* * *
“The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems. That Gray Coat got taken down by those guys.”
“…Seriously.”
I agree.
The “Gray Coat” I met in Wind Hole was nothing short of a beacon of salvation.
Just being behind that broad, solid back made me feel like I could face the whole world and still not be afraid.
His movements were so fast my eyes couldn’t keep up, and his strength—ripping through the thick hide of a monstrous beast—was nothing short of overwhelming.
So no matter how out of shape he might’ve been that day, it made no sense that someone like him would lose to a bunch of near B-rank nobodies.
Honestly, it was suspicious enough to make me wonder if he let it happen on purpose.
…Though, surely not.
“Looks like they’re about to teleport?”
Teleportation service.
A welfare perk for hunters, located in the underground of the Bureau.
Unlike expensive artifacts, it’s designed to be affordable and accessible.
And that’s why we could trace their destination.
The coordinates of recent travelers are logged, so we could just follow the data trail.
As we descended underground after them, Cha Taeyang glanced at me, lost in thought, then suddenly spoke.
“Hm. Jaehee, you’re planning to follow them, right? Looks like they’re heading to Gray Coat.”
“Uh… well, yeah.”
Right.
Why am I following them?
Even I didn’t really know what I was trying to do.
I’m still a rookie.
I haven’t even done anything that really qualifies as “hunter work” yet.
What could I possibly achieve?
“…I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You want to help Gray Coat, don’t you? Then go. He’ll be happier if it’s you who helps him.”
“W-Why? Why would he… I mean, I’m nothing…”
My heart sank.
Did Cha Taeyang know about my… whatever it is… with that man?
I stiffened, anxiously watching his face, but he just shrugged, totally casual and blunt.
“I helped out a scruffy little newbie once. And when that newbie showed up later looking all polished and capable? I was proud as hell. Trust me—stuff like that? Gives people real strength.”
“Oh…”
So that’s where he was coming from.
Now that I think about it, Gray Coat had helped me too.
He’d saved my life—literally.
I’d been so distracted by the fact that our first kiss came right after that… I’d forgotten.
God, I’m ungrateful.
The guilt hit me hard.
“Are you… coming with me?”
“You’ll be fine on your own. Why bother?”
“Uh… but still…”
“I’m telling you, Gray Coat would much rather it was just you. Go alone. Your mentor gives you permission.”
“Ah, but… it’s a dungeon. I’m not ready to go into one alone yet.”
“Who knows how dangerous it is? But if you go, Gray Coat will be there, right? If he’s not, call me. I’ll be there in a flash.”
His eyes were shining with certainty.
I was speechless.
Seriously?
He actually wants me to go alone?
“But we came here to submit our regular report…”
“Do it later. The deadline’s not for a while, and my schedule’s light for now, so it’s fine. Wait—Jaehee, are you scared of bumping into those jerks again?”
“…I don’t know.”
I have been training hard for the past month, and yeah, I’ve gotten stronger.
In terms of ability and physical stats, I probably have the edge over them.
And Gray Coat will be there too.
No matter how off his game he is, if we team up, we should be unstoppable.
But… I wasn’t confident.
Even with daily sparring, I’d never landed a single hit on Cha Taeyang.
What if I end up running away again after talking big?
And right in front of someone I admire…
I couldn’t get a grip on my emotions.
“How long are you gonna hesitate? At this rate, you’ll miss them.”
“Oh.”
Thump. My heart nearly dropped.
Just like he said, they were about to leave.
Even if I knew the coordinates, if I didn’t follow them quickly, I might not be able to figure out exactly which dungeon they’d gone to—or from which direction.
Especially if it was a remote place; sometimes, abandoned dungeons overlap in those areas.
Cha Taeyang gave me a little shove as I stood there flustered.
“You trust me, right? Hurry up and follow them before it’s too late.”
“Ugh… but are you sure I’ll be okay on my own?”
“You’ll be fine. I guarantee—when you come back, you’ll have grown a lot. From what I’ve seen, you’re good under pressure. Sometimes, throwing yourself into it and cleaning up later works better.”
“…”
This was it.
The moment to make a decision.
If someone who’s watched over me as a mentor says this much… then now, it’s my turn to believe in myself.
I steeled myself and stepped into the teleportation zone.
I entered the coordinates and took a deep breath.
Cha Taeyang came up to me.
“You know the dungeon protocol, right?”
“Ah, yeah. More or less…”
I’d picked up the basics over the past month from the seniors in the Sun Guild.
I tried to recall them one by one.
“If you forget something, just ask. Or look it up. And if you ever end up alone—call me. I’ll drop everything and come straight away.”
“Okay, I will.”
“And hey, your ear.”
“…My ear? Oh.”
He made a little gesture like “hurry up,” so I leaned in close—and he whispered something in my ear.
‘…Is he serious?’
What he said was… surprisingly bold.
What does he think is going to happen to me, to say something like that?
He was even grinning, full of mischief.
I wanted to ask more—but I didn’t have the time.
“Go on. Tell Gray Coat I said hi.”
“…I’ll be back.”
He patted my stiff shoulders, stepped back, and I activated the teleportation gate.
Before long, the world turned white.
It was my first time being dropped alone in a place this remote.
And the fact that I had to go into a dungeon made me so nervous, I nearly lost track of the group I’d been following.
Fortunately, my sharpened senses helped me pick up their presence just in time.
The hostile hunters were nearby—and so was the “Gray Coat.”
Rather than keep tailing the group, I decided to prioritize linking up with Gray Coat.
So far, the monsters had already been dealt with thanks to the group ahead, but the noise might draw more creatures.
If I lost Gray Coat while dealing with those stragglers, that would be a real disaster.
Cha Taeyang had sent me assuming I’d meet up with Gray Coat, too, so this felt like the right decision.
I snuck past the spot where the rogue hunters were hiding and ran straight toward the “Gray Coat.”
“Um, excuse me, Hunter!”
The man I admired had always worked alone.
I braced myself for the possibility that he might ignore me and keep walking—but thankfully, he responded to my voice.
“…Ah.”
He even let out a small sigh when he spotted me—and then waited until I reached his side.
Just like in the video, today as well, the “Gray Coat” wore a mask without an opening at the mouth.
I guess he hadn’t completely changed it out.
What was he thinking, coming to meet me dressed like that back then?
Was it even the same person?
Maybe I just dreamed it all.
“No, that’s impossible.”
It was clearly no dream.
There can’t be that many men like him in the world for me to mistake him for someone else.
Either way, because his face was completely covered, I couldn’t read his expression.
I wasn’t sure if he was happy to see me or uncomfortable.
It made me anxious—but at the same time, I was happy just to see my idol in person again.
“Um… do you remember me?”
“Of course I do.”
Even though I couldn’t see his face, and even his voice was distorted by noise so his emotions didn’t come through clearly, I felt like he was smiling.
That’s just how it felt.
“I haven’t forgotten you for even a single day. I’m glad to see you again.”
As expected, sweet words.
My face flushed red.
I’d come here impulsively, unable to just sit still… but now that I was standing in front of him, I had no idea how to act.
Do I… love this person?
What is this feeling that’s making my heart tremble like this?
I was confused.
If Taehwan had firmly told me to stay away, maybe I’d feel more at ease.
Instead, he’d left me with nothing but hard questions to answer.
“How did you get here? Are you alone?”
“Ah, well…”
Even now, I could feel persistent eyes on us.
They were keeping quiet, masking all sound and presence, but there was no doubt they were watching.
Maybe it was the first time they’d seen “Gray Coat” speak, and they were fascinated.
If I could sense it, surely he could too.
So why was he acting like this?
I was worried, but surprisingly, the man who should’ve been more sensitive to others’ gazes than I was… remained indifferent.
If I openly said a group with ill intentions had followed us, it would officially start a confrontation. Should I bring it up?
Or should I trust him, since he seems to be ignoring them?
I wasn’t sure what to do.
While I hesitated, he changed the subject.
* * *
