* * *
“Ah—ah, wait! I-I’ll get you a towel!”
“It’s fine.”
“What? But…”
“I’ll dry off quickly.”
I didn’t understand what he meant—until: shhhk.
A brief sound of air, and in an instant, all the water on him was gone.
Hair, clothes, skin, even his shoes—completely dry.
“Whoa,” I gasped without thinking.
‘That’s amazing…’
An artifact?
The mask, the voice distortion—those are probably artifacts too.
And now, one that evaporates moisture?
Does everything on him count as an artifact?
Then again, he works alone.
It makes sense.
Without teammates to rely on, he probably has to carry all kinds of tools to stay safe.
No matter how skilled or experienced ‘Gray Coat’ is, the field is unpredictable—and dangerous.
‘Being good at using artifacts is impressive, too…’
Meanwhile, I can barely handle the smart watch they gave me, let alone my phone.
Artifacts usually aren’t even that user-friendly—unlike standard items like dimensional pockets that most hunters carry around.
I’ve heard a lot of people avoid them for that reason.
Still holding the towel awkwardly, I was frozen in place admiring him—when suddenly, the towel disappeared from my hands.
It had moved—to his.
“You’re the one who’s soaked. You should dry off quickly.”
“Ah… y-you’re right.”
“Let me help.”
“I-It’s f—fine…”
But before I could finish saying “fine,” he had already placed the towel on my head and wrapped it gently with both hands.
His touch… I couldn’t refuse it.
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived too long needing others to take care of me.
But when his large hands held me like that—it felt like I was a kitten being picked up by the scruff of its neck, going docile in an instant.
“Once the rain stops, make sure you take a warm shower.”
“Y-Yes… I will…”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart was pounding so loudly, it felt like it was shaking my entire body.
If it’s this loud, he must be able to hear it too.
He’s probably more sensitive than I am, after all.
Trying not to embarrass myself, I focused on calming my breath.
Slowly, the noise in my chest began to settle.
His hands, gently drying my hair, felt strangely familiar.
The way he did it—efficient yet tender—it was the touch of someone who’s done this a lot.
Has someone taken care of him before?
A younger sibling?
Maybe a child?
‘Isn’t he a little young to have a kid…?’
How old is he, anyway?
Thirties?
From the part of his face visible under the mask, he still looked young.
His skin was flawless, not a wrinkle in sight, and his beard was cleanly shaven.
Taehwan once said that people our age aren’t getting married as early these days.
So when do people get married now?
I don’t really know… but I doubt he has a kid as old as I am.
Then maybe he takes care of a parent?
‘No… I shouldn’t pry.’
He wears a mask and covers himself so thoroughly—he clearly wants to hide his identity.
Trying to guess who he is or what kind of life he lives would be rude.
He’s not a bad person—in fact, he only does good things.
I shouldn’t do anything to trouble my idol.
“Your hair is dry now.”
“Th-thank you…”
“You’re wet in other places too.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s finish while we’re at it.”
“…Nnh.”
After shaking the water out of my hair, the next place he targeted was my ear.
He pressed it gently with his thumb, wiping it thoroughly.
Normally, it wouldn’t be such a special spot—but Taehwan had played around with my ears earlier during that, so my whole body tensed up involuntarily.
And sadly, this tension wasn’t of the normal kind—it was that kind.
My lower stomach started to ache.
This… this shouldn’t be happening…
“I-it’s okay now. I can—”
“It’ll just take a second.”
I considered forcing the towel back into my own hands, sensing the danger, but he looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself.
His lips were curved in such a beautiful smile.
He looked so happy that I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
I clenched my eyes shut and let him continue.
My cheeks, the bridge of my nose, my forehead, and even the back of my neck…
Maybe I was just too conscious of him, or maybe his presence was just overwhelming, but I could feel his hands through the towel so clearly that every time he touched a different part of my face, my fingers and toes twitched on their own.
Especially when he wiped the back of my neck and lightly stroked it to check if it was dry—it felt like I was about to faint.
Even in front of that terrifying monster, I hadn’t felt this mentally cornered.
“Thank you…”
Only after I got the towel back was I finally able to exhale.
I praised myself for enduring it and instinctively rubbed the cheek where his hand had touched.
There were a lot of dangerous moments, but thanks to his careful attention, I did feel much more refreshed.
“You look nice when you smile.”
Oh no.
Was I smiling without realizing it?
Not just any smile either… it was probably a dumb one.
I mean, how could I not feel good?
The person I’ve admired for so long just cleaned me up with his own hands.
But still!
I shouldn’t be this obvious!
I tried to fix my expression, flustered, but he was smiling brightly too, which made my brain go completely blank.
‘Right… I cried in front of him before, didn’t I?’
Is that why he said I looked good?
Because smiling is better than crying?
If that’s the case…
“Um… Do you, by any chance, remember me? We met at Wind Hole before.”
“Of course I remember. How’s your body holding up?”
“I-I’m fine! I got hit by the monster back then, but Hunter Cha Taeyang used a potion on me! And that—it was apparently really expensive. He’d been saving it for emergencies, like something sacred, but he used it on me. I was really grateful… If he’d used it on himself, his ankle injury would’ve healed right away, but instead, he used it on me, and now he’s in a cast…”
Wait.
What am I rambling on about?
This isn’t even about me—why am I talking so much about Cha Taeyang?
Well, I guess Taeyang is more familiar with this guy than I am.
I only met him briefly and, well… kissed him.
But Taeyang actually raided a dungeon with him.
Still, why am I playing news anchor in the middle of this?
If he wanted to know, he’d have looked it up himself.
This guy shows up in dangerous places all the time—he’s the type who’s always up to date.
“…I see.”
Did… did I say something wrong?
He seems a little… off.
I felt like I urgently needed to change the subject.
“Um, what brings you here?”
“I was passing through for work and happened to see you.”
“M-me?”
“Yes. I stopped by to check on you. I’m glad to see you safe.”
He… came to see me?
While I was still struggling to believe it, the “gray coat” man was smiling softly as he said it.
‘This… isn’t a dream, right?’
I couldn’t slap or pinch myself in front of the Gray Coat, but I knew this was real.
No dream could feel this vivid.
Every nerve in my body had tuned itself to him—no dream could replicate this.
God. My head is spinning.
Just meeting the Gray Coat again, just talking with him would’ve been overwhelming enough, but here we are—alone, inside the cute tent I set up, and he came to see me?
It’s too much.
My emotions were swirling so wildly, I couldn’t even tell if it was happiness or embarrassment, joy or panic. It was every color all at once.
“By the way…”
“Y-yes!”
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
“…What?”
My lips had already been reduced to repeating “yes,” and now they didn’t even work at all.
I just stood there, frozen, staring blankly at him.
‘Wh-what…?’
What did I just hear?
My mind was barely functioning, but I forced myself to recall.
He said… I had something to say to him.
And he said it in a tone that sounded like he was expecting it?
What could someone like him possibly expect from me?
Something I have to say?
Didn’t I already thank him?
Already nervous to begin with, the unexpected question short-circuited my brain.
Everything just… went white.
“M-m…”
“Ah, um!”
“…”
“There is! Just a moment!”
Oh my god. I remembered!
* * *
