treatment or not. But..."

"But it scared you?"

"Can I be honest?"

"Of course."

Wonhee lowered her gaze to her fumbling hands. "I kind of feel filthy. And I feel so bad about feeling this way. I don’t mean to look down on the method that the Hunters and the Guides protecting the world use to level up. But I can’t lie to myself. That’s why I’m sorry..."

Only a small number of Hunters and Guides could actually do Advanced Treatment because a high matching rate was required.

And Wonhee happened to become a part of that minority.

Come to think of it...

[D-Do I have to sleep with every high-class Hunter that requires my help?]

"Chu Wonhee."

Wonhee raised her head when Yejun called her full name in a commanding voice.

And she got the chills when she saw how serious he was at the moment.

[Yejun looks calm, and yet his aura is intimidating. No wonder people are scared of him even when he’s not on a rampage.]

"Your feelings are valid, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said in a serious tone. "Even I feel dirty for needing the physical touch of Guides who might feel uncomfortable with me just to keep myself sane. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for Guides like you because you literally put your body in line for this job."

Aww.

Wonhee didn’t expect Yejun to acknowledge her feelings, so she felt touched.

[I thought he only cared about himself.]

"And we all know that many Guides, especially female Guides, were sexually assaulted back when laws to protect them haven’t been established yet. Unfortunately, it still happens today. It’s not as rampant as it used to be, but it still happens," Yejun said bitterly, reminiscing about the dark times. "So, no one will blame you if you feel disgusted or scared for being a Guide, Wonhee-ya. You have all the right to feel that way."

She clenched her hands.

[My situation is really scary, huh? I can’t believe how ignorant I was in the past for wishing to awaken as a Guide just for Seodam Oppa.]

Being a Guide was just as dangerous as being a Hunter in charge of raiding dungeons.

Wonhee gulped hard. "Yejun-ah, do you believe Advanced Treatment would help you recover faster?"

"Yes, and that’s the reason I asked," Yejun admitted. "But we don’t have to do that if you’re not comfortable with it, Wonhee-ya."

"But it’s my duty to guide you..."

"Advanced Treatment may apply to us because of our perfect matching rate, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it. Advanced Treatment was only accepted because of its strict rule that dictates the Guide or the Hunter can’t be forced to do it if they don’t want to."

"A-Are you sure you don’t need it?"

"I’ll be frank," Yejun said bluntly. "I want to do it with you, Wonhee-ya. As a Hunter, I know that sleeping with my Guide will give me many benefits. But it’s not worth breaking your trust."

Wonhee almost swooned, but she had to remind herself that it was the bare minimum.

[But it’s nice to know that a powerful Hunter like Yejun has self-control because many people in power do not.]

Even when Yejun was still an S-Class Hunter, he never had a scandal involving Guides.

"I will never force myself on you, and I won’t let other Hunters or even the government force you to do things you don’t want to do," Yejun promised Wonhee firmly. "If you can’t trust me yet, then trust the System. Didn’t it say that your skill will protect you from the Hunters who might try to take advantage of you?"

Oh, right.

Wonhee was touched by the words Yejun said to comfort her.

But...

"It just popped up earlier– the details about the The Sleeping Salon," Wonhee said carefully, then she knitted her eyebrows. "Yejun-ah, why do I feel like you know a lot about my Status Window?"

He shrugged. "Must be one of the perks of losing half your sanity?"

That didn’t make sense.

But she could tell Yejun didn’t want to say more, so she didn’t push it.

[It’s normal for Hunters to hide their skills anyway. I should do my best to stop getting carried away so that I wouldn’t accidentally reveal all my skills.]

"Sorry about that."

Oh.

It was Soobin, and he just got back from his long phone call.

"Hee-ya, that bastard didn’t do or say anything weird while I’m gone, did he?"

Yejun just rolled his eyes at Soobin’s harsh accusation.

Wonhee, on the other hand, shook her head and spoke up before a misunderstanding occurred. "We were just talking about my skill that will protect me from Hunters who may try to take advantage of me during Guiding Time, Oppa."

"Oh, right. We were talking about that before I got that phonecall," Soobin said, nodding. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "So, what were you saying about a contract again?"

Actually, today was the day she heard about the details regarding her Sleeping Salon skill.

[Why don’t I use this opportunity to...]

"Oppa, can we return to my house?" Wonhee pleaded cutely, wrapping her arms around her older brother’s waist while looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "I know you just want to keep me safe. But I’ll be more comfortable if Yejun and I stay at my house instead of anywhere else. I’m an adult, and I have the System to protect me."

"Wonhee-ya, I want a hug, too," Yejun chimed in. "Soobin Hyung doesn’t need your guiding anyway."

"Hwang Frost, Hee-ya is hugging me because she wants to and not because she needs to guide me," Soobin said smugly, then he turned to Wonhee with a defeated smile on his face. "Alright, you win." He then hugged her back. "How can I win against my baby sister anyway?"

***

WONHEE would probably never get used to being teleported to her penthouse.

She felt a bit dizzy, hence her body leaned towards Soobin.

However, Yejun quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders and carefully let her lean against his solid body.

[I can tell Yejun is starved of human touch...]

Surprisingly, Wonhee didn’t mind.

"Are you alright?" Yejun asked worriedly. "Wonhee-ya, you already awakened. And yet, you’re still a bit weak."

Wonhee pouted a bit. "The System said my body’s sturdiness has leveled up."

Yejun knitted his eyebrows as if he couldn’t believe it. "Maybe the System lied to you?"

"Yah..."

"Stop picking on my baby sister," Soobin scolded Yejun, smacking Yejun at the back of his head again. "And let go of Hee-ya before I kick you out."

"It’s not because I’m scared of Hyung," Yejun said while letting go of Wonhee’s shoulders. "I just don’t want to scare Wonhee."

Aww.

Wonhee couldn’t believe that Yejun was being this obedient.

[But I like it this way.]

"Let’s go to my bedroom," Wonhee said to stop Yejun and Soobin from bickering again. "The System said it will be easier for me to demonstrate my skill after I tuck Yejun in bed."

Yejun didn’t say anything, but his face beamed as he extended his hand to her. "Please guide me well, Wonhee-ssi."

Aigoo.

It was weird to hear Yejun speak formally to her, but it was kind of fun.

Wonhee grabbed Yejun’s hand and led him to her bedroom as Soobin followed them while whispering under his breath.

[I think I heard Oppa say he can’t believe his baby sister is no longer a baby...]

Which was strange.

[I’m twenty-five, turning twenty-six soon, so why am I still a baby to them?]

"Yejun, here," Wonhee gently pushed Yejun onto the bed, then he put the duvet over him after he took off his slippers. Then she sat next to him and gently patted him on the chest. "Tangerine Fairy, please give me the Guestbook."

Her entire bedroom was suddenly engulfed in a bluish light, as if it was swallowed by a semi-transparent giant cube.

Then a huge ancient-looking book fell into Wonhee’s hands.

She thought it was pretty cool.

So, she didn’t understand why Yejun and Soobin were looking at her in disbelief.

Wonhee suddenly felt conscious. "W-Why?"

"A naturally awakened S-Class is really different from herbivores, huh?" Yejun said, amazed. "Wonhee-ya, I think you’ve just become the fifth member of the Big 4– no, we should be called Big 5 now."

"W-What are you talking about?" Wonhee asked, confused and a bit scared because of Yejun and Soobin’s big reaction. "Did I do something strange?"

"You’re supposed to be a Guide, so why do you have the abilities of a Hunter?" Soobin asked nervously while eyeing the item in her hand. "Hee-ya, Guides don’t receive physical items from the System. And most of all..." He looked up at the ceiling. "In my almost ten years as a Hunter, this is the first time I’ve met one of the System’s administrators."

Oh.

Wonhee’s face beamed when she saw what her oppa was looking at. "Tangerine Fairy?"

In the flesh!

***

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