10
* * *
Doun was sitting in a park near his apartment complex, shrouded in darkness.
‘…Should I not have agreed to meet?’
A little while ago, he had heard from Samin that he was still ranked 1st.
‘When I became 2nd place 6 months ago, hyung was still 1st. Even when I tried to become 1st somehow, sleeping only two hours a day and holed up in towers just killing magical beasts, hyung was still 1st. It’s the same now. Even as of June 21st at 8:07, it says Magnetic is 1st place.’
Though it was unbelievable content, Samin’s voice, which seemed to carry some resentful emotion, came across vividly as if it weren’t a lie.
Doun had conveyed his own worthlessness completely and waited for Samin to distance himself on his own. However, the words that came back after a brief silence were unexpected.
‘Hyung. Can I meet you briefly to talk?’
It wasn’t a notification of where to come by what time, but a very careful question. At the gentle question that left the decision entirely to the other person, Doun hesitated.
Even if he met Samin, he had nothing to say to him. Unless it was harsh words telling him to leave him alone now, not to waste time on someone who couldn’t help.
‘I have something I really want to say to you face to face.’
But the moment he heard Samin’s voice, strangely, he had a hunch that what he wanted to say might become an important turning point for him.
Like when riding a bicycle for the first time, the moment you lose your center and tilt, instinctively knowing you’ll fall. Doun stood at a crossroads of choice and eventually decided to meet Samin at a park near his apartment complex.
‘Ah. I know where that is. I’ll be right there. I think I can get there in 20 minutes.’
The call ended with rustling sounds, and as a result, Doun was sitting on a bench at the park entrance with his cap pulled down.
On a tropical summer night, Doun sitting on the park bench took a deep breath. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Samin’s words, but there was still something he needed to confirm with his own eyes.
‘Rankings…’
The sensation of calling up the system window felt both familiar and strange. Just looking at the outline glowing with mysterious light made his stomach churn. Doun called up the leaderboard with complicated feelings.
[By Country> Leaderboard: Region_Republic of Korea on Earth]
1st┃Magnetic –
2nd┃Slope –
3rd┃Doshi-tae –
There was no need to scroll down. The nickname pinned at the very top right after calling up the leaderboard was the four characters he had carelessly chosen.
‘Why…?’
It was a ranking even the person in question couldn’t understand. Countless hunters were awakening at this very moment and conquering towers and dungeons. The points they had accumulated while Magnetic stagnated for a year should be incomparable.
“Gasp, hyung, did you wait long?”
Samin’s voice, catching his breath as he spoke, fell over the confused Doun’s head.
“…Hey.”
“I’m not late, whew, though. I said it would take about 20 minutes.”
Samin deliberately pretended to catch his breath. Unless he had run here from home, it was rare for an S-class hunter to be this breathless. Even though he had taken a taxi to the front of the park and run around looking for Doun, it was just a walk-level effort for him.
Still, he put on an act because Doun’s atmosphere sitting alone on the bench seemed serious.
“…What did you want to say?”
“Humanly speaking, give me time to catch my breath?”
“…”
Doun slightly raised his head. Whether he had come straight from home, Samin in training pants with bangs neatly covering his forehead looked like a delinquent out for a neighborhood walk.
If he had a cigarette in his mouth and stuck one hand in his pants pocket, he’d be a picture-perfect delinquent.
While calming his troubled mind with pointless thoughts, Samin naturally sat down next to Doun.
“Why are you sitting? Just say what you want to say and go.”
“Is this whole park bench yours? I sat down because it’s there to sit on.”
“…”
He gained nothing from speaking for no reason. Doun avoided eye contact and glared at the grass field where insects were chirping.
‘What am I doing coming out in this weather to hear something from this guy? Life’s turning point or whatever, it’s all my delusion…’
Since he’d come this far anyway, he couldn’t not listen to what Samin had to say. Doun glanced at Samin next to him, who was busily adjusting his bangs and dusting off his t-shirt.
“I ran straight out of the house so my clothes are a mess.”
“So what did you want to say? You said you had something you wanted to say face to face.”
“Just like a Korean, look how impatient you are.”
Samin put away his playful expression along with light teasing mixed with laughter. Even though he usually had a light personality, he wasn’t such an idiot that he couldn’t read the atmosphere.
“I had no idea hyung was in that state.”
“…”
“I just thought you were taking a brief break because you had business. It was all my assumption though…”
“…”
“Is the weakened skills thing because of a debuff or something like that?”
“It’s not like that…”
“In your head… did you get a tumor or something? Were you resting because you were sick?”
“It’s not a tumor…”
Doun, who was about to continue speaking, shot up from his seat in a surge of irritation.
“Why do I have to say these things to you? Did you come to interrogate me? Just say what you want to say and go!”
The quiet park where even the sound of insects had stopped. Doun’s irritated voice spread out. A few people walking in the distance glanced over but soon turned away.
“Hyung. I’m not like that…”
“I have problems in my head so I can’t even use skills properly. I go to a psychiatrist and take medicine. The doctor says it’s depression. I’ve been taking medicine for a while but it’s the same. No, it’s gotten worse.”
“Hyung.”
“You said you wanted to become 1st place, right? Congratulations in advance. You’ll be 1st soon. Since I’m a brain-dead idiot who can never go to towers again!”
“Hyung!”
“What!”
At Samin’s voice calling him, Doun shouted back and bit his lips.
This isn’t what I came out for. I didn’t come out to take out my anger on someone I’ve only met twice. I didn’t want to call myself such a pathetic human being, and I didn’t want to mock Samin who had worked harder than anyone.
“…Don’t cry. Calm down.”
Only then did Doun realize his vision was blurry. Tears that had thoroughly soaked both cheeks flowed down his chin. His uncontrollably quickened breathing wouldn’t calm down easily. He felt like his head was really broken.
“Damn. Why does even hyung’s crying make the person watching feel more sorrowful?”
Samin, who had never bought things like handkerchiefs, hastily lifted the hem of his t-shirt to try to wipe Doun’s tears. Though his vision was blurry, he couldn’t miss the abs revealed before his eyes. Flustered, Doun stammered and stepped back.
“What, what are you doing?”
“There’s nothing to wipe your tears with so I’ll use this…”
“So why are you wiping them with your t-shirt?”
Doun snapped with a sharp voice. He was a full-grown adult and even older than him, but just looking at how he was being treated, it was purely like being treated as a child.
“So I should just leave someone crying in front of me? I’m not that kind of trash.”
“…”
“I clung to hyung and bothered you, kept asking weird things… Damn, so it’s my fault that made hyung say those things. Hyung probably didn’t want to say that either.”
“…”
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I didn’t ask to hear hyung say those things. I just really wanted to help hyung, that’s why I asked. We have a healer in our guild, and among my parents’ friends there’s a doctor…”
Doun was bewildered. Even after hearing his absurd outburst, Samin was busy making excuses saying it was his own fault.
‘Why is he reacting like this?’
His previous guild members had quickly turned their backs saying they were disappointed in Doun for not replying even once. Even though they had known Doun longer than anyone, a week was enough time for them to abandon him.
Apologizing on their own, saying let’s be together on their own, getting disappointed on their own.
The people who had first approached him one-sidedly until now, when Doun showed even a little irritation because he couldn’t stand it anymore, had reacted like this.
‘Hey. How much more do we have to apologize and beg? Can’t you even accept that?’
‘Was Lee Doun’s personality always like this? They say position makes the person, his 1st place arrogance is showing. A bit…’
‘Doun. Can hyung talk with you for a moment?’
Doun frowned and clenched his fists. The sensation of his shortly cut nails digging into his palms became increasingly clear. While Samin’s restless explanations continued, Doun decided to ask a question he hadn’t been able to ask.
“Hey.”
“…Yes?”
“Why are you so good to me?”
Why do you accept it even when I get irritated with you, and why do you say you’re sorry instead of saying you’re disappointed in me?
Doun stopped breathing and just stared at Samin’s lips. The nice red lips twitched for a moment then quietly spilled out embarrassing words.
“Of course it’s because I like hyung?”
“…I said I’m uncomfortable hearing words that others might misunderstand.”
“No, I really like hyung.”
“You like the skills I use, not me. We’ve barely talked a few times.”
“Of course it was like that at first.”
“…”
“But I think it’s a bit different now.”
“…What’s different.”
“Seeing hyung cry makes my chest ache… I want to kill that Timer bastard…”
“…”
“Hyung. I think crying men are my type.”
At the groundless statement, Doun startled and stepped back. Warning lights went off in his head. This bastard isn’t normal. Run away. His instincts were telling him that.
“Crazy bastard.”
“I want to date hyung.”
“…Get lost.”
“Hyung…”
“I said get lost. I’m going to block your number. Don’t contact me.”
“Hyuuung…!”
“Why aren’t you getting lost? Where are you clinging to…!”
Doun pushed away Samin’s head as he suddenly hugged him and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he’d never forget until he died the cool cologne scent that had quietly mixed into the suffocating hot summer air.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
Sunshine(?) gong, fox-like gong, crazy gong, younger gong, sweet gong, immature gong, romantic gong, baby gong, separation anxiety gong, beautiful shou, depressed shou, low self-esteem shou, pretends-to-be-prickly-but-failed shou, soft mochi shou, pushover shou, sweet shou, older shou
