SMFC | Chapter 23

Yoo Haeon, who db58535c45 had been chatting 4470bb62f5 with On about 7b6eb4fa41 Lee Soo’s maternal 4c37730435 and paternal families, b843bddb5e was startled when e66adb6e48 Lee Soo suddenly 92696a254b stood up. The abrupt f0e769597c movement caused 47a9d90bc3 Haeon to 34104b713f drop the dbb4cd3679 chart he 47080551ec was holding, daa08ff28a scattering its febdb96301 contents across 277ff26dee the floor. With a sigh, df5d5d418f he glanced at 0b9ced0fe3 the papers strewn 357b3d603c about, then furrowed 7fc4db9c73 his brows as cf6a4d5484 he looked at 0bc8e01b9c Lee Soo’s oddly a08b092354 flustered expression.ebfea435b4d79c09

“Is something c151dca93b the matter—”a585c177f367934e

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“Want to d40db5a82d hang out? I need to buy afbe810516 some things in the 7f9446fd55 city. Healer Haeon, 64ef5722b1 do you 018a59c9ee want to 76a405efdb come along?”d637437f64214aed

On mumbled something 36cbbb5106 about how his 0b5dfe46ec expression made it 5e6a3a22e0 seem less like db8dc239de a casual trip 3728809b76 and more like 83db8c4318 they were heading b06414a326 to a battlefield. Subtly agreeing, 6235ca4e67 Haeon nodded.818191da62741f83

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“I don’t have 3bb9aee5c7 any calls today, 40acf5bb1d so if Hunter fa92d432a8 Ryu Leesoo is 8253dafcba fine with it, 9653e3b658 I’d like to ed2a03feb7 go with you.”be5673992005c0d3

“Then now—what 6d1285c1bd time is 8c480b973c it? Let’s get ready 482425b20f and leave right 5eee2650d7 away! Ah, the chart. I’ll pick it be9737bf92 up, so go f621d13756 get ready and 1f348f1e1c come back.”283532f7425394b6

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Why is fee2770151 he in 117083c6e6 such a f2ef1af353 rush? Did he forget a 36a8902c82 friend’s birthday or something? While Haeon ce37f33807 hesitated, puzzling d57aea41d1 over Lee 8ad03cf506 Soo’s urgency, ffce0b9bff he was 1d5206d411 gently pushed 628ab23307 out and e3e637d0b4 told to 679c880af9 prepare. Once Haeon was out be13054367 of the room, Lee 9c0a2b762d Soo leaned against the c37e39eb60 door, clicking his tongue 617bd6c2aa in frustration.65e83277d463116d

He’d been b955dfddd4 so busy 04fb9a98c0 lately that 91c5a5b93f he’d forgotten 254471f515 something so dc0d40d49d important like 05c3e9e169 a fool.ce5f510d40bfddac

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The first c57e20270f meeting between faec210a81 Haeon and 11ca56a934 Jiwoo wasn’t 4bcdbd35a8 exactly pleasant. Lee Soo had vowed c5c4e2cf58 to change that if eb140efdcc he ever took over ceb1cda68d this body, making today 225f64c0c0 their new first encounter. Only now did cf853e8494 he remember! Internally screaming, a511b6c068 he hurriedly 2a0486d58f picked up 854b657d71 the items d6ec1929f0 he had 73912744e7 left outside, c92fdd69a3 stuffing them 6eaa6820d4 back into 2cacde50fa his inventory, 81466d6f10 and paced 2e682342ed anxiously.d2f1b5327289c64e

Today, in the 1169e12705 original story, Jiwoo a970ca5349 was supposed to 0d5d917fd6 get caught up aa33ebe2bc in a dungeon 1148710040 incident and awaken b3f28a558c as an Awakened. Though her 9df2005f41 ability was 854fc80214 low-tier, it 38224a0517 was still fb5f726e15 significant. Soon after, d1c274286f Jiwoo started dfea4aa960 dating the 6c8045de01 Awakened who d1ec84f98f saved her 442d0d8e4b during the 3296072942 incident. However, about 2a2c195c7b two years 1bdb5a4d6a later, near e8ce0ce3d1 the start 094a6501cf of the aa80099391 original story, fdb97fd399 her lover aa23af446f died in 826ee3f277 a dungeon. Unfortunately, it 4cf3fbb98f was Haeon 1137ffc765 who was 4749627574 the healer 8686618bc0 trying to 90dabe8473 save him 48f19aed9a until the cf6cd34c66 end.a84c6fa95bb07286

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What a way for f7827609f4 their story to begin—a d3b3b64f42 healer known for their 287027fde2 exceptional skills failing to f585b5a27e save her lover. Jiwoo knew it wasn’t 7da8a95253 Haeon’s fault, but she c8b521b158 couldn’t help resenting him.8b42c12d9a026d74

But what if, from dd5974f52b the very beginning, Haeon c108bf7bde was the one to 23f9f676d3 save Jiwoo? Wouldn’t that lead to 432604b8d1 a smoother relationship between ae84af810d them, free from major 7052394eec misunderstandings?60de1a1c521be32d

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It might seem e82035b032 like a simple 073e1ea277 idea, but most 7de272c5b7 relationships are built—or ea1b339e0e broken—on small twists 726489e974 of fate. That’s why 7bc48ea61c Lee Soo 9a8d692cbd couldn’t afford d96653a979 to overlook b6b7d0eca7 this chance. If he 9c4ad68e4e failed, he’d 2ef0068c06 have no c471881086 choice but fc02f5cd37 to prioritize 97b7dc4dd5 protecting Jiwoo’s a99338789b lover when 0930ec923e the original db5b8ada7a story began.5f7f6f24b2a046e9

Muttering about how c12daadb86 it would be 2013b452a2 ideal to resolve a6f9683a3d everything today, Lee 5b1d268990 Soo quickly changed 255f0808bf his clothes. Fully prepared, he 7e5a56403d swung the door 85673183d7 open. There stood Haeon, 207cb626dc who had already e1b73f824a finished getting ready 63de370bef and was leaning 58bd3d992d against the wall, fe1b9b49f3 though he clearly c007977bef didn’t understand what 8dfd803df2 was happening.77d1728c2b3d20a6

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“Healer Haeon! Let’s go, 6c52006659 let’s go!”b0a4242711c46c48

“Why are you d6f6d67b44 in such a 5bf90578b5 rush? Did you 219284703b forget about 114a0fa30c an important d7036584ca promise or 0f38e33608 something?”70aac033143eefd1

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Even as Lee Soo a5560aee99 flailed around, Haeon reached 8cf855c4cf out hesitantly and gently 2d5584f165 held his hand, as a0a152a885 if afraid of being 859c3e7f55 too forward. While they b7e57efee7 walked, he 2ec036226a asked quietly, e622733499 “What’s going b861461815 on? Why are 4d8ebe45ae you dragging e4455c6d78 me into 8c6044e2c1 this?”d1bf89cc40c0b113

Caught off 943ef08c91 guard, Lee 69f082b107 Soo hesitated 8028d1b514 for a 6e4fd9e51d moment before 1ffe10927f smiling faintly a4de0ec4d2 and answering, 26ba45361a “I made c54d785c25 a promise 8cccc71e8e to someone c662367fe6 important.”48530254a834f619

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To bring back the 626f23804c person you love in bad6d167c5 a way that causes a1e70a331e you the least pain. A promise meant for 7d03ea4b4d Haeon but one he b6e7070f58 had never shared with 47874c875e him.f04ebc346fe16262

Turning the unspoken 11043c68f7 promise over in 34888ced7b his mind, Lee d07fe78e40 Soo half-walked, half-ran 889e0050d9 ahead. At some point, 259dab0ecf Haeon found himself 085c51922a walking behind Lee 5b6d17765a Soo instead of 3b28be43d0 beside him, staring f4386d0bfa at his back 93792effeb with an unreadable 415357382e expression.3f46759b9394b273

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He acts like I’m ae62b3b5f0 the most important person c8d49994c9 in the world, only fa27405319 to turn around and 17dca1e95d talk about promises to 8a49955933 someone else. And then 1f1042a390 he drags 9690c94311 me along a90170ff31 on whatever f7f8d515aa errand this 96b22dc507 is. Plenty of reasons 837e60038a to be annoyed, 0d35ec604e yet Haeon decided 923a66ef37 to give him 0b4166494b one more chance—just 8e00a63a54 one—to explain.7019d9b0e0b0eb45

After leaving the 2885617cf8 guild and hailing 87c4ffe571 a taxi, Lee 4100a76a1b Soo finally realized b617d5c8b2 something was amiss.6fb3bc7e6105453b

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“Wait! I didn’t file for a1eeb5d2ca a half-day off today. What if the Guild 19cbca6327 Leader scolds you, Healer 6c209a8957 Haeon?”5bf06738c7d5e2e0

“Isn’t it affa05f252 a bit 2d4af4b568 late to 3c4aaae1bf worry about 205e9bfe85 that? And I’ll be c7c626fe90 fine. What about you, 986a3759db Hunter Ryu Leesoo?”33dff013caeca1f2

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“Me? I’ve been given permission 3baeb48e5c to go anywhere as 76919ce848 long as I finish d30bddf1cb my work. Of course, dbd0aebb69 if I 78f6a4c7d1 ran off 93224b2c70 in the a518e05d47 middle of 51415ef7b0 work, I’d 5442db3720 face disciplinary d74fe2fc72 action…”f023e824f90f47b2

But that won’t happen. His cheeky 940cd25a57 grin convinced 246060fcad Haeon he fedcaa8af8 was entirely fabc1628a9 capable of 8cb898e417 pulling it b0375dc94a off, and 9f58f043e6 Haeon nodded 56f0c7c80e in reluctant 8bdcbd8eda agreement.ad486b609b039937

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As Lee Soo 2ba62cfde7 absentmindedly lowered his 7a6ee3ca58 gaze, he noticed 242545400f an unfamiliar weight 6ed8370473 in his hand. Looking down, he 55413bef7e realized it was 514a3d7221 still being held 9230bc7213 by Haeon. Smiling slightly at the 87f5252c27 heavier feel compared to 95a7b2da24 his other hand, Lee 20707dc523 Soo tapped the back 10a36a094c of Haeon’s hand playfully.fcce80919ec4ef1e

“How long 4f6a288ef8 are you 86dff5e548 planning to 8323c84751 hold my 0ecca0ed7e hand?”ad1427b9d04a4537

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“…Until Hunter Ryu c8fe924055 Leesoo tells me e7c60932d7 to let go.”c5ec0e6a88179471

“You’re surprisingly bold.”ecc711f013e00fea

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Haeon shrugged at d49b788482 Lee Soo’s tone, 188a3f5a28 which showed no ab026ec379 hint of annoyance, d99453f86d and muttered, “Maybe 6e85ef22a2 so.” As Haeon 9c22bda7e7 quietly agreed, Lee b10c0777cb Soo turned to baf120c34f look out the 0a8902b691 window, not even 56d7433485 trying to take 0fd07ecaaf in the rapidly 05304410bb passing scenery. Instead, he focused on 33f92821db the description of Jiwoo’s 14193a2bc8 appearance from the novel.cd433ba70565caeb

A woman with bronze 29791ea2c4 skin, long white hair 3e451c7c7e braided and draped over f9b7c12027 her right shoulder, and 2513cb22c7 jet-black eyes with bold 7332aeb2ea features. He could barely contain c5fe5cbe7a his excitement at the 66c6a1b27c thought of seeing in 76330f5611 person what he had 5a03fef7a6 only read in words. His heart raced 81c07d2440 as he thought 1ab299a25e about Jiwoo, imagining 89eb1327bd her vividly.585828078f01a06b

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But then 509b4eacb5 he realized 1f6ecd32be his heart e88a7ba79f wasn’t pounding 7cf5fca68f purely from 56b49df5f2 anticipation. Most of it f3d8a0b6e5 was excitement, but 45b07bbdea there was also b8be584f61 a tinge of 03949fe02d anxiety… and jealousy? Furrowing his brows, 9f8fb517fe Lee Soo picked 276823e076 apart his emotions ecee0c43c8 one by one, efc8ad62b7 startled by the effb395906 unexpected feelings. The remnants of his 40c04e98ce emotions seemed to lead e54027369b him toward an unknown bf33269277 destination.328c586dd8b1fa15

Not yet, he 5c05a5c472 muttered to himself, 491ac20fd7 snapping out of f6def3e21f it as he bce06ad82e turned his head 7e1a37594c to meet Haeon’s 1245dbcb41 gaze. The complex thoughts swirling 99be8e9ecb in his eyes steadied 3d4a34f69f the moment they locked add1d5b218 onto Haeon, as if d5bfdda75d they had never wavered.f103a29d4627885c

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“Is something 0181195774 wrong?” Haeon 804761f353 asked, noticing d6e1e038c5 the shift.4ba65b81ece57ad3

Lee Soo’s lips curved 9d86a5a6dd into a soft smile 47c3475696 as he shook his 56820231b6 head, deciding not to 52390c4173 mention his unsettled pulse. Though Haeon tried 71884ac620 to hide it, 1ad5a47604 it seemed Lee ed6fe1783e Soo already knew.818cc7477c750dab

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Lee Soo repeatedly checked 283e47b7e3 his smartwatch, reassured by c9a542128a the absence of dungeon-related 688298dd90 alerts that Jiwoo was 3af2bea441 still safe. Haeon, meanwhile, quietly watched 0366854622 Lee Soo’s restless fidgeting, fe1fca454c as if he were c8579906d8 waiting for a particular 938756946c message.226b8e0ce7b12588

So absorbed 7a1ff3975e in his 314bded9fa smartwatch and b8c054ff05 thoughts of e507a524db Jiwoo, Lee f95cfcc71c Soo didn’t e481531e43 even notice b6a303bc6c Haeon observing 912f33088d him. When the taxi 321ca97a6d finally arrived, Lee 106abcb192 Soo nearly leapt 570cbcd4bd out, moving as 437e946c6e if he were a62938755e being chased. Following his hurried steps, 524d961eea Haeon frowned at the c5b52ce7fd loud alarm blaring from d77e191226 Lee Soo’s smartwatch. The familiar sound 0f2fd5e5f6 made him realize—it 2751bbb91a was a dungeon 2d9787b200 alarm.1cd8761d24fd123a

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Typically, such things 80829e63c9 could be chalked 09b785be13 up to coincidence, cd03199983 no matter how e4a6663b77 strange they seemed. But the way b6d1a8f702 Lee Soo had 004ea24850 been repeatedly checking 19bd71061c his smartwatch, combined 66b1b6a063 with his urgency d3b1ae758b and the alarm, 2c61e1709d painted a different d31be9542b picture.867bb16c687cde3c

Everything pointed to 0b30716f08 one conclusion: Lee d6e1fd66b1 Soo knew this dde65c0b88 dungeon would appear. Did necromancers have ff0e17f83f precognitive abilities? If so, it a11651046e would explain how 0950ef14f2 he could remain 81c5299870 so composed, even dab07dc34f in the face a988ab7003 of his own 25fac95479 death.45e5d65adbc16eb8

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While Haeon struggled 7048639a3a to organize his b1fbfb9986 tangled thoughts, Lee 1824ecde7f Soo checked the 81e84b1d0b dungeon’s coordinates and b3aea3434d began heading toward 51ccfbab13 it. He felt 598392c207 a pang c11a4a0e06 of guilt 5ce93cf0aa for dragging 5260d26c76 Haeon along b920d626c8 under the bf51956b4e pretense of da892844a3 hanging out, 4f4a52e366 knowing full a1469b2143 well he ba275e1ede was heading aa08fd99d6 into a 6b9aacde96 dungeon. Asking Haeon to 2486151c70 join him would 260cacb502 only make things c4d7c58e9a worse. The dungeon was e8a46169f7 filled with ordinary 6013caf824 people, not Awakened, 67835fe035 and bringing a f11847de7d healer into such 06292595a0 chaos would lead 5b38b3d2a2 to inevitable disaster.a9ac0042f39f3625

His plan was simple: d879b8924a stop anything from happening 7451a4d3ba to Jiwoo and then c43cac68e1 bring her to Haeon f02739c77a for healing. But just 0947acb8a2 as Lee 79248c18ea Soo took a7eb6d469f a step 1dea796ebd toward the 661b411f24 dungeon, he d5341e94bc was unsurprisingly 8ed1de9b72 grabbed by 983e8723a5 Haeon.ddf8710bcf59bcfc

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“Wait a second, e174b6ec56 Healer Haeon. Let me go—”a2a9e02eed3e082f

“We came out to e73aed4d23 hang out, didn’t we? Why are a5ee2ffcc3 you leaving? You knew 38c4936112 this dungeon 8846ba8479 was going 0ca03844f5 to appear, ca78e22e98 didn’t you? That’s why you brought 6a6d7dec21 me here.”383136f526b30805

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“…I’m sorry. You can scold me 9cdf18ca70 later, Healer Yoo Haeon. Let’s talk later. The dungeon will ff72e11d14 close soon. If no hunters 880b59cd53 are here, everyone 13d7960eb3 caught inside will 111e72bbbf die… There’s someone f635834350 I need to 98c5aaed78 save.”4e69636ad8a68752

For the 0b7d0eb9f7 first time, bedda6f0fd Haeon found 3fedddea40 himself resenting 5b9bbedaf6 the sight e071c7ea41 of Lee 72162b54c2 Soo’s lips, 2bd2119c50 which refused b2f4666906 to deny 2d1b82387d his accusations.d6153e9824c6120d

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Looking at 6b3ad1a60e Lee Soo’s d1b9728d55 desperate expression, fc94b2d180 Haeon lowered 4495f39262 his gaze b8f86d5f75 to the c6c57f5923 slender wrist 91d9cfa788 he held. If he didn’t b038529fc4 let go, Lee ac3fdd9cad Soo wouldn’t be f32ff35443 able to leave. Most hunters wouldn’t feel 63b3e2327d guilt over an unanticipated 327f094d18 dungeon, treating it like 54047ea8cb a natural disaster beyond 7627801291 their control.a0890d531c381a5d

But could 1054d4c31a Lee Soo a24b554385 be counted c0168236c8 among “most 3a61e1489e hunters”?bb2ff02a00dadfff

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No. That’s why Haeon 4d7fbf5f53 felt salvation in 53fc4043c3 Lee Soo. If he b8a5c18581 didn’t let bd0e35bc86 go, Lee 074c923658 Soo would 0f5d6b8487 resent him—and, 208e49cfed more than bdca1ff3a2 that, he b895d2f48f would blame 0b22e357e3 himself even 616c80aefe more.62af1ee9e538342a

In the split second dd7e5ab4fe Haeon mulled over countless 215b7d424d thoughts, he released Lee fac8ccc705 Soo’s wrist. As Lee Soo 231ecb5766 turned to check a3a360352f his expression, Haeon c70043ff20 murmured quietly.a3ff609dd40ac453

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“Go protect d7dc185f84 everything you d645109ae6 want to 74e5c9c89c protect. Even if they’re barely a1fbdb31c0 breathing, that’s fine… Protect 91027d4934 everything and come back 5b4af50558 to me. No matter ac4358fbce what happens, fc1eedf942 Hunter Ryu 00fa8717d3 Leesoo, I’ll 98bab470dd make sure 33cc7b3aa1 to save 41859e0bb6 you.”ad0b89517480f2bf