Dark circles shadowed his face, and fatigue was written all over his expression. No matter how much he tried to act composed, it was impossible to hide. Well, it was no surprise—the busiest people at the moment were the members of the Hansung Guild. As the guild that had stood virtually opposite to Gongmyeong, they had been credited accordingly and, in turn, were burdened with a mountain of responsibilities.
The man who had been standing stiff like a totem pole finally entered the room after I stepped aside, but he looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
“There was some weird guy loitering in front of the door, so I chased him off…”
“You did good.”
I gave Lee Myung-won a light pat on the shoulder and gestured toward the sofa, suggesting he sit down.
If an A-rank Hunter looked this bad, then the Hunters below him must be struggling even more. Even Baek Tae-beom had been rushing out before dawn lately, so it wasn’t surprising. I thought about comforting Lee Myung-won but gave up. Whatever I said would just feel hollow. From where I stood—someone who couldn’t do anything—I didn’t think I could offer words that would help.
Instead, I decided to go to the kitchen and make some tea. I wanted to offer coffee, but Lee Myung-won had to cut back on it. I recalled Baek Tae-beom casually mentioning that he drank five cups of coffee a day. Was he planning his own funeral?
On top of that, there had been a time when he had taken one sip of the coffee I made… and spit it right out. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for making coffee. Or maybe it just tasted bad. Or maybe coffee prep wasn’t in my skill set to begin with. I did try to give him a boost by adding a health tonic, but I doubt that was the issue.
In any case, making tea was easy—just steep a tea bag in hot water. The real problem was Baek Tae-beom never letting me enter the kitchen. I could do everything else, but cooking? Strictly forbidden. What the hell did that even mean?
“Ah, thank you.”
“It’s been a while. But what brings you here? Tae-beom’s out on a job.”
“Ah, I actually came to speak with you, Choi Ga-hyeon.”
With me?
Lee Myung-won took a sip of tea and gave a calm smile. He looked amused by my reaction. Well, who wouldn’t be caught off guard?
Aside from the beginning, there wasn’t much I could do anymore. I had no new statements to give. My testimony had already been used a few times when Kang Si-hoo went to trial. Aside from that, even as a member of Hansung Guild, I wasn’t directly involved in anything. Unless it concerned Baek Tae-beom.
“Is this about Tae-beom?”
“No. It’s about you, Choi Ga-hyeon.”
Did I do something wrong? Cause trouble? No way—I hadn’t even gone out much recently. My mind quickly filled with confusion. Amused by my growing unease, Lee Myung-won pulled out some documents from inside his jacket. I took the crumpled pages with still-confused hands and began to read.
“…‘The Hero Has Returned’?”
I read aloud the bold letters printed across the top and slowly moved on to the text below. To summarize, the content was simple:
They wanted me to go into a dungeon.
Me.
“You’re asking me to enter a dungeon?”
I frowned and asked, skimming over the document again and again. The contents didn’t change no matter how many times I reread it. I paused to make sure I was interpreting the message correctly. Apparently, the allied guilds—Hansung, Goblin, and Wanderers—were co-hosting an event. The purpose was to bring healing to the tired public through entertainment.
And that entailed broadcasting famous Hunters, including myself—one of those who had defeated Angrboda—as they tackled a dungeon together.
Sure, the intent was admirable. But I didn’t think I belonged in this kind of operation.
“I’m just a regular civilian now.”
The radiant power and dazzling skills I once had were completely gone. Not that I was worthless now, but I couldn’t recklessly throw myself into danger like I used to. Back then, I at least had immunity to death. But now? If I died in this state, there’d be no getting back up. Whether it was Anubis, Hel, or Hades waiting on the other side, I’d be going straight to the afterlife.
Unless something of my former Constellation self remained inside me—which it didn’t. I’d been re-evaluated using the latest rating test, and the results were crystal clear: civilian. Just a pale, fragile body that bruised if I bumped my knee against the desk.
Naturally, I assumed Baek Tae-beom wouldn’t allow this plan to move forward either. This was the same guy who once dragged me to the ER in the middle of the night because I cut my finger. That was the moment I realized what true embarrassment felt like. Anyway, that’s how sensitive he was about my safety.
And now they wanted to bring me into a dungeon? Not a chance in hell.
“Do you think this makes any sense?”
I let out a short laugh as I put the papers down. But Lee Myung-won still had that same smile on his face, as if he were humoring a child.
“Yes, Choi Ga-hyeon. I know what you’re thinking, but I assure you, this won’t be dangerous at all.”
“How can you say that so confidently?”
“The dungeon in question is an E-rank field-type we’ve already secured. It’s more like a staged display. You’ll be equipped with A-rank gear prepared by Ahn Ki-yoon and just need to show up.”
“A staged display?”
“In simpler terms, think of it like filming a variety show.”
Lee Myung-won pulled out a pen and placed it on the document.
“A broadcast station is participating, and the idol Blue Star will also be joining—so there’s really nothing to worry about.”
“…Wait, hold on.”
I gave him a look that screamed disbelief.
“So you’re telling me… everyone else agreed to this absurd plan?”
“That’s right. We just need your consent now, Choi Ga-hyeon.”
“Wait—what about Tae-beom…?”
“He already agreed.”
What?
I was stunned. When had he agreed to something like this? Without even giving me a heads-up? Something had to be wrong. Baek Tae-beom agreed to this? When there’s a chance I could be in danger? How could he just—let that slide?
It sounded shameless, but I had the right to think that way because of everything Baek Tae-beom had done for me. If it meant keeping me safe, he’d be the type to swim across the Pacific Ocean.
“No matter what, this is still way too dangerous—”
“Dangerous? When we’ll all be there?”
Lee Myung-won’s lighthearted voice left me speechless. Could I really claim that a dungeon was dangerous when one of the top three strongest individuals in Korea was personally participating? If they couldn’t protect someone like me, wouldn’t that be even more embarrassing?
……
Even so, I couldn’t shake the unease crawling up my spine. Something about it just didn’t sit right. Maybe it was because everything was happening so suddenly. Maybe my lowered self-esteem after stepping away from the front lines had something to do with it. And maybe, just maybe, the thrill of adventure starting to creep back into me was also to blame. I was afraid that getting swept up in that rush would just lead to causing trouble for everyone else.
“If you agree, please sign at the bottom with this pen.”
But even so.
A dungeon, once again.
I realized, faintly, that I was getting excited. One of the changes that came after losing the emotional synchronization was that I started revisiting every little emotion I felt. As if I needed to verify—is this really how I feel?
“…Alright.”
I signed smoothly and handed the documents back to Lee Myung-won. With a short word of thanks, he vanished like the wind. Left alone in the now-silent living room, I sat there staring blankly at the front door. It felt like I’d just been bewitched by a Goblin.
Right then, almost like he had been waiting for that exact moment, the door lock beeped and Baek Tae-beom walked in.
Wearing only a thin shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his arms looked thick and solid like old tree trunks. He still wore the ring I had once put on his finger, and his large hands were calloused and scarred. Thick brows, a sharply defined nose bridge, lips still red and swollen from my biting last night, and those golden eyes I loved more than anything.
Wearing a frosty expression that no one would dare approach, Baek Tae-beom’s face lit up like ink blooming in water the moment he saw me sitting on the sofa. His whole demeanor softened as he called out to me.
“Hyung. You’re up?”
“Why are you back so early?”
“Just had something to take care of.”
He answered vaguely and sat down right next to me like it was the most natural thing in the world. Then, as if trying to check over every trace he’d left last night, his eyes slowly roamed over my clothes. I rolled my eyes and pushed a hand against his face.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“No one came by, right?”
“What do you mean no one? Lee Myung-won came.”
“That thing—you signed it, right?”
This little bastard. I narrowed my eyes. Baek Tae-beom grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms, rubbing his lips against the bridge of my nose. In a low murmur, he asked again.
“You signed, didn’t you?”
“What kind of stunt are you pulling?”
“Stunt?”
He blinked innocently, pretending he had no idea what I was talking about.
“This was your doing.”
“Me?”
Look at him feigning ignorance. I was so floored, I couldn’t even find the words. And to top it off, he was handsome as hell. How far was this bastard planning to go with that face?
“You’re the one behind this whole <The Hero Has Returned> thing.”
“Oh, that? Why would I bother with that?”
Baek Tae-beom tilted one corner of his mouth up, speaking almost in a whisper.
“Why would I go to Lee Myung-won with that idea, contact the broadcasting company, reach out to the other guilds, and gather all those famous Hunters?”
Strangely enough, the way he laid it all out sounded… convincing. There was nothing in it for him. Baek Tae-beom was the kind of person who didn’t give a damn what others thought about him. If anything, Yoo Ji-won or Blue Star would benefit more. Or maybe Hansung Guild would profit from the positive boost in his public image.
But still, I couldn’t shake the suspicion. Tilting my head back slightly, I asked in a low voice:
“You seriously had nothing to do with this?”
“Give me a kiss, hurry.”
The way he shamelessly changed the subject made it clear he was hiding something, but I couldn’t quite figure out what. Even as I leaned in and kissed his cheek, mashing my lips against him, I was filled with suspicion. Baek Tae-beom laughed out loud, both corners of his mouth tugging upward.
“Who kisses like that?”
“I do. Got a problem?”
Baek Tae-beom’s hand naturally drifted down from my shoulder to my waist, moving slowly. He wrapped his arm around my waist, then casually cupped my butt. I flinched slightly as the memory of our early morning escapades flashed through my mind, and his grin deepened. I couldn’t help but think how infuriating he was.
“Then how about a kiss on the other side, too?”
I obediently kissed his other cheek. Then I clicked my tongue when I felt what was unmistakably stirring below him. All I did was kiss him twice, and yet he was already heavy down there. There was no way I could keep up with Baek Tae-beom’s stamina.
Then again, trying to match the stamina of an S-rank Hunter was impossible from the start.
“Don’t get hard.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t handle it.”
“Since when could you ever?”
Baek Tae-beom shot back shamelessly, and I had to hold myself back from pinching his damn cheek off. When his hand began to sneak up under my clothes, I grabbed his wrist.
“I’m hungry. No.”
I said it in a firm tone, like you would to a puppy. Baek Tae-beom pouted but pulled back without complaint. See? That’s Baek Tae-beom for you. He cared too much about my well-being to ignore me saying I was hungry. Which is exactly why it made no sense that he’d ever agree to me appearing on a show like <The Hero Has Returned>.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“Then how about we eat out?”
“I just woke up.”
“You’re pretty enough to go out as is.”
I pushed him away, telling him to quit with the nonsense, and rolled off the sofa. Just as I was about to walk into the kitchen, Baek Tae-beom panicked and hugged me tightly from behind.
“I’ll do it! I’ll cook!”
“Why do you freak out every time I try to go into the kitchen?”
“I just don’t want your hands to get wet.”
He planted a deep kiss on my cheek and then walked into the kitchen.
