Chapter 72

"Don't worry. Even without a dedicated weapon, I won't take yours."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then why the concerned look?"

"I'm worried about you running around recklessly without a weapon. You don't even realize how dangerous it is."

"Haha…."

Kwon Jihan laughed. He really didn't seem worried at all. Yoon Seo glared at the seven-year-younger kid.

"Everyone says the same thing. That it's dangerous not to have a dedicated weapon. But what can I do? I can only be cautious when a dangerous opponent appears… Maybe after our duel, you'll become more aware."

Damn it, this kid hasn't forgotten either.

Yoon Seo shut his mouth and continued to stroke the egg.

"By the way, the contract has been terminated. Did you see?"

"What?"

Yoon Seo blinked and quickly pulled out the contract from his inventory.

As Kwon Jihan had said, the word was added at the top of the contract.

"It seems that it was because your identity and some of your skills were revealed against my will. The Gaia system is unexpectedly meticulous."

"I see."

Yoon Seo tore the now-useless contract into pieces. The contract disappeared without leaving a trace.

"Still, don't forget the promise to fight. I've been living just waiting for that day."

"No. There will be no fighting forever now."

"Don't say 'forever' so casually. People should be allowed to dream."

"Don't even dream about it."

"Oh, hyung."

"...."

"Yoon Seo hyung."

Kwon Jihan cooed in an annoyingly cute way. Yoon Seo, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation, hugged the egg closer. Kwon Jihan just chuckled and decided to stop pestering him.

At that moment, the elevator dinged. As both of them were S-rank hunters, they could tell who had arrived just by the presence. Soon, the medical staff knocked twice before entering. They came to ask about any possible allergies. Although Yoon Seo wondered why a doctor usually came in person for such questions, he replied that he had no allergies and ate everything without issue. Kwon Jihan, however, was more particular.

"Don't give him spicy or salty food. It's bad for his health."

"Yes. Although Hunter Seo Chae… Yoon Seo is not a patient requiring strict dietary management, we will do our best to provide a balanced meal."

After the medical staff left, Yoon Seo gave Kwon Jihan a sidelong glance.

"S-rank hunters don't get unhealthy from eating spicy or salty food. Stop bothering the civilians for no reason."

"I'm not such a picky S-rank. It's just that I can't handle spicy or salty food."

"You can't handle spicy food?"

"Even if you're S-rank, spicy food is still spicy."

Yoon Seo blinked in surprise. It was true that many people's tastes didn't change after awakening, but it was unexpected for this rough-looking guy to not handle spicy food.

"Can't you even eat ramen?"

"I can only handle the mild ones."

"What about tteokbokki?"

"I can eat the sweet tteokbokki from snack bars."

"…Kimchi stew?"

"I eat kimchi stew even though it's spicy. It's delicious."

A smile gradually spread across Yoon Seo's face. So Kwon Jihan was a spicy food wimp! It was quite cute when this tough-looking kid showed such childish sides. Yoon Seo couldn't help but laugh, letting out a few chuckles. Kwon Jihan, though he must have known Yoon Seo was laughing at him, looked at Yoon Seo with a smiling gaze.

"Hyung, do you handle spicy food well?"

"I can eat anything well. I was the same before awakening."

"That's nice. They say eating a lot of spicy food can help improve your tolerance, so I might start eating more myself."

"S-rank hunters don't have to worry about their health deteriorating, so having a refined taste and being able to enjoy a variety of foods is a good thing."

"Then how about we go to a popular restaurant once you're discharged?"

"No."

"Just hear me out. There's a place in Balsan Station that makes spicy pork ribs, and it's really popular. Alec and a couple went there and praised it as the best thing they've had in Korea."

Spicy pork ribs. The mention immediately made Yoon Seo's mouth water, especially since it was lunchtime. Honestly, he wanted to go right now. But since it was Kwon Jihan asking, Yoon Seo made an effort to resist.

"Then go with the people who praised it. I'm too lazy."

"They say it's a popular place where you have to wait in line. Are you sure you don't want to go? I'll cover the cost."

For a moment, Yoon Seo recalled a dying wish.

Go to ten popular restaurants where you have to wait in line.

He disliked crowded places, so he had only been to such places twice.

"Alright. Since you insist, we'll go once I'm discharged."

"When will you be discharged?"

"In a few days. I heard that Seokyoung guild master will come to visit. I should be able to go through the discharge procedures the day after that."

"Hmm."

Kwon Jihan pulled out his U-pad and picked a specific date.

"Let's go for lunch that day. I'll hire someone to handle the line."

"Waiting in line is part of the charm of going to a popular restaurant, so it might be better to disguise ourselves and wait in line together."

Yoon Seo quickly replied, and Kwon Jihan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That's unexpected. I thought you'd find that kind of thing bothersome."

"I do like going to popular restaurants."

Just thinking about waiting in line was a huge hassle.

"You didn't like waiting in line or crowds when we went to the item market last time."

"Item markets and popular restaurants are different."

They're the same. They're both annoying.

"Hmm."

If he thought people were okay, he would think they were fine, but Kwon Jihan seemed to be trying to figure out some kind of suspicious motive.

"That's strange."

"What's strange?"

"Hyung, it seems like you sometimes force yourself to do things you don't like."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I read your report. The one Park Soobin investigated for a year."

Kwon Jihan nonchalantly spoke while opening a file on his U-pad and projecting it into the air.

A list of Yoon Seo's numerous hobbies appeared.

Hiking, fishing, knitting, baking cookies, drawing, playing the piano… It even listed that his favorite hobby was watching dramas in bold letters.

"Your hobbies are all over the place and don't match your personality. You're indifferent and nonchalant, yet you have outdoor hobbies like hiking and fishing. It's really strange. I think your true hobby is watching dramas. For some reason, it seems like you're forcing yourself to enjoy the other hobbies."

It was so eerily accurate that Yoon Seo was momentarily speechless.

"If not, then."

Kwon Jihan added.

"Hyung must be a multiple personality. There's one personality that likes hiking, another that likes fishing, and one that enjoys waiting in line at popular restaurants. My guess is you have over 200 personalities. Am I right?"

Yoon Seo was about to smack Kwon Jihan but stopped himself. Instead, he calmed down by touching his small item.

"To say it's a hobby of yours is absurd. If you really hate waiting in line that much, you shouldn't go. I could go alone."

"No, it's not that I hate it; it's just weird, so I mentioned it. I also enjoy waiting in line."

Kwon Jihan smiled broadly. By the time they made plans and looked up reviews for popular restaurants, the meal had arrived.

The food was excellent. It had a well-balanced mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and was very flavorful. Considering it was an S-class meal, the portion was also quite large. Yoon Seo, who ate slowly, chewing thoroughly twenty times each bite, finished his meal surprisingly at the same pace as Kwon Jihan.

After dinner, Kwon Jihan didn't leave Yoon Seo's side. They continued talking and eventually had dinner together before leaving the hospital room.

"Sleep well and see you in the morning."

Despite Yoon Seo's hasty protest about not wanting to see him in the morning, Kwon Jihan had already closed the door and left.

***

Kwon Jihan returned the next day, and this time, it was at the crack of dawn.

Yoon Seo had just been about to head out for a jog when he ran into Kwon Jihan coming out of the elevator. Yoon Seo frowned, and Kwon Jihan smiled lazily.

"What's going on?"

"What's what? It's Jihan."

"Why are you here at this hour?"

"I'm afraid you might run away. If you're going for a run, let's go together."

So, the two of them ended up jogging around the hospital garden together.

The well-maintained garden had only a few security guards, but Kwon Jihan used a disguise item. Since Yoon Seo's face wasn't exposed, he ran without disguising himself.

The problem was that with two S-class individuals running together, it naturally led to a sense of competition.

As they ran in a trance-like state, becoming aware of each other, more people started showing up in the garden, and they began to draw attention, so they stopped running and headed back to the hospital room. Both of them were drenched in sweat.

"Ha, hyung. Jogging is really intense. I don't think I've ever sweated this much before."

"Haah… Me too. This is the first time I've run this much."

"Hyung, you do this intense workout every morning? I think I'll have to start doing it too."

"Go ahead… Hah… Hah."

Yoon Seo sat on the floor, catching his breath.

He usually didn't run this intensely, but running with someone had pushed him to go full speed… And is this guy really not feeling the strain?

Yoon Seo glared at Kwon Jihan, who was standing upright and less out of breath compared to Yoon Seo, who was struggling to stay on his feet. It was a bit shocking to find himself outpaced, considering he had never fallen behind in terms of stamina before, but he accepted it, considering the age difference.

After their intense jog, the two took turns showering in the special room's bathroom. Once they were done, it was time for breakfast, which they had together. The meal ended at roughly the same time as it did with Kwon Jihan.

Kwon Jihan, without being asked, took his own food tray out into the hallway. They brushed their teeth side by side and then sat in the armchairs. As Yoon Seo turned on the TV, Kwon Jihan asked:

"What are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, which of your many hobbies are you going to do? Knitting? Watching dramas?"

Yoon Seo planned to handle all the tasks he could while in the hospital, not wanting to waste even a minute. He set up 'Love in Han River' on the screen and dragged his armchair to sit by the large window, with the blanket-wrapped Riceball in his lap.

Kwon Jihan, intrigued, dragged his own armchair over and sat next to him.

Yoon Seo settled comfortably in his chair and gazed out at the sky beyond the window.

"What's this hobby? Meditation?"

"No, it's cloud watching."