This is a Foul (4)

Sunday morning. As soon as I opened my eyes, I woke Gi-seok up and dragged him out to the yard. Squatting in front of the small vegetable garden, I watched him move at a snail’s pace.

“Yeon Ha-neul, you cold-blooded brat.”

“…….”

“To work a friend to the bone when he’s practically drowning in alcohol… You’re vicious, truly.”

Any other day, I might have let it slide, but today I had no intention of replying. I spoke firmly to Gi-seok, who was hunched over pulling weeds while grumbling incessantly.

“If you got a place to sleep, you have to earn your keep.”

If it hadn’t been for that dungeon appearing late Friday afternoon, I would have attended the Hunter Department’s first team dinner. I was quite disappointed about the postponement, yet this “friend” of mine had spent the night out partying with others.

Even if he was on military leave, I couldn’t look at him favorably today.

“Still, waking someone up at the crack of dawn to work after they’ve been drinking all night?”

His tone carried a hint of genuine resentment. I snorted.

“If you didn’t want to work, you should’ve gone back to your own house.”

“My mom’s hand would’ve left a permanent mark on my back.”

“Then you should’ve known when to stop. You have to report back in three days.”

“When else am I going to drink if not now? …I won’t get another chance until my next leave.”

“Tsk.”

The old saying that a habit at three lasts until eighty is true. I frowned as he suddenly gagged.

“Ugh.”

“…Don’t pretend to puke. It’s so obvious.”

If he were actually going to throw up, he would have done it long ago. I clicked my tongue, reminding him that I had already served him a hangover drink and bean sprout soup—which I hadn’t even planned on making—the moment he woke up.

“…Is social life that hard? Did it give you a sixth sense you didn’t have before?”

“Don’t you think your acting is just terrible?”

If he were going to act, he should’ve made it look convincing instead of just making noises while checking my reaction. Only a fool wouldn’t notice.

“Your wits are the only thing growing.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve always been sharp.”

“…You’re shameless, Yeon Ha-neul.”

I didn’t know what he meant by shameless. I might be a bit slow to catch onto words sometimes, but I was definitely quick at reading the room. I handed him a burlap sack.

“Hurry up and put all the weeds in here. We have a lot more to do.”

I had been planning a deep clean anyway, and I couldn’t miss an opportunity like this. I urged him on, determined to clean every nook and cranny now that I had an extra pair of hands, but he seemed to have no intention of moving. Finally, I dangled a carrot.

“I’ll buy you lunch.”

“I want something with broth.”

I knew he wanted something specific. I let out a hollow laugh, realizing his earlier behavior was just a performance, and nodded.

“Fine. Jjamppong, right?”

“And Tangsuyuk.”

“Got it.”

“I shall show you the weed-pulling prowess of an active-duty soldier!”

“Right, right.”

Even without him mentioning it, his ‘Shin-chan’ buzzcut made it obvious he was a soldier. Well, if he was that excited, there was no need to bring it up.

As we cleared the yard quickly while chatting, I announced the next task to Gi-seok, who was stretching and licking his lips in anticipation of lunch.

“Now, time for the deep clean inside the house.”

“…….”

He must have seen it coming, but his face was a picture of misery. Ignoring his dissatisfied gaze, I stepped into the house.

“Let’s get it done so we can rest. We can finish today.”

It was better to move than to hesitate. I asked him to clean the living room and stepped into the master bedroom where my parents used to sleep.

“…A lot of dust has gathered.”

I cleaned it once a week, but since I wasn’t thorough, dust had piled up on the furniture. I opened the windows, wiped down the furniture and every corner of the room, and finally opened the wardrobe for ventilation.

“…….”

In the past, this would have been filled with blankets and my parents’ clothes. Looking at the empty interior, my nose suddenly began to sting. Steeling myself, I opened the other drawers to air them out.

Stinging eyes wouldn’t change anything. I couldn’t go back to that day—the day they were in that car accident, the day the dungeon appeared near our house.

“Whew.”

I knew it, but I couldn’t help feeling heavy and depressed every time I cleaned. Letting out a deep sigh, I finished up and went to my own room.

Just like the master bedroom, I opened the windows first and started tidying my desk. Then, I let out a big stretch to relieve my stiff muscles.

“…Hm?”

What is that?

Something caught my eye that hadn’t been there just a few days ago. Across the window—to be more precise, on the streetlight over the wall—there was something black attached to it. I racked my brain to remember if it had been there before, but nothing came to mind. I stared at it intently.

“What is it?”

It was too high up for the elderly neighbor to have attached it. The wall blocked a full view, but the part I could see was sleek and rounded… it looked like a circular object….

“Oh?”

Come to think of it, when I met Kim Se-hyun in front of the house recently, I saw a round object lying under the streetlight. Wondering if it was the same thing, I examined it closely until Gi-seok called me.

“Hey, Yeon Ha-neul!”

“I’m coming!”

I was curious, but I could check again later. I headed to the living room as he urged me to hurry.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hey, help me lift this.”

“…You’re moving the sofa too?”

“You said it was a deep clean.”

“Well, yeah, but….”

I hadn’t intended to go as far as moving the sofa. I was momentarily taken aback by the scale of his plan, but then I realized this was a chance.

Thinking I might not get another chance to clean under the sofa, I helped him move it. Once we finished the living room, he gestured for me to go back to my room, and I did.

“Eh?”

“What? Is something wrong?” Gi-seok called out, probably hearing my exclamation.

I told him it was nothing and stared blankly out the window.

“Where did it go?”

The black object that had been on the streetlight just moments ago was gone. I wondered if I had hallucinated it, but I quickly brushed it off.

I must have been mistaken. If not, a black object wouldn’t just vanish into thin air. I concluded that I must have caught a glimpse of something someone was handling in a blind spot and went back to tidying my room, my curiosity faded.

— Recently, many events have occurred due to dungeons appearing across the globe.

— That’s right. There is growing concern as high-difficulty dungeons have never appeared simultaneously like this before. Amidst this, the perception is spreading that our country is safer than any other. It’s reported that many foreigners are seriously considering immigrating here. Seoul, which used to be an avoided area, is now becoming a popular topic.

— The fact that they are considering immigration must mean they trust our safety. Why is that the case?

— It’s because South Korea is home to S-Rank Hunter Kim Se-hyun.

“Hyung, do you think so too? That the country is safe because I’m here?”

Kim Se-hyun, who had arrived as soon as the morning meeting ended, was busy watching a program he appeared in as if the office were his own living room. All while talking to me like this.

“…Well, I suppose so?”

If I hadn’t seen the live broadcast of him clearing that Rank S dungeon in Australia in one go, I might have felt differently, but my faith in him was now solid. I nodded, then fell silent at his reaction.

“Ha, I really am the world’s best hunter, aren’t I?”

“…….”

“Honestly, I’m even more amazing than that, but there are no words to describe me.”

Se-hyun brushed his hair back and grinned. I wondered if anyone could have more self-love than him, but I also couldn’t help but think he looked handsome today, too. I watched him in silence until the Team Leader barked at him.

“If you’re going to watch TV, go to the Association or turn the volume down! What are you doing here at the crack of dawn!”

“Hyung, listen to that. Listen carefully.”

Once again, ignoring the Team Leader, Se-hyun only said what he wanted to say. He didn’t even think about lowering the volume, so I took the remote from his hand and turned it down myself.

“…It’s too quiet.”

“Shh. We shouldn’t be too disruptive.”

Monday mornings required extra caution. I scanned the room and confirmed that no one else was complaining after the volume was lowered. Then, I naturally turned my attention back to the TV.

— By the way, there are rumors regarding Hunter Kim Se-hyun’s rank. Has that been confirmed?

— The Association is currently keeping quiet, but seeing his performance in Australia, many are saying he might be the only hunter capable of becoming the world’s first SS-Rank.

— So you’re saying the world’s first SS-Rank might be born in our country.

SS-Rank, huh?

Even without the Australian incident, rumors about him being SS-Rank had been floating around. I listened intently, wondering if they’d discuss the difference between S and SS, when Se-hyun’s voice spoke up next to me.

“Hyung, what would you think if I told you I was an SS-Rank hunter?”

He asked in a suggestive voice, waiting for my answer with unconcealed excitement. I hesitated.

“…I don’t know.”

To me, a great person becoming even greater only felt real in limited ways. I gave an awkward laugh, and as he asked again, my eyes naturally fell on a booklet about cooperation fees on my desk.

“I don’t think I’d be very happy about it.”

“…Not… happy?”

“No. Because you’re already amazing.”

If a dungeon is cleared quickly, the cost could be considered a bargain, but my hands trembled every time I counted the zeros on those cooperation fees. He was already overwhelming as an S-Rank; if I saw the fees for an SS-Rank, I might actually faint.

It wasn’t just a thought—I felt like I might actually fall over. I was clicking my tongue when I heard him laugh.

“So you’re saying that if I become even more amazing, you’d feel a sense of distance and all that?”

“Well… yes?”

He was someone who handled money on a completely different scale than me. If that scale grew even larger, it wouldn’t even feel real to me. As I nodded, Se-hyun, who had just been urging me to watch the news, was now busy laughing. My heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

“I am quite amazing, but… I’ll try my best.”

“…Ah.”

“Lowering myself is easy.”

“Yes.”

“Of course, that part doesn’t lower easily. I’ll show you that next time, just the two of us.”

“…If you say so.”

I didn’t quite catch what he was going to try his best at, or what he would or wouldn’t “lower,” but I figured agreeing was the best move.

Besides, he looked good when he smiled like that.

I spent a while looking at his face, answering his questions, and switching between the news and my work. Then, I turned my gaze back to him as he called me after a brief silence.

“Go ahead.”

I didn’t know why he was hesitating. The longer the silence, the more curious I became. When he finally spoke, I listened intently.

“Ha-neul Hyung, no joke—what would you think if I was actually an SS-Rank but was pretending to be an S-Rank?”