#50
The first thing he felt was the rich butter aroma. The deep flavor passing from the back of his mouth to his nose was truly amazing. The meat, which he had thought was undercooked, was so tender that it seemed to melt as soon as it touched his teeth, immediately sliding down his throat.
“This is delicious…”
Saying this unconsciously, Seo Yi-young was at a loss for words when he saw Choi Do-jun changing the plate. The steak had been cut into bite-sized pieces at some point. Why was he acting like this? It was hard to get used to.
Choi Do-jun spoke to Seo Yi-young, who was hesitantly fidgeting with his fork.
“If you’re not going to hold a ceremony in front of it, hurry up and eat.”
“I was just about to.”
As he put the meat into his mouth one by one, chewing and swallowing, the big question mark in his mind didn’t disappear.
What’s wrong with this guy? It was too lukewarm to call it creepy, and the expression “giving goosebumps” seemed more fitting. There was only one reason Seo Yi-young could guess for Choi Do-jun’s change in attitude.
The sex they had yesterday.
He had been like this ever since. Could Choi Do-jun possibly think they were dating? Without that, this change in attitude couldn’t be explained. Seo Yi-young, who had been chewing diligently, glanced at Choi Do-jun sitting across from him.
Seeing the large-built man sitting at a table for two made the already small table look even smaller. Why does he look so crumpled up while eating? Given his personality, he would normally complain about the discomfort and get up, but seeing him endure it and eat well meant there was definitely a reason.
…Does he want to eat with me? Having thought that far, Seo Yi-young turned his head elsewhere to hide his expression. Thinking that Choi Do-jun was doing this because he wanted to make a good impression on him made Choi Do-jun seem a bit cute. A feeling of pride also arose. Wasn’t he in a position of advantage over Choi Do-jun?
He could tell that Choi Do-jun’s gaze occasionally rested on him. Does he want to keep looking at me that much? He could look more openly if he wanted. Then I could point it out and see Choi Do-jun’s embarrassed face. Including that, he believed his speculation was correct.
Only after putting all the food in front of him into his stomach did he finally feel alive. After finishing the water in the bottle last, Seo Yi-young opened his mouth with difficulty. Having come this far, he couldn’t be surly. There was no reason to be. Though his words had been harsh, hadn’t Choi Do-jun given him water and food? And he had even done cute things that didn’t suit him.
“Thank… you.”
It was just saying thank you, but it was truly embarrassing. At Seo Yi-young’s mumbled greeting, Choi Do-jun stopped eating, met his gaze, and raised his eyebrows.
“So to hear words of thanks, I need to fill that mouth with food.”
“…Shut up, will you.”
He absolutely had no intention of dating, but he wanted to see Choi Do-jun grovel a bit. He wouldn’t act as recklessly as before toward someone he was dating. Even if it was Choi Do-jun.
“It seems like you’re more or less done, so I’d like you to leave soon.”
“What? Where are we going?”
Thinking he might be suggesting a date, he asked back, but Choi Do-jun’s reaction was strange.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Only after hearing that did his brain start working. As Seo Yi-young understood what Choi Do-jun had said, heat slowly rose to his face.
“When are you thinking of going home?”
He’d been delivered a killing blow.
Seo Yi-young had understood Choi Do-jun’s words as “let’s go out together,” when Choi Do-jun had simply meant “get out of my house.” Good heavens.
“I’m going. I’ll go. I was going to leave even without you saying it.”
There had never been such a misunderstanding. His face was on fire.
Choi Do-jun looked at Seo Yi-young suspiciously. No, in fact, even seeing it as suspicious was just Seo Yi-young’s own interpretation. Choi Do-jun might have just been looking at him.
A prickly silence, as if thorns were attached, settled uncomfortably. It felt like he could suffocate to death under its weight. He needed to say something, but the silence was so heavy he couldn’t move an inch.
While Seo Yi-young was diligently searching for something to say, Choi Do-jun took the initiative.
“Why are you being so hypersensitive?”
“Hyp-hypersensitive? What do you mean!”
Seo Yi-young flared up, stung at the core. But his reaction was too extreme. That seemed to give Choi Do-jun confidence.
“What kind of misunderstanding did you have?”
It was a voice dripping with incredulity. Choi Do-jun put down the fork and knife he was holding on the plate. Whether it was his mood or not, the sound seemed as loud as thunder.
They say people freeze when they’re too embarrassed. Not only was he embarrassed, but sweat began to seep out from the shame and humiliation. Not a single word to retort came to mind. He was just desperately praying in his head. Please don’t know. Don’t catch on.
Choi Do-jun must absolutely not know what Seo Yi-young had thought. If he were to find out that too, he wouldn’t be able to show his face in public.
“If you think we’re dating just because of this much, it’s obvious how you usually treated people around you.”
Choi Do-jun delivered the final blow. He wished Choi Do-jun would just kill him instead. Feeling cold sweat to the tips of his fingers, he glared at his nails.
That statement just now made it certain. Choi Do-jun had just acted without any particular intention. Seo Yi-young had simply assigned meaning to it. Like a fool. No, but wasn’t he the strange one? Suddenly changing his attitude, how could he not be misunderstood? It couldn’t be entirely Seo Yi-young’s fault.
“You! What about you. It didn’t matter who it was for you!”
“That doesn’t seem like something you should say, having seduced me at our first meeting.”
Ugh.
He was at a loss for words. It wasn’t done by Seo Yi-young, but it was Seo Yi-young’s action. He wanted to grab the original Seo Yi-young by the neck and shake him vigorously, asking what the hell he had done. But he couldn’t back down here.
“Wh-what does it matter to you? You keep mentioning past events.”
Though he spat it out with bravado, he couldn’t sit there any longer. Because he was aware he was being unreasonable, he couldn’t raise his face even more.
“Take a shower before you leave. You must feel uncomfortable since you just fell asleep yesterday.”
“No need.”
Choi Do-jun’s nerves were extraordinary, speaking so calmly. Seo Yi-young, who had curtly refused and was hastily trying to get up, had overlooked one thing. That is, the state of his body.
A body that was difficult to move even slowly couldn’t withstand sudden movement. Seo Yi-young immediately slumped to the floor. And his reflection appeared on the well-polished, milk-colored marble floor. But his skin color seemed strange. Especially around the neck.
“…”
Furrowing his brow, he brought his face closer to the floor. Seo Yi-young wasn’t seeing things wrong. The skin around his neck was indeed showing absurd colors. Yellow, light green, red, purple. Mottled, in full color. Bite marks were also visible here and there. After being nibbled on so much, there was no way his skin could have withstood it.
He also realized why Choi Do-jun had been glancing at him. He had been looking at this. Gradually, his face turned bright red. It wasn’t just embarrassment but also rising anger.
“You, this, …this.”
His fists trembled. Of course, there was the issue of muscle pain, but this was due to rising anger.
“Ah, didn’t you know?”
Choi Do-jun’s nonchalant voice poured oil on the fire.
“You’re being so fussy when they’ll all disappear if you use your ability anyway.”
…What did he say?
His patience finally snapped at the outrageous statement that crossed the line.
“That’s for me to decide, you crazy bastard!”
Seo Yi-young’s shout, forgetting the pain, resonated through the air.
*
Seo Yi-young, riding on a private jet for the first time, looked around the interior with curiosity.
The destination was Washington, USA.
The US government, having difficulties with dungeon conquest, had requested Seo Yi-young’s cooperation. It seemed that the previous meeting Jo Tae-su had with the US President had resulted in such an agreement. Seo Yi-young couldn’t express his dissatisfaction.
The United States had only requested Seo Yi-young. It was a good excuse since he didn’t want to run into Choi Do-jun anyway. He was going to use the opportunity to refresh his mood.
The private jet provided by the US was quite spacious inside and comfortable. The in-flight meal was also luxurious, making it feel like he was really going on a vacation.
Only after sitting in his seat and picking up the dungeon report did Seo Yi-young’s expression harden.
The type of dungeon was New-type, but the expected grade was not ordinary.
SS~SSS.
He had never seen such a dungeon grade before. Moreover, it seemed they had already failed one dungeon conquest attempt. Half of the hunters deployed did not make it out alive.
Seo Yi-young’s brow furrowed. Amusingly, the first person he thought of was Choi Do-jun. With Choi Do-jun, this anxiety might have been a bit lighter. Regardless of what kind of person he was, his skill was the best among the hunters Seo Yi-young knew.
Seo Yi-young glared at the printed paper. What was this grade supposed to mean? Wasn’t this like sending him in to die?
Of course, Korea wouldn’t have approved Seo Yi-young’s deployment without any thought. They would have made the decision after thoroughly reviewing the risk factors, but that was a judgment made by higher-ups who had never been to the site. Since it was his own matter, it felt completely different to Seo Yi-young.
Could he really manage alone? Which American hunters would be going in? …Surely, he wouldn’t die, right?
Seo Yi-young, who hadn’t expected his first overseas trip to be like this, felt strange. Entering the dungeon would probably be dangerous, but that was a concern for later.
It was also an opportunity to find out if strange objects appeared after defeating boss mobs in New-type dungeons overseas, just as they did in Korea. So for now, he decided to just enjoy the moment.
Upon arrival at the destination, Seo Yi-young moved to the site without rest and joined the conquest team. Though he was worried about how to communicate with local hunters due to his anxiety about speaking English, his concern was resolved by being provided with automatic translation earphones.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
