I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 150

150.

Blindingly white light poured from her hands.

Despite its brightness, the pure white light was surprisingly gentle on the eyes. It was a sacred baptism of light that felt healing just to behold.

However, it seemed to take longer than expected.

Worrying that Song Jina might get tired, Seo-ah carefully cast buff skills on her from behind.

She was concerned it might be a hindrance, but fortunately, Song Jina didn’t say anything, and the light emanating from her hands seemed to grow even brighter.

‘Good, it seems like it’s helping.’

After some time, someone quietly exclaimed in admiration.

“Oh… his complexion.”

Anyone could see that Geon-woo’s face was gradually regaining its color.

Soon after, Song Jina sighed and stepped back.

“It’s done. He’ll be fine from now on. I poured so much healing magic into him that he probably won’t even catch a cold for the next ten years.”

“Ah… thank you so much for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. I received buff skills in the middle, so it wasn’t as tiring as I thought. It’s a truly enviable ability.”

“…Ah.”

Song Jina approached with a gentle smile.

“So, how about it? I’d say I’m his benefactor….”

Han Seok-hyun stepped forward, stopping Song Jina’s sudden advance. “Hunter Song Jina. Have you forgotten our contract?”

Song Jina clicked her tongue and shut her mouth.

Seo-ah walked past them to Geon-woo. Medical staff were already attending to him, checking his condition.

“Geon-woo.”

The medical staff carefully removed the oxygen mask to examine him, but thankfully, his oxygen saturation didn’t drop.

His breathing had returned to normal.

“…Geon-woo.”

Seo-ah gently caressed Geon-woo’s hand, which was lying outside the blanket.

Suddenly, Geon-woo abruptly sat up.

“Ugh…!”

“Geon-woo?”

“Patient! Are you awake? You shouldn’t get up so suddenly….”

Geon-woo looked at Seo-ah’s face and then examined his body, which was covered in various devices.

“What, what is this? Was I dead?”

Seo-ah grabbed his shoulders with both hands as he looked around in confusion.

“Geon-woo, you’re alive.”

“Huh?”

Seo-ah pulled Geon-woo into a hug, her voice choked with tears.

“You’re alive now. You won’t be in pain anymore.”

“Huh…? Ah… uh? Sis, are you crying?”

Seo-ah tried to hold back her tears and pulled away slightly.

“It’s okay, I’m not crying.”

Geon-woo, still bewildered by the situation, finally noticed the people surrounding him.

He had at least seen Yoo Ji-an before, and Han Seok-hyun had come to greet him separately, so he wasn’t as surprised. But the others were new to him.

“Baek… Eun-hee, Song Jina? What, what is this? Why are you in my hospital room? No, why *is* the hospital room like this?”

“I’ll explain it later.”

Seo-ah patted Geon-woo’s shoulders, trying to calm him down.

Song Jina winked and waved her hand slightly. “Yes, I understand you’re shocked to be alive, but try to calm down. We’ll probably see each other again.”

The head doctor bowed his head at the director’s words. “First of all, congratulations. We’ll run some tests and discharge you once we confirm that you’re completely cured. Chief Han, schedule the tests.”

“Yes, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“Thank you.”

“No, it’s thanks to you that we witnessed such a rare sight.”

“However, elixirs are hard to come by, and in reality… this kind of thing is very unlikely to happen.”

“Of course. If elixirs were readily available, all the doctors would have to take off their gowns. That would be a disaster. Haha.”

Once the medical staff left the room, only the hunters and Geon-woo remained.

Geon-woo still looked amazed.

“Ah, right. Sis, you said you went on a raid with these people, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. They helped find the cure for Geon-woo. Thank them.”

“Oh… thank you.”

He didn’t really understand, but Geon-woo bowed his head while sitting, as he was told to do.

Baek Eun-hee smiled and approached to greet him. “Nice to meet you. It’s the first time seeing you in person. Seo-ah’s younger brother is like my own. I’m so glad you’re healthy again.”

“Yes, yes….”

Geon-woo seemed mesmerized by Baek Eun-hee’s dazzling beauty, staring at her with his mouth half-open. When Yoo Ji-an, who had been quietly standing by, approached, he looked even more nervous.

It seemed to be partly because Park Geon-woo was a fan of Yoo Ji-an, and partly because of Yoo Ji-an’s unique aura.

“Get up and get out of here; you need to go home.”

“Home….”

Geon-woo muttered the word ‘home’ as if it were unfamiliar. At the same time, a concern arose in Seo-ah’s mind.

‘Home… what should I do about the house?’

The old house was too dilapidated to bring Geon-woo back to.

Seo-ah had earned over 100 million won, nearing 200 million [roughly $75,000 – $150,000 USD], which was a huge amount of money, but it wasn’t enough to buy a house in Seoul.

But she decided to worry about that later and focus on being purely happy about Geon-woo’s recovery.

“Yeah, you need to go home. And go back to school.”

As Seo-ah spoke kindly, Geon-woo’s expression gradually brightened, as if he was finally realizing it.

The hunters exchanged a few more greetings and quickly left, and Seo-ah stayed for a long time before returning to her accommodation late at night.

Seo-ah first entered the accommodation provided by the Hunter Association.

Stepping into the small studio apartment, she felt quite unfamiliar.

‘Well, I guess….’

It had been a while since she had been there, and she hadn’t stayed there long even before going on the raid, so there wasn’t much time to get attached.

Still, it was enough to rest her tired body.

Seo-ah, feeling the fatigue washing over her, went to the bed and collapsed.

“…Ah.”

I need to shower.

And there’s so much to do.

She tried to hold onto her fading consciousness, but she couldn’t resist the overwhelming drowsiness.

Seo-ah fell asleep face down.

***

The next afternoon, she woke up to the vibration of her phone in her pocket.

Seo-ah rolled over on the bed and fumbled in her pocket to answer the phone.

“…Hello.”

– You’re still asleep.

“Umm, who is this….”

– It’s me, Yoo Ji-an.

“Oh, uh… Yes? Ah, Hunter Yoo Ji-an.”

At the mention of Yoo Ji-an, Seo-ah, who had been rolling around, jumped up and cleared her throat. And for some reason, she glanced at the mirror hanging on the wall.

Her grimy appearance was quite unsightly, so she quickly looked away.

– If you’re tired, I’ll call you later.

“Ah, no, it’s okay. What’s up?”

– Can we meet for a bit?

“Yes? Now?”

– I’ll be in front of your apartment in an hour.

“Ah, in an hour… Okay. I’ll see you then.”

– Okay.

Seo-ah hung up the phone and sat on the bed for a moment, staring blankly at the wall.

‘Wow, I fell asleep just like that yesterday.’

It was understandable that she was tired after going through so much.

‘Do S-class hunters usually feel this tired, or is it just me….’

She thought about using a self-healing skill but decided against it. It wasn’t unbearable.

Seo-ah remembered her appointment with Yoo Ji-an and jumped up, heading to the bathroom.

She immediately soaked her hair under the showerhead.

‘But why did he want to meet? The raid ended yesterday, so there shouldn’t be any particular reason.’

Her thoughts continued even as she lathered shampoo into her hair.

‘Well, it’s not like him showing up out of the blue is anything new….’

Come to think of it, she had heard that he was a regressor [someone who has returned from the future]. It was a huge deal, but events had continued to unfold, so she hadn’t had a chance to talk about it properly.

‘It seems like no one else knows.’

Of course, Yoo Ji-an had jokingly said he was a regressor a few times, but no one seemed to believe him.

And even during the raid, he had only properly told Seo-ah, without mentioning to the other members that he had met the 2nd timeline’s Yoo Ji-an. There was no time to do so.

More than that, meeting Yoo Ji-an alone outside was making her feel strangely nervous.

‘Don’t show it, don’t be conscious of it. It’s not like we’re meeting for the first time.’

Seo-ah turned on the shower again. But she accidentally turned on the cold water.

“Ah, cold!”

Seo-ah made a fuss at the pouring cold water and adjusted the water to the right temperature again.

It was cold, but it helped her escape from her constant thoughts. Her mind became clear.

“Hoo, I need to hurry.”

Seo-ah finished showering and carefully chose clothes that looked both casual and put-together.

She also put on light makeup for the first time in a while.

‘Well, there’s still some time left.’

She somehow rationalized it, even though she thought it was unlike her.

Just as she finished getting ready, her phone vibrated again. This time it was a text message.