Chapter 225: Episode 225

Hong Yeon joined our drinking session.

Unlike Han Yoonjeong, who was a little tipsy and lounging, and I, however, we pleased, she sat primly in the seat beside me.

“So that’s who it was—our very own hunter Hong Yeon.”

With alcohol in her system and her energy cranked up, Han Yoonjeong laughed brightly and bit into a French fry.

“When someone suddenly barged in with such intensity, I thought there was a fire and the firefighters had come!”

“Ahaha.”

Her cheeks flushed, Hong Yeon averted her eyes in embarrassment.

I gestured toward the snacks on the table.

“Have some.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Want a beer?”

“I’m fine.”

Instead, she picked up a cola.

“All right, since we’ve got one more, shall we start over?”

Han Yoonjeong raised her beer can high.

“To all of us making it to certified Rank 1 someday!”

“To Rank 1!”

We clinked our cans together and laughed.

It was just a casual, no-frills drinking session, but even though she had been awkward at first, before long, Hong Yeon had relaxed and settled in.

“Hunter Hong Yeon, you should give this bad guy a piece of your mind too.”

With one arm draped over Hong Yeon’s shoulders, Han Yoonjeong pointed at me with the other.

“Hey, what did I do?”

“For keeping the Tower a secret from us!”

Smiling softly, Hong Yeon spoke up.

“I’m hurt.”

’Oof. So she felt that way too…’

“But I understand you didn’t have a choice. And you called me before you announced it to the public. I just couldn’t pick up because I was busy.”

I hurried to change the subject.

“Anyway, you’ve been in Antarctica this whole time, right? Tell us about it. What kind of catastrophe was it that they bumped you straight up to certified Rank 2?”

In a clear, ringing voice, Hong Yeon gave us a summary of what had happened in Antarctica.

The Antarctic Catastrophe, Burning Road. The Alliance had classified it as having the same level of danger as taves in Africa.

It had a peculiar trait: the colder it was, the hotter its flames burned. She said watching the Antarctic region turn into a sea of fire had been profoundly surreal.

’This sounds familiar.’

I was sure I had heard this story somewhere before.

I remembered what Minerva had told me during the 6th Floor Trial: a catastrophe-class monster that had appeared in the polar regions.

In Minerva’s world, they had left that monster alone, and eventually all the glaciers in the polar regions had melted, sinking the entire Western Continent beneath the sea.

Of course, Earth’s environment was different from that world’s, but in a way, you could say that Hong Yeon had just racked up the achievement of saving an entire continent.

We went on to trade all sorts of stories. Maybe because all of us led such chaotic lives, we never ran out of things to talk about. The drinking session that had started at dawn lasted all the way until lunchtime.

“Aaaah! I don’t wanna work!”

At some point, Han Yoonjeong had flopped onto my bed, sprawled out with her legs spread, tapping away on her phone. She was my friend, but she really was something else.

By contrast, there was not a hint of sloppiness in Hong Yeon.

Every time trash appeared, she immediately picked it up, and she carefully gathered the crumbs on the table with her hands and threw them away. Tidiness was ingrained in her.

“Take a page from her book, will you?”

When I nudged her leg with my foot to get her off the bed, she dove under the blanket and shrieked.

“Nooo! I’m sleeping here tonight!”

’…What’s with all this whining today?’

Life as Pharaoh must have been stressful as hell, because she was letting out all her pent-up childishness in my room at once.

“Hong Yeon. Hand me that trash bag. I’m gonna stuff her in it.”

“How dare you! Such insolence toward the great Pharaoh!”

Han Yoonjeong suddenly hooked her leg around my neck and yanked me down onto the bed.

“Hahaha! Off with his head!”

“You crazy woman! Are you drunk?”

“Yup, I’m drunk. What are you gonna do about it?”

Watching us wrestling on the bed, Hong Yeon politely covered her mouth and took a step back.

’…Looking at us like that kind of hurts, you know.’

“Come on, hunter Hong Yeon, get in here! You must have plenty to get off your chest too!”

“I’ll pass. I am sure the Pharaoh’s strength alone is more than enough to subdue you.”

“Let go already!”

I pried off her clinging limbs and wriggled free. She stayed sprawled on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Ugh. I came all the way to Switzerland, and I can’t even see the Alps; it’s just work, work, work! I’m sick of it.”

“The Alps?”

I asked as I sat down in a chair and took a swig of my half-finished beer.

“Is there anything to see there?”

“The scenery’s gorgeous! You can go skiing too! They run the resorts all year round.”

“Hm, really?”

I thought for a moment, then said, “Then let’s go take a look.”

Both women’s eyes went wide.

“You’re going to take us? But going to the Alps and back from here would take—”

I grinned.

“Did you forget? I’m the Tower Master.”

* * *

“Wow! Wow!”

Eyes sparkling, Han Yoonjeong was practically in tears at the sight before her.

“No way! Is this real? This is exactly like those pictures you only ever see as computer wallpapers!”

I was just as stunned.

From the lush green pasture where we stood, a range of snow-covered mountains stretched out before us. Above them, the sky was a flawless, cloudless blue.

There was nothing to say but that it was beautiful. Where else in the world could you see a view like this?

Watching her hop around and make a racket, I shifted my gaze slightly to check on Hong Yeon’s reaction.

She looked just as amazed.

With her hands folded neatly over her chest and her lips parted slightly, I couldn’t help but smile. Even the way she was surprised was refined.

’The weather’s perfect.’

I had asked Samia to open a Warp Gate for us. Now that I had revealed myself as the Tower Master, there was no reason to keep warp technology a secret.

“Thank you, Sunbae.”

She turned to look at me.

“For showing us a view like this.”

“Ahem. Consider it my way of apologizing for hiding the Tower from you two.”

“Ah.”

She fell quiet for a moment, as if thinking something over, then fixed her gaze on me with renewed intensity.

“Yusin! You had this kind of magic back in Tanzania too, didn’t you?”

I remained silent.

I looked away, feigning ignorance.

“That’s so unfair! You snuck back to Korea all by yourself! That’s why your luggage was so light, and why we barely ever ran into you on-site, right?”

“I only went when I absolutely had to. You know how busy I am…”

“Don’t lie! I was worried because you said the jet lag was killing you!”

“That was…!”

I cut myself off. A smartphone suddenly came flying at my face.

Startled, I snatched it out of the air.

“Hey! Take some pictures of me with that! Today’s the day I get my profile pic of a lifetime!”

Han Yoonjeong was waving at me.

“What if the screen cracked, throwing it like that?”

“Oh, shut up and hurry up!”

With no choice, I opened the camera app and framed the shot.

No matter where I pointed the lens, the scenery was spectacular. It would be harder not to get a perfect picture here.

With the scenery as a backdrop, Han Yoonjeong struck a pose, placing one hand behind her head and the other on her hip to emphasize the lines of her body.

The wind blew, sending her hair streaming to the side and transforming the scene into a work of art. For a moment, I found myself staring, completely captivated.

“Hey, this is hard! Hurry up!”

“R-Right.”

I snapped several shots in quick succession.

“Did you get them? You did, right? They came out well, yeah?”

She trotted over and snatched her phone from my hands. As she checked the photos, however, her brows drew together.

“You idiot! Who takes pictures like this these days?”

“Huh?”

“You have to get the horizontal and vertical lines straight! And you need to align my toes perfectly with the bottom edge of the frame! That’s how you make my legs look long.”

…I had literally never heard that in my life.

“I was just focusing on the scenery.”

“Nobody cares about that crap! Center it on me! Make sure I look pretty! Okay, again!”

’If the scenery didn’t matter, why did we even come to the Alps?’

Just then, Hong Yeon walked over and glanced at the photos I had taken.

“Hey, this is at least passable, isn’t it?”

“…Hmm.”

Narrowing her eyes at the screen, Hong Yeon tilted her head slightly.

“Yes.”

“Look at me when you answer!”

“Allow me, Pharaoh. I will take the photos for you.”

She plucked the phone from my hand and took a few practice shots, using different backgrounds to get a feel for it.

“Horizontal, vertical, toes at the bottom, watch the backlight, center the composition…”

Muttering to herself as she found her rhythm, her entire demeanor began to change. A moment later, when she started shooting Han Yoonjeong, she was like a professional photographer, dropping to one knee and carefully adjusting the angle as she pressed the shutter.

“How is it? Did they come out well?”

After cycling through seventeen different poses, a finally satisfied Han Yoonjeong ran back to us.

Hong Yeon simply handed the phone back with a pleasant smile.

“…Holy crap.”

Han Yoonjeong immediately squatted down and started swiping through the photos. Judging by her expression, customer satisfaction was at a solid one hundred percent.

“Sunbae.”

“Yeah?”

“I would like some photos, too.”

With scenery this beautiful, it seemed even Hong Yeon couldn’t resist.

“Sure, go stand where she was earlier.”

She ran over and took her place with the Alps as her backdrop.

While Han Yoonjeong had been striking dynamic, fashion-model poses, Hong Yeon looked awkward just having her picture taken. She fidgeted, standing as stiffly as a wooden doll.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you here for an ID photo? Just relax and try not to think about it.”

“Relax?”

Her pose shifted.

Her right leg slid slightly forward, and her hands, which had been hovering awkwardly, disappeared behind her back as she clasped them together. She straightened her posture, lifted her chin, and let a gentle smile bloom on her face.

The wind caught her hair, making it flutter naturally.

“Whoa…”

I nearly dropped the smartphone. This was beyond a simple photoshoot; it looked like a masterpiece, a single, beautiful work of art captured by a master.

’This is unreal.’

“Did you take it?”

“Ah, sorry! One more!”

True to her inexperience in front of the camera, her poses had a modest, demure feel. She folded her hands together, made a shy little V-sign, and even plucked a flower to hold against her cheek as she smiled.

And somehow… I found a goofy, doting-dad grin spreading across my face.

“Kyaa! These are insane! I’m so glad we came here!”

After checking all her photos, Han Yoonjeong sprang to her feet.

“Oh, are you still shooting?”

“I am finished.”

“Wait a second, hunter Hong Yeon! Stay right there!”

Han Yoonjeong ran over to her.

“Let’s take one together, just us! Sound good?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, hold my hand.”

They stood facing each other and clasped both hands.

“And then you lift your back foot just a little, like this.”

“L-Like this?”

“Yeah! Lean your body a bit more toward me.”

I silently watched them adjust their pose, when suddenly Han Yoonjeong yelled out.

“Okay! Now, take it!”

“Okay.”

I raised the phone and framed them in the shot.

’Oh ho.’

The two beauties were striking an adorable pose and beaming at me. For some reason, even though I was just the one taking the picture, I felt a strange flutter in my chest.

I pressed the shutter repeatedly.

“You get them all?”

“Yeah.”

The two of them ran over to check the photos. While Han Yoonjeong was literally bouncing with excitement, even Hong Yeon, her cheeks flushed, couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen.

Bringing them along had definitely been the right call.

“Hey, aren’t you going to get any pictures taken?”

“I’m good. I’m fine just taking the scenery home with my eyes.”

“There he goes again, trying to be all classy. Photos are the only things that really last, you know.”

Muttering to herself, she glanced around, then spotted a tourist couple and ran over.

“Hey!”

She said something to them, and the husband immediately started repeating, “Of course! Of course!”

“This guy’s gonna take our picture! Let’s get one of all three of us at the end!”

She grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the photo spot. On my other side, Hong Yeon came and stood, folding her hands demurely in front of her.

The foreign man seemed to get into it, rolling up his sleeves and bending his knees as he lined up the shot.

He started counting down from five. At that moment, I felt Han Yoonjeong grab my left arm and lean in.

’…Hey, hey.’

I froze. I opened my mouth to call her name, but she just smiled brightly as if nothing was wrong.

Then I felt someone press close on my right. Hong Yeon had also taken hold of my right arm and was resting her head lightly against my shoulder.

My entire body locked up with tension.

“…Two, one!”

Click!

“One more time!”

This guy was clearly enjoying himself.

As he took the photos, the corners of his mouth climbed higher and higher. I understood exactly how he felt.

He ended up taking several more shots for us.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

While the two of them huddled together, giggling as they checked the photos, I quietly stepped over to the man and motioned for him to look to his side.

“What…?”

He turned his head.

And there, he finally came face-to-face with his wife’s blazing expression.

’Rest in peace, man.’

I offered a silent prayer for his soul and went back to rejoin the girls.

* * *

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