# Chapter 37
“Does it hurt?”
Taesung lowered his voice and abruptly asked, looking at Lee Hwan’s reddened eyes. It was a dry whisper, without any particular concern. Lee Hwan was instantly pulled back to reality and shook his head. He was momentarily flustered but quickly regained his composure.
‘Again… I lost focus again.’
This level of pain was familiar to him. One small mistake could lead to a monster wave; he couldn’t let his mind wander just because of a minor injury. Moreover, he couldn’t risk destroying the present for the sake of savoring a sweet future that hadn’t even happened yet.
Lee Hwan squeezed back his tears, then slightly raised his palm to block Taesung’s concern. He then jerked his chin toward the outside to divert attention.
For now, he needed to get out of this situation. Whether the gate clearance would lead to ruin or success, they needed to leave this narrow space and deal with the monsters to advance to the next section.
Lee Hwan moved his arm, keeping his senses alert to the sounds outside. The hand signals continued: wait, wait, wait…
During this time, Taesung’s once-relaxed heartbeat gradually quickened, and his muscles tensed tightly as if preparing for battle. Through the thin suit, Lee Hwan could feel him getting ready while focusing all his attention on the monsters’ movements.
Finally, when the monster’s sounds came from very close by and then began to fade away again.
‘Move.’
And then, ambush.
Tak-
Perbung!
Paang-!
From behind the monster. As Lee Hwan fired a small bomb, Taesung set it ablaze. The monsters that instinctively tried to avoid it either fell over or were driven inward by Lee Hwan’s manipulation.
Flames spewed forth, and a fiery whirlwind rose. Lee Hwan was consistently altering the trajectory of any flying seeds or stems.
His nose stung, and he felt something warm trickling down. Lee Hwan knew without wiping it with his arm. His nose was bleeding again.
‘Damn. What a waste of blood.’
Muttering vampire-like thoughts to himself, Lee Hwan intensified his attack. This monster was a plant-type Grade 2 with cores attached to different parts. He grabbed the space around what looked like the core areas by eye and completely dried them up.
Gwaaang-!
Taesung used an explosion mixed with flames. With a thunderous sound, the ground shook momentarily, and the hot heat felt like it was turning Lee Hwan into a hard-boiled egg.
Fortunately, Lee Hwan had protected himself in advance. And Taesung, as if anticipating this, didn’t even turn his head toward Lee Hwan.
Passeuk…
The dried and twisted plant monsters made even a light sound as they collapsed. While they couldn’t extract fluids from the carcasses, at least Lee Hwan had survived without further injury.
And Taesung also appeared to be fine.
“Ugh…”
Only then did Lee Hwan sit down on the ground. Fatigue washed over him once he confirmed everyone was safe. The pain in his side was already nothing to worry about, but he was somewhat tired.
After withdrawing his ability, he turned to look at Taesung. He was finishing off the final confirmation kills on the monsters and slowly walking toward him.
“Completed.”
Lee Hwan just nodded at his words as he approached.
The passage was heated from the flames, so it wasn’t particularly cold. Rather, it felt like being in a sauna. Nevertheless, Lee Hwan looked up at Taesung with a dumb expression, thinking, ‘If that living heat pack touched me again, my body would probably melt away…’
In fact, Lee Hwan hadn’t felt the cold much since his awakening. That’s why he preferred cool things over hot ones.
Despite that, now he kept craving someone’s warmth. Like how in winter, even when not particularly cold, you want to crawl into a soft blanket with the electric pad turned on.
It was a well-known fact that Taesung’s body heated up when he used his ability, and that his body temperature was slightly higher than normal even during regular times. Because of this, when they went through cold gates, Lee Hwan would jokingly put cold rations in his hands. When it was hot, he would sometimes touch Taesung, who would laugh and push his hand away.
But this was the first time he had been conscious of it in this way. That is…
‘As a good… heating item?’
Lee Hwan suddenly felt like he was being a bit dramatic with this body that was several years younger than before his regression. If he had lost a lot of blood, his body temperature might have dropped, but the wound on his side had already been contained with just one hemostatic patch. Even in colder battle environments, he had never once thought about wanting to crawl into Taesung’s arms.
It was funny. Even now, Taesung was probably just a hunter trying to shoulder an injured person, nothing more, nothing less. Yet Lee Hwan felt a sense of comfort, like when he held the towel.
Taesung, who had been flicking off ash, briefly examined Lee Hwan and then reached out his hand without asking if he was okay. Lee Hwan grabbed it and slowly stood up. The supporting arm was quite hot.
“I’m combat-capable, so there’s no need for concern.”
Lee Hwan spoke first. There were probably a few more battles left until clearance. He didn’t want to be a burden.
Fortunately, strength returned firmly to his legs, which had been wobbling just moments ago. It seemed like he could walk, run, and even jump if needed.
“Let’s find a safe spot and rest a bit.”
Even though they could have moved on immediately, Taesung deliberately pulled Lee Hwan into what looked like a safe corner. He set fire to the ground, and as they sat down again, Taesung’s face flickered in the firelight. His eyes, which held the flames, felt momentarily close, yet also too far away.
He wanted to clear the gate quickly and rest. Yet he didn’t want to leave. He wanted to get closer to this guy. But he needed to avoid him to stay safe.
Contradictory emotions and situations enveloped him. So for a moment, Lee Hwan felt both happy and gloomy. It was strange, but the pluses and minuses roughly balanced out, so it wasn’t a bad feeling.
* * *
Kieeek!
“Haaah…”
A long, tired sigh escaped. By the time they finished dealing with the last monster, they had far exceeded their estimated time. Lee Hwan had changed the hemostatic patch on his side to a regeneration patch and was stretching his stiff body.
He wanted to go home, check his wounds, deal with them roughly, then shower and sleep. But having rushed through time with Taesung like this before, he felt regretful.
How many more of these mercenary jobs remained? One? Or maybe two or three? Either way, Lee Hwan was quite pleased that there were still opportunities left.
“Kim Jeong… shik.”
Taesung called out to Lee Hwan. He still hesitated a bit whenever he said this name. As if it was extremely awkward.
Lee Hwan, who had been busily scrubbing blood off his mask lest Taesung be alarmed, turned around with a start.
“I have a serious proposal for you.”
Taesung tossed his water bottle to Lee Hwan, having noticed at some point that Lee Hwan’s was empty. Lee Hwan caught it lightly and glanced at him while twisting the cap open.
“…Whatever you’re hiding, I don’t intend to dig into it deliberately. I don’t care about your past, whatever it may be.”
Taesung didn’t beat around the bush. Unlike when he silently assessed Lee Hwan’s skills during battle, his proposal was direct.
Moreover, his face looked quite serious, as he’d said. Even though it was probably just about the next schedule, Lee Hwan didn’t know what to do, rolling his eyes nervously before unnecessarily removing the lower part of his mask. Then he drank the water with an exaggerated gulping sound.
Taesung’s expression remained unchanged by this behavior. His next words struck Lee Hwan’s heart.
“I think you’re a useful talent. If you’re okay with it, I’d like us to work together.”
“Kup, kulluk!”
Lee Hwan almost spat out the water but managed to swallow it before coughing violently. He nearly choked. He was so surprised that his head was spinning rapidly.
What did that guy just say? So, am I… being scouted?
Lee Hwan stared at Taesung with a blank expression, trying to make sense of the situation. Was he being teased, or was it just a simple joke?
But the dark eyes still contained not a fragment of laughter. It was easy enough to tell from his appearance that he wasn’t playing around.
‘Why… exactly?’
He felt a curious emotion. Excited as if he’d been recognized, but at the same time feeling like something was being wasted, feeling disappointed. Why, why now of all times? After disliking him so much when his face was revealed and he was comfortable, now that he’s with Kang Dongha, he makes this kind of proposal?
Lee Hwan suddenly felt like he’d grabbed a rotten rope, only to realize it too late. Or like having signed an employment contract with the worst place after interviewing at various companies, and then receiving a call from a major corporation.
Or the feeling when you buy clothes for 98,000 won, only to find the exact same item selling for 39,800 won on a home shopping channel the next day. But then you realize that for whatever reason, due to some consumer protection law, a refund is impossible—that kind of regret.
For a moment, Lee Hwan almost nodded without realizing it. Enchanted by that expression which showed goodwill. Drawn by that gentle voice that contained no anger.
But…
‘I need a bodyguard cum trophy. As my person…’
Lee Hwan had already stepped in too deep.
Moreover, there was a reason why he had sought out Kang Dongha early on. How long could he keep his identity hidden while wearing a mask all day near Taesung?
Lee Hwan remembered Taesung’s reflex speed, and also Jade’s keen observation of him. Could he become their colleague without being caught by their radar?
Until now, Lee Hwan had made every effort to ensure the light in his eyes wasn’t visible, even while fighting hard. Despite this being only the second battle, there had been quite a few crises. He couldn’t imagine how many more times he would have to repeat this.
Also… he wondered if his conscience would remain intact while constantly deceiving them. To them, Lee Hwan was still a perverted stalker.
‘So in the end, it’s a no.’
There was only one conclusion. Rejection. He had to put a knife into this rare happy offer. Lee Hwan suddenly felt dejected. It felt like he had three or four blades to stick into his proposal—one to push into it, and the rest to stab deeply into his own heart.
