#125
Countless comments were attached below the last photo. Eunseok didn’t dare to read those comments.
The voice talking outside the bedroom suddenly stopped. Eunseok quickly closed the fan cafe window and put the phone back beside his pillow. He pretended to be lying down nonchalantly when Choi Hanseo returned to the bedroom.
“How are you feeling?”
“So-so.”
“Hmm. Can you move?”
“Now?”
“Yes. I’ve just found a place you might like.”
A place I might like in this American land?
Eunseok slightly raised an eyebrow as if to say, “What do you mean?”
“There’s a shopping mall in Las Vegas department store that specializes in hunter-exclusive equipment. If we go there…”
“Let’s go.”
Eunseok quickly interrupted Choi Hanseo and got out of bed. Choi Hanseo smiled faintly at his reaction.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, Eunseok urged Choi Hanseo to leave immediately. Once again, the hotel provided a limousine. Since the department store was within Las Vegas, they arrived quickly.
The hunter equipment shopping mall was on the top floor. They were allowed entry only after showing their passports, hunter certificates, and guide certificates.
Stepping inside, Eunseok marveled at the sight before him. It was an enormous shopping mall with numerous pieces of armor and weapons elegantly displayed.
“Welcome.”
An employee in a suit approached and greeted them. It felt like entering a high-end luxury section of a department store.
“Are you looking for anything specific?”
The employee asked politely.
“We’ll just look around for now.”
Eunseok walked towards the display cases before finishing his sentence.
The weapons and armor in the Baekho Guild building’s shop focused primarily on practicality. But this place was different. While there were practical equipment, there were also aesthetically beautiful or extravagantly decorated swords that seemed almost too ornate to use. A longsword studded with jewels looked like it could only be used for ceremonial purposes. Nevertheless, being weapons, each item was particularly enjoyable to examine.
As Eunseok was scanning through the longswords and long knives, he stopped. A longsword with a long, fairly thick blade caught his eye. Its length and thickness were quite similar to the longsword Moon Bora frequently used. Of course, it looked much better than hers.
“Can I see that one, please?”
Eunseok requested from the employee who was following at a slight distance. The employee carefully took out the longsword with white gloved hands and handed it over.
It was quite heavy. Eunseok swung it around in the air, recalling how Moon Bora used her longsword. Though he had never personally used such a long sword, he could tell it had excellent balance.
“An excellent choice. Any hunter who uses a longsword would covet this item.”
Eunseok checked the price tag below where the longsword had been displayed.
$2 million.
Previously, this would have been an unthinkable amount. But Eunseok had just hit a $20 million jackpot the day before. Spending $2 million out of the $20 million he got for free didn’t feel too burdensome.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Excellent choice, sir.”
The employee smiled his customer service smile. Eunseok handed the longsword back to the employee and continued browsing.
There were so many things he wanted to buy, even though they weren’t for his own use. After buying one for Moon Bora, he thought of the other team members. Eunseok decided to buy a weapon for each team member as a gift.
A pair of short swords for Shin Jeongho. A staff that greatly amplifies magical power for Oh Seongeun. A shield for Han Cheolyong. And for Kwon Eunchae, who was recently practicing shooting, he bought a relatively low-recoil automatic rifle and a handgun.
“You’re cleaning out the store. Aren’t you buying anything for yourself?”
Choi Hanseo, who had been following without complaint, asked.
“Well, I already have a full set that you gave me,” Eunseok replied quietly. He looked at Choi Hanseo, conflicted inside. He wanted to buy something for Choi Hanseo too. But this man never used weapons. Nor was he the type to wear armor.
“Do you have anything special?”
Eunseok asked the employee who was smiling broadly, having made a lot of sales. The employee’s eyes lit up.
“Besides these general items, we have special items for VIPs. Please follow me.”
The employee started walking ahead with a lively step.
They were led to a small area labeled VIP Room. There were no large weapons or armor visible here. Instead, various accessories sparkled in display cases lining the walls.
“These… what functions do they have?”
Eunseok asked the employee.
“These are accessories made only from special ores and jewels that are gate by-products. They’re special items that are both durable enough to withstand intense combat without worry of damage, and beautiful.”
Eunseok quickly lost interest upon hearing they had no special functions. As he turned to leave, he noticed Choi Hanseo staring intently at one display case. Eunseok approached Choi Hanseo and looked at what he was viewing. The sparkling items on display were unmistakably couple rings.
“What are you looking at?”
Eunseok nervously pulled Choi Hanseo to the side. Choi Hanseo stood his ground and stared at Eunseok. His eyes clearly said he absolutely wanted those.
Of course, if he wanted it, Eunseok was willing to gift him anything no matter how expensive. But couple rings? They had only just officially exchanged words of affection. Buying those now seemed too significant.
“We’re done shopping, let’s go quickly.”
Eunseok pulled Choi Hanseo with all his might. But of course, Choi Hanseo’s body didn’t budge an inch.
“I want them.”
He even said it outright.
“I don’t like it.”
Eunseok flatly refused. But the stare, almost like pleading, remained unchanged.
“Rings can be a hindrance during combat. How about these piercings that can be worn more conveniently?”
The perceptive employee suggested, showing some piercings from another display case. Choi Hanseo didn’t even glance at them. He was fixated solely on the rings.
This was the first time Choi Hanseo had been so stubborn. Having just exchanged confessions of love the day before, Eunseok felt enormous pressure. His resolve weakened, making it difficult to flatly refuse here. After a brief staring contest with Choi Hanseo, Eunseok finally chose to compromise.
“Rings are inconvenient, how about piercings?”
Speaking as if to coax him, Choi Hanseo finally glanced at the piercings. But his eyes soon returned to the rings.
“These days, couple piercings are quite popular. I think these would suit you two very well.”
The perceptive employee offered a pair of piercings with black jewels. Eunseok quickly picked them up and held one to Choi Hanseo’s earlobe.
“It suits you well.”
As Eunseok complimented him, the stubbornness in Choi Hanseo’s eyes faded a bit. Fearing he might change his mind, Eunseok quickly held the other one to his own ear.
“How is it?”
When Eunseok asked, Choi Hanseo stared for a moment before speaking.
“If we’re getting the same thing together, I like it.”
“Okay. Let’s get the same thing together.”
As Eunseok quickly agreed, the corners of Choi Hanseo’s mouth turned up.
“It seems neither of you have pierced ears. We can pierce them for you right away. Would you like to wear them now?”
The employee, keenly observing the atmosphere between the two, asked.
“Let’s get them pierced and wear them now.”
Choi Hanseo handed two identical piercings to the employee.
“Please sit on that sofa for a moment. I’ll be back shortly with preparations.”
The employee pointed to a sofa in the center of the VIP room and disappeared for a moment. Choi Hanseo took Eunseok’s hand and walked steadily towards the sofa.
Sitting side by side on the sofa, Choi Hanseo looked particularly pleased. It was as if his earlier insistence on buying rings had been a lie. Eunseok looked at Choi Hanseo with narrowed eyes.
“You weren’t really after the rings from the beginning, were you?”
When Eunseok confronted him, Choi Hanseo grinned as if to say “correct.” He had created an extreme option with the rings, then guided Eunseok to choose a compromise.
How cunning.
Eunseok grumbled inwardly. But he wasn’t particularly upset. And honestly, Choi Hanseo’s stubborn stance in front of the rings had been quite cute.
The trip to America hadn’t been boring, perhaps due to the goal of conquering an S-class gate. But the long flight back to Korea was quite tedious.
Even while working on his tablet, Choi Hanseo occasionally glanced at Eunseok. More precisely, he was looking at the couple piercing in Eunseok’s earlobe. He seemed to really like that they were wearing couple accessories. It looked cute again. For such a big man to keep looking cute, he must have been seriously love-struck.
Eunseok fiddled with his phone for a while before finally trying to sleep. Fortunately, whether because he hadn’t fully adjusted to the time difference or because of the lingering hangover from the previous day, falling asleep was easy.
After a good nap, the plane was preparing to land. Looking across, Choi Hanseo had also put down his tablet and was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. Eunseok looked at the piercing in Choi Hanseo’s earlobe and then touched his own. He thought this would probably become gossip soon too, but he didn’t feel particularly averse to it.
They landed at Seoul Airport, just as when they departed. As they got off the private jet, the deputy director of the Ability Management Bureau was there to greet them personally.
“Oh! Our Guild Master Choi! Guide Lee Eunseok! You must have worked hard in America!”
The deputy director welcomed the two enthusiastically. Besides the joy of Eunseok and Choi Hanseo returning safely to Korea, it seemed that their successful mission in America had reflected very positively on the government.
It was only after listening to a long, enthusiastic welcome speech that the two were able to get into the car heading to the guild building. While the trip to America had been nice, getting into the car heading to the guild really made it feel like they were back.
As Eunseok was quietly observing the street scenery from the car, Choi Hanseo fiddled with Eunseok’s pierced earlobe.
“Do you like it that much?”
When Eunseok asked, Choi Hanseo smiled with his eyes.
Still cute.
Eunseok thought to himself and chuckled.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
