* * *
“Youngin asked me to bring some fruit.”
Wow. Grabbing my wrist that hard just to make me run an errand for your fiancée?
“Then you go get it. I’m heading inside.”
“Let’s go together.”
Practically being dragged along, they arrived at the fruit section.
There was everything from tropical fruits you couldn’t get in Korea to dungeon-produced fruits modified from dungeon byproducts.
Since they were already here, Seohwa picked out a few fruits too.
Honestly, he wanted to stack the plate high with bananas, but if he only picked bananas—Seohwa’s known favorite—it might raise suspicion.
So he only took three bananas and filled the rest with other tropical fruits.
Holding the plate with his left hand, he felt the weight strain his wrist and switched to his right.
“You like bananas?”
“…Mr. Kang Yigeon. What part of this plate makes you think I like bananas?”
“You picked them the most carefully.”
“I wasn’t careful at all. I just grabbed random stuff. I actually like strawberries and grapefruit way more than bananas.”
“Understood.”
‘Did he drag me here just to test if I like bananas?’
Seohwa made a mental note to be more cautious from now on.
But just before entering the room, he saw Kang Yigeon lower his head slightly to avoid the ceiling, which was low for his height.
The words slipped out before Seohwa could stop himself.
“Mr. Kang Yigeon, being so much taller than the Korean average must be rough. Not just your height—everything’s oversized, so every time you enter a tight space…”
Seohwa shut his mouth with a gasp.
“…”
Kang Yigeon’s deep purple eyes locked onto him, filled with an intense, unreadable energy.
Seohwa braced himself for a slap or punch.
But Kang Yigeon only stared, piercingly silent, then entered the room.
The boisterous atmosphere welcomed them.
Seohwa quietly watched Kang Yigeon offering the fruit to his fiancée, then lightly smacked his own lips.
Careful.
He belongs to someone else now.
∗ ∗ ∗
“Yuje, you’re really not coming to the after-party? Even the youngest one is.”
“I’m tired. I want to go home.”
“It’s barely the afternoon, how are you tired already?”
“Exactly.”
“My house has a huge yard, it’s a single-family home, so we can be as loud as we want. Plus, I’ve got a cute dog that looks like an Ankylosaurus.”
What kind of dog looks like an Ankylosaurus…
“Everyone’s waiting. Hurry up and go.”
Wang Jungsoo grabbed Seohwa’s hand tightly.
“Yuje, we’ll stay in touch, right? It wasn’t long, but I feel like we bonded. You’ve got guts, eating that whole patch of deathcap mushrooms, your ridiculously plain face, and how you change the moment you see Hunter Kang—it’s entertaining. I want to keep in touch.”
“You’re making me want to cut ties instead.”
“Let’s definitely keep in contact, okay? Promise?”
“Fine, now go already.”
Seohwa finally managed to send Wang Jungsoo off.
The training center folks were having their after-party at his house, but naturally, Seohwa, Kang Yigeon, and Kang Yigeon’s fiancée weren’t going.
Once Wang Jungsoo left, only three people remained in front of the hotel.
Seohwa bowed politely to Kang Yigeon and his fiancée.
“Thank you for the meal today. Get home safely.”
“Where do you live?”
“Not far.”
“I’ll drive you to Wangsimni.”
Seohwa froze for a moment.
‘Did I ever say Wangsimni?’
Wangsimni was listed as Yuje’s address, the identity Seohwa was using.
He boldly revealed he’d done background checks like it was nothing…
“You should spend time with your fiancée. Go ahead.”
Kang Yigeon just furrowed his brows, saying nothing.
Seohwa turned to leave, but was stopped again.
“Yuje!”
This time it wasn’t Kang Yigeon, but his fiancée calling.
Unable to ignore her, Seohwa turned back to see Yoon Youngin holding out her phone.
“Um… could I have your number?”
‘Why do you need my number?’
“Why do you want Yuje’s number?”
Kang Yigeon asked the question Seohwa was thinking.
“I just… You seem like a good person… I’d like to be friends…”
Suspicious, but rejecting her face-to-face would be awkward.
And knowing her number might come in handy, so Seohwa took the phone.
As he entered his number, he felt sharp eyes practically stabbing into his temple.
‘What, are you guarding your fiancée now?’
The glare was so intense, Seohwa’s whole body prickled.
After entering the number, he pressed the call button and ended the call three seconds later.
The wallpaper that popped up made Seohwa flinch.
Her phone background was full of Seohwa’s face.
Not direct, front-facing shots, but candid photos—him staring off into space, from official events, public training sessions, press conferences, and briefings.
“I’m a fan of Hunter Seohwa…”
Youngin smiled brightly as she retrieved her phone.
“You’re unlocked.”
“Yes… Yuje, are you…?”
“I’m unlocked too.”
Seohwa knew he should’ve avoided the topic of himself, but couldn’t resist responding, frustrated with his own lack of restraint.
“Oh, good… When were you unlocked?”
“Three years ago. You?”
“Actually, I was only recently unlocked… Just earlier this year, I was still locked… But I kept rewatching videos of Hunter Seohwa, getting familiar with his face… People say you warm up if you see someone often enough… I believed that and kept watching…”
Seohwa couldn’t understand it at all.
“You tried to unlock yourself? Why? Seeing my face must’ve been painful, miserable.”
Youngin tilted her head like it was obvious and replied.
“He’s a hero…”
“…”
“I didn’t want to hate him… I wanted to like him freely…”
Seohwa’s eyes quickly turned hot.
His nose stung, and something fiery welled up from deep in his chest.
He wanted to hug Yoon Youngin right then and tell him how grateful he was.
He didn’t show it outwardly, but considering Yoon Youngin was a mentalist, he might’ve sensed the surge of emotions with his natural abilities.
He might even wonder why Seohwa was reacting so strongly.
Even knowing that, Seohwa couldn’t control it.
He was just so grateful. And guilty.
“But, you know… Earlier… when I saw Mr. Yooje… I suddenly thought of Hunter Seohwa…”
The touching atmosphere evaporated in an instant.
“…What exactly about me made you think of him?”
“When you tore that slice of cake to pieces… There was this time at a formal event when Hunter Seohwa did the same thing. Didn’t eat the cake, just ripped it apart…”
Seohwa remembered too.
‘What… Are you suspecting the food’s poisoned?’
‘Huh? Oh, no, that’s not it…’
‘There are people starving to death somewhere on this planet, you know. You must be really full.’
‘…’
‘Trashy little killer. There’s no food for you at this event anymore!’
It was a twelve-hour event, so he’d ended up surviving on nothing but water, clutching his empty stomach the whole time.
“Back then, everyone thought it was because you were paranoid about poison… But I found out later. When Hunter Seohwa’s mentally unstable, he has this habit of shredding whatever food’s in front of him—cake, fruit, whatever…”
Seohwa only learned that now, apparently.
“It’s just… the way you gripped your fork, the angle when you stabbed the cake… It looked exactly the same. I’m a huge fan of his, so whenever I see something even slightly similar, I immediately think of him…”
Ha… Yoon Youngin smiled shyly.
Seohwa barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth in response.
He didn’t forget to throw in a dramatic little reaction— ‘Wow, how could a nobody like me have the same habits as Hunter Seohwa? What an honor!’
After parting ways with them, he boarded the subway.
There were plenty of empty seats, but he didn’t sit.
The people next to him might be locked, after all.
He couldn’t risk making some perfectly healthy person suddenly start vomiting.
Leaning in the corner of the last car, Seohwa stared blankly, lost in thought.
‘Yoon Youngin seems like a good person.’
Considering Kang Yigeon claimed to love him in every timeline, Seohwa always figured he had terrible taste in people.
But finally, in this last world…
The only world where peace had been restored…
He’d fallen for a good person.
Thank goodness.
I’m really glad.
Seohwa pressed his fingertips firmly against his aching chest.
Maybe it was just out of politeness, but if possible, he wanted to attend the engagement ceremony.
Come to think of it, the engagement was scheduled for the same weekend as Incheon Port…
Did Kang Yigeon really think they could find Gaius Jung and clear the dungeon within six days?
They’d have to go up against those Evil Human soldiers too.
‘I wonder if he’s planning to avoid entering the Incheon Port dungeon altogether.’
If that were the case, it’d be a relief.
Kang Yigeon had only just woken from a coma—Seohwa didn’t want him stepping into danger.
That’s when the system window suddenly popped up.
[Vow Violation Rate Changed! Please check ٩(°̀ᗝ°́)و
It wasn’t at a dangerous level yet, but still, he should be careful (`ヘ´*)ノ
Currently, one S-Rank Oath is active.
Bound Party: Gaius Jung
Violation Rate:
■■■■□□□□□□]
‘Kang Yigeon’s doubting me again…’
He’d been through this a few times recently, so now he only flinched for a moment.
But this time, it felt different.
Even after he washed up and lay in bed, the rate stayed at four blocks.
The next day, the same. And the day after that too.
Since that day, the violation rate never dropped below four blocks.
* * *
