66
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On a summer night when the tropical heat was still raging. An SUV roughly entered a luxury apartment complex. Samin, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was about to briefly stop the car in front of the parking barrier when he let out a hollow laugh.
“……Really. Lee Doun drives people crazy.”
Since he had rushed out with only his wallet and car keys, he hadn’t even mentioned registering his vehicle, but the barrier that recognized his license plate number went up on its own. It meant Doun had already registered his car first.
Samin, who had parked his car almost like crashing it into the parking lot, entered the apartment building’s main entrance password as familiarly as if it were his own home. While waiting for the elevator and tapping his foot anxiously, he hurriedly tidied his appearance reflected in the elevator door.
‘T-shirt condition is fine like this, and I’m wearing the couple earrings with hyung properly. Hmm. Good.’
Even if it wasn’t perfectly prepared attire, this was a decent enough appearance. After the elevator arrived and he quickly pressed the 29th floor where Doun lived, Samin took slow deep breaths.
‘Why did hyung suddenly tell me to come over?’
The person who said he would arrive home around lunchtime and contact him had been completely silent for six hours. When he sent texts and messages with no reply and finally called unable to bear it anymore, the first thing he said was an apology.
If he had known he would be this depressed, he should have told him from the beginning that it was no big deal. Samin swallowed his brief regret and glared at the elevator’s floor indicator.
‘Ah, why isn’t it going up faster?’
When he rode with Doun, they would arrive after just blinking a few times, but strangely it felt like it was going up slowly. Samin, who was standing askew with his hands in his jeans pockets and shaking his leg, rushed out as soon as he reached the 29th floor.
Then he stood in front of Doun’s house, combed his hair with his hand, and unnecessarily brushed off his t-shirt while fidgeting around. When he took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell, the door opened wide without even asking who it was.
“You came?”
“……How can you just open the door like this without even asking who it is?”
The slightly surprised Samin looked down at Doun. Unlike the quite enthusiastic welcome, he couldn’t quite look him properly in the eyes.
“Anyway, you’re the only one who would come to my house at this time.”
“That makes me really happy though……”
Samin scratched his cheek and entered Doun’s house. With the sound of the door closing and the scent of Doun’s shampoo brushing past his nose, blood reflexively rushed to his lower body.
‘I’m going crazy. It’s not like I’m some dog in heat.’
He had come to comfort him because he was worried Doun would be depressed and dejected alone, but at this rate he might end up pouncing on him in anger. Samin just clenched his fists tightly and followed behind Doun.
“Hyung. But why haven’t you been showing me your face since earlier? Didn’t you call me to come because you wanted to see me?”
“……That’s right. But when I actually try to look at your face, I feel strange.”
“Hey. But I came all the way here, so show me your face. Hm?”
Samin, who had been grumbling while trying to persistently look at Doun’s face as he tried to avoid his gaze, ended up distorting his expression the moment their eyes actually met.
“What. Why are your eyes like this, hyung?”
His large hand suddenly cupped Doun’s cheek. Doun’s body stiffened the moment his face was caught. It wasn’t because he thought Samin might harm him. If anything, it was the opposite.
‘H-his face is too close.’
If he moved just a little, their lips would touch. Moreover, the gaze staring at his face as if to pierce through it was intensely hot. Doun twitched his fingertips and mumbled.
“What about my eyes?”
“Your eyes are completely red. Didn’t you know?”
“Did my eye color change again?”
“No. Not that, I meant the blood vessels in the whites of your eyes are no joke. Hyung, did you cry by any chance?”
Samin moved his thumb to gently rub his eyelids. His voice quietly murmuring “It doesn’t seem swollen though” was utterly serious.
Doun was relieved that his eyes hadn’t changed again. One eye that had already turned blue was overwhelming enough. If it changed more here, he might angrily pluck out his eyeball.
“I didn’t cry. I guess it’s because I watched videos in a dark place for a long time. It’s fine. It’ll get better after I sleep. If necessary, I can drink a potion.”
Doun lightly placed his hand over Samin’s hand. He was going to remove it, but seeing Samin’s face full of upset expression, he couldn’t bring himself to be cold. He had no choice but to lightly pat Samin’s hand.
“It’s just my eyes being a bit red. It’s not like your eyes became like that.”
“No…… I’m really upset. If you’re going to watch videos, you should watch them in a bright place. Why watch them in a dark place? Aren’t you worried about potion side effects?”
Samin, with his eyebrows drooping, lightly pressed his hands to squeeze Doun’s cheeks.
The soft cheeks being pressed made his lips stick out slightly, which was insanely tempting. On one hand, it was also cute.
‘Ah. No. I need to pull myself together.’
To somehow calm his rising impulse, Samin quickly turned his head. He pointed at the neglected suitcase that came into view and gently released Doun’s cheeks. How regrettable it was that the soft sensation of his cheeks was moving away.
“What’s that in the living room? If this hyung came back from a trip, he should think about organizing his luggage first thing.”
Doun suddenly became displeased. The guy who had said on the phone earlier that he missed him, that he would comfort him, that he would hug him, came and immediately started nagging.
“……Did you come to nag?”
“Mm, among other things?”
Samin’s bright laughter as he chuckled with his arms crossed was ridiculous. However, Doun didn’t show it. On this hot day, who else but Samin would come running at just one word saying to come see him?
The reason for his recruitment had disappeared, and the goal they had set had been stolen by others, yet instead of showing displeasure, he was just giving him cute nagging about not organizing his luggage. Doun decided to honestly convey his feelings since he had impulsively called Samin to his house.
“……Never mind that. I’m sorry we lost the 55th floor conquest because of me. I felt like I had to say this.”
“I’m sure I told you earlier that it wasn’t hyung’s fault?”
“Even if you say it’s not, this is obviously my fault no matter who looks at it. I’m not okay with it. The other guild members got held back because of me. If it weren’t for me, they might have succeeded if they had tried again.”
“Nobody thinks that way, so why do you keep doing this? Even if hyung hadn’t come to our guild, the 55th floor would have been cleared by them first anyway. They push through with numbers first. Unlike us.”
The alliance that succeeded in the first conquest of the 55th floor this time was composed of Libra, Solaris, and Thrill, which were classified as large guilds. It was an alliance that had almost exclusively succeeded in first conquests among the highest floor conquest teams that had been in chaos after Doun’s disappearance.
It was just that regarding the 55th floor, Yeoun had exceptionally reached the floor boss before them.
“It’s not hyung’s fault. Have you seen me talk nonsense when discussing towers?”
Usually, Samin would say things like he wanted to date him or live together with him, making it hard to distinguish whether he was serious or joking, but when it came to conquest-related topics, he was more objective than anyone. Doun had to hesitate and give a vague answer.
“……I don’t think so.”
He, who hadn’t even known the true nature of family-like existences he thought he had been walking the rough thorny path with for over two years, couldn’t have perfectly understood Samin, whom he had only known for about a month. However, he had the extreme thought that now Samin was the only one who would extend a hand to him.
‘I have to trust him. Right now I have no choice but to trust him. No…… Do I want to trust him?’
Two miracles couldn’t happen to one person. Samin was a ray of light that appeared to him when he had given up everything and was only waiting to die.
Doun looked up at Samin with bloodshot eyes and grabbed the hem of his clothes. As his clothes were pulled, Samin’s gaze naturally went downward.
‘Hyung grabbed my clothes again. What is this? Why is it cute……!’
He did this when we kissed last time too. It seemed to be Doun’s habit.
“Let’s quickly go up to the 50th floor, 51st floor…… and then the next ones too. I’ll definitely clear the 56th floor somehow.”
“Hyung, are you throwing a tantrum at me right now?”
Samin couldn’t control the corners of his mouth that were trying to rise and pulled Doun into his arms. Usually Doun would have pushed him away asking what he was doing, but today he was unusually quiet.
‘Why is there no answer again? He’s not thinking depressing thoughts again, is he?’
Samin suppressed his rising desire for skinship and patted Doun.
“I understand that hyung is anxious. I understand what you’re feeling…… Seven people died just from the alliance that did the first conquest. Hyung, you didn’t know that, did you?”
The news of deaths always made his heart heavy. Even though he wasn’t acquainted with them. At Samin’s calm and serious voice, Doun inhaled.
“What did I say our guild’s policy was?”
“……I don’t remember.”
“I’ll tell you again. Our guild’s top priority is ‘safety first.'”
Hearing the answer, Doun quickly raised his head and pulled his body back. As the body that had been quietly nestled in his arms instantly slipped away, Samin raised his empty hands and pulled Doun back to him.
“Why are you running away again?”
“No, wait. What does that mean? Is safety first really the guild policy? It’s not a joke?”
The category of hunters was far from safety. In ordinary people’s eyes, they were probably about ‘crazy bastards dying to die.’ Except for high income, it was a profession full of only disadvantages.
An environment where slight mistakes could lead to death, the closed and stagnant upper ranks, most guilds operated haphazardly, and anonymous communities that were no different from lawless zones due to the government and National Assembly’s lukewarm sanctions.
Honestly, the hunter industry was rolling along so roughly that it was strange it was being maintained. Yet in such a place, the policy of a guild composed of top rankers was safety first.
“The Prime Minister certified it, you know? I showed you the plaque I received last time.”
“No, but still……”
“The Prime Minister isn’t a hunter, so I wonder what meaning there is in getting that person’s certification. Anyway, from others’ perspective, our guild excessively pursues safety, something like that, don’t you think?”
“Aren’t you anxious? Others will say things, don’t you care about that?”
Doun couldn’t hold back and asked directly. Then Samin looked intently into Doun’s eyes.
“I don’t really care. Empty wagons make the most noise.”
Samin’s hand that had been holding Doun’s forearm slowly moved up.
“No matter how much they curse and criticize us……”
The hand that passed by the innocent face waiting for his next words lightly touched his soft cheek.
“We just need to live well as usual. Then we win. When we climb to higher places, they’ll be sitting in their rooms writing weird comments.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
