Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 69

While waiting for the potion to be completed, Jiwoo was busy in her own way.

There was one D-rank dungeon run, and she also had to take an unexpected test.

“A performance evaluation?”

“Yes. It’s an exam conducted regularly every year. Originally, it was done by team, but starting this year, individual evaluations have been added.”

Based on the results of this performance evaluation, team assignments, promotion to full guild member status, and various additional incentives would be decided.

‘Additional incentives!’

Those words instantly made Jiwoo’s mouth water—especially since she’d been short on money lately.

The evaluation consisted of two major components.

Contribution to dungeon raids.

Individual capability and potential.

Jiwoo prepared diligently for the evaluation.

She crammed theory like dungeon ecology, and in between, she worked on basic physical training.

After watching her for several days, Cha Taepyeong poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

“Jiwoo, why are you working so hard? Our team doesn’t need to do this. The results are already decided.”

For the past several years, Team Special 7 had never once lost their “first place.”

“Because we’ll be dead last again this year.”

Of course, first place—from the bottom.

Jiwoo tried to placate him.

“Come on, you never know. We should at least try our best.”

“I’m telling you, even if we try our best, it won’t change anything. No matter how well you do individually, the team performance is rock bottom.”

This year too, Team Special 7’s record consisted entirely of D- and E-rank dungeon clears. To begin with, they were only ever assigned the lowest-grade gates.

Jiwoo spoke with quiet determination.

“But this time is different. The A-rank dungeon we entered might count too.”

“Huh? But we didn’t clear that dungeon.”

“Why not? In the end, no one knows who actually killed the monsters, right?”

When the rescue team and backup raid team entered the dungeon, all the monsters were already dead.

The fact that the Whitebirds were responsible was a secret only Jiwoo knew.

Who got credit for that would determine this evaluation’s outcome.

“Ah, come on. You really think those guys up top would count that as our achievement?”

“It’s definitely possible! Didn’t the incentives from the A-rank dungeon drops get paid to our team?”

When Shin Ilguk backed her up, Cha Taepyeong scratched his head.

“Hmmm… what do you think, honey?”

“…I don’t want to get my hopes up just to be disappointed, but… I’ve got a good feeling this time too.”

Yu Jaegyeong’s usually cool expression looked faintly flushed.

She had once been a top-performing A-rank dealer herself. She didn’t want to stay the leader of a perpetually last-place team forever.

Cha Taepyeong’s attitude flipped instantly.

“Aaaahhh! Honey, hope as much as you want! I’ll work hard! I’ll make sure you get first place in the performance evaluation!”

“As long as we’re not last, that’s enough.”

“Then second-to-last it is! Hahahaha!”

Filled with renewed motivation, Cha Taepyeong grabbed his personal gear and stormed out of the office.

The power of love really was terrifying.

As if passing the baton, Nara entered the office.

“Jiwoo, where did Hunter Cha Taepyeong go?”

“Looks like he went to the training room. Did you get back safely, Nara?”

“Yes~.”

Nara answered with a bright smile.

After the dungeon incident, she had been participating in an intensive PTSD treatment program.

She was receiving both counseling and medication.

After just one week, the effects were noticeable—her complexion had improved a lot.

“Jiwoo, have you heard the rumor? Apparently, a doppelgänger has been appearing near guild headquarters lately.”

“A doppelgänger?”

“Yeah! You know, the urban legend where if you meet someone who looks exactly like you, you die!”

“Oh, that legend… Man, if that were true, that’d be great.”

“Huh?”

“I’d catch it and make it work in my place.”

Jiwoo replied gloomily.

She was far too busy these days to care about ghost stories.

‘I still need to go to the library after work today.’

Her bag was stuffed with books like Gate: Ecological Interactions and Species Diversity Analysis in Dungeons, The Origin of Monsters: Genetic Analysis and Evolutionary Relationships, and Transmission of Gate-Origin Dungeon Diseases.

The topics were interesting, but reading several books a day was exhausting.

And there was still plenty to do at Our Home.

Most tasks were handled by the caretaker Heeseong and the pet penguin Dongshik, but there was one responsibility Jiwoo had to handle personally.

The Resident Guest Dispute Mediation Committee.

The Antmen and the Whitebirds living in the safe zone did not get along.

Heeseong sided with Gam124, whom he was close to, while Dongshik sided with White Hawk 31, a fellow bird—and things nearly escalated into a full-blown brawl.

─ Human, those guys ruined all our rice paddies-gam!

‘That’s right, noona! Me and the Gam-gams worked so hard on those crops, and the fields were completely dug up!’

─ We only picked up grain that had fallen on the ground-sa.

─ Look at them lying so shamelessly-gam! You bird-brained fools can’t be trusted-gam!

─ Bird-brained?! Is it really that serious just because we ate a few grains?!

─ That’s right-sa! We can’t live alongside those uncivilized ground ants!

‘Fine then, let’s settle this once and for all! Gam124, grab your tools!’

─ Just what I was waiting for-nyak! Ice Breath!!

‘You little—! Stop it! Do you all want to get kicked off my land?!’

Jiwoo barely managed to stop the fight from escalating with her ultimate move.

‘I feel less like a landowner and more like a kindergarten teacher.’

She let out a deep sigh, but there was no helping it. This was the thorny path she had chosen herself.

“I’ll be heading out first.”

“Alright, Hunter Do Jiwoo. Get home safely. Things have been a bit dangerous around here lately.”

“Are you talking about that rumor too? The doppelgänger thing?”

“No, that’s just superstition. But there have been disappearance cases nearby.”

Yu Jaegyeong whispered so the other team members couldn’t hear.

“I know you’re top-tier, Hunter Do Jiwoo, but still—always be careful. You can never be too cautious when it comes to safety.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you for worrying about me, Team Leader!”

After packing up, Jiwoo headed straight to the company library.

The inside was surprisingly quiet.

It seemed most people were focusing on practical results rather than theory.

Jiwoo returned the books she’d read and checked out new ones.

‘Only two days left until the internal evaluation. You can do this, Do Jiwoo! Let’s go!’

She silently pumped herself up.

But perhaps her gestures were too enthusiastic, because the strict librarian scolded her.

“Please keep quiet inside the library!”

“I didn’t make any noise, though.”

“Your movements were noisy.”

“…Sorry.”

Bowing her head, Jiwoo left the library. She decided to study more at home.

“I should grab some snacks on the way. Ice cream Heeseong likes, and something Kangwoo likes too… Hmm, come to think of it, what snacks does Kangwoo like?”

She sent Kangwoo a text.

 

Kangwoo, I’m buying snacks. Anything you want? Tell me if you have a something you like.

Kangwoo
Do Jiwoo.

Huh?

Kangwoo
I like Do Jiwoo.

…Never mind.

 

She’d just buy something random.

Jiwoo stopped by the supermarket and swept through the snack aisle. She was short on money, but she refused to skimp on food.

“Wow, it’s already this late. The days really are getting shorter.”

Swinging the plastic bags, Jiwoo hurried home.

It was only a few alleys between the company and her apartment.

She stopped in front of a dim alleyway where the streetlights flickered.

‘Kangwoo told me not to use alleyways.’

But if she took a longer route, the ice cream might melt.

“Eh, just this once should be fine—no, no, this is exactly the kind of line an extra says before dying early in a movie!”

And the things she’d heard at the guild weighed on her mind.

The recent disappearances. The doppelgänger rumor.

“Ugh, I’ll just run the main road!”

After hesitating at the alley entrance, Jiwoo turned around.

She was about to sprint toward the main street when—

Thud!

She collided with someone standing by the road.

“Ah—sorry!”

“…….”

Rubbing her throbbing forehead, Jiwoo looked up at the person she’d bumped into.

“Oh—Librarian? You’re already off work?”

The person standing in front of her was the same librarian she’d seen earlier.

The librarian stared at Jiwoo in silence, lips tightly pressed together.

“Um… are you okay?”

“…….”

“Is there anywhere you’re hurt—ah!”

The librarian shoved Jiwoo aside and walked straight past her.

“What was that about?”

They were strict, sure—but not that aggressive.

Still confused, Jiwoo stood there, watching the librarian disappear into the alley.