Coming Back

Cha Eui-jae frowned, but Lee Sa-young showed no intention of stopping his speech or moving.

"Let's finish this conversation before we move on. We have a bit of time, don't we?"

Without bothering to reply, Cha Eui-jae scanned their surroundings. Thanks to the golems he had destroyed, there were no more presences nearby. Cha Eui-jae rested his pole on his shoulder and nodded.

"Go ahead."

"What's your current job, Hyung?"

"What?"

The question came out of nowhere, and Cha Eui-jae scrutinized Lee Sa-young's face, expecting some nonsense. However, Lee Sa-young's delicate face showed no emotion as he calmly gazed at Cha Eui-jae. He pressed on.

"Answer me. What do you do for a living?"

"Uh… right now… I'm working part-time at a hangover soup restaurant."

Cha Eui-jae answered reluctantly. Lee Sa-young's lips twisted as if he'd been waiting for this answer.

"And what do you think my job is?"

"…A hunter?"

"Right. So who do you think should take down the dungeon master, a hunter or a part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant?"

"Are you mocking me?"

"Of course not."

A strange intensity flickered in Lee Sa-young's pale violet eyes.

"I didn't want to talk like this… but someone keeps acting like they're alone. I can't help it."

"…"

"No matter how weak Jung Bin is against monsters, he's strong enough to hold his own. And I can fight too…"

Lee Sa-young chuckled briefly, then put on his gloves and took a step closer. He reached out and wrapped his gloved hand over Cha Eui-jae's hand, which was gripping the pole. Lee Sa-young leaned in and whispered.

"There's no need for a part-timer with trembling hands to save everyone and take down the dungeon master on his own."

He must have noticed Cha Eui-jae's trembling hands when they first met in the dungeon. The anxiety that had gnawed at Cha Eui-jae's heart had long since vanished, thanks to the man in front of him. But Cha Eui-jae didn't respond. Lee Sa-young's gloved thumb brushed over the back of Cha Eui-jae's hand and then withdrew. Lee Sa-young took a step back, tilting his head as if nothing had happened.

"You once told me you wanted to live quietly."

"I did."

"I didn't ask why at the time. Maybe I should have… because your actions say otherwise."

Lee Sa-young murmured softly, blinking slowly.

"Do you really want to live quietly, Hyung?"

Cha Eui-jae seemed to remember making that promise to someone, to live quietly. Who that person was, however, was blurry as if veiled by mist. But one thing was clear. Cha Eui-jae answered briefly.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"You're mistaken if you think living quietly and saving people are mutually exclusive."

Lee Sa-young frowned. Cha Eui-jae didn't avoid the turbulent gaze of the two eyes staring at him.

Living quietly was a wish someone had for Cha Eui-jae, and saving people was something Cha Eui-jae could do. There had been times when what he could do became what he had to do. But…

"Why would anyone need a reason to save people?"

Why save people? Why should I sacrifice myself? Cha Eui-jae had long since resolved those questions. The wish to live quietly, the trembling hands and churning stomach whenever entering a dungeon or a rift, were irrelevant in the face of saving lives. The most important thing was human life. Losing someone he could save due to hesitation was the most foolish thing. And…

'This dungeon is my responsibility.'

Swallowing his words, Cha Eui-jae took a step closer to Lee Sa-young.

"And I told you, I made a rational judgment. Jung Bin is too weak against monsters to be of any help. And you, sure, with your poison abilities, you might be able to melt the dungeon master if it's a golem."

"…"

"But being an S+ ranked dungeon master, it would take a long time. Meanwhile, it would be faster for us to beat it down together, like we did earlier."

"…"

"And the reason I want to join up with Jung Bin is… there are others inside. We need to save them."

"…Ha."

Lee Sa-young raised his eyebrows as he listened. Cha Eui-jae could now perfectly interpret all of Lee Sa-young's expressions. This one meant, "Finally, you're telling me." Sighing briefly, Lee Sa-young asked.

"Who else is in here besides you?"

"Hong Ye-seong. And one more person."

"…"

Long eyelashes fluttered as if chewing over the words. Finally, Lee Sa-young's eyes twisted slightly.

"Why is that guy here? And who's the other one?"

"He came looking for a magic stone."

"Fuck, just give him that shitty thing and cut ties."

"I tried, but there were unavoidable circumstances… anyway."

Clearing his throat, Cha Eui-jae glanced sideways at Lee Sa-young. At the mention of Hong Ye-seong, Lee Sa-young's face twisted. Damn, Hong Ye-seong wasn't going to be any help. It was time to change the mood. Cha Eui-jae poked Lee Sa-young's arm and threw a joke.

"If you're worried, say so. Don't be a jerk about it."

"…"

Mood change? No, an oncoming crisis. A dreadful silence followed.

'Fuck, what went wrong?'

Cha Eui-jae froze, looking at Lee Sa-young's delicate face, now shrouded in a dark shadow. This was not the reaction he had expected. In his mind, Lee Sa-young should have immediately retorted with something like:

'Worried? Who about who?'

'Are you crazy?'

'No way.'

'Are you blind…'

But instead, Lee Sa-young's face had gone pale, his plump lips tightly shut. Cha Eui-jae withdrew his finger from Lee Sa-young's arm and asked reluctantly.

"…Were you really worried?"

"Why?"

The plump lips parted.

"Is that a problem?"

This was an entirely unexpected rebuttal. Lee Sa-young twisted his lips into a smile.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"…"

"What if I said I've been waiting for you?"

Countless words surfaced and sank, written and erased repeatedly. When Cha Eui-jae finally opened his mouth to speak the final word that remained…

They were startled and looked in one direction. The air tore sharply.

Kwoooaang—!!

A fierce ash storm whipped up. Cha Eui-jae shielded the back of Lee Sa-young's head, pulling him close and holding his breath. Simultaneously, a strong arm wrapped around his back and waist. After the storm subsided, Cha Eui-jae surveyed the surroundings. A massive entity moved slowly at the source of the sound. Every movement shook the entire dungeon. That must be the dungeon master. Cha Eui-jae blinked his eyes open and shut.

Why were ominous premonitions always spot-on?

Biting his lip, Cha Eui-jae tapped Lee Sa-young's shoulder.

"Over there, where Jung Bin is."

"…Ha."

Lee Sa-young chuckled bitterly, releasing the arm he had wrapped around Cha Eui-jae. Their gazes met for a moment. They started running simultaneously.

As they moved, a huge golem became clearer amidst the white ash. It was a giant golem, standing on four legs like a dog, so enormous that its head wasn't even visible.

Gwoooo…

The golem let out a long howl, sending chills down their spines. They were now in the shadow cast by the golem's massive body.

"…Tsk."

Lee Sa-young clicked his tongue. Cha Eui-jae's judgment had been correct. Melting something that size would poison everyone else except for Lee Sa-young. It would be a pointless battle of attrition. Cracking his knuckles, Lee Sa-young stared at the golem. There was no choice but to break it down piece by piece. His hands would shatter first, but with potions, it wouldn't be a problem. At that moment, Cha Eui-jae, who was running, muttered.

"There they are."

At the end of Cha Eui-jae's blue gaze, a transparent rectangular space with a golden border glowed. Inside, a sweating Hong Ye-seong was holding up a shield, with Jung Bin collapsed and a girl supporting him. It seemed they had also noticed them. Hong Ye-seong's groaning voice reached them.

"Ugh, shit, we're saved…"

"Watch out!"

The girl screamed. Cha Eui-jae raised his head. A giant hand was flying towards them. Lee Sa-young reached out to grab Cha Eui-jae. However, Cha Eui-jae pushed him away instead of grabbing his hand. Lee Sa-young's eyes widened. Cha Eui-jae was…

Smiling.

Lee Sa-young's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something. But the words didn't come out. Lee Sa-young found himself near the shield Hong Ye-seong had created. Hong Ye-seong gritted his teeth and shouted.

"Student, bring Lee Sa-young inside!"

"Yes!"

The girl grabbed Lee Sa-young's arm and pulled him inside the golden space. Just as Lee Sa-young got up, something ensnared him. It was a black snare. Lee Sa-young growled ferociously.

"Fuck, let me go right now."

"What are you going to do if you go out there? Don't you see Jung Bin?"

Hong Ye-seong shouted, breathing heavily. Only then did Lee Sa-young look down. Jung Bin was lying there in tatters. Only his faintly heaving chest proved he was alive.