* * *
For a moment, I thought maybe he hated holding hands like this—but he didn’t let go.
In fact, he gripped tighter and pulled me into a hug with his other arm.
But strangely, his hand on my shoulder was trembling.
His breathing and heartbeat sounded odd too.
“…?”
I tilted my head in confusion and looked up at him—his face was red.
Was he sick?
I reached up to feel his forehead, but before I could, he pulled me closer and gently stroked the back of my head.
It felt like he wanted me to stay still, so I quietly leaned into him.
He wasn’t running a fever, so I guess he wasn’t sick—just flustered for a moment?
“Jehee.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re standing so well now. It hasn’t even been that long since you were discharged. You hardly ever fall anymore.”
“That’s because I awakened! My legs are totally strong now. Isn’t that great? I can even run! I don’t trip anymore!”
“And at night, you don’t need diapers—you go to the bathroom all by yourself.”
“Yahh… don’t bring up the diaper thing… that’s embarrassing…”
“You wash up on your own, too. And you’re not bad at cooking either.”
“That’s just basic stuff! Of course I should be doing it!”
“You’ve already got your Hunter license and started earning money. Ha… You’ve grown up so fast, Jung Jehee.”
“Hmm…”
I’m not sure what he’s trying to say. I still feel like a rookie—like I’ve got a long way to go before I can call myself a real Hunter.
Well, I guess the things he mentioned are just the basics.
Maybe… what Taehwan’s really talking about isn’t my growth as a Hunter…
“Are you sad because it feels like I’m becoming independent from you?”
“…Yeah.”
The whiny tone in his voice is kind of adorable.
He’s a whole head taller than me, so how does he even make a voice like that?
I can’t help but smile.
How many people in the world have ever heard proud, stubborn Taehwan whine like this?
He’d never act like this in front of his parents…
It’d be nice if I were the only one who ever gets to see this side of him.
“I’m really… upset.”
Ah.
So it wasn’t just a childish complaint—he meant it.
It came from the heart.
He’s been going on about how he “raised” me, so I guess he’s happy about my growth but also feeling a little bittersweet.
Now that I think about it, if one of my younger siblings suddenly said they were moving out or getting married, I’d probably cry into my pillow for days.
And I only raised them for a few years.
Taehwan’s taken care of me for over ten years.
Of course he’s got complicated feelings.
I gently patted his broad back with my free hand.
“But that’s a good thing, right? I want to be someone who can stand on his own. And the reason I could come here with you is because I’ve grown. I’m really happy we got to go camping like this.”
It’s not like I’m going anywhere far, and we’ll still hang out a lot.
There’s no reason for him to feel sad.
Now that I can take care of myself, he doesn’t have to worry about me or feel guilty anymore.
That’s gotta be a relief.
I gave his back a few solid pats and smiled brightly to cheer him up.
“…Yeah, it is a good thing. And I won’t have to worry about that poison stuff messing you up anymore…”
Hmm. That didn’t seem to work.
His voice sounds weirdly flat. Is it just my imagination?
Now that I think about it, Taehwan did wish I’d awaken with a lower rank.
Even though he became an S-Class and walks into danger without batting an eye, he worries about me way too much.
This is one of those classic “rules for thee, not for me” moments.
Like that saying: If I do it, it’s a romance. If someone else does it, it’s cheating.
If he goes into a dungeon, it’s “for the good of the world.”
If I do it, it’s “too dangerous.”
I really need to get strong enough to make his jaw drop. It’s not fair otherwise.
“And even if I become independent, we’re still going to be friends, right? So there’s nothing to be sad about.”
Even after I asked, Taehwan didn’t answer.
He just kept ruffling my hair nervously.
What’s with him?
Does he still not trust me?
I helped take down that crazy beast in Wind Hole, didn’t I?
…Okay, technically Gray Coat took it down, but I helped a lot!
“Once I get assigned a mentor, I’ll train hard, practice combat, and get stronger. Then we can go into dungeons together…”
“Ah!”
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, Taehwan—who had been leaning halfway against me—jerked upright.
I jumped a little too, surprised by his outburst.
“Jaehee, wait. This is bad.”
“Bad?”
“Yeah. Like, seriously bad.”
“W-What is it? What’s wrong?”
I had no idea what was going on, but then Taehwan suddenly opened the icebox and showed me.
Yesterday, right after we got back from the store, that huge icebox had been stuffed full.
Now, it was practically empty.
“We ate all the meat yesterday. We should’ve bought more, but we didn’t.”
“Ah! You’re right.”
We really did eat all of it last night.
And unlike an indoor campsite, this place didn’t have a convenience store.
The only facilities here were gendered restrooms, a tiny shower area, and a vending machine.
We were up in the middle of nowhere, so if we wanted to restock, we’d have to drive a long way down the mountain.
We’d meant to stop by a store on the way, but both of us had totally forgotten.
I mean, considering… that unexpected thing we did earlier, it’s no wonder even smart, responsible Taehwan forgot.
Now I felt kinda guilty.
“Well… We can eat other stuff, right? We bought a bunch of other things too.”
“Not enough for a real meal. Most of it’s just instant food.”
“Mm… Yeah, that’s true…”
I mean, I could survive on that, but Taehwan’s “one serving” is more like two or three for a normal person.
We really should restock.
Might as well eat well if we’re going to enjoy this trip.
Taehwan closed the icebox and stood up.
“You stay here and relax. I’ll be back soon.”
“Huh? You’re going by yourself?”
“Someone has to watch the tent. I’ll be quick. They said there’s a chance of rain today, so if you go out, bring an umbrella and don’t go too far. Call me if anything happens.”
“…”
Taehwan didn’t even give me time to say anything—he just rattled everything off like he’d rehearsed it.
Like the plan was already set in stone.
I had no choice but to nod.
“…Okay. I will.”
I’d rather go with him, honestly…
But someone did need to stay and watch the tent.
And realistically, I wouldn’t be much help if I went.
I’d probably just slow him down.
It made more sense for him to go alone.
Even so, I felt a little gloomy at the thought of staying behind, but Taehwan ruffled my hair again to cheer me up.
“I’ll be back in a flash. You trust me, right?”
“I do. Be careful.”
Once Taehwan’s car disappeared down the road, I was left with an odd feeling.
After spending so long in a hospital, always surrounded by people ready to rush in at the press of a button, it had been a while since I was completely alone in the middle of nature like this.
But I didn’t hate it. In fact, it felt… refreshing.
Besides, I knew Taehwan would be back soon, so it wasn’t like I felt truly alone.
Might as well use this time to really soak in the outdoors.
I thought about heading down to the stream and looked up at the sky—thick clouds were gathering.
Maybe it really is going to rain, just like Taehwan said.
‘Wait… huh? Feels like I’m forgetting something…’
Wasn’t there something I was supposed to do?
We’d been talking in the car about mentors and then setting up the tent and everything…
I feel like I totally forgot something important—
“Ah!”
It hit me like a punch to the head.
How could I forget something that important?
I jumped up and ran into the tent, digging through my stuff until I found my phone.
I’d completely forgotten I was in the middle of texting Cha Taeyang.
He’d been replying almost instantly before, but I’d left him hanging for hours.
Sure enough, my inbox was flooded—
All from just one person.
[Hunter Cha Taeyang: So you’re just gonna leave me on read? 😢]
[Hunter Cha Taeyang: 😭😭]
[Hunter Cha Taeyang: 😭ㅜㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅡㅠㅜㅜㅠㅜㅠㅡㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜㅡㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠ]
A full-on flood of crying emojis. Like a dam of tears had burst all over the chat window.
At this rate, he might still be “crying” in the chat until I respond, so I quickly grabbed the phone with both hands.
* * *
