* * *
Taehwan’s eyebrows shot up, clearly pleased with my answer.
Even his tone had softened.
“A sword? Not any other weapon?”
“Yeah. I like swords.”
“Jehee, if possible, try to get one that’s an artifact. Your safety comes first.”
“…Hmm. That’s true.”
Thinking back, even this time it had been the same.
Monsters were big, violent.
Even for an Awakened, a human was still small and fragile in comparison.
No matter how well a fight went, it only took a moment, one tiny mistake, for the whole situation to flip on its head.
If you thought of it as paying for your life, no price was too high.
And my ability wasn’t even meant for close combat, so if the artifact activated only on monster contact, it wouldn’t get in my way during fights either.
I nodded, agreeing.
Taehwan looked incredibly satisfied.
“Should’ve just said that from the start. I raised you so carefully—if you kept coming back injured, I’d feel betrayed.”
“W-what are you talking about? Who raised who?”
“Me, obviously. I carried you on my back growing up.”
“……!”
I suddenly got choked up.
The words “Since when did you carry me?” rose all the way to my throat, but I didn’t let them out.
Thinking about it… he wasn’t totally wrong.
He probably did carry me—though it was more often in his arms than on his back.
Still, Taehwan had been the one to carry me through.
And I did grow up in that time, too…
I remember him once saying that looking after me felt like how I cared for my own siblings.
So… did he really think of me as a younger brother?
I wasn’t hoping he’d treat me like a big brother, but… still.
Being “just” a little brother?
That kind of bugged me.
I kept staring at him, sulky, until Taehwan let out a small laugh.
Like he was saying, what’s with that face now?
He started rubbing my cheeks again, then reached for the computer.
“Jehee, I know a list of good swords that the Bureau keeps hidden. If you buy during your probationary period, it’s cheaper. Most people can’t afford anything during that time even with discounts, but we’re gonna milk this system for all it’s worth. Let’s bleed them dry.”
Like a fish in water, he began typing away, pulling up a list of options.
Where they were made, who made them, how heavy they were, how they felt in use—he rattled everything off like a pro.
He wasn’t just sorting by price either.
The list wasn’t filled with the most expensive gear, but the ones he genuinely thought were worth it.
Watching him, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Only one thing bugged me.
“Just a while ago he was in the crafting division—how the hell does he know so much about swords?”
Sure, being a crafting-type Awakened didn’t mean you couldn’t like weapons.
But still… what really got to me was how this side of Taehwan was completely new to me.
He really liked swords, enough to know all this—and he’d never told me?
We’d spent nearly our whole lives together, but lately, I was starting to feel like there were so many things I didn’t know about Taehwan.
Maybe he didn’t want to say anything because he thought I’d feel jealous, stuck in the hospital all the time.
I wanted to know everything about this man, Im Taehwan.
I still do.
I’d reveal everything about myself eventually too.
But Taehwan… did he have a lot he wanted to keep hidden from me?
My brain told me, he’s entitled to privacy.
But my heart… felt oddly heavy.
“…Hey, Taehwan.”
“Yeah?”
“…Ah.”
The moment our eyes met, I realized my mistake.
I hadn’t really had anything in mind when I called him.
It’s just… seeing him so absorbed in sword listings had made him feel… distant.
I wanted to pull his attention back to me.
But there was no way I could say that out loud.
What kind of person gets jealous of a sword?
Especially when it’s one meant for me?
What do I even say?
My mind went blank, but somehow, a good idea floated to the top.
I realized—if I was going to spend money on myself, there was one thing I really wanted.
“Let’s go camping. Just the two of us. It’s been a while. I want to go… with you.”
At my words, Taehwan paused his work and took his hands off the computer.
He looked at me with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“Oh, Jung Jehee. What’s gotten into you today? You’re actually being honest for once.”
“What are you talking about? I’m always honest.”
“Really? Wow. I had no idea. I thought you were the type to keep everything bottled up—never saying a word about what you want to eat or do, just worrying about your family or me. But turns out, you’ve been honest all along?”
“…Ugh.”
He’s so irritating. Makes me want to bite him. What’s worse is that I can’t even deny it.
But at the same time, I couldn’t take my eyes off Taehwan’s face, now lit up with a big grin after hearing about the camping trip.
His smile always seems to sparkle.
Just looking at it makes me happy.
It makes me thankful to be alive and awake.
“Where do you want to go? The mountains or the sea?”
“I like both.”
Both the mountains and the sea were places I visited often when I was young.
Wherever we go, I’ll be able to recall old memories—or make new, beautiful ones.
Especially if I’m with Taehwan.
How could any place not be enjoyable?
“Then let’s do both. Actually, should we just go now?”
“Right now?”
“Yeah. Right now.”
Ah, I was planning to go to my parents’ house to show off my Hunter license…
I hesitated for a moment, but quickly changed my mind.
‘It doesn’t have to be today, does it?’
Technically, I was still a guest at our house.
A guest who had to be taken care of, who people fussed over.
They’d just barely gotten a break from looking after me all weekend, and showing up again out of nowhere would just be burdensome.
I wanted to spend time with Taehwan anyway… so I made up my mind.
I smiled to show I was in, and Taehwan smiled back.
He saved whatever he’d been working on—something about a sword—and transferred it to his watch, then promptly shut off the computer and stood up.
Like he couldn’t stand to wait another second.
“Let’s do a totally wasteful camping trip. No worrying about cost-efficiency—let’s just buy whatever we need on the spot. If it costs extra, so what? One rule though: no complaining about things being expensive. No griping about wasting money or resources.”
“What the heck is that?”
I burst out laughing.
It was almost impressive how absurd he could be.
With a shameless grin, Taehwan tugged me closer by the shoulders and kept talking like a smooth river.
“Spending money recklessly is a symbol of adulthood, you know. I used to hate how dads would control everything on camping trips—this is okay, that’s not. Now’s my chance to break free of all that childhood frustration.”
“Hmm. Still, ‘wasting money’ sounds weird.”
“Jehee. We’re not gonna do this often. Just close your eyes and go all in this once.”
“Uuuuugh!”
I crossed my arms and pretended to think it over, but honestly, I’d already decided.
This was my first camping trip since my father passed away and since I finally pulled through that long, agonizing hospital life.
My first trip as an adult, and a celebration of earning real money for the first time.
If I wasn’t going to indulge now, then when?
I gently took Taehwan’s hand and smiled.
“Yeah. It sounds fun. I’m in.”
I was all excited when I said it, but then suddenly remembered a problem.
And not a small one—kind of a dealbreaker.
“Ah, but not right now. I don’t actually have the money yet.”
The money I’d earned hadn’t hit my account.
Apparently, it could take up to three months.
Probably because it was such a large sum and there were all kinds of procedures.
It was a total buzzkill, but Taehwan’s reaction was refreshingly simple and decisive.
“I’ll pay.”
“But this is supposed to be a celebration of me earning money for the first time. Isn’t it weird if you pay?”
“You think you’re the only one who earned money? I just got promoted to S-class, and I’ve already made more than you. I’ll treat this time, as a celebration for me. You can cover the next one.”
“Oh? Well… I guess that makes sense…”
Come to think of it, Taehwan did just have a major breakthrough becoming an S-class.
While I’d only just had my first proper battle with a monster and received my license today, Taehwan had already been active as a Hunter for almost a month.
And the list of dungeons he’d gone through in that month was insane—some were famous, notoriously difficult ones that many elite Hunters had failed to clear.
He must’ve earned quite a lot not only from selling dropped items but also from the success bonuses stacked up in those dungeons.
In short, I was just a rookie pretending to be a big shot.
I felt embarrassed for even bringing it up.
“It’s settled then. We’re leaving right now.”
“Wah!”
Before I could react, my body was suddenly lifted off the ground.
He walked briskly like time was of the essence.
I couldn’t exactly ask him to put me down mid-step—it felt too risky.
I awkwardly fiddled with his shoulder for a bit before just wrapping my arms around his neck.
But something felt strange.
Maybe my hearing was unusually sharp, but I could hear Taehwan’s breathing clearly—and for some reason, it reminded me of when I was tangled up with that ‘man in the gray coat.’
It made my face flush.
I shut my eyes tight.
‘How long am I going to keep thinking about kissing…’
The way I overreacted to Taehwan’s touch too—wasn’t this getting out of hand?
I mean, sure, it was the first time in years I’d felt this kind of desire, but wasn’t it a little too much?
Was I always secretly a pervert?
The thought made me want to crawl into a hole.
Maybe talking would help distract me, so I deliberately teased him.
“That wasteful camping trip—you’re the one who said you’d pay, remember. No backing out. I’m really going to blow a lot of money.”
* * *
