Prologue
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
This was already the fifth memory loss.
“Today? I’m swamped to death right now.”
Dojun furrowed his brow as he faced the all-too-familiar situation.
When your partner habitually loses their memory, what is the most appropriate way to respond?
- Beg them not to leave you even though they’ve lost their memory.
- Linger ambiguously by their side and wait for their memory to return.
- Don’t cling — go find a new life for yourself.
- Hope their memory comes back and smack them upside the head.
- Memory be damned — shove them into a Dungeon and tell them to go save the world.
Personally, Dojun wanted to choose option 3 or 4, but most people would probably pick 1 or 2.
No matter which one he chose, he wasn’t going to hear anything good from this ill-tempered bastard.
Seon Hanul had an angelic, beautiful face, but his insides were pitch black — a personality wreck who hated every human being equally, himself excluded.
He was two-faced, smiling pleasantly on the outside while sharpening a knife within, and he was also a germophobe who acted like he’d die if anyone so much as touched him — though that was selective, judging by how he acted in bed.
Whether it was some kind of special treatment reserved for his partner, after getting together with Dojun he had tried to be a sweet and adorable boyfriend — but that didn’t mean Hanul’s true nature could be denied.
Even before they started dating, Dojun had already experienced firsthand just how formidable Hanul’s temper was.
So what Dojun was trying to say was: Hanul without his memories was a person you couldn’t associate with.
“The answer is number 5.”
Dojun beckoned lazily at his partner, who was smiling that fake smile of his as if sizing him up.
“Anyway, first let’s stop the Dungeon break.”
Thinking about what this guy’s going to pull going forward makes me want to just break up with him.
‘Babe, you know what happens if you abandon me again, right?’
But if he did that, the fallout would be brutal once Hanul’s memory came back.
‘I’ve tangled up my own fate.’
What sin did I commit in my past life to end up falling for someone this ill-natured, two-faced, relentless, and obsessive?
No — why, of all things, did my partner end up with this kind of Dungeon aftereffect?
#001
The Dungeon aftereffect — also called the Dungeon’s Curse — was something very familiar to Awakened individuals active as hunters.
“So you could say it’s like the Dungeon master refusing to die alone, clinging on like a vengeful ghost dragging you down with it?”
The reporter’s question was well-suited to the intent of explaining Dungeon aftereffects to the general public in the most accessible way possible.
“Yes, that’s not wrong.”
To the Dungeon’s master, a hunter was a mortal enemy tearing apart its domain — and so the malice a boss monster felt as it died was inevitably intense.
And in rare instances, when that malice took on a physical form and affected a hunter, that was how it manifested as a Dungeon aftereffect.
“What kinds of Dungeon aftereffects are there, exactly?”
“They range from reduced stamina or excessive drowsiness, all the way to losing the use of part of your body or having your abilities sealed — the varieties are extremely diverse.”
Beyond that, there was no shortage of bizarre aftereffects such as uncontrollable laughing, skin discoloration, and hair loss — so much so that hunters had a saying among themselves that even getting an ordinary aftereffect was considered lucky.
“So does that mean hunters get cursed every time they clear a Dungeon?”
“Not at all. Typically, there’s about a 10% chance of obtaining a Dungeon aftereffect per clear.”
At Dojun’s answer, the reporter, as agreed upon in advance, brought up the most common perception among the general public.
“That’s not as bad as I would have thought.”
Comments
I get that Dungeon aftereffects are rough, but you make insane money for it, right? With a 10% chance of getting hit and that kind of pay, it seems worth it — quit whining;;
👍2722 👎695
Recalling the comment he’d seen a few days ago, Dojun calmly explained further.
“There are times when every hunter who enters a Dungeon gets an aftereffect, or only some of them do, but cases where nobody gets an aftereffect are far more common.”
“So the vengeful ghost plan failed. Was the monster’s grudge just not up to par? Or maybe monsters make mistakes because it’s their first time dying too.”
“You could interpret it that way, but we tend to interpret it as Awakened individuals having a certain degree of resistance to curses, given that they possess the power to fight back against monsters.”
“Ah, so would a higher-ranked Awakened be less affected by curses? I know that higher ranks have better defensive capabilities, and it seems like a curse could be considered a type of attack.”
“That’s correct. However, higher-ranked individuals tend to clear Dungeons more frequently, so the end result is that most hunters end up carrying at least one Dungeon aftereffect regardless of rank.”
Even with a 10% probability and a natural resistance to curses, the risk escalated sharply when the frequency of Dungeon clears increased.
Which was why every hunter paid close attention to Dungeon aftereffects.
“I’ve heard that overseas there are hunters with more than ten aftereffects — are they permanent?”
“Fortunately, most Dungeon aftereffects tend to disappear after a certain amount of time has passed.”
“For the minority of cases not included in ‘most’ — where there’s no set expiration date — what can be done?”
“You can use an item that removes the aftereffect. If you can get your hands on one, that is.”
Dojun gave a faint smile and added that such an item had only been discovered twice in history, and since they were single-use, there was no way to obtain one now at any price — and the reporter let out a groan.
“So there are hunters out there who have to carry their Dungeon aftereffect for the rest of their lives?”
“That’s right. Which is why our guild has been focusing lately on developing items that weaken Dungeon aftereffects. Most notably….”
And so, after thoroughly answering questions about exactly what Dungeon aftereffects were, the reality facing hunters who suffered from them, and what kind of support was needed for the items currently in development, Dojun wrapped things up as the interview concluded.
“Thank you for your hard work, Reporter Park.”
“You as well — I heard there was almost a Dungeon break yesterday? You haven’t been able to rest properly because of this interview, are you all right?”
She looked briefly concerned, noting that he seemed tired — but then Reporter Park let her personal curiosity show through.
“So — has our Seon Hanul hunter started over again?”
Memory loss.
At the softly whispered words, Dojun gave a light nod.
The first time or two, it hadn’t been easy to accept — but by the fifth time, you picked up the knack for it.
“I figured as much. When he’s normal, he’s always glued right to your side, but today he didn’t come out.”
Today’s event had been arranged to shift the public’s perception of Dungeon aftereffects and to call for support in developing items that could weaken them.
And out of all the many hunters out there, the reason Dojun was the one who stepped up for this particular interview was because he was the most famous Dungeon aftereffect victim in the country.
“This is the fifth time already, isn’t it? I wonder how long it’ll take him to get his memory back this time. I heard the time before last it was two months?”
“The longest stretch was half a year, so I’d like it to be faster than that.”
Myeong Dojun — the poor hunter with a partner who habitually lost his memory due to a Dungeon aftereffect.
There wasn’t a person in the country who didn’t know the descriptor attached to Dojun’s name.
“Of course. The shorter the hardship, the better.”
As Reporter Park failed to hide her sympathetic look, Dojun recalled something he’d forgotten.
Come to think of it, wasn’t it Reporter Park who had exclusively broken the news of Dojun and Hanul’s relationship?
Going public about dating another man in this country required enormous courage. The relationship between Dojun and Hanul — both known as Black-rank hunters — attracted a great deal of attention in more ways than one…
Originally, I never would have agreed to going public.
But Dojun had no other choice.
Comments
Wait, is this real? MDJ was so scared of getting his boyfriend stolen that he made a public declaration? Like, he loses his memory but he’s still MY boyfriend so back off???
👍3081 👎439
Hanul had a wholesome and upright public image, while Dojun was known for his cold demeanor and decisive attitude.
So people naturally assumed it was Dojun who had pushed for going public — but in reality, the one who had made the declaration was not Dojun, but Hanul.
‘Since you’re both men, I can’t tie us together on paper right away — so I think I need to do at least this much to put my mind at ease.’
‘When I don’t have my memories, do you have any idea how many people try to flirt with you?’
‘We promised each other forever. Right? You said you wouldn’t abandon me again. That’s what it means.’
Because of something that had already happened, Dojun couldn’t bring himself to refuse Hanul’s suggestion of going public.
It also seemed like going public would put an end to Hanul’s relentless and persistent suspicions.
Certainly, after that, Seon Hanul settled down to a degree — and I felt more at ease, too.
When the fourth memory loss came around, the fact that their relationship was known to the entire country had been a great help.
That said, it wasn’t as though Hanul’s personality had gone anywhere — but regardless, it was true that going public had given Dojun a good card to play when dealing with memory-less Hanul.
“Hang in there, Myeong Dojun.”
Reporter Park — who was clearly on friendly terms with Hanul separately — offered her encouragement and departed, and Dojun swallowed a sigh as he pulled out his phone.
Apparently word of Hanul’s memory loss had already reached the guild as well, because his phone had been buzzing nonstop with messages from acquaintances.
However, none of them seemed particularly shocked.
Dojun wasn’t the only one who had grown accustomed to Hanul’s memory loss.
Dojun stepped out of the noisy group chat and headed straight for the elevator.
“How do I start the explanation this time?”
Yesterday had been chaos trying to stop the Dungeon break, and after that the interview time had been too tight — so Dojun still hadn’t been able to explain anything to Hanul yet.
Hanul had probably already noticed from the reactions around him that something was wrong with his memory, but…
“Myeong Dojun?”
Dojun opened the office door and stared at Hanul, who was wearing a picture-perfect smile.
With his light brown hair and brown eyes, Hanul was a delicately striking beauty.
He knew exactly what his looks could do — so whenever he set out to win someone’s favor, like right now, he always wore that particular smile.
I’ve been looking at that smile for too long to be bewitched by it.
Dojun met those eyes — nearly amber in color — without much of a reaction, closed the door behind him, and stepped inside.
“I apologize. I had a pre-scheduled interview.”
“Not at all — a Black-rank hunter must be very busy.”
So that’s why he’s smiling so brightly.
Hearing that Dojun was one of the rare Black-rank hunters, it probably looked like there was plenty of use to get out of him.
This was a guy who had always shamelessly exploited hunters who had feelings for him — so it wasn’t the least bit surprising.
