SMFC | Chapter 10

Avoiding someone he had only heard of through others, never met face-to-face, for two weeks—Yoo Haeon had no idea how much effort that would take.

At first, he thought the snacks were just a thank-you for the treatment he provided back then. But as Yoo Haeon pieced together Lee Soo’s words, the way his gaze seemed unusually sharp whenever Lee Soo was near, and the subtle hints, he realized something shocking: Lee Soo was that person chasing him.

Letting out a sigh mixed with disbelief, he ruffled his hair in exasperation.

Though they hadn’t spoken much, even Yoo Haeon could tell Lee Soo was a good person. Someone who, despite appearing out of nowhere and making him instinctively tense, only ever handed over a bag of snacks filled to the brim.

Unable to pin down exactly what kind of person Lee Soo was, Yoo Haeon absently brushed back the hair falling into his face with his free hand. As he looked at the snack bag, now half-empty after mindlessly eating its contents, a thin sigh escaped his lips.

With a slight hesitation, he subtly slipped the bag into the pouch strapped to his waist, which usually held a few medical supplies that didn’t fit into his inventory.

Contrary to Yoo Haeon’s belief that no one had noticed, Lee Soo had been observing his every move with laser-like focus. As Yoo Haeon zipped up the pouch and raised his head, their eyes met. Startled, Yoo Haeon instinctively clutched his bag to his chest.

Lee Soo, acting completely clueless, waved his hand cheerfully and strode over to Yoo Haeon with purpose.

Later, when it was time for item distribution, Lee Soo, having volunteered to protect Yoo Haeon, a role everyone else had been reluctant to take, felt justified in his actions.

“…Why are you coming over here?”

Lee Soo thought Yoo Haeon’s defensive stance resembled that of a bristling stray cat. Smiling warmly, as if to soothe him, Lee Soo spoke calmly.

“I volunteered to guard Healer Yoo Haeon at the rear.”

Yoo Haeon’s eyes widened in surprise at his candid response, but his expression soon turned into one of annoyance and resignation. He ran his long fingers through his hair repeatedly, clearly uncomfortable with dealing with people.

Lee Soo could bet a strand of his hair on the fact that this discomfort stemmed from Yoo Haeon’s lack of interaction with others. Gently, he reached out and lightly grasped the edge of Yoo Haeon’s sleeve.

Finally making some progress in their conversation, Lee Soo knew that grabbing Yoo Haeon’s hand outright might result in immediate rejection. And he hated the thought of being disliked. Murmuring under his breath about how much he disliked being hated, Lee Soo looked up at the puzzled Yoo Haeon and beamed brightly.

“Please take good care of me in the dungeon. And if possible, I’d really appreciate it if you could stay close! It makes it easier to protect you.”

Yoo Haeon’s face, full of reluctance and frowns, acknowledged this with a nod and then turned away with a deep sigh, sneaking a glance at Lee Soo.

Lee Soo simply kept smiling, knowing full well that this was some sort of test. Yoo Haeon, seeing the unrelenting cheerfulness on Lee Soo’s pale face, gave a weary look and unconsciously pulled out another snack to munch on.

Watching this, Lee Soo stifled a laugh. He made a mental note to hand over another snack bag if he needed to pacify Yoo Haeon during the raid. He patted his right pocket, where he kept the extras.

The way Yoo Haeon begrudgingly accepted snacks reminded Lee Soo of a cat that follows someone after getting a taste of their food. He shuffled closer to Yoo Haeon as they crossed through the spatial transfer gate leading directly into the dungeon.

—

[System: You have entered the dungeon. Basic dungeon information will be provided. All additional raid-relevant information will be relayed to the team leader.]

Lee Soo scanned the system window blocking his view before dismissing it with a flick. He stole a glance at Yoo Haeon standing next to him. Unlike Lee Soo, who hid any signs of unfamiliarity, Yoo Haeon seemed perfectly at ease in this otherworldly space.

Large guilds like Hawa often had access to spatial transfer gates connected to dungeon gates that had been active for some time. These allowed instant transport into the dungeon, and the gate Lee Soo had just passed through was one of them, commonly referred to as a “warp.”

By crossing the warp, they entered the dungeon directly, and Lee Soo took the opportunity to pull Yoo Haeon closer under the pretext of protection.

Feeling a strange pleasure as the much larger man easily came along, Lee Soo summoned two spirits.

“Summon. On, Jin.”

[System: Awakened ‘Ryu Leesoo’ has cast ‘Summon’ to call forth On and Jin.]

Despite speaking softly, the whisper was caught by a few with keen senses, looking at Lee Soo with curiosity.

To summon spirits, to be able to necromance the dead to one’s side—Lee Soo, already treated as beyond human as an Awakened, seemed even more otherworldly to other Awakened.

Yoo Haeon, watching the two orb-like wisps floating around Lee Soo, which resembled will-o’-the-wisps, seemed about to ask something. Catching this, Lee Soo curved his eyes in a smile and confirmed what Yoo Haeon likely wanted to know.

“They’re spirits. I’m a necromancer. Not that I’m boasting, but I mentioned it because it means I’ll protect you no matter what, Healer Yoo Haeon.”

As he softly petted the spirits circling him, Lee Soo spoke with a voice laced with laughter. Yoo Haeon looked like he wanted to retort that he wasn’t worried, but he simply clamped his mouth shut.

He was used to dealing with threats from those who promised harm, but he had no idea how to handle someone who earnestly vowed to protect him while smiling so warmly.

Lee Soo, noticing Yoo Haeon’s uncharacteristic silence, remembered that his favorite had gone quiet many times before and stopped worrying. Watching the other hunters engage in combat, Lee Soo stepped back and laid a handkerchief on the ground for Yoo Haeon to sit on.

Of course, Haeon lightly ignored the handkerchief that Lee Soo had laid out and stood beside him, looking at Lee Soo with a complex, subtle gaze.

Receiving Haeon’s gaze calmly, Lee Soo smiled gently and spread out his hand as if to say, “Follow me.”

Haeon, with a mix of confusion and suspicion, slowly extended his hand. With a gesture as if praising him, Lee Soo dropped a plastic bag full of snacks onto Haeon’s pale palm.

“It’s a bribe. From now on, even if I get a tiny scratch, I’m going to come running to you, whining about how hurt I am and begging you to heal me. This is my way of saying, please look upon me kindly.”

Haeon, reading the sincerity in Leesoo’s playful words, opened his mouth as if to say something but then quickly turned his head away, sitting lightly on the handkerchief that Leesoo had laid out.

Leesoo, as if to say that was enough, smiled contentedly and blinked languidly.

I’ll die in summer, and Yoo Haeon in winter.

Even if I die, I’ll never let Yoo Haeon die in winter. If I fail to prevent his death, I might just rise from my grave out of sheer regret, Lee Soo thought as he began pondering a more foolproof way to save Yoo Haeon.

Haeon, who had been watching Lee Soo sitting elegantly on a rock with a few stolen glances, began to relax the tension he’d been holding in his body and started to observe Lee Soo more openly.

With long nails that didn’t seem to bother him, Lee Soo moved his fingers casually, his face plainly saying “I’m thinking right now.” Lee Soo was beautiful, both by the standards of the public and by Haeon’s subjective view.

His pale, bluish complexion, the gold eyes that glittered like they were dusted with gold powder, visible through the long, thick lashes lowered towards the ground, the well-shaped bridge of the nose, and the lips slightly upturned, making anyone who looked feel good.

While thinking that Lee Soo looked like a fox, Haeon carefully placed the new snack Lee Soo had given him into the front pocket of his bag, then took out the half-eaten snack from the same pocket and ate it piece by piece.

Since, for him, only those who were almost dead would come anyway, it was fine to slack off like this.

Just as Haeon was licking the tangy powder off his finger, he felt a gaze on him and turned his head to see Lee Soo looking at him with affectionate eyes.

Startled by the tender look one might give to a lover after years apart, Haeon grabbed another jelly from the snack bag and ate it.

“Anything you want to say? Why are you looking at me like that? …It’s creepy, so stop looking at me that way.”

Despite Haeon’s prickly words, Lee Soo did not lose his smile, interpreting Haeon’s language in his own way:

Anything you want to say? = Feel free to say what you want.
Why are you looking at me like that? = I’m a bit embarrassed.
It’s creepy, so stop looking at me that way. = That look makes me feel embarrassed and weird.

After interpreting, or rather, fabricating Haeon’s words, Lee Soo deepened his gaze, resting his elbow on his thigh and propping up his chin, fixing his eyes straight ahead as Haeon had demanded. In that state, Lee Soo asked lightly, as if talking to himself.

“Do you have anything you like? Or dislike?”