The Way of Life for a Terminal S-Class Hunter - C38
$38
Lee-han’s tone was sharp. My body was still sluggish and my fever kept rising and falling, so I couldn’t grasp why he was acting this way or how to soothe his anger.
“Are you angry?”
“Of course I’m upset. You’re walking around in this rain and even getting sick because of that guy.”
Lee-han swallowed back the words that he was angry. His agitated feelings showed through between his words, but he was still a gentle child at heart.
“You’re right. It does sound a bit pathetic when I hear it out loud.”
“Why are you talking like that, hyung? You’re not the one who did anything wrong.”
My eyes closed again. I wanted to make eye contact and answer him, but even that was difficult.
“You’re right. It’s no one’s fault.”
Seo-heon was innocent. If it weren’t for my feelings, we wouldn’t have had any problems. So I didn’t want to make excuses by blaming others. Instead, I decided to slowly kill my feelings.
“Your fever is really high right now.”
“My body temperature is normally a bit high. I guess it’s because I mainly use fire.”
I heard the sound of waves in the pitch-black darkness. Pain came in like the tide along the darkened waves, then receded like the ebb. I tried imagining sinking into the sea instead.
“It went up to 39, 40 degrees. Even if your normal temperature is high, that’s still a high fever. Why are you so sick?”
“I guess it’s because I got caught in a lot of rain.”
Even I thought it was a terrible answer.
“You’re a hunter too, hyung. You don’t think I wouldn’t know that you wouldn’t get a raging fever just from a little rain, do you?”
“I guess my heart was hurting more than I thought. You know, when your heart hurts, it affects your body too.”
This was also a flimsy excuse, but I couldn’t think of any other answer. Even without looking, I could feel Lee-han gazing at me worriedly. However, drowsiness kept washing over me, making it difficult to have a conversation now.
“Let’s just leave it at that for now.”
Making excuses took energy too, and unfortunately, my energy bar was approaching zero.
“I’ll let it go for now,” Lee-han replied in a low voice, clearly unsatisfied.
“Don’t think you can keep putting it off forever,” he added, uncharacteristically sharp.
“Lee-han.”
Shamelessly lying back down, I called out to Lee-han. I should go home now that I’ve come to my senses, but strangely, I didn’t want to. I felt like I couldn’t bear to be alone right now.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
It was one of the few sincere words that came out of our insubstantial conversation. If I had collapsed there alone, it would have been more miserable. Moreover, if a photo had been taken of me collapsed while soaked in rain, I would have become the subject of gossip again. So I couldn’t thank Lee-han enough.
“Don’t thank me, like me instead.”
I do like you… Why do you look so sad?
Sleep overtook me again.
[Your body is recovering rapidly.]
The notification window that had been red gradually turned green. I hoped that when I opened my eyes, peaceful daily life would return.
[Your body is recovering rapidly.]
The status window kept flashing. When I fell into deep sleep and occasionally opened my eyes, sometimes Lee-han was there, sometimes no one was. It was such a long sleep that I wondered if I had ever slept this much before. It was amazing how the scenery outside the window had changed drastically when I came to my senses.
“I can’t sleep anymore.”
And finally, the drowsiness that had been holding me let go. When I got up, I felt lighter than before I got sick. My arms moved freely without any hindrance, and my previously heavy head felt refreshingly cool. The pain had flowed away with sleep, leaving no trace, and all my skills had returned and were functioning well.
“Hyung, are you up?”
Lee-han rushed into the room upon hearing me stir. He must have been in the middle of getting dressed, as his buttons were misaligned by one, which was cute.
Was he in such a hurry that he made a mistake children usually make? It’s not like I came back from the dead, he could have come slowly.
“Yeah.”
I got out of bed and walked towards Lee-han. Perhaps because I had been lying down for so long, each step felt awkward, as if I had forgotten how to walk. I had no idea how long I had been unconscious. For Lee-han, who still didn’t realize he had put on his clothes incorrectly, I grabbed the end of his shirt and started unbuttoning it.
“Hyung, w-what are you doing?”
Not understanding what I was doing, perhaps thinking I was teasing him, Lee-han asked in a trembling voice, his face turning bright red.
Ah, did I treat him too much like a child?
Looking at eye level higher than mine, I realized again that Lee-han wasn’t as young as I thought.
“Sorry. Did I startle you? Your buttons were misaligned, so I was trying to fix them for you. I should have let you do it yourself. I’m sorry.”
Lee-han’s face, which I thought would quickly understand my actions, turned even redder, making me worry that he might catch fire if touched.
“Please continue.”
Then Lee-han spoke in a small voice. Thinking I might have misheard, I asked again, and got a slightly curt reply.
“Since you’ve already started, please finish buttoning them all. The buttons.”
“O-okay.”
Taking my hands off his clothes and then putting them back made my movements awkward and slow. Even as I fumbled, I managed to unbutton all the way down, and Lee-han’s body seemed to have turned slightly red as well.
If he was going to be this embarrassed, why did he ask me to unbutton it?
I don’t know if he said it to tease me, but it was Lee-han who ended up in an embarrassing situation. When my hand slightly touched his skin while properly buttoning up, his muscles twitched. It was even a bit funny to see him bumpy like a piano string vibrating at the slightest touch.
“All done. You’ve grown so big, but you’re still like a kid.”
“It’s because I was startled by your presence, hyung. Take responsibility.”
There was no venom in his words, which seemed to be his own form of excuse.
Being this nice, won’t you get hurt a lot in social life?
The profession of hunters, especially those of high rank, often had aggressive aspects. Ihwa Guild, because of Guild Master Seo-heon’s strong personality, tended to gather and keep relatively rounded people, but other guilds were not like that.
I should treat him well at least.
“Alright. What do you want me to do?”
“Will you really do it?”
Lee-han, apparently not expecting me to agree, opened his eyes wide with joy. I reflected for a moment, wondering if I had been stingy with him often.
“Sure. If it’s something I can do, I’ll do it.”
“Have a meal with me before you go.”
The wish he blurted out was so modest that it was ridiculous.
He’s not going to get scammed somewhere, is he?
“We do that normally anyway. Hmm… I’m not very good, but should I cook for you?”
I regretted saying that as soon as the words left my mouth. The only dishes I knew how to make were kimchi fried rice and rolled omelette that my mom taught me. And only my parents and Seo-heon had tasted them, so it was hard to judge objectively if they were really delicious.
“Really? No taking it back!”
But it seemed cruel to pour cold water on Lee-han, who was beaming with joy, by saying I misspoke and cancelling.
“It might not be very tasty, is that okay?”
I asked carefully only after putting on an apron in the kitchen. Lee-han hummed, saying it didn’t matter.
This is making me more nervous…
As I was cutting the neatly stored kimchi with a knife, Lee-han’s gaze became worried. Slowly recalling the past, I cut ham, stir-fried soy sauce, sesame oil, and eggs, and a nostalgic smell filled the room. It wasn’t as messy as I thought.
That is, assuming I didn’t compare myself to Lee-han, who was quickly completing soybean paste stew and seasoned bean sprouts beside me.
“If you’re going to do this, maybe I shouldn’t cook?”
“Come on, it’s different when you do it, hyung.”
Lee-han didn’t seem to notice himself, but his speech had softened. He seemed to have relaxed while cooking familiar dishes.
“Why are you so good at cooking?”
“Living alone, you have to be good at cooking. Hyung, you should eat at home sometimes instead of always buying food.”
I didn’t really think about eating well, and my fridge only had chicken breast, vacuum-packed salads, and milk. In contrast, Lee-han’s fridge was well-organized with fresh vegetables and meats.
“You’re diligent. Seeing this, you’re much better than me.”
“Is there anyone who takes care of themselves less than you, hyung? Of course I should be better than you.”
“How long have you been holding back wanting to nag me?”
“Well, you shouldn’t have gotten sick so I could keep holding back.”
Lee-han didn’t back down at all. It occurred to me that maybe he had always been subtly nervous in front of me, and this playful side might be his true self.
“Let’s eat.”
The set table was quite splendid and abundant. When I put the kimchi fried rice in my mouth, it was filled with nostalgia.
“It’s delicious, hyung.”
“It is.”
It was a warm home-cooked meal. Some parts of Lee-han’s cooking were rustic, while others were refined. Those ups and downs warmed my stomach.
“By the way, you’re speaking quite casually?”
“Is that not okay? It’s been a long time since we’ve known each other.”
It seemed he hadn’t noticed this aspect himself, as Lee-han flinched greatly. Realizing I was half-joking, Lee-han responded shamelessly without apologizing.
“No, you did well.”
“Really?”
“I thought you would have started speaking casually a long time ago. You’re late.”
Lee-han looked somehow wronged.