Side Story 15

As Yoon Seo was scrolling through SNS, the president and his wife appeared. Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo stood up immediately. The president greeted them first.

"Hunter Kwon Jihan, Hunter Seo Chaeyoon, I heard you returned from your trip yesterday. You must be tired."

"We're fine."

Then it was the president's wife's turn.

"This is my first time meeting you. It's such an honor to meet both of you. I'm glad I married this man."

She looked genuinely excited.

Peep!

Riceball puffed out its chest, making its presence known. It was perched on top of Kwon Jihan's head. When there were a lot of people around, Riceball preferred to sit on the tallest person's head.

Since the president and his wife weren't particularly tall, they had to crane their necks to look up. Kwon Jihan then took Riceball off his head, placing it in his palm and offering it to them. The president and his wife showered Riceball with compliments until it was satisfied. Riceball danced happily on Kwon Jihan's palm.

After the introductions, an unexpected situation occurred.

The president sat next to Yoon Seo, while his wife tried to sit next to Kwon Jihan. It turned out that the president was a fan of Yoon Seo, and his wife was a fan of Kwon Jihan. Neither wanted to give up their seat. Thanks to the intervention of the protocol team, the wife eventually conceded, and the couple sat next to Yoon Seo.

The ceremony proceeded in a solemn and reverent atmosphere.

As Yoon Seo watched the air force jets flying in perfect formation, he thought of the former Revengers.

They should have been standing at the photo line, making finger hearts, sitting in the front row of the audience, and shaking hands with the president.

'Lee Kangjin, I'm a little scared to ask, but did you practice making finger hearts?'

'Hmm.'

'Wow, no wonder you're so good at it. You're really enjoying this, huh?'

'Rita, please sit down. Why are you doing squats here?'

'Exercise knows no time or place.'

'Please… at least pick a better place…'

Yoon Seo smiled under his mask. At that moment, his shoulder brushed against Kwon Jihan's. Since there was plenty of space, it seemed intentional. When Yoon Seo looked at him, Kwon Jihan had a serious expression.

"Hyung, are you feeling a little down right now?"

"…How did you know, even though I'm wearing a mask?"

"It's the power of love."

"That's a bit scary."

"Love is always a little scary."

Despite his playful tone, there was concern in Kwon Jihan's eyes. He handed Riceball over to Yoon Seo.

Feeling the familiar weight and warmth spreading from his knees, Yoon Seo couldn't help but smile.

After the ceremony ended, Kwon Jihan and Seo Chaeyoon quickly left. Partly because they had another appointment, but also because if they lingered, people—awakened or not—would swarm them to say hello, which could lead to safety issues. They had to leave promptly to prevent that.

"Welcome, Master and Master's Lover. We're heading to Seokyoung Guild HQ."

"What time are we expected to arrive?"

"If the roads are clear, we should arrive by 7:20 PM."

"When was dinner again?"

When Yoon Seo asked, Kwon Jihan smirked.

"It's usually at 7:30, but don't worry, hyung. Juncheol hyung told me they've added kimchi stew to the menu tonight, even though they only planned to serve samgyetang originally. Do you know what that means?"

"Guild Leader Yoo Juncheol must have been deeply moved by 'Love in Han River.'"

"It means they've prepared a special dish of kimchi stew just for Seo Chaeyoon, who loves it. Even if we arrive at 11:20 PM, there'll still be some left for us."

"I feel like we're being a burden."

"I'm telling you, the nutritionist and the chef probably look forward to this day. Sticky Rice, drive safely and take your time."

"Yes, Master's Lover. I always prioritize safety. After all, the last time I was serviced was three years ago. AI electric cars should be serviced annually, you know. If I hit a single pebble, I could overturn."

Hearing the gentle scolding, Yoon Seo immediately called the repair shop.

– Oh no, tomorrow is impossible. You need to book at least a week in advance.

After being turned down, Kwon Jihan suggested the repair shop contracted by the Seokyoung Guild.

"Each Seokyoung guild member gets one free car service per year. It starts at five years of membership, so you can use my name."

"You said one car per person. Didn't you already register Chewy Barley?"

"That's the rule, but come on, hyung. I'm no ordinary person. If I wanted, I could get ten cars serviced for free, and no one would say a thing."

Seeing Yoon Seo's skeptical expression, Kwon Jihan added quickly.

"We can register Chewy Barley under your name and Sticky Rice under mine."

Yoon Seo was about to nod in agreement but paused in thought.

Wasn't there already a rumor that Kwon Jihan was having an affair with Yoon Seo behind Seo Chaeyoon's back? It's been three years and that nonsense still hasn't died down.

Wouldn't this just fan the flames?

"I'm fine, Master. Just stop Riceball from pecking at the navigation screen in time. It still hasn't recovered from the last dent. That's all I wish for."

"Let's swap registrations, and book the service for tomorrow."

As soon as Yoon Seo made the decision, Kwon Jihan swiftly completed the registration using Seokyoung's app, and Yoon Seo registered Chewy Barley as well.

"If that rumor spreads again, I'll just clarify that we're close as brothers."

"Oh, you mean the one where I'm supposedly having an affair with you? Even if both of us deny it, no one would believe us."

"I'll say it as Seo Chaeyoon. We're all close friends, including Yoon Seo."

"…Hmm."

"What is it?"

"Oh, I just think that's a brilliant idea. You should definitely do that one day as Seo Chaeyoon. It's a really good idea."

Yoon Seo found Kwon Jihan's mischievous expression a bit unsettling, but he couldn't dwell on it long since Riceball started beeping and pecking at the navigation system.

If only he had known that making that comment under the name Seo Chaeyoon would spark rumors that the three of them—Seo Chaeyoon, Kwon Jihan, and Yoon Seo—were in a relationship, he would never have said it.

***

After enjoying a spicy, hearty pork kimchi stew at the cafeteria, they headed up to the guild master's office. Yoo Juncheol, the guild leader, along with vice guild leader Do Deungsoo, director Tae Jaesik, and other key department heads were already gathered, waiting. Since everyone present knew Seo Chaeyoon's true identity, Yoon Seo took off his mask and sat down. His eyes briefly met Yoo Juncheol's, making him flinch. Next to him, Kwon Jihan didn't bother hiding his reaction.

"Geez, man. Juncheol hyung, what's with your face? You look like you got drained by a swarm of mosquitoes. Thank God you skipped the ceremony. If you'd shown up looking like that, people would've thought you were a monster causing a panic."

"If you had any conscience, you wouldn't say that. While you were off on your trip, we were stuck working here. And by the way, I'm not blaming Seo Chaeyoon Hunter."

"Chaeyoon hyung and I are like one and the same."

"Too busy to deal with your show-off antics. Just read this."

Yoo Juncheol sent both of them documents via their U-pads.

A while ago, a planet from a Level 3 dungeon they encountered had sent out a request for help. The planet, called 'Marlan,' which orbits the M40 B star, asked for awakened beings to help with an upcoming S-Class Red-Black dungeon.

Several other planets with the same Level 3 dungeon system promised to send support teams of two to ten people, and Earth agreed to send between five and eight A-class or higher hunters. Seokyoung Guild, known for having the best hunter on Earth, was tasked with assembling the team. Before finalizing the list, they gathered information on the S-Class Red-Black dungeon, including its terrain and the types of monsters and distorted beings that would appear. A total of 53 guild members had volunteered for the mission, and the guild leaders analyzed their skills and traits, running simulations to determine the most suitable candidates. Only those who had past experience or were actively working could manage such a task.

After skimming the details, Kwon Jihan spoke up.

"I'll go too. It's good to get experience with a dungeon that'll eventually appear on Earth."

"Alright."

Yoo Juncheol had been expecting that and immediately added both Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo to the final list. Since Earth hadn't seen a dungeon above S-Class Red-Black after the tutorial, this was a rare chance to prepare for a future catastrophe.

"If both of you enter the S-Class Red-Black dungeon on another planet, people here might get worried. How about going in separately?" 

Suggested Director Moo Yocheol, though he didn't expect the idea to fly.

Surprisingly, something unexpected happened.

"True. Then how about I go, and hyung stays on Earth?"

"I'll go, and you can stay behind."

"Deal."

Everyone in the room looked shocked.

They all knew how protective Kwon Jihan was of Seo Chaeyoon, who had healing resistance. Seeing their astonished faces, mouths hanging open, Kwon Jihan just smiled.

"I got a Status Abnormality Elixir."

For a moment, silence filled the room before Yoo Juncheol belatedly shouted.

"You crazy fool, why are you telling us this now?!"

"Telling you now is fine, what's the big deal?"

Kwon Jihan casually took out the elixir to show everyone.

Peep…

Riceball was naturally seated in the middle of the table, but feeling ignored as all the attention shifted to the elixir, it flew into Kwon Jihan's arms. Kwon Jihan made a circular shape with his hands, creating a resting spot for Riceball.