* * *
I let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
“Seafood is so hard to eat…”
For lunch, we ended up choosing a seafood stew, and I was too busy waging a battle against it.
Shrimp, fish, crab—every bite needed finesse.
I had completely forgotten how annoying it was to eat this kind of food, especially since Taehwan used to neatly peel and debone everything for me, placing only the clean pieces onto my spoon or bowl.
Having forgotten all the tricks myself, I had to learn it again bit by bit with Eunyul coaching me through it.
I couldn’t help but feel a wave of gratitude and guilt toward Taehwan.
I swallowed invisible tears several times.
“I can’t even handle one normal human portion, so what made me think I could manage a Hunter’s share?”
Self-loathing hit me again.
I felt like a newborn just taking its first steps in the world.
Not even a metaphor—literally like an infant.
That aside, the food was delicious.
No fishy smell, the shellfish were perfectly purged, the fresh seafood was tossed with crunchy vegetables in a well-balanced sauce—not too spicy, full of umami, and refreshing overall.
Even the side dishes were neatly prepared, and the rice was fluffy, making it a genuinely satisfying meal.
Eunseo had said the place was famous in the area, and now I understood why.
“I should bring Taehwan here sometime.”
And if we did come together, I promised myself I’d peel the seafood for him and place it on his spoon.
“Ah, I’m stuffed. I can’t eat another bite. Not even one more spoonful…”
“You really ate well though. Honestly, I thought you wouldn’t be able to finish it.”
“Hehe. Right? My biggest talent is eating well! That, and discovering great food spots!”
“It’s honestly a miracle they don’t gain weight. We’re twins, so how come I gain weight even drinking water?”
“Jaehui oppa has a similar body type to me. It’s just Jeong Eunyul who’s always dieting.”
“Ugh. That’s so unfair.”
“Ah, um…”
I thought I heard my name tossed into the conversation somewhere, but I wasn’t quite listening.
I was in shock.
Now that the meal was over, I looked at the bill—and my jaw dropped before I could stop myself.
I quickly closed my mouth in case the others noticed, but I couldn’t stop the silent scream rising from deep inside.
“It’s… this expensive?”
When we came in, I’d told them, “Order whatever you want!” and Eunseo placed the order.
So I hadn’t looked at the menu closely.
But once you added the extra noodles, the separate rice orders, and the drinks, the total was well over 100,000 won.
My sense of prices was still stuck about 13 years ago.
Lately, I’d only spent money at convenience stores or the hospital café, so this amount hit me like a truck.
All this… for just one meal?
“If you’d like to head out first, I can take care of the bill,” Han Jihye said.
Did I look that pitiful?
When she stood up holding the receipt, I panicked and scrambled after her.
“Ah, no! It’s fine! I’ll pay…!”
“No, really, it’s okay. I came with the intention of paying anyway.”
“But I said I’d treat you…”
“It’s a company card.”
“…?”
I blinked.
Company card?
‘Card’ made sense… but ‘company’?
What did that mean?
I racked my brain but couldn’t figure it out.
Instead, I had nonsense thoughts like, “Well, if it’s a friend’s card, is it a ‘friend card’…?” when Eunseo suddenly jumped in.
“Oh! We ate too, are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes, it’s no problem.”
“I-I could help with…”
Before I could finish, Eunseo tugged on my arm and whispered in my ear:
“Oppa, oppa. That’s the almighty company card. In situations like this, you just say thank you and enjoy it, got it?”
“T-That’s… what this is?”
“Yep. That’s what it is. Unnie! Thank you so much for the meal!”
“Thank you for the food!”
“Th-thank you… very much…”
“No need to thank me. It’s only right that I treat you.”
With everyone throwing their thanks her way, I ended up joining in automatically.
‘The almighty company card…’
I’ll have to ask Taehwan about that later.
Eunyul handed me a double-scoop cone of soft serve—vanilla and strawberry—and before I knew it, I was holding it.
Then Eunseo pushed me out of the restaurant.
Not long after, Jihye came out too, now officially the “sponsor,” holding an impressive four-scoop cone.
She walked out with a confident air.
While I felt like I’d just survived a whirlwind, she’d gone back to her usual composed self, which was somehow reassuring.
“Mr. Jung Jehee, I’ll be heading back now. I need to return to the Bureau.”
“The Bureau? But… isn’t today Saturday?”
“There’s still work to do.”
“Ah! Right…”
Of course. I wasn’t thinking.
People died in yesterday’s dungeon.
Even though it was cleared, the incident still caused a lot of controversy.
There’s no way the Bureau staff could just relax over the weekend.
She joined us for lunch despite all that.
I felt even more grateful.
I figured I should let her go quickly, but Jihye spoke up first.
“I hope I can share some good news with you soon.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
“It’s not confirmed yet. But once it is, I’ll contact you right away. It was a pleasure having lunch together. I hope you enjoy the rest of the day with your siblings.”
“Ah, yes. Take care.”
As the wind blew through her hair, she tucked it behind her ear and smiled.
Her brisk steps as she walked away made her look like a full-fledged veteran administrator again.
Even Eunseo was practically bouncing beside me, clearly impressed.
But still…
“Good news?”
She was clearly busy with dungeon-related matters.
What kind of good news could there even be?
Thinking back to the rather grim news reports, I tried to guess what she meant—but then Eunseo clung to my side.
“Kuhuhu. Wow. Thanks to Jihye unnie, we ate so well. Oppa, let’s get bingsu next!”
“Huh? Jeong Eunseo, you just said you couldn’t eat another bite!”
“That was rice. Dessert goes in a separate stomach. Especially bingsu—it’s basically just water!”
“What nonsense is that…”
It still nagged at me a little, but this time was for my siblings.
I needed to focus entirely on them now.
Besides, she said it was good news, not bad.
I turned to them and smiled.
“Yeah. Let’s go. Where to?”
Spending time with my siblings was truly delightful.
Unlike me, who tends to be shy and reserved, they were sociable and got along with people wherever we went.
They loved being out and about and knew a lot about the area.
They not only found fun places to go but also picked food spots that never failed.
They even helped me choose good stuff when shopping, since I was pretty hopeless with fashion and pricing.
Thanks to them, I spent the day feeling comfortable and happy.
Because I had promised my mom I’d eat dinner at home, I suppressed the urge to hang out a little longer and headed back—only to unexpectedly run into someone at the entrance of my apartment building.
Wearing a hat, glasses, and even a mask to cover his face, he was clearly trying not to be recognized—but I knew right away.
You know how it is.
That unmistakable sense when someone is your person, even from behind.
“Oh, it’s Taehwan!”
He turned his head at my voice and lowered his mask. Just as I thought—it was Taehwan.
It hadn’t even been 24 hours since we parted ways, but it felt like I was seeing him after a long time.
I didn’t feel even a hint of awkwardness.
I just felt happy—so much that I wanted to hug him immediately.
“…Huh?”
I had rushed toward him in excitement, but I didn’t make it.
Taehwan placed both hands firmly on my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks.
With his tall frame—almost 2 meters—and long arms, my outstretched ones couldn’t quite reach him.
Why’s he doing this?
I looked up at him blankly, and for some reason, his face seemed slightly flushed as he scanned me up and down before asking:
“Are you… hurt anywhere?”
“Nope. I’m fine.”
“You’ve eaten?”
“Yeah. I have, and I’ll eat more.”
“You slept well?”
“Slept like a log. Didn’t even dream.”
“Anything unusual happen?”
“Just had fun and came back.”
“No one recognized you or anything?”
“Not really?”
“Haah… That’s good. Thank god.”
After bombarding me with questions and checking me all over, he finally seemed reassured and let go.
I laughed. I’m not sick anymore, I’ve even got a sturdy S-rank body now, and yet he still worries this much.
People say a child always looks like a child to their parents, and I guess, to Taehwan, I’ll always seem like a patient.
Anyway, the timing to hug him had completely passed, so it felt awkward now.
Instead of pushing it, I quietly tugged on his sleeve.
“Did you eat? We haven’t yet. Want to stay and eat? Mom said she’d make a good home-cooked meal.”
“Nah, I… I’ll go. I just came by to see your face, that’s all.”
“Taehwan…”
At his words, my heart sank, and I instinctively tightened my grip on his hand.
* * *
