It wasn’t uncommon for guilds to join forces and tackle a Dungeon together, depending on the Dungeon’s level of danger and its characteristics.
This time, Seonmyeong was in the position of providing assistance — but the reverse could just as easily happen.
That was why it was best to maintain a good relationship with the Songhwa Guild, which had long been called the top guild in Korea before Seonmyeong and wielded enormous influence in the hunter world.
Even setting that aside, the Songhwa Guild was known for reliably delivering on compensation, so there was no reason to turn down their requests either.
“You got here fast. Did you rush because you missed me?”
The moment the car started moving, Hanul’s question came. Dojun replied evenly.
“You don’t need many words to say no.”
The reason Dojun had arrived at the conference room later than Hanul today was that he’d had a separate matter to deal with.
There was another party that had approached Seonmyeong Guild for help just like the Songhwa Guild had — and the way they’d been quietly testing the waters was irritating enough that he’d felt the need to issue a warning.
While there were places like the Songhwa Guild that behaved consistently regardless of Hanul’s condition, there were also guilds that would prod around trying to gauge the mood — and in those cases, Dojun made a point of responding firmly.
So it wasn’t a lie when Dojun said the matter had wrapped up quickly and that was why he’d come early.
What followed wasn’t a lie either.
“It’s also true that I rushed because I didn’t like leaving you alone.”
At Dojun’s answer, Hanul’s smile deepened.
“I’d have preferred you say you rushed because you missed me.”
Anyone else who saw that bashful face would have taken it as sincere.
But Hanul’s initial words had carried two meanings.
The displeasure of did you come running because you don’t trust me — and the habitual flirting he tossed in Dojun’s direction.
What was hidden beneath that gentle tone wasn’t quite so sweet.
What he’d just said was nothing more than a prettily dressed-up way of saying it bothered him that Dojun had read his true intentions and answered accordingly.
Can this even be called flirting?
Being kind, speaking softly, performing warmth — that was Hanul’s specialty.
Not just with Dojun — if he needed to, Hanul acted this way with anyone.
Since they were bound together as a couple, that kindness and warmth was being expressed in the way one might treat a lover, but it didn’t amount to much, given that there was no physical contact between them.
It wasn’t as if Hanul had acted this way with Dojun only once or twice.
There’s no sign yet that he’s trying to use me.
Truthfully, Dojun didn’t view Hanul suppressing his real nature and wearing a mask of goodness in a particularly negative light.
The problem lay in what came after — what Dojun disliked was that Hanul would try to manipulate the people he’d gotten close to in that way, bending them to his will.
So Dojun had decided he wouldn’t interfere with this behavior until Hanul actually tried to use him as a pawn.
There’s always a chance he’ll have a change of heart and turn over a new leaf.
He wasn’t sure whether it was a foolish hope — but the rose-tinted glasses hadn’t fully come off yet, and he always held onto some small, lingering thought of what if.
“Fine. I did miss you.”
“But we see each other at home every day.”
“I started living with you because going even a day without seeing you made me irritable. That’s why.”
He’d thought that answer was too half-hearted — but Hanul gave a small pout.
“We started living together because of the Dungeon aftereffects. The ten-meter restriction.”
The feigned sulkiness was convincing enough. He still knew exactly how to make himself look endearing.
“That’s not wrong either. But the reason I chose to live with you on my own terms — that part is true. I got anxious when I couldn’t see you.”
Whether he took it as an excuse or not, Hanul broke into a bright smile.
“Why were you anxious?”
“I got used to living together. And because I like you.”
Hanul closed his eyes briefly, composed his expression, then asked as if it were a joke.
“You must have liked me quite a lot?”
“Probably? You were always smiling at everyone, and since we weren’t dating, I was on edge — so I asked you to move in.”
He’d been young, in a way.
He could have just said he liked him, but that must have felt too embarrassing, because the words let’s live together had slipped out first.
He hadn’t said let’s date — yet they’d already done everything that implied it — and he’d still been worried about being rejected.
As he was thinking back on that time, Hanul looked at him with a smile in his eyes and asked,
“So that means you confessed first?”
Just like that day in the past.
Is this you confessing to me?
A helpless laugh escaped before he could stop it.
Dojun didn’t try to suppress the corners of his mouth lifting as he looked at Hanul.
“Something like that.”
More or less forcibly, but still.
This is the most graceless confession I’ve ever received. If it weren’t me, you probably wouldn’t have even realized it was a confession.
Still, if you’re going to do it, do it properly. Go on, try again.
What is it you absolutely need to say to me?
The look in his eyes that had urged Dojun to hurry up and confess.
The tone of voice that had insisted — this is a confession, you know.
And the expression on his face, nervously waiting for that confession.
“I’m curious what you said.”
Dojun recalled the face from that day — emotions laid bare despite the composed delivery — and looked at Hanul, who was smiling smoothly in front of him now, and answered.
“You’d be jealous, so I won’t say.”
This time, Hanul couldn’t hide his sour expression.
Whether he was cursing himself or cursing Dojun internally, the fact remained that Hanul had made a big deal out of the no-physical-contact rule along with declaring that the moment of their first confession belonged to him alone.
The difference this time, though, was that Dojun felt the same way.
It was far too precious a memory to share with a Hanul who was wearing a lie as his skin.
Faced with Dojun’s unapologetic expression, Hanul asked, a beat too slow,
“…Then what about telling me why you liked me?”
This one he could share. Dojun didn’t deliberate long before giving his answer.
“You’re beautiful.”
Hanul took it as a familiar compliment and responded easily.
“Ha, thank you. Should I try putting more effort into how I look?”
But that wasn’t what Dojun had meant.
“You can if you want to, but that’s not what I meant. I’m saying you looked beautiful to me even at your worst.”
Dojun offered an example perfectly tailored to Hanul’s frame of reference.
“To put it simply — it was like even after rolling around in a Dungeon for days, you never looked dirty to me.”
If he’d been able to think rationally, there was no way he would have gotten deeply entangled with someone who had such an exhausting personality.
But no matter how many times Hanul’s behavior made him angry, the moment he actually saw him in person, the irritation would mix with something that looked unbearably beautiful — and that kept repeating, until it became impossible to ignore his own feelings.
The process of accepting that had been incredibly hard.
And yet now, for some reason, the gaze pressing against his cheek was prickling again.
“You’re so straightforward. You don’t even get embarrassed.”
Was it hard to believe because he said it so easily?
But the days of fumbling over a simple I like you had only been in the early stages of their relationship. Still being like that now would be too pathetic.
“I think I’ve moved past the phase of being too shy to say it.”
Dojun replied lightly, then steered the car into the parking lot and asked,
“You’re heading to the training grounds now, right?”
“Yes, I should do at least one run-through.”
It was a routine question — it was obvious where Hanul would be going, given that they had to enter a Dungeon tomorrow at the Songhwa Guild’s request.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Are you worried about me?”
This question carried a similar meaning to the one from earlier.
Do you not trust me.
Dojun pulled to a stop, let out a quiet laugh, and looked at Hanul.
“You were already a veteran when I was still a rookie. Why would I be worried about you?”
Whatever else might be said, Dojun had never once doubted Hanul’s abilities as a hunter.
If he hadn’t trusted Hanul’s capabilities from the start, he never would have dragged him along on day one to stop a Dungeon break.
“You’ll have gone over the records you left behind, too. The chances of something going wrong this time are low.”
When Hanul had lost his memories, he’d documented a great many things in order to carry on his guild duties and hunter activities without disruption.
Years’ worth of time had been compressed into those documents — he likely hadn’t read through all of it yet — but the moment Songhwa Guild reached out, Hanul would have prioritized looking through the records related to them.
That was why he’d been able to speak so comfortably with Deputy Guild Leader Lim today as well.
“The hunters on the Songhwa side are generally reasonable, so there won’t be any friction with you. And our attack team has worked closely with you enough times to know how to handle things on their own given the current situation.”
If a problem still arose after all that — it would have been an incident that would have happened even if Hanul had his memories.
“You’re probably wondering why I’m following you to the training grounds then — honestly, I just want to be with you.”
Dojun unlocked the car door with a smile.
“If you’re going to put a label on it, this is me asking you out on a date.”
Under normal circumstances, Hanul would have snapped back with something like what kind of date is this — but the Hanul who was currently trying to win him over didn’t voice any complaint.
“A date. I like that.”
Whatever else was going on between them — at least this part, he genuinely didn’t mind.
