He just threw a joke and laughed.
"You're a bad adult. What if you mess up a kid's values by saying things like that? Are you trying to make me the strongest villain in the world?"
"That doesn't mean I'm a villain. I don't bully the weak."
Yoon Seo felt a little wronged and refuted. He just didn't actively go into battle, but he was still protecting the weak in front of him. In his own way… Even when he entered the dungeon with a temporary team, how many times had he strengthened the shield? He always upgraded the shield trap installation as well. He wasn't righteous, but he wasn't a villain either.
Of course, it wasn't because he genuinely wanted to protect the weak in front of him. It was just that he had no choice but to do so, fearing that they might leave a will before dying…
"The more I hear, the more I want to fight you."
"Why does it always end up like that?"
"I get this tingling feeling that you're insanely strong. If someone only somewhat strong talked like you, it'd be ridiculous, but considering that I don't find it funny at all and instead feel my veins tighten with tension and excitement, you must be really strong. I hope you're even stronger than me. I need to gain experience and become even stronger to protect the world from the Great Calamity."
"..."
At those words, Yoon Seo furrowed his brows as if deep in thought. The fact that he specifically used the term "Great Calamity" felt suspicious. Not just danger, not just disaster, but Great Calamity? His instincts told him something was up, so he opened his mouth.
"That Great Calamity you're talking about…"
At that moment, the sound of an approaching elevator was heard. Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan stopped their conversation and almost simultaneously looked toward the door. A moment later, the elevator arrived, and someone rushed down the hallway in a hurry.
"Yoon Seo hyung, our item market… Oh, Jihan hyung!"
Without even knocking, Soo Jaehee burst into the waiting room with an excited face. He was startled to see Kwon Jihan but then broke into a wide smile, looking delighted.
"Hyung, why does it feel like it's been so long? You got even more handsome."
"Yeah."
Unlike Jaehee, who was obviously happy, Kwon Jihan remained cynical.
"You cleared the temporary team dungeon yesterday, right? How are the candidates? Do you have a gut feeling that it might be Seo Chaeyoon?"
"No."
"Don't be so quick to dismiss it. Think carefully hyung."
"There's no one among the current temporary team. I'm sure of it."
"That's too much, seriously. Let people have some hope."
Jaehee stomped forward with loud footsteps. Then, he spotted Kwon Jihan's schedule, where "D-DAY" was written on Sunday, the 29th, and his eyes widened.
"The 29th? What's happening that day?"
"That's the day with Yoon Seo."
"…What?"
"I scheduled it with Yoon Seo for that day."
Interrupted in the middle of an interesting conversation, Kwon Jihan indifferently said this and closed his schedule book.
Jaehee's eyes shook. He stiffly turned his head toward Yoon Seo.
Do what? Did I hear that right? His eyes seemed to ask, and Yoon Seo sighed.
"Yes. Hunter Kwon Jihan and I just decided to do it on that day."
"..."
Jaehee blinked twice, stared at the air, then looked back at Yoon Seo. With unfocused eyes, he asked.
"B-but… you two only met recently… Isn't it… too soon?"
"I think so too, but Hunter Kwon Jihan just won't listen. Hunter Jaehee, could you convince him for me?"
"Don't even think about persuading me."
Before Jaehee could reply, Kwon Jihan cut in bluntly and continued right away.
"I already said I'm tingling with excitement to the point of going crazy. Honestly, I'm barely holding myself back from pinning you down right here. If this guy hadn't shown up just now, I would've gone at you immediately."
"See? He's completely unreasonable."
Yoon Seo shrugged. Unlike the two men whose expressions remained unchanged, Jaehee was the only one turning pale and then bright red by himself.
Kwon Jihan stretched out his long leg toward Yoon Seo. He tapped Yoon Seo's knee with his shoe and spoke.
"Yoon Seo, when should we do the second round? Honestly, I'd like to do it every day, but for the sake of your stamina, I'll settle for three times a week."
"There is no second round. We're done after the 29th."
"Once we do it, you'll keep coming back for me. I'm confident I'll satisfy you. You've probably never met someone who can handle you, so you'll experience a whole new world."
Kwon Jihan smiled confidently, his lips curling up coolly. Yoon Seo couldn't refute his words entirely, after all, he had never met an Awakened strong enough to fight him at full power. Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. However, his stress over the duel outweighed that anticipation, so he swore to himself that there would absolutely be no second round.
Meanwhile, Jaehee, who had interpreted the conversation entirely differently, was falling into confusion.
Is Jihan hyung really this much of a full-grown man? He's only twenty-two, but he sounds like a total adult…? He's the one making the move, but since Yoon Seo hyung is twenty-nine, does that make Yoon Seo hyung the real criminal here? How can they have this kind of conversation in front of a guy who literally just graduated high school last year? Is this what adulthood is? Is this how adults talk?
"Yoon Seo, if you're okay with it, I can go all day. I've got stamina potions, so don't worry about endurance."
"All day? You sure say some interesting things. You think you can last three minu—."
Yoon Seo snapped, about to say, "You think you can last three minutes against me?" but shut his mouth. He still hadn't decided whether he should act weak or show off his strength. Especially since Soo Jaehee was here too….
As if reading Yoon Seo's thoughts, Kwon Jihan smiled leisurely and asked.
"So, are you really not setting a second date? A lot of people want to do it with me. You should hurry and book your spot."
"Then go do it with those people. A group session would be quite the spectacle."
Yoon Seo scoffed at the pointless suggestion.
Ding.
A message popped up on Kwon Jihan's U-Pad. The sender was the Seokyoung Guild Master.
Just then, Kwon Jihan remembered he had something to discuss with Yoo Juncheol. Of course, what he wanted to talk about was this very conversation with Yoon Seo. He planned to share every detail that the contract allowed.
"Today was fun. See you next week. You too, Soo Jaehee."
Kwon Jihan waved his hand casually, like he would to a close friend.
Jaehee, whose pupils had been shaking uncontrollably, quickly snapped back to reality and hurriedly greeted him in return.
After Kwon Jihan left, Yoon Seo picked up the remote again. They had talked about too many unnecessary things. Even the memories of what happened in the Great Dungeon were creeping up on him, so he needed to heal fast.
As he urgently searched for 'Love' in Love in Han River,
"Yoon Seo hyung…."
Soo Jaehee trudged over like someone who had just heard unwanted details about their favorite celebrity. He plopped down next to Yoon Seo and took the remote.
"Hyung… That conversation just now…."
Jaehee stammered heavily as he spoke.
"I'm not misunderstanding… am I? That… that conversation… it meant what I think it did, right?"
"Why is your face so red?"
"B-because I just heard that kind of conversation…."
Yoon Seo let out a sigh as he watched Soo Jaehee's trembling pupils. It seemed like today would not be as peaceful as yesterday.
"That's right. That's what we were talking about. Didn't I mention it…? I thought you already knew."
"You didn't… You never said anything about it."
Yoon Seo tilted his head. He was pretty sure he had mentioned that Kwon Jihan had picked a fight with him when they first met. He even said it was unfortunate.
Yoon Seo sometimes forgot what he had for dinner the night before, but seeing twenty-year-old Soo Jaehee forget something that happened less than a week ago made him feel a little sorry for him. Maybe the strain of risking his life clearing dangerous dungeons as an S-rank Awakener had also taken a toll on his brain's memory capacity.
"The two of you… are in that kind of relationship…? W-whoa…."
For some reason, he looked even more shocked than before.
"Does anyone else besides me know that you guys… you know, decided to do that on that day?"
"No. You're the first to find out since we just decided it now."
Since Park Soobin and the Perfect team members only knew that Kwon Jihan had challenged him to a fight but didn't know the date, Yoon Seo shook his head.
"Could you keep this between us? I just want to stay low-key."
"O-of course. I'm not that oblivious. I swear I'll protect your privacy with my life…!"
Soo Jaehee declared with a determined voice. Though his face still held traces of shock, his sincerity was evident, making Yoon Seo feel relieved.
It was truly a case of same bed, different dreams.
***
Seoul was devastated during the Great Cataclysm, to the point where people thought South Korea itself might perish. The destruction in the capital was significantly worse than in other regions, but now, most of it had been restored. Thanks to Awakeners with restoration skills and advancements in technology, Seoul had been revived, appearing even more magnificent than before the Great Cataclysm.
Yoon Seo lived in the very heart of Seoul, Yongsan District.
His home was a newly built apartment, quite spacious for someone living alone, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large terrace. He originally lived in a detached house but moved here four years ago. It was a full purchase, completely debt-free.
Ten years ago, when he was active as Seo Chaeyoon, he would pick up anything that looked suspiciously like an item whenever he saw one. And as expected, when the Gaia System was updated and he appraised those objects, most of them turned out to be actual items. Selling them had earned him an enormous fortune, and he spent two-thirds of it on this apartment.
Seoul's housing prices were already high, but these days, newly built apartments came with shield traps, making a 32-pyeong unit cost around 5 to 6 billion won. Before the Great Cataclysm, Yoon Seo wouldn't even spend 5,000 or 6,000 won on dining out, but he spared no expense when it came to securing a home. There was a reason for that.
'Before you leave, make sure you have a place to return to. A home.'
This, too, was because of a will.