Solo Leveling: Sung-Jin-Woo x Cha-Hae-In

Strength

The alarm clock of her phone blared in the room and Hae-in jerked up in a sitting position on the bed.

'Ouch.' she winced, feeling pain in her abdomen and her head. 'What the heck happened'? The blonde woman looked down at herself: she was naked and covered with lovebites and had a particular large hickey on the side of her left breast.

It was clear she had experienced some enthusiastic love-making, but she was alone in her room.

Hae-in shook her head as memories came back to her: a date with her boyfriend the night before, drinking a bit more soju than usual – just enough to be pleasantly tipsy – and then the two of them going back to her apartment.

"Oh." she murmured, cheeks reddening, as she remembered. "I practically attacked him." Hae-in slammed her face into her hands and fell back on the bed. Jin-woo had looked completely sober – he never, never got drunk and she was so envious since she was a bit of a lightweight – and as handsome as always, moreover it had been some time since they've been alone, so she had pounced on him, kissing him against the closed door of her home. Jin-woo had seemed taken aback by the attack but had reciprocated quickly: after a fast coupling there against the door, they had moved to the bed.

"Waaaahhhhh!" Hae-in rolled on the bed in embarrassment when she thought about her uncharacteristic behaviour. "I'm never drinking again!" the young woman swore.

She winced again as the movements seemed to worsen the pain in her abdomen. "Oh perfect." she rolled her eyes. "Now I'm sore too." Hae-in could already imagine Jin-woo's smirking face full of male pride if he ever got to know that she was this sore after a night with him. "I'm not going to feed his ego more than I usual do." she grumbled to herself.

Sometimes Hae-in felt like she was on the 'losing' side of their relationship: yes, of course Jin-woo showed he cared for her, but the one who always seemed the lovesick one was her. She was the one who had showed up at his Guild's doorsteps, she was the one who had contacted him first, she was the one who had confessed first: the only thing Jin-woo had done before her, was actually asking her on their first date.

Hae-in sighed, knowing that she should be happy with what she had, but sometimes she felt like she was making everything so easy for him.

The ring of her phone distracted her from her musings.

"Master Choi?" the young woman answered.

"Good morning Hunter Cha, I'll be arriving at the Hunters Association in about 20 minutes, will I see you there?"

Cha Hae-in's mind blanked for a while, then with a shock she remembered they had an appointment at the Korean Hunters Association with the Guildmasters of the major Guilds in Korea. She groaned inwardly and she hurried to respond. "I'm getting ready, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Perfect, see you soon."

Closing the call, Hae-in noticed she had a text from Jin-woo:

'Sorry, I had to leave early - I have to go back home and then to the Guild's office. See you later at the Hunters Association. Coffee is ready in the kitchen. Smile emoji' 07.50

The blonde smiled softly and thought that he was quite sweet when he did those few things for her.

Ignoring the lingering pain between her legs, Hae-in got ready quickly, drank her at the moment warm coffee and hesitated just a second before deciding to take her sword with her: lately she felt better if she had it with her, you never know when someone or something would attack you.

In record time she was at the Hunters Association: a middle-aged agent escorted her to a medium-sized conference room with a round table. Choi Jong-in and Son Ki-hoon were already there, as were Baek Yoon-ho with a man and young woman with long black hair; Hae-in also noticed Lim Tae-gyu with two fellow guildmembers.