Chapter 63 – The Power of Rice

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“Ugh, my whole body is aching.”

Hee-na went to work at the Blue Dragon Guild, holding her creaking joints.

It was the aftermath of the bloody battle with the gnats the previous evening. She had used muscles she did not normally use while being extremely tense, so her entire body was sore.

Patting her aching shoulders, she inspected her face in the elevator mirror here and there.

‘I ate two pots of rice and slept, but my face isn’t bloated.’

She had consumed so much of her stats yesterday that Hee-na had to gobble down two pots of rice. She had no time to pay attention to Hee-won’s shocked gaze at his sister’s immense appetite. This was because she felt like she would faint immediately if she did not eat rice right away.

Actually, this was the energy drain phenomenon that appeared when one consumed stats beyond their limit.

Normally in such cases, if one did not drink a potion, they would fall into an incapacitated state and have to stay in bed for several days.

Fortunately, Hee-na possessed the ‘Power of Rice’ skill, so she was able to miraculously bypass the energy drain phenomenon.

However, she could not help that her energy had been completely drained once, so she had less strength than usual. Hee-na stumbled as she opened the meeting room door.

“……Team Leader Lee Hee-na? Did something happen?”

Perhaps because her complexion was worse than usual, Human Resources Team Leader Kang Mok-hyeon asked how she was doing instead of just greeting her.

“Ah. Bugs appeared in my house yesterday, so catching them made me a bit……”

At Hee-na’s answer, Kang Mok-hyeon wore a puzzled expression.

“Bugs appeared in that apartment? That shouldn’t be possible……”

In fact, it had happened in ‘Home Sweet Home’ rather than the new apartment, but Hee-na glossed over it moderately.

“Well. It suddenly appeared out of nowhere, so I was also surprised.”

“Oh dear, I will call a professional company immediately.”

At Kang Mok-hyeon’s proposal, Hee-na shook her hands from side to side.

“No. I caught the bugs and finished all follow-up measures. They won’t appear again for a while, so you don’t have to do that.”

“Is that so?”

Human Resources Team Leader Kang Mok-hyeon readily agreed and immediately went to the main point.

“First, I will do a brief briefing on the Awakened Condition Management Team that Team Leader Lee Hee-na will be in charge of.”

He explained the tasks that Hee-na, who had become the leader and sole member of the Awakened Condition Management Team, would have to do.

Although it sounded grand, there were only two main tasks Hee-na had to do.

First, prepare meals for S-class Hunter Kang Jin-hyun.

Second, help S-class Hunter Kang Jin-hyun sleep.

In the end, it meant she just had to feed him and put him to sleep. It was not a very difficult mission for Hee-na, who possessed the Homemaker class.

“Then do I have to commute to Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s residence?”

Listening to the explanation diligently, Hee-na raised her hand and asked the point she was most curious about. At that, Kang Mok-hyeon stood up and gestured for Hee-na to follow him.

“No. Before that, I have something to show you first. Please follow me.”

“Ah, yes!”

Hee-na followed closely behind Kang Mok-hyeon without any complaints.

Although she had been given the grand title of Awakened Condition Management Team Leader, a part of Hee-na’s mental state still remained in subordinate mode.

And in a company, when a superior tells you to do something, you have to do it without complaint while giving the essential employee responses like, ‘Yes, okay, sure! Understood!’

Hee-na followed Kang Mok-hyeon, took the elevator, and got off at the 13th floor. Perhaps because it was a place where people did not frequently come and go, the hallway was very quiet.

‘Are they going to give me a private office?’

“Here it is.”

Around the time she was wondering, Kang Mok-hyeon stopped in front of a door. Next to the door was a nameplate that read, ‘Awakened Condition Management Team, Team Leader Lee Hee-na.’

“This is the space Team Leader Lee Hee-na will use from now on.”

Hee-na walked inside the door Kang Mok-hyeon opened for her.

“Woah……!”

Forgetting her dignity, Hee-na gaped and admired. Everything in the room was perfect.

“While Team Leader Lee Hee-na was on vacation, we proceeded with interior construction. As it was handled somewhat hastily, there might be shortcomings. If you let us know, we will gradually supplement it.”

Kang Mok-hyeon gestured inside the space while speaking words that might be sincere or just taking credit.

Hee-na’s private office was on a different level from Woo Min-ah’s office, which consisted of a single room.

It was only similar in that one side consisted of an open, floor-to-ceiling window offering a good view; other than that, the atmosphere was completely different.

The office was composed of two spaces: a private office area where Hee-na could do paperwork and a kitchen where she could prepare food.

The office space was ordinary.

A moderately comfortable chair and desk were placed, and a table and small sofas were gathered cozily so she could receive guests.

However, the kitchen beyond the small partition wall was different.

“It’s so pretty!”

As she took large strides into the kitchen, a spacious and sophisticated area unfolded before her eyes.

The kitchen was calm and pretty, like a scene from a pictorial in an interior design magazine.

The sink was made of solid wood, showing a warm grain. Thanks to the well-arranged dark wood color, the overall atmosphere of the kitchen was neat.

Conversely, the ceiling was painted in a soft white tone, so it did not look too heavy either.

The faucet on the sink, the sink handles—every single thing was stylish and beautiful without exception.

On the L-shaped island sink, seasonings in cute containers were gathered snugly.

Next to it, a small round table and chairs were also provided, allowing her to have simple meals.

Thanks to the small accessories placed on the table, it even looked like a small cafe.

Normally, Hee-na would have walked on eggshells around Human Resources Team Leader Kang Mok-hyeon, who was standing nearby.

However, due to her duty as a homemaker, faced with a perfect kitchen, Hee-na simply could not stand still.

“Oh…… Cookware and even tableware are all equipped?”

Hee-na dashed to the kitchen in an instant and opened the sink doors one by one.

Every time she opened the cabinets, neatly arranged pots, frying pans, plates, spatulas, knives, and more emerged. Even at a glance, they were all expensive and luxurious tools.

“Woah!”

Every time she opened a storage drawer, Hee-na let out an exclamation. It was like opening a Christmas gift box.

There was nothing that did not satisfy her eye. Hee-na learned for the first time that the appearance of mere cooking tools could be so ecstatic.

“Are these all for me to use?”

Hee-na, who was searching and looking around the storage cabinets, poked her head out and asked.

Kang Mok-hyeon, who stood at a distance watching her, nodded his head.

“Yes. It is Team Leader Lee Hee-na’s private space. Since you have to cook, we prepared separate cooking facilities.”

“To think you would prepare even this much……”

Hee-na clasped her hands in emotion, her eyes sparkling. Her heart swelled at the thought that this wonderful space had completely become hers.

“I feel so, so happy thinking about working here! I feel like I could come every single day!”

“You do not need to come every day, but… in the case that you work on weekends, overtime pay is naturally guaranteed.”

Kang Mok-hyeon countered Hee-na’s emotional cheer rather emotionlessly.

“Ah. Also, although it is rare, there might be times when you have to go directly to Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s house. In this case, we will make sure you receive business trip allowances without fail.”

“I can go anytime!”

Hee-na answered readily.

Telling her to go work at someone else’s house… It could be burdensome, but it was something she had resolved to do in the first place.

Besides, as someone who had already visited each other’s houses with Kang Jin-hyun by chance due to an unexpected accident, it was nothing difficult.

Having drunk alcohol together and seen his drunken state, the distance between their hearts had indeed become somewhat closer.

“Then what should I do starting today?”

To Hee-na, who naturally asked for her task, Kang Mok-hyeon handed over the folder he was holding.

“Please receive this first.”

“What is this?”

Opening it, she saw a thick timetable and the like inserted inside.

“This is Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s one-month schedule. Unless an emergency like a gate rampage occurs, he generally moves according to this schedule.”

Glancing at today’s date, she saw that a few press interviews were scheduled.

It was just as Kang Jin-hyun had said while drunk two days ago.

Hee-na scanned the folder, and asked cautiously.

“Is it okay to give me something this important?”

Was it really okay to hand over a celebrity’s schedule, let alone an S-class hunter’s schedule, so easily?

“Of course, this information is confidential. However, in your case, Team Leader Lee Hee-na, since you have taken on the role of caring for Hunter Kang Jin-hyun, this is information you need to know in advance, which is why we are handing it over.”

Kang Mok-hyeon emphasized multiple times that this information must not be leaked to the outside.

“Then I will conclude the briefing here. You can commute here in the future, and prepare meals according to Hunter Kang Jin-hyun’s schedule. And as for the sleeping problem… here.”

Kang Mok-hyeon took something out of his inventory and set it down. It was an item Hee-na was already acquainted with.

“Isn’t this an A-class sleeping bag?”

It was Kang Jin-hyun’s A-class sleeping bag.

“Yes. Once Team Leader Lee Hee-na casts a rest buff skill on this sleeping bag, Hunter Kang Jin-hyun will take it home and sleep in the sleeping bag.”

“Aha.”

She had worried that she might have to go directly to Kang Jin-hyun’s house to rock him to sleep, so she was glad it was not the case.

Right now, the rank of Hee-na’s ‘Comfortable Bed’ skill was C. It had an effect where a 20% buff lasted for 12 hours.

‘I can just cast the skill on the sleeping bag right before leaving work.’

If she cast the skill around 6 PM, Kang Jin-hyun could sleep at least until 6 AM the next morning.

While she was calculating the skill duration in her head, Kang Mok-hyeon wrapped up his explanation.

The Homemaker of the Dungeon