Chapter 6

As Jeongeun turned around with his mouth covered, he saw a pretty and cute young man holding a cigarette pack.

Was it Hunter Dasol? The healer from Heero’s team…

If he was the healer directly under Heero, he must be a fairly high-ranking hunter, and Jeongeun should have known him if he was a high-level healer, yet this was the first time he was seeing this face. He must have awakened as a hunter while Jeongeun was hiding away.

“Hello, cough, cough…”

Forgetting that he was in the middle of vomiting blood, Jeongeun hurriedly stood up to greet him, but the severe dizziness and continued coughing forced him to bend over again. His palm became damp and warm once more.

“...Are you hurt?”

Dasol asked with a slightly displeased tone. It sounded less like concern and more like, “Is the guy who’s supposed to be my bodyguard injured?” So, Jeongeun shook his head vigorously, trying to cover his mouth.

“I’m not hurt, huff, it’s just the aftereffects of using a specific skill. I’m normally, cough, normally like this.”

Even when his magic vessel was intact, using spells recklessly always left him feeling unwell. In the past, he would feel pain all over and a bit nauseous, but at least he hadn’t bled like this. So, it wasn’t entirely a lie.

“...Well, do you want me to heal you?”

Dasol asked, sounding reluctant.

That was understandable. They weren’t in a dungeon, hadn’t been in a fight, and they had just been introduced moments ago. There was no need for Dasol to expend his magic to heal Jeongeun.

“No, I’m fine….”

Jeongeun barely swallowed the blood that was threatening to spill over again as he replied. Dasol’s pretty face scrunched up at his response.

“Do you see me as a stingy guy who saves magic?”

He walked over to Jeongeun and lightly grabbed his arm. Soon, a warm pink light enveloped Dasol’s hand, and Jeongeun felt a calming sensation wash over him.

Magic damage rate reduced to 59%.

A new notification appeared, indicating a slight reduction in magic damage.

“...Thank you. You really didn’t have to…”

Jeongeun stammered, bowing his waist. Dasol pouted, taking a cigarette from the pack.

“Let’s keep it a secret that I healed you.”

“Yes, I absolutely won’t tell anyone.”

“...Why so serious? It’s fine. Go on.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jeongeun bowed deeply once more at a 90-degree angle before hurriedly walking toward the guild vehicle. Left alone, Dasol took a drag from his cigarette and watched Jeongeun’s retreating figure for a long time.

3. Sooryun Guild

“I introduced myself earlier, but I’m Kang Soohyuk. A-rank combat type, a warrior.”

Soohyuk, who was driving, made eye contact with Jeongeun through the rearview mirror. Jeongeun quietly nodded in acknowledgment.

“I’m Kim Yejin. A-rank combat type, a mage.”

The woman sitting in the passenger seat introduced herself briefly. Jeongeun knew who Yejin was. She had been a hunter teamed up with Heero for a long time and was quite popular among the ‘Heero-in.’ [1]

“I’m Yoo Rina. A-rank combat type, an archer.”

Rina was also well-known. She had awakened at the young age of fifteen, even younger than Jeongeun, who had awakened at seventeen, and had been raiding dungeons with Heero for three years.

“I’m Heero, an S-rank combat type assassin.”

Heero said playfully. In Korea, no, in the entire world, there was no one who didn’t know who Heero was.

Among those who could manipulate water, he was overwhelmingly strong, capable of slicing a person’s throat with a single drop of water. As an S-rank, Heero could delicately control his abilities to create flowers from water streams or clean up messes. There was likely no one on Earth who could match him in manipulating water.

Feeling a swell of pride, Jeongeun nodded more vigorously than before.

“I’ll pass on introducing myself since I already did earlier.”

Dasol, who had been staring out the window the whole time, said dryly from the back seat. Heero turned to look at Dasol and smiled as if finding him cute.

“Dasol is an efficient and pragmatic person.”

It seemed like he was explaining for Jeongeun’s benefit, but it was really directed at Dasol. Dasol put on his headphones without responding . Still, Heero smiled brightly and observed Dasol’s expression. It was as if honey was dripping from his blue eyes.

‘Huh…’

Jeongeun felt a sense of discomfort. Heero was inherently kind and friendly to everyone, but he had never acted so sweetly before. Such expressions were usually seen in paparazzi photos from gossip magazines…

Suddenly, he felt a sinking sensation in his heart. It was like an instinct as a fan.

Although Jeongeun supported and cheered for Heero in all his endeavors as a ‘Heero-in’ there was one point of dissatisfaction he held. That was Heero’s romantic life.

Heero was constantly in relationships. Hunters, actors, models, regular people… Every month, gossip magazines featured paparazzi photos of Heero on dates with someone new. Of course, the people changed each time, but one could roughly guess his preferences based on the similarities in their images.

Heero was always accompanied by petite, cute women or men who evoked a protective instinct. For Jeongeun, who was tall and had no cute features, it was a position he could never dream of occupying.

Other male fans admired Heero’s frequent changes in romantic partners. Each time, they became even more enthusiastic about him. However, every time Jeongeun heard about Heero’s dating scandals, he felt a little more of his heart crumble. He tried not to think too deeply about why he felt that way.

Fortunately or unfortunately, he had no phone and rarely used the office computer, so for nearly a year, Jeongeun had been able to live without knowing anything about Heero’s romantic affairs.

But now it was Hunter Dasol.

Jeongeun recognized it immediately. As soon as he realized this, he quickly averted his gaze. He didn’t know if it was a secret relationship or unrequited love, but it felt rude to show that he knew.

Well, Dasol was exactly Heero’s type. He was small, probably around 170 cm tall, with fair skin and delicate features that were so cute they could make any man blush. He seemed a bit shy and prickly, but that only added to his charm in contrast to his appearance.

‘Plus, he’s a great healer…’

Although he had only received healing once, Jeongeun could tell that Dasol was a skilled healer. That’s why he could work as the healer for Heero’s direct first team in the top guild in South Korea.

‘I’m just a fan. Even thinking about this regarding Heero’s love life feels like overstepping my bounds.’

Jeongeun’s expression hardened even more.

After about five more minutes, Rina suddenly spoke up.

“I need to go to the bathroom. And I’m craving some so-tteok-so-tteok.” [2]

“There’s a rest area just ahead. Everyone, shall we stop for a moment?”

Soohyuk smoothly changed lanes as he spoke. Heero took a card from her wallet and handed it to Rina in the back seat.

“Use this to buy something, Rina. Kim Yibak, do you want anything? The guild leader is treating.”

Heero said with a smile. Jeongeun was flustered and shook his head. Then he realized he had only gestured in response out of habit and belatedly opened his mouth.

“I’m fine.”

“Come on, eat something. The food at rest areas has gotten really good lately.”

Jeongeun noticed that Heero was subtly scanning his body as he spoke. Instantly, his ears turned hot.

Although he hadn’t been muscular or burly before, Jeongeun had lost all his muscle and had become scrawny. After taking on all sorts of odd jobs in the wall guardian office, eating only one meal a day made from whatever was in the office fridge, it was no wonder he looked this way.

Still… it was embarrassing.

Jeongeun cleared his throat and stammered, “Well, then… I’ll have the same thing as Hunter Yu Rina…”

“Okay. What about the others?”

Rina asked loudly while waving the card. Soohyuk and Yejin said they would go together to choose, while Dasol briefly said, “I’m good.”

The rest area was really just around the corner. As soon as they stopped, Soohyuk and Yejin got out, and Jeongeun, who was sitting in the front seat, opened the door and stepped out. Rina hopped out right after him. Jeongeun turned to ask Heero and Dasol, who were still seated.

“Aren’t you getting out?”

Dasol had his head resting against the window, eyes closed, wearing headphones. It looked like he was about to fall asleep.

Heero glanced at Dasol and, with a kind smile, gestured to Jeongeun.

“You can go ahead and take care of your business. We’re fine.”

Jeongeun hesitated for a moment but then nodded and closed the car door. He saw Heero moving to the back seat through the lightly tinted window.

Is he going to rest his head on his shoulder?

As he walked toward the bathroom, Jeongeun shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

They look good together. Why am I feeling this way and being so gloomy? Don’t overstep, Jin Jeongeun. You’re nothing.

That’s right, he was nothing. He had known that fact all his life, and he thought he was better at understanding his place than others, so why was he feeling so down?

Jeongeun bit his lip hard, as if trying to regain his composure. With a pop, he felt his lip split, and the taste of iron filled his mouth. The familiar smell spread. The scent of loneliness and pain. These were the things that belonged to Jeongeun, not the sweet love or gentle care.

Notes:

[1] 희로인 (Heero-in): Heero's fandom

[2] 소떡소떡 (so-tteok so-tteok): a popular Korean street food that combines 소시지 (sausages) and 떡 (rice cakes) on a skewer.