Housekeeper in the dungeon

Episode 34

“It was a big mistake on my part to entrust a dungeon byproduct to someone else, so I’m going to let it slide. As long as the piece doesn’t pose a threat to anyone else, it’s fine. It’s not like byproducts from inside dungeons suddenly appear and disappear.”

“Thank you so much, I was so worried I was going to get fired and sued.”

Hee-Na breathed a sigh of relief. Then Kang cupped her chin and muttered.

“That’s true. Maybe it would have been better to wait for you to get fired and ask you to be my chef.”

Hearing the eerie sound, Hee-na gaped at Kang jin-hyeon with betrayal in her eyes.

“Oh, that!”

“Just kidding.”

“I’m just kidding,” Kang apologized.

But if anyone had seen his serious expression, they would have taken him seriously, not Hee-na.

“If you don’t believe me, I’m willing to make a promise with a gemstone.”

Kang jin-hyeon pulled out a small gemstone from his inventory, placed it in his palm, and declared.

He was so quick that Hee-Na didn’t even have time to stop him.

“I, Kang jin-hyeon, swear that I will not hold you responsible for the missing piece of □□.”

Soon, the gemstone, the size of a pinky finger, shimmered, glowed, and disappeared into the light with a popping sound.

A system window confirmed the contract.

‘Hmph, that expensive gem is now available at …….’

Hee-na knew that the gemstone was worth millions of won, or even tens of millions of won.

She realized this when she looked up the price of the gemstone that someone had stuffed in his pocket during the last kimbap incident.

The gemstones had a variety of uses, but the smaller ones were often used in contracts between hunters.

I don’t know how it works, but when a hunter places a gem and promises something to the system, they have to honor that promise.

If they broke the contract, the system would penalize them. The penalties ranged from mild to severe, up to death.

‘……Yes!

That’s what Kang jin-hyeon promised Hee-na in front of her.

To Hee-na’s horror, Kang jin-hyeon said.

“I always keep my word. How about now, are you interested in becoming my chef?”

“Uh, I don’t know.”

Hee-Na stammered. To Kang jin-hyeon, it was a point-scoring gesture, but to Hee-na, it was another point deduction.

“You’re so impatient!

For Hee-na, who is a safety freak, Kang was the perfect storm.

She had never seriously considered his proposal in the first place, but it seemed like life would be difficult with someone like him as an employer.

Still, she had to get the facts, so Hee-na pressed him again.

“So you’re pretending that the missing piece never happened?”

Kang jin-hyeon nodded.

“Yes. I’ll write in the report that it disappeared with the spatial shift.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and I can do more than that if you’ll consider my suggestion favorably.”

Hee-Na was a little afraid of Kang jin-hyeon’s curious expression as if he were asking her to trust him.

“Where did the principled person you were when we first met disappear?

Woo Min ah criticized Kang jin-hyeon’s big brother-like personality……. I couldn’t find that side of him now.

‘Can a person change like this just because of food?’

Hee-na glanced at her watch and grabbed the empty bento box. It was so heavy that she had to lift it with two hands, but now it felt incredibly light.

“Yes. Yes to……. I’m going to put your suggestion on hold for now, as I need to think about it a bit more slowly, and I think I should probably get going, as my lunch break is over.”

“Oh, I see. I’ll see you home.”

Kang jin-hyeon stood up stiffly and led Hee-na to the door.

Hee-na mumbled something to herself.

“We’re in the same building, so why would we do that?”

“Danger is always lurking.”

“I’m fine.”

A member of the environmental beautification team is being treated with extreme respect by the Blue Dragon Guild’s top Hunter, Kang jin-hyeon.

There would be strange rumors spreading around the Blue Dragon Guild. Hee-na didn’t like the attention.

She barely managed to stop Kang jin-hyeon from offering to escort her to work.

“I’m grateful enough that you opened the door for me.”

“If that’s the case, I can’t help it.”

Kang jin-hyeon regretfully opened the door to his office for her.

Hee-na was overwhelmed with gratitude and stepped out.

“Please, I hope you will review it positively. And if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come to me. My door is always open for Ms. Hee-na.”

Kang jin-hyeon didn’t forget to sell himself until the last word. His persistence was truly S-class.

It was so overwhelming that Hee-na could only breathe a sigh of relief after the door closed behind her.

‘That’s awkward. Anyway, it’s a good thing that I used up a piece of space, so it’s all good in the end, right?

Hee-na tried to think of it that way.

‘And I’ll have to think about Hunter Kang’s offer with my brother. It’s too much for me, and I’m a little uneasy about it.

Hee-na’s dream was to live a long, lean, peaceful life, even if it was a bit simple.

Kang jin-hyeon, on the other hand, was a big man. Hee-na, who had already awakened to the special class of “housekeeper,” didn’t need anything more special.

She didn’t trust her intuition, but she trusted it to a certain extent.

With Kang jin-hyeon, she had a feeling that if she got involved with him, it would complicate her life.

And Hee-na’s intuition was somewhat correct. From that day on, Hee-na’s life began to turn upside down.

* * *

– ……Compared to last quarter, the dungeon reset cycle is 1.32x faster. We don’t have enough data to be sure yet, but…… cycles are getting shorter and shorter.

– Dungeon reset cycles are faster. What does that mean? Can you explain that one more time for our viewers?

– The dungeon reset cycle is the period between defeating a dungeon’s boss monster and a new boss monster appearing. It varies from dungeon to dungeon, but 2-3 months is the average. Because of this, it’s important to run dungeons regularly, otherwise, the monster population can explode, causing what’s known as a “dungeon break”.

– Dungeon Break. That’s the term for when the dungeon gate breaks and monsters come out of the dungeon, right?

– Yes, it does.

– But if the dungeon reset cycle is shortened, will this cause problems with dungeon gate defense? We’re already at the limit of the number of managed dungeons per guild.

– We’ll be meeting with the Guild Alliance to discuss how to prepare for this…….

A familiar dungeon-related current affairs program is playing on someone’s television.

The program began with an analysis of dungeon activity in the first half of the year and then went on to report on where new dungeon gates had opened, and how the domestic B-class dungeons were nearing the end of their looting cycles.

Hee-Na had just finished cleaning the hunter’s common room when the news was playing in the background.

The Hunters’ eyes darted around. Everyone was looking in one direction.

“Huh?

Hee-na’s pupils shook like an earthquake as she turned her head to follow the Hunters’ gaze.

Woo MinAh, who was lying in the corner of the break room, spoke up on behalf of everyone.

“What’s wrong, what’s the matter with you, the guy who didn’t even turn up his nose at the break room for being so loud?”

Everyone murmured in wonder.

But Hee-Na thought she knew why. It was the same reason most Hunters came to the common room.

To enjoy her touch.

Of course, Kang jin-hyeon’s goal was deeper than that: to get Hee-na into his kitchen.

‘Ugh. I’m sure the other Hunters will go crazy the moment you say that.

Hee-Na tensed, bracing herself for the coming catastrophe.

“Do I have to have a …… reason to come to the common room? I thought this place was open to all Hunters.”

Luckily, Kang Jinhyun didn’t tell her what his reason for being in the Hunter’s lounge was, and he merely replied with a stern look.

“Oh, that’s silly.”

Woo MinAh grumbled in response, and HeeNa patted her chest in relief.

“At least he gets it.

Anyway, thanks to Kang jin-hyeon, she was able to start cleaning the break room in a quieter state than usual. The childlike behavior of the others had disappeared.

“It would be convenient if we did this every day.

As much as she loved the bustling atmosphere of the Hunter’s Common Room, she also loved the fact that she could get away with cleaning like this.

– The leader of the Blue Dragon Guild briefed her on the summer’s big purge…….

As I mopped while listening to the news, one of the Hunters approached me and whined.

“Make the bed, please……. I’ve missed your touch so much.”

It was the first time she had seen him in almost a month. Hee-na smiled at her happily but also spoke with concern.

“You must have had a hard time in the dungeon because you came back with half your face.”

“It was the worst this time, it was a colony of insect-type monsters, and they kept popping out, so I didn’t get any sleep, you know? If you were good enough, something would pop out.”

As he was making up his bed and recounting the latest news, someone sneaked up beside him.

The figure moved so stealthily for someone so tall, that Hee-Na turned her head to the side and gasped in surprise.

“Surprise!”

It was Kang jin-hyeon.