* * *
“Shall I do it for you?”
A smooth baritone voice rang out. The kids turned pale as they whirled around.
The student with the trembling voice let out a shriek.
“Holy crap, Woo Jaehyun!”
To react like that right in front of him—kids these days really were something else.
I shot a glare at Woo Jaehyun, who was shamelessly waving at the camera.
I wondered why he suddenly showed up, but then I noticed the large designer shopping bag in his hand.
It was obviously not actual luxury—though I could roughly guess what was inside.
“What are you doing here?”
“Came to eat some tteokbokki at the snack shop. One serving, please, hyung.”
He casually walked into the shop like it was nothing.
Honestly, why did he even ask for my number if he was just going to pull stuff like this?
After handing over the kids’ fried snacks and preparing a fresh plate of tteokbokki, I followed him inside.
In that short moment, Woo Jaehyun had already struck up a conversation with Dad, laughing heartily without a care for the attention he was drawing.
Dad, too, smiled warmly—it seemed the mood was good. I had to admit, if nothing else, his people skills were top-notch.
“Eat your tteokbokki.”
I set the plate of tteokbokki on the table and pulled out the chair across from me to sit down.
I wondered if Woo Jaehyun had ever eaten something like this before.
He’s probably only ever cut into steak his whole life; I couldn’t imagine him even glancing at street food like this.
But contrary to my expectations, Woo Jaehyun casually picked up a fork and ate the tteokbokki like he was used to it.
“Father, this is really delicious.”
He even threw in a sweet smile at Dad, and I internally grimaced.
How could someone who can tear people to pieces without batting an eye be so fake?
By the time we’d nearly finished the plate, I couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up first.
“Hand it over now.”
I gestured toward the shopping bag I’d set aside.
Without a word, Woo Jaehyun picked it up and handed it to me.
Not wanting Dad to see, I just peeked inside rather than taking it out.
The gray hoodie inside looked spotless, not a single tear remaining.
“How’d you fix it?”
I looked up at him in confusion at the almost-new condition of it.
Woo Jaehyun just shrugged like it was no big deal.
“There are plenty of masters in this world.”
Apparently, to him, finding a master craftsman to fix a cheap hoodie from the market wasn’t anything strange.
Still, he’d gone out of his way to help me with something I asked, and I was grateful.
“Thanks…”
Feeling a bit awkward, I scratched the back of my head.
That’s when Woo Jaehyun, having finished every last piece, put down his fork and spoke.
“Hyung, I thought of my wish.”
“Wish?”
“I want to experience your skill.”
In that moment, any gratitude I felt vanished completely.
What the hell was he saying?
Judging from the barrier set up around us, this was going to be no ordinary conversation.
“I want to enter an S-rank dungeon and test it. See how powerful it really is.”
“You do know I suffer aftereffects, right?”
“Of course. I saw them myself.”
And he still dares to make this request?
I had agreed to grant him a wish, but I didn’t expect this.
I would’ve preferred if he just asked for money.
I didn’t want to experience that prison-like situation again.
He had no idea what went through my mind while I was blind.
I had my reasons for keeping myself busy with work.
“No.”
Without needing to hear more, I crossed my arms and refused firmly.
But as if he’d anticipated this, Woo Jaehyun pulled out a brown envelope from his jacket and placed it on the table.
“What’s this?”
“Payment for the wish.”
Payment?
His calm expression made me even more uneasy.
Feeling a bit anxious, I slowly checked the contents of the envelope.
Inside was a single sheet of paper, and as I read through it, my mouth slowly fell open.
It was none other than a real estate purchase contract.
For the building where Dad’s store was located.
“You bought this building?”
“As you can see.”
“Why would you…”
I couldn’t make sense of it, my voice sharpening with frustration.
I had no idea why Woo Jaehyun would buy Dad’s store building.
But what he said next was even more shocking.
“The previous owner found out your father ran the store and was trying to sell it under the table.”
“What?”
“There are quite a few people interested in you, Hyung. Some were desperate to find a way to approach you.”
“……”
“They were about to sell it to those kinds of people, so I gave them a little… lesson.”
Hah.
I let out a sigh I’d been holding in.
I didn’t know what kind of ‘lesson’ led to him acquiring the building, but the fact that something like this happened without my knowing was even more unsettling.
If not for Woo Jaehyun, I might never have noticed if someone shady became the new landlord.
Who knows what kind of malicious intent they could’ve had, like the ones who kidnapped me before.
They might’ve even harmed Dad while he was alone.
As I continued my heavy thoughts, lost in the seriousness of it all, a long finger lightly tapped my arm.
“I’m interested in you too, Hyung.”
His playful smile oddly drained my energy.
And yet… how did he know all this?
Like the last time he showed up, there were too many things that didn’t add up.
With a sigh, I pressed my hand firmly against my eyes, suddenly exhausted.
“…So basically, you’re saying if I use my skill on you, you’ll give me this building.”
“That’s right.”
“And if I say no?”
Was he going to threaten to take the shop away?
This snack shop meant a lot to Dad.
There were many schools nearby, so lots of kids came by.
Dad’s one joy was giving the kids extra fried food for free.
Because of his long-time regulars, Dad had no intention of relocating.
I didn’t plan to force him either.
If Woo Jaehyun used the building to pressure me, I’d have no choice but to give in.
“Hmmm.”
But Woo Jaehyun simply let out a long sigh and leaned back against his chair with a dejected look.
He looked as pitiful as a rejected male lead in some melodrama.
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to come eat tteokbokki here every day.”
How could someone his size make such a sorrowful expression?
Strangely enough, seeing his ridiculous act made my remaining resistance fade. In the end, I chose to move things along quickly.
“So where is this S-rank dungeon?”
The thought of being stuck inside for four days again already made my chest feel tight.
Still, leaving the shop’s fate in someone else’s hands made me too anxious.
I felt uneasy either way.
At my question, Woo Jaehyun’s face instantly lit up as he grabbed my hand.
“You’ll do it?”
“……”
What the hell.
I feel like my hand was grabbed like this at the hospital too.
Suddenly recalling that electric sensation, I carefully pulled my hand free and rubbed the back of it.
“I can’t be seeing your face every day.”
That was the last thing I wanted.
For the sake of my peaceful life.
“That’s it.”
Deep in the mountains on the outskirts of Seoul.
I was riding my bike along an unpaved road, just like last time.
I still couldn’t believe there was an S-rank dungeon hidden in such a remote place, but sure enough, I saw a shimmering blue gate in the distance.
Amazing.
With experience under my belt, I parked my bike a little ways from the meeting spot and approached the gate.
Unlike last time, when there was a huge crowd, this gate stood completely deserted.
There, standing alone in front of it, was Woo Jaehyun, lost in thought.
His expression was so cold and unfamiliar that I instinctively held my breath.
“Hyung!”
But the moment he spotted me, his face lit up like nothing had happened.
The contrast was a bit unsettling, but seeing him wag his metaphorical tail like a big puppy quickly made me forget.
Woo Jaehyun stuck close to my side and peeked into the shopping bag I was carrying.
We hadn’t even met that many times, but somehow his clinginess kept escalating.
“What’s this? A gift?”
“It’s your clothes.”
I shoved the shopping bag into his chest.
It was just a T-shirt, but for some reason, it felt expensive, so I’d carefully washed and folded it nicely.
However, as soon as he realized it was just clothes, his interest faded and he slowly looked me over.
“Isn’t that a bit underdressed for an S-rank dungeon?”
“We’re only going to be in there for an hour.”
Exactly one hour, filling up the entire skill duration.
Since it was such a short time, I figured nothing much would happen, so I came out wearing the same outfit as when I entered my “first S-rank dungeon.”
If anything were to jump out, Woo Jaehyun would handle it anyway.
“Here, take this with you.”
Woo Jaehyun suddenly stopped in his tracks and pulled something out from inside his coat.
Last time, he pulled documents out of there too, so it seemed he had some kind of item pouch.
What he pulled out, however, was a small bundle of energy shaped like a squirrel.
It glowed faintly, shimmering like white smoke.
“What is that?”
Though it didn’t seem to have a solid form, it was still somehow contained within his grasp.
It even looked around curiously with bright eyes like a real squirrel, making me wonder if it had some level of awareness.
“It’s an S-rank spirit. It’ll warn you if you’re in danger. Sometimes it’ll even block attacks.”
As soon as Woo Jaehyun released it from his hand, the spirit leapt down and turned into mist, soaring up before circling around me.
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered seeing spirits like this in the movie too.
* * *
