#131
“Ugh…”
When Dan Joo-hyuk’s fingertips touched his cheek, Yoon Pa-ran unconsciously shrank his shoulders a little.
Even though he clearly saw Dan Joo-hyuk reaching out, at the moment of contact, he was strangely startled. Perhaps it was because the warmth that started as a small point seemed to spread throughout his body like a wave.
Before that strange sensation could fade, Dan Joo-hyuk moved his hand again. His large palm unnecessarily covered Yoon Pa-ran’s cheek once, then fiddled with his ear.
Dan Joo-hyuk had always had a habit of touching people. Although it wasn’t much different from usual, today it felt particularly strange.
Maybe it was because he received an apology he hadn’t expected, but it was too ticklish.
That’s when Dan Joo-hyuk made a strange sound.
“I came to tell you about some dangerous information I heard. …Since our contract isn’t over yet.”
“Dangerous?”
“Ah.”
Yoon Pa-ran reacted sensitively to the word ‘dangerous’. Dan Joo-hyuk fell silent for a moment, choosing his words.
Yoon Pa-ran felt that Dan Joo-hyuk’s attitude was quite cautious. It was an odd impression, as he wasn’t one to mince words.
“Has Kim Tae-jun ever sponsored this place?”
“No?”
Sponsorship out of nowhere. Yoon Pa-ran frowned at the unexpected question.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand, which had been fiddling with his earlobe at will, suddenly stopped.
“…Heo Sang-yeon said something strange again. That’s why I came in a hurry. It would be troublesome if there was a misunderstanding like last time.”
“What? Why again?”
Yoon Pa-ran, now fully frowning, looked straight into Dan Joo-hyuk’s eyes.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand, which had been touching Yoon Pa-ran’s earlobe, slowly fell to the ground. With a seemingly serious face, he quickly continued his explanation.
“He was suspicious, saying this place might be on the list of orphanages Kim Tae-jun sponsors. He wondered if there was a connection with that guy.”
“Why doesn’t he believe what people say?”
“I know. He must be out of his mind.”
At Dan Joo-hyuk’s agreement, Yoon Pa-ran took a deep breath and snorted. He couldn’t shake off his anger.
To think he’d suspect this place again after even giving his business card as an apology. Especially when it was just last week that he himself nearly got killed by Kim Tae-jun.
Yoon Pa-ran’s angry breathing gradually calmed down. It wasn’t that his anger had subsided, but rather a feeling of helplessness had overwhelmed him.
How long do I have to keep explaining like this?
That’s when Dan Joo-hyuk reached out to Yoon Pa-ran again. This time, he grabbed one of Yoon Pa-ran’s forearms and gently stroked it with his thumb.
As that sensation penetrated his skin, surprisingly, the feeling of helplessness seemed to fade a little.
“How about asking the director here if there’s been any business with Kim Tae-jun?”
“I’ve been with her all along anyway. I don’t know what he’s basing this on, but it has nothing to do with our director.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
His low agreement was quite comforting. Yoon Pa-ran wrinkled his nose for no reason and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand.
The spot Dan Joo-hyuk had touched earlier kept feeling strangely ticklish.
“Can I investigate a bit more? I think I need to find out what Heo Sang-yeon is basing this on.”
“Sure. But you won’t find anything. If that guy had made any donations or whatever to the orphanage in the first place, we wouldn’t have been in debt. It’s ridiculous.”
“That’s right.”
It would actually be a great help if Dan Joo-hyuk looked into it. Even if Heo Sang-yeon was S-class, they would believe it if Dan Joo-hyuk vouched for them.
Yoon Pa-ran, who had been thinking smoothly, suddenly paused. But, now that the contract was over, was it okay to ask him for something like this?
Come to think of it, Dan Joo-hyuk had casually said earlier that the contract wasn’t over yet.
“But you said we’re going to end the contract now.”
Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand, which had been slowly moving back and forth on Yoon Pa-ran’s forearm, suddenly stopped.
He had thought the gentle stroking with the thumb was very ticklish, but now that the movement had abruptly stopped, it bothered him even more. Still, that wasn’t the important thing right now, so Yoon Pa-ran looked up at his face intently.
When did we get this close again?
Anyway, he had thought the contract was finished as it was. He was prepared to endure any disadvantages he might have to bear, especially since no status window about contract penalties had appeared.
“I’d like to continue the contract.”
“Why?”
“…Do you really want to end it?”
Dan Joo-hyuk asked in a somewhat dark voice. The question felt quite heavy, causing Yoon Pa-ran to be at a loss for words for a moment.
Since the argument inside the gate was the issue, there was no reason to terminate the contract now that he had heard an apology. In fact, he felt a strange sense of relief at the point that Dan Joo-hyuk had gotten angry out of concern for him.
It was also a bit unexpected that he rushed over as soon as he heard Heo Sang-yeon was suspicious of him. They had been in a fight, after all, so he didn’t need to care that much.
Indeed, Dan Joo-hyuk seemed to consider him as a closer colleague than expected…
“I still have a lot I want to find out. What about you, Yoon Pa-ran?”
The thoughts that had been swirling in his head like dandelion seeds suddenly sank to the ground at Dan Joo-hyuk’s words.
Of course, that’s how it is.
It was clear that Dan Joo-hyuk still placed great value on the skill Yoon Pa-ran possessed. Although they had gotten considerably closer than at first, Dan Joo-hyuk’s goodwill was ultimately based on the value of the [Sacred Energy] skill.
Even though he knew this fact well, for some reason it felt a bit deflating. Still, Yoon Pa-ran thought this situation was quite positive.
“Hm? If you have any conditions you want, tell me more.”
Another thought suddenly occurred to him. Maybe Dan Joo-hyuk couldn’t recklessly end the contract in this situation either. Seeing how he consistently comes to help in dangerous situations, Dan Joo-hyuk might have quite a few clauses he must absolutely keep.
Either way, it seemed like a good deal.
So Yoon Pa-ran cut his short deliberation and looked up at him again.
“Okay. But I have a condition. Promise you’ll never say that kind of thing again.”
“…You mean when I doubted Yoon Pa-ran’s skills…”
“Not that.”
“What do you mean?”
A faint look of confusion appeared on Dan Joo-hyuk’s face. As emotion bloomed on that face that had been seriously set all this time, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t take his eyes off him.
While directly facing him like that, Yoon Pa-ran pointed out the part that had made him feel the worst that day.
“Saying things like just let you die or whatever. I’m not saying I’ll definitely rush to save you, but if you want to move as a team with me, don’t act like that.”
“Ah…”
Even if it was just a contract relationship, Yoon Pa-ran wasn’t the type to stand by in such a situation. Especially if it was a situation where he could help the other person with his abilities.
However, Dan Joo-hyuk’s face hardened even more, as if something was still unsatisfactory.
“What if I promise not to do anything reckless?”
“I did it because I thought I could.”
That day, Yoon Pa-ran was confident he could extract himself even if he fell there. He might have been badly hurt, but he also had a spare potion.
However, Dan Joo-hyuk persisted stubbornly.
“You promise, right?”
“Fine! If my life seems to be in danger, I’ll run away alone, dirty and cowardly!”
Finally unable to hold back, Yoon Pa-ran gritted his teeth and made a threat. He wanted to shout louder, but he couldn’t for fear of startling the children.
“…”
“…”
A brief silence settled in the backyard. In the ice-thin silence, Yoon Pa-ran inwardly muttered his dissatisfaction.
He couldn’t understand what Dan Joo-hyuk was worried about. If he had judged that he couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t have acted recklessly anyway. He probably would have found another way to bypass it.
In the first place, he felt dumbfounded, wondering who was really acting recklessly to be saying such things to him. Why was he facing monsters alone that day when the safe zone was so close?
As he was half glaring at Dan Joo-hyuk with his insides strangely boiling, a chuckling sound fell from above his head.
The ice-thin silence broke with a clear splash.
“Why are you laughing?”
“I’ll promise too. So we’re continuing the contract, right?”
“If you say so.”
“No taking back your words.”
“Ah, I said okay already!”
Dan Joo-hyuk had been holding Yoon Pa-ran’s forearm all along. At his persistent words, Yoon Pa-ran finally shook off his hand with exasperation.
He kept wondering if this was the right choice. …However, no matter how many times he thought about it, he was honestly frustrated because it was a contract that benefited him too. Especially now that he knew Dan Joo-hyuk was someone who adhered to contracts so well, the conditions were too good to give up.
Yoon Pa-ran found that fact strangely unsettling. It was clearly a situation he should feel relieved about, but why did he feel oddly displeased?
“Let’s go inside now. You’ll catch a cold.”
Dan Joo-hyuk, who had been maintaining eye contact for a while, finally took a step back. A faint smile had somehow appeared on his lips.
“Who says I’ll catch a cold?”
Unlike when he was young, Yoon Pa-ran hadn’t experienced minor illnesses since becoming a hunter. So he couldn’t help but snap back at Dan Joo-hyuk’s words, unsure whether they were teasing or concern.
Yet his gaze strangely kept lingering on Dan Joo-hyuk’s lips. After keeping his eyes on that handsome face for a while, he simply turned around without a word.
“I’ll contact you.”
“Sure, do that.”
Yoon Pa-ran entered the orphanage without deliberately looking back.
“…”
Was it because he had been exposed to the cold air for so long that his skin had frozen? The tickling sensation that started on his cheeks continued to bother Yoon Pa-ran for a long time afterward.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
