Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 74

“Oh? Then being reassigned to Special Team 7 was…….”

“That’s right. That bastard—no, Guild Master Shin Woohyuk—is ruthless when it comes to separating personal and professional matters. He’s been unnecessarily sharp as a blade since forever.”

Yoo Jaekyung badmouthed Shin Woohyuk in a calm, measured tone.

Meanwhile, the host’s voice continued in the background.

“Based on this evaluation, incentives will be awarded to the top-performing teams in order to congratulate and encourage their outstanding achievements. We will now display the performance evaluation results.”

The massive screen in the conference hall lit up, revealing the team rankings.

3rd place: Crisis Response Team 1.
2nd place: Operations Team.

A guild member seated in front made a money-counting gesture with his fingers. He was one of the hunters who had bet on the guild master’s direct team.

“See? I told you. Even if they took it easy this year, the guild master’s team is still better than—huh?”

At last, the first-place team appeared on the screen.

The team ranked at the very top was:

[Overall Performance Evaluation]

[Total Score: 987 points
Special Team 7 – Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung and 4 members]

The entire conference hall froze in stunned silence.

“What the hell is that?”

“987 points? Special 7? Isn’t that a system error?”

“Ahem! Please remain quiet!”

The host pointedly warned several guild members, but the buzzing chatter filling the hall showed no sign of dying down.

Special Team 7 was among the noisiest.

“H-H-Honey. Why are we first place?”

“Team Leader Yoo, isn’t that switched around somewhere? How could we possibly be first?”

“Haah… that Shin Woohyuk son of a—.”

Yoo Jaekyung pressed hard against her temples.

When the detailed score breakdown appeared, the uproar only grew louder.

“In the East A-rank dungeon entered by Special Team 7, numerous byproducts and the highest-grade mana stone were discovered.”

On the screen appeared an image of a Lich King’s corpse the size of a building, along with the dungeon loot.

Even calculating only the research value of the mana stone amounted to an enormous achievement.

The Operations Team leader, seated close to the screen, raised his hand.

“I understand that the Emergency Disaster Team and the Association’s rescue unit were deployed to that A-rank dungeon. Even so, is it appropriate to credit those byproducts to Special Team 7?”

It was a sharp, piercing question.

The answer came directly from Shin Woohyuk.

“Combat traces belonging to Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung were found on several skeletons inside the dungeon. After discussions with the Association, it was decided that this achievement would be awarded to the Blank Guild and the originally assigned team, Special Team 7.”

It was a clean, decisive response.

The Operations Team leader looked displeased, but there was nothing he could do. If both the Association and the guild master had agreed, they had no choice but to comply.

The guild members whispered among themselves.

“So do we need to pray every time we raid now, hoping the dungeon morphs?”

“They killed a few skeletons and just freeloaded everything. Shameless bastards.”

Cha Taepyeong slammed his hand down on the table.

Then he hurled curses at a hunter who’d been needling him just barely within earshot.

“If you’re jealous, come out here and fight me one-on-one like a man, you assholes! Stop hiding and muttering like rats!”

“Eek! C-Cha Taepyeong Hunter!”

“Stop it, you!”

“This is an official event! Please maintain order!”

The conference hall descended into chaos, and it wasn’t until the guild master stepped in to mediate that things finally settled down.

In truth, what had truly decided the outcome of this evaluation wasn’t the dungeon performance—it was the individual scores.

Thanks to Jiwoo’s overwhelming score, Special Team 7’s average skyrocketed.

However, discussion of dungeon achievements completely overshadowed the individual scores.

Exactly as the guild master intended, exaggerating the value of the dungeon byproducts had buried the real reason.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

A few days after the announcement ceremony.

Jiwoo headed home with a light step.

“Heading in already, Hunter?”

“Yes! Clocking out right on time today. Hehe!”

Jiwoo greeted the security guard she’d grown friendly with lately thanks to shared vending-machine coffee.

As she energetically exited the lobby, she ran into a familiar face.

“Oh—Guild Master?”

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, it’s been a while.”

Shin Woohyuk was standing in front of the revolving door.

“Are you heading out now?”

He glanced at his wristwatch.

Exactly 3:00 p.m.

It was a slightly awkward time to be clocking out.

She hadn’t done anything wrong, but being seen slacking off by the guild master still felt embarrassing.

“Well… I’ve been working very hard lately, so things are a bit quiet for now.”

“I see. I’m glad you seem to have adjusted well to the guild.”

“Haha, yeah… Where are you headed, Guild Master?”

“There’s a task the Association requested assistance with. It’s nearby—since we ran into each other, shall we go together?”

“Sure, why not?”

Jiwoo naturally ended up walking out with Shin Woohyuk.

As they walked along the sidewalk in front of the building, he spoke first.

“I apologize for what happened last time. I wanted to apologize in person, but it kept getting delayed.”

It was their first time meeting since they’d raised their voices at the company dinner.

Jiwoo waved her hands quickly.

“I already forgot about it. It’s fine! I’m sorry too—I got carried away and snapped at you.”

“Not at all.”

Shin Woohyuk fell silent again.

The growing awkwardness gnawed at Jiwoo.

“Um… about the performance announcement. Thank you for helping. I think things went over smoothly thanks to you.”

“It was only my duty. Protecting Hunter Do Jiwoo.”

After hesitating, Shin Woohyuk continued.

“I’ve prepared a position for you on my direct team. If you wish, you can join us at any time.”

“Oh, really?”

Jiwoo replied calmly, but her light-green eyes trembled.

‘If he finds out about the Antmen and the Whitebirds, I’m finished.’

This much chaos had erupted just because dungeon monsters disappeared.

If she joined the direct team and Shin Woohyuk discovered she’d taken monsters in as housemates?

Jiwoo barely suppressed the twitching at the corner of her mouth.

“I—I think it might be difficult to change teams right now, Guild Master. I’m already getting a lot of attention because of the evaluation. Maybe after things quiet down…”

“Yes. I can wait. There aren’t any urgent high-tier dungeon raids at the moment.”

Despite his words, Shin Woohyuk looked impatient.

His gaze, which had been fixed straight ahead, turned toward Jiwoo.

“To be honest, I’ve been afraid you might disappear lately.”

“What? Where would I disappear to?”

“Indeed. I know it’s absurd—but recently I even dreamed that you vanished with wings on your back.”

“Gasp!”

Did the guild master have prophetic abilities or something?

She had recently acquired Whitebird wings.

Jiwoo shoved her trembling hand into her pocket.

“Don’t worry, Guild Master. I’m going to stay with Blank until I die, you know? Unless you kick me out, I’ll never leave on my own!”

“That’s reassuring. Then I suppose you’ll be with me for the rest of my life.”

That phrasing felt oddly unsettling.

It wasn’t a proposal, so why did it sound like one?

“You did almost kick me out recently. What did you say again? …‘Hunter Do Jiwoo, I’m deeply disappointed. If something like this happens again—’”

“That was my mistake! And I was only going to mention suspension or a pay cut!”

“A p-pay cut? How could you even say something so cruel?”

Jiwoo jumped and glared at him.

Shin Woohyuk shrugged.

“Then all you have to do is make sure nothing like that dungeon incident happens again.”

“I really don’t know anything about that! Haa… This is so unfair, I can’t live like this.”

Jiwoo puffed out her lips. Her feigned innocence was impressively polished.

As they talked, they approached a bus stop.

“Do you take the bus to the company housing?”

“Yes. I usually walk, but things have been… complicated lately.”

To walk home, she’d have to pass through the park and the alleyway.

Even if the bus fare felt wasteful, she wanted to avoid risky areas as much as possible.

Shin Woohyuk insisted on waiting with her until the bus arrived. After finally persuading him to leave, Jiwoo stood at the stop.

Before long, the bus pulled up.

“Hello, driver!”

Jiwoo greeted cheerfully and tapped her transit card.

She found a seat on the nearly empty bus—and then made eye contact with someone outside the window.

“Huh? Isn’t that the librarian?”

It was the library clerk who was said to have quit recently.