The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 470: Letter (1)

The ringing in my head echoed. I considered switching on Poison Resistance, then let it be. When else will I need a hangover? I couldn’t drink like yesterday anymore. Besides, I wanted to lie here a bit longer in a daze.

‘…How embarrassing.’

I hugged a huge pillow and buried my face in it. Even with my foggy head, last night was crystal clear. Not one thing about it wasn’t mortifying.

‘Maybe I was already drunk back in the lounge.’

Maybe so. I’d emptied a glass. And last night… well, I planned to get just tipsy, in case I babbled nonsense. But the wine was delicious, and its gentle warmth felt good.

‘Liking someone isn’t wrong, right?’

I must’ve repeated that over and over: “What’s wrong with it? It’s better than hate.” Ugh, the memory’s too vivid. Yu-hyun kept saying “Brother, you’re right,” and Myung-woo fussed over me to eat snacks while I drank, and Noah said, “I like you too, Yujin,”… Even Ye-rim tried sneaking in with Gyeol, though I shooed her away immediately.

Then Yu-hyun said I seemed really drunk and carried me to the bedroom, and— I think I said there was still wine left, so let’s finish it. At the end, impatient, I turned off Poison Resistance and completely blacked out. I didn’t speak any nonsense, right? Just to be sure, I checked my keyword registrations: Han Yu-hyun was fine.

‘…So drink in moderation.’

I forced my head up and saw my brother sleeping beside me. He’d taken off his jacket, loosened his tie, and looked peaceful. It warmed me for some reason. At least if I’d gone to college normally, this would be age-appropriate—drinking with friends.

He’d washed me, tucked me in, and let me sleep. I got drunk too, of course. But Yu-hyun only seemed a little tipsy—did I drink more after I lost my film? …He couldn’t have fed me more.

I switched on Poison Resistance and sat up. Maybe because the wine was special, I still felt a slight, pleasant hangover.

‘…My head’s clearing up, and it’s even more embarrassing.’

How ridiculous I must have looked—an F-rank shouting at the strongest S-rank human, “I will help you as I please, and if you run, I’ll drag you back!” Ugh. How do I face Seong Hyunjae? And Hyun-A, and Director Song… But no regrets. If I went back now, I’d say the same. I might act more composed, though.

‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do.’

Pushing people to “just live well” without consent might be selfish. Good outcomes aren’t guaranteed. But Seong Hyunjae told me to be selfish first, so it’s fine, right? He asked me to do it, so shut up. No matter what he says—or does!

I remembered him saying his convictions had crystallized. It was in a hotel once too—though not this one. Certainly I’d lacked self-confidence back then. What I trusted… were the things my brother gave me: skills I couldn’t call my own. The things gained by those skills.

‘Without them, I…’

I liked Chloe for her broadcasts—because she recognized effort regardless of rank. An F-rank who cleared dungeons and shared useful info. Without comparison, I, an F-rank hunter, had decent skill. I sold tips to Do Ha-min at a tidy profit. In a harsh environment, I’d pushed my body and mind harder, so I naturally gathered more experience.

So I’d thought if I could talk with Chloe, she might see my worth… Embarrassing now, but I even applied to appear on her show with that hope.

‘But now I got “I don’t like you” first.’

Maybe her view would change once she knew everything. But still…

‘It’s not so bad.’

At first it was a shock, but now I felt a bit relieved. The reborn Han Yujin got harsh criticism. The current me—I’d say I’m better, a hundred times over. Yet the old me, the me with nothing, lived earnestly too.

‘The me in another world is probably doing fine.’

With no special skills. He wouldn’t be F-rank, but still low-rank.

So even a me with nothing is worth some trust. Don’t waver every time Seong Hyunjae rants… though that’ll be hard. But I know what I want.

Even if Seong Hyunjae really left me for good—

‘…That still pisses me off.’

He deleted my name from his phone and handed it to me. He called me “partner” and waited patiently. Hey, it’s not even been a year—it’s not even six months. That was August 30, and it’s only November! Results are quarter-based—three months isn’t even up! If dungeon time counts, maybe it’s three months… but still!

I should really grab him by the collar. Even if I °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° cling, I’d look pathetic.

“…Brother?”

I shoved the poor pillow away and Yu-hyun opened his eyes.

“It’s okay, you can sleep more.”

He sat up, completely untied his tie, and brushed his messy hair back.

“…This sucks.”

“What, hangover? First time, I guess.”

Even S-ranks rarely get drunk these days—special brews are new, and inside dungeons you can’t just drink.

“Not a pleasant feeling.”

“Not now. You weren’t that drunk, but you lost control a little.”

“Huh? But you seemed fine. Nothing broken.”

The wine wasn’t too strong, so until I’d switched off Poison Resistance, both Yu-hyun and I felt only mildly euphoric.

“If it were just me, it’d be fine. But I might hurt you.”

“Hey, I have Inherited Blessing. If you worry, I’ll keep it on when we drink.”

“That weird, skill-affected feeling was no fun either. Even if mild, I won’t drink anymore.”

“Really? I wanted to have the odd drink with you.”

“Only with you, at home. Somewhere I know is safe.”

She made a face at the thought of anyone else.

“You okay, brother?”

“Me? Yeah. I’m sort of at ease, I guess.”

I spoke awkwardly.

“I said it yesterday too—whatever you like is okay. Whatever the outcome.”

Liking something is joyful, comforting, positive. Of course it can hurt too—I know. But no regrets. Even if I lose everything again, if I returned I’d love again.

Seong Hyunjae… wasn’t all bad. Well… there were fun times, tasty times. That place served good food. Myung-woo’s cooking is best, though—he takes health so seriously. It’s amazing that healthy food can taste that good.

“Of course, I won’t just fall head over heels and let anyone take everything. I’ll do as I please.”

Not much has changed, but—what can I say? I put myself first now. At my words, Yu-hyun’s face darkened.

“Got it, brother. After all, she’s foreign.”

“…What?”

“Park Ye-rim said she’s an active high-rank hunter, so she probably won’t visit Korea often. Since I go into dungeons too, a few days a month is fine.”

“No, hey—”

“But we can’t ever be alone together. Always take Peace with you and—”

“I got rejected!”

What is my brother on about?

“And she hates me!”

“A high-rank hunter couldn’t hate you. You only met once and never harmed her.”

They say perverse kids like people like me if the hunter is high-rank.

“But she can’t like everyone. And Chloe’s tied to Park Ha-yul.”

Yu-hyun’s mouth snapped shut. I felt his sudden intensity and quickly stopped him.

“She’s gone! I told Director Song already!”

“…When did you realize?”

“If something felt off, I noticed soon after meeting her—wait!”

Yu-hyun grabbed me and pushed me face-first onto the bed. Hey, ow!

“I thought you and the guild masters were just sightseeing.”

“Yu-hyun, oof!”

Ow!

“Brother said if anyone interrupted my confession, it’s not allowed, so I held back.”

He pressed my shoulder tight. It hurt so much I groaned. The room was huge, quiet—but he couldn’t muffle my groans. The door burst open.

“Yujin?”

“Mr. Han!”

“It’s just a massage.”

Yu-hyun said calmly.

“I learned from a professional, so don’t worry.”

When did you learn? It wasn’t Elder Chaos, I hope.

“But it looks painful.”

At Noah’s words, Yu-hyun answered firmly.

“Brother got into trouble again.”

“Ah….”

“For your health, though—Yujin, you’ll talk about it later, right?”

Myung-woo turned away first, and Noah apologized as he closed the door.

“No, gasp! Oof, Yu-hyun, ow! Easy—!”

I thought I’d die! My tears welled, but the pain also felt good. Yu-hyun looked down at me, displeased.

“Ugh. My suspicion was simple, and I had precautions. I thought it’d be hard to be sure, so I was just testing—and planned to tell you both immediately. But Chloe just spilled everything.”

She said she wouldn’t hide, but normally she’d tell me then leave. Maybe at the airport, with a letter: “Read this after I’m gone.” So I needed to confirm. It gave me a chance to catch her.

“Seong Hyunjae noticed before I spoke, Hyun-A was there, and you and Ye-rim would’ve shown when you found out. It wasn’t hidden on purpose.”

“Got it. Maybe I should learn acting.”

“That’s extreme… but could help.”

Useful for social life. Yu-hyun needn’t act around others, but I might—like when I was nearly arrested. It didn’t seem like acting then.

I staggered off the bed, washed up, and went to the living room. Having heard the news, Ye-rim arrived with Gyeol. The room service tray had come.

“I really did like her. Since before my rebirth.”

I gave them a concise rundown about Chloe—my genuine feelings and confession.

“She felt sorry for using me.”

I left out Seong Hyunjae’s part and relayed Chloe’s own words. I’d need to meet again to gauge Seong Hyunjae’s intentions, and ask him to help detain Chloe. He might refuse—but if so, I’d have to catch him somehow, too.

“What a guy. Kidnapping’s kidnapping—uncle suffered so much.”

Ye-rim pouted.

“If she’s sorry, she shouldn’t have said she disliked you!”

“Different private and official matters.”

“Yujin, you’re not hesitating, are you?”

Myung-woo frowned.

“After all, she harmed you. Even delivering the letter makes her accomplice.”

“That’s right. And knowing Hwang Lim makes it creepy.”

Noah chimed in. True. I took the letter from the inventory, opened it…

“…It’s in Classical Chinese.”

Does he expect any Korean to read that? Hangul’s centuries old—writing in Literary Chinese unashamedly? Such arrogance.

“Should I call a translator? Anyone read Classical Chinese?”

But security worried me—maybe ask Master Ho-yeon?

“Machine translation can handle it roughly.”

Ye-rim pulled out her phone.

“You have to input each character by hand.”

“They can recognize handwriting too.”

“Really?”

“Lay it flat on the table.”

I knew of OCR apps, but on a phone? Ye-rim held her phone over the letter. Slowly, the text appeared in translation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co