Chapter 4

As Jeongeun remained silent and just stared, Heero scratched his cheek awkwardly and said, “Is it strange to say this? What I mean is, you’re currently listed as deceased. Your resident registration number has been canceled. I’m saying I can bring you back to life and inform the media that you’re alive—”

“No! I’m, I’m fine as I am.”

Jeongeun waved his hands frantically. He hurriedly explained, “I’m comfortable living like this. I don’t have to enter dungeons, and no one is scared of me… Heero, the guild leader, is the number one hunter in the country… I’m happy right now.”

“Hmm.”

Heero smiled slightly, tilting his head as he stared at Jeongeun.

“If you don’t want to return as ‘Jin Jeongeun,’ I can help you with a new identity.”

“Y-yes…?”

“A new name, a new identity. Would you dislike that too?”

“Uh, that is…”

Jeongeun didn’t immediately deny it, causing Heero to straighten his posture. With a bright expression, he continued, “I know you can’t exert yourself like before. It’s obvious that your magic isn’t as strong as it used to be. But the reason I want to scout you is that you’re familiar with the dungeon environment and aren’t afraid of monsters. What our team needs right now is an experienced bodyguard hunter.”

“Bodyguard hunter… you mean?”

“Yes, a dedicated bodyguard for our healer.”

When forming a dungeon raid team, a healer was essential. However, healers had weaker stamina than combat hunters and were vulnerable to monster attacks since they consumed their magic to heal team members. Therefore, a bodyguard or the team’s youngest member usually stayed close to the healer.

“A bodyguard hunter can be B or C rank, and I think you could manage that level right now.”

Heero raised one eyebrow slightly as he spoke.

“Our team’s previous bodyguards haven’t been doing well.”

A faint shadow crossed his beautiful face. Worry and sadness clouded his clear, blue eyes, which were as transparent as the ocean. Jeongeun found himself tapping his foot unconsciously as he looked at Heero’s face.

What kind of bodyguards has the first team of the Sooryun guild had to darken the gaze of this kind and positive angel, Heero!

“Jeongeun, our team’s healer, Dasol, is quite capable. He’s one of the few A-rank healers in the country, has a kind heart, and is really cute.”

Jeongeun was moved by his words. How could he praise his team member so generously? Heero was truly the best guild leader and the boss everyone desired.

“If something were to happen to Dasol… I think my heart would break. That’s why we need a reliable hunter.”

Heero looked at Jeongeun with his doe-like, moist eyes. Jeongeun found himself gazing back at his with a face that mirrored his sadness.

“I’ll assign our guild’s doctor to you. You’ll receive high-grade potions daily, and I’ll ask Dasol to help with magic healing. Please, can you join our guild?”

I can… completely can.

For a moment, Jeongeun almost forgot his situation and was about to say that. However, he managed to bite his tongue. Even if he could receive treatment and didn’t have to force himself to use spells, there was still one problem left.

“I don’t have any money or a place to stay right now. My assets have probably been seized by the state, and since my house is under the guild’s name, I’ll be homeless if I go up to Seoul.”

“You really don’t need to worry about that.”

Heero smiled brightly and grabbed Jeongeun’s arm. His ears turned bright red as if they were on fire. Jeongeun felt like his arm was frozen, and Heero spoke cheerfully.

“We can advance your salary, and our guild has team accommodations. You can stay there.”

There was no room for refusal. Heero even added with a flower-like smile, “I stay at the team accommodations more often than at home because the facilities are so good.”

Heero stays at the accommodations more often? Then… does that mean I could sleep near Heero?

“...I’ll do it.”

Jeongeun nodded slowly. On the outside, he appeared to reluctantly agree with a calm expression, but inside, he felt like cheering and doing a handstand.

Oh God! Thank you!!

From the beginning, Heero was displeased about having to come to the deer wall. So, after securing the exclusive rights to a large dungeon famous for its treasures from the association president, he reluctantly gathered his team members.

At least he could endure the annoyance since he was traveling with the team’s cutie, Dasol.

“Dasol, your hair is sticking up in the back.”

“Oh, really?”

Dasol replied nonchalantly, his eyes resembling fish eyes. Still, Heero found him adorable.

Dasol was different from the average guy. He was small, pale, and cute. That’s why the bodyguards hired to protect the healer had been harassing him like a pack of lustful dogs. Dasol had every reason to be sensitive around men.

Just yesterday, Heero had nearly beaten one of the bodyguard hunters who had been bothering Dasol into a near-unconscious state. This was already the third such incident.

Seriously, those guys with their hormones. They should learn some patience like me.

Unlike them, Heero was approaching the situation very cautiously and strategically. For the past five months, he had been appealing to Dasol as a guild leader and team leader who cared for and loved his team members. Since he already had a kind and gentle image, it wasn’t too difficult. In reality, he was just another ‘horny guy’ who didn’t care about gender when it came to someone small and cute.

“I’ll hold another interview for bodyguards soon. This time, I’ll focus on women, especially married ones.”

Of course, just because they were married women didn’t mean they wouldn’t fall for Dasol. Despite his cute appearance, Dasol had a down-to-earth and bold side, making him popular with women as well.

Ah… I really want to date him. I want him. I want to try various things in bed.

Heero swallowed his impure and dark thoughts and smiled brightly. She savored the moment when Dasol grumpily said, “Thank you for your concern.” That was the only joy he found on the way to the deer wall.

But who would have thought something so interesting would happen?

To meet Jin Jeongeun at the boundary wall of the deer field, where he had reluctantly come down.

Just yesterday, he had laid flowers in front of the camera to commemorate the first anniversary of Jin Jeongeun’s death. It was amusing to see the hunters, who had once clamored about how dangerous it was to let that “cursed tongue” loose in the world, solemnly paying their respects with somber expressions.

At first, he hadn’t noticed. She had merely thought, “Oh, his eyes are purple; that’s unusual. He’s a very skinny man, but he looks quite neat for a homeless person.” That was all he had considered.

However, the moment he saw the area of the deer wall that had been damaged and surrounded by flowers, a thought struck her. The strongest man with purple eyes who had been staring blankly at the flowers blooming inside the dungeon.

Now that he thought about it, his eyes looked similar, and he was about the same height.

Feeling bold, he decided to greet him, and Jeongeun fell right into his trap. The way his sharp eyes widened in surprise made him look quite innocent.

It was then that the idea struck his to assign Jeongeun as Dasol’s bodyguard. After all, who was Jin Jeongeun? He was a quiet and obedient man, as if his desires had been suppressed. He would be perfect as Dasol’s bodyguard.

‘What kind of idiot would willingly walk around with a mouthpiece like a dog?’

If he were any other hunter, he would have already turned the management bureau or the association upside down, fled overseas, or declared a strike. But Jeongeun didn’t seem angry at all; he wore the restraining device willingly.

‘It’s a bit surprising that he’s pretending to be dead.’

She had thought that if he were alive, he would wag his tail and report his survival like a good dog, but it seemed this fool wasn’t entirely satisfied with that life.

It was true that he had thought Jeongeun was dead right after the Rift. The guild leader, Lim Semi, who was closest to him, had lamented, “This time, he really seems to be dead.” Heero had even attended Jeongeun’s funeral.

When he heard that his grave had been desecrated, he had assumed some pervert had stolen the body of the country’s number one ranked hunter. She had bitterly laughed at the government, fearing backlash for neglecting the management of a national hero’s grave, for presenting a fake corpse.

But this was quite… an amusing turn of events for the Jin Jeongeun he knew.

Having successfully coaxed Jeongeun with all sorts of sweet talk, Heero cheerfully got out of the car.

“Let’s head up to Seoul together later. Do you have a lot of luggage to take?”

“...No.”

Jeongeun trudged along behind Heero, his thin limbs moving awkwardly.

“Great! Would you like to greet our team members first? It feels a bit odd to use the name ‘Jin Jeongeun’ here, so what should we call you?”

Heero asked in an intentionally friendly tone. Jeongeun had been bullied among the hunters, so treating him kindly would likely make him easier to handle.

As expected, Jeongeun quickly responded with a slightly more relaxed expression, “Just call me ‘dumb mute’ or ‘nobody.’”

“Hmm?”

Heero looked at him, wondering if he had misheard. But Jeongeun calmly repeated, “No one has asked for my name, so I haven’t thought of one. I’m just called ‘dumb mute’ or ‘nobody.’”

“...Huh?”

Heero raised one eyebrow in disbelief.

Of course. He’s still living like this here too.

Notes:

• 벙어리 (Beongeori): This basically means "mute" or "someone who can't speak," but it has a bit of a rude tone to it, so I added "dumb" for context.
• 아무개 (Amugae): This is like saying "so-and-so," "anyone," or "nobody." People use it when they don’t want to give their name, kind of like saying, "I'm just a Jin-nobody."