Chapter 02
What Can I Do If I’m Pretty
“Park Suon, I’m going to clear a tower floor today, so I’ll be home late.”
Hearing the footsteps coming into the living room, I poked my face out of the blanket like a turtle while lying on the sofa.
Looking up with my sleep-laden eyes, I saw Park Si-woo gazing at me with a pitiful expression.
“Seems like you had some hearty ramyeon for dinner.”
“I didn’t eat anything.”
“If that’s how you look naturally, that’s even more concerning.”
This man, the one I desperately wanted to punch, was none other than Park Si-woo—my older brother by two years.
With sharp, feline-like eyes and a decent-looking face, he might have been tolerable if not for his rotten personality.
“Do you want me to make a real scene? If the number-one-ranked guild master shows up at the tower with a nosebleed, that’d definitely make headlines.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not weak enough to be beaten up by an unawakened brat like you.”
Leaning on the sofa, Park Si-woo smirked down at me, his silvery-gray hair shining faintly.
His hair, once black, had turned white due to the chilling energy of his contracted constellation, the King of Winter.
At one point, I even suspected that his contracted Celestial was some ice queen spewing frost from her hands—like Els*.
Anyway, after awakening as an S-rank hunter, Park Si-woo froze everything in his path, breaking records by conquering the 45th-floor tower in the shortest time possible.
Now, he was the guild master of “Jippil,” the number-one-ranked guild. And the meaning behind that name was just… ridiculous.
It supposedly meant “writing history anew”, but honestly, it sounded like something a middle schooler with an overactive imagination would come up with.
“I don’t care if you come home late or not at all, just don’t forget to send money.”
At my very straightforward demand, Park Si-woo’s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure.
“Is that all you have to say to your brother who’s about to go on a dangerous tower raid?”
“What else am I supposed to say? Thanks to my oh-so-great brother and little brother, I can’t even step outside, and my livelihood has been completely cut off overnight.”
I motioned toward the large glass window in the living room with a jerk of my chin.
Outside, reporters had been camping out for two days straight, waiting for a big scoop.
“Most of those reporters gathered there are waiting for you, not us.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Ever since the first dungeon break in history, my family had been producing S-rank hunters for generations.
Both of our parents had been S-rank hunters, and as mentioned, Park Si-woo was one too.
Even my younger brother, Park Ji-ho, had awakened as an S-rank Lucky Cube, the only one in the world capable of granting legendary stats to weapons, continuing our family’s legacy.
Of course, except for me.
But that didn’t mean I was anxious or impatient.
If anything, I had no desire to become a hunter at all.
Our S-rank hunter parents had spent their lives battling monsters, constantly on the move with barely any time to rest.
Then one day, they got caught up in a mysterious dungeon that suddenly appeared.
It was an unprecedented type of dungeon, and my siblings and I could do nothing but watch helplessly.
The government handed out honorary hunter medals and hastily conducted their funeral.
And just like that, the parents who had dedicated their lives to serving the nation were gradually forgotten.
If that was the life of a hunter, I’d rather die than accept it.
So I lived quietly, keeping my head down.
But then, someone in our apartment complex must have seen Park Si-woo and me together and posted about it on an anonymous hunter forum.
<Exposing Park Si∎’s Younger Sister’s Face>
[Photo attached]
└ Anonymous1: Is that really Park Si∎’s sister? Not his girlfriend?
└ OP: I live in the same apartment building. At first, I thought she was his girlfriend too, but after hearing them talk, they’re definitely siblings.
└ Anonymous1: What kind of conversation made you think that?
└OP: Half normal, half cursing.
└ Anonymous3: LOL, classic sibling dynamic.
└ Anonymous2: Absolute heavenly beauty.
└ Anonymous1: I claim the title of Fan #1.
└ Anonymous3: The first love of our generation. The girl with long straight hair.
└Anonymous1: LOL this hyung is falling in first love right now.
└Anonymous2: LOL look at this simping.
└ Anonymous3: Their family’s entire beauty gene pool must have been maxed out.
└ Anonymous4: Does anyone else smell burning? Smells like self-sabotage.
└ OP: No, that’s just your upper lip.
That one post stirred up a massive frenzy.
<Park Ji∎’s Nickname “Park Ji-Nut” Explained>
Apparently, Park Ji∎’s nickname, Ji-Nut, came from how he seemed like a calm and nice guy but turned into an absolute nutcase when someone messed with his sister—supposedly even more unhinged than Park Si∎.
└ Anonymous1: Where’s the guy who said this was fake?
└ Anonymous2: That’s sick.
└ Anonymous3: But if it’s true, why has she been hiding all this time?
└ Anonymous1: No clue, but she’s an absolute goddess.
└ Anonymous4: Probably got tired of being too pretty.
└ Anonymous2: Can’t argue with that.
<Why Park Si∎ and Park Ji∎’s Sister Lived Quietly>
Isn’t it because she hasn’t awakened yet? Isn’t the Park Si∎ and Park Ji∎ family famous for only producing S-rank hunters? Even their parents were S-rank hunters.
└Anonymous1: Ah, that S-rank Hunter couple who went missing in that unidentified dungeon break.
└ Anonymous 2: Whoa, they did a lot of good work… May they rest in peace.
└Anonymous3: What if she did awaken but turned out to be F-rank? LOL.
└Anonymous4: Yeah, well, she’s still living a better life than you.
<This is Random, But I Feel Bad>
Has anyone been to that hot spring near the S-rank dungeon? It was like three years ago, I think? I swear I went in, took a bath, and even ate pork cutlets. I was half out of it when I got there, but after spending the night, I felt completely revitalized. But when I went back, it was gone. I thought it had disappeared, but apparently, no one had ever seen it.
└ Anonymous 1: Oh, look at this guy pretending to be an S-rank hunter.
└ Anonymous 2: Yeah, okay. Next fake story.
Seeing the conversation shifting elsewhere, I figured things would settle down soon if I just waited a little longer.
Skimming through the anonymous hunter forum posts, I swallowed my saliva.
Now that they mentioned tonkatsu, I suddenly craved some.
“See? You have nothing to say now.”
“What am I supposed to do if I was born pretty? It’s not like I did it on purpose. I was just born this way—what do you want me to do?”
Without even a hint of shame, I spoke with a straight face. Park Si-woo looked at me like I was some monster from a dungeon.
“Those people need to know your true nature. Would they still call you a goddess then?”
Park Si-woo sounded genuinely regretful that he couldn’t expose me to the public.
“Our Noona is actually quite pretty though.”
Just then, Ji-ho appeared in the living room, smiling warmly.
Even though we shared the same blood, Ji-ho’s gentle puppy-like face was completely different from Si-woo’s sharp, fierce look. His slightly long black hair, covering part of his forehead and neck, suited him well.
See? My little brother takes after me—his words are just as sweet as mine.
Judging by the bags in his hands, he was probably heading up the tower with Si-woo.
“See? Even our youngest agrees. Park Si-woo, maybe you should get your eyesight checked.”
“You two need the check-up more than I do.”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Si-woo grabbed his coat.
“Bring back a Melon Bar. I won’t sleep until you do.”
Wrapped in my blanket, I clung to the sofa and stared at them like a dog waiting for its owner to come home.
Park Si-woo looked at me for a moment, as if something had dawned on him, and then he moved his fingers in the air.
Ding!
At the same time, a notification popped up in front of me.
[OO Bank Deposit 2,000,000 won from Park Si-woo]
“Make sure you eat well, Dondon.”
“Dondon” was Si-woo’s nickname for me ever since we were kids because of my love for Tonkatsu.
He claims it also means “fat pig money” more than anything else, but I refuse to acknowledge that.
He must’ve realized it—how anxious I was.
To an ordinary office worker, this would be a ridiculous amount of money to casually send, but thanks to my highly capable family, I got to live as a carefree, unemployed freeloader.
Still, it didn’t feel as great as it should have.
“We’re heading out now, Noona.”
“Don’t forget the Melon Bar!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll bring the Melon Bar.”
As I watched them leave through the front door, their backs overlapped with the last image I had of my parents before they went missing.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all just quit hunting, move somewhere quiet, and run a hot spring together?
Just like the one we visited when I was a kid.
Going on a family trip was practically impossible for us because of our parents’ work.
But there was one time—a single, precious moment—when we ended up caught in a dungeon break, escaped, and stumbled upon a hot spring.
For the first time, we all got to rest together as a family.
Ever since that day, my dream had been to run a hot spring.
I wonder how much it would cost to start one?
Thinking about my newly strengthened bank balance, I vowed to have tonkatsu for lunch no matter what. Then, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
[Guide ‘Yeong-gye’ is searching for ‘Heir to the Hot Spring’.]
Not even knowing in my dreams that a new window had appeared before my eyes.
Thank you for reading! ♡
