A languid weekend evening.
“Huh… Huh…”
Jin Se-a was nestled into the plush sofa of her penthouse living room, with the sprawling night view of Seoul visible through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. She had just finished an intense workout.
With a pleasant muscle soreness and beads of sweat clinging to her skin, a refreshing chill enveloped her body.
It was then.
In the empty air around her, she sensed a familiar yet… slightly different gaze. She immediately recognized the owner of that gaze.
– Fizz!
“Ah… You startled me.”
In front of her, a translucent system window appeared in the air. Unintelligible characters and symbols glowed with noise.
[Jin■■] [■I■NED?]
[Current ■State: Total ■calm ■?…?…]
[Me■s■sage: ■■■ ■■■ ■■]
[???!?!!?!????]
“Phew…”
Good thing she had her defense up at all times.
The system flickered desperately, projecting her inner self.
Jin Se-a gently reached out her hand towards the floating system window. Sensing her touch, the system fought back, desperately bursting with light. However, regrettably for it, resistance was hardly a worthy opponent.
Jin Se-a felt a sense of surprise.
“Did Sunwoo awaken his ability?”
She smiled playfully at the system that was struggling, restrained above her head.
She couldn’t just show this as it is.
Maybe this time, she would try something a bit different.
She lightly grasped the air. At that moment, the system window started to crumple like paper.
– Crinkle… crinkle…
A high-pressure magical current sprang from the tips of Jin Se-a’s white fingers, forcibly disassembling the system and reconstructing the data. She neatly arranged the broken characters and inscribed pure and harmless sentences.
[Jin Se-a] [PINNED]
[Current status: Relaxing! Psychologically completely peaceful, extremely safe, and absolutely harmless!]
[Main stance: Dislikes weekends coming to an end!]
The perfect false information she created. The moment it appeared on the screen, the system began to scream.
[!! Warning: This system strictly condemns all information manipulation actions !!]
[!! Warning: This system strongly requests the cessation of all harmful actions !!]
The entire system window turned bright red and desperately spewed warning messages. Jin Se-a shook her head at the warnings like a child.
“Ugh… I don’t want to.”
She cradled her cheeks with both hands. Her face flushed as red as an apple, contrasting with her recently committed act.
“I’m so embarrassed…”
Just the thought that he might find out her true feelings made her heart flutter and race.
Then the familiar sensation she had felt earlier disappeared. He had stopped using his power.
She got up from the sofa and approached the massive floor-to-ceiling window. The dazzling night view of Seoul stretched out before her.
Her golden eyes were fixed on only one place.
A particularly clear black officetel building.
“……”
That was the place Jin Se-a had recommended to Yoo Seon-woo.
“It has strict security and is close to the counseling center, which is nice.” she had said. But of course, the real reason was this.
At that moment, the light in the building by the window turned off.
His day was over, so it was time for hers to come to an end as well.
“Good night.”
Jin Se-a whispered softly while looking at the building.
And then, she turned off the lights in her room.
***
Early Monday morning. The city was just waking up. The dawn air flowed into the counseling room through the window.
I picked up an A4 sheet printed from the printer. It still held warmth.
[The counseling center will open for treatment from the afternoon today. Please make sure not to visit by mistake.]
I neatly affixed it to the glass door. There would be no morning counseling.
I had decided to head straight to Union Guild this morning. My first house call.
It was the start of my transition into a counselor.
Union Guild.
True to its name, a cradle for various aliens who have crossed over from different regulated worlds. A land for wandering warriors from the Central Plains, empire knights, and even beastmen who were not part of the Celestial Coalition or the Demon Guild.
I would have to deal with people who had different worldviews.
Most likely… the highest proportion would be from the empire, given the guild’s demographics.
I quietly closed my eyes and activated my ability.
[Luna] [PINNED]
[Current status: Getting ready for work, but thankfully no tasks today….]
[Main stance: Dislikes commuting. Dislikes. Dislikes!!!]
On the surface, I appeared as a diligent member of society, but inside I was no different from a child facing Monday morning.
The reason I had no tasks today was likely due to counseling.
I packed my things and stood up.
***
The guild lounge on a Monday morning was nothing more than a chaotic space filled with loud noises and irritations for Luna.
The expensive coffee beans provided for the hunters tasted like bitter water.
The ergonomic sofa poked uncomfortably at her back.
The representative hunter of the guild, the face of the union.
Luna.
She pressed her temples tightly, suffering from chronic headaches, as she glared at the guild official sitting across from her, Choi Soo-ho.
“What… counseling?”
“Psychological counseling.”
At Choi Soo-ho’s dry reply, Luna’s brows furrowed deeper.
“I don’t want to.”
“Neither do I… but it’s a direct order from the guild leader.”
Choi Soo-ho seemed tired as he splashed water on his face.
He had felt relieved since there hadn’t been any planned missions today.
But what kind of counseling?
Somehow, only the problematic members of the guild were seated in the lounge.
Union Guild had come to a clear decision. To target those like Luna who typically evaded counseling, they had deliberately chosen to notify them that morning.
Moreover.
“They say it’s a hunter specialist counselor. He’s the first to come to our guild.”
The moment she heard those words, Luna’s red eyes shook as if there had been an earthquake.
A hunter specialist counselor. That person?
She had known. A week ago, she had already sought him out.
The day before had truly been the worst at every turn.
So she had taken a day off and visited his counseling center, which she had only heard rumors about.
Just to check it out and, if it seemed good… perhaps consider receiving a session herself. She had sat quietly in the furthest corner and activated her cloaking.
Her keen hearing absorbed all the sounds in the counseling room.
The concerns of other hunters, and the counselor’s responses.
His approach seemed quite effective. Tiny hope sprouted that he might genuinely help.
So she had intended to quietly listen and leave. It was at that moment.
[Cloaking will be forcibly deactivated!]
“What?!”
The barrier of invisibility that had wrapped around her was forcibly torn away. The man in a doctor’s coat was staring straight at her.
“Are you… a patient?”
She had been caught instantly. By an ordinary counselor who gave off no particular magical presence.
In the end, she couldn’t even scream and fled instead. She was too embarrassed.
And she had given up on counseling.
Yet that man would come here himself.
“Ahhhhh…….”
Luna covered her eyes with both hands and leaned back.
At that, Choi Soo-ho in front of her tried to calm her down.
“Relax. He’ll definitely be a good counselor.”
I know. I know it too.
I couldn’t help but acknowledge his skill. He had a way of calming a hunter’s trauma with just a few words, presenting a solution that deserved applause.
But. I knew that.
“Ah….”
Knowing all of that made me want to go even less.
The situation she was facing couldn’t be resolved in the first place.
Thus, rather than any expectation of resolution, what loomed larger was the embarrassment of facing the one who had forcibly deactivated her cloaking.
It meant that her magic from her homeland, the ‘Empire’, had been forcibly undone.
“Luna!”
At that moment, someone entered the lounge. It was the guild manager.
“Shall we go?”
Realizing that all escape routes were blocked, Luna finally stood up.
She was… dragged off to the counseling room.
***
The counseling room prepared for me at the Union Guild was quite pleasant. However, in stark contrast, the HR manager sitting across from me had dark circles under his eyes.
Wouldn’t this person be the one in need of counseling?
“What… why are there so many?”
However, I couldn’t help but be surprised when I received the union’s roster. The screen was filled with the profiles of more than twenty hunters.
Since it was my first house call, I had clearly agreed to focus on quality over quantity with the association. So we had decided to select only those who the guild absolutely needed…
Yet the Union presented me with far more people than I expected.
– Slam!
“Please, counselor….”
The manager bowed his head in front of me.
It seemed that they had their own reasons. Managing hunters didn’t appear to be an easy task.
I stopped speaking and nodded quietly. It seemed the counseling center might not open even in the afternoon.
As I scrolled down through the list of hunters, I discovered someone.
“Shall we start with this person?”
As soon as I pointed out the name, the manager’s expression brightened.
[Luna]
“Yes. I’ll bring her right away….”
With a beaming face, the team leader hurriedly dashed out of the counseling room. From his back, I could glean how challenging a presence named Luna was in this guild.
And how much time passed?
– Creak….
Finally, the door opened very slowly.
Through the door, a woman appeared.
A beautiful lady with white hair.
Luna stood frozen in front of the door. Unable to advance or retreat.
As if blocked by the wall.
I maintained a soft smile, receiving all her wariness in my body.
Last week, she had met me in a panic, with her cloaking stripped away and had fled the moment our eyes met.
So the attitude I should take now was simple.
“Nice to meet you.”
I decided to erase all her memories of that encounter.
I would treat the past as nonexistent. Today, you and I are meeting for the first time, and I know nothing of your embarrassing past.
I wanted to completely start anew in our relationship, wiping out any psychological resistance Luna had.
At that, an unusual light flickered in her eyes.
Luna’s tightly closed lips opened just slightly, barely.
“Ah… Yes… Hello….”
She nodded her head mechanically once.
Still, she precariously perched on the edge of the chair without releasing her wariness.
Good.
The beginning was not bad.
At least, we had made it to a table where conversation was possible.
Now, it was time to confirm.
What was her issue…?
I gazed into her red eyes, quietly activating my ability.
[Luna]
[Main Stance]
[Standing precariously between her identity as a member of the Empire and as a beastman.]
[Suitable responses] [Satisfaction compatibility rate 90%]
[Please help her find her identity.]
Reading the sentence suggested by the system, I felt a question arise.
Beastman?
What beastman?
The person before me was undeniably human.
There was no trace of any animal characteristics.
At that moment.
[Warning: Recognition impairment (B-grade) is disrupting your vision.]
The message I had seen last week reappeared.
Yet she was not in a transparent state now.
Regardless of my will, my ability activated automatically.
[Abnormal status: Resisting recognition impairment (camouflage). Attempting forced deactivation.]
[Camouflage (B) forced deactivation successful.]
What was forced deactivated?
The world still looked the same.
I turned my gaze in confusion and suddenly, my eyes froze.
“……”
My gaze naturally fixed above her head. Luna realized my gaze was directed oddly and looked up with a puzzled expression.
Above her head.
Among her white hair, a long, white pair of something was sprouting.
Soft, furry ears with a hint of light pink shimmering inside.
So then.
Rabbit ears.
Noticing it as well, both ears trembled gently.
Luna slowly brought her hands up to her head.
And the moment her fingertips touched that familiar yet utterly inappropriate softness at that moment.
Her eyes trembled wildly.
“Huh? Huh, huh?! Why is this happening?!”
Luna almost screamed, desperately covering her ears with both hands.
“No! Don’t look! Don’t look at them!!”
However, there was no way her small palms could cover those long, large ears.
‘Ah.’
I sensed something was off inside.
