The Debt Between Us

Suspicious of some trick, I approached and held out my check card.

Naturally, I thought he had come to collect money, but surprisingly, the loan shark jumped back at the sight of the card I offered.

“N-no! You said you’d transfer the money.”

That had been the arrangement, but I wondered if he’d changed his mind and decided to collect cash instead.

Yet it didn’t seem like that either.

Other than collecting money, there was no reason for him to come looking for me, so I couldn’t figure out why he was here.

When I stared at him silently, he muttered a curse and scratched his head roughly.

It seemed hard for him to bring up the topic.

“Ha… damn it….”

“…….”

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Do you want to hit me?”

“Pardon?”

I thought I must have heard wrong.

Had he just asked if I wanted to hit him?

But I hadn’t misheard.

“I asked if you want to hit me.”

“No? Why would I?”

It was true that I disliked him, but I didn’t want to hit him.

Yet my answer seemed to frustrate him.

“Hey, I slapped you last time.”

“That’s true.”

“And you still don’t want to hit me?”

“Well?”

That was already in the past.

I had forgotten about that day.

There was no reason to return a slap just because I’d received one.

Even if I had once been an angel and was now human, I had no reason to cling to such a petty grudge.

But my response made his face twist in irritation.

“Ha… aren’t you even angry?”

“Well… I was angry.”

“Then why don’t you want to hit me? Why? Doesn’t it piss you off? Don’t you want revenge?”

“It’s already over. And if I hit you, would you just stand there?”

If I hit him, retaliation would surely follow.

There was no reason to stir up trouble.

It was better for both of us to just do our own things and stop getting tangled up.

But then he said something strange.

“If I said I’d stand still… would you hit me?”

“What?”

“I’ll just stand there and take it. And I won’t retaliate.”

Was he insane?

Why was he suddenly so eager to get hit?

As I stared at him suspiciously, he snapped in annoyance.

“Hey! Do you even have any pride as a man?”

“…….”

“Ah! Whatever! I gave you a chance! If you change your mind later, you’re dead!”

“Wait!”

When I grabbed him as he angrily turned to leave, his face suddenly bloomed with a bright smile.

But the words coming out of his mouth were anything but bright.

“What? Changed your mind? Want to hit me?”

“No… I’m not going to hit you….”

“Then why’d you call me!”

“I just want to know why you’re acting like this.”

I truly wanted to know.

But he pressed his lips shut and refused to answer.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

Could this… be a trap set by the Demon King’s worshippers?

‘Right… he said he wouldn’t retaliate, but he never said he wouldn’t report me.’

If a hunter committed a violent crime, the punishment was aggravated—as if wielding a weapon.

Because even low-rank hunters were physically strong.

An ordinary person, even armed, would have difficulty defeating a barehanded hunter.

‘They’ve figured out I’m an angel. That’s why they’re trying to separate me from Do Jiwan….’

I didn’t know how they found me, but otherwise his behavior made no sense.

If I caused a violent incident and ended up in prison, I would naturally be separated from Do Jiwan.

The mission would fail.

The world might once again head toward destruction.

‘No other angels would descend to the human realm besides me.’

This might be an opportunity.

My eyes sharpened.

Through this loan shark, I might grasp the tail of the Demon King’s worshippers.

‘In my previous life, they hid their identities so well that we never knew who they were. Maybe this is better.’

Thinking I would destroy them slowly from tail to head, I grabbed his arm so he couldn’t run.

“Who gave you this order?”

“W-what are you talking about? No one ordered me!”

“No one ordered you, yet you came asking to be hit?”

“Yeah! I felt too guilty and wanted to lighten my conscience!”

He spouted nonsense, clearly avoiding the truth.

Words wouldn’t work.

I looked at him calmly and slowly awakened my divine power.

“Speak. Who stands behind you?”

Holy power filled my voice.

As the Word of Truth activated, forcing honesty, the loan shark trembled.

He looked panicked as his mouth opened against his will.

“The person behind me is… Do Jiwan… ah! N-no… it’s not… It is Do Jiwan!”

“…Do Jiwan?”

“N-no— I mean yes! It’s Do Jiwan! What’s wrong with my mouth?!”

Each time he tried to lie, the truth burst out instead.

His face turned pale.

“Do Jiwan? Why would he?”

“…….”

“Why does Do Jiwan want me to slap you?”

“Damn it! I don’t know either! He just said if you wanted to hit me once, I should take it!”

Even under the Word of Truth, that was his answer.

It seemed he genuinely didn’t know.

When I questioned him further, he seemed half-defeated.

Perhaps he feared I would use the divine command again if he lied.

“A few days ago, I was summoned before him. He said he wanted to help you and bought all your debt.”

“…….”

“He didn’t want to burden you, so I’m still the one collecting payments.”

He said he had come to be slapped not for some scheme, but to show loyalty—

to demonstrate how obedient he was.

My head spun.

‘Do Jiwan? Why…? Why would he buy my debt?’

I had a reason to take responsibility for Shin Jiho’s debt, since I was borrowing his body.

But Do Jiwan was a complete stranger to Shin Jiho.

Why would he purchase my debt?

My chest stirred strangely.

As my fingers loosened unconsciously, the loan shark slipped free from my grasp.

“Hey! Don’t ever tell him I told you this!”

Blushing red with embarrassment after spilling everything, he hurried off.

Even after he disappeared, I stood there blankly for a long time, my mind and heart in turmoil.

In the end, with my head still a mess, time passed and it was time for another dungeon raid.

When I arrived by company car, the guild members who had arrived early on the first day were nowhere to be seen.

Everything had returned to normal.

As time passed, more guild members appeared, and only just before entry did Do Jiwan arrive.

The moment I saw him, my body stiffened despite my heart.

I tried to speak to him somehow, but he merely passed by me indifferently, as usual.

‘Huh?’

He didn’t even glance at me.

It felt as though everything had returned to how it used to be.

As if the warmth from before had been nothing but a dream.

Still, eventually, a chance to speak came.

After the raid ended and the guild members returned to base camp, I grabbed my water pouch and headed to the makeshift shower.

It was something I did every time, yet seeing Do Jiwan already inside made my heart pound.

He didn’t say anything to me, just as before.

Sneaking glances at him, I stepped onto the platform and took my place.

For a while, the only sound between us was the flow of water.

He looked like he had nothing to say.

Meanwhile, I was busy wondering when to speak, what to ask.

Time passed like that, and only when the shower was nearly over did my impatience win out.

“Are you… angry with me?”

At my words, Do Jiwan, who had been looking downward, lifted his head.

Water droplets clung to his darkened eyelashes.

For a moment, I was mesmerized by his gaze.

Then he spoke.

“No.”

As he said, he didn’t look angry.

Then what was this distance?

As unease crept in, I realized something.

He was speaking to me formally.

I thought I had crossed the line he had drawn.

But now that line had been redrawn.

‘Why… why are we like this again?’

As someone still learning emotions, Do Jiwan was far too difficult.

I had thought I finally squeezed through a crack.

But perhaps I hadn’t gone inside at all—

perhaps I had simply stepped back outside.

As I stood there at a loss before his iron wall, Do Jiwan finished showering, put on his robe, and moved to leave.

A sudden instinct told me I couldn’t let him walk away like this.