S Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“…Hmm, I’ll leave this here. Sleep well.”

He never took it. It was his last shred of pride. The lonely, ugly Keyring sat on the desk. He glared at it fiercely. …It was driving him crazy. Shin Jukyeong was driving him crazy.

“Wait.”

U-dam bit the inside of his cheek, grabbing the person who was about to leave.

“That day…”

And he finally spoke.

“How did you find me?”

Being curious meant wanting to know. Wanting to know meant caring. U-dam wished Shin Jukyeong wouldn’t answer. Paradoxically, that’s what he wanted.

“…Just because.”

As if knowing or not knowing U-dam’s feelings, Shin Jukyeong smiled faintly and said,

“Because I’m always thinking about you.”

Liar. You never cared. I was just a folding screen, wasn’t I? You looked like you didn’t care what happened. Why now, do you save me, remember me, and say I’m precious? U-dam’s eyes turned to the Keyring.

‘Right, I’ll throw it away.’

He’d toss it in the trash right in front of him. That would mean rejecting Shin Jukyeong. He could do it.

“Have good dreams, U-dam.”

Kindness that couldn’t last would eventually come back as a knife. He had learned that, hadn’t he? …But the words that actually left his mouth were utterly pathetic.

“Am I precious to you?”

Shin Jukyeong’s eyes widened briefly, as if surprised. But he soon answered without hesitation. It was a natural reaction.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Just… because you’re precious.”

“Even if I hate you?”

“Then…”

He rolled his eyes around. He looked like he was thinking. U-dam became a little anxious. He didn’t know why. It just happened. He wanted to scold him for not answering quickly. Just then, Shin Jukyeong opened his mouth.

“I’ll try. Until you like me.”

Do you know the sensation of ants crawling all over your body? Probably not. Of course. U-dam only just found out himself. …It was ticklish and repulsive. An unbearable itch spread from his skin to his insides. His jaw instinctively tightened.

“…”

U-dam silently watched Shin Jukyeong leave the room. With that, he finally understood completely.

‘He really loves me like crazy…’

“Ah!”

Click, the door opened again. His train of thought was abruptly cut off. Shin Jukyeong, whom he had assumed had simply left, showed his face again.

“…What is it?”

“Because I left without apologizing.”

Apology? As U-dam tilted his head, Shin Jukyeong scratched his cheek.

“A kiss, no, a rescue… I was wondering if you lost your first kiss because of me. I’m fine, but… um, I’m sorry. I was just trying to save a life, so don’t worry about it!”

He said his piece and slammed the door shut.

“…What the f?”

Ha! U-dam snorted. Ha! He did it again. Wow, wow! He was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak. His stomach churned, and he roughly ran a hand through his hair. What was that idiotic bastard even saying? Who hasn’t done that? Before that, what? He’s fine?

“Ha…”

He had forgotten that the guy who was so infatuated with him was also a pure-hearted playboy. U-dam finally threw the Keyring into the trash.

Wahahahah. The world is truly beautiful! Shin Jukyeong took a confident stride. His face was also full of ambition. Well, he had reason to be. His relationship with his younger brothers was developing amicably. How could he not be happy?!

‘It’s worth having come back.’

Of course, there were still plenty of areas that required effort. Nevertheless, the fact that there was progress was very satisfying. Should I say it was a breath of fresh air? He felt a sense of ease. With hope in sight, the path to school felt like a flower-filled road. At this rate, re-enrolling in the Hunter Academy could also be considered.

…Hmm.

‘It would’ve been even better if it weren’t for those guys.’

He secretly sighed. That was because Hunters were spread out everywhere. Two on the brick house, one in the park, one in the alley. It was hard to pretend he didn’t notice. It looked like they were standing guard. The reason was probably…

‘Me.’

He could see the Hunter Association guys panicking in real-time. As someone who caused trouble, he had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths… but first, he’d apologize. Sorry.

‘I didn’t know I’d win that easily either.’

Shin Jukyeong cleared his throat unnecessarily and looked around. But don’t worry. There wouldn’t be any more incidents for him to step in. He’d met Eve, taken care of the club. With a warrant out for him, he wouldn’t intentionally show himself.

‘Even U-dam has been quiet lately.’

Everything was going smoothly. The remaining problem was that he needed to start inducing Ability Manifestation. Well, that could be done by gradually opening the path while he was asleep.

‘Perfect.’

Shin Jukyeong stretched vigorously. A refreshing sensation rose from his toes. Life felt sweet for the first time in a long while. Please, let it continue like this.

‘Maybe I should go to a sauna with the kids after this. If we scrub each other’s backs, we’ll get even closer.’

They’re so uptight, will they be shy? Cute. Shin Jukyeong smiled faintly and moved on lightly.

“What? Why would I go to a sauna with you! That’s gross!”

‘Gross…!’

“Don’t you have friends? Go play with your friends! Don’t come looking for me, it’s embarrassing. Ah, go, go, go, hurry!”

‘Embarrass… Embarrassing…!’

Three skull bombs exploded pow-pow-pow on Shin Jukyeong’s face.

“Ah! It was a goal chance!”

“…No, look.”

Jae-min, who had hurt him in an instant, disappeared like the wind. Kicking a ball with his friends, his older brother was completely out of his mind. Only the lonely older brother remained.

T-this isn’t right…? We were doing so well! He shouted, but there was no reply. Just an echo in the empty air.

‘Hmm. U-dam already went home… Even Jae-min rejected me…’

Shin Jukyeong, with a gloomy expression, pulled out a piece of paper. Neat handwriting filled it. A special course he’d planned throughout lunchtime. It was called .

The contents were as follows. First course: Visit the famous Tteokbokki restaurant. Second course: Go to a non-smoking PC bang and play games together. Third course: Stop by a comfortable sauna to strengthen brotherly bonds. Fourth course: Return home.

‘What a shame.’

Shin Jukyeong pouted slightly. He tried to look dignified, but if you looked closely, his lips were sticking out.

‘Well, it can’t be helped. I can’t force them.’

However, his brother’s “because it’s embarrassing!” wouldn’t leave his mind, making him feel depressed.

‘I even shortened my pants, you know…’

He grumbled to himself and shuffled along, even kicking a pebble.

‘That’s enough. I’ll go home and work out.’

There’s nothing like lower body weights to soothe the mind. He was just passing an intersection, thinking about lunges and squats, when a familiar face caught his eye. To be precise, a familiar yet suspicious guy. It was Won Go-yu.

Occupation: student. Age: nineteen. A rising rookie who recently manifested as an S-rank Hunter. ※Warning: Grandson of the current Hunter Association Chairman※ Warning lights blared beep-beep in his head.

‘Let’s avoid him.’

He was someone he didn’t need to get involved with. No, he was someone he shouldn’t get involved with. There was no harm in being careful about anything. He nodded and was about to turn his body when his shoulder was grabbed. Ah, damn it. This is why he hated S-ranks. Their eyesight was too good.

“Shin Jukyeong?”

“Oh. Hello. Good afternoon. I’m leaving now.”

“…”

…Let go of me. Didn’t you hear me say I’m leaving, kid! Shin Jukyeong’s shoulder was gripped, leaving him unable to move. Of course, if he put his mind to it, he could easily shake him off. But a scene where a (non-)manifested person easily shook off a manifested one would look strange, wouldn’t it? In the end, Shin Jukyeong sighed and turned around.

“Do you have something to say?”

He asked with a “please say no” expression, but the clueless kid quickly yelled yes.

“Yes, I do.”

“…”

“I do.”

“Go on, then.”

“I want to discuss a problem.”

“What?”

“I can’t find the answer on my own. I need the opinions and wisdom of others.”

“I’m not good at giving advice.”

“Then try to be good at it.”

“…I’m leaving.”

“…A slip of the tongue.”

“Haa… Hey, aren’t there a lot of professional Hunters around you? Why me?”

“I already sought advice once. From a respected senior. The advice was… that my mind would clear if I looked at pretty and good things. But it was no use.”

If he was told to look at pretty and good things, why was he loitering around the neighborhood? …This guy, no way! Unaware if Shin Jukyeong was getting goosebumps, Won Go-yu continued with melancholic eyes.

“In the near future, there’s no place more beautiful than this neighborhood, the place I must protect.”

He’s a perverted bastard. Definitely a pervert. This guy is definitely a psychopath and has unusual sexual desires.

Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not suddenly having a fit. There’s a reason. In fact, all Hunters are assigned a designated area. Unless it’s an exceptional case like an S-grade Dungeon, leaving the designated area is forbidden. So, after work, they wouldn’t even pee towards that area. It was an unwritten rule.

A place to protect? Screw that! Damn Dungeons, damn monsters, damn complainers! Just imagining it gave him goosebumps.

‘Come to think of it. This guy… being a Hunter was his perfect calling.’

Shin Jukyeong shuddered and clicked his tongue.