* * *
“This is getting interesting.”
“You’re finding my tragic medical history entertaining?”
“Now I’m genuinely curious about your profile.”
“Weren’t you supposed to be studying it seriously already? How disappointing. I’ve always been sincere with you, Wolf Hunter.”
Wolf blinked his blue eyes a few times, then burst out laughing.
“Your name’s Yuje, right?”
He said it softly, a smile at the corners of his lips.
Seohwa could tell, right then, Yuje had finally made it into Wolf’s memory.
Which meant, until now, Wolf hadn’t cared one bit.
That explained the 30-point quiz score.
“Why don’t you believe in love?”
“Why are we circling back to that topic?”
“Because I like love stories.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in love. I don’t believe in forever love. Emotions shift with circumstances, fade with time—it’s inevitable.”
Seohwa offered a prime example.
“Look at Kang Yigeon. He searched endlessly for Seohwa, but now? He’s got someone new.”
Admitting that himself stung a little.
“In some ways, maybe he loves Youngin even more than he loved Seohwa. I mean, loving someone when you don’t even know if they prefer jjamppong or jjajangmyeon? That’s real love.”
Wolf tilted his head, suspicious.
“Weren’t you a fan of Kang Yigeon?”
“I am. I’m part of the Hongsi fandom.”
“A real fan should see through this fake engagement. The way he treats Youngin? There’s no love there.”
Is that so?
Seohwa wasn’t sure.
From his view, Kang Yigeon seemed plenty affectionate toward Youngin.
The fact that he even wore an engagement ring, despite hating jewelry, was proof of love in itself.
“Not just me—most people probably think the engagement’s fake. Kang Yigeon pulled every stunt possible trying to drag Seohwa out. Maybe this is just another ‘love rival’ scheme.”
“But you said you don’t believe in love. So why assume Kang Yigeon’s love is forever?”
“Hmm…”
Wolf fell silent.
He crossed his arms and leaned back deep into the chair.
The weight of his large frame made the chair’s backrest tilt significantly.
His blue eyes stared off into empty space, as if sifting through old memories.
“Epsilon…”
Epsilon.
A 50-member, 6th-grade dungeon expedition team.
“You probably don’t know… but everyone in Epsilon thinks like I do.”
“……”
“We saw it there, over and over again. A man, firm as a boulder and upright as an ancient tree, shaken like dust, swayed like reeds… all because of one person.”
“……”
“A man, cold as ice, melted like spring icicles before that person. A fierce, flame-like man softened to the fragility of candlelight in front of him. We witnessed someone struggling alone to protect the one everyone hated. We saw him stand face-to-face against the immense power of this dimension, a power determined to incite hatred and disgust.”
With a bitter expression, Wolf continued.
“There was a time Seohwa collapsed, unconscious.”
That day, Kang Yigeon stood guard at Seohwa’s tent, eyes bloodshot.
Afraid someone, overcome by rage, might attack the weakened Hate.
And at the same time, fighting his own urges to do the same.
He gripped his own arms, enduring with an iron will.
Even back then, the hunters knew something wasn’t ordinary about Kang Yigeon’s feelings toward Hate.
“Epsilon thought it was an opportunity and surrounded Kang Yigeon, trying to convince him.”
‘Hunter Kang Yigeon, escape the demon’s seduction.’
‘That man is a murderer who’s led countless hunters to their deaths for hidden rewards.’
‘Even now, he shows no desperation to clear the dungeon.’
‘He’ll just rewind time again, rendering all our efforts meaningless.’
But that day, Kang Yigeon cried as he looked at the hunters.
“What did you say…?”
“He cried. Hunter Kang Yigeon.”
“……”
Tears ran down Kang Yigeon’s cheeks—tears mixed with regret, sorrow, self-blame, and grief.
No one could say a word, frozen in place.
Quietly, as if reciting something, Kang Yigeon spoke.
‘Look properly, all of you.’
‘If that man had no desperation, would he keep fighting even with his arm broken and his insides bleeding?’
‘When his ankle shattered, he crawled, dragging his leg, and slit the monster’s throat.’
‘When we were trapped in a hallucinatory trap, he poisoned himself to break free and saved everyone.’
‘If that isn’t desperation, then what is?’
‘He saw the world’s destruction, he said. Compared to that, sacrificing himself is a small price to pay.’
‘He doesn’t want hidden rewards. He doesn’t want to rule the world.’
‘All he wants is to return to his companions. But even that simple wish can never come true.’
‘Look at him properly. Think again.’
‘Don’t be fooled by the power of the timeline. Judge him fairly.’
‘He’s no villain.’
‘He’s just a pitiful scapegoat for the sake of the world.’
‘Open your eyes. All of you, see him for what he truly is.’
Though Seohwa didn’t show it, he was quite shocked.
He never imagined that while he was unconscious and fighting for his life, such things happened.
The rejection of the timeline wasn’t something that mere words could undo.
Kang Yigeon knew that too.
But he still pleaded—because he was that desperate, that earnest…
“Anyone who saw Kang Yigeon that day would think the same… If true love exists, that must be what it looks like.”
Meaning, Kang Yigeon’s desperation in the dungeon made even those who didn’t believe in love believe it was real.
Seohwa silently hoped Wolf was wrong.
Even if Kang Yigeon’s love for him back then was true, he hoped it wasn’t eternal.
As long as Kang Yigeon loved him, Kang Yigeon would never find peace.
“To be honest, I don’t like you, Seohwa. Ah, not because of the LOCK. It’s purely my own feelings.”
“Because I hurt Kang Yigeon emotionally?”
“Well, I do resent you for that. Kang Yigeon only loved someone, and look how wrecked he ended up. But I’m not here to meddle in romance. What I mean is… when you first revealed yourself to the world, there could’ve been another way.”
“……”
“If you hadn’t positioned yourself as the villain from the start… If you calmly, logically persuaded people, the world’s anger toward you might’ve turned out differently. But you gave up on yourself too early. You made it easy for us to hate you. You resorted to vicious methods far too quickly.”
Wolf clicked his tongue.
“He has low self-esteem. Loving someone who gives up on themselves so easily is painful. That’s why Kang Yigeon suffers so much.”
‘Was that true…?’
‘Did I give up on myself too soon?’
‘That day, at the public hearing…’
Even thinking back, Seohwa couldn’t imagine what he should’ve done differently.
His best option had still been the worst.
Oddly enough, because Wolf disliked him, Seohwa found himself liking Wolf.
“I get it. I’m not suited to be the target of someone’s love. That’s why Kang Yigeon should be happy with Yoon Youngin.”
Wolf stared at Seohwa and asked.
“Are you… Locked?”
“I’m Unlocked. But like you, I dislike myself willingly.”
“Oh… I meant more like resentment, but I see you misread that.”
“You literally said you hated me.”
“My Korean’s not great.”
“Foreign hunters will probably use that excuse even after 300 years.”
“Korean’s hard, you know.”
“Alright, enough small talk. Write your corrections. I have to pass this test.”
“Then why do you want to find Seohwa if you hate him?”
“That’s separate. My goal is Gaius Jung!”
Seohwa put on his most desperate expression.
“I have to find Gaius Jung and make that handsome guy mask. Look at my face. Can’t you see how desperate I am?”
Wolf stared at Seohwa’s face for a moment, then nodded seriously.
“Indeed… I can feel your desperation.”
Seohwa wasn’t sure if he should feel pleased or insulted that his usual ‘face excuse’ still worked.
Just then, Wolf turned on his tablet, muttering softly.
“Desperation has always been the most effective way for creations to summon gods. When pitiful, helpless beings struggle desperately… it stirs even the hardest heart…”
“What?”
“Nothing. Let’s study.”
The words carried a deeper meaning, but Seohwa didn’t want to dig further.
He focused on studying.
But soon, his concentration faltered as Kang Yigeon’s face hovered in his mind, and he had to wrestle with it.
∗ ∗ ∗
Toward the end of the 6th-grade dungeon conquest, Kang Yigeon often visited Seohwa’s tent.
It didn’t take long before everyone in the expedition knew they were sleeping together.
Seohwa worried—would the others ostracize Kang Yigeon?
But surprisingly, Epsilon didn’t alienate him.
If anything, they were concerned, following him around with healing-type hunters, wondering if Hate had cursed or brainwashed him.
* * *
Very like this story