Unexpected Kindness

The sofa at Lee Sa-young's house was incredibly soft. These days, even blankets are made from dungeon by-products, so maybe this sofa was too? Cha Eui-jae desperately tried to change his thoughts and accept the situation.

It was uncomfortable to take a seat more comfortable than the host, but he couldn't continue arguing here. If he did, they might end up breaking the sofa and both have to sleep on the floor.

Not that he intended to, but he did contribute to breaking the bed. He couldn't afford to break another piece of furniture. And he certainly didn't have the money to pay for it.

'Well, the older one should yield…'

Cha Eui-jae, rationalizing with his inherent old-fashioned mindset, was enjoying the sofa's softness when Lee Sa-young threw two pillows and two blankets at him. Cha Eui-jae instinctively caught them and mumbled.

"I don't need two."

"Just take what I give you."

Behind Lee Sa-young, blankets and pillows were piled up like a hill. Where did he get all of those? Cha Eui-jae thought, unaware of the high-class sleeping room of the Pado Guild. Well, at least Lee Sa-young wouldn't be short on blankets even if Cha Eui-jae had two each.

After confirming that Cha Eui-jae had laid down with a pillow and covered himself with a blanket, Lee Sa-young started laying his own bedding on the floor.

After layering several blankets to make a soft mattress, Lee Sa-young lay down with a pillow. He clapped once, and all the lights in the house went out. Staring blankly at the dark ceiling, Cha Eui-jae muttered.

"…Sleep well."

No answer came back. It wasn't an expected reply anyway. The sofa was soft, the blanket was smooth, and the pillow supported his neck with just the right amount of firmness and height. It was a nice bed he hadn't experienced in a long time.

But did that mean he could sleep comfortably… no.

Reluctantly, Cha Eui-jae bit his lip and spoke.

"Lee Sa-young, are you asleep?"

"What about you?"

It wasn't a sleepy voice. It was the clear voice he heard just moments ago. Why did he have to answer so promptly? Hearing another person's voice made the tangled thoughts a bit clearer and brought his mind back to reality. Blinking, Cha Eui-jae spoke again.

"I can't sleep either."

"You should be tired."

"Why?"

"After all the chaos you caused…"

Lee Sa-young chuckled as if it were ridiculous, but there was no malice.

"It wasn't a big deal."

Cha Eui-jae replied casually. There was another short silence between them. It was much more bearable than before. Cha Eui-jae stared at the ceiling and spoke again.

"What about Choi Go-yo? Will he be okay?"

"Well… from Incheon to Seoul."

Lee Sa-young paused as if choosing his words carefully before continuing.

"He should be fine by tomorrow evening."

"The penalty is stronger than I thought."

"The skill is too good to use infinitely."

"Right…"

Their conversation continued sporadically. Conversations between people couldn't go on infinitely without pauses, so silence inevitably followed. But Cha Eui-jae was no longer afraid of it. He felt he could fend off anything trying to creep in during the gaps.

This time, Lee Sa-young spoke first.

"Hyung."

"Yeah."

"Do you know I still have the letter?"

"Letter? What letter?"

"You gave it to me, but you don't remember?"

Cha Eui-jae tried to recall but nothing came to mind. He didn't remember giving Lee Sa-young anything that could be called a letter. Lee Sa-young's rustling sounded like he was turning over. Cha Eui-jae also turned his body towards the sofa.

Lee Sa-young was lying on his side, propping his chin with his hand, looking at Cha Eui-jae. There was an amused expression on his pretty face.

"Touch them and you're dead."

"…Oh."

Could it be the threat he wrote on the business card? It seemed he found the right person to give it to. As Cha Eui-jae looked with a sour face, Lee Sa-young chuckled and lowered his head.

Suddenly, a blue light crossed his vision diagonally. One side of the living room had floor-to-ceiling windows, and the faint light of dawn was coming in. Has time passed so quickly? Cha Eui-jae rubbed his face dry and asked.

"What time is it?"

"Well… around 4:30?"

"…"

"Why, are you going to open the store?"

"Hey, the store needs to open."

"Make Bae Won-woo do it."

"Can he?"

"After all he's eaten, he should at least be able to make hangover soup…"

Muttering bluntly, Lee Sa-young also got up. Cha Eui-jae stretched his body after getting up. Time was tight, but with his new abilities, he could quickly prepare for business.

The clothes he wore yesterday had been taken for washing by Lee Sa-young, so he had to borrow Lee Sa-young's clothes again today. After putting on a black turtleneck and black slacks that Lee Sa-young chose for him, they both got into the elevator together.

Yes, together. Cha Eui-jae stood at an angle from Lee Sa-young, sticking to the spacious corner of the elevator. Lee Sa-young scoffed.

"Why don't you come closer?"

"I'm comfortable here."

"After breaking my bed and borrowing my clothes."

"Don't say things that might be misunderstood."

"Why are you acting like this when we've already done everything…"

"Shut up."

Cha Eui-jae had no intention of being seen off by Lee Sa-young, but the elevator in the Pado Guild building where Lee Sa-young's quarters were located required a guild member's ID to operate, like a hotel. Even the stairwell required a guild member's ID to open the door.

So, Cha Eui-jae had no choice but to take Lee Sa-young, a huge access tool, with him. Moreover, what Lee Sa-young said made Cha Eui-jae even more cautious.

"You're famous, you know."

"Me? Why?"

"Do you think anyone in this guild hasn't tried your hangover soup?"

"…"

"If guild members ask why the part-timer is here?"

My face being known in the Pado Guild was because you pre-paid five million won for hangover soup… Cha Eui-jae thought it was absurd but now wasn't the time to argue about it.

What if they met someone? Even though it was 4 AM, what if they did?

He had no excuses. He couldn't say he was delivering hangover soup either. He had always made it clear that the hangover soup restaurant didn't deliver, and if he said that, he might have to hold a press conference about favoritism for the Pado Guild Leader.

As Cha Eui-jae pondered, he noticed the elevator's glass reflecting. The front glass made it feel like a door. Should he just break it… and jump out? He wouldn't get seriously hurt. The problem was…

"Hyung?"

"Never mind…"

The cost of the glass. With the debt from breaking the bed, Cha Eui-jae folded away his thoughts and focused straight ahead. He considered using his noiseless footsteps skill but it only concealed his presence, not his appearance, which was useless in this confined space.

As soon as the elevator arrived on the first floor with a chime, an ominous voice was heard.

"Damn, coming out of the dungeon and it's already dawn… Oh, Guild Leader?"

"Get some sleep before going to work… Oh? Good morning! Up early, aren't you… uh?"

"…Huh?"

All eyes turned to the two of them. Specifically, they were startled seeing Lee Sa-young first and then, as they raised their heads, they noticed Cha Eui-jae stuck in the corner. Hunters returning from a dungeon raid were there, as well as Bae Won-woo, wiping sweat after a dawn run.

"Huh? Aren't you the part-timer? What brings you here?"

Bae Won-woo approached the elevator door with a delighted greeting, but seeing Lee Sa-young standing in the center, he looked confused. Cha Eui-jae, with a face like his soul had left him, mumbled the names of flowers.

"Ah… yes… well… yes…"

"Huh?"

"Haha… it's just how it turned out."

What turned out how? Cha Eui-jae didn't know either. Only Lee Sa-young stood nonchalantly in the center, glaring at Bae Won-woo. Of course, Bae Won-woo, as clueless as ever, continued speaking.

"But what brings you here, part-timer?"

"…"

"Why are you here?"

Lee Sa-young said nothing. Bae Won-woo, expecting no response from Lee Sa-young, turned to Cha Eui-jae. The part-timer would explain, surely. But Cha Eui-jae was the same.

As the silence stretched, the hunters' curiosity grew. Bae Won-woo's keen observation skills noticed the part-timer's unusual outfit. The black turtleneck and slacks looked like something Lee Sa-young would wear.

'What?'

That turtleneck, wasn't it something Lee Sa-young wore recently? The forbidden realization struck Bae Won-woo's mind. The part-timer was… wearing Lee Sa-young's clothes? And the guy who hated lending clothes or having visitors? Coming down together with the part-timer?

Bae Won-woo's eyes widened in shock. Pointing a trembling finger at Lee Sa-young, he stammered.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, what's this? Hey. Huh? Hey, what's this."

"Bae Won-woo."

"Hey, man! What's going on? Explain!"

"How about running two more laps around the Han River."

On the surface, it was a polite suggestion, but Lee Sa-young's underlying message was 'get lost.' Even someone as oblivious as Bae Won-woo could understand that much.

However, Bae Won-woo clung persistently to the two, refusing to leave. His tenacity was formidable, befitting a tank.

'…At this rate, I won't get to the shop until after 5.'

Finally, Cha Eui-jae took action. He stepped out from the corner and casually draped an arm around Lee Sa-young's shoulders. The Pado Guild members standing in front of them silently gasped. Lee Sa-young widened his eyes at Cha Eui-jae, but Cha Eui-jae ignored it.

Cha Eui-jae patted Lee Sa-young's shoulder, flashing a friendly smile.

"There was a bit of trouble last night, but Guild Leader Lee Sa-young kindly helped me out, haha."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble? Did someone break another table?"

The shoulder under Cha Eui-jae's hand flinched slightly. Cha Eui-jae shook his head with a serious expression.

"I can't go into detail right now, but the Guild Leader was a great help."

"Sa-young did that?"

Bae Won-woo's face was filled with confusion. He wanted to believe the hangover soup restaurant part-timer, but couldn't fathom why Lee Sa-young would help him. Cha Eui-jae delivered the final blow.

"Well, since I'm the part-timer at the hangover soup restaurant that Bae Won-woo likes so much, I think he looked out for me."

"What? …Really?"

Unfortunately, Bae Won-woo was easily swayed by Cha Eui-jae's smooth talk. Lee Sa-young coldly ignored the faintly touched look in Bae Won-woo's eyes. Regardless, Cha Eui-jae skillfully slipped out of the elevator like dodging a monster attack, waving his hand.

"I have to open the restaurant soon, so I'll be off. See you at the shop!"

"Oh? Oh, goodbye then, part-timer!"

Bae Won-woo waved his muscular arm energetically. After Cha Eui-jae left, Bae Won-woo turned back to Lee Sa-young with a bewildered expression.

"So, why was the part-timer here? Did you really help him with something?"

Lee Sa-young, who had been silent, clicked his tongue and replied coldly.

"You're really not helpful at all."