* * *
My heart didn’t just drop—it nearly shattered.
Why did he have to say my name just as I was worrying about whether he’d cut me off?
It made me feel unnecessarily tense.
Not like Taehwan could actually read my mind…
I barely managed to get ahold of myself and looked over at him.
“Uh, what?”
“Your mentor. Are you really going with Cha Taeyang?”
Thank god. It wasn’t a breakup talk.
Well, Taehwan’s not the type to suddenly say “let’s never talk again.”
He’s not one to bottle things up.
If he didn’t like something, he would’ve said so already.
Maybe I’ve just been overthinking everything.
Wait, that’s not the point.
I should answer the question.
The mentor, Cha Taeyang…
Right. I know what to say.
“Yeah. He helped me when that thing happened in the dungeon. And I don’t know many other hunters. I know you’re not exactly on good terms with him…”
“I don’t care what my relationship with him is. As long as he doesn’t do anything shady to you. But why didn’t you say anything about that Gray Coat guy? I thought for sure you’d mention him.”
“Oh.”
Now that I think about it, Taehwan did act weird when the Administration was assigning mentors.
Maybe this is what he was wondering back then.
“Do you like Cha Taeyang more than ‘Gray Coat’ now?”
“No. I mean, I don’t dislike Cha Taeyang, but I like Gray Coat more. He’s my idol.”
“…Really.”
Huh?
I think Taehwan’s lips twitched into a small smile just now.
Like he was actually happy to hear I still admire Gray Coat.
Did I imagine that?
He used to grumble every time I brought up how much I liked Gray Coat.
That reaction was… unexpected.
Clearing his throat, Taehwan spoke again.
“Then why didn’t you ask to be assigned to him? As your mentor, I mean.”
“Hmm, I just got the feeling he’s not into social stuff… I figured it wouldn’t work out anyway. Didn’t want to bother a busy guy for nothing.”
“Why do you always jump to conclusions and give up like that? That’s not like you. It might’ve worked out. You could still try reaching out. Cha Taeyang’s not the type to get petty over you changing your mind.”
“Ah, it’s fine, really…”
Maybe I would’ve tried if it weren’t for that kiss.
But since that happened, I’ve become extra cautious.
What if he misunderstood?
Thought I was trying to use that kiss, like I was full of myself or trying to manipulate him…?
I don’t want to be a burden.
Life’s already full of weight on his shoulders.
He works hard every day trying to make the world a better place.
I don’t want to add to that just because of my selfish desires.
“…Alright then.”
Did Taehwan accept that?
He didn’t press any further.
Normally, I might’ve asked why he brought up Gray Coat all of a sudden.
But right now, I’m too preoccupied with my own lust and that first kiss to be chatty.
The car drove on in silence along the increasingly deserted mountain road, and I stared out the window, trying to cleanse my lust-stained brain with the lush green scenery.
“Still, you never know. Might as well try asking, right?”
But Taehwan brought it up again, unexpectedly.
My eyes widened.
“What’s with him?”
He never even liked Gray Coat.
Why is he recommending him twice now?
It’s not like he hates Cha Taeyang, either.
Puzzled, I stared at him, and he added,
“You only get one shot at choosing a mentor in a hunter’s career. You don’t want to regret not trying everything you could.”
“Hmm…”
“The mentor-mentee bond can be pretty deep. Not always, but most of the time it leads to lifelong relationships. My dad still goes to his mentor for advice. You’ve liked that guy for so long—wouldn’t it be a waste to throw this chance away?”
Hearing Taehwan say all that, I started to waver.
The fact that he was my kiss partner still bothers me, but if I behave myself and keep it purely professional, couldn’t we still have a meaningful mentor-mentee relationship?
It was my first kiss, so it meant a lot to me—but maybe to him, it was just like CPR or something.
And I’ve calmed down a bit now.
I don’t obsess over the kiss like before.
If Taehwan’s going this far to encourage me, maybe I should try.
And if it really seems wrong, Han Jihye can shut it down.
She’s strict like that.
Decision made, I nodded.
“Alright. I’ll reach out, at least.”
“Good. That’s the right call.”
He looks way too happy for someone talking about someone else’s business.
Seeing his smiling face makes me smile too.
Seriously, he’s the friend who thinks about me more than anyone else in the world.
Thinking that made another worry vanish—about Taehwan being someone else’s kiss partner.
‘No need to get jealous. I’m probably Taehwan’s number one again right now.’
Whoever he kissed, or touched in secret, or even did “dirtier things” with—it’s all in the past.
Taehwan said he’s focusing on spending time with me for now.
Whoever that person was, they’re out of the picture.
No reason to get weirdly possessive.
I pulled out my phone to message Han Jihye.
It was a fun vacation, and I had completely forgotten my phone even existed—but thanks to Taehwan, it was fully charged.
We were in the middle of nowhere, so I was worried about reception, but wow, even the signal here is strong.
“…Hm?”
But the moment I unlocked my phone, I saw a strange message.
[Unknown Sender: Jehee!]
[Unknown Sender: Reply as soon as you see this!]
It was a message from an unfamiliar number.
This phone had only been activated recently, so barely anyone knew the number.
My family, Taehwan, the lady, the old man, Han Jihye, my doctor, and my therapist—those were about it.
None of them would ever call me in that kind of creepy baby-talk tone.
Sure, people text differently from how they speak, but even so, this was way over the line.
So this probably wasn’t someone I knew who had changed their number or something like that…
Who could it be?
They seemed to know my name…
Carefully, one letter at a time to avoid any typos, I replied to the message.
[Me: Who is this?]
As if they’d been waiting for it, the reply came instantly, without even a moment’s hesitation.
[Unknown Sender: I’m your soon-to-be mentor.]
Mentor?
I didn’t have a mentor yet.
I had just submitted my application and was still waiting for the results…
“Ah.”
But there was one person who came to mind when I thought of the word mentor.
Someone so unique that even that weird baby-talk message suddenly made sense.
The strangest person I’d ever met.
[Me: Are you Hunter Cha Taeyang?]
[Unknown Sender: Yupyup]
[Unknown Sender: But what’s with the ‘Hunter’ title?]
[Unknown Sender: Sounds way too stiff.]
[Unknown Sender: Just call me by name, seriously???]
[Unknown Sender: You don’t have my number saved, right?]
[Unknown Sender: Save it plz]
[Unknown Sender: This is my number btw]
He sent his number right away, so I pressed and held it to save it.
A profile picture popped up—not a photo of him, but the logo of the “Taeyang” guild, bold and prominent.
The background photo showed what looked like a group shot of his quirky guildmates, all with unique vibes.
Everything about the profile screamed affection for his guild.
It was classic Cha Taeyang.
Still, just in case, I thought I should check with Han Jihye.
But I was still fumbling with the phone—still not used to how everything worked.
Tons of notifications were piling up, and I couldn’t tell what was what…
While I was fumbling and muttering to myself, Taehwan had pulled over and was silently watching me from the driver’s seat.
“We’re here… What’s wrong?”
“I just got a message from Hunter Cha Taeyang. Looks like he’s going to be my mentor.”
“Ah…”
Taehwan let out a sigh with his mouth half open.
His expression was… strange.
He looked annoyed, maybe worried.
Then, pouting a little, he spoke again.
“I mean… it’s probably not confirmed yet.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there’s still a review process. They’ve gotta make sure he’s a good fit for you and all that. It takes time.”
“I see.”
Well, I am the country’s first S-Class, after all.
Kind of a big deal.
They probably wouldn’t assign me a mentor just because we’ve met a couple of times.
They’d want to make sure our skills match, that he can actually guide me properly, stuff like that.
“So you should ask. If it’s possible to switch.”
“…Huh? Switch what?”
“Mentors. Ask if you can change.”
* * *
