The Way of Life for a Terminal S-Class Hunter - C5
$05
“Me with you?”
“I said I’d try to change your mind, remember?”
At this point, Seo-heon had no intention of changing the plan no matter what. My death was set, and there was no turning back.
“And wasn’t the day you returned from business trips always mine?”
That was certainly true until three years ago. But after Seo-heon got a lover, it was out of the question. A month after being introduced to Kwon Ho-jun, I went to Seo-heon’s house out of habit when I returned from a business trip.
[Seo-heon.]
The quiet, empty house without an answer was still vivid in my memory. Waiting, thinking he’d be back soon, was foolish even in retrospect.
[What are you doing here?]
Seo-heon, returning late arm-in-arm with Kwon Ho-jun, asked with a frown. It was shocking that he had forgotten the day I was returning, and that he had let someone else into the house that he had never allowed anyone but me to enter. My naive assumption that my relationship with Seo-heon would remain the same crumbled. The hurt I felt then was entirely my fault.
After that, I actually avoided Seo-heon after returning from business trips. He must have known this, which is why he was surprised when I visited him immediately today. It was strange for him to ask about it now.
“That’s all in the past.”
Even as I said it, there was a bitter taste in my mouth. I was the only one still lingering around the ruins.
“Right. It wouldn’t be bad to become close like we used to be. I’ve been upset because you’ve been so cold lately.”
“It seems hyung doesn’t want that?”
“The barking is noisy.”
Watching the two confront each other made my head throb.
Huh, it really hurts?
It wasn’t a metaphorical expression, it really hurt. Sudden pain not caused by external injury was a first since my awakening. A notification window popped up in front of my eyes.
[You have 399 days of life force remaining. A part of your body will be temporarily weakened.]
The notification that usually rang at 7 PM was a bit different this time. Before I could grasp what it meant for part of my body to be temporarily weakened, blood started flowing from my nose.
“Woo-hyun!”
Even in the middle of their confrontation, Seo-heon quickly noticed my condition and approached with a handkerchief. Lee-han also belatedly noticed and turned pale. If I had been in my right mind, I would have tried to hide it, but it was so sudden that there was no way to prevent it.
“What’s this?”
Lee-han’s hands trembled as if seeing a nosebleed for the first time. His reaction was as if others would think I had some serious illness if they saw.
“It’s just a nosebleed. I slightly injured my nose during this business trip, but it wasn’t serious. I guess not getting it treated was the problem.”
Seo-heon grabbed my chin and turned my face from side to side. Then he clicked his tongue softly.
“Let’s call a healer.”
A healer? Our guild’s healers were all high-level personnel with excellent abilities. If we called such busy skilled people for just a nosebleed, I’d be too embarrassed to show my face.
“Calling a healer for just a nosebleed? That’s too much. I’ll go to the bathroom, so don’t make a fuss.”
Moreover, if a healer was called and they discovered my body’s condition, it would be a big problem. Leaving the two looking at me with disapproval, I opened the status window in the bathroom.
[There is insufficient life force to maintain your body. Your body’s durability has decreased, and all skills will be deactivated for one minute.]
“Ugh.”
I felt nauseous and finally dry heaved. I often experienced pain from injuries, but it had been a long time since I felt this kind of internal pain, so I had no tolerance for it. I just sat down in the bathroom and waited for the pain to pass.
Is this what it feels like to ride a small boat on a vast sea under a crescent moon? My vision was dark. Death was greeting me. The seductive voice whispering if I was ready for the journey was alluring. Like Odysseus trying not to be enchanted by the sirens, I fixed my body with my arms.
[Due to the influence of Stamina LV.60, your body temporarily recovers.]
My body, which had rapidly collapsed, gradually became lighter. At this rate of recovery, it seemed I would have no major problems with daily life in about 5 minutes. However, I became more worried about what would happen if this situation occurred during combat.
***
“What’s this? Why are you standing outside?”
When I returned to the room, the two were standing side by side in front of the door. Wondering why they were just standing there, I tried to go inside, but Seo-heon blocked me.
“Don’t go inside.”
“Why?”
“They came to clean up since the meal is over.”
Lee-han said in a low voice, covering his mouth with his hand. Although it was a shame considering how much food was left, I had no appetite and no desire to continue the meal given the dampened atmosphere.
“Hyung, I’ll be going now. If you change your mind, come to my dormitory.”
Lee-han hurriedly said goodbye and left, seemingly in a rush for some reason. I glanced at Seo-heon.
“What did you two talk about that made him leave in such a hurry?”
“We didn’t say much. The meal ended up being a mess. And it was our first time eating out together in a while.”
Seo-heon gently pushed my back. He dragged me to the parking lot, not giving the chef who was greeting us a chance to respond.
“Get in quickly.”
“Where are we going? No, before that, are you really going to be with me all day?”
“Of course. We’re going to the department store.”
“Why suddenly a department store? I don’t need anything, all the weapons I’m using are fine.”
I responded unenthusiastically, assuming we were going to a hunter-exclusive store when he said department store. Seo-heon glanced at me with a somewhat incredulous look and smiled.
“Woo-hyun, a department store is a place to go shopping. It’s not just a place that sells weapons.”
His gentle explanation made me feel embarrassed, as if I had acted like a workaholic. Seo-heon was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
“I don’t need to buy anything… Do you need something?”
I hadn’t been to a department store since my school days, except to buy equipment.
“There’s something I want to buy for you, that’s why we’re going.”
“If we’re going because of me, it’s okay not to go.”
The car stopped at a red light. Seo-heon turned his head towards me and grinned. My heart skipped a beat at the playful smile I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“I prepared a birthday gift for you. It was last week, but you happened to be on a business trip.”
So he did remember my birthday. I thought he had completely forgotten.
“Why bother with that now? If you missed it, just let it pass.”
“If we missed it, we should catch up. You’re too unambitious.”
Seo-heon and I were very different. I loved that about him.
***
When we entered the department store, there were surprisingly few people. No, it was empty to an unusual degree even for a weekday. Seo-heon strode forward as if this was normal.
“Kang Seo-heon, did you…?”
As I cautiously called out to Seo-heon with an ominous feeling, he just smiled again. This reckless friend had clearly rented out the entire department store for the day. I was at a loss for words seeing him go to such lengths just to buy a birthday gift for a friend.
“You’re uncomfortable with crowds, right? And I hate being disturbed.”
S-rank hunters attract attention wherever they go. Some people enjoyed that attention, but we didn’t. I was uncomfortable with people’s eyes and mouths, and Seo-heon, though he pretended not to be, was disgusted by it. Sometimes it seemed like he even hated it.
It was the day I had just joined the guild and participated in my first subjugation. There were people lined up outside the dungeon, and I was shrinking from the reporters and cameras I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
[I want to pluck out their eyes along with those lenses.]
Seo-heon muttered while showing an attitude as if posing for the cameras. It was a voice soft enough for only me to hear, but it clearly contained hatred.
So for Seo-heon, who seemed to have more money than he knew what to do with, renting out a department store for a day for comfortable shopping wouldn’t have been difficult. It might even have been more efficient than having every move monitored by people’s eyes.
“When did you even contact them?”
I was still curious about this. When did he find the time to rent out a department store?
“It was something I was originally going to receive. I contacted them right after hearing you boarded the plane yesterday morning.”
He’s so quick. I sighed.
“It’s fine if you’re doing this because you’re uncomfortable, but there’s no need to do this just for me.”
People’s gazes were a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t want to avoid them to the extent of spending a large sum to prevent others from entering the department store. Although the possibility was low, I hoped he wouldn’t do something like this again, even if it was for me.
Seo-heon laughed, making a deflating sound, as if he found something amusing in my words.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Ho-jun accepts things like this naturally without questioning. It’s funny how different your reactions are.”
Seo-heon’s joke was thrown like a dagger. I was someone who couldn’t casually accept such favors. I had been telling myself that there was no use in envying someone fundamentally different from me, but hearing it from Seo-heon’s mouth made my throat choke up.
“You find a lot of things amusing.”
I walked quickly, trying not to reveal my distorted expression. Seo-heon following behind felt too close.
“Woo-hyun, we need to go this way.”
Just before reaching a dead end, Seo-heon grabbed my arm and gently pulled. It wasn’t painful, but it was strong enough that I couldn’t shake it off.
“What are you trying to give me that you’re going to such lengths?”
To be honest, I felt I could gratefully accept even a lump of mud if it was from Seo-heon. Others might see it as pathetic, but I would have given it my own meaning and decorated my room with it.
“Something you’ll like.”