The Dinosaur Pajamas

“Gureum, Gureum. Han Gureum! Wake up, already!”

“…”

“You’ve slept for twenty hours. Isn’t it about time you woke up?”

“…”

“Aren’t you hungry? Don’t you need to use the restroom?”

Kim Ajun continued his attempts to rouse Han Gureum. One would expect him to stir, considering Kim Ajun had been pestering him since the crack of dawn, yet Han Gureum remained completely motionless. Sleeping on a sofa ought to be uncomfortable, but after years of doing so, he seemed remarkably at ease, as if he had grown accustomed to it.

Even with the curtains fully drawn and all the windows open, allowing the sun to shine directly on his face, he didn’t even furrow his brow. Instead, looking even more languid, as if enjoying the warmth, he snored softly.

While Han Gureum was naturally a heavy sleeper, he was also the type to experience drowsiness as a side effect of taking wavelength stabilizers. Kim Ajun quickly realized that his current slumber was a result of the medication.

‘…Hayoon is coming tomorrow, will he be alright?’

Han Gureum, lost in a drug-induced sleep, was a familiar sight to all the members of the Herbivore Guild.

What’s more, everything around him was covered in Kio. His pajamas, pillowcase, even his blanket. When they tried to stop him from making Kio-themed slippers, he simply crafted a pair himself out of non-woven fabric.

While Han Gureum showed little interest in other things, he displayed a rather obsessive devotion to Kio.

‘I need to wake him before it’s too late.’

Though he would have preferred to let Han Gureum wake up on his own, a guest was arriving soon, making that impossible.

On this golden holiday, a day that was essentially personal time when they weren’t delving into dungeons, Kim Ajun had come to the office solely for Seo Dowoon’s sake.

In truth, it was less for Seo Dowoon’s sake and more because observing him was subtly amusing. Baek Heeseong had wanted to come too, but Kim Ajun had firmly declared that too many people would only get in the way, insisting he would “blend in like a shadow.” Meanwhile, the other main character of this story remained fast asleep, utterly oblivious.

Gazing down at Han Gureum, who showed no sign of stirring, Kim Ajun picked up a Kio-shaped ceramic figurine as if delivering a final ultimatum. It was so crudely made that one might suspect it was the result of someone dozing off while working with clay in art class.

“I’m holding a ceramic Kio in my hand right now. If you don’t get up by the count of three, it’s leaving my hand.”

“…”

“One.”

“…”

“Two!”

“…”

“Thre—!”

He hadn’t truly intended to let go, but when Han Gureum abruptly sprang up and flung his blanket aside, Kim Ajun stumbled backward, losing his grip.

Both Kim Ajun and Han Gureum, startled, stared at the ceramic Kio as it sailed through the air.

*Thud!* Having fallen backward and landed squarely on his bottom, Kim Ajun gasped for breath, his heart pounding. He quickly turned his head to look at his hand.

“…Whew.”

Thankfully, he had managed to snatch the ceramic Kio he’d dropped, averting the disaster of it breaking. If it had shattered…

Shaking his head vehemently, unwilling to contemplate the aftermath, he bellowed.

“You startled me!”

Kim Ajun, who had protected the ceramic Kio even to the point of throwing his own body, quickly placed it down on the blanket, fearing it might slip from his grasp and fall.

“Kim Ajun.”

Han Gureum’s voice, having just woken from sleep, was remarkably low. His usual clear and distinct tone was nowhere to be found.

On such a beautiful day, the sunlight was so warm it was almost dazzling. As that light converged on Han Gureum, his golden eyes gleamed intensely.

Normally, it would take him quite a while to fully awaken and collect himself, but perhaps enraged by the handling of his cherished possession, Han Gureum’s gaze was piercingly clear.

Kim Ajun, showing the ceramic Kio nestled in the blanket, quickly continued.

“It’s not broken. It’s perfectly clean! In pristine condition! I wiped it earlier, so there’s not a speck of dust!”

“Put it down, now.”

“Y-yes.”

While he had certainly angered Han Gureum a little, he had undeniably woken him up. Kim Ajun grinned sheepishly.

Kim Ajun rose from his spot and immediately returned the ceramic Kio to its place. It was on a section of the bookshelf next to the window. Strictly speaking, it couldn’t even stand upright, so it was simply laid down. He didn’t frequently dust or wipe it either. To an outsider, its storage condition was so terrible that they wouldn’t think it was cherished at all. However, the members of the Herbivore Guild knew how much Han Gureum treasured it, so they had left that section of the bookshelf entirely to him.

After ensuring the ceramic Kio was safely settled, Kim Ajun turned around.

“Hey, hey! Don’t lie down!”

As Han Gureum attempted to lie back down, Kim Ajun quickly grabbed his arm.

“I told you a guest was coming.”

“…When?”

“Now.”

“When did *you* say a guest was coming?”

“Yes. Now.”

“…”

‘A guest is coming ‘now,’ and he’s telling me ‘now’.’

Knowing that Kim Ajun was always this way, he didn’t want to argue, so he simply gave a rough nod. Then, a sudden question struck him.

“…A guest? A guest is coming *here*?”

Han Gureum wore a completely bewildered expression. After all, the only “guests” they’d ever had were the landlady who briefly stopped by on moving day and Seo Dowoon the last time. The office address wasn’t public, nor were they recruiting new guild members.

So, a guest?

He stared intently at Kim Ajun, then spoke as if he’d figured out who the guest was.

“…Is Seo Dowoon-ssi coming?”

When Han Gureum guessed the guest’s identity instantly, Kim Ajun’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Is he coming to bring the robe today?”

“Yep. He’ll be here soon. He said he’d arrive at nine.”

Han Gureum checked the time.

It was currently 8:55 AM, leaving five minutes until nine.

‘No wonder he kept waking me…’

“You should have told me that earlier.”

“Alright.”

Han Gureum dry-washed his face, then rose from the sofa and meticulously folded his blanket, placing it and his pillow into the cabinet. The chaotic interior of the cabinet, devoid of any organization, was completely plastered with Kio stickers.

As he hastily prepared to change out of his pajamas, *knock, knock.* A knock sounded at the door.

“Looks like he’s here.”

Kim Ajun, his face alight with excitement, approached the door.

Han Gureum, who had been about to shed his pajamas, simply closed the cabinet instead. Though it was his first time appearing in pajamas before another person, he felt neither embarrassment nor shame. He had merely intended to change out of politeness to the guest.

As the door opened, Seo Dowoon appeared.

He was dressed in a crisp white shirt that revealed his forearms and a pair of ivory cotton trousers, an impeccably clean look that suited him perfectly. Last time, his hair had been styled down, but today it was swept back, clearly indicating a deliberate effort to look presentable.

“Welcome!”

“Hello.”

Kim Ajun’s lips curved into an even wider smile as he saw what Seo Dowoon held in his hand. Grinning so broadly that his cheekbones protruded, he took the shopping bag.

“Oh my, you shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble!”

“I felt a bit bad about coming empty-handed last time.”

“You really didn’t need to. But thank you. I’ll enjoy them!”

The shopping bag was filled with snacks. After a quick scan, Kim Ajun waved his hand dismissively and spoke with a flourish.

“Ah, don’t worry about such things.”

Even though he was a landlord, Kim Ajun had assumed his spending wouldn’t be lavish, given that their building was a dilapidated two-story structure. However, upon noticing that most of the items in the shopping bag were from a department store, his eyebrows shot up in delight.

While the Herbivore Guild wasn’t exactly struggling financially, more was always better. There was certainly no harm in having a generous landlord.

“Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

“How would you like it? Iced? Hot? What can I get for you?”

Kim Ajun had always been friendly, but now, asking questions like a cafe barista, he seemed ready to serve even a hot iced americano if requested. Seo Dowoon chuckled at his demeanor and specified he’d like it cold, prompting Kim Ajun to hum a tune as he promised to prepare it right away.

“Hello.”

Seo Dowoon made eye contact with Han Gureum, who stood idly by the cabinet, and greeted him. In response, Han Gureum gave a slight nod. In that brief moment, Seo Dowoon stepped forward and extended a shopping bag that he hadn’t given to Kim Ajun.

“Here’s the robe. I even had it laundered.”

“Thank you. You really didn’t need to do the laundry…”

“Since I wore it, of course I should. I looked it up online, and it said I could just wash it, so I hand-washed it. Is that alright?”

“You hand-washed it? You could’ve just put it in the washing machine. I wear it casually, so it doesn’t matter.”

Even as Seo Dowoon listened to the reply, his attention wasn’t on the voice. His gaze was drawn to the pajamas adorned with a dense pattern of dinosaurs.

He had noticed it last time when he’d taken care of the Kio-related items, but he hadn’t expected Han Gureum to even wear dinosaur pajamas. It didn’t really matter what he wore, but wasn’t this a bit too focused on Kio?

At a glance, the office already had many Kio-related items, and with Han Gureum even wearing Kio pajamas, wouldn’t anyone mistake the Herbivore Guild office for a character merchandise business?

Having only just woken up, one side of his hair was matted, and the rest was tousled, sticking out in all directions like a bird’s nest. He had scheduled an early morning appointment, eager to see him, but he hadn’t anticipated seeing him in such a state. This was an unexpected bonus.

‘I want to take a picture.’

He had never before thought about wanting to photograph something, but for the first time, he felt the urge to open his phone camera.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“…Can I take a picture?”