A quiet park where people pass by sporadically.
Han-gyeol was pacing back and forth in the same spot, lost in deep thought.
Recently, the elite party of the Wings Guild, which had been on a trip to the provinces, returned.
Most were D-rank hunters like him, but there was one C-rank member in the party.
That guy, Seo Ji-han, was cruising along as if he would quickly achieve B-rank.
Watching that show-off, Han-gyeol felt the urge to upgrade himself to a C-rank hunter.
But it wasn’t an easy task.
In today’s terms, he was just a loser.
Indecisive and lacking in action, he was a D-rank hunter who mainly ventured into E-rank dungeons.
He couldn’t even open a snack bag in one go.
Still, that spark of ambition ignited within him.
He vividly remembered the time he teamed up with Si-hyun in a D-rank dungeon.
His body moved smoothly, as if it understood him perfectly, and the experience stuck in his mind.
At the time, the situation was so tense he didn’t notice it, but looking back, he knew he was different then.
He was much stronger than usual.
‘It definitely felt like I was aided by a Paladin’s skill.’
There was no other reason that came to mind.
He didn’t know for sure what it was, but it had to be Si-hyun’s influence.
He wanted to experience that feeling just once more.
He wanted to feel how much stronger he’d become.
He wanted to be a C-rank hunter.
Han-gyeol stopped in front of the statue in the park and sat down on the ground.
With trembling hands, he picked up his phone and opened the chat app.
The profile of Si-hyun, automatically registered from adding her number, appeared on the screen.
No background, and a photo of her with a headband perched on her head.
What can I say? It was a very Si-hyun-esque profile.
‘I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.’
Nervously, Han-gyeol pressed the 1:1 chat button.
Since he had never spoken to her before, an empty screen greeted him.
That emptiness felt like a chasm between him and Si-hyun.
‘Should I just give up…?’
Han-gyeol hesitated again.
But he shook his head.
Even if he was a loser, sometimes a man has to charge forward like a manly man!
He boldly typed in his message.
– Hello, Si-hyun. It’s Han-gyeol. If you’re not busy, I’d like to ask for your help.
He only typed the message.
He couldn’t bring himself to hit send and hesitated again.
His finger hovered over the send button, going up and down in an infinite loop.
In that moment—thud—a leaf swept by the wind fell right on top of Han-gyeol’s head.
Startled while staring at his phone, Han-gyeol shot up in surprise.
“Ah, what the! It’s just a leaf!”
Irritated, he swatted the leaf away and looked back at his phone.
“……”
Oh my god, the message had been sent.
It seemed he pressed it when he jumped up in shock.
Han-gyeol felt his eyelids flutter and rubbed his face with his palm.
After splashing some cold water on himself, he looked back at the screen.
It hadn’t been read yet.
He placed the phone down on the ground for a moment.
Stretching out his arms, he decided to do some stretches.
He looked back at the screen.
Still unread.
Time kept passing as he sat there, tense.
The cold wind brushed past him.
Still unread.
‘Let’s just check again when I get home…’
Han-gyeol exhaled heavily and stood up.
He stuffed his phone into his pocket.
Just then—zing.
His smartphone vibrated lightly.
Han-gyeol jumped in surprise and stood frozen in place.
Could it be a message from someone else?
No, it had to be Si-hyun’s reply.
If it was a reply…
Acceptance? Rejection?
What if she says no?
In a short moment, countless thoughts raced through Han-gyeol’s mind.
With trembling hands, he checked the message.
It was indeed from Si-hyun.
– Shall we meet tomorrow afternoon?
A text with a positive tone.
“Yesss——!”
Han-gyeol jumped up from his place, shouting for joy.
It was as if a trumpet sounded in his mind, echoing loudly.
He felt like he held the world in his hands.
Passersby stared at the jubilant Han-gyeol curiously as they walked by.
“……Cough.”
Han-gyeol awkwardly lowered his arms that had shot up toward the sky.
*
At a jjampong restaurant in Seoul.
Since it wasn’t peak lunchtime yet, the place was relatively quiet.
Ding!
As the door opened, a small bell chimed.
A female server who had been wiping down the table stood up.
“Welcome!”
She approached the entrance to guide the newly arrived customer.
Upon seeing the customer’s face, she couldn’t help but smile widely.
“Please sit wherever you like!”
“Yes.”
A young female customer with an exotic appearance.
The server remembered her face well.
She was unforgettable in her beauty and already on her third visit.
Roughly once a week.
As the customer settled into a corner table, the server said,
“One bowl of jjampong, right?”
“Yes.”
The customer nodded demurely.
After confirming the order, the server headed to the kitchen.
“Chef!”
“What’s up?”
The middle-aged man in the kitchen turned his head at the server’s call.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
“That person is here again!”
“Oh, really?”
The chef raised his eyebrows and nodded.
He had only seen the customer’s face briefly when serving the food, but she made a deep impression on him.
During her first visit, she left a bit less than half of her food uneaten.
Was it because the portion was small, or it didn’t match her taste, or was it too spicy?
A fleeting thought passed through his mind.
This customer had visited again just a few days ago.
She left slightly less than before.
It made him feel a bit supportive.
And today, she came back once more.
The chef was curious to see what would happen this time.
He always put his best effort into cooking, but today, he was extra cautious.
As the server brought the jjampong to the customer, both watched closely with bated breath.
The customer stared at the jjampong bowl with a blank face.
Then, she casually swept her long hair behind her ear with one hand.
Blowing gently on the hot noodles, she carefully took a bite.
Huff, huff… slurp—
The eyes of the server and the chef focused intently on her cherry-like lips.
Breaking off a noodle, her reaction was immediate.
“Ugh, ugh….”
It looked tough from the start.
Small wrinkles formed on her delicate brow already.
But the customer didn’t give up and picked up another noodle with her chopsticks.
Another bite, then another.
Savoring the carefully prepared dish.
“You’re eating faster than before!”
“Yes! She might eat more today!”
The two of them quietly cheered her on.
“Cough! Cough!”
Making choking sounds, the customer gulped down water.
The chef clenched his hands tightly, unconsciously.
The customer began to inhale the noodles again.
They silently cheered, rooting for her.
“Go on, keep going! Don’t hold back, go on!”
“This is important! Focus, focus!”
Did their passionate encouragement reach her?
For a moment, the customer, who had been covering her mouth with her palm, began to rapidly slurp up the noodles.
Slurp, slurp—
The noodles quickly dwindled down.
“Whoa—!”
The customer sprang up from her seat.
Her footsteps pitter-pattered as she hurried to the server.
“I’ll take care of the bill!”
After paying with her card, she hastily rushed out of the restaurant.
The server followed her out the door, watching her retreating figure with a wry smile.
The cute customer was rushing off to a nearby convenience store.
She was definitely going to buy something to soothe her aching mouth.
The more she was seen, the more she radiated cuteness.
“Oh, she ate a bit more than last time!”
“Really?”
The chef nodded proudly.
If she came again next week, they might have to give her a little service.
Or it might be good to prepare some milk in the fridge in advance.
Strawberry flavor, perhaps?
Various selfish thoughts passed through his mind.
*
“Haa….”
Si-hyun let out a sigh after taking a sip of banana-flavored milk through a straw.
Now she felt like she could finally breathe, shaking her head.
She hadn’t intended to eat spicy jjampong for lunch in the first place.
But whenever she thought of the Wings Guild, jjampong naturally came to mind.
The memories of that first day were strongly engraved in her mind.
Spicy food was truly a fearsome thing.
She knew it would hurt to eat it, yet every time she thought about it, saliva filled her mouth.
The urge to eat became overwhelming.
In the end, she regretted her choices.
But that first bite, when her tongue was still okay, was simply the best.
Is that why she couldn’t give it up?
Anyway, it was a delicious restaurant.
Si-hyun took public transport to the Wings Guild building.
Perhaps because she had visited several times, it felt familiar.
With smooth steps, she walked toward the office.
Soon, arriving at her destination, Si-hyun knocked and entered.
Han-gyeol, stiff and tense, greeted her.
“Uh, welcome!”
“Hello.”
Si-hyun sat down opposite Han-gyeol.
He exclaimed energetically.
“Oh, thank you for coming today!”
Si-hyun nodded slightly.
She took a sip of milk through her straw.
Though Han-gyeol briefly glanced at the tip of the straw, he quickly shook his head and continued speaking.
“The help I need is actually just for you to come dungeon diving with me, even just once!”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“The reward will all go to you… huh?”
“……? Let’s go to the dungeon.”
Han-gyeol’s eyes widened.
He had pondered all night about how to make it a mutually beneficial situation.
He never expected her to agree so quickly.
Si-hyun took another sip of milk through the straw.
She had already anticipated this request anyway.
It wasn’t that difficult, and Han-gyeol seemed like a kind person.
‘Helping him once wouldn’t hurt,’ she thought lightly, suggesting they meet after lunch.
“We’ll split the dungeon rewards equally.”
“Oh, no! Then I’d be too ashamed. You should definitely take all the rewards, Si-hyun!”
Seeing Si-hyun speak calmly, Han-gyeol shook his head vigorously.
In moments like this, it was best to change the subject.
He recalled a previous event.
“By the way, that Paladin’s skill was definitely affecting me, right? I really felt strong during the last dungeon run.”
“…It’s roughly right.”
“Just as I thought! I want to experience that feeling just once more. I feel I could take a step forward to C-rank! So please!”
“Hump…”
Looking at Han-gyeol’s enthusiastic appeal, Si-hyun smiled softly.
The earnest way he asked pleased her, and his motivation was appropriate.
The desire to break through the wall when feeling cornered.
Si-hyun had often experienced that too.
Ultimately, what’s important is that he discovers it on his own, but giving a bit of help should be manageable.
Having made up her mind, Si-hyun and Han-gyeol lightly exchanged ideas about which dungeon to explore.
It was just then—
“Master! Are you here?!”
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a young man barged into the office.
Si-hyun frowned at the noise, and Han-gyeol’s expression hardened as he recognized the young man.
Seo Ji-han, the ace of the Wings Guild.
“He’s not here either. Hey! Do you know where the Master is?”
“Geez… Ji-han, there’s a guest here. What’s with the rudeness?”
Han-gyeol chided him, and Ji-han turned his head nonchalantly.
Only then did he notice Si-hyun, his mouth agape as if to say “Wow!”
“Oh, hello!”
“……”
Having seen Ji-han ignore Han-gyeol, Si-hyun chose not to respond.
She didn’t wish to engage with this type of person, even in another world.
She focused on savoring the deep flavor of the banana milk through her straw.
‘Should I buy a few more on the way home?’ she pondered.
Ignoring Si-hyun’s dismissal, Ji-han’s muscles twitched involuntarily.
“What? Just because you’re a bit pretty, does that mean you can ignore people?”
“……”
“Hey, what does your brother have to do with it?”
Han-gyeol suppressed the curse words threatening to spill out.
He couldn’t win against Ji-han in a confrontation.
Han-gyeol was a loser.
As Si-hyun silently watched the exchange, she finally spoke up.
“Han-gyeol.”
“Yes?”
When Si-hyun called him, Han-gyeol turned with an apologetic expression.
“You said just a moment ago that you didn’t need conditions or rewards, right?”
“Yes, I did.”
“My thoughts have changed.”
“……?”
Suddenly?
Han-gyeol cocked his head in confusion but nodded.
It had been odd for her to willingly agree to his request without any conditions in the first place.
She wasn’t some saint or anything.
“Please keep him quiet. Then I’ll help you.”
“…What?”
Han-gyeol answered, clueless about what she meant.
How could a D-rank hunter defeat the ace C-rank hunter of the guild?
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Ji-han reacted sharply, raising his voice.
He didn’t like the idea of someone relying on appearance and gender.
But Si-hyun smirked and dismissed him.
In reality, it was a great opportunity.
Han-gyeol’s request involved wanting to experience a buff in a fight.
The dungeon was merely a convenient choice.
The punching bag just happened to show up, so was it necessary to go to a dungeon?
“Hmmm….”
It was a time for education—no, a time for repentance.
