Chapter 60 – A Clumsy Lie

“Aargh!” Hee-na tore at her hair.

‘Am I going to have my skill discovered again like this?’

Woo Min-ah had repeatedly requested her not to get caught by others if possible, but that was truly difficult. To hide something, too many alibis were needed. There were more and more times when she felt guilty beforehand, just like now.

“Indeed. What should we do…?”

Hee-won stroked his chin and fell into thought. Then, as if something hit him, he uttered an ‘Ah.’

“Let’s just say it is a skill.”

“A skill?”

“Say that among the Homemaker-specialized skills, there is something like an inter-floor noise prevention skill. So even your presence cannot be heard.”

It was a truly strange explanation. Hee-na furrowed her brow.

“What is that? Do you think such a clumsy lie will work?”

“If you listen to it, there are all sorts of skills in the world. Besides, since your class is unique, wouldn’t he not know no matter how you make excuses? Just stubbornly insist that it is because of your Hidden Class.”

Hee-won passed on a piece of life wisdom that bordered on stubborness, saying that in South Korea, the one with the loudest voice wins.

Right, right. Stubbornly insisting first is the best.

Osaek-i also nodded his antennae, agreeing that such was the way of the world.

Even Baduki raised two leaves and clapped them together in a gesture resembling applause, as if it had heard something magnificent.

‘Is having a loud voice and being shameless really the answer after all?’

Since one person, one snail, and one plant insisted to this extent, Hee-na’s mind swayed. It seemed she might be able to trick and get past Kang Jin-hyun if she acted this shamelessly.

“Is, is that so?”

“Think about the next thing next time. Even if you get caught, is it really going to be a big deal? I heard that man cannot even eat properly if it is not your food.”

Being the eldest, Hee-won was more bold and easygoing compared to Hee-na. Furthermore, he displayed a strange sense of humanity, saying that someone who harms the person who feeds them is worse than a beast.

‘Well…’

Listening to her brother’s sermon, it seemed there was nothing wrong with it either.

Kang Jin-hyun considered Hee-na important enough to carry her and run when he was drunk. To the point of keeping her safely inside his room while saying romantic things about protecting her from all the threats of the world.

“Since you say so, Oppa, my worries are relieved a bit.”

When she readily admitted it, Hee-won smiled proudly and patted his chest.

“If you are really worried, just bring some furniture into the apartment to make it look like someone lives there.”

Hee-na nodded. And she went a step further.

“Right. Then shall we go to the furniture store tomorrow to take a look?”

“Tomorrow already?”

“Well, they say strike while the iron is hot… Since I got a lot of money, I should spend some.”

Hee-na had a lot of worries and anxiety, but she was not the type to back out once she decided to do something. Since they were talking about it anyway, she wanted to get the job done quickly.

As soon as she made up her mind and stood up, a system window popped open in front of her eyes.

It was the second quest she had ever received.

Looking closely, the content was similar to the previous quest. It was to decorate the inside of the house. The reward was also the same, leveling up the ‘Home Sweet Home’ skill.

At this, Hee-na narrowed her eyes.

‘What on earth does the system want to do with me?’

The system knew the fact that Hee-na had obtained a house in the real world, and even went so far as to point out her fear of getting her skill caught by Kang Jin-hyun in the quest.

People used to compare the existence of the system to a computer program. Repeating mechanical inputs and outputs without any special emotions or purposes, simply because it was made that way.

However, the system approached Hee-na a bit differently. Sometimes it felt like the system was helping her, sometimes blocking her path, or sometimes teasing her.

For example, like when Hee-na first received the ‘Home Sweet Home’ skill and was forced to buy a studio apartment in a terrible condition.

The quests were the same. Whenever Hee-na was in trouble or needed some action, they popped up.

Usually, if a quest could not be cleared, one would receive a significant disadvantage, but Hee-na did not even have that. At most, it was aesthetic pain or mental anxiety. It could be seen as a fairly generous quest.

Even the quest that appeared this time had no connection to the ‘Home Sweet Home’ skill, except for the commonality of a house.

‘And yet the reward is a level-up for Home Sweet Home?’

As a result of talking to many hunters while working at the Blue Dragon Guild, Hee-na learned that the system never acted this arbitrarily.

‘Is this because my luck stat is relatively high?’

However, usually, if there is a give, there is a take. Could it be acting this specially because it wants something?

It was enough to raise doubts, no matter if the opponent was the system.

“Why are you suddenly like that? Is the alcohol kicking in?”

It must have looked strange that Hee-na suddenly started staring into thin air. Hee-won tilted his head and sniffed.

“It does not smell much like alcohol, only meat…”

Hee-na corrected her brother’s suspicion.

“No. It is just because a new quest popped up for me.”

Hee-won brightened up.

“A quest popped up? What is it about?”

“It says to fill the apartment with furniture and decorate it.”

“Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“That is extremely simple. My quest to raise Baduki is unique, but yours is no less. Are all Hidden Classes like this?”

Hee-na had no choice but to shrug her shoulders at Hee-won’s question.

“How would I know? What is certain is that the system acts a bit weirdly toward us. Sometimes it feels like it’s doing us a favor… It’s very suspicious.”

Hee-won nudged his suspicious sister’s back toward the bathroom.

“Well… Let’s just think that since we had a hard time all this time, the sun is finally shining on our future. Do not think too deeply. Your problem is that you worry too much. If you drank, just wash your feet quietly and go to sleep.”

Indeed. Worrying about something without an answer was also a waste of time.

Hee-na agreed with her brother’s words and went in to wash up. Fatigue rushed in belatedly.

* * *

The next morning. As soon as she woke up, Hee-na installed a smart doorbell in front of the apartment entrance door. It was an item she had ordered a while ago.

The smart doorbell was a device that linked the doorbell with a cell phone, allowing one to know who had visited the house even when outside.

It was an item she bought in case someone else visited. For reference, it could also record like a CCTV.

Believing there would be no visitors for a while, she had put off the installation day after day. However, now that she knew Kang Jin-hyun lived next door, she could not just sit still.

‘In case Jin-hyun comes to visit.’

After installing the smart doorbell, she immediately called the human resources team of the Blue Dragon Guild. The recipient was Human Resources Team Leader Kang Mok-hyeon.

“Have you been well, Lee Hee-na? No, Leader Lee Hee-na of the Condition Management Team.”

Kang Mok-hyeon answered the phone calmly, as if he knew nothing. A vein popped on Hee-na’s forehead.

“Team Leader! You should have told me that the house next door is Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s!”

No matter how gentle one’s personality is, one must argue when arguments are due.

“…Did you find that out already?”

“Yes. You speak as if you would never have dropped a hint if I had not found out!”

“No. It was something that had to be revealed.”

As the Team Leader expressed his regret, Hee-na argued step-by-step.

“Of course, I am not saying I dislike that Hunter Kang Jin-hyun is my neighbor. But you did not notify me in advance. It was the Blue Dragon Guild that got me the house, so it makes no sense that the Blue Dragon Guild did not know of Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s whereabouts. Especially since you, Team Leader, are Hunter Kang’s older brother.”

Thinking about it while lying quietly in bed last night, a sense of betrayal crept up on her.

Although there was no issue contractually, she felt like she had been scammed. To think that the guild she trusted so implicitly would pretend to stab her in the back like this!

“I am sorry. I have no excuses to make.”

Human Resources Team Leader Kang Mok-hyeon apologized politely and offered something resembling an excuse.

“Getting swept into dungeon gates three times… That means it is already the third time you have been involved in an unexpected situation. Because of that, Hunter Kang Jin-hyun was extremely worried. And so, he insisted on taking charge of your security.”

“So is that why I ended up living next door to Hunter Kang Jin-hyun?”

“I am sorry for not telling you in advance. Since the topic has come up, to tell you the rest, the houses next door to the other houses you own are also owned by Hunter Kang.”

The Homemaker of the Dungeon