These Lunatics are Obsessed With Me

Chapter 189

Who was she? I couldn’t recognize her at all. She had pale skin, moderately large eyes, and a small, delicate nose and mouth. Overall, she was a petite, slim woman. From the way she acted, she didn’t seem to be a hunter; she looked like a regular person. But what could she want with us? No, she was definitely staring at Eden. Still, she didn’t take her eyes off him.

A young woman who knew Eden. She looked to be in her twenties. Even back when Eden was in the Loki Guild, he rarely appeared in public, and despite his flashy appearance, not many people knew him. So there was no way an ordinary person, someone who wasn’t a hunter, could know him personally. At least, not that I knew of.

“Who are you?”

“Oh.”

Eden stood quietly, so I asked first. That’s when the woman seemed to notice me, her face showing surprise. She was staring at Eden so intently that I couldn’t help feeling a little suspicious. Come to think of it, Eden had appeared on YouTube by chance and had become quite popular.

Could she be a huge fan of Eden? But she didn’t really look like one. As I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, the woman stepped back in surprise. Then Eden, who had remained still all this time, stepped forward as if to stand in front of me.

“What are you?”

“No, I…”

The woman looked startled, overwhelmed by the intimidating presence Eden was giving off. Not wanting an innocent person to get caught up in this, I stepped forward as well. Grabbing Eden’s shoulder, I pushed him slightly to the side and asked.

“I apologize for startling you. But may I ask what brings you here?”“Ah…”

The woman blinked, trying to conceal her flustered expression, and extended something toward me. It was a business card. I reached out and took it from her.

“…!”

「Joo Eun-young | Reporter | The Korea Daily.」

The moment I saw the name and occupation on the business card, I immediately recognized her. She was the sub-heroine who had a developing romance with Eden in the original story.

Joo Eun-young was a dedicated reporter. While working, she happened to meet Eden’s mother, Lee Eun-soo, while investigating illegal activities carried out by villain guilds. At that time, Lee Eun-soo was dying, and Joo Eun-young, a rookie reporter, heard her tragic story and wanted to help.

But back then, Jang Tae-san was riding high with the solid backing of the Laufey Guild, and there was nothing Joo Eun-young, a powerless rookie, could do. After Lee Eun-soo passed away, Joo Eun-young, who had heard her last words and received her keepsake, went looking for her son, Eden.

Eden met Joo Eun-young, learned about his mother’s death and her will, and that was when he decided to betray Jang Tae-san completely. At the same time, while he was grateful to Joo Eun-young for helping him and his mother, he also began to develop some feelings for her, and there was a subtle romantic vibe between them.

This revealed an unexpectedly cute side of Eden, who usually acted sly and hard to read, and readers liked it quite a lot. Even I, who normally wasn’t a fan of side couples, ended up liking it too.

“Joo Eun-young… a reporter? What business do you have with Eden?”

For now, I played dumb and asked. The timing was already quite different from the original story. Since Eden had left the Loki Guild too early and was spending most of his time at the accommodation with me, his meeting with Joo Eun-young had been delayed, and it seemed they were only meeting now.

Still, I supposed they were destined to meet eventually. To think they would run into each other so suddenly, without any warning. Since their meeting had been postponed so much because of me, I decided to take responsibility and make sure they ended up together. With that in mind, I looked at Joo Eun-young with anticipation.

“Hunter Eden… could it be that your mother is Ms. Lee Eun-soo?”

“…!”

There it was! She went straight to the point—just like the bold, straightforward reporter she was. I even thought that maybe they could continue the conversation on their own, without me getting too involved. With that in mind, I looked back at Eden.

“…?”

But Eden’s face was completely stiff. Was it because he had suddenly heard his mother’s name? Well, it was understandable that he might be a little taken aback. He would probably ask soon enough how she knew about his mother. That was likely how their conversation would start…

“Get lost.”

“Yes?”

“I said, get lost.”

Then Eden grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. Caught off guard, I froze and was dragged along before I could react. When I finally came to my senses, I glanced back at Joo Eun-young, who had been left behind, and shouted.

“Hey, wait, wait…!”

“…”

“Stop for a second. Wasn’t she someone you knew?”

“…No.”

“Still, that name…!”

I stopped mid-sentence, realizing Han Yi-jin probably wouldn’t know Eden’s mother’s name. Still, I made sure it was clear that I understood how important that name was. Even so, Eden didn’t slow down.

“It doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“What?”

“You said it yourself, my mother’s dead. I’m not really curious about what that woman has to say.”

“…”

Eden’s calm words left me speechless. Before I knew it, we had reached Yong-sik’s hospital room, and Eden opened the door without knocking. Was it my fault their meeting hadn’t gone as planned? Because I was the one who first told him about Lee Eun-soo’s death and got him out of the Loki Guild?

“Aren’t you going in?”

“…”

Eden held the doorknob and tilted his head at me. I just stared at him, unable to say anything.

***

“Haa…”

“…?”

Hearing my sigh, Do-gyul looked at me in puzzlement as he peeled fruit, while Yong-sik ate every piece he cut.

“Hyung, is something wrong?”

“Ah.”

Do-gyul, who was peeling an apple and feeding it to Yong-sik, spoke up as I kept sighing. The detailed checkup showed nothing wrong with Yong-sik’s body, and based on the testimonies of the hunters who had cleared the Ginnungagap Dungeon, his rampage against them was given considerable leniency.

Normally, Yong-sik might have been isolated for losing control, but thanks to the Odin Guild stepping in, he wasn’t punished. Things had turned out fine for everyone, but since I kept sighing with a troubled look, Do-gyul seemed worried.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then why do you keep sighing, hyung?”

“I don’t know. It just came out on its own… haha.”

“…?”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell Do-gyul the truth, so I just brushed it off. He narrowed his eyes, but I deliberately looked away. What should I do? I needed to find a way to get Eden and Joo Eun-young to meet again. There had already been quite a few heroines whose relationships with the main characters got messed up because of me, so I really wanted this one to go smoothly.

But if Eden kept refusing, there was nothing I could do. Even if I forced him to meet her, he’d probably react the same way again. I didn’t know what to do, so I just kept agonizing over it. It wasn’t that I wanted to stick my nose into other people’s business, but since I’d already messed up the original story so much just trying to survive, I couldn’t shake the sense of responsibility.

Kang Yoo-hyun would probably end up with someone, but Eden only had a potential romance with Joo Eun-young. Side couples in novels usually didn’t get much spotlight, but those two were genuinely well-liked. As someone who was once a reader, I really wanted to make sure they ended up together.

“…Alright!”

“What is alright?”

“Hmm, nothing.”

First, I needed to try persuading him again. Eden, who already knew about his mother’s death, probably wouldn’t be interested in Joo Eun-young right away, but he would be curious about his mother’s keepsake and will. If I could persuade him that way, even Eden would want to meet her again.

For now, my main priority was to get the two of them to meet once more. After sorting out my thoughts, I returned to the accommodation. Yong-sik decided to stay another day in the hospital just in case, and Do-gyul went back to the guild headquarters for classes and counseling. Only Eden, Yong-sun, and I were left at the accommodation.

“Ppik! Ppiik!”

“Alright, alright. Are you hungry?”

After feeding Yong-sun a magic stone to ease her hunger, I went back down to the living room. Eden was sitting there watching TV, looking unusually tired.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“…”

I sat down next to Eden, sneaking a few glances at him before quietly clearing my throat. At that, Eden’s gaze, which had been fixed on the TV screen, shifted to me.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

“Um, well…”

Even though I finally had the chance to speak, the words wouldn’t come out. It would be strange if I knew who Joo Eun-young was and that she had his mother’s keepsake and will. I needed to come up with a reasonable excuse, but nothing came to mind.

“The reporter we saw earlier today.”

“…”

“She might… know something important, don’t you think?”

“…”

“How about meeting her once?”

“…”

Eden stayed quiet, looking uneasy. He stared at me with an unreadable expression, and I swallowed hard. He had always seemed a bit silly to me, but in truth, Eden was sharp and calculating. I felt nervous because I didn’t know how he would react to my words.

“Yi-jin-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want me to meet that woman again?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

I nodded instinctively. Eden’s pink eyes glinted as he asked.

“Then what will you do for me?”