< Even If You Said to Rest (3) >
Kang Soyoung joined us at the cafe I was dragged to after lunch. A bingsu[1] that was wrapped in layers of mangoes, a puffy pancake, a waffle with fruit and ice cream on it, cheesecake, tiramisu, and other various things filled the table.
Could this be all eaten?
“Noah-ssi, can’t I try riding you just once?”
Kang Soyoung asked with sparkling eyes. Noah, with a spoon in his mouth, was bothered and glanced sideways at me sitting next to him. It seemed like Kang Soyoung was being burdensome. Though if you put them side by side and looked at them, they really seemed to suit each other.
…Wait, then what about Yoohyun? It wasn’t that Kang Soyoung was romantically interested in Noah, but with goodwill formed, you couldn’t tell how it would develop. Did I have to disrupt them? Hm, since for now, Noah seemed like he was reluctant about Kang Soyoung.
“Noah-ssi is not a kiseungsu. It is difficult if you keep being like this.”
Kang Soyoung apologized and slightly bowed her head.
“There is also Comet, so I cannot be like this even more, but he will not leave my sight.”
“I want to see it in person, too. Truthfully, I also want to try riding-.”
“Please just eat the bingsu instead. Noah-ssi, try this. It is tasty.”
“Yes.”
Maybe because of the two people who kept on aiming for him and sending heated gazes, Noah was timidly hunched over. Be reasonable about it, you people.
“Kang Soyoung-ssi, do you happen to remember when the Seseong Guild Leader changed his way of speaking?”
I asked Kang Soyoung in order to check accurately. For Moon Hyuna, she didn’t meet Sung Hyunjae often, so it could’ve been that it was two months or more since he changed his way of speaking. At my question, Kang Soyoung tilted her head.
“Ah, thinking of it, he changed it. When was it? Was it about one and a half months ago? It seems like it was not as much as two months… It should have been about a few days before Yerim was recognized as an S-Rank.”
……It was exactly when I regressed. Of course, it could be a coincidence.
“Were there any other changes besides that? Have you heard the reason why he suddenly changed his way of speaking?”
“The reason? Would there be a specific reason? He is incredibly natural at it. Other changes, besides thaaat……”
Kang Soyoung stretched out the last word and stared straight at me.
“I am worried because he seems to be a little, quite interested in Han Yoojin-nim.”
“Excuse me?”
“Guild Leader seems to be having fun, but there have not been many times where that kind of interest ended well. Truuuthfully, our Guild Leader does not have a good personality, as you know. But he is extremely generous to Han Yoojin-nim. I was quite surprised yesterday, too. It was possible for him to come since an unusual dungeon appeared, but he even went on a clothes errand for you. And you seem that close…”
“We are not close. No, we will pretend to be close limited to a week.”
There were 6 days left now. Kang Soyoung fiddled with her fork and her eyes slanted down.
“This time especially, he seems to be having more fun, so… even if just for our Comet, it would be good if you be careful.”
“That’s true. Putting aside your younger brother, it’s dangerous to treat Sung Hyunjae unhesitatingly as well. It seemed like Yerim was worried over it, too. Be careful, if at least for our Blue.”
Was it ‘our Blue’ already? Continuing on from Moon Hyuna, even Noah nodded his head.
“That is right. I also think that you need to be careful of the Seseong Guild Leader.”
I got that you were worrying, but even if you told me to be careful, would I be able to do anything about it?
‘Since it’s a situation where I’ll have to approach him first.’
If it were up to me, I also wanted to only see that person’s face on TV. The bingsu was tasty. The milk ice was really soft.
Rain glided down following the cafe’s large glass window. Between the low noise of the rain, various conversations and laughs came and went. Of course Noah, but even I was the type that listened, so it wasn’t bad. Moon Hyuna and Kang Soyoung lived enjoyably, huh. I was happy that Yerim was placed among them.
Wouldn’t Yoohyun also have one or two friends? …Did he not have any? Since their ages were similar, should I ask Noah if he would be friends with my brother? It was good that he was doing well, but truthfully, if you were twenty, shouldn’t you be having a fun campus life? Why was he working in dungeons?
“Noah-ssi, do you not have plans on going to school?”
“School?”
Noah tilted his head, and Kang Soyoung shouted ‘ah’.
“I am going to be going to college through special admission next year, but do you want to go together? Though we probably would not take many classes. What about Han Yoojin-nim? You are B-Rank, but the effects of your skills are great, so it would be possible.”
Why college all of a sudden now? And there weren’t a lot of colleges with high rank Hunter special admission, so if I wasn’t careful, I could become my brother’s hoobae[2]. Though I hadn’t ever seen Yoohyun go to school, so we probably wouldn’t run into each other. I shook my head no, but Moon Hyuna also egged me on.
“At any rate, even if you cut all your classes, you still get a diploma if you substitute it with dungeon attacks, so just go. There’s nothing bad about having the label of a college grad. No, if it’s a position like yours, then it’ll be much more comfortable to have it.”
Hearing that I didn’t need to take classes, it was slightly tempting. There was still a lot of time left until next year, so should I think about it? If I go, I should go to a different college than Yoohyun.
Bbiii-
Just then, cell phones abruptly rang. Not just the ones of us four, but all of the cell phones in the cafe let out a sharp sound. It was a message about a dungeon-related disaster.
“Did one burst open somewhere or something?”
Moon Hyuna took out her cell phone as she stood from her seat. I also checked my phone. It was a message about restricted passage and caution over approaching some sections because of a high rank Hunter going wild.
It was something that happened rarely right after a dungeon attack, but it was somehow suspicious. When I went into the portal site just in case, the breaking news popped up.
“…These crazy guys.”
At my unconscious mumbling, Moon Hyuna also put on an agreeing expression.
“Saying that the Haeyeon Guild Leader destroyed a portion of the new Hunter Association building because of friction with the Association. The Association is coming forward more unhesitatingly than excepted?”
“They are probably going all out. It seems like I should go over first.”
“You said you were on vacation. And hyung-nim, your brother might not be here.”
Moon Hyuna said significantly. It was as she said. In the view of the photo, there was fire on a part of the building, but that much was a sight that could be easily made even without Yoohyun. It would’ve been different if it was a sudden disaster out of the blue. Fire was common.
“If it is a false charge, I will not be able to leave them alone anymore, isn’t that so? And it is no hardship to go see my brother.”
“Should I go with you?”
“Rather than that, please contact Yoohyun. My phone is not connecting. Noah-ssi, will you help?”
“Yes. Of course I will help.”
Since traffic was being regulated, it would be faster to fly. And if Noah was next to me, the possibility of it becoming dangerous was low. Even if just the poison was sprayed, most would not be able to approach.
I sent one text and went outside the cafe. Then Noah changed into his dragon appearance. The passersby were startled, and a few threw away their umbrellas as they ran away in shock. I felt sorry. There were some people among them who weren’t shocked, and they took out their phones to film.
When I went up onto Noah’s back, the long wings spread out as we went up into the air. Thanks to the rain, the scales were more slippery than usual, so it was unstable. Still, I was a little reluctant to fit a saddle on a person. If I fell, he would probably catch me. And I had Eunhye.
As the buildings passed by, I made a call. A voice that I hadn’t wanted to hear for a day, replied even before I asked.
[I don’t know the young master’s whereabouts either.]
“Really?”
[I’m thankful you evaluate me highly, but even I can’t know everything on the spot. Besides that, it looks like you’re doing something reckless again.]
“If you are worried, why don’t you personally come out? The helicopter looked good.”
[I’m sad because it seems like Han Yoojin-gun thinks of me so lightly. If you want help, come directly and politely ask.]
“I suppose you have found a better item than me in the meantime?”
[If I did, Han Yoojin-gun would already be in front of me. There’s no need to respect the secondary one.]
“It is extremely fortunate that I am the most amazing.”
He spoke like it was a joke, but it wouldn’t be a joke. Maybe he had heard the contents of the call, but Noah turned to look back at me worriedly, and I pacified him saying it was okay. If there was someone else in the world whose skill window was as weird as mine, then it was something to complain to god about.
‘It seems like he won’t be active, but he probably wouldn’t act like he doesn’t know to the end.’
If more debt was piled on, I should consider not paying it back and running off. I wondered if I should contact Do Hamin, but I remembered that Yoohyun broke his cell phone. He said that his wallet was lost while he was going around the dungeon with Peace, so he would’ve had his Hunter license and driver’s license newly issued.
-It is that, correct?
At Noah’s words, I put away my cell phone, and turned my head. A bit away, I saw a building where smoke was rising. The new Association building next to the Awakening Center. Maybe it was a waste to break the original building, because only a portion of the 2-story annex attached next door was collapsed. Because of the continuously falling rain, the fire was also mostly put out and only smoke poured out.
‘How petty.’
If Yoohyun had really run wild, even the main building would be caved in. The breaking news photo was taken well, really exaggeratedly. I belatedly felt heated up as I sent a text. It wasn’t that far of a distance from here, so she would arrive soon.
[Will you break the Awakening Center a little? The round building. I will take responsibility.]
Just then, a helicopter approached. An armed man who looked like a Hunter gestured at us to go down, but I ignored it and took photos and videos and sent them to Suk Simyeong.
-Is it okay to break the helicopter?
“Not yet. Let’s go down first.”
We went down to the front of the collapsed building and I took a proof picture so that my face appeared. I also took a video, saying that it didn’t seem like my brother was here. In the meantime, maybe they were interfering with communication, because I couldn’t send it to Haeyeon, but it should be fine as long as my phone was.
“Han Yoojin-ssi.”
A man in a black suit tried to approach, but met the vicious gaze of Noah, who had released the entire dragon transformation, and froze.
“I came here, thinking to see my loving brother’s face, but do you know where he is?”
I could not see him. Even though articles definitely came out saying that he was here. I asked with a smiling face, but the returning gaze was cold. That was too much.
In the meantime, the number of people encircling the surroundings increased. So they wouldn’t feel suspicions, I quickly checked just their ranks. Three A-Ranks, and the rest were B or lower.
“You cannot be here. Please come with us.”
“I have something I am curious about, but are there people inside that building?”
“All of them were evacuated. As it came out in the breaking news, the Haeyeon Guild Leader, Hunter Han Yoohyun-.”
“So where’s my brother?”
That he merely broke a bit of a wall and stopped – be reasonable about your nonsense.
“He is in the middle of escaping.”
“Are you seriously crazy?”
“It is your younger brother’s matter, so I understand that it will be hard to accept. First, let us move locations, and I will tell you in detail.”
“Tell me in detail? The way I see it, all of the buildings here seem like they collapsed down.”
“Excuse me?”
“Of course, it’s not something my brother did. Because a dungeon that wasn’t found in time nearby, burst open.”
The faces facing me were puzzled, as if asking what I was saying.
“I guess you guys can’t see it yet. A giant black dragon.”
Instead of those guys, Noah flinched and searched around the surroundings. The idiots still had expressions like they didn’t know what was happening.
“You petty bastards. If you were going to put out an article saying that the Haeyeon Guild Leader ran wild-.”
Kwagwagwang!!
An explosive sound that smacked into one’s ears rang out. As if I was waiting for it, I didn’t even bat an eye and continued speaking.
“You should make this much of a mess.”
Even without turning my head, I could guess what those guys were looking at, by just the dazed faces. I continued to hear the sound of the building collapsing and rocks falling down. And.
-Keureureureu
A fierce growling shook the air.
“Sh-shit! It’s a dungeon break!”
“Dragon type; it’s at minimum an A-Rank dungeon!”
“Noah-ssi, for safety, can you knock them out?”
An S-Rank dragon type appeared, so it would be dangerous if unimportant people ran wild. Noah threw himself at the Hunters running away. Then, one by one, the Hunters lost consciousness and fell. The movement was so fast, that to my low stat eyes, it looked like a golden wave.
After asking him to check if there were more people around, I drew back. The black curse and poison dragon that was sitting on the ruins of the Awakening Center stretched out her neck toward me.
The Awakening Center building was lost, so I would be able to extend my vacation a little.
-Darling, it’s fun for me, but is it okay?
“Of course it’s okay. Since I handled a dungeon break for them, wouldn’t I receive thanks from the Association?”
‘The Haeyeon Guild Leader went wild’ was a false report. The fainted idiots and the traces of a giant dragon would be proof. The people who knew about Riette might be suspicious, but if we played innocent, then that was it. Where did the gate of the dungeon that burst go? Just yesterday, one disappeared, so one could disappear today, too.
“Since they said there aren’t any people, please push down the building next door as well, wicked dragon-nim. Cleanly.”
-Anytime, princess! I’m paying the price for you to raise the kid with this~.
“I will put my heart and soul into taking care of it.”
Along with husky laughter, the dragon raised her body on her hind legs. The tail hit the ground, and the scales of two hind legs shook all at once.
Eujijik, right after the ground let out a groan at the powerful pressure.
Kwa-ang!!
With a short and thick boom, the dragon’s body rammed into the building. The glass windows burst simultaneously. Without time to appreciate the sparkling scattering pieces, the lofty building split. The building that was made of a tough steel skeleton and concrete broke easily and fell like a sugar sculpture.
“Please be careful.”
Noah, who had come over at some point, pulled me back and hit the building debris that were bouncing over with his arm. Riette stomped on the remaining chunks with her large feet and crushed them. She did well. I felt all refreshed.
“Dungeon breaks really are dangerous. It is incredibly fortunate that an S-Rank Hunter, Noah-ssi, happened to be here.”
Whatever the blinking Noah had thought, he smiled slightly.
Rain kept on falling. Around the time I was getting worried over catching a cold even though it was summer, cars appeared. Several ones. Ambulances were mixed in. Among the people who came out, I saw Yoohyun, too. My brother came over and held an umbrella over me.
“Why’re you here getting hit by rain?”
“Look at how it looks here. There’s no place to avoid it.”
“You should’ve taken care to bring an umbrella.”
While we were idly chatting about things that didn’t suit the surrounding scene, the hands that were taking care of the fainted Hunters were busy. I felt a gaze piercing me and turned my head. It was Song Taewon. That person also didn’t have an umbrella. When I smiled welcomingly, the face that was wet with rain stiffened.
It was during my vacation, but it was an atmosphere like I couldn’t not make time for him. When would I rest?
[1] a krn shaved ice desert
[2] underclassman, opposite of ‘sunbae’