# Chapter 39
“First of all, there are people snooping around Kang Dongha’s account, so it’s risky to transfer the byproduct processing money there.”
Under his cap-obscured vision, Lee Hwan noticed Taesung’s hands tapping lightly on his cup. His well-groomed, elongated fingers showed no calluses despite the harsh battles.
Taesung was the type who didn’t develop calluses easily. Especially on his hands. Even when they did form, they would quickly disappear, which Lee Hwan had heard was possibly related to his ability. On days when Taesung used his ability a lot, he would say his hands tingled for a while. When touched at those times, they felt warm like a heat pack.
Lee Hwan with his poor stamina and Taesung who never developed calluses. These might not matter much in modern society, but they were definite disadvantages when it came to survival in emergencies.
“I’d rather not reveal my account information.”
Wondering if Taesung was trying to investigate his background, Lee Hwan quickly swallowed the cake he’d been chewing with a sip of iced coffee and interjected. However, Taesung didn’t seem to mind his carefully worded refusal.
“That’s why I’m giving it to you directly.”
Instead, he pulled an envelope from his pocket and handed it over. Peeking at the thick bundle, Lee Hwan’s eyes widened at the sight of brick-like yellow bills. He opened and closed his mouth before quickly lowering his head again to hide his face.
“How much…”
“Fifteen hundred.”
It was even more than he’d expected. Despite hunters’ reputation for good earnings, there was no way to get over 3 million won in pure profit from just two unaffiliated gate runs. Plus, they had burned so much during the second gate that there wasn’t much left to settle accounts with.
It felt strange and burdensome, but… for now, Lee Hwan carefully tucked it into his chest. When would he ever get to handle fifteen hundred thousand won in cash again?
“Secondly, I just wanted to meet outside the gate.”
At this casual remark, Lee Hwan nearly spat out the cake he’d just put in his mouth. As Taesung kept saying unexpectedly pleasant things, Lee Hwan’s first thoughts were: Did he find out? Was he finally discovered?
The anxiety that Taesung might have figured out his identity and was playing whack-a-mole with Lee Hwan’s head remained even as time passed. His attack had left quite an intense memory.
“Seems like it was a good choice. I got to see you eat like a squirrel too.”
But it appeared he saw Lee Hwan as a squirrel rather than a mole. A wild squirrel that runs away when you try to catch it. When Lee Hwan slightly raised his head, Taesung’s eyes seemed to be telling him exactly that.
Nevertheless, the first image that came to Lee Hwan’s mind when he heard himself called a squirrel wasn’t particularly positive.
‘Like… a gate rat…?’
Maybe he’d been eating too hastily. Lee Hwan gently placed the fork he was holding on the table.
“Lastly, I wanted to discuss what we talked about last time in more detail. Is that okay?”
If Taesung was bringing up their last conversation, it was definitely the invitation to join him that Lee Hwan had received before they parted. After pretending to give him time to think, he was asking again just one day later?
Perhaps his expression showed even with sunglasses and his head bowed low, because Taesung looked at Lee Hwan’s face for a moment before continuing as if to clarify.
“I’m not asking you to decide now. I just want to explain and offer better terms.”
His Adam’s apple moved prominently as he spoke. Watching it, Lee Hwan felt quite an odd sensation.
His mouth was gradually drying up despite having cake in front of him, clearly due to tension. But he couldn’t understand where this feeling was coming from. While he felt regretful about having to repeatedly reject Taesung’s offer, he wasn’t particularly nervous or anxious.
“If they promised you money, we can match that. We can adjust most other conditions similarly too. All above board, on my team.”
He was saying that if Lee Hwan had a criminal record, they could expunge or dismiss it, or if he was an illegal immigrant, they could create an identity for him. Yet even as he said this, Taesung seemed to believe that Lee Hwan wasn’t hiding from any serious crime.
Lee Hwan had already received similar offers from both Kang Dongha and Kang Dongying. And in return, they wanted ownership or use of Lee Hwan.
Taesung was now including Lee Hwan as a member of his assault team that he was trying to take control of. If Lee Hwan traced his memories from before the regression, Taesung saw him as a trustworthy comrade to work with continuously.
“…What makes you so sure?”
Lee Hwan muttered almost to himself.
“My intuition.”
The answer was clean and clear. Lee Hwan wondered if this guy had always been this intuitive. Taesung was kind but cool-headed, flexible yet always thorough in handling matters.
Though Lee Hwan still couldn’t understand his intentions… If Taesung thought of him as something like an illegal battle mercenary, he had offered everything he could give. Which was thoughtful.
‘The problem is that’s not the case.’
Could he live his whole life without removing his mask? As Lee Hwan wavered at this kindness, Taesung picked up his cup again. Through his thin clothes, Taesung’s firm arm pressed against him prominently. Though Lee Hwan thought it strange, he kept recalling the events of the previous day.
That tense, hot body. The muscles ready to spring into action were both thin and firm, a pleasing shape. It was a peculiar feeling, different from the times when he used to rest his head on Taesung’s leg while watching TV.
‘I noticed a lot of details while we were talking about life and death…’
Lee Hwan deliberately turned his head and took a sip of his coffee as well.
“Again, you don’t need to decide now. Take your time to think it over and then contact me.”
To Taesung’s words that still left room for choice, Lee Hwan quietly nodded like an obedient child, which didn’t suit him at all.
“Is your wound alright?”
The question that followed made him flinch slightly.
“I’m handling it.”
In truth, it still hurt. Even more than yesterday. Lee Hwan found that a bit strange. Despite applying the expensive medicine Taesung had given him and getting good food and sleep, the wound seemed even more swollen.
Could there be some mild poison? Or was he having an allergic reaction? But he’d never suffered from allergies before, so it must be the former.
If that was the case, he should go to the hospital… But he’d be discovered. No matter by whom, he would definitely be discovered.
Wards for Awakened individuals were mostly concentrated in Seoul, and there weren’t many of them. If a non-Awakened person entered a ward where you had to provide your personal information, with injuries that were obviously from monsters, they would immediately become the center of attention.
The moment his fingerprints were taken… He didn’t want to imagine the consequences.
Even without that, there was Kang Dongha who was secretly keeping tabs on Lee Hwan’s movements, and Kang Dongying whose intentions were completely unclear. If they wanted to, they would easily know about his hospital visit.
Fortunately, while the wound was accompanied by pain and a burning sensation, there were no symptoms of numbness or inflammation. Lee Hwan simply thought it would heal if he rested well.
“The other gentleman isn’t around? These days?”
Though it had only been yesterday that he hadn’t seen him, Lee Hwan casually asked about Jade. He didn’t really understand why Jade wasn’t there while Taesung was running gates, or why the two of them were sitting alone in a café.
“That’s our business. If you decide and contact me, he’ll come along next time.”
The remaining time turned into a tea time with Lee Hwan enjoying dessert and Taesung sipping his drink. Whenever Lee Hwan glanced at Taesung, their eyes would meet uncannily. Taesung, with a natural sepia effect due to his sunglasses, looked unusually atmospheric.
Intuition. He said intuition. Even if memories disappeared, could some sense of déjà vu about him remain? If so, perhaps that feeling had turned into discomfort because the first button was fastened incorrectly.
Lee Hwan thought as he swallowed a piece of pound cake. In the past, Taesung had never particularly liked things he couldn’t control or situations he didn’t understand.
A rare peaceful time passed. For some reason, Lee Hwan felt like the nape of his neck kept getting hotter.
As the sun gradually began to set, on the way back—
“Sorry about the delay.”
A message came from Kang Dongha again. It was about Gate A-08.
“Since Dongying hyung was moving directly, Kang Taesung kept checking us. You know that bastard. All hell breaks loose if someone touches the Assault Team 1’s gate.”
Lee Hwan quietly listened to the story. Having just met with Taesung and now on his way back, it felt strange to hear him described as the main obstacle to his work.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
While agreeing, Lee Hwan was inwardly considering Taesung’s circumstances.
The gates assigned to Assault Team 1 were typically high-risk gates requiring periodic management. If rules were broken one by one, it could lead to an accident at any moment.
Although Taesung’s response was correct, from the perspective of the company’s higher-ups, his uncompromising attitude seemed like a pain. If Taesung hadn’t been S-class or a Kang, he would have been driven out long ago.
‘Sorry. But I still want to eat that gravity skill stone.’
Muttering inwardly, Lee Hwan bit his lip as he got out of the taxi. It felt quite uneasy walking around with 15 million won on him. Suddenly everyone passing by looked like a pickpocket.
“So, when are you giving it?”
“Next week. Probably a weekday. Is that okay?”
“That’s fine for that kind of thing.”
Kang Dongha’s voice didn’t mind Lee Hwan’s curt reply, and somehow Lee Hwan could almost see that smirking face.
Compared to the beginning, this guy had also become more patient. That scowling face that used to glare at everything had been quite unpleasant to look at, but now he would endure at least once even when Lee Hwan caused trouble.
“Good job.”
When Lee Hwan casually threw out something resembling praise, the voice on the other end paused. But a moment later, Kang Dongha replied in a strangely soft, low voice.
“I have to work hard. We’ve got tough times ahead of us.”
