My eyes opened to the brightness of sunlight streaming through the window.
"Ugh..." I mumbled, slowly sitting up.
I looked around and realized I was in a room I didn't recognize.
What was the last thing I remembered?
Right. I had been in the middle of a conversation with Han Jinhyuk and Atticus. But what happened after that? My memories suddenly went blank.
I reached for my phone to check the time, only to find that an entire day had passed.
Startled, I immediately dialed Atticus's number. He picked up almost right away.
"Looks like you're awake."
"Uh, yes. No, wait. Is everyone okay? Are you okay? Is Jinhyuk-ssi okay?"
"Oh, that? Everyone is fine. We managed to resolve the matter in the end. It appears to have been nothing more than a misunderstanding."
A misunderstanding?
What kind of misunderstanding could possibly explain the urgency of everything that had happened yesterday? They had practically dragged me away, barged into Han Jinhyuk's guild, and caused such a public scene that I still felt embarrassed thinking about it.
And now I was supposed to believe it had all been settled because of a simple misunderstanding? Then what about me waking up in a completely unfamiliar room the following day?
While I was still trying to make sense of his explanation, I heard Diana unnie's voice in the background.
"Is that my dear Elena? Tell her she doesn't have to come in today. We'll take care of the café for her."
"Did you hear that, Elena?"
"Yes..."
"Then please take the day to rest. There's no need to worry about the café. We'll see you tomorrow."
Atticus said his goodbyes before hanging up.
"What the...?"
I stared at my phone for a moment before finally getting out of bed.
There was a bathroom connected to the room, so I washed up before heading outside.
"Jinhyuk-ssi?"
I called out, but there was no sign of him anywhere in the enormous house.
I did, however, find a coffee machine in the kitchen.
I knew it wasn't exactly polite to help myself to someone else's kitchen, especially when the owner was absent. But considering how many times Jinhyuk-ssi had shown me unexpected favoritism, I figured he wouldn't mind too much.
And with a coffee machine sitting right in front of me, it was rather difficult to resist.
I approached it and took a closer look at the unusual assortment of ingredients arranged nearby. There were so many of them, all neatly organized like the ingredients at a professional café.
I couldn't help myself.
Before long, I was experimenting with different combinations, trying to figure out what each ingredient did.
In the end, I managed to make a sweet coffee that tasted completely otherworldly.
I couldn't even begin to describe the flavor. There was a delicate sweetness accompanied by a refreshing citrusy note, followed by something smooth and fragrant that lingered on my tongue.
What on earth had I just made?
I took another sip, trying to identify the ingredients I'd used.
Whatever they were, I definitely wanted to remember this combination.
I decided to pour the remaining coffee into a thermal bottle so Jinhyuk-ssi could try it when he got home.
I found a small sticky note tucked away in a corner of the living room and picked it up to write him a message.
I made some coffee for you. Please give it a try!
P.S. I've never seen these ingredients before. Would you mind telling me where you got them?
Once I finished, I stuck the note onto the bottle and placed it somewhere he would easily notice.
There. That should do it.
I clapped my hands together, satisfied with my little surprise, before leaving his home.
Afterward, I returned to my place to freshen up and get ready before heading to the café.
But the moment I arrived, I couldn't have been more surprised than this, because my cafe was in complete shambles!!
The furniture was overturned, things were scattered everywhere, and the place looked as though a disaster had swept right through it.
I stood frozen at the entrance, staring at the mess.
Didn't they say it was just an argument?
Atticus had told me everything was fine. He even said they had resolved the misunderstanding.
Then why on earth did my café look like this?!
"W-What happened here...?"
I immediately dialed Atticus's number again.
"Oppa, why is my café... No, wait. Where are you guys? I thought you were working on my cafe??"
"Did that boy not tell you?"
"Tell me what? And who are you talking about?"
"It seems Han Jinhyuk left out a few important details. Since your café was... damaged, he kindly offered to let you take ownership of the café in his building."
"What? What do you mean—? More importantly, what happened to my place?"
"Oh, the café is quite busy right now. I can't talk for long. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Wait, Oppa—"
The call ended before I could finish.
I lowered my phone, once again left speechless as I stood in front of my ruined café.
I still couldn't understand what was going on, but they were at least right to think that I still needed rest.
My head was starting to throb from all the confusion, so I decided to head back home for the time being.
So many things had happened ever since I met Han Jinhyuk.
Was it because he was an S-rank hunter? Did getting involved with someone like him really mean having my life turned upside down every other day?
I let out a tired sigh and took out my phone.
Maybe searching online would help me understand what was going on.
I typed his name into the search bar.
Han Jinhyuk.
Countless articles and discussion threads appeared almost instantly. As expected, most of them were about his recent dungeon activities, achievements, and appearances.
But one article caught my attention.
In fact, it seemed to be the most popular post on Hunter Net.
And the person featured in it was...
Me?
I tapped the article.
[Han Jinhyuk Spotted with Mysterious Woman During Unexpected Dungeon Incident!]
On XX, an unexpected dungeon formed, pulling S-rank hunter Han Jinhyuk and an unidentified woman into the dungeon.
According to witnesses, the two had been together shortly before the incident. Fortunately, both appear to have made it out alive, an outcome many expected from the so-called Monarch of Dungeons.
However, while Han Jinhyuk's survival came as little surprise, one question has been circulating among the hunter community.
Who exactly was the woman who entered the dungeon with him?
She appeared to emerge without any visible injuries, but her identity remains unknown. What's more, eagle-eyed onlookers noticed that she was wearing what appeared to be Han Jinhyuk's jacket when she came out.
Was she an ordinary civilian? Another hunter? Or someone with a closer connection to the S-rank hunter than anyone realized?
COMMENTS
[CoffeeAddict92] Hey! Are we even sure that's his jacket? It could be hers.
[DefinitelyNotABot] Hers? Since when do women wear jackets that big?
[DungeonSurvivor] Wait, isn't that definitely Han Jinhyuk's? I've seen him wearing it before.
[just_here_to_lurk] Forget the jacket. Why was he with a woman in the first place?
[shipper_in_denial] Maybe she's his girlfriend?
[NoonaFanClub] There's no way. Hasn't he rejected every attempt to approach him for years?
[RankDoesntMatter] You guys are missing the point. How did an unidentified woman survive being dragged into a dungeon with him?
[PotatoHunter] Exactly. If she's an ordinary civilian, shouldn't we be asking how she got out alive?
I read the article and the comments with an embarrassment. I guess Han Jinhyuk was right. I'll get tangled up in all kinds of rumors.
But strangely enough, I didn't hate it.
I kept looking through other articles, curious about what kinds of things the media has to say about Han Jinhyuk.
[S-rank Hunter Han Jinhyuk Has A Secret Lover?]
[Hunter Han Jinhyuk spotted inside a Cafe? Who is he meeting?]
[Han Jinhyuk Secret Child? Who is the mother?]
Looking at the titles, the people really have so much to say about him, don't they? Still, I kept scrolling and looking, interested at his life until a scandal caught my attention.
This one was recent with a picture.
[ S-rank Hunters Jinhyuk and Jiyeon Secret Rendezvous? ]
I stare at the picture of them coming out of the car together just outside his guild building.
I know that Han Jinhyuk was said to not have any romantic interest with anybody. It was just an obvious fact to the public, but despite that there was this article.
My heart stopped at the thought that this could be true.
Were they really meeting in secret? But who was she and what was their relationship?
I stare at the picture for a moment longer before closing the tab and turning off my phone.
It's best not to think about it.