'Y-Yoon Seo Hunter. Kwon Jihan Hunter! I'm the guild leader of a small guild called Decision. Right now, m-my guild members have entered a D-rank red dungeon and haven't come out yet. There's only 30 minutes left on the time limit. They should have come out six hours ago, but they haven't. Not yet.'
Yoon Seo confirmed through
'Unfortunately, there's no way to reopen a closed portal.'
'B-But I heard Seokyoung is developing a warp… a warp trap. Please. Please save my guild members. I beg you…!'
'It's still incomplete. There's a 99% chance of molecular disintegration if used.'
'I'll go in! Just give me a chance to go in and save my team. Please, Kwon Jihan Hunter, I'm begging you…!'
The middle-aged man pleaded, tears and snot running down his face. Regrettably, there was no way. Just as Kwon Jihan raised his hand to signal the guards to take the man away, Yoon Seo spoke.
'How many are there?'
It was a simple question, but the man, as if clinging to his last thread of hope, answered urgently.
'There are seven of them. One is B-rank, the others are C and D-rank. Ah. The D-rank one is 19 years old. Please… Yoon Seo. Please, I'm begging you. Please…'
'Where's the portal?'
'It's close. It's at Guryongsan!'
'Let's head to the portal first.'
'Hyung?'
As Yoon Seo moved to help the man up, Kwon Jihan quickly stepped in to stop him. He grabbed Yoon Seo's arm, pulling him away from the man.
'Isn't there no way? What are you planning to do?'
'Don't forget, I have a skill that can save heroes.'
'....'
They all moved toward the portal. When they arrived at the base of Guryongsan, 20 minutes remained. If the dungeon wasn't cleared within 20 minutes, the seven hunters would perish, and the dungeon would overflow. The guild leader was nearly out of his mind, and even Kwon Jihan bit his lip in anxiety—not because of the situation itself, but because he feared Yoon Seo might do something reckless on his own.
'Hyung, there really is a way, right? I'm a bit scared.'
'There's no need to be afraid. I'm sure.'
'If it involves you going into the dungeon alone or anything like that, no way. I won't let you. This time, even if I have to take your arm off, I'll stop you.'
'I know.'
Yoon Seo confidently activated his skill, similar to the certainty he felt when creating the 'Safe House.'
[Using skill .]
['Emergency Exit of the Small Salvation'
A special escape route for heroes.
Only good and righteous people can pass through.
Every hero deserves a chance to flee.]
A large door appeared. Kwon Jihan, with his
The guild members, in the middle of the dungeon, clung to each other, crying.
'Hah. I-I'm even starting to see hallucinations…'
'Hallucinations? Hic.'
'I can see Seo Chaeyoon and Kwon Jihan. Sniff.'
'Hic. I should've at least met Seo Chaeyoon once before I died…'
'Is the flood protection in place? Sob. There's a nursing home nearby.'
'Who's our guild leader? Of course, the preparations are… Hic. Jinsu, I think I'm seeing Kwon and Seo too. Oh… Oh?'
They managed to escape the dungeon with 15 minutes to spare. Watching the guild leader and members hugging each other and crying, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo calmly took out and swallowed their pills. Discovering such a phenomenal skill was cause for celebration, but neither wanted to repeat the experience of entering and leaving a dungeon under a tight deadline with a partner.
After that day, Yoon Seo became even more interested in developing warp traps.
Hunters needed to be able to abandon dungeons and escape when necessary. The time had come for every hunter to carry emergency exit items in their inventories, ready to flee at any moment.
'It would be great if I could create warp particles with .'
Just then, Kwon Jihan muttered.
"If only you could create a status immunity potion with that magical too."
Though Kwon Jihan appeared serious, Yoon Seo couldn't help but laugh. His partner was always harping about status immunity potions. If Gaia asked him to choose between '1,000 antimatter bombs + 1,000 warp traps or 1 status immunity potion,' Kwon Jihan wouldn't hesitate to shout, 'Potion!'
If Kwon Jihan had a healing resistance condition, Yoon Seo would surely feel the same.
Peep.
Riceball yawned openly. Laughing, Yoon Seo gently tickled Riceball's feathers.
"Let's go now."
"Huh? You're leaving without checking on 'Shoes'?"
"Yes. It looks like they're running some kind of experiment."
Kwon Jihan glanced at the lab where 'Shoes' was located. Just as Yoon Seo mentioned, the researchers were all crowded around, working on something.
"Alright, let's go."
The two of them left the lab.
"..."
"..."
As soon as the elevator carrying the two of them departed, the scientists all let out a collective sigh of relief.
Chief Choi rubbed his face with his hands and refocused on his work.
Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon had come to inspect again. Even though other hunters, or even the guild leader, didn't cause them any anxiety, the mere presence of those two filled them with intense pressure. Especially Seo Chaeyoon… there was always a sense of indebtedness in their hearts when facing him.
It couldn't be helped. While not everyone was a die-hard fan of Seo Chaeyoon, most of humanity was at least a 'fan' to some degree.
***
On the way home, Yoon Seo read the letters sent by fans.
After reading several letters that began with 'Hello' and ended with 'Thank you,' Yoon Seo noticed a common theme.
'I won't forget the number 41….'
'I'll remind myself of the number 41 whenever I feel lazy….'
'I plan to bow toward the north 41 times every day….'
Yoon Seo couldn't help but ask.
"Why 41?"
"..."
Kwon Jihan stared intently at Yoon Seo.
What started as a lighthearted question suddenly made the air feel heavy. Kwon Jihan's gray eyes darkened for a moment, but as Yoon Seo looked at him in confusion, his usual kind expression returned.
"41 was your weight when you came out of the Great Dungeon 11 years ago and were hospitalized."
Yoon Seo's mouth opened slightly in surprise.
"How did they even get that information…?"
"Tae Jaesik let it slip in an off-the-record interview. But he didn't just mention it once—he said it in five different interviews. Not only his outlet, but also their rival outlets caught wind of it. Who's going to keep something off the record? That guy's really something."
"I mean, how does that guy know things about me that even I don't?"
"Maybe you should ask him what else he knows. The guy's a walking time bomb."
"Sounds like a good idea."
"Anyway, after your weight got out, '41' became a symbolic number alongside '1203.' It stands for the sacrifices and gratitude we must not forget—the weight of the Awakened."
Yoon Seo sighed deeply.
41 kg. He probably weighed even less right after coming out of the Great Dungeon. Back then, he was treated like a patient who hadn't received proper care, yet now, even in his robust state where he seems like he could fly, people still treat him this way. It felt strange. Especially coming from non-awakened people who'd collapse after doing just 500 squats…
Peep.
Riceball pecked at the letter Yoon Seo was holding. As the paper started to rip, Yoon Seo panicked.
"Riceball, no. I'll give you another sheet."
Peep-peep.
"Riceball…"
"Hyung, just let it rip. Riceball's doing it because it knows you're feeling down about that letter. Our smart Riceball."
Kwon Jihan, rather than stopping Riceball, petted its favorite spot with his fingers as if he was proud of it.
Yoon Seo thought to himself, 'I wasn't even feeling down,' but he let Riceball shred the letter anyway. Although it was an act of destroying a fan's gift, Yoon Seo felt it was more important for Riceball to cheer up than to preserve the letter.
Peep!
Having thoroughly shredded the letter to complete its 'revenge,' Riceball puffed up its chest feathers. Looking at the determined little creature, Yoon Seo smiled softly. Kwon Jihan, who had been watching quietly, suddenly kissed the corner of Yoon Seo's eye. Yoon Seo narrowed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"I just gave my boyfriend a kiss."
"Next time, ask first."
"Alright, I'll tell you in advance from now on. From now on, I'm going to kiss you every time you smile. You're so damn cute, I can't help it."
"...."
As Yoon Seo's face flushed, Kwon Jihan found him even cuter and kissed him again. This time, he showered his eyes, nose, forehead, cheeks, and lips with kisses.
Peep
Naturally, Riceball also demanded kisses.
Kwon Jihan figured that the birdcage he received as a gift would come in handy soon enough.
"Hyung, by the way…"
Around the time they arrived home, Kwon Jihan spoke casually.
"You really had no interest in me back then?"
"Back when?"
"A year ago, around the time Soo Jaehee mistakenly thought we were dating."
"Ah…"
Without hesitation, Yoon Seo replied.
"I wasn't interested in that kind of thing at all. Weren't you the same?"
"I was definitely interested in that kind of thing. Looking back, I think I already had a vague feeling back then that you were my ideal type. The person who reveals their power and saves everyone in a life-or-death crisis."
"Now that you mention it, what's so great about that? Hiding power means avoiding problems and dodging responsibility."
Yoon Seo asked a question that had always been on his mind. Kwon Jihan answered without much thought.
"Hiding your power is a difficult task. There must have been countless times when you almost got caught and countless close calls. Yet, even after barely succeeding in hiding your identity, you end up revealing your power to save people in danger. Despite knowing that all the hardships you've endured would become meaningless… you give up everything you've worked for to save people you barely know. If that's not cool, then what in the world is?"
Kwon Jihan smiled widely.
Of course, Yoon Seo couldn't agree with that.
He thought it was a thousand times cooler to openly reveal one's identity and act without even trying to hide their power. Isn't it naturally more admirable to bear the burden of everyone knowing your face and name, yet still save people despite knowing how exhausting life would become?
However, he didn't feel the need to say it out loud.
Kwon Jihan probably knew what he was thinking.
By the time they arrived in front of the house, the sun was already setting. As Yoon Seo was undoing his seatbelt and getting ready to step out, Kwon Jihan asked a strange question.
"Hyung, even without the hat, I'm still your one and only ideal type, right?"
Yoon Seo raised an eyebrow as if to ask, 'Why are you asking the obvious?' Kwon Jihan flashed a mischievous smile.
"Living with your ideal type. Sounds amazing, doesn't it?"
It was barely evening, and Yoon Seo, not really in the mood to part ways with his lover, casually replied.
"Living together might be too much. But you can stay over tonight."
"Yes! I knew it. Even if it seems impossible, it's always worth asking."
Despite having only been offered to stay for one night, Kwon Jihan was overly thrilled. He was a lover who, in moments like this, still showed traces of youthfulness.
***