GM Ch64

Minjun, who had lost consciousness inside the dungeon, didn’t remember anything about being hospitalized. When he opened his eyes, five days had already passed. Thanks to the potion, his physical wounds healed quickly, but the doctor explained that he had been unconscious for a long time due to a concussion. That was two hours ago.

Minjun, who had always been healthy without any ailment, wanted to be discharged immediately. However, the doctor, following Soohyuk’s orders, strongly opposed it. He insisted that Minjun could only be discharged with Soohyuk’s permission.

Since his phone, which he had left in Soohyuk’s car, was now calmly sitting on the bedside table, contacting him wasn’t difficult. Minjun immediately called Soohyuk and said he wanted to be discharged. But the man, with a smile in his voice, called him “darling” and told him to wait patiently as he would come by soon.

Thus, Minjun was now watching the news and WeTube while waiting for Soohyuk.

The incident where the so-called Poison Jar Dungeon, located underground at the Capital Defense Command, had closed was no longer in the news. However, there were still plenty of videos about it on YouTube. Due to the National Security Agency providing minimal information, everyone was curious about what had happened inside the dungeon. And the attention was focused on Yoon Soohyuk, the highest-ranked hunter who participated in the raid.

Soohyuk’s face filled the large TV screen in the private room.

―In agreement with the National Security Agency, I have no comment.

Soohyuk answered with a bright smile towards the persistent camera. It was a similar expression to when he had smashed a reporter’s camera a few years ago for asking rude questions. Fortunately, this time the camera remained intact as the news ended.

“He looks angry.”

Minjun quietly muttered. Having spent the past month together, he could tell that the Soohyuk in the video was quite angry.

And he had every reason to be. The explosion power of the monster that appeared at the end was tremendous. It was a relief that there were no fatalities.

“He acted like a rookie.”

Recalling the events in the Poison Jar Dungeon, Minjun gave Joo Myunghwan a failing grade for his judgment.

Even though it had been 12 years since the Great Catastrophe, new monsters kept appearing. When encountering an unknown monster, it was common to use weak ranged attacks to understand its basic patterns.

Joo Myunghwan’s mistake was that he launched a close-range attack without knowing anything about the monster. Because of that, not only he but also other hunters were severely injured. If all the information had been disclosed, he would have faced severe criticism.

Honestly, Minjun also cursed Joo Myunghwan inwardly. When he woke up after five days, his soul synchronization rate had dropped to 11%. If he hadn’t raised it to 92% before entering the dungeon just in case, he might not have regained consciousness and would have died. It must have dropped drastically because he took the explosion head-on. Losing 80% of the soul synchronization rate in just five days was impossible. The skeleton explosion must have had an impact.

Minjun didn’t think too seriously about the space being torn apart by the explosion of an A-rank hunter, or the appearance of a new monster. Such things often happened in the other world.

The skeletons that crossed over from that space were monsters commonly seen in the otherworld. The skeleton knight, riding on horseback, had pitifully low health and defense but boasted incredibly high attack power. And like the bomb spiders, it exploded at the end. The standard tactic was to make the skeleton knight explode quickly with a powerful ranged attack from a distance.

Thanks to his experiences in the other world, Minjun knew a lot. However, various circumstances made it difficult to share all that knowledge. First, he needed to become an S-rank hunter. Only then would he have the influence and authority to speak out.

Determined to clear the remaining dungeons quickly, Minjun continued to watch videos. There weren’t many news reports about the Poison Jar Dungeon. Watching conspiracy theory videos by hunter-specialized YouTubers, who speculated that the National Security Agency was hiding something big, Minjun saw Soohyuk appear.

“Your face looks half its size.”

That was the first thing Soohyuk said upon seeing Minjun’s face. Minjun thought it was just a pretext to keep him hospitalized.

“When can I be discharged?”

Having lost the initiative, Minjun asked the most important question first. Soohyuk, who had come closer, smiled and replied.

“You need to rest first.”

“Can’t I rest at home?”

“Darling, why do you hate hospitals so much? You need a health check-up. You hurt your head, remember?”

“Stop calling me that.”

“What? Calling you ‘darling’?”

“You don’t have to. There’s no one here to hear it.”

Every time Soohyuk called him “darling,” Minjun felt an urge to scratch the back of his hand. He knew it was a joke, but the word itself had a powerful impact.

“Darling is angry. Then I’ll call you Minjun.”

Soohyuk smiled brightly, his eyes crinkling. Just as Minjun had recognized the anger in the man on the TV screen earlier, he could now tell that he was in an exceptionally good mood.

Soohyuk usually smiled a lot. Without his smile, he could look intimidating, but he always had a friendly expression. However, now his voice was a tone higher than usual. His eyes sparkled, and his cheeks subtly lifted. It was as if he had found a gold nugget on the street.

“Did something good happen?”

“Can you tell?”

“Yes.”

“Something very good happened.”

Soohyuk, showing his teeth as he smiled, pulled a chair over and sat next to the bed. Choi Euiseong had confessed that he received a letter from hunter Kim Minjun. Although the magical tracking failed, hunter Kim Minjun himself had made contact.

With proof of hunter Kim Minjun’s survival, all that was left was to wait. If he had sent a letter to Choi Euiseong, he would soon reveal himself.

“Really?”

Feigning disinterest in what the very good news was, Minjun looked at Soohyuk, who smiled again. Today was truly a day of good news.

There were now two pieces of evidence proving hunter Kim Minjun was alive. And Minjun, who had been unconscious, had woken up.

The doctor had said there was a fifty-fifty chance Minjun would wake up safely. Even with modern science, the brain was still a mystery. The potion that could save a hunter as long as they were breathing was no exception. He couldn’t express how anxious he had been, fearing that Minjun might never wake up. Seeing Minjun staring at him with a blank expression, Soohyuk felt strangely moved.

Soohyuk examined Minjun’s face with a renewed sense of appreciation. Among the hunters who were thrown out when the dungeon closed, only Soohyuk had managed to stand on his own two feet. He had witnessed the horrific scene with his own eyes.

At first, he had been frantic, trying to save Minjun, who had collapsed covered in blood. Even after administering a potion, Minjun remained unconscious, unlike the other hunters, which made Soohyuk even more anxious.

The hospital had said it was due to a concussion, which only added to his worry. Seeing Minjun lying in bed with a pale face brought a flood of complicated emotions.

He felt a sense of self-reproach at the thought of possibly losing a guild member right before his eyes. He was angry at himself for not being able to protect Minjun properly. He wanted to break Joo Myunghwan’s neck for causing this mess. And he desperately prayed for Minjun to wake up.

The emotions that had been undefined until recently became clear.

They were itchy, soft, sweet, and also heart-wrenching.

The realization came in an instant, but he wasn’t surprised. Even now, he felt the same.

Meeting Minjun’s gaze, who was staring blankly at him, just made him happy. It felt like a part of his heart was melting.

Soohyuk seriously pondered what to do next. Ideally, he wanted to officially start dating, but there were many obstacles.

A sudden confession wouldn’t work. Reflecting on his past relationships, Soohyuk realized they had all started with someone confessing to him. He knew that for a confession to succeed, the other person had to have feelings for him too.

If he told Minjun he liked him now, Minjun would probably just ask what he was talking about.

Publicly, they were known to be dating, so he could continue to push that narrative. But the most important thing was to win Minjun’s heart. It was the first time he had liked someone first. It was also the first time he had decided to actively pursue someone. Still, he was confident.

His conscience pricked him a bit, but he ignored it. Dating a ten-year-old at eighteen was a crime. But twenty-eight and twenty, or thirty-eight and thirty, were perfectly fine. With time, his conscience would quiet down.

This was going to be a long-term battle requiring dedication and time. Realizing how excited he was, Soohyuk laughed inwardly. Even when he wasn’t aware of it, seeing Minjun’s face made him happy. And now that he understood his feelings, he felt an urge to do something.

In high spirits, Soohyuk gently brushed aside a few strands of Minjun’s hair and asked, “Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“Then rest comfortably for a few days. We’ll do the health check-up tomorrow.”

“I’ll do the health check-up and get discharged tomorrow.”

“Stay one more day. I’ll bring a big fruit basket in the evening. No, wait. You have to fast before the health check-up, so tomorrow would be better. Bread and fruit. What else do you like?”