Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! – Chapter 11

Author: Asternkm

Hm… I haven’t really thought of any other reason but…

Well, it probably doesn’t matter.

Jiu quietly nodded.

“Yes. That’s the biggest reason.”

“…I see.”

Thud.

Kang-woo tapped the barrier one last time.

Jiu flinched in surprise, her body trembling, but she didn’t stop him this time.

Because—

[Time remaining: 10 seconds]

There really wasn’t much time left.

Sound must have been cut off first, because she could no longer hear anything from beyond the barrier.

She could only see the faint shape of Kang-woo’s lips moving.

Wait for me.

…Wait for him? For what?

The moment the question formed, the inside of the barrier began to glow brightly.

Kang-woo’s obsessive gaze, fixed solely on her, vanished along with the light.

****

Returning to reality after meeting the rescue team, she discovered that a full day had already passed.

Although she had to submit a report explaining why she had been stranded in the dungeon, that wasn’t a big deal for Jiu.

Her hands moved like lightning as she filled out the form.

Who? Do Jiu, an E-rank healer.

When? One day ago.

Where? In the dungeon.

What? A distress incident.

How? Lost balance and fell.

Why? Because a B-rank dealer shoved her shoulder.

The association employee who received the statement gave her a strange look.

As Jiu left the association, her pocket vibrated briefly.

[Your report has been received. You will be informed of the Disciplinary Committee’s decision within one week.]

Not long ago, when submitting the incident report, she had also filed a complaint against Kang Jae-gyu.

No matter how successful a B-rank dealer he was, he couldn’t escape justice.

If needed, she could ask Shin Il-guk from the raid team to testify.

They said they were in the same guild, but they didn’t seem close.

Shin Il-guk was also the one who requested the rescue team as soon as she went missing.

So if she needed help, he would probably cooperate.

Besides, her harness had several body cams and recorders attached, full of useful evidence.

“Life is war, you punk!”

Clenching her fist tightly, Jiu ran straight to a supermarket and bought a basket of tangerines.

Normally she would never buy fruit more expensive than gold, but today was different.

I’m an S-rank hunter now!

So she could allow herself some luxury, right?

With trembling hands, she paid and left the store.

It would usually take more than an hour on foot to reach the hospital, but today her steps felt light.

Feeling cheerful, Jiu hummed along to a song playing on the street.

“Ah~ Hunter life~ Why’s it like this~♬”

「There’s no way luck will come my way ♪ There’s no way my life will ever go well ♬」

…Wait.

Why were the lyrics like this? Was it always this dark?

Jiu tilted her head in confusion—right as she entered the hospital’s front gate.

“W-What is this?!”

A shocking system window appeared.

System

Your pet, Dongsik, is desperately searching for its owner!

System

Pet skill [Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of Master (F-rank)] has been activated.

System

Due to insufficient pet–owner bond level, the pet will be summoned within a 1-kilometer radius of its owner.

…Pet? What do you mean pet? I don’t have a pet!

Jiu froze on the spot, bewildered.

At that moment, commotion began rising from the crowded garden.

“Oh my, what’s that?”

“Did something escape from a zoo?”

“There are a few animal shelters nearby. Do they keep penguins though?”

…Penguin? At a hospital?

A bad feeling swept over her.

Pushing through the crowd, Jiu looked to confirm the source of the noise.

“SQUAWK!”

— Heyyyy, Jiu! There you arrrre!

What am I even looking at?!

An Adélie penguin, about waist-high.

The crazy penguin she had met in the dungeon was waddling straight toward her.

“Squawk! Squawk!”

— Nyak! Jiuu~ I’m here, nyak! Where are you goinggg!

Jiu hesitated for a moment.

If I pretend not to know it and run now, maybe nothing will happen?

But a security guard who had been watching Jiu and the penguin grabbed her shoulder.

“Miss! Is this penguin under your care?”

“What? Ah—no, not at all! I don’t know this penguin!”

“Oh really? This is a problem… It’s been causing trouble everywhere!”

The guard glared at the penguin, snorting angrily.

“Should I call 112? Or the animal rescue association?”

At the word report, Jiu’s mind spun rapidly.

That penguin was not a normal animal.

People would find it suspicious and hand it over to the association.

If it mentions my name over there, I’m doomed!

Damn it!

Her decision was swift.

Jiu dashed forward, grabbed the penguin, and tucked it under her arm.

“I— I am actually this penguin’s handler!!”

“…Huh?”

“There’s an aquarium event nearby and I brought it for that! Let’s go, penguin!”

“Wait— Miss! Didn’t you say you didn’t know it?! Hey!”

“I’m sooo sorryyyy!”

After running for a long while, Jiu set the penguin down in a quiet area between two buildings.

A system window immediately popped up.

System

Achievement unlocked: Kidnapping a Monster!

Your status window will be updated.

[You have earned a hidden title as an achievement reward.]

System

Title: I Am This Child’s Parent!

Effect: Monster affinity +20

“What am I supposed to do with all this damn affinity? Why does it keep going up?!”

Jiu clutched her head in despair.

In the urban forest of gray buildings, the pitch-black penguin drew everyone’s attention.

“Hey, what’s that? Am I seeing things?”

“Is there some event going on nearby?”

Passing students glanced repeatedly at Jiu and the penguin.

Jiu hurriedly pushed the penguin’s head down to hide it.

Squeeze!

— Jiuu, what are you doing, nyaak. I can’t breathe hereee!

“Shh, stay still! Keep acting up and I’m seriously handing you over to the Association.”

— What’s an Association that you’re threatening me with it, nyaak?!

Jiu lowered herself to meet the penguin’s eyes and whispered each word with weight.

“At a place like that, monsters like you get their beaks plucked out first.”

— Th-That’s not scary at all, nyaaak.

Despite its bold cry, the penguin’s whole body curled up tightly.

“Really? Even after they pluck out your feathers one by one and deep-fry you into chicken?”

— …Hicc. What do you take this great Dongsik for, nyaak!

The penguin immediately wrapped its trembling wings around its head.

It was impressive its stubby wings even reached that far—but something else caught Jiu’s attention.

“Dongsik? Your name is Dongsik?”

— Prrrr. That’s right, nyaak. You’re the one who named me long ago, Jiuu.

…Isn’t that a bit too Korean for a penguin?

— You said it was the name of the strongest man in Korea, nyaak.

That threw Jiu into deeper confusion.

Strongest man in Korea? W-Wait, don’t tell me… Ma Dongseok?

Ma Dongseok.

The famously buff, tough-looking actor trending everywhere lately.

There were even rumors he once beat a hunter in a fistfight.

Some had even speculated he was an unregistered hunter because of his massive, tank-crushing physique.

“So that person named Jiu… They really must’ve been Korean.”

A strange realization.

Hearing Kang-woo and Dongsik stubbornly call her “Jiu” over and over, she was even starting to feel familiar with the name.

But—

Wait. What if I run into them someday? What if I get reported for impersonating someone?!

She’d only pretended to be that person for the tiniest, tiniest moment!

Jiu’s face went completely pale.

Seeing her pitiful expression, Dongsik clicked his tongue.

— Jiuu, eat this and cheer up, nyaak.

[Dongsik wants to give you a gift.]

Item
Well-Roasted Fish (D-rank)
A fish roasted over a fire with clumsy skill. Some parts are still undercooked, but the maker’s effort shines through.
Effect: STR +1

“What the— Where did you even pull this out from?”

— From my inventory, nyaak.

“Inventory?”

Jiu froze with the fish halfway to her hand.

The inventory was a virtual space only hunters possessed.

It allowed small amounts of storage, and Jiu herself had a tiny one.

— Even if you lost your memory, Jiuu, how can you not know what an inventory is, nyaak.

“I know that much! But why does a monster have an inventory?! That’s what I’m asking!”

— Isn’t it obvious, nyaak? I’m your pet.

“What are you talking about? You’re my pet? H-Hold on!”

She had indeed been bothered by an earlier system message.

Jiu quickly pulled up her system window.

System
NEW
Pet skill [Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of Master (F-rank)] activated 10 minutes ago.
Due to insufficient bond level, pet Dongsik is summoned within a 1-kilometer radius of the owner.

“This damn system—who said it could decide that thing is my pet?!”

Dongsik poked her in the ribs without a hint of awareness.

— Jiuu, now pay up, nyaak.

“…Pay? Pay what?”

— If you accepted the fish, you have to pay for it, nyaak! Just give me 500,000 won for the fish.

“Hey— Didn’t you say it was a gift? And what, 500,000 won?!”

— There’s nothing free in this world, nyaak! And 500,000 won is a special discount!

“You tiny con artist wannabe! Go back to the dungeon! Cancel summon! Release summon!”

System
You cannot cancel pet summons outside the dungeon.
This setting can be adjusted in <My Home>.

Jiu’s forehead vein bulged.

Why is this system so complicated?! I shouldn’t have skipped the system guide back then!

Unfortunately, Kang-woo had been bleeding out at the time, so she had been in too much of a hurry.