Chapter 187: Mister Seong’s Birthday (5)
“Mister, aren’t you going to catch a cold like that? The weather’s been cooling down lately, and the breeze here is pretty chilly.”
Yerim spoke with concern. With September just around the corner, the heat had indeed subsided considerably. I always seemed to end up ruining my clothes, so I had spares in my inventory, but changing outside was still a bit awkward. At least changing my top might be worth considering.
“Guild Leader, can’t you do something about this? Can’t you use fire to dry him off?”
At Yerim’s suggestion, Yuhyun raised an eyebrow.
“If Hyung had fire resistance, maybe, but drying him instantly like that isn’t easy. And you, Park Yerim, is draining water all you can do?”
He handed Iryn over to me as he spoke, prompting Yerim to pout in response.
“…I tried using the skill I use for washing dolls, but they just crumbled to pieces.”
“Useless.”
“And you, Han Yuhyun! If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t have made it here in the first place!”
The two of them bickered back and forth, briefly pausing to ask if I was okay, only to resume their squabble. Watching them made the corners of my mouth tug upward. A ticklish warmth spread through my chest.
When I woke up in the mornings, I’d hear familiar voices and see familiar faces. They both made it a point to greet me first thing, competing to say good morning. We’d have meals together, see each other off, and if nothing else came up, we’d eat lunch together too. Sometimes Yuhyun would come alone, saying Yerim had extra classes. Other times, Yerim would appear, claiming Yuhyun was busy. On days neither of them could come, they’d still make sure to call.
My days were filled with looking after young monsters, visiting Noah with Myungwoo, or listening to reports from Seok Hayan’s team on field experiments. And by evening, the house would grow lively again.
There were always people looking at me, smiling, and seeming genuinely happy. One day, two days, then the next day, and the day after that—it continued, unbroken.
I still had plenty of burdens, my future remained uncertain, and there were things I could never let go of. Yet, my heart began to ease bit by bit.
Maybe that was why my attitude toward Seong Hyunjae had started to bother me.
‘I used to be so accustomed to bowing my head.’
If I had been alone again this time, I probably wouldn’t have felt much resistance. But everyone around me said they liked me. Sure, Seong Hyunjae was amazing, but the people who cared about me weren’t any less remarkable. And with Yuhyun standing firmly behind me, I didn’t want to thoughtlessly throw myself away like that.
It was impulsive defiance—then and now. I was still uneasy, but…
‘He backed off, after all.’
I had steeled myself for worse, so it was surprising. I had even gone so far as to phrase it like I’d stolen his fragment rather than acquiring it through agreement, all to provoke him. I hadn’t expected him to take my resistance so easily.
Turning my head, I caught sight of Seong Hyunjae, gazing out at the ocean. Even drenched, he didn’t look disheveled in the slightest, as though such words didn’t apply to him. Sensing my gaze, he turned his eyes toward me and smiled silently.
That expression… how should I describe it? For the first time, Seong Hyunjae looked human to me. Of course, he was still a distant figure, someone at the opposite end of the spectrum from me. Yet, right now, he felt… slightly different. A little new.
I found myself growing a bit curious. What kind of person is he, really? I knew plenty about his skills, his capabilities, his status as an S-rank Hunter, and as a Guild Leader. But beyond that? Almost nothing. Even after spending a couple of months frequently seeing him and building some semblance of a connection, I knew next to nothing about the ordinary aspects of his life. He must have had parents at some point. He must have had a childhood. Surely, he’d experienced at least one hardship in his life, even if it didn’t seem to suit him.
“Don’t smile. It might make me fond of you.”
“Haven’t you already grown quite fond of me?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“I have, though.”
What nonsense was this? I couldn’t bring myself to argue with his smiling face, so I turned away. Ah, I was tired in so many ways.
We entered a brightly lit convenience store along the dark and quiet roadside. It was a small place, with a table against one wall for eating food. The convenience store clerk, who had been organizing the shelves, froze the moment he saw us. Understandable, given how disheveled we must have looked. From behind the counter, he tried to act like he wasn’t sneaking glances at us, though it was obvious.
“There’s not much left, probably because it’s so late.”
Yerim picked up a hot bar as she spoke. There were no bento boxes left, and only a few triangle kimbap remained. While I swept the remaining kimbap into a basket, Yerim pulled out udon and instant ramen, lamenting the lack of cheese.
Thankfully, I hadn’t lost my wallet, though it was, of course, soaked. With my phone dead, the odds of my credit card working were slim. Carefully, I pulled out two 50,000-won bills, taking care not to tear the damp paper, and laid them on the counter.
“Keep the change as a cleaning fee. Could I borrow your phone for a moment?”
The clerk kindly lent me his phone. I dialed Haeyeon and was soon connected to Seok Gimyeong. I explained our situation and asked about the others who had taken shelter in the forge.
[Yes, everyone has been rescued already.]
Apparently, a rescue team had been dispatched shortly after the ship sank. I wondered how they managed to get everyone out from the middle of the sea, but it seemed Liette had transformed into a dragon to give people rides. With Noah also capable of flight, it wouldn’t have been difficult to get everyone to safety, even without additional help from rescue crews.
I asked the convenience store clerk for the location and relayed it to Seok Gimyeong. Thankfully, we weren’t too far from Seoul.
“They said they’ll be here within an hour. They’ll also inform Sesung.”
It seemed wiser to stay put and wait at the convenience store rather than wandering around. While Yerim poured hot water into her instant noodles, I spread out the triangle kimbap on the table and handed one to Seong Hyunjae. Honestly, I wanted to tell him, you brought this on yourself, so you can starve, but it was still his birthday, after all.
‘…But has he ever even eaten triangle kimbap before?’
Curious, I glanced back at Seong Hyunjae. The triangle kimbap in his large hand looked ridiculously out of place. Of course, he probably hadn’t. This had to be his first time. Did he even know how to open the wrapper?
Suddenly, I felt a strange excitement.
“It’s edible, so go ahead.”
Hurry up. As he shifted his gaze from me to the kimbap, I kept my eyes on him. Come on, just open the wrapper already. Maybe I should’ve grabbed some popcorn and microwaved it for this moment.
Seong Hyunjae’s other hand reached for the kimbap. Gripping one corner, he slowly rotated it, revealing the diagram on the underside of the wrapper. Unbelievable.
“You’re actually reading the instructions?”
“Isn’t that what they’re for?”
Well, technically, yes—but still! Did he really have to follow the instructions here? Feeling betrayed, I watched as Seong Hyunjae followed the steps, pulling the red tab and smoothly peeling off the plastic wrap. And just like that, the kimbap was perfectly unwrapped. Disappointed, I couldn’t help sighing. Yerim’s voice then rang out, full of amusement.
“Han Yuhyun, you can’t even handle triangle kimbap?”
Wait, why Yuhyun? Turning quickly, I saw a sight I hadn’t expected—plain white rice, stripped of its seaweed wrapping. Yuhyun was looking down at the dismantled kimbap, visibly flustered.
“It’s fine, I’ll do it for you.”
“How do you not know? Guild Leader, have you never eaten triangle kimbap before?”
“Hyung always told me to eat properly.”
Yerim tilted her head in curiosity, and Yuhyun explained.
“Before awakening, weren’t you just a normal high schooler? Triangle kimbap is a common snack. What about other stuff? Don’t tell me you’ve never had instant noodles either.”
“I haven’t.”
At Yuhyun’s answer, Yerim’s jaw dropped. She laughed in exaggerated shock.
“Wow, Mister! Is this for real? Han Yuhyun’s never had instant noodles before?”
“Not completely never. I’ve made packet noodles at home a few times, but it’s not exactly healthy. And during adolescence, eating well is important.”
It’s a critical growth period, after all. Eating properly is better if you can manage it.
“…But weren’t you ever curious? There’s not much left on the shelves, so I can’t even give our Guild Leader a proper taste of convenience store food.”
Yerim pouted in disappointment, sliding her udon toward me.
“Have some warm soup, at least.”
“Thanks.”
“Han Yuhyun, do you want some ramen? I’ll even pour the water for you. You know cup noodles have to sit for a bit after adding water, right?”
“No, thanks.”
“Do you know about bibim noodles? You have to drain the water and add seasoning—it’s a more advanced recipe. What about rabokki? Have you had tteokbokki before? Oh, don’t tell me you’ve never had a hamburger either?”
A hamburger… had he ever eaten one? I couldn’t recall ever buying one for him. But we had occasionally ordered pizza or chicken.
“Guild Leader, would you like some ramen too?”
It didn’t seem like the kind of food Seong Hyunjae would have tried before either. At least he’d managed to finish the triangle kimbap. Sure, he’d flipped the proverbial birthday table earlier, but it was still his birthday. That tiny sliver of pity lingered—triangle kimbap and ramen weren’t exactly festive birthday fare. Even if it was for someone as infuriating as him, birthdays shouldn’t feel this half-hearted.
“Wait a moment.”
I stopped him before he could answer and turned toward the shelves. There was still a cake left—a slice of tiramisu cake. I picked it up and asked the clerk if they had any candles. They didn’t have birthday candles, but they did have regular ones. That would do.
Unwrapping the cake, I placed it on the table and stuck a candle in the middle. Despite looking reluctant, Yuhyun lit the candle for me. It looked ridiculous, but it was still a cake with a lit candle.
“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday, annoying Seong Hyunjae~ Happy birthday to you~”
Why wasn’t anyone else singing? This was so embarrassing. Yerim, stop staring at me like that—it’s already humiliating enough.
“Make a wish and blow out the candle.”
“A wish?”
“You don’t have one?”
“Not really.”
“Then just think of something you want right now or whatever and blow it out.”
Seong Hyunjae glanced at me for a moment before leaning forward and blowing out the candle. Guys, a little applause, please. I’m seriously dying of secondhand embarrassment right now. Was this a mistake?
Not long after, cars began arriving in droves—Haeyeon, Sesung, and even the Association. Among them, I spotted Chief Song Taewon’s face, and guilt washed over me immediately. Sure, the explosions weren’t technically my fault, but if I’d handled things as usual, nothing might have happened. …Probably. Then again, knowing Seong Hyunjae, he might’ve blown something up for fun anyway.
“I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
At my words, Song Taewon gave a brief shake of his head.
“It’s fine. Since there were no casualties among non-awakened individuals, there isn’t much for me to do. Once the field records are submitted, the Association will issue appropriate disciplinary measures.”
“Thank goodness it was over the ocean.”
“…That’s fortunate.”
The brief reply was followed by a heavy shadow of fatigue settling over Song Taewon’s face. His gaze shifted toward Seong Hyunjae. Yes, just seeing him must be exhausting. I can sympathize.
“Chief Song, I assume you know the Guild Leader of Sesung far better than I do?”
I asked on impulse. After nearly three years of entanglement, it would be impossible not to know him, even if one wanted to. And in the end, he even handed over a skill to him. Why had he done that? I still didn’t understand, and I was still curious.
“I don’t know him well.”
“But surely, you’ve seen enough to form an opinion.”
“Even if I were to observe him for another ten years, I wouldn’t have the confidence to say I understand him.”
Song Taewon’s gaze returned to me. His eyes were as deep and subdued as ever.
“You are also difficult, Han Yujin, though in a different sense.”
“I’m relatively ordinary, though. Especially compared to him.”
What I want is simple and ordinary. I’ve never thought of myself as particularly special. I never have. The only reason I strive so hard is because the people I want to hold onto are extraordinary. I claw my way forward just to keep up. Because I don’t want to lose them.
“Han Yujin.”
Seong Hyunjae approached, holding a phone in one hand. He displayed the phone screen to me, where my number was visible. The name field, however, was blank.
“Do you have something you want?”
“…Are you asking me?”
“Who else would I ask?”
The spot where the word “Item” had been was now erased. His gaze lingered on me, calm and steady. Despite his light tone, his eyes felt weighty. If I wasn’t an object he possessed or planned to possess, his treatment of me could worsen compared to before. A single mistake might result in swift and ruthless retaliation.
Standing side by side with him meant accepting those risks. Generosity and tolerance were privileges reserved for those beneath him.
I took the phone from him. If I were to fill in the blank with its original label, we’d likely revert to how things were before.
I turned my head. Yuhyun was speaking with Seok Gimyeong nearby. Next to him, Yerim was idly kicking at the ground with her foot. She caught my gaze and greeted me with a cheerful smile.
“Here you go.”
I tapped on the keyboard a few times and handed the phone back to Seong Hyunjae.
“Let’s call it business partners. I look forward to working with you, Seong Hyunjae.”
“I’ll look forward to it as well.”
Look forward to it, he says. What a terrifying choice of words. Seong Hyunjae glanced at the phone screen, then made a slight edit to the label. My Partner.
“…Why do you have to add that extra word?”
I protested, but he didn’t bother responding and simply turned away. I sighed, and as I did, Song Taewon gave me a complicated look. He seemed like he wanted to say something, but ultimately, he stayed silent and walked away.
–TL Notes–
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