* * *
It took a while for his brain to process what he had heard.
“……Your feet?”
“They’re damp…….”
Joo Youngha lowered his eyelids, which were as delicate as seashells, and stared blankly at his shoes.
They were glistening, soaked through with water.
Now that he looked closer, the man actually had a sulky expression on his face.
From the very beginning, he had floated around wasting energy just because he didn’t want to get wet; it seemed that being flung around by the boss monster had finally exhausted his strength.
The man had been swallowed by a whale-sized monster and made it back alive, yet he was genuinely dejected—over the fact that his feet were wet!
Jaewon felt absurd and exhausted at the same time.
His legs felt like they were about to give out.
“Whoa!”
Min Yoomin, who had been clinging to Seo Jaewon’s back like a corpse, suddenly shouted.
Soon after, the space from above began to crumble down toward where they stood.
A vortex of strange colors swirled beyond the collapsing ceiling.
He wasn’t even afraid of the ground giving way. It was time to return to their world.
A bright light engulfed them in an instant, and Seo Jaewon closed his eyes.
It was a sensation similar to having one’s consciousness pulled into the darkness.
There was no need to resist.
When he opened his eyes again, a familiar landscape met him.
It was the “The Mirae” parking lot where the Gate had first opened.
“Ugh…….”
Seo Jaewon gagged as a wave of dizziness hit him.
It was a common vertigo felt when exiting a dungeon, but perhaps because he was now a Guide, it was worse than usual.
Residual energy flickered like kaleidoscope spots across his vision.
It felt like being carsick after drinking way too much…….
Beginners often vomited at this stage.
He was glad he hadn’t eaten anything.
“Huaaa~ I thought I was gonna die…….”
Looking up, he saw Min Yoomin slumped over with a face that said he’d just escaped death by a hair, Joo Youngha standing dazed a short distance away, and a large brown mass.
“……?”
Looking closely, the brown mass was made of thick, twisted tree trunks.
It had clearly taken a beating; it was dented and broken, barely maintaining its shape.
Before the support team could even touch it, the tree trunks cracked open, and a hand burst through the gap.
“Saul Hyung, Sara Noona!”
Seo Jaewon rushed over and helped pull the two of them out.
“Cough, cough! Ah…… I really thought I was a goner.”
Hwi Sara grumbled as she took Seo Jaewon’s hand and stepped out.
Hwi Saul crawled out behind her, staggering.
“Are you both okay?”
“Yeah. What the hell did you do in there? I only survived because Hwi Saul wrapped me up in this.”
“I’m so glad. That was a good call.”
“Water leaked in a bit, but I knew you’d nag me if I died…….”
Hwi Saul laughed awkwardly as he wrung water from his drenched clothes.
Neither of them seemed to have major injuries.
Ji Myunghoon was half-fainted but was safely tucked inside the wooden ball.
With that, everyone was confirmed alive.
Truly, it was a massive relief.
Only now did Seo Jaewon have the mental room to look at the surroundings.
The waiting support team looked quite flustered.
It made sense, given that high-rank Espers had returned from a brand-new dungeon looking like they’d been through a blender.
However, they soon calmly confirmed the Gate clear and began the cleanup.
Seo Jaewon brushed off the medical team trying to check him and approached Joo Youngha.
No one from the support team seemed to pay much attention to him.
Everyone knew Joo Youngha was uncooperative.
He was also the only one who didn’t look drenched or injured.
But Seo Jaewon had watched everything that happened.
The image of him being swallowed by the monster was still vivid in his mind.
“Are you okay? Not hurt? What’s your status?”
Seo Jaewon pulled at Joo Youngha’s wrist.
The blankness in Joo Youngha’s eyes snapped into focus.
Seo Jaewon spun him around, checking his condition.
‘Is he really okay? I don’t see any wounds.’
“Actually, do you want to rest first? Where should we sit? Are you dizzy?”
Seo Jaewon went as far as holding Joo Youngha’s face to check his eyelids.
Not bloodshot, pupil reaction fine, eyelashes are long…….
Joo Youngha rolled his eyes for a moment before asking:
“What color is my necklace right now?”
“Huh? Orange.”
The color was redder than before.
It was natural, considering how much energy he had used.
“Then I’m tired.”
Joo Youngha dropped his chin and rested his head on Seo Jaewon’s shoulder.
The weight of his body as he suddenly went limp was as heavy as water-soaked cotton.
Seo Jaewon quickly wrapped his arms around him to keep them both from falling.
“Hey, you!”
He pulled at the man’s hair in disbelief, but Joo Youngha didn’t budge.
“Ow.”
“Do you think just saying ‘ow’ makes it okay?”
Seo Jaewon grumbled, but he couldn’t find it in himself to push him away coldly.
So what if he was exaggerating?
And what if he wasn’t?
No one could deny that Joo Youngha had overextended himself this time.
Even for an EX-rank, he had used too much power.
In all his past memories, Seo Jaewon had rarely seen Joo Youngha look exhausted.
This time, he had practically killed the boss alone, so the burden must have been immense.
After a moment of hesitation, Seo Jaewon hugged him properly and patted his back.
“You did well.”
“Huh?”
Seo Jaewon pressed down on the back of Joo Youngha’s neck to prevent him from lifting his head.
His own ears were burning; his face was definitely red.
He didn’t want the man to see that!
“……I said you did well. Everyone would have died without you. Good job.”
He could only express it in blunt words, but he meant it.
Joo Youngha was silent for a moment.
His body, which had been fidgeting slightly, leaned into Seo Jaewon without any resistance.
“If Jaewon is happy, then that’s enough.”
‘Heavy, so heavy…….’
To be fair, this guy was tall and quite substantial.
But the presence coming from that mass was incredibly reassuring.
‘You’re alive, Joo Youngha. You didn’t kill anyone, either. You did great.’
Finally, it felt like his heart was beating at a normal rhythm again.
It had been a disaster all day, stopping and pounding erratically.
Now he could finally do his job as a team leader properly.
“Youngha-ya.”
“Mmm…….”
Joo Youngha lingered, burying his face in Seo Jaewon’s neck.
Seo Jaewon firmly pushed him away.
“?”
Then, he grabbed both of Joo Youngha’s cheeks and pulled hard.
“Didn’t I tell you to speak up before pulling a stunt like that?! If you’re a person, use your words, you brat! Do you not know Korean?!”
“Ah-haaa…….”
“Does it hurt? Does it?! How can you say that in front of your team leader? I don’t know if I’m a leader or just a babysitter…….”
The man said it hurt, but he had a strange smile on his face.
There wasn’t a hint of reflection.
“Jaewon-ah, are you mad?”
If you know I’ll be mad, don’t do things that make me mad!
Is it enough for you to just ask after you’ve already caused an accident?!
“Of course I’m mad! Do you not think about my feelings at all? Do you think anyone would be okay watching their comrade get eaten right in front of them? Huh? If I die of a heart attack, are you going to take responsibility?”
Seo Jaewon smacked Joo Youngha’s forearm.
Behind them, Min Yoomin, wrapped in a blanket, was watching them with a slightly weary look.
His expression clearly agreed with Jaewon’s sentiment.
‘See? Everyone thinks so!’
“Well, not really…….”
“Don’t you dare say that!”
He took the opportunity to smack the man’s back a few times too.
As he did, he noticed his hand felt damp.
“What is this?”
Suddenly, he smelled something fishy.
No, was it the smell of iron?
A red liquid was smeared on his palm.
Seo Jaewon’s complexion changed instantly.
“Joo Youngha.”
“Are you done hitting me now? That was fun.”
Joo Youngha babbled regretfully.
But the words didn’t reach Seo Jaewon’s ears.
“You…… take it off, right now.”
“Why?”
Seo Jaewon didn’t answer and pulled open Joo Youngha’s jacket.
Then he hiked up the T-shirt.
Flawless, pale skin was revealed.
Contrary to his pretty face, his body was quite clearly muscled.
It was a balance that wouldn’t be out of place on a model—no, a statue.
He wouldn’t look out of place as a beautiful youth from mythology.
But he didn’t give a damn about that.
After rummaging through the clothes, he found the wound.
On the lower left abdomen, near the flank, there was a wound still soaked in blood.
He felt like he might faint.
‘Why didn’t you say anything after getting hurt like this?’
It looked like he had been pierced by something sharp and large.
He had likely been injured by a tooth when he was swallowed by the boss.
An ordinary person would have been bitten in half instantly; it was a miracle he had held out at all, but still…….
“Medical team! Over here!”
Seo Jaewon shouted for the medical team and looked at the wound again.
It was quite deep.
“I really…… told you to say something…….”
Since he was moving fine, he was probably okay?
But what if there was poison?
This guy fakes being hurt when he isn’t, but never shows it when he truly is…….
No, or perhaps he was overexerting himself because his threshold for pain was different.
‘If only I could have done something.’
He wished he were still an Esper.
Back when they fought side-by-side, he had never experienced being a hindrance like this.
If he were an Esper, the man wouldn’t have been hurt this time, and he could have handled these threats or Joo Youngha’s outbursts much better.
No, then would Guiding be the problem?
His feelings were complicated once again.
Just then, Joo Youngha asked abruptly:
“Should I take off the bottom too, Jaewon-ah?”
* * *
