One Difficulty After Another (8)

“Don’t worry too much. Since Prince Edward has evacuated, everyone will pull their strength together to ensure no damage hits your house, Se-hyun-ssi.”

Right—now that the declaration to defend Kim Se-hyun’s house had been issued, the team members would see it through by whatever means necessary. Of course, that included the apparently hyper-cooperative Association hunters as well.

“…Ha.”

Staring intently back at me for a moment, the man let out a dry breath and leaned his back against his chair. He then pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered something under his breath, but his voice was too faint for me to catch the words. Leaving him to his thoughts, I redirected my attention to the front lines.

— Right Clam Worm cleared! — Requesting backup on the left! The worm’s physical size is too massive! — All hunters on the right, transition immediately to support the left flank! Center force will join you as soon as cleanup wraps up! A massive physical size for a worm meant its raw power was scaled accordingly. Not only that, but the wider attack radius meant that the intersection itself could fall within its striking zone if they weren’t careful.

“…….”

While the elimination of the worm was an absolute certainty given enough time, I worried that the aftershocks of the engagement might ripple into Kim Se-hyun’s property. Interlocking my fingers to conceal my restlessly twitching hands, I continued to strain my ears toward the live feed.

— Gasp! The tail is swinging wide, block it! — Shift the defensive angle! We have to protect that building at all costs! The desperate voices of those shielding the structures came filtering through. Listening to the ambient noise of shattering concrete and structural buckling, I couldn’t understand why my own nerves were this shredded.

— Center cleared! Moving to the left flank immediately! As if acting on a timely cue to dissolve my tension, the Team Leader’s voice boomed through the office air. Feeling a wave of relief, I listened closely as the Team Leader integrated with the forces clustered on the left, tracking the operational updates relayed over the network link by Officer Kim and Officer Park.

“…….”

Ordinarily, combat inside a dungeon filled me with anxiety, but I doubted I had ever felt this profoundly breathless before. As the frantic battle raged on, I wiped my sweat-drenched palms against my trousers multiple times before finally discerning a gradual quiet settling over the battlefield audio.

— Pant, pant.

The suspense of a channel transmitting nothing but ragged breathing was agonizing. I leaned my upper body forward, drawing closer to where the network speakers were mounted.

— Inhale! Dungeon cleared!

It was precisely then that the Team Leader officially announced the conclusion of the operation. I immediately broadcasted my greeting.

“Incredible work out there, everyone!”

“What is the structural and casualty status?”

— A few Association hunters sustained injuries. As for us, we walked away with nothing but a few minor scratches—we’re completely safe!

“I’m deeply relieved to hear there are no severe casualties. I’ll dispatch the transport medical team immediately.”

— Ah!

My heart had briefly plummeted at the mention of injuries because Officer Han immediately crossed my mind. Hearing that our core team members were safe caused all my built-up tension to dissolve, and I leaned my weight completely back into the contours of my chair.

“You look like you were incredibly tense, Ha-neul Hyung.”

If I had been standing, my unstable physical condition would have been completely exposed to him. Forcing strength into my trembling legs, I gave a firm nod.

“Yes. It seems I was far more anxious than I originally anticipated.”

The knowledge that the crisis had concluded successfully was an immense blessing. I grabbed the water cup resting on my desk and downed it in large gulps.

“By the way, Team Leader.”

— Hmm?

“How is Kim Se-hyun’s house looking?”

Ah—the house.

I had briefly forgotten about it entirely the moment I heard the team members were safe. I focused on the exchange between the Team Leader and the Deputy Team Leader.

— Well, about that…

“…….”

The Team Leader, who would ordinarily deliver field assessments instantaneously, hesitated. A fresh wave of apprehension surged within me. Finishing the remainder of my coffee, I desperately tried to soothe my nerves.

— You see…

“Yes, Team Leader.”

— Sigh, about that.

I didn’t understand why he was dragging his feet like this to deliver the news. Twirling the empty cup in my hands, I answered his call.

— Deputy Team Leader, Youngest.

“Yes.”

“We’re listening.”

— …Pfft! Hahaha! Every single building surrounding the intersection is completely pristine!

“…Whew.”

“Sigh.”

Because he had invoked our names with such a grim tone, I thought something catastrophic had occurred, but thank goodness. Listening to the boisterous laughter echoing over the comms, I let out a massive sigh of relief and shifted my gaze to Kim Se-hyun.

“Se-hyun-ssi, see? I was right, wasn’t I?”

“…….”

“I told you everyone would protect your house.”

“…Whew.”

Parting his lips as if to say something, Kim Se-hyun instead pressed a palm against his forehead and stared straight up at the ceiling. The sigh that escaped his lips couldn’t have been any deeper. Though he hadn’t spoken it aloud, it seemed he had been profoundly worried that his property would suffer structural damage from the monsters. Watching him mutter something under his breath while completely shielding his eyes with his palm, I let out a bright smile.

“I’m truly so glad your home is perfectly safe.”

I had harbored an underlying anxiety that if news broke of an issue with his house immediately after I had boldly claimed it would be protected, I wouldn’t know how to console him. But looking at the reality now, it was a groundless fear.

— Officer Kim, handle the operational wrap-up with Officer Park! I’ll transition immediately to establish contact with Prince Edward! Operation concluded!

“I’ll verify their coordinates and transmit them to you!”

— Excellent!

“Concluding network link.”

The dungeon itself was verified cleared, but the variable concerning Prince Edward still remained active. Right—unlike standard operations, today’s crisis could only be considered completely resolved once the Team Leader physically verified the safety of the Prince.

Rapidly tracking the coordinates of Prince Edward’s entourage, I identified the vehicle navigating toward a specific quadrant within Sector A and immediately relayed it.

“Team Leader, they are currently tracking toward Sector A-8.”

— Great work, Youngest. I’ll handle the variables from here, so go ahead and kill the network link.

The moment the directory left my mouth, the Team Leader issued his directive. I delivered a brief acknowledgment and deactivated the system.

Ideally, I wanted to track their progress a bit further and feed him real-time coordinates, but tracking past Sector A-8 via our standard CCTV grid was practically impossible.

On paper, that sector was designated as a highly secure emergency sanctuary for political figures, high-profile dignitaries, and state guests, but in reality, it was safe to assume virtually no one ever set foot inside. Even if an individual met the strict criteria for entry, access required direct presidential authorization, meaning it was only logical to hand the reins over to the Team Leader entirely.

“…….”

Yet, despite deactivating the network exactly as commanded, an unidentifiable sense of lingering unease clung to me. I needlessly scanned the dungeon generation point one final time before shutting down the traffic management interface.

“Deputy Team Leader, shall I fetch you a glass of cold water?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

Given the sheer volatility of the crisis, the Deputy Team Leader’s throat must have been completely parched as well. Rising from my seat, I deactivated the regional repeaters and walked over to the water dispenser. I rapidly prepared one cup of crisp cold water and two cups of instant mix coffee. Handing the water over to the Deputy Team Leader first, I grabbed the coffee cups, returned to my desk, and extended one toward Kim Se-hyun.

“Se-hyun-ssi, your nerves must have been utterly shot because of your house, so please drink some coffee to soothe your mind.”

Reflecting on the situation, while the Hunter Department had been run ragged, Kim Se-hyun’s internal state must have been equally chaotic.

Flinching slightly at the mention of coffee, he lowered the hand shielding his face and corrected his posture. The moment our eyes locked, I offered the cup once more.

“Go on.”

“…Ha-neul Hyung.”

Accepting the beverage, Kim Se-hyun locked his eyes onto mine. I gave him a gentle nod.

“Yes?”

“Hyung, you’re doing this entirely on purpose, aren’t you?”

I didn’t understand what he meant by that. I searched my memories to see if I had ever done anything to him on purpose, but there wasn’t a single instance.

“No, I’m not.”

“Sigh, this is truly driving me insane.”

“…Please just drink your coffee first.”

Right—consuming a warm beverage would go a long way in calming his system down. Staring fixedly at the extended cup, he continuous-like muttered to himself about whether I was doing this intentionally before finally reaching his hand out. Once the coffee changed hands, I settled back into my chair.

“Hyung, give me another cup.”

“Here, take this one.”

It seemed I would have to fetch another cup from the dispenser. Responding to Kim Se-hyun’s request, I immediately offered him the cup I was holding and prepared to stand back up, only to freeze mid-motion in a thoroughly awkward posture.

I expected him to simply take the paper cup from my hand like any other day, but the unfolding reality was completely unexpected. Kim Se-hyun’s hand enveloped mine entirely. As if that weren’t enough, his fingers began to softly, deliberately stroke the back of my hand—an action that instantly sent a bizarre, electrifying sensation through my entire system. I slowly lifted my chin to look at him.

“…….”

It was merely a fleeting, feather-light movement sliding down the skin. Yet, strangely, the visceral flutter blooming from the point of his touch was intensely overwhelming.

My heart, which had finally settled after the dungeon crisis, began to violently broadcast its presence all over again. Feeling an anomalous tremor at the absolute tips of my fingers, I gripped the paper cup tightly, but the moment Kim Se-hyun let out a low chuckle, I frantically yanked my hand back. Depositing the coffee cup onto the desk surface and covertly hiding my hand behind my back, I spoke once more.

“Please drink your coffee.”

“Hyung.”

Lifting his cup, Kim Se-hyun stared at me intently. His expression was far softer than before, suggesting his mind had finally found some semblance of peace.

Though it felt more like he was amused by the reality that he had caught my hand trembling.

Watching him chuckle under his breath made me feel intensely embarrassed. Forcing myself to maintain a thoroughly unbothered facade, I answered.

“Yes, Se-hyun-ssi.”

“You’re the absolute first person I’ve ever accommodated to this extent, Hyung.”

His tone carried a distinct nuance suggesting I should consider it an absolute honor. I gave a small nod.

“…I see.”

“Sigh, you must be thrilled, Hyung. Having the world’s strongest hunter accommodate you like this. Right?”

“Ha, ha.”

I thought he had dropped that line for a while, but true to form, he was back to bringing up his status as the world’s strongest. Yet, I didn’t find that aspect of him unpleasant. Seeing Kim Se-hyun completely regain his usual high spirits finally made the successful conclusion of the dungeon deployment feel real. I walked back to the dispenser, brewed two fresh cups of coffee, and returned.

“Here, have another cup.”

“Are you giving this to me because I’m the strongest?”

A massive smile had completely taken over Kim Se-hyun’s face. I shook my head.

“Because you accommodated me.”

It was an undeniable truth that Kim Se-hyun had shown me an immense amount of consideration. The sheer disparity between how he treated the rest of the world versus how he treated me was proof enough.

I anticipated some sort of witty retort, but he remained entirely silent. I met the gaze of the man who was staring directly at me, frozen in his exact posture. As if engaged in a silent staring contest, Kim Se-hyun kept his eyes locked onto mine for a long, drawn-out moment before finally letting out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, seriously. You are truly something else, Hyung.”

“…Sure.”

Hearing him spout such an entirely random comment made me realize the standard, everyday Kim Se-hyun was officially back.

Watching him laugh continuous-like while calling me something else brought an involuntary swell of good mood to my own chest.

“…….”

The chaotic dungeon variables had been thoroughly streamlined, and the simple reality of being able to sit back and sip a warm cup of coffee with a peaceful mind was absolute bliss.

The corners of my mouth curving upward subtly felt like an absolute mirror reflecting my internal peace—as did the rich, fragrant aroma of the instant mix coffee wafting through the air. Breathing in the scent of the coffee multiple times, I completely immersed myself in a moment of relaxation with a profoundly lighter heart.

Utterly oblivious to the massive storm that was scheduled to break loose starting tomorrow.