Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 80

“What? Vanilla Bean Cream… what?”

“Vanilla Bean Cream Blended with Dolce Cold Brew.”

Shin Ilguk recited the incredibly long menu item with a blank expression.

“What kind of coffee do you usually enjoy, Hunter Oh Nara?”

“Uh, I just drink an Americano……”

“If you’re only going to drink an Americano, the independent café in the alley behind the company is also a good option. That café uses specialty coffee and even purchases its green beans directly from farms at the source. They roast with a dark profile, so if you prefer coffee with less acidity, it should suit your taste.”

“Ah, okay……”

A discouraged Oh Nara nodded.

After that, Shin Ilguk launched into a lengthy explanation about cafés and coffee near the company.

“The most famous café is Tree Fair Coffee, about three stops away from here. It’s a large café with a forest-themed interior, and it’s popular because they sell Greek-style desserts. They opened a branch in Jeju last year, and……”

By the time his recommendations had expanded to cafés all across the country—

Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung entered the office at just the right moment.

“Did everyone enjoy lunch?”

“Yes. What about you, Team Leader?”

“I ate breakfast late this morning, so I skipped lunch. Anyway, there’s an important matter our Special Team 7 needs to discuss today.”

Yoo Jaekyung then summoned Jiwoo, Shin Ilguk, and Oh Nara to the meeting room.

“Everyone, please gather in the meeting room by two o’clock.”

After making the announcement.

Although there was still time before the meeting, Yoo Jaekyung arrived at the meeting room first.

Inside the room, which she thought would be empty, was Cha Taepyeong.

Having just woken up and still half asleep, he spotted Yoo Jaekyung and broke into a wide grin.

“What, honey. How did you know I was here? Did your love radar start working?”

“You slept here again? Why do you keep sleeping in the meeting room when there’s a perfectly good lounge?”

“For some reason, I sleep really well in meeting rooms. Strange, isn’t it, honey?”

“Wipe the drool off your cheek first.”

Cha Taepyeong roughly rubbed his cheek with his sleeve.

When he kept wiping the wrong spot, Yoo Jaekyung sighed.

“Not there. The right side. Come here.”

She grabbed a wet wipe and rubbed his cheek.

The careful way she cleaned him was surprisingly gentle.

Affection practically overflowed from Cha Taepyeong’s eyes, and sparks seemed to crackle between them.

“You know I love you a lot, right, honey?”

While obediently receiving her care, Cha Taepyeong leaned in and kissed her.

The mischievous hand wrapped around Yoo Jaekyung’s waist slowly moved lower.

In a low, lingering voice, Cha Taepyeong whispered,

“How about we eat out tonight for a change? Have some wine at a hotel, then go upstairs and enjoy a hot little date— Gyaaah! H-Hunter Do Jiwoo, why are you standing there?! When did you come in?!”

“Aaaah! I’m so sorry!”

Jiwoo had arrived at the meeting room earlier than scheduled and ended up witnessing the married couple’s display of affection.

She hurriedly rushed back outside and covered both cheeks.

‘I-I had no idea because the room was soundproof.’

Information related to dungeon gates was among the most confidential of secrets.

Unless a team had been assigned a dungeon, outsiders were prevented from seeing or overhearing anything. The Blank Guild’s meeting rooms were equipped with top-level security systems.

Because all sound from inside and outside was perfectly blocked, both the married couple and Jiwoo had become unintended victims of the situation.

‘S-So that’s what married life is like. Just casually hugging and touching each other, wow.’

Her pale cheeks turned red like apples. Jiwoo fanned her flushed face with her hand.

Just then, Guild Master Shin Woohyuk happened to be passing through the hallway and noticed her.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, what’s wrong? Is there a problem in the meeting room?”

“Huh? No! Nothing happened!”

“Then why is your face red?”

“My face? Hahaha, no way. Ah, I think it’s because it’s hot! I don’t handle heat very well!”

“Is that so? Then I should order more air conditioners installed in the meeting room.”

“No! You don’t need to do that just because of me!”

“You are not just anyone, Hunter Do Jiwoo. For your sake, I could cover this entire building’s ceiling with air conditioners.”

Shin Woohyuk reached for the meeting room door.

“Now that it’s come up, I should go inside and check the temperature myself.”

“What? No, Guild Master! You can’t go in right now!”

Jiwoo desperately blocked his path.

The Guild Master’s opinion of the married couple in Special Team 7 was already not particularly favorable.

If he went inside and witnessed their passionate skinship, there might even be a second demotion incident.

Completely unaware of the situation, Shin Woohyuk asked,

“Why not?”

“I-I saw a cockroach in the meeting room earlier.”

“A cockroach?”

“Yes. Even you must be afraid of bugs, Guild Master. Hahaha. Maybe the guild building is getting old? I don’t know why I keep seeing bugs, even in the cafeteria!”

Speaking without thinking, Jiwoo immediately regretted what she had said.

Because Shin Woohyuk’s brow furrowed at once.

“There was a cockroach in the company cafeteria? That won’t do. I’ll conduct an inspection to strengthen sanitation management—”

“N-No! That’s not it! I misspoke! It’s not that there was a bug, it’s just, um……”

Because of her hasty excuse, innocent cafeteria employees were about to suffer for no reason.

Jiwoo was making a tearful face and desperately trying to come up with another explanation when—

“Hunter Do Jiwoo? Aren’t you going into the meeting room?”

Shin Ilguk appeared in the hallway.

When he noticed the Guild Master, who had been hidden around the corner, his face brightened.

“Hyung, what brings you here? Are you joining today’s meeting too?”

However, the Guild Master’s response was icy.

“Hunter Shin Ilguk, where exactly do you see your hyung here?”

“Ah……”

“I’ve warned you several times to watch your words and behavior while inside the guild. Do my words mean nothing to you?”

Shin Ilguk lowered his head.

“I’m sorry. That was my mistake.”

“Once is a mistake. After that, it’s a fault. People who continue repeating the same fault are no longer needed in our guild. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

Guild Master Shin Woohyuk gave Jiwoo a brief nod and left down the hallway.

For a conversation between cousins, the atmosphere had been remarkably uncomfortable and one-sided.

Feeling awkward, Jiwoo’s eyes darted around.

“Um, Ilguk……”

“Shall we go in now? Hunter Oh Nara said she’ll be a little late because of her counseling session.”

Shin Ilguk pointed at the meeting room door as if nothing had happened.

It was a silent request not to ask about what had just occurred.

****

Thick binders were piled on the meeting room table like a mountain.

“Team Leader, what is all this?”

“These are reference materials for the dungeons we’ll be raiding starting next week. They also include guides on expected monsters by rank and recommended response strategies and tactics.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, our Special Team 7 will participate in one raid every single week without fail.”

“Huuuuuh?!”

The second reaction belonged to Oh Nara.

Having just returned from counseling, she trembled as she spoke.

“W-Why all of a sudden? Our team used to raid maybe once a month at most!”

“Because we ranked first in this performance evaluation. We probably won’t take first place again next time, but we should at least stay in the rankings.”

Yoo Jaekyung was determined.

In the past, she had lacked both ambition and motivation and remained permanently in last place.

But not anymore.

She wanted to use this opportunity to completely overturn the negative reputation surrounding Special Team 7.

“If we fall back to last place in the next evaluation, then the people who criticize us win. I refuse to watch that happen again.”

Yoo Jaekyung had grabbed Guild Master Shin Woohyuk by the collar and demanded that he give them more work.

Since Shin Woohyuk was already in a weak position because he had concealed Jiwoo’s abilities, he had no choice but to agree to her demands.

“We won’t be assigned trivial dungeons like E-rank or F-rank ones anymore. We’ll mainly be getting major gates. If you don’t want to end up stranded inside a dungeon, you’d better all stay up studying and prepare thoroughly.”