Former Hero Streamer – Chapter 59

“Oh my…”

I’ve never seen someone being chased by a pack of cats in my life.

It’s quite a spectacle to witness a person running from six cats, something you don’t come across easily.

The thought of helping slipped from my mind for a moment.

Maybe there’s a past grudge against cats at play here, but leaving it like this would surely undermine the dignity of humankind.

If a guest were to cross a river and not return, that would also be a tragedy.

I should help quickly.

I shifted my position and exposed myself to her line of sight.

As she spotted me, Ms. Ahjin sprinted toward me with all her might… I felt a sense of relief that her face was hidden by a mask, considering how desperate she looked.

“Se… Sehee!”

Ms. Ahjin, who hid right behind me, was catching her breath roughly, peeking her head over my shoulder.

The cats, sensing they were already out of luck by hiding behind me, turned away without a second thought.

Well, coolly resolved for now.

“Are you okay? What’s got you running from cats like this?”

“Um… I don’t really….”

Her stammering absolutely drained the tension from the room.

For a moment, I wondered if this woman was really a Hero after all.

Even I, thinking I was somewhat perceptive, shook my head; her current state was pitifully weak.

And then it happened.

—Flap!

A strange sound that made you want to dodge instinctively came crashing down above Ms. Ahjin’s head.

It wasn’t quite big enough to be a raindrop, but it was too large to be ignored as a droplet bomb.

Definitely not liquid, yet it was too clumpy to be solid.

“…Ah.”

“…Heh, heh!”

Her body began to tremble, having been hit directly on the head by pigeon droppings.

I stepped back, caught off guard by the awful odor of the acidic substance that started to corrode everything it touched.

‘If she aimed well, it would have been like getting hit with Ashley’s…’

The probability of bird droppings from a bird flying several meters up hitting that convenient opening of 3 cm is said to exceed the odds of winning the lottery.

Expecting such a dramatic scene may have been too ambitious.

*

*

*

I couldn’t leave Ms. Ahjin, who took a direct hit, on the roadside, so I hurriedly brought her inside.

“Quick, go wash up. I’ll take care of the clothes.”

“Uh….”

“We can discuss later.”

“Y-yes….”

Watching her rush to the shower while hurriedly stripping off her clothes, I felt a fatigue settling in from the start.

If it’s an ability to drag down a Hero like this, then that’s something remarkable.

The clothes she wore went straight into the washing machine.

Since the mess wasn’t on the garments themselves, I had no qualms about throwing them in.

I took out my favorite hoodie and shorts for her to wear after showering and left them at the bathroom door.

How long did I drift in thought after closing my eyes for a moment?

—Click.

The door opened, revealing Ms. Ahjin, now awkwardly dressed in the clothes I’d prepared.

“Th-thank you. For the clothes… and the shower….”

“It’s fine. They say it’s good luck to get hit by pigeon droppings. Maybe consider buying a lottery ticket later.”

“……”

I thought it was a decent joke, but her expression soured, indicating I must have miscalculated the delivery.

Even so, she came over quietly and stuck close to me… like a kitten reluctant to part from its mother.

A heavy silence filled the room.

The woman before me was evidently not one to have much to say.

To be honest, I wouldn’t consider myself a chatty person either.

But what can I do?

Everything is relative, and ultimately I have to steer the conversation somehow.

I wanted to lighten the mood before getting to the point, but…

‘Well, there’s no helping it.’

Focusing solely on changing the subject wouldn’t yield a proper conversation now.

After all, whether man or woman… people often resolve things head-on, don’t they?

“By the way, I have a contract ready… here, take a look.”

“Y-yes.”

The tone she used was so awkward it made it difficult to keep a flow in the conversation.

If being naturally such was a talent, that’s something else.

Even with a mental block, could she really hold up mentally?

At least, fortunately, checking the contract didn’t require any horrific communication skills; she diligently perused it with care.

Rather than wasting time, seeing Ms. Ahjin seriously examining the contract was a refreshing change from her usual demeanor.

At this point, thoughts began to creep into my mind.

‘Should we communicate through writing?’

Or perhaps texting would be easier?

The psychology of people is peculiar; conveying a message verbally feels entirely different from writing it down.

I thought there might be unexpected benefits in that.

Just then, after she had finished reading the contract, Ms. Ahjin spoke up.

“I… really… really…”

“……”

“If you just do this… I’d be okay with it.”

Seeing her agree so readily, it seems Da-young was right about the conditions being generous.

With that, the contract was ready, and it marked the completion of at least one quest.

“Cool, ok. I look forward to working with you.”

“I…I do too….”

We shook hands, but she showed no intent to let go, so I stood there awkwardly, sensing a stillness filled with tension hanging in the air.

With only one hand delving into tranquility while I bore the brunt of the situation, it felt quite taxing.

Even so, I chose not to move to ease the tension.

With such a personality, it was obvious she wouldn’t readily reveal herself as a Hero.

The moment I decided to gather Heroes, I’d need to draw her in definitively…

So, I needed to approach gradually.

‘No need to rush, I guess.’

The start would be… Yeah. Let’s break down the walls first.

Withdrawing my hand from Ms. Ahjin’s grasp, I stood up.

“How about a drink?”

Ms. Ahjin blinked in surprise at my question and tilted her head curiously.

“Pardon?”

“If you’re free, let’s have a drink to celebrate signing the contract?”

It was 4 PM.

It might have been a touch early to suggest a drink, but upon seeing her shoulder shrug, she slightly nodded in agreement.

*

*

*

Drinks.

The best cure for breaking down walls and revealing a person’s inner self.

I cautiously asked if she could drink, and she replied that she could hold her own.

Her appearance and behavior seemed so mismatched… but hey, she sure knows how to drink.

I prepared a sweet white wine with a smooth finish that anyone could easily gulp down.

Snacks were light cheese and chips, served simply.

At this rate, even those not used to drinking could easily manage to sip away.

With minimal stimulation, the gentle sweetness would likely lead to an unguarded state before long.

It felt a bit like planning a crime, but…

‘So what?’

I’m not harming anyone nor intending to inflict damage.

I’m simply seeking to know who this person is; isn’t that typical at a drinking gathering?

Once the preparations were largely done, there wasn’t much left to do.

We shared drinks back and forth at the living room table in a rather stripped-down ambience.

The clinking of glasses ringing through the air as we toasted.

The sound of hands fiddling with chips and cheese.

With her cautiously glancing around, as the glasses continued to be exchanged, Ms. Ahjin’s clarity began to soften.

It was as if she was unwrapping a present, her defenses gradually fading.

Once we finished one bottle and popped the cork of the second, she suddenly blurted out,

“So, why the hell are you with that moron?”

Ahjin transformed into a tipsy mess.

What a dramatic shift! ‘Moron’ indeed.

From the conversation, it seemed she was referring to Park Da-young, and it looked like Dayoung’s first-day encounter with this would-be Hero turned sour.

Sehee couldn’t help but chuckle internally.

If Ryoo Ahjin ends up revealing she’s a Hero, isn’t it inevitable that she’ll have to reevaluate her relationship with Da-young?

Even though nothing was confirmed yet, I allowed myself to fantasize about that for a moment.

“Sister? My sister?”

“Yes, Ms. Ahjin.”

“Ugh… I call you sister, so you should call me Ahjin-unnie too~.”

If Da-young had seen that cute vulnerable behavior she’d usually never display, it would have been quite a sight.

Well, if she’s approaching freely, I guess I shouldn’t draw lines.

“Sure, Ahjin.”

“Yay! You finally called me Ahjin~♥”

What an amusing change.

If I had to choose between pre- and post-drinking Ryoo Ahjin, I’d take this version over the previous hands down.

To know someone, you have to communicate, and at least the current version of her was talking.

“You don’t even know how much I like you, do you?”

“I do.”

“Huh? How come?”

“You looked like you wanted to hold my hand for hours, so I figured that much.”

“Eww—!”

A tiny little kitty, like a cute little furball.

Her puffed-cheek expression while making some silly faces was adorably innocent, even as she behaved a bit absurdly.

“I… I’m not really this kind of person… I have my reasons, you know. W-wah!”

I gave her a gentle smile to comfort Ahjin, who was about to tear up.

“I won’t hate you.”

“R-really?”

“Yep.”

At those words, relief washed over her, and as she smiled brightly, she said.

“Sister.”

“What is it?”

“I… want to hold your hand again… is that alright?”

“Hand? Like before, holding hands?”

“Yeah, when I hold your hand, it makes my heart feel at ease….”

Seeing her like this, I thought the moment was ripe…

“Hmm.”

It was time to bring out the whip.

“No way.”

“Huh?”

With my shoulders shrugging and a gesture of ‘why?’, her expression turned serious.

She looked so shockingly stunned; it was as if her world had crumbled.

A state of complete bewilderment held her eyes.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.

“W-what…?”

The one to first break the silence was Ms. Ahjin.

“Y-you said you wouldn’t hate me, right…?”

She stammered as if she had returned to her sober state, but I quietly poured her a fresh glass of wine.

Cheers.