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

XIV. Unique

Back in the erased timeline, she was known as the Blade Dancer, the only female S-Rank hunter in South Korea. She became the Vice-Guild Master of the Hunter's Guild, one of the top guilds in the country, after she awakened. She quickly rose to the top with all of her achievements and skills in battle. She was famous, and her reputation was well known to people. Those things she achieved in just a short amount of time.

People buzzed in excitement at such unusual feats asthe fact that she was a woman. Hence, she was always asked for interviews, and paparazzi would constantly find her anywhere. But she would always deny these requests. She did not want the attention. They sure had an arduous time trying to get her to face the camera and the people.

So, the swordswoman named Cha Haein was a mystery to the public. Mostly, they would only see her once or twice a year out in public whenever there were special events held by the association. One of the reasons why she did not like going out in public was because of her heightened sense of smell, a result of her unique physiology, especially once she awakened, wherein she could smell mana from living things. However, it bothered her greatly, as the smell of mana leaking from most people was enough to make her vomit, churning her stomach upside down.

The stench was ominous. Filthy. She thinks it is too much for a person to bear. Unfortunately for her, her surroundings back then were filled with hunters, so pardon her when she cannot stay in big crowds.

Haein scrunched her nose away from her thoughts as she washed the dishes in her home, memories suddenly flooding her mind as she did so. Shaking her head, she finishes her chore instead and prepares to go to the mall with her kids for the day.

"Mama!" A timid voice of a young girl ran towards her while clutching her teddy bear in one hand and, on the other, gripping the hem of her brother's shirt tightly.

"Mom, she's crying again." Her oldest son, Suho, stared worriedly at his younger sister. "I was trying to let her play with other children."

Haein placed the plates down and crouched down at their eye level. She gently wiped her daughter's tears. The girl sobbed more.

"Sora, baby, what's wrong?"

"..s-smells bad... owtside..." Sora sniffled.

Haein froze in her spot.

When her husband came home, he immediately noticed the tense atmosphere. He checked the surroundings with his powers. 'Nothing out of the ordinary..'. The tension increased when he saw his wife sitting down on the couch waiting for him, her eyes swollen.

"Dear, are you okay? What happened?" Jinwoo sat down and scooped her up in an embrace, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

When she told him what happened that day, he tried to lighten the mood first, saying something along the lines of, "Then will I smell nice to her too?". But his smile faded quickly as it appeared as soon as she explained that their daughter vomited earlier, spending her day nauseous and sick.

Jinwoo blinked in confusion and stared at his wife. Dumbfounded, he just listened and held her while she whispered 'what ifs' to his ears. Stories coming out for the first time from her experiences back then.

He caressed her hair in a soothing manner as he understood. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she told him that it hurt. It hurts to see her own daughter experiencing something like that at such an early age.

And so, when the couple ran upstairs at the sound of the girl crying once again, Haein's brows furrowed and her lips were set in a grim line from the sight. Jinwoo moved and calmed their daughter down. He whispered soothing words and hugged her.

A few minutes passed before Sora was able to calm down, and Jinwoo looked at his wife. Haein nodded, a sign of confirmation. It still works in a good way when it comes to him.

"She's so young... I do not want her to experience something worse than I did. Jinwoo." Haein mumbled later that night as they tried to rest in their bed, seeking solace after a tiring day. "I at least got it when I was older. She's only two years old." She mumbled to him.

Jinwoo nodded, his grip tightening around her waist. He mumbled gentle words to her, consoling his wife with the memories. 'Till now, he had no idea how bad it was when it came to her ability, the unique mana smell. Now, their daughter has it as well. And it might be possible that it's stronger than her mother.

That night, sleep never came to the couple.

To be continued...