* * *
After completing basic training, one had to clear twelve Grade 1 and Grade 2 dungeons within six months to qualify for dungeons Grade 3 and above.
Beginner dungeons occurred dozens of times a day, so competition wasn’t that intense.
But to be assigned a dungeon, you had to participate in the allocation meeting held every day at 3 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Those meetings were always jam-packed—with government officials from the Dungeon Management Bureau, assignment teams from big to small guilds, freelance brokers, mercenaries, and more.
For someone with social anxiety like Seohwa, that was simply impossible.
Instead of getting assignments directly, Seohwa chose to be hired into parties.
But even that had its downside—he had to constantly go through interviews with party leaders.
Whether it was an online or offline interview, he wouldn’t sleep for 50 hours beforehand, hands trembling, cold sweat pouring…
He’d torment his little snake familiar until it got warm and wriggly, barely surviving the interview, only to hear, “Please join our party permanently.”
He’d pass.
But after clearing just one dungeon, the cycle of miserable interviews started all over again.
“Six more times of this… I can’t believe it.”
—Kkyuu…
“Should I… just join a guild? Then I’d only have to do one interview…”
But that thought crumbled before he could even finish the sentence.
Joining a guild? It wouldn’t stop at an interview.
There’d be a welcome party.
Group dinners.
After finishing six dungeon assignments, he’d have to quit the guild, which meant a farewell party.
They’d probably want to stay in touch even after he left.
Calls, texts, the occasional meetup.
Drinks, BBQ, movies, endless time spent together.
Eventually, someone would drag him to wedding gatherings, introduce him to new social circles, and his life would be flooded with people until the day he died…
—Kkyuing!
His little snake familiar slipped out of his fingers, clinging to his phone screen.
It curled up against the dark display, crying pitifully.
Seohwa tapped the screen lightly, turning it on.
—Kkyu… Kkyuuu…
The familiar rubbed its head affectionately against the face on the screen.
Since he was already known as “inedible” to the public, he boldly set Kang Yigeon’s photo as his wallpaper.
The sharp-featured man in the photo wore a faint smile.
Seohwa had searched everywhere online, missing the smiling face he saw on the rooftop, but smiling pictures of Kang Yigeon were extremely rare.
None in the past three years.
He found only one after digging deep enough.
Back when everyone hated Seohwa.
A candid shot taken during a short break in public training.
‘Three months until the Grade 6 incident, and everyone’s smiling, laughing… What a festive mood. So harmonious.’
‘It’d be even more harmonious without you.’
‘That stuff doesn’t hurt me anymore, Mr. Kang Yigeon. You’ll have to bring harsher words. Oh, and I mean words, not… You know… though I do know your words are… other things too…’
Rather than getting angry, Kang Yigeon had just smiled faintly.
It was so fleeting, but some reporter managed to catch it.
Bless that journalist.
Buzz—
—Kkyuing!
Startled by the sudden vibration, the little snake leaped up.
Seohwa quickly caught it, winding it around his finger as he checked the screen.
Incoming Call
Wang Jungsoo
Slide to answer
Seohwa knew from experience this guy would keep calling until he picked up.
‘[Stooge] Activate.’
His white hair darkened to black, and his delicate features reshaped into something plain and unremarkable.
[Stooge] had three modes: Activate, Deactivate, and Full Release. Deactivating returned him to his original appearance.
Activating drained a lot of energy, so he always kept it deactivated when resting at home.
Even when deactivated, though at a much lower rate than when active, the skill continued to consume spiritual energy.
However, if he completely canceled the skill, the ‘reason’ tied to the ability would disappear permanently, and he’d be forced to live under an entirely different identity.
So, he had no choice but to toggle between activation and deactivation repeatedly.
Seohwa, now transformed as Yuje, picked up the phone.
“Yeah? Uncle.”
—Hey, Yuje’s little brother. What were you up to?
“Just prepping for my interview tomorrow. You?”
—Mercenary interview, right?
“Yeah.”
—How many assignments you got left?
“Six. It’s killing me. So hard.”
—Six? Perfect timing. I happen to have a shot at a full six-run dungeon session tomorrow.
“Hello? Hello? Ah, weird, suddenly can’t hear you—”
—Kang Yigeon’s coming too!
Seohwa, who had been trying to end the call, paused, his finger hovering in the air.
“…Kang Yigeon?”
—Yeah. Kang Yigeon.
“You should’ve led with that.”
—You’re coming, right? It’s the day after to—
“Ah, no can do. My father suddenly passed. Can’t do dungeons for a while.”
—What the hell? Why do you always come up with the most inconvenient excuses…
“I’m the chief mourner, I’m busy. Gotta go.”
Seohwa lightly tapped the end button.
The call didn’t come back.
Kyuuuuuuu.
For the little snake, he turned the screen back on and displayed Kang Yigeon’s photo, sprawling onto the sofa.
Hearing Kang Yigeon was coming had definitely shaken him for a moment.
But…
He’d confessed five times.
And got rejected five times.
The man was now off seeking new love… it was time to let him go.
Time to avoid even creating new points of contact.
He’d move on and live a happy life.
Seohwa would move on… and die peacefully.
That’s what a happy ending looks like.
Seohwa pressed down the lingering regret swelling in his chest.
But his efforts crumbled like a sandcastle.
“…Why are you here…?”
“Came to grind assignments. Like Hunter Yuje.”
He had tagged along with a small party to a rank-2 dungeon, only to find Kang Yigeon standing by the gate.
The party members were just as shocked, and the leader even joked, “Surprise!”
Kang Yigeon exchanged greetings with them, then headed straight for Seohwa.
“Why didn’t you join Hunter Wang Jungsoo’s party?”
“Guess you didn’t hear? My dad’s funeral.”
“Usually when people use funerals as excuses, it’s only for grandparents or older. No standards even for that?”
“Then why didn’t you join Uncle’s party? He clearly said you were coming.”
“Hm. Looks like you’re avoiding me.”
His face was blank, his tone stiff.
But his amethyst eyes flashed sharply.
To outsiders, it probably looked like they were in the middle of some messy fallout.
As expected, the other party members awkwardly exchanged glances.
‘Is it true the Mushroom’s acquainted with His Highness the Grand Duke?’
‘Doesn’t seem like they get along though…’
‘Up close, the Mushroom looks so plain.’
‘One’s ridiculously handsome, the other ridiculously average… Life’s unfair…’
Listening to the rude whispers, Seohwa spoke calmly.
“True fans don’t actually want to get too close to their star, you know. You wouldn’t understand, you’ve been the star your whole life.”
“If you’re really a fan, prove it.”
“If I could peel my heart open, I would. I’m confident. I really like you…”
He chuckled bitterly, but Kam didn’t reply.
Even that piercing gaze turned away, so Seohwa glanced up.
Wavering eyes.
Twitching cheeks.
Lips trembling faintly.
Even without being a mental-type hunter or possessing a mentalist trait, it was obvious.
Kang Yigeon was visibly shaken.
What part of his words rattled this stone-faced man?
Seohwa felt more confused than victorious.
“Ah, I get it. Wanting distance from a star… I feel the same! I’m your fan! Mercenary Yuje is from Hongsi, I’m from Hongsi too. Can’t believe I’m tackling a dungeon with Kang Yigeon! Thrilled… and complicated emotions! By the way, congrats on the engagement!”
A party member abruptly chimed in with exaggerated excitement.
Their awkward exchange fizzled out there.
Skreee!
Dodging the long tail that tried to coil around him, Seohwa cast a spell.
Boom!
The tail exploded, spraying fragments everywhere.
He swiftly hid behind a tree trunk, careful not to get any foul fluids on him.
Normally, he’d evaporate it with magic, but Yuje’s magic wasn’t strong enough for that, so dirty clothes meant staying dirty until they could be changed.
“Was that an explosive skill?”
“Ah!”
Seohwa, startled by Kang Yigeon suddenly appearing behind him, genuinely jumped.
“What are you doing here? Not fighting?”
“Among the ten basic magic types, there’s no natural magic that explodes like that. So what skill is it?”
“Magic. Object transmutation. I inverted the tail, inside out.”
“Impressive application.”
“Getting praised by Kang Yigeon… such an honor.”
Seohwa smiled sweetly. Kam gazed down indifferently.
Skreee!
“Damn it, die already!”
Skraaa!
“Hiyaa! Stupid rank-2 monster!”
On the other side of the tree, the others were locked in fierce battle.
Of course, things here were tense in a different way—a psychological battle of suspicion and doubt.
“Hey! Mercenary, what are you doing? Sightseeing?”
The party leader barked at Yuje but didn’t dare scold Kang Yigeon directly.
Seohwa’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“Kang Yigeon, stop messing around and show them what ‘impressive’ really looks like? We’re just doing low-rank dungeons after this, probably never fighting alongside you again. Let me admire those skills properly.”
* * *
