# Chapter 12
Dohyuk’s stiff expression unknowingly softened. What an incredible face. When wearing just a shirt, he had been the man who suited shirts best in the world, but now wearing the uniform, he transformed into the man who suited uniforms best in the world.
Moreover, Guide uniforms were difficult for ordinary people to pull off due to their pure white color and long length. From the beginning, they weren’t uniforms designed with practicality in mind like Esper combat gear, but clothes meant to be shown to the media. There had been many complaints about what employee would work in such an outfit if they weren’t a model, yet it was fascinating how the Guide uniform fit Junseo like it was custom-made.
Dohyuk was so inwardly impressed by that face that made even the elaborate uniform look modest, he almost missed what Junseo said.
“Looks like you received a Chuseok gift early.”
“What? Oh! This is a gift I prepared.”
“A gift you prepared?”
Only then did Dohyuk, who had completely forgotten about the gift set while taking the test, pick it up and politely hand it to Junseo with a satisfied expression. Junseo’s face looked completely innocent as he blinked as if he hadn’t expected this and accepted the red ginseng.
He really did resemble a puppy. Honestly speaking, he wasn’t small in stature, but perhaps his clear face was more like a fluffy Maltese that anyone would love.
“Is this for me?”
At Junseo’s question, Dohyuk felt confident.
Now was the time to apologize. Dohyuk clenched his fist without anyone noticing. The words of apology he had prepared all night flowed eloquently.
“I thought you might have been startled during yesterday’s guiding because of me. I’m sorry for the late apology. Please forgive me if I committed any offense.”
After staring at him thoughtfully, blinking his eyes, Junseo casually asked back.
“Ah, offense?”
“Yes. I must have been out of my mind from the medication. …I’m not trying to make excuses, but I don’t even remember what nonsense I was saying. It was my first time getting excited during guiding…. Anyway, I’m truly sorry. I swear it won’t happen again. Of course, if you felt shame because of my mistake and find it difficult to forgive, I’ll accept proper punishment.”
“Ah.”
Thanks to Dohyuk’s detailed apology, which looked like he might bow his head at any moment, Junseo seemed to grasp the situation and slowly nodded. Dohyuk anxiously watched his reaction.
“Excuse me, but did I perhaps… touch you forcefully?”
That couldn’t be it, right? No matter how much I lost consciousness and my mind during guiding, I couldn’t be that kind of trash, right? Whether Junseo knew of Dohyuk’s desperate look or not, he lowered his long eyelashes without answering for a moment.
Black hair scattered across his snow-white face. Just as Dohyuk felt like his insides were about to burn up completely, Junseo’s previously closed lips opened. His eyes, reflecting the light, gleamed with purity.
“I was a little surprised, but I thought it could happen. I’m fine. I’m just happy you apologized first.”
So I was that kind of trash.
“…I’m sorry.”
Dohyuk felt like dying yet was also touched. To forgive him after seeing such behavior. Just as his last strong impression suggested, that person truly seemed like an angel. He was one of those rare cases where personality matched the face.
Soon, Junseo added, somewhat shyly, pronouncing the end of his words a bit longer.
Dr. Choi, who was preparing to return to the laboratory after storing the original results, looked at Yu Junseo with a very strange gaze, but Dohyuk, already focused on Junseo, couldn’t possibly know. Moreover, Dr. Choi soon lost interest in the two and left for his laboratory where his adorable cultured cells were growing.
“In exchange… may I ask one favor?”
“A favor?”
“It’s rare to find an Esper who treats me so kindly. I’m sorry if it’s inappropriate.”
There was no way Dohyuk could refuse someone apologizing so desolately in advance. Looking at that face, Dohyuk felt even more apologetic and hurriedly said.
“Not at all! How could it be inappropriate?”
“Then may I ask for your contact information?”
It was a clean and straightforward request, as if he had never dragged out his words.
“Pardon?”
Despite not often being told he couldn’t understand what people were saying, Junseo’s conversation pattern was strangely unpredictable.
Contact information, why? As soon as Dohyuk felt confused, Junseo blinked with a gentle face.
The confusion vanished.
“…Ah, of course I’ll give it to you.”
When Dohyuk responded as if entranced, those pure eyes smiled abundantly. It felt as though everything around became brighter. Even as Dohyuk was clearly half-melted by that smile and hesitating, Junseo spoke as if driving in a wedge. His voice was as depressing as his sparkling smile was colorful.
“Actually, I awakened later than other ability users, so despite my high rank, I still don’t know much. People around me seem uncomfortable with me, so I don’t have anyone to ask casually. They also seem to gossip that an S-class knows nothing….”
“Who on earth would gossip about that? If you awakened late, it’s only natural that you need time to adapt!”
The effect was excellent. The enraged Dohyuk immediately gave his contact information. He probably would have given his bank account password if Junseo had asked with that expression. It was because his downcast voice sounded particularly lonely.
The more they talked, the more Dohyuk became indignant at the contempt and disregard that Guide Yu Junseo had apparently received. Had he said he awakened late and had only been at headquarters for just a year now? How neglected must he have been to ask someone who was uncomfortable with him from the first impression to have lunch together? If Dohyuk didn’t have an urgent appointment to meet Dr. Jeong at the lab, he would have gone along. Junseo’s shoulders, drooping at Dohyuk’s refusal, looked particularly pitiful.
In fact, even when Dohyuk patted Junseo’s shoulder while giving a polite greeting about definitely having a meal together next time, he still thought their relationship would be brief.
Since he had committed an offense, he certainly wanted to help if Junseo needed assistance. But realistically, how often would an S-class Guide and an A-class Esper meet? They were both busy with their own work, and their job natures were different. Dohyuk strongly believed that even this current meeting, created by chance, would pass fleetingly with light pleasantries.
That was what he thought until then.
***
“You look in extremely bad condition today?”
“I’m a bit tired.”
Dohyuk, who had been radiating killing intent, detached himself from the now softly melted monster corpse. Since it was rare for Dohyuk to fall into poor condition on the first day of dungeon conquest, Seungmin was perplexed.
“I’m the one who’s been running around all day yesterday. I went alone to both Ganghwa Island and for additional investigation. Dohyuk, look at my face. Wow, I was shocked when I looked in the mirror today. My face is completely ruined. When we finish this dungeon conquest, I’m definitely taking some time off, damn it! If I suddenly leave to start a labor movement, don’t be surprised.”
After Seungmin whined incessantly, he finally expressed his anger in a gradation.
In truth, despite all his complaints, Seungmin enjoyed fieldwork. This was because all by-products, including the life allowance earned from hunting monsters, belonged to the dispatched personnel. As they say, you earn money for the work you do. The income from the field was quite substantial. When Dohyuk didn’t respond at all, Seungmin casually asked again.
“But what’s wrong with you? Your face has become half of what it was in just one day. Did Dr. Jeong scold you badly yesterday?”
“Stop talking nonsense and focus. You got hurt during a hunt last time.”
“That was years ago!”
Despite his blunt response, Dohyuk firmly pressed his eyes. His limbs ached. He must really be tired. In fact, the person who had seriously considered taking the day off today was Dohyuk. But a dungeon in Gapyeong had suddenly gone berserk, and Dohyuk and Seungmin had been mobilized since dawn.
Moreover, the dungeon they were currently conquering required vigilance despite being B-class.
As he had felt uneasy the moment he saw the cave-type dungeon filled with uneven piles of stones, Chwiaks (stink-evil) had appeared in this dungeon. These monsters were B-class and not physically strong. However, what made them malicious was that they hid as much as possible among the deep shadows in the darkness, and their sharp teeth spewed poison. As a rookie, Dohyuk had once been bitten by a hidden Chwiak, and the scar still remained on his waist.
After a tedious wait of over an hour with Seungmin, Dohyuk, who had finally found traces and killed one Chwiak, sighed. With the scan, they could only know the approximate location of a Chwiak, and there was no way to extract it first until it jumped out of the shadow it had melted into. That made hunting more challenging.
“If we’re careless, we could be ambushed. We need to hunt all Chwiaks within a 1km radius of the base over the next hour. We’ve already killed ten, so there should be at most two or three left.”
“Yes, yes. Would there be any doubt?”
Inside the cave, even staying still for a moment caused their body temperature to cool down.
Dohyuk contacted Kim Minseok, a B-class support-type Esper who was waiting at the base protecting the Guide, through the radio to ask about the scan situation. Compared to Esper Yoon Ayoung, Minseok lacked teleportation abilities, but his scanning abilities were superior to hers.
In response to Dohyuk’s radio call, Minseok diligently provided coordinates. Simultaneously, a map materialized in front of Dohyuk and Seungmin. There were two Chwiaks within the next 300 meters.
