#099
He had said that casually, but suddenly the car screeched to a halt.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand shot out, bracing Yoon Pa-ran’s chest to keep him from lurching forward.
“What, what’s going on? What happened?”
Thanks to Dan Joo-hyuk, he didn’t end up smashing his face into the window. However, Yoon Pa-ran was quite startled by Dan Joo-hyuk’s sudden action.
Was it an attack? Could it be that Heo Sang-yeon was still suspicious of him and had set a trap? After such an eventful day, he couldn’t help but feel tense.
“…Wait, I saw something.”
“What did you see?”
Urgently, Yoon Pa-ran looked around the road. He wondered if someone had jumped out.
However, the road was silent and desolate in the late night, without even a leaf in sight.
What is it?
“…”
Dan Joo-hyuk even moved the car to park completely on the shoulder. Seeing his serious expression, Yoon Pa-ran felt slightly bewildered.
What could he have seen to act like this?
As he anxiously scanned the road again, he still couldn’t see anything. Because of this, he was in the middle of cautiously observing Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood.
“So, were you planning to make a contract like that with Heo Sang-yeon later?”
But Dan Joo-hyuk once again just spouted nonsense.
Yoon Pa-ran’s face crumpled. He felt foolish for having been so tense.
He was so dumbfounded that even Dan Joo-hyuk’s piercing gaze towards him wasn’t very intimidating.
“What are you talking about? Of course I wouldn’t do that.”
Would he ever make such a crazy contract with anyone other than Dan Joo-hyuk in the first place?
Yoon Pa-ran kept berating Dan Joo-hyuk for saying such nonsensical things.
“Only a pervert like you would make that kind of contract in the first place.”
As he spoke, he realized he had openly insulted him.
He braced himself for another sharp retort. If it came to it, he thought he might just open the car door and get out.
“Ah.”
However, this time Dan Joo-hyuk’s mood seemed to suddenly improve.
It was really hard to keep up with this madman’s mood swings.
“That’s right.”
Just as Yoon Pa-ran was giving Dan Joo-hyuk an exasperated look, Dan Joo-hyuk leaned slowly on the steering wheel and looked up at him, speaking in a subtle voice.
“That’s right. No one but me will do.”
“…?”
Isn’t the nuance too different from what he had said?
“Why are you twisting my words…”
“Anyway, I want to be the only one who knows Yoon Pa-ran’s secret.”
“…”
Yoon Pa-ran, who was about to scold him, shut his mouth. Once again, it was about the secret of the status window.
He hadn’t expected it, but he felt truly exasperated. At this point, it could be called an obsession, couldn’t it?
It seemed that even though Heo Sang-yeon was close to him, they didn’t exchange all information. Like the information about Lim Hyun-sung earlier.
He had been wondering why Dan Joo-hyuk acted strange whenever Heo Sang-yeon was mentioned, but now the question was answered. It seems he was wary of him despite them both being S-rank hunters.
“I hope that thought doesn’t change in the future.”
“Well, who knows.”
Yoon Pa-ran answered with a faint sigh and just averted his gaze.
Honestly, if Heo Sang-yeon valued the information he had highly enough, he might consider it. After all, Heo Sang-yeon wouldn’t have a skill like Dan Joo-hyuk’s, so he might be easier to deal with.
When Yoon Pa-ran didn’t give a definite answer, Dan Joo-hyuk continued to be silent. The sound of his fingers tapping on the steering wheel incessantly was irritating.
After ignoring it for quite a while, Yoon Pa-ran reluctantly glanced back. He expected Dan Joo-hyuk to be glaring at him again, but surprisingly, Dan Joo-hyuk was quietly looking down with a slightly hardened expression, unlike his usual self.
As he watched, unsure of how Dan Joo-hyuk might act next, Dan Joo-hyuk turned his body completely towards Yoon Pa-ran, resting one arm on the passenger seat.
Isn’t he going to start driving? Should I just get out and walk?
“So, are you free tomorrow?”
Dan Joo-hyuk tilted his head with a beaming smile, as if he had never been expressionless.
“What…? Didn’t you say we’re going to a gate?”
“I realized I hadn’t asked for your opinion.”
It was truly a belated question. So much so that Yoon Pa-ran almost sighed.
“It’s too late now. Just do as you’ve been doing.”
“Situations can always change, you know.”
Is he serious?
It was still unbelievable. Did he change his strategy after seeing Heo Sang-yeon?
Yoon Pa-ran decided to see how long Dan Joo-hyuk would keep this up and responded lightly.
“I’m not free. I promised to go to the park with my siblings.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed obvious that things would proceed as they always did when Dan Joo-hyuk pretended to be considerate. As he waited to see what kind of irritating thing Dan Joo-hyuk would say next, Dan Joo-hyuk began to do something truly unexpected.
“Then let me know when you’re available.”
Could he have hit his head in the Russian gate?
“…What’s wrong with you?”
“I told you. I’m going to change my approach a bit. You seemed dissatisfied with it.”
“…”
Yoon Pa-ran, with a serious expression, scanned Dan Joo-hyuk’s forehead with his eyes.
There were no visible scars… Did he heal without scars because he’s S-rank?
“Still, I’d prefer if you didn’t enter gates alone for a while.”
“Why?”
“I’ve had a strange feeling ever since seeing that weird stone.”
Yoon Pa-ran’s expression, which had been suspecting Dan Joo-hyuk of a head injury, changed subtly.
After organizing his thoughts with difficulty, Yoon Pa-ran finally asked, unable to hide his suspicious look.
“…You’re just repeating what Hunter Heo Sang-yeon said earlier, right?”
“No, I’m not.”
Dan Joo-hyuk chuckled and reached out his hand. As Yoon Pa-ran slightly dodged the hand approaching his cheek, he watched Dan Joo-hyuk’s mouth. He was determined to bite his hand if he spouted nonsense.
Even though he clearly dodged, Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand was quite persistent. When it couldn’t reach the desired cheek, his hand changed direction and slowly approached Yoon Pa-ran’s earlobe.
While doing this, Dan Joo-hyuk dropped a piece of information as shocking as a gate break.
“I found ‘that stone’ in the Russian gate too. And it was deliberately placed in the boss room by someone.”
“What?”
“Without your ability this time, I really could have died.”
“…Really?”
Yoon Pa-ran, who was about to push away the large hand tickling the tip of his ear, stopped abruptly.
Seizing this opportunity, Dan Joo-hyuk’s fingers freely touched Yoon Pa-ran’s trembling earlobe.
“That’s why I want you not to enter gates when I’m not around. I keep having a bad feeling. I told you not to go in alone before I went to Russia because of this premonition.”
“…”
The ticklish feeling and the serious information he had just heard didn’t connect well. Yoon Pa-ran, who had been pondering the situation in confusion, soon frowned deeply.
As he raised his arm, intending to push away Dan Joo-hyuk’s hand first, Dan Joo-hyuk quickly leaned in with his face.
Yoon Pa-ran instantly clenched his lips and froze.
“…”
Why did I react like this?
Feeling strangely uncomfortable, Yoon Pa-ran hardened his expression. Whatever Dan Joo-hyuk understood from his reaction, he continued speaking nonchalantly.
“In exchange, I’ll pay you sufficient compensation for this too.”
For some reason, he still didn’t feel very good about it. Nevertheless, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t help but think about the advantages of going to gates with Dan Joo-hyuk.
While processing gates with him, Yoon Pa-ran was able to earn much more money than when he had struggled alone.
First of all, his income had tripled compared to when he was alone. Besides that, Dan Joo-hyuk provided many additional things. Things like gate allowances that the Gate Management Office doesn’t give, or items and magic stones that come out while conquering gates.
It was all probably payment according to their contract, but it was still surprising. Contrary to what Yoon Pa-ran had expected, it was clear that their contract had quite a few clauses that Dan Joo-hyuk had to strictly adhere to.
Anyway, thanks to this, he was able to cover all the costs of protecting the orphanage. And surprisingly, he had quite a lot of time left, allowing him to spend more time with his siblings.
Recently, there had been a series of unfortunate events at the orphanage. Scary men barging in, police cars blocking the front, it hadn’t been quiet in various ways.
The children seemed a bit intimidated ever since a security company started guarding the orphanage. But as Yoon Pa-ran spent time with them, things gradually improved. Min-woong and Ju-hee’s expressions also brightened a bit.
Above all, with Dan Joo-hyuk around, he wouldn’t die alone inside a gate, leaving his family behind.
Especially now that he was even mentioning an S-rank’s premonition.
“Do you understand?”
“…Well, if you insist.”
Yoon Pa-ran, having reached a conclusion, reluctantly answered. It was a reasonable proposal, but he felt strangely uncomfortable for some reason.
Anyway, this was beneficial for him too. Thinking this, Yoon Pa-ran tried to shake off his awkward feelings. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with how close he was to Dan Joo-hyuk.
As he habitually tried to rub his nape, Dan Joo-hyuk reached out first, gently massaging the back of Yoon Pa-ran’s neck with his large hand.
What a bad habit.
“Are you going to throw away that business card now?”
Dan Joo-hyuk whispered softly like a snake, seemingly tireless.
Understanding his intentions, Yoon Pa-ran finally swatted away the hand touching him and answered firmly.
“No.”
“…”
That was that, and this was this.
The hand that had been warmly covering his nape fell away. When Yoon Pa-ran answered without even looking at him, Dan Joo-hyuk fell silent again.
Yoon Pa-ran didn’t pay attention to Dan Joo-hyuk’s reaction. If he wasn’t going to start driving, he could just walk.
It would be better to unbuckle the seatbelt first. As he reached for the seatbelt with that thought…
Dan Joo-hyuk finally quietly started the car.
“…”
The winter night streets flowed by outside the window again. Yoon Pa-ran stubbornly looked only at the streetlights undulating like waves outside.
Dan Joo-hyuk’s reflection was constantly visible in the passenger window. He could see Dan Joo-hyuk’s gaze steadily looking his way whenever he had a chance, but he deliberately didn’t turn his head.
Strangely, the corners of his mouth kept trying to turn up.
