"YOUR STATUS Window is empty?"
Wonhee nodded at Hwang Frost's question. "I can see it, but it doesn't have anything written on it. Do I need to press or touch some invisible buttons to activate it?"
"That's odd."
"I-I know. How can I awaken when I didn't get sick and fall into a comatose state?"
"You didn't?"
She nodded worriedly, then she shared her concerns with him. "But I think I'm being framed up by someone who has a grudge against me. I'm here because I'm being accused of taking Forced Awakening drugs."
"But you didn't."
"I didn't, but why do you sound so sure?"
Hwang Frost couldn't possibly have faith in Wonhee since it was the first time they met.
So, she was quite taken aback by how confident he sounded when he agreed that she didn't take any Forced Awakening drugs.
"Do you know what kind of Guides APA has been sending here for me?"
"H-Hopefully the best ones out there?"
"Not even the Big 4's A-Class Guides could guide me, so your baseless positivity isn't needed here."
"You're being rude…"
"Am I wrong, though?"
"I said you were rude, I didn't say you were wrong. Will it kill you to be a bit nicer?"
"Yeah."
"W-What?"
Hwang Frost smirked at her. "I ended up in this situation because I was too nice for someone in my line of work."
Hearing "being too nice" and 'Hwang Frost' didn't sound right.
Wonhee quickly scolded herself for judging Hwang Frost harshly.
[But, in my defense, this is the guy who just jumped me…]
"Guides who have undergone Forced Awakening," Hwang Frost said, interrupting Wonhee's thinking process. "APA has been "feeding" me with Guides who were awakened unnaturally."
Wonhee covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped. "B-But Forced Awakening is illegal! Why would APA do that?"
"APA is the new law of this country– APA can't do or say anything wrong," he said. "Personally, I don't agree with it. But the government still has a use in this country."
"R-Right…"
Hwang Frost fell silent for a moment, then he burst out laughing like the madman that he was supposed to be. "Wow. It's been a while since I've been this sober. I can't believe I can think clearly right now. It's refreshing."
Well, Wonhee also didn't expect she'd be able to hold a "proper" conversation with him.
[The media made it look like Frost-ssi has lost all reasoning and doesn't act like a human anymore…]
"I think it's because of you, Omnivore-ssi."
"B-But… am I really an awakened person now when my Status Window is odd?"
"Right, we're talking about that before I got distracted," Hwang Frost said. "Anyway, I'm sure that you didn't awaken because of some stupid drugs. The Guides who had Forced Awakening smelled like chemicals. And their Status Windows… never mind."
Hmm?
It seemed like Hwang Frost almost had a slip of the tongue.
[He's hiding something.]
But Wonhee wasn't that curious about it.
"Anyway, let's try it out, Omnivore-ssi."
"T-Try what?"
Hwang Frost stood up and approached her. "Let's try activating your Status Window."
"H-How?"
To be honest, she wanted to stand.
After all, the way Hwang Frost approached her felt like watching an apex predator come and corner his prey.
But she figured her knees would just buckle anyway. So, she just remained sitting down.
Hwang Frost squatted down in front of her. "Omnivore-ssi, touch me."
Wonhee backed away from him quickly until her back hit the wall. "Excuse me?"
"You need to touch me in order to guide me."
"Are you under the impression that I'm a Guide?" she asked, confused. "It's true that it seems like I've awakened. Even so, there are different types of Awakened People. I could be a Hunter for all we know."
"Nah, an herbivore couldn't possibly become a Hunter."
"Is being physically weak the definition of being an "herbivore" in your book?"
"What about it?"
"You're so m-mean…"
"It's alright since you're an omnivore," Hwang Frost said, obviously teasing her. "You're only slightly weak. Still, even omnivores couldn't awaken as Hunters."
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"You're not making sense…"
"Touch me and you'll understand."
She suddenly blushed.
This might be crazy of her, but Hwang Frost telling Wonhee to touch him while looking at her face intently was… sexy.
Which was a surprise.
She was surrounded by good-looking Awakened People and celebrities, and Seodam's visual was top-tier.
But Hwang Frost…
[He's an S-Class indeed. His face is S-Class. Even his sexiness is S-Class!]
No wonder Hwang Frost was the best among the Big 4 and the entire country.
"Omnivore-ssi, if you don't want to touch me, then should I touch you?"
Wonhee immediately put a hand on Hwang Frost's cheek. "I-Is this enough?"
Only an awkward silence greeted her.
[Why is he being silent all of a sudden?]
"Omnivore-ssi."
[He finally talked.]
"W-What?"
"What's your name?"
"Chu Wonhee…"
"I'm Hwang Yejun, so call me by my real name instead of my Hunter name."
Right.
'Frost' was just a moniker that people gave him because he would often freeze monsters and other stuff when he was in 'berserk' mode.
"Chu Wonhee, touch my body."
"E-Excuse me?!"
Hwang Yejun suddenly grabbed Wonhee's hand and tried to guide it to his chest.
That flustered her.
Before Wonhee knew it, her other hand already moved and slapped Hwang Yejun across the cheek.
SLAP.
The sharp sound of Wonhee's palm hitting Hwang Yejun's cheek echoed in the room.
Oh.
She gasped, her eyes opening wide when she realized what she had just done.
"I'm sorry– Yejun-ssi!"
Hwang Yejun floor to the ground, unconscious, before Wonhee could even finish her apology.
She tried to catch him, but he hit the floor faster than she could move.
THUD.
She was afraid Hwang Yejun broke his face since he fell with his face flat on the ice floor, so she turned him around with all her remaining strength.
Wow.
Hwang Yejun was still immaculately handsome.
[Of course, his body is sturdy so he wouldn't get hurt even if he fell face flat on an icy floor…]
That was a relief.
Even so…
[He's so still, and his chest barely moves as if he's not breathing.]
That scared Wonhee.
[Did I really knock out THE Hwang Frost– the youngest member of the Big 4, the master of Winter Guild, and the first X-Class in the country – with just one slap?!]
While her mind was in chaos, the glowing Status Window reappeared in front of her.
This time, the text message that she was looking for finally appeared.
<"Congratulations, Chu Wonhee! You're now a certified Awakened Person!">
Wonhee gulped hard while reading the message that appeared continuously on the Status Window.
<"The System would like to wish you good luck on your new life as a Guide!">
Wonhee covered her mouth with her hands when she gasped. "I awakened as a Guide…?"
To be honest, she didn't know what to feel.
Of course, she secretly wished to be a Guide when she was dating Seodam. But she wasn't desperate to be one. She just thought it would be nice to be able to literally "charge" her (ex)-boyfriend's energy.
But now that she became a Guide after she broke up with Seodam…
[No, I should worry about myself first. Yejun-ssi said I didn't awaken because of drugs. But how can I prove it? Yejun-ssi is an X-Class Hunter now. His words will not be taken seriously by APA and the media.]
Her thinking process was interrupted when, suddenly, she smelt something fragrant in the air. It was subtle, but for some reason, she recognized the scent.
[Camellia flowers…?]
Wonhee turned around when she noticed that someone else was there, but she was startled when someone covered her eyes with their soft and smooth hand.
"Don't move."
The muffled voice was soft and velvety and in no way commanding.
And yet, Wonhee found herself relaxing and listening to the owner of the voice.
"Forget about what happened here."
Wonhee knitted her eyebrows. To be honest, she didn't want to forget what happened in that basement. In fact, she was determined to sue.
But she knew better than provoking an unknown enemy, so she just kept her mouth shut.
[My Soobin Oppa and Semi Unnie told me that if I ever get kidnapped, I must do as the kidnappers say even if it means selling them out.]
Wonhee slowly nodded, acting obediently. "O-Okay, sir."
She assumed the gender of the speaker because of their voice, and she wanted to be polite.
"The door is open, so you may come out now."
Wonhee, for some reason, suddenly felt sleepy…
***
sola_cola's thoughts on this chapter: LEZZGO YEJUUUN!!!
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