#63
The autumn night air was cold as expected. In the cool air, Ha-seong pulled his outer garment up to his neck. It was to prevent the cold wind from seeping in. Fortunately, wearing thick clothes and bundling up tightly, it wasn’t as cold as he thought. In contrast, Do-hyeok standing next to him didn’t seem cold at all, walking without even zipping up his outer garment.
“But where are we going?”
“Convenience store.”
Ha-seong answered briefly. Of course, Ha-seong didn’t know well what was around Do-hyeok’s house, but there was bound to be at least one convenience store. Convenience stores were everywhere in this country. And Ha-seong’s prediction hit the mark. Not long after leaving the house, a convenience store came into view.
Ha-seong awkwardly stretched out his left hand toward the convenience store door. But before his hand could even reach the door handle, a large hand came in and opened the door for him.
“…Thanks.”
Ha-seong vaguely thought that he probably wouldn’t get used to using his left hand while staying at Cha Do-hyeok’s house.
The inside of the convenience store was quieter than expected. Perhaps because this neighborhood itself was quiet, the only customers were Do-hyeok and Ha-seong, plus two female students in school uniforms excitedly looking at snacks and chattering noisily. Ha-seong headed straight to the back where beverages were displayed without hesitation. Even there, he chose the refrigerator selling alcohol, opened it wide, and picked up two cans of beer.
Then Do-hyeok, standing next to him, glared at Ha-seong as if he didn’t approve.
“Your wounds haven’t even healed yet and you want alcohol?”
“One can of beer isn’t alcohol. It’s a beverage.”
Of course, Ha-seong wasn’t someone who particularly loved alcohol or was good at drinking, but there were times when he uniquely craved it. In the previous world, he was too busy to even have time to drink. But very occasionally, fellow hunters would secretly bring beer to the duty room to share, and that beer they had then was incredibly delicious.
Along with the nonsensical reasoning that an appropriate amount of alcohol was important for living, Ha-seong hugged the beer to his chest. Then he went to the checkout counter, paid, and came outside. The part-timer kept glancing at Do-hyeok with a puzzled expression, so he worried they might say something, but fortunately they could leave the store quietly.
They probably never thought that *the* Cha Do-hyeok would come out to a convenience store in the middle of the night wearing a tracksuit to buy alcohol.
“I saw there’s a park in front when we came out earlier. Let’s go there.”
Do-hyeok and Ha-seong who came out of the convenience store walked side by side. When they came out of the convenience store and stood in front of the traffic light, when they crossed the crosswalk that had turned green and walked down the quiet street, there were no words exchanged between the two. After walking like that for a few minutes, a wide and quiet park appeared.
Except for a few people who seemed to have come out to exercise, it looked quiet and spacious, probably because it was night. Ha-seong walked toward a bench set up on one side, still holding the two cans of beer to his chest.
“Have you ever drunk alcohol in a place like this?”
Do-hyeok shook his head. Ha-seong said that alcohol tastes best when drunk in places like this and patted the seat next to him. Do-hyeok obediently sat down and received the beer can Ha-seong handed him. Then he took Ha-seong’s portion too and opened the can for him. It was now a very familiar sight for both of them.
“So. Tell me now.”
“What?”
“Why you’re suddenly acting like this.”
Do-hyeok took a sip of beer and narrowed his eyes. He probably thought Ha-seong had some ulterior motive for suddenly dragging him out to drink.
Actually, Do-hyeok wasn’t the type to come out to places like this and just drink alcohol. Nevertheless, the reason he obediently followed Ha-seong was because he was curious about his intentions for acting differently than usual. Not minding spending time alone together was also one reason, but first he was more curious about why he was suddenly acting like this.
“Do you need more money?”
“Hey… what do you… take me for…”
Ha-seong glared at Do-hyeok with a deeply furrowed brow. Of course, he needed money. Money was always needed for his ultimate goals and dreams. But today wasn’t about dragging him to a place like this to make such a selfish request.
“Just. Thinking about it, if we’re in the same boat like you said, we can have occasions like this too.”
Ha-seong avoided Do-hyeok’s eyes for no reason and gulped down his beer. The sweetly bitter beer flowed down his throat. Honestly speaking, asking if he liked alcohol was somewhat impulsive behavior from the start. Maybe it was because he heard such stories from Dal-pyeong. Or maybe it was because there were more new facts he learned about Cha Do-hyeok. It could be seen as impulsive behavior caused by all those thoughts.
“What did grandfather tell you?”
“You’re like a ghost.”
As befitting an S-rank hunter, his perception was also top-notch.
“Nothing much. Just about your family when you were young.”
“Ah.”
Do-hyeok let out a low sound. As if he thought it would be something like that, Do-hyeok nodded slightly. Perhaps in current South Korea, Dal-pyeong was the only person who knew well about Do-hyeok’s childhood.
“By the way, don’t say anything to grandfather. He told me because I asked.”
Family matters could be quite a private area, so the person involved might feel bad about it. Ha-seong was even prepared to apologize if necessary. But Do-hyeok’s reaction was different from Ha-seong’s expectations.
“It doesn’t really matter. There’s nothing particularly to hide. It’s not an unspeakable secret either.”
What’s the big deal about being abandoned by parents, Do-hyeok muttered quietly with an indifferent expression. Ha-seong stared at Do-hyeok like that. That wasn’t some kind of show-off bravado. Cha Do-hyeok really seemed to have no emotion about it.
On his face, having been abandoned by his parents and alone since childhood, there was no loneliness or resentment visible. But perhaps because of that, Ha-seong was even more concerned. Cha Do-hyeok’s current attitude was a result created because he hadn’t even expected anything.
Being alone was natural, he was alone, and he would continue to be alone in the future. Because that was so natural for Cha Do-hyeok. That’s why he could be so indifferent about it now.
“Have you… never thought about being lonely?”
“Why?”
“You’re the only S-rank in South Korea alone… I don’t know well, but you must carry a lot of burdens.”
At the mention of carrying many burdens, Do-hyeok stared blankly ahead for a moment. The park was filled with the orange light of street lamps. It was peaceful and quiet.
“Well. I’ve never really thought about it. I’m just doing what I have to do.”
At that answer, Ha-seong looked at Do-hyeok as if surprised. How should he put it. For the first time, Cha Do-hyeok felt mature. While active as an S-rank in the previous world, Ha-seong had countless times lamented his own situation. Why was he born as an S-rank? If only he had mediocre abilities, no, if only he hadn’t awakened at all, he had even thrown himself into missions with such pathetic feelings.
But Do-hyeok was calm. He neither lamented nor blamed his situation. At that answer that he was just doing what needed to be done because there was work in front of him, somehow Cha Do-hyeok looked a little different.
“Do you pity me, hyung?”
Because he has no parents and is a hunter who carries many burdens alone? Do-hyeok’s eyes seemed to say that. At that expression, Ha-seong chuckled. Who would pity whom?
“Sorry, but I don’t have mom and dad either.”
Ha-seong answered with a bit of playfulness mixed in. He had been thinking about it for quite a while, but indeed Cha Do-hyeok and himself had many similar aspects. Not only did they both spend childhoods without parents, but just, their situations and circumstances had quite a few similar aspects.
“I don’t pity you.”
He doesn’t pity Cha Do-hyeok. He doesn’t think of him as pitiful. Because Cha Do-hyeok resembles himself. If he thought Do-hyeok was pitiful, that would be the same as pitying himself. Ha-seong didn’t think of himself as pitiful. Even when he was worked like a dog alone in the previous world and fell into a new dimension, he didn’t pity or feel pessimistic about himself.
“Then?”
Before he knew it, Do-hyeok’s gaze was constantly fixed on Ha-seong.
“Hmm. If I had to say…”
Ha-seong stroked his chin and fell into thought. He was looking for appropriate words to explain this strange emotion he felt after hearing about Do-hyeok’s childhood from Dal-pyeong and even hearing thoughts about loneliness from Do-hyeok himself.
“I’m a bit proud of you.”
“…”
Ha-seong looked at Do-hyeok and smiled faintly. Do-hyeok’s expression after hearing those words looked a bit complicated. Proud? Of what exactly? His face seemed to say.
“Good job. For making it this far. You endured well.”
Ha-seong reached out his hand and placed it on top of Do-hyeok’s head. Then he gently patted his hair a couple of times. It was a rough but sincere touch.
Although Cha Do-hyeok spoke as if it was nothing, there must have been many incidents while he climbed to this position alone as an S-rank. Ha-seong still didn’t know Do-hyeok well and didn’t know well what kind of things he experienced and how he lived, but the thought he had now was just that one thing.
It seemed like no one would have said such words to Do-hyeok, who had no parents or friends close enough to completely give their side to him. So he wanted to tell him.
“…”
But Do-hyeok’s reaction was somehow strange. He definitely expected some bratty response like “Don’t treat me like a kid” or “It wasn’t that hard, you know?” to come back, but he was looking at Ha-seong with his brow slightly furrowed.
What is it, does he dislike having his head patted? Even so, was this too much? Wondering if he made a mistake, Ha-seong felt awkward and coughed loudly.
“Ahem, no, well, I mean, let’s work hard together from now on, something like that…”
Ha-seong was about to remove his hand from Do-hyeok’s hair feeling embarrassed when suddenly Do-hyeok reached out and grabbed Ha-seong’s wrist. Ha-seong, who was in an unguarded state, was pulled along by Do-hyeok’s touch. At the much closer distance than before, Ha-seong looked at Do-hyeok with a puzzled expression.
But he just stared at Ha-seong intently without saying anything.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
