This is the Kind of Person I Am

“…….”

The more I looked, the more dumbfounded I became. I never imagined that a box full of coffee mix would vanish in a single day—and into a single person’s stomach, no less.

Staring at the empty box in speechless disbelief, I looked over at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Don’t worry too much about it. Supplies can always be restocked.”

“…….”

It’s easier said than done. If I had known it would come to this, I never would have invited the guest—no, Kim Se-hyun—to come by for coffee. I felt like I should restock it with my own money. I briefly calculated how much spare cash I had left.

“Really, don’t worry. We record everything related to Hunters and bill the Association later. We won’t lose a cent.”

“You record it?”

That was news to me. I looked at the Deputy Team Leader.

“There are plenty of Hunters who try to pull tricks with cooperation fees, so we collect data like this to bill them back. If we don’t do this, when else are we going to squeeze money out of the Association?”

“…I see.”

True, given the amounts they took home, the Association couldn’t really complain about a few minor expenses.

Released from the perceived responsibility of refilling the pantry out of my own pocket, I felt immensely relieved. I scanned the breakroom with a much more relaxed expression.

“Ha-neul-ssi.”

“Yes, Deputy Team Leader.”

“Was it a bit quieter yesterday?”

“Pardon? Regarding what…?”

The question was so sudden I didn’t know how to respond. But the confusion lasted only a second. When he made a ‘phone’ gesture with his hand and held it to his ear, my mouth snapped shut.

“The cell phone.”

“…….”

I wanted to say it had been quiet, but the words wouldn’t come out. I managed only a faint, weary smile.

Kim Se-hyun had arrived first thing in the morning and stayed until nearly closing time. Since he left saying he’d see me tomorrow, I vaguely expected him to show up at the office again, but that was one thing—the messages were another.

“…Looking at your face, you must have suffered quite a bit.”

“It wasn’t exactly suffering. Actually, I fell asleep in the middle of a short conversation.”

Perhaps because of the aftermath of texting all through the previous night, I was already exhausted by the time I got home. Messages started flying in the moment I lay down, but I only managed to reply to a few before the drowsiness took over.

I expected a handful of unread messages when I woke up, but the volume I found in the morning was beyond imagination. I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Sigh.”

It was the first time since I started using a cell phone that I saw a +999 notification on my message app. From asking if I was asleep, to wondering what I looked like while sleeping, to telling me to look forward to tomorrow—the sheer variety of messages made my head throb. I shook the thoughts away.

“If it feels like too much, cut him off. Kim Se-hyun is the type who will climb all over you if you keep indulging him.”

“…Should I?”

Yesterday, my brain wasn’t fully functioning, so the fact that the ‘guest’ was the Kim Se-hyun hadn’t quite sunk in. Today was different. Recalling how I had praised the guest while unintentionally dismissing my benefactor, Kim Se-hyun, made my toes curl in embarrassment.

“You can. And always be careful.”

I wondered what there was to be careful about. It wasn’t like Kim Se-hyun was going to hurt me. Despite my doubts, the Deputy Team Leader always had a reason for what he said. I nodded.

“If any problems arise, contact me immediately.”

“Yes.”

“Not just at work, but at home too. If you can’t reach me, contact the whole team.”

“…….”

“It’s okay to do that. You’re part of our Hunter Department family now, Ha-neul-ssi.”

I never expected to hear the word ‘family’ in a professional setting. Sure, you see companies in the media that talk about being a ‘family’ just to exploit people, but this place felt different.

Just hearing that word made my heart swell. My nose tingled, and my vision grew a bit blurry.

The Deputy Team Leader patted my shoulder and quietly left. Wiping my eyes while pretending to brush off non-existent sweat, I looked toward the door as it opened.

“Good morning, Team Leader.”

“…Is something wrong?”

His serious expression made it clear I hadn’t composed myself well enough. I gave an awkward smile.

“Team Leader, what is that?”

“Hm? Oh, this. Young—no, wait. I’ll take care of this, so you go rest.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

I didn’t know what was inside, but the bags were quite bulky. Looking inside, I found boxes of coffee mix, paper cups, and an assortment of other teas. I looked up in surprise.

“Deputy, I’m leaving the receipt on the desk.”

“Got it.”

“And when Kim Se-hyun shows up, make sure he’s never left alone with the youngest.”

“Understood.”

“…….”

Even the Team Leader was warning against being alone with Kim Se-hyun. When multiple people give the same warning, there’s a reason for it. I vowed to be extra careful and started organizing the pantry.

“Wow, Team Leader, did you raid a store?”

“That guy’s stomach is no joke. Poisons don’t even work on him; do you think caffeine would? Since I was shopping anyway, I figured I’d use the excuse of filling that parasite’s bottomless pit to scrape some more money out of the Association.”

“Oh, as expected of the Team Leader!”

“Even if we drink some, it won’t even show! We couldn’t possibly drink that much!”

“Officer Park, exactly! A few sticks of coffee mix won’t be a problem!”

Only yesterday, they were uncomfortable with Kim Se-hyun lingering in the office; I didn’t expect the atmosphere to shift this much over a few boxes of coffee. I let out a dry laugh and nodded when they suggested we all have a cup.

“Deputy Team Leader gets Job’s Tears tea, and the rest of you want coffee mix, right?”

“You got it!”

“The usual, please.”

“Yes.”

The ‘usual’ was always the same. I quickly prepared the drinks, distributed them to the team, and took my own cup back to my desk.

“Attention, everyone.”

The Team Leader clapped his hands the moment I sat down. I turned my chair to face him.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Standing up, the Team Leader scanned the room and uncrossed his arms.

“What’s the status of the current dungeon reports?”

“The dungeon scale and the list of Association hunters who cooperated on-site are finalized,” Officer Park answered. The Team Leader nodded and looked at me, prompting me to straighten my posture.

“And the youngest?”

“I just need to do a final review of the cooperation fees.”

“Bring it to me as soon as you’re done. Officer Kim?”

“I just need to head to the Association today to pick up the final roster.”

“Good. Let’s finalize everything and report to City Hall by the end of the day.”

“The General Affairs department must be loving life lately.”

“Probably. With that guy taking the lead, the damage is minimal, after all.”

If the Hunter Department had to handle the damage costs too, this place would probably have gone under. Even without that, we had more than enough work.

“As you all know, make sure our chick and the parasite aren’t left in a room alone.”

“Understood!”

“Of course! I’m planning to escort him to the bathroom too!”

We didn’t even use an external bathroom; going together felt a bit excessive. My expression turned flat as my eyes landed on the ‘Restroom’ sign inside the office.

“But, sir.”

“You have something to say?”

Officer Kim raised his hand. I looked at the seat next to me.

“That guy. From the way he left yesterday, it looked like he was definitely coming back today.”

“Don’t even say it. You’ll jinx us.”

“Yes, sir!”

‘That guy’ clearly referred to Kim Se-hyun. As Officer Kim lowered his hand and fell silent, I looked back at the Team Leader.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get to work.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood.”

The Team Leader clapped and sat down. I turned my chair and pressed the power button on my computer.

“Hyung, good morning.”

“…Wow.”

“What is it now?”

“…….”

I didn’t know how to describe this situation.

The moment my computer screen flickered to life, the door opened, and Kim Se-hyun appeared through the gap. Dressed just as flamboyantly as yesterday, he approached with a beaming smile. Unlike yesterday, I noticed his left hand was hidden behind his back.

My curiosity piqued by his secretive posture, I stared intently at his back.

Something was there, but it remained hidden. I caught glimpses of something red, but before I could process it, he grabbed a chair from the round table and sat right next to me.

“Hyung, nothing happened last night, right?”

“…I just fell asleep because I was tired.”

“I saw that you checked the messages this morning. Why didn’t you reply?”

“I forgot while I was getting ready for work.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll let it slide.”

“…Haha.”

He spoke as if he were doing me a great favor. I could only offer an awkward laugh.

“Anyway, Ha-neul Hyung. You really need to build up your stamina. Oh, I know a way to exercise while lying down comfortably. But it’s not something one person can do; two people must do it together. Want to try it with me sometime?”

“…Lying down comfortably?”

I doubted any real exercise could be described as ‘comfortable,’ but I couldn’t help being intrigued. I asked back.

“Is there really an exercise you can do comfortably?”

Perhaps Kim Se-hyun’s definition of exercise was different from mine. Was there a type of workout I was unaware of?

“It’ll be amazing. You might even beg me to do it together every day because you love it so much.”

“…….”

Even if it was an exercise done while lying down, it was only natural to feel the aftereffects. I usually hated working out because the resulting muscle pain made me never want to do it again. But he claimed it would be so good I’d want to do it daily? Even with my lack of intuition, I could tell Kim Se-hyun was trying to sell me something suspicious.

I stiffened my expression and offered a rebuttal.

“Exercise causes muscle pain, and when you have muscle pain, you want to rest. There’s no way I’d want to do it again immediately.”

“Pfft!”

“Keke!”

The moment I finished speaking, bursts of laughter erupted from around the office. Looking around, everyone had their heads buried in their desks, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

“…….”

There was nothing funny, so why were they laughing? With a sense of unease, I looked back at Kim Se-hyun.

“…Well, we can figure that out as we go.”

For a second, Kim Se-hyun’s eyelids seemed to quiver, but then that brilliant smile spread across his face again. I was momentarily dazed by his radiance, but I flinched as a splash of red entered my field of vision, accompanied by an intense fragrance.

“I saw this on my way here and thought it looked like you. I just picked it up.”

“…Ah.”

I had wondered what he was hiding, but I didn’t expect a bouquet. And not just any bouquet—it was filled with the same red roses that had decorated the flower basket and wreath that had caused such an uproar in the office. My eyes darted around in panic until they landed on something that made my breath catch.

“…….”

No. It couldn’t be.

I tried to ignore the object shyly peeking out from between the flowers, but it was no use. A large hand reached into the bouquet and grabbed it. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.

“Ah, this is a letter containing my heart.”

“…….”

“Go on, take it, Hyung.”

I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I had to. I slowly looked up at Kim Se-hyun and accepted the item he held inches from my face.

“Read it quickly.”

I desperately wanted to read it when I was alone, or at least when Kim Se-hyun wasn’t there. But I couldn’t ignore his persistent urging. Reluctantly, I opened the pink card and read the contents.

「To my angel, Ha-neul Hyung♥」

「Hyung, I’m so happy you came to me.」

“…….”

The first line was bad enough, but the impact of the second line was significant. When did I ever ‘go’ to Kim Se-hyun? I wondered. The phrase about him being ‘happy’ left me feeling profoundly unsettled. I stared at the card in silence until he called my name again.

“Hyung, you must have a lot of work, so work today. I’ll just find a way to spend my time on my own.”

“…Go ahead.”

Should I be relieved that he wasn’t asking for coffee constantly like yesterday, or should I object to him saying he’d just ‘hang out’ at someone else’s workplace?

The more I thought about it, the more I felt like the only one who was confused and complicated. I set the card and bouquet on a corner of my desk and hardened my resolve.

Right, if Kim Se-hyun crossed the line, the team members wouldn’t just stand by. Recalling the word ‘family’ from this morning, I felt my shrunken heart start to return to its normal size.

“Oh, Ha-neul Hyung.”

“Yes.”

“Could you hold the bouquet just one more time?”

That wasn’t difficult. I took the flowers back into my arms.

Clickclickclickclickclickclick!

“Mm, that’s good.”

“Ha… ha.”

Kim Se-hyun looked at his phone and nodded with satisfaction. I didn’t expect him to suddenly shove a camera in my face. I let out a dry laugh, set the flowers back down, and looked over the tasks I had to handle today.

Clickclickclickclick

“…….”

Clickclickclickclickclickclickclick!

I had wondered why he brought a chair over; it seemed this was the reason. Perhaps it was because Kim Se-hyun was sitting right next to me, busy clicking away at his camera shutter, but I found it impossible to concentrate.

“…….”

Since I had to work with numbers, any distraction could lead to a major error. I tried to steady my mind and continued my work more seriously and slowly than ever before. However…

Clickclickclickclick!

“So pretty.”

“Really, so cute.”

The shutter noise and the intensity of his gaze were enough, but the verbal assault made me want to find a hole to crawl into.

I wanted to say something, but it was obvious that would just lead to more conversation. The text messages from last night were proof of that. In the end, I chose to let it go in one ear and out the other, processing my work slower than usual.

I don’t know how much time passed, but something tickled my cheek. I raised my hand to brush it away.

“Hm?”

“…….”

I thought it was a mosquito, but something long was caught in my hand. When I turned my head, I was overcome with an even greater sense of bewilderment.

What I was holding in my hand was none other than Kim Se-hyun’s hand—specifically, his index finger.