Team K was also making preparations to leave.
Kim Hyundeok, who used up his healing ability, cracked his neck with an, “Ugh,” and remained in the van. He was closely followed by another Team K member, Yoo Minho, who was carrying Raeyoung.
Kim Seonjoo and Bokhee were packing Team K’s luggage, and Hara carefully observed the atmosphere.
“W, what should I do?”
“What’s wrong, Noona?”
Bokhee looked at Hara. Hara’s shoulders curled up timidly.
“I’m the one that destroyed the cave…”
“Didn’t Chief Jung only take Wookie-hyung with her?”
Bokhee’s eyes widened. Kim Seonjoo laughed beside him.
“Don’t worry about it. Things like this happen often.”
“That’s right, Noona. Don’t mind it. It doesn’t matter because such things happen to us too frequently.”
Hara looked at Team K’s luxurious van, feeling burdened. Even if they said that, can she really disregard it… But the team members acted like it really didn’t matter.
Kim Seonjoo, who noticed Hara’s hesitance, added on.
“When you work with an S-class hunter, honestly, anything can happen. So in our team, Kwon Wook-ssi will shoulder all the responsibility, no matter what happens. There’s nothing much with breaking a dungeon. And it’s not like the dungeon has closed, it’s just that the cave had collapsed, so it’ll be fine after restoring it.”
Is that so? After hearing those words, Hara sighed, barely managing to feel relieved. At the same time, she was just about to keep the sword she was holding, but Bokhee made a great fuss over nothing.
“Noona, your performance was amazing. I was totally surprised. Were you trying to destroy the cave?”
“Ah, Bokhee. Thank you for the sword, really. I was also rather surprised…”
Only then did Hara thank him. Bokhee gave her a thumbs up.
“Totally two thumbs-up. But I didn’t expect it to extend that much. Would it extend all the way to outer space?”
No way… Hara was just about to get into Team K’s van embarrassedly, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
When she looked backwards, it was Yoon Seheon.
“If you don’t mind, let’s travel together.”
“Huh?”
Seheon pointed to his car.
“Didn’t we agree to talk? There’s no point in going back up and making another appointment, so let’s just talk while driving back.”
“Uh……”
Hara averted her gaze.
Bokhee blinked and said, “Oh, are you going to do that? Oh yeah! I can lie down on the journey back!” and quickly got into the van.
Thanks to that, Hara began following behind Seheon timidly.
“My , my clothes are very dirty right now…”
“Same here, so don’t worry about it.”
Due to the side dish containers that Hara flung at the werewolf, as well as its black blood that splattered everywhere, Hara’s appearance was absurd. Of course, so was Seheon, who was right next to her when it all went down.
Their clothes were filthy and stained with blood, while Hara’s shirt smelled like kimchi for some reason.
“Get in.”
With a light press of a button, Seheon opened the passenger seat. It was different from Kwon Wook’s car, a low and large imported sedan,
She didn’t think she could ride in his car, which looked neat and dignified at first glance, in just anything, but Seheon opened the door heedlessly and turned towards the other side. He then took off his dirty jacket, flung it into the back seat, and sat in the driver’s seat in just his shirt.
“Aren’t you getting on?”
“Oh, yes.”
Reflexively, Hara took off her jacket, sat in the passenger seat and put on the seat belt. Seheon started the engine and began driving without saying a word.
The express bus and van were still a long way off from departing. For some reason, Hara looked out of the window, unable to hide her feeling of awkwardness.
The two remained silent for a long time. Seheon only opened his mouth after entering the expressway.
“First off, thank you for saving me.”
“Oh, yes.”
He was talking about the werewolf incident.
Then, Hara looked down at her palm once again. She’d only just felt the stinging sensation from her palms, which she’d gotten when Seheon pulled her to the ground and enveloped her.
“Do you usually stand up like that in such dangerous situations?”
“……What?”
“The same thing happened in the Yeouido dungeon.”
Hara blinked and smiled abashedly.
“Well, Yoon Seheon is a civilian…”
“Because Kang Hara-ssi is a hunter, right?”
Wait, what’s wrong with his tone? Hara stole a glance at Seheon, wondering why his words sounded so crooked.
Those neat and thick eyebrows on his prominent brow bones were slightly furrowed. His eyes were already sharp-looking, but when his expression was crumpled, he seemed rather threatening.
“I know about Kang Hara-ssi’s second awakening. You said that you’d met a constellation then.”
“Oh, yes…”
Although it was a secret to the general public, Seheon was roughly aware of this incident.
“But honestly, it does feel like you’re like that, in many ways.”
Hara felt guilty for some reason and apologised.
“I’m sorry…”
“……Is that something that Kang Hara-ssi should feel sorry about?”
Seheon glanced at her before fixing his gaze straight ahead again.
“I didn’t say that with the intention to criticise Kang Hara-ssi.”
“Oh, I see…… I’m sorry……”
Hara kept her gaze forward with curled up shoulders. Hara’s face was reflected in the dark car window.
Whether it’s in the dungeon or outside. Was it her habit to apologise? There was a bitter taste on the tip of his tongue. Strangely enough, she overlapped with someone for some reason.
“I’m sorry, our Seheonie.”
He didn’t feel all that good. Seheon didn’t mean anything much when he protected Kang Hara. At that moment, the fact that Kang Hara was an Awakened didn’t even cross his mind. It’s just, it’s just because she was next to him.
Hara’s position was also understandable. This was because Seheon had also witnessed the trajectory of the light that extended from Hara. There wasn’t any reason for her to accept a civilian’s protection when she possessed that much power.
If Hara had curled up under Seheon’s protection, Seheon would’ve definitely suffered a serious injury. Since it was a team consisting of an S-class hunter, he probably wouldn’t have died……
It was weird. She’d saved his life and yet he was feeling upset. Of course, he was still speculating the reason for that. It’s because Seheon was reminded of some things when he saw the back of the woman pushing him away.
Seheon let out a long sigh. Hara, who was seated beside him, flinched for no reason and apologised again.
“I’m sorry……”
No, Can you stop apologising? For some reason, Seheon was angered and opened his mouth.
“Do you know that you saved my life?”
“Uh, oh, yes.”
“Then don’t apologise.”
He thought that he would get an answer like, “Yes…” in a discouraged voice. But the woman remained silent for a moment, before asking an unexpected question cautiously.
“Then, can you not get testy with me, Anchor Yoon…?”
“…Am I being testy?”
A cautious Hara, who was reading his mood, was evident through the window’s reflection.
“I apologise if it was just me being overly sensitive. But, for some reason, I think you’ve been angry because of me from a while ago…”
“…….”
“Oh, I’m really, really sorry about the thing with Chief Jung. But there was a reason for that.”
So, can’t you stop apologising? Instead of saying that, Seheon let out a long sigh again and regulated his breathing. It’s because Hara’s words, that he was being testy, were surprisingly right in the bullseye.
“What’s the reason for that? Let’s hear it.”
At Seheon’s words, Hara hesitated for a long time. But she eventually opened her mouth.
“Erm, I have something to tell you first.”
Hara barely managed to make up her mind. To tell him about the quest she was given by her constellation.
Truthfully, she hadn’t discussed it with Chief Jung. However, Hara strongly thought that she should tell this story to Seheon. It wasn’t just to clear up Seheon’s misunderstanding.
“Yoon Seheon, hold my hand!”
When she grabbed Seheon’s hand in the cave earlier, and when the unexpectedly long and large pillar of light extended from her hand. In other words, when the werewolf was sliced into two.
Hara was flustered, but she felt delighted at the same time. She discovered a pleasantness that she would never be able to forget with him.
When she was in the Yeouido dungeon, it was the first time that other people’s lives were in her hands, and she was so bewildered that she didn’t feel anything.
Only the strong would know that sort of composure and superiority.
Those were things that Hara had never experienced before in her life.
People would often look at S-classes and A-classes and think. If I made that much money, I’ll quit as soon as my mandatory service has ended, retire, build a mansion in a southern country, and spend my days lying down.
But there weren’t any high-level hunters who’d actually lived like that. Even after their mandatory service, they constantly entered dungeons.
Some of them might be working for the safety of others. Hara also thought that was true. Everyone had no choice but to work for other people’s lives.
But it was the first time she realised that it might not be the case.
The dizzying feeling of a heavy monster pouncing at her and being split apart at her hands. She was definitely about to die, but the fact that she managed to survive made her both surprised and refreshed.
And when she turned around.
The astonished gazes from the production crew, who’d looked at her and the cave alternately. The marvel that was contained within their gazes.
It was a life-penetrating experience for Hara, who always lived as ‘just a loser’.
“Do you remember that I had to be in contact with Anchor Yoon at the Yeouido dungeon?”
Hara opened her mouth carefully. She didn’t want to make any more mistakes with this person, and she didn’t want to mess things up either.
“Yes, I remember.”
“You don’t know much about the constellation I met, do you?”
“I don’t know. As it was confidential to the public, I’ve never told anyone about it, so I wouldn’t have someone that I could ask.”
“……Thank you.”
She selected her words slowly.
“Have I told you what kind of quest the constellation had given me?”
“You didn’t tell me, so how would I know about it?”
Hara paused for a moment at that. But Seheon didn’t wait for her to catch her breath. As he drove, he replied to Hara’s words.
“I don’t really like those kinds of conversations. Do you know this, do you know that? Speaking while trying to sound out a person.”
“……I’m sorry……”
“I don’t know anything, so please feel free to talk. No matter what you say, I won’t be shocked.”
Hara hesitated for a moment, before finally sighing.
“Alright, I’ll tell you. Truthfully, my constellation is Cupid.”
“……What?”
“And he wants me to date Anchor Yoon.”
The words ‘I won’t be shocked’ were overshadowed. To be exact, it was absurd. If it weren’t for the fact that they were on the expressway right now, Yoon Seheon would have pulled over on the spot and asked back what madness was she spouting right now.
