Hee-young paced restlessly around the kitchen. He even made a show of rummaging through his psychiatric medication — pills he’d never touch under normal circumstances — and had drunk about three glasses of water by the time he heard Shin-yul go into the bathroom to wash up first. Hee-young hurriedly ransacked the kitchen, pulling out the sharp knives one by one and inspecting them, before settling on the one that looked the easiest to grip and the sharpest. It appeared to be a sashimi knife — longer and thinner than the other kitchen knives, with a terrifyingly keen edge.
The high-end knife set was divided into quite a variety of purposes, so one missing knife wouldn’t look out of place. He slipped it into the leather case hanging neatly beside the block, then wandered around wondering where to hide it before finally tucking it deep into the very bottom shelf of the shoe cabinet. Shin-yul always wore only the same shoes he was used to, and the shoe cabinet held sixteen pairs of Hee-young’s shoes alone. The shelf in question held lace-up leather sandals and white flip-flops — footwear he’d never pull out in this weather — so it was the perfect hiding spot.
Having hastily stashed the knife, Hee-young let out a long, heavy sigh.
Idiot, moron…. Am I actually losing my mind?
Hee-young seriously considered whether he should start taking his psychiatric medication right now. If there weren’t something genuinely wrong with him, he would never have said sure to an insane question like want to go to a Dungeon?
But Hee-young really… couldn’t say anything other than sure. It wasn’t because of some ridiculous conscience or sympathy. When he’d heard that completely unhinged question — want to go to a Dungeon? — Hee-young had been so baffled and caught off guard that he couldn’t even get angry, and had just asked, …why? with a dumb look on his face. To which Shin-yul had made that sad expression again and answered.
“Because whenever I’m not around, the princess keeps meeting other Espers…. I thought maybe it’d be better if we just didn’t separate.”
“…What? You’re asking me to go to a Dungeon full of monsters popping out of nowhere — with this frail body of mine — for a reason like that?”
“That too. But you said you don’t hate me — you said that was said out of frustration, right? Then you can Guide me inside the Dungeon, can’t you? Ajeossi, I’m anxious. Prove to me that you don’t hate me.”
“What are you, my lover?”
“Pretty much. If you don’t go to the Dungeon with me, I’ll be so upset and sad I might Rampage.”
Rampage? The moment Hee-young heard Shin-yul’s words, a horrifying image flashed through his mind in an instant — Shin-yul Rampaging inside a Dungeon, being dragged away by a group of burly men, and those same men forcing themselves between Shin-yul’s unconscious legs.
Pale as a sheet, Hee-young had blurted out fine! before he even knew what he was saying. Of course, the moment it left his mouth he caught himself with a jolt and clamped his lips shut, face crumpling — but he didn’t take it back. No — he couldn’t. Because the moment he said it, Shin-yul had broken into a wide, joyful smile and pulled him into a tight embrace.
After that, everything moved at a frightening pace. Shin-yul grabbed his hand and went straight to the Dungeon Management Division at headquarters, where he cornered one of the staff members and completed the long-term Dungeon registration. It was then that Hee-young learned: Dungeons were categorized by grade, ranging from high-risk to safe, and by scale, divided into long-term and short-term Dungeons based on time required. So the absolute worst of the worst was a high-risk long-term Dungeon.
Apparently, that was the kind Espers like Shin-yul — S-rank — were mainly assigned to. And it was practically mandatory for Espers entering long-term Dungeons to go in with a Guide. When there was no Pair Guide available, a Center Guide would enter alongside them — and for Shin-yul, for whom even that was difficult to arrange, he’d apparently been going in loaded up with large quantities of Guiding medication.
Since Guiding medication was considered far less ideal than actual Guiding from a Guide, Shin-yul had been limited to entering only high-risk short-term Dungeons from the moment Hee-young manifested — and as a result, the workload of the other S-rank Espers had gone up to an indescribable degree.
The staff member in charge of Dungeon assignments, who had been suffering because of exactly that, had beamed ear to ear the moment Shin-yul put in the long-term Dungeon request and immediately locked in the schedule. When Shin-yul asked to change it to a safe grade just as the staff member was about to assign a high-risk long-term Dungeon, the staff member finally noticed Hee-young standing behind them like a corpse, and responded with a reluctant oh, yes, of course, looking visibly disappointed.
Hee-young had quietly hoped that The Center might step in and stop this absurd situation where Shin-yul was just dragging him into a Dungeon. And with good reason — the staff had talked his ears off explaining the dangers of Dungeons. Since becoming a Guide meant mandatory Dungeon entry, it was the most essential briefing for someone like Hee-young, who had very little understanding of how this world worked.
So Hee-young had been aware of Dungeon entry — and that awareness had made him think it would be even harder to put down roots and live in this world, driving him to renew his resolve to return home. But he had clearly been told that Dungeon deployment came only after all foundational training was completed. The standard Guiding training was said to take about a month, and Hee-young had vaguely assumed he’d enter only after the post-manifestation weakness that affected both Espers and Guides had fully passed.
But thanks to this ridiculous kid’s tantrum and the slapdash handling of the administration, he would be walking into a monster’s den in just two days — with his pitifully weak body. He couldn’t believe his own situation.
Of course, a staff member who had seen his dumbfounded expression had frantically reassured him that as the Pair Guide of an S-rank Esper, he’d be very well protected, and since the Dungeon was a safe grade, it would just be a little longer in duration with no danger whatsoever — but Hee-young decided not to trust The Center’s shameless word. And the moment he got home, he’d gone ahead and grabbed a knife.
He was walking into a monster’s den — and he was supposed to just trust that one person alone? Then what if Shin-yul goes crazy and doesn’t save him, or something unlucky happens and he falls into danger? Then he just gets torn apart and eaten by monsters?
That was absurd. Was it even remotely reasonable to entrust one’s life entirely to another person in the first place? Unaware of the true greatness of an S-rank Esper, Hee-young decided to protect himself in his own way. Whether a knife like this would even work on monsters — that, he didn’t know.
He confirmed the location of the knife hidden in the back of the shoe cabinet one final time, then trudged over to the door of the largest bathroom, the one he always used, and knocked his forehead against it repeatedly.
Damn it, should I just say I can’t do it now? Hee-young dug his fingers into his own hair.
But then, what if he actually Rampages? A Dungeon was somewhere he had to go eventually — but sleeping with Shin-yul was something he never had to do before he died. The thought of Shin-yul Rampaging, being dragged away by people, and having his pants forcibly pulled down — that was something he hated. Truly, truly hated, even at the cost of his life.
Ah…. This is really exhausting…. At my age, what on earth am I doing? No — am I just going to keep whining? Pull yourself together!
Hee-young tilted his head back to give himself one more firm knock against the door. He squeezed his eyes shut and swung forward at full speed — but instead of the pain he had braced for, a warm, firm sensation enveloped his forehead. It was Shin-yul’s hand.
“Princess, what are you doing? What’s got you upset? If something’s wrong, hit me — why are you hurting yourself….”
Shin-yul pulled him into an embrace, gently rubbing Hee-young’s forehead with a soft, concerned, affectionate voice, then turned Hee-young’s body around to check his expression. Hee-young, at Shin-yul’s interruption, responded with a drooping, I knew it kind of face.
Whatever….
“Your forehead’s gone red. How many times did you bang it? Is it the bathroom door you don’t like? Should I take it off?”
“What are you on about, you lunatic….”
“Why do you look so worn out. Want to yank on my hair?”
Hee-young stared blankly at the round head Shin-yul suddenly shoved in his direction, utterly incredulous.
Wow, this is maddening. How did he even pick up a habit like this? Does he actually enjoy it? Damn it, you pervert.
Hee-young made a face of pure revulsion.
Seeing that Hee-young just stood there even with a head shoved at him, Shin-yul drooped his eyebrows and made a dejected expression.
“What would it take to get our princess in a better mood?”
That damned princess title. If this so-called princess just got to say one word — that she’s not going to the Dungeon — she’d be happy enough to fly.
Should I try getting down on my knees? If I said I’d absolutely keep Guiding him but that we should go to the Dungeon later….
Hee-young, lost in thought, looked into the golden eyes meeting his own and just kept sighing, one after another.
Yeah right, as if he’d listen. As if.
“Hmm? Baby. Tell me. Or should I kill whoever made you upset? The one from today?”
…It’s you. Go kill yourself. Baby — damn it, he’d said time and again that this baby was pushing fifty, and yet here Shin-yul was, stomach of steel.
Hee-young let out one more long sigh, then steeled himself internally.
If you’ve decided to do something, you do it. Making a death-face and avoiding things — that’s no way to live your life.
“Move. I need to wash up.”
“Should I drop a bath bomb in for the princess? The kind you like? It’ll help you feel better?”
…? When did I ever say I liked those?
But Hee-young had no energy left to argue, and answered in a sullen voice.
“Fine…. That scent is nice, actually….”
***
The morning of the Dungeon day arrived, as inevitable as ever. The moment Hee-young opened his eyes, he had an extraordinarily grim expression on his face. He didn’t even bother responding to Shin-yul’s empty chatter — he was solemn, like a general on the eve of a decisive battle.
If you’ve decided to do it, you do it.
Hee-young repeated that to himself internally as he followed behind Shin-yul and stepped out of the apartment. The large knife he’d taken out of the purple sling bag Shin-yul had packed for him — replacing the inexplicable stuffed animal that had been inside — crossed his mind, and it was at least reassuring.
His one and only goal was to come back with all his limbs intact. Some might say, you’re going into a safe grade Dungeon with an S-rank, what could you possibly be worried about — but for Hee-young, this was the day he’d meet monsters for the first time, the day he’d see the true face of this world with his own eyes. He couldn’t help being tense.
Life up until now had been very peaceful. Not emotionally, of course — but physically, at least. From what he’d heard, there were countless cases of people losing their homes to the sudden appearance of Dungeons, or losing their lives to monster attacks. And yet, despite being such a terrifying world, the hospital and The Center where he’d been staying were identical to the world he originally came from.
That made it even more frightening. The fear of the unknown — something he couldn’t even glimpse at in fragments — had grown larger with every passing day. Hee-young knew very well how to deal with this kind of fear. You either face it head-on, or you run forever. In his life, he had never chosen to run. Though… this time, he really, genuinely wanted to.
He found it strange that Shin-yul, for once, wasn’t pestering him or clinging to him trying to hug him — but Hee-young didn’t bother saying it out loud. If anything, it was a relief. If they hugged, the knife in the bag might be discovered.
After forcing himself through ten solid minutes of walking and arriving at The Center, Hee-young scowled at the crowd of people swarming in front of headquarters.
What happened to this being a nothing-special Dungeon. Damn it, I’m an idiot for trusting them again.
Hee-young clicked his tongue and pushed his way through the crowd toward the front — then froze.
“Hee-young?”
“Oh….”
Ha-ram spotted Hee-young and walked out toward him at a leisurely pace.
“Your class… why didn’t you come?”
Should I run?
