WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 96: So What Can You Do About It?

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‘These terms alone probably aren't enough to satisfy him.’

Jung Yeonho had spent five years handling Hunters since joining the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

His instincts, sharpened from dealing with countless Hunters over the years, told him that these terms would not be nearly enough.

He had no way of knowing what benefits Minjun had been promised in exchange for naturalizing elsewhere, but he knew well enough what kind of conditions Hunters of Minjun's caliber were generally offered.

Of course, the terms they had presented were by no means bad.

But in Yeonho's cold assessment, they were not attractive enough to change Minjun's mind.

Frankly, compared to what other countries had offered, their terms were probably far inferior.

Still, his superiors had told him to try persuading Minjun with this much first, so there was nothing he could do.

‘I told them offering terms like this would only backfire.’

And seeing Minjun's expression now, it seemed the deal was already doomed.

‘He doesn't look pleased.’

His face was impassive and unreadable, devoid of emotion.

In truth, Minjun was simply tired from his recent training and staring blankly at the tablet.

But Yeonho had no way of knowing that. While keeping a calm expression on the outside, he frantically worked through the situation in his head.

Lee Yewon, the other agent accompanying him, was doing the same.

‘If the gap in the terms was this big, I'd be disgusted enough to naturalize somewhere else too.’

She, too, felt something was off in Minjun's reaction.

It would not have been strange at all if Minjun got up and stormed out right now.

Hunters often found NIS agents difficult to deal with, but the reverse was true as well.

How could they possibly feel at ease around the Hunter before them, an A-rank Hunter with an unprecedentedly terrifying rate of growth?

In any case.

Thinking Minjun was displeased, the two quickly began turning over their options.

Then.

“By the way.”

Minjun spoke.

“Is this all?”

The moment he said it, their expressions stiffened slightly.

‘...Just as I thought.’

Given everything so far, the situation seemed clear.

To them, Minjun was clearly expressing his displeasure at being treated poorly.

The uncomfortable feeling made it seem as though the expensive tuna sashimi they had just eaten might come right back up.

But unlike what they thought, Minjun had not asked because he was upset. He was genuinely curious.

“Not at all. This is only a basic proposal.”

Yewon spoke calmly, doing her best not to show her alarm.

“We thought there might be limits to putting together support measures on our own, so we planned to create only a basic support package first, then actively incorporate your opinions and add further support. Is there any area where you feel you require additional assistance?”

The matter of further support had not been agreed on with their superiors, but Yewon believed it would be difficult to keep Minjun interested otherwise.

Yeonho hesitated at Yewon's unplanned words, but he quickly looked at Minjun as though nothing had happened and waited for an answer.

But.

There was no way Minjun had something like that in mind.

Even if they told him to name what he needed, he could hardly say, “My goal is to train the power of a dragon and eventually wield it completely. Can you support me with what I need for that?”

Other than that, nothing came to mind right away.

After thinking for a moment, Minjun asked the two of them.

“Then what do you think I need most?”

From Minjun's perspective, he asked because he truly did not know.

They both seemed to have met quite a few Hunters, so he thought they might perhaps know his needs better than he did himself.

But once again, the two agents understood Minjun's question in the exact opposite way.

Minjun had not meant it that way at all, but they interpreted it completely differently.

‘Do they really not know that?’

‘Is he... testing us?’

Yeonho and Yewon's eyes moved quickly.

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, they began thinking again.

And.

Based on the data they had accumulated from the Hunters they had met so far, they had to come up with the model answer.

“Umm...”

Think quickly, answer carefully.

After considering it for a moment, Yewon gave the safest answer.

“I think the thing you need most right now is financial support.”

From the perspective of someone who did not know that Minjun had Rokan and Sia backing him, that might have been the answer.

Until recently, he had been a D-rank Hunter, so he probably had not saved much money. And since he had joined some unknown, newly formed guild, he probably had not been paid much yet.

On top of that, wasn't he living in an ordinary two-bedroom apartment in Seoul that seemed far too modest for an A-rank Hunter?

“I suppose you could see it that way.”

With that ambiguous response, Minjun picked up a piece of tuna with his chopsticks.

‘How am I supposed to interpret that lukewarm reaction?’

Did he not like the answer?

Or should they name a rough figure now that they had brought up money?

“Then how much support could I receive?”

It was similar this time as well.

Neither side had brought it up, but both knew roughly how much Minjun had been offered by the multiple countries that had proposed naturalization.

They could not offer more than that, but they would at least need to name a similar amount if they wanted to erase the word naturalization from Minjun's mind.

But they did not have the authority to freely allocate a budget worth several billion won.

“It is difficult for us to tell you exactly how much we can offer right now, but we can promise that we can support you enough that financial matters will not cause you any trouble.”

“That sounds good. When will I be able to find out the specific amount?”

“We cannot be certain about that either, but we will do our best to let you know as soon as possible.”

They had only exchanged a few words, but Yeonho and Yewon could not shake the feeling that they had somehow gotten tangled up in something strange.

They wanted to sound out what he was thinking, but he did not clearly show whether he liked or disliked anything. It was enough to drive them crazy.

Still, judging by the flow of the conversation, it did not seem like Minjun intended to leave Korea as long as they gave him enough financial support.

At least, that was how it looked to them.

And so, meaningless conversation continued amid an awkward, difficult atmosphere.

Around the time they had finished about half the food on their plates.

“Hunter, do you smoke?”

Yeonho asked.

“No.”

“Sorry, but we'll step out for a quick cigarette.”

After signaling Yewon, the two got up and headed for the smoking room.

The two agents, who had been wearing business smiles until moments ago, looked grim the instant they left the room.

“Ah, I really need to quit smoking this year.”

“Me too. But somehow, situations where I can't help smoking always come up.”

The moment they reached the smoking room, they nearly simultaneously put cigarettes in their mouths.

“Sunbae, what should we do?”

With a deep sigh, Yewon exhaled cigarette smoke.

“If he were a spy or a villain, we could at least interrogate him without worrying about it. But he isn't.”

In the current situation, Minjun held all the power, so there was only so much they could do.

By now, the picture was clear.

They had gained almost nothing so far, and it would be nearly impossible to completely figure out Minjun's intentions before today's meeting ended.

As they both silently exhaled smoke, Yewon crushed out her cigarette in the ashtray and muttered in a half-resigned voice.

“...Should we try using a honey trap?”

“Hey, don't even dream of it. If he looked like someone with little dating experience, we could at least consider it, but that's not the case.”

Yeonho's blunt words struck home, and Yewon gave a small laugh in agreement.

“I suppose so. An A-rank Hunter with that face probably has a girlfriend as pretty as a celebrity. Even if he doesn't have one now, he'll get one soon enough.”

They had both said it as a joke, but if they had actually tried it, the outcome would surely have been terrible.

Had there not been Yuria, the Black Dragon who had tried to seduce Minjun with a honey trap and powerful seduction magic?

Not only would they have failed to sever Minjun's interest in other countries, but Yewon would likely have feared for her safety.

Without knowing it, the two had avoided the worst possible choice.

“When we get back, we should discuss how much of a budget we need with our superiors. I'll message Team Leader Park now.”

“Yeah. Ah, normally after drinking this much, I should be starting to feel buzzed, but maybe my head is too complicated. I can't get drunk.”

Exhaling one final deep breath of smoke, Yeonho opened the smoking room door.

“It isn't like there's much more we can do in this situation anyway.”

* * *

The next day.

I woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a while.

Personally, it might have been the most refreshed I had felt in days.

Yesterday, even I had to admit that I had practically been a sloth.

I just kept eating, sleeping, eating, and sleeping.

‘Come to think of it.’

I recalled dinner the night before.

I had not thought much about it then, but looking back now, the atmosphere had been difficult to put into words.

How should I put it?

I could not describe it exactly, but both agents had seemed strangely flustered.

Did they think I had made it obvious that I wanted to naturalize somewhere else?

But I did not think I had done that.

I had only gone because I was genuinely curious what they wanted to talk about.

Even so, before we parted, the two of them treated me well until the end, saying they would do their best to ensure I received enough financial support.

‘There must have been some kind of misunderstanding.’

I did not know how things had ended up like that, but if they were going to give me something, I should gladly take it.

Anyway.

After having a more filling breakfast than usual, I bought a few succulents at a flower shop near my home.

It seemed Rokan had recently taken up growing plants, so I remembered and bought them on the way.

Today was the day I had long been looking forward to, the day Rokan and I would clear a Gate alone together.

Who in the world would get to experience clearing a Gate with a dragon?

I was looking forward to it in every way.

And the thought that I might get to see Rokan's true strength made me even more excited.

He had already shown me some of his power while sparring with me, but I knew that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Still, since the two of us were going into an S-rank Gate, Rokan would probably reveal more strength than he usually showed.

Of course, excitement was not all I felt.

Since it was an S-rank Gate I had never entered before, I was also somewhat worried whether I could properly do my part.

But.

Whether I was excited or worried, my heart was racing either way.

With my heart pounding, I headed to Rokan's lair.

Sure enough, Rokan was reading beside his plants again today.

Seeing the watering can at his feet, it seemed he had finished watering them before picking up his book.

“Welcome. What do you have in your hand?”

The moment he spotted me, Rokan greeted me warmly.

“Succulents. It seemed like you've been enjoying growing plants lately.”

“Thank you. I shall gladly accept them.”

Then Rokan placed the succulents he had received beside a flowerpot.

It was a flowerpot I had not seen as of yesterday.

When my gaze settled on it, Rokan smiled and told me about it.

“Shasha gave it to me as a gift yesterday. Had you heard?”

“No.”

“They say those in love are connected.”

With a pleased smile, Rokan glanced at the succulent he had received as a gift, then stood up.

“Then let us head to the Gate.”

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