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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Are You Sleeping...?
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The next morning.
Bap-bap-bap—bap-bam! Good mo—
Thud.
I turned off the usual noisy alarm.
And opened my eyes.
Then, still half-asleep, I checked my phone and couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"...W-what is this?"
My chat app was flooded with messages.
If they had been group chats, I would have just thought everyone was chatting amongst themselves, but these were a pile of individual messages.
And from every single party member.
My pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
'Did something happen on the way back last night...?'
Was the food really the problem?
Could they have gotten into a fight, emotions flaring, and now they're saying they can't be in the party anymore?
Or perhaps they're upset that I unilaterally decided not to accept a temporary party member yesterday without consulting them?
Or, if not, was it because I said something idiotic at the very end yesterday...?
Various hypotheses intertwined, making my mind a jumble.
'Okay, calm down.'
Gulp.
'I know their personalities. I know how to soothe their feelings when things get tangled. I know enough.'
As I repeated that to myself, my heart settled a little.
'First, Shin Se-hee.'
Party member management was primarily entrusted to Shin Se-hee.
So, if anything had happened on the way back yesterday, Shin Se-hee would have surely organized it and informed me.
'Shin Se-hee's messages are the most numerous.'
With tense fingers, I opened Shin Se-hee's chat.
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〔 Tuesday, April 11 〕
[Flower Bud ✿]
─ Jin Yu-ha, are you asleep? 〔PM 11:58〕
─ You're asleep.
─ Good night. 〔PM 11:59〕
〔 Wednesday, April 12 〕
[Flower Bud ✿]
─ Ji-in Yu-ha. 〔AM 01:31〕
─ Ji-in Yu-ha.
─ I'm d-drunk r-right now.
─ But you r-really believed me, right? I was honestly touched then,
─ Hmph... but what does it matter? I know it's not me, and I know I shouldn't be greedy.
─ I-I didn't do anything weird to you, did I? I honestly did get greedy for you, but I really didn't do anything? Really. 〔AM 01:33〕
[Flower Bud ✿]
─ Ugh. 〔AM 07:41〕
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh.
─ Ugh. 〔AM 07:42〕
─ Ugh.
─ F***. 〔AM 07:43〕
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"Did she drink last night?"
I frowned, looking at Shin Se-hee's messages.
And she had sent a separate text message, not through the chat app.
[ (Urgent) Jin Yu-ha! There was a momentary mix-up on the server I manage. It seems the chat application has been maliciously hacked. The content written there is completely unrelated to party activities. If you read it, a virus could infiltrate Jin Yu-ha's phone. We are currently dealing with it, so please temporarily delete the app and reinstall it. You absolutely must not open the messages. ]
'Hmm, I already opened them.'
In any case, the fact that Shin Se-hee drank meant something must have really pissed her off.
I hardened my expression again, looking at Shin Se-hee's messages.
The messages were a mess, written while she was drunk, but I could roughly understand the content.
To summarize, she was doubting my words about trusting her,
and insisting on her innocence, claiming she hadn't done anything to me.
'...Did someone say something to Shin Se-hee?'
The first person that came to mind was Kang Do-hee.
They hadn't gotten along since the very first basic training.
I then opened Kang Do-hee's chat.
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〔 Tuesday, April 11 〕
[Iron Fist]
─ Doggie. Asleep?
─ First, I'll tell you some cooking recipes you can make alone in your room. 〔PM 11:44〕
[Iron Fist]
─ Beef Seaweed Soup Recipe.
─ First, you need to soak the seaweed, but these days you can buy pre-soaked seaweed on the market, so use that. Even if the seaweed looks like a small amount, it swells up when added to soup, so about 10g is enough for two servings. It's good to season the meat. 50g of beef with salt and soy sauce...
〔View Full〕
[Iron Fist]
─ If you measure and cook exactly according to the recipe I just sent, you can make delicious food on your own without anyone telling you how. Try it out just like this and bring it to me. I'll taste it and evaluate it.
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Fortunately, what Kang Do-hee sent had no particular content of concern.
Just a few simple recipes that could be made at home.
For a moment, my culinary soul twitched at her condescending tone, but regardless, she had sent it out of consideration for me.
Besides, I had already lost in skill, so bragging was a victor's natural right.
'Tch, anyway, it's not Kang Do-hee... Then, could it be Gukbap-ie?'
Shin Se-hee's arch-nemesis.
Yi Yu-ri.
She couldn't stand up to Yi Yu-ri, so it's possible she was provoked by Gukbap-ie's words but couldn't say anything to her face.
'So she might have gotten upset later and drank alone.'
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〔 Tuesday, April 11 〕
[I'm Not Gukbap]
─ Jin Yu-ha! Asleep...?
─ What are you doing right now?
─ I'm listening to music right now.
─ Hmm! Friends usually listen to music together, don't they?
─ I have some music I like, would you like to listen to it together? It'd be good to check it tomorrow morning. Actually, my taste is more for songs that are good to listen to in the morning rather than at night! 〔PM 10:54〕
[I'm Not Gukbap]
─ I'll send you the link, so please give them a listen! I really like these kinds of songs.
─ "When You're Tired and Exhausted, Look at the Sky," "Whoosh!" "I Have No Problems At All," "Give Me Strength," "You're Not Alone," "From Cocoon to Butterfly," "Fighting Against the World," "We Can Do It!" "A Strong Woman" ... (Link) 〔View Full〕
〔PM 10:56〕
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I let out a chuckle looking at Gukbap-ie's messages. It was just like her to recommend only songs that suited her.
I touched one of them and played the music.
I'm a strong woman who won't bend before the world~
Hmm, even looking at Gukbap-ie's messages again now, there doesn't seem to be any sign of a conflict yesterday.
And judging by the time she sent them, it looks like she went straight back to the dorm.
'Then what on earth could it be...?'
Now, only one person's messages remained unread.
Im Ga-eul's.
"...Shin Se-hee would have met my senior for the first time yesterday, wouldn't she? And Im Ga-eul isn't the type to get into a heated argument with anyone."
I tilted my head, then bit my lip at a sudden thought.
'Could it be that she felt relatively deprived because I suddenly brought in a new person as a supporter? Saying she wasn't even an official party member...?'
That was a quite plausible hypothesis.
Shin Se-hee had always been sensitive about such things.
And Im Ga-eul's message preview added more weight to that idea.
[ I'm sorry, junior. Really... ]
Unlike the others who started by asking if I was asleep, Im Ga-eul's message began with an apology.
Judging by that first sentence, it was clearly Im Ga-eul who had an argument with Shin Se-hee.
Given her personality, if she thought she was the cause of the conflict, she might volunteer to leave.
'...Shin Se-hee and Im Ga-eul's chemistry wasn't bad to begin with.'
Feeling my emotions complicate for a moment, I opened Im Ga-eul's chat.
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〔 Tuesday, April 11 〕
[Warm Autumn Weather]
─ I'm sorry, junior. I really don't know how to say this. If you woke up because I sent this message in the middle of the night, I'm sorry for that too... But, if I don't say it now, I don't think I'll be able to say it later. 〔PM 11:34〕
[Warm Autumn Weather]
─ First, I'll thank you.
─ Yu-ha junior, I don't know what you think, but I feel really, really, really grateful to you.
─ For recognizing my ability and helping it bloom. For reaching out to insignificant me. For protecting me when I was almost harmed by a demon. I'm grateful for all of it.
─ ...I don't know how much help I'll be in the future, but I'll do my best as a party member!
─ Oh, and don't worry, I'll repay the top-grade magic stone as soon as possible! 〔PM 11:36〕
〔 Wednesday, April 12 〕
[Warm Autumn Weather]
─ And... I debated whether to say this or not, but I think it's better to say it.
─ When I told you yesterday that you had many mothers, I was using it as a metaphor for success and failure. Absolutely! Definitely! I didn't mean it with any other intention!
─ Junior, you don't have many mothers! On the contrary, you have few!
─ No, none.
─ ... 〔AM 00:16〕
[Warm Autumn Weather]
─ ...I'm sorry. My words keep getting twisted. I should have just not said anything. Good night, junior. 〔AM 02:52〕
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'What on earth is this?'
I couldn't help but feel confused as I read Im Ga-eul's messages.
'...It doesn't seem like Im Ga-eul had a fight with Shin Se-hee either, so what is it? There's no mention of her wanting to leave separately.'
My head instinctively tilted.
Anyway, after the one-on-one combat class with Kang Do-hee this morning,
I have a class with just Shin Se-hee, so I guess I'll have to ask her then.
'By the way, this unnie really drops mother jokes like it's breathing.'
I let out a chuckle.
And then I headed to the bathroom to wash up.