* * *
Baek Gunho finished his meal quickly, as if inhaling it, and got ready to leave.
“I’m heading out first. I’ve got something to do today.”
“Yeah, be careful.”
I said goodbye casually, but I couldn’t help wondering if he was leaving early because of what happened yesterday.
Though it was probably just a groundless worry since Baek Gunho wouldn’t just abandon me because of a bad mood…
Sometimes I think I’m lucky, considering it’s an unrequited love.
Even though his feelings aren’t the same as mine, he still puts me first.
Well, the downside is that experiencing it firsthand makes my heart feel uneasy.
“Are you sure you can go alone?”
“Of course.”
I brushed off the old man’s concerns and left the house alone.
The subway during the morning rush was, as always, hell.
Unfortunately, the route from my home to the company was always crowded, so I never had a comfortable ride.
I was pushed out of the subway even though it wasn’t my stop. As I waited to reboard, I straightened up.
At times like this, I regret being an F-rank. If I could reveal my original rank, I could just float and fly over such a short distance.
But then again, if I revealed I was S-rank, I wouldn’t be working at this company. I’d probably be with the Bureau…
“Huh.”
In the middle of my idle thoughts, I saw someone stagger out of the subway. It wasn’t just a slight wobble; the person was clearly about to collapse.
I reached out and caught the person.
The heavy body slumped, and I had to pull with force to keep him from falling to the ground.
“Excuse me, are you okay?”
He was a well-built man, the kind who looked like he wouldn’t know illness.
But now, he seemed completely unconscious, as he didn’t respond.
“Excuse me? Excuse me?”
“I think this person fainted…”
Someone watching the situation muttered awkwardly.
I clicked my tongue and lifted the man in a princess carry.
I had no intention of carrying him far in this awkward position. I placed the man on a nearby bench.
“Is this person suffering from mana poisoning?”
A passerby who had been observing the scene said this as they approached.
After examining the man for a moment, they nodded.
“Yes, he’s definitely suffering from mana poisoning.”
The passerby concluded. I didn’t know much, but this person seemed knowledgeable. Judging by my [Sage’s Eye], they appeared to be an Awakened, possibly working in a related field.
As I listened to the passerby, I called to report the situation. After conveying their opinion that it seemed like mana poisoning, I hung up.
“There’s not much we can do.”
The passerby mumbled as they adjusted the man’s position on the bench.
To treat mana poisoning, you need an item that absorbs mana, but there’s no way such an item would suddenly appear, so there was no emergency treatment we could provide.
“Are you an Awakened?”
The passerby turned to me and asked. I nodded.
“Yes. But I’m only an F-rank.”
“No wonder you carried him so easily.”
The passerby grinned and mimicked the way I had carried the man.
“Aren’t you on your way to work?”
“Yes, I am, but…”
I ended up taking responsibility for the collapsed person and couldn’t just leave them there.
That’s when a passerby kindly offered a suggestion.
“I’ll stay with them, so you can go ahead.”
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“My work hours are flexible, so it’s fine. Go on.”
“Thank you.”
I bowed to the passerby and quickly got back on the subway that had just pulled into the platform.
Thanks to that, I narrowly avoided being late.
Then, during lunch break—
“Isn’t this you, Heewon?”
A photo was thrust in front of me. The back view of a man lifting someone much larger than himself in the subway… it was definitely me.
The unexpected photo snapped me out of my workday daze.
“What… is this?”
“They’re calling you the Prince of Line 2.”
“…What?”
“That’s the title of the post. They said you saved someone with a princess carry.”
I quickly checked the post that was shoved in front of me.
It exaggerated the events of the morning, and the comments praised me as a hero, calling me a lifesaver.
I, on the other hand, felt rather uneasy.
“They really post about anything, don’t they?”
“But what happened to that person, anyway?”
“I’m not entirely sure… They said it was mana poisoning.”
The mention of mana poisoning made everyone around cringe.
Ever since the recent incident involving the company’s energy boosters, the term “mana poisoning” had become something of a taboo.
“I heard mana poisoning is getting more serious these days.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, apparently, more people are being hospitalized because of it. It’s not just our company that got hit hard.”
Mana poisoning occurs when someone absorbs more mana than their body can handle.
“Looks like they must’ve used some weird item they picked up somewhere.”
“They should’ve used something like our company’s verified products.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Lee Jihye at her comment.
“Wow. Your loyalty to the company is impressive, Jihye.”
“You should say that in front of the CEO…”
“Could you pass the message on?”
Lee Jihye laughed, and I joined in, throwing the memory of the post on the internet to the back of my mind.
After work, as the old man had suggested, I headed to Baek Gunho’s house. His home was empty, with no one around.
“Busy?”
I checked the news just in case, but nothing particular came up. It seemed he was diligently working on guild matters today.
Then again, he’s not someone who can just hang around me all the time.
“Sigh…”
I staggered into the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.
Back when I first started coming to this house, I hadn’t yet fully given up on my feelings for Baek Gunho, so this place was a den of turmoil for me.
I’d often wonder what Baek Gunho did here alone, and… well, it would naturally lead to a reaction down below…
Ah, those were indeed the days of youthful vigor.
Since I couldn’t do anything in someone else’s house, I’d end up singing the national anthem twenty-eight times over.
I’m not as full of energy now as I was back then. It’s not that my vigor has waned—I’ve just matured mentally.
Besides, tonight’s events have left me more unsettled by thoughts of Baek Gunho rather than any strange ideas.
“…Let’s not overthink this.”
Baek Gunho might not be as concerned as I am.
To clear my head, I took a cold shower and changed into pajamas. Then, I sat in the living room, scrolling through Netyflix.
I finally settled on a drama and started watching when I heard the door open.
Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was quite late. I greeted Baek Gunho as he walked in.
“You’re back? It’s late.”
“Yeah. I had some work to do.”
Baek Gunho immediately came over and took the remote from me. The TV turned off, and I shot him a glare.
“Hey, I was watching that…”
“Watch it later.”
“It’s at a critical part right now.”
The protagonist had just saved a dog from being hit by a car and was having his first reunion with the classmate who used to bully him.
“Why?”
“I need to check out a dungeon.”
“Now?”
If he’s going, he can go, but why take the remote?
I gestured for him to give it back, but Baek Gunho didn’t return it.
“No, I mean, I’m not going alone…”
Baek Gunho suddenly trailed off, let out a sigh, and started explaining from the beginning.
“I want to check out the dungeon with you.”
“With me? Why?”
“I need to assess your strength.”
“Why do you need to assess my strength?”
“So that I know what I can ask you to help with.”
I blinked, not quite understanding what he was saying, and then slowly sat up.
“What you’re saying is…”
“You offered to help me with the Black Sea Guild, remember?”
“……”
“Help me.”
Baek Gunho’s straightforward request caught me off guard. When I didn’t immediately respond, he tilted his head to the side.
“Why? You said you wanted to help.”
“I just… was curious why you suddenly changed your mind.”
“You were whining about it yesterday.”
“Watch your language.”
“I’m not saying I don’t trust you; I’m just worried something might happen. It’s not that I doubt you.”
“…”
I suddenly stood up and placed my hand on Baek Gunho’s forehead.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking if you have a fever.”
Baek Gunho frowned at my concern and brushed my hand away.
“Don’t start a fight.”
“Are you really serious? About asking for help?”
“Yes. I could handle it without you, but if you help, it’ll get done faster. Of course, I won’t give you anything too dangerous, and if you start getting overconfident, I’ll stop you…”
“……”
“You’re grown enough to handle this much, right?”
Though his explanation was long-winded, and he seemed to think of himself as my guardian, Baek Gunho had reached out to me first.
The fact that he, who always tried to protect me, was now trusting me gave me a warm, fluttery feeling.
“Alright, trust this big brother here.”
As soon as I said that, Baek Gunho looked like he regretted it.
But it was too late—he couldn’t take back what he had just said.
* * *
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