SMFC | Chapter 13

Although the phrase “torn apart” was used, Yoo Haeon thought that “swallowed up” might actually be more appropriate since there was nothing left at all, and he faintly let out a sigh.

Lee Soo, seemingly pleased with how his body moved at his command, snorted long and looked at Haeon with his eyes turned gray from necromancy, and asked, “Cool, isn’t it?”

“…Yes, it’s cool.”

As Haeon readily responded, Lee Soo, with his cloudy gray eyes gleaming, couldn’t contain his excitement and bounced on his feet.

“I trained really hard. Just to protect Healer-nim Haeon.”

As if urging him to compliment more. Lee Soo, with his chin slightly raised, grinned mischievously and swayed gently.

No matter what story this person I like has, Haeon thought, acknowledging that he really is the perfect hunter who has to raid dungeons as quickly as possible.

With pink eyes fluttering gently, Lee Soo, who had been staring, lightly grabbed and then let go of Haeon’s clothes, suggesting they should move toward the raid team, as staying separated from others here could introduce unknown variables.

In situations with just a healer, it’s one thing, but when a healer is with a hunter, all decision-making powers unequivocally go to the hunter.

Some hunters, probably harboring grievances from their usual experiences, exploited this in dungeons, commandeering him under the guise of protection. Thus, the usually sharp Haeon was surprisingly docile today, quite astonished by his own uncharacteristic calmness.

Following Lee Soo, after handing over his sleeve, Haeon suddenly thought that Lee Soo might actually be a decent person.

Despite being the kind who’d heard somewhere that Haeon liked sweets and handed over snacks right after a few days of playing tag, and the strange one who liked the fact that his life, set to end in five years, could only be extended by a mere six months.

Haeon thought to push as hard as he could to somehow extend Lee Soo’s life, as he was one of the few kind people to him, using a method that placed a burden on both the recipient’s and the healer’s body, if necessary. He wanted to gift Lee Soo a full six months and, if possible, even more time.

Haeon inwardly vowed to perform a tremendously kind act, so much so that one might suspect him of being foolish.

Unaware of Haeon’s promise, Lee Soo swayed his sleeve as he walked, and following smoothly, Haeon moved his ungrasped hand to the front pocket of his bag and opened a packet of jelly sweets.

This was what he had learned. How to reciprocate kindness.

Although a famous healer, Haeon knew the story of one person who had used all his life force to save his savior, someone unredeemed by anyone else.

Both the giver and Haeon knew it was akin to buying feed from a convenience store for a hungry stray cat nearby.

The boy who vowed never to live like them, unheard by anyone, knew this too.

After rummaging for snacks, Haeon picked up a chocolate, which melted instantly upon touching his fingers, and then he glanced at his fingers.

It was too filthy for licking. Picking and eating cautiously was one thing, but licking his fingers to eat the melted chocolate gave him a slight sense of disgust.

Deciding not to continue this train of thought, Haeon suddenly realized both he and Lee Soo had stopped and looked for Lee Soo.

Seeming naturally, Lee Soo, standing beside Haeon with a spinning smile, turned his head not toward Haeon but rolled his still gray eyes, indicating that Young had inhabited his body.

To Haeon, gray or golden eyes were equally alien, but gold suited Lee Soo better. With such unnecessary thoughts, Haeon twitched his eyebrows.

“Say something. Don’t just stand there.”

“…There’s so much I want to say to Healer-nim Haeon. I was trying to pick the prettiest words, that’s why I’m like this.”

Haeon chuckled dryly at the smooth talk and looked down at his chocolate-stained fingertips.

It was such a meager amount that it wouldn’t have been too bad to just lick it off, but somehow, the thought of licking was unappealing.

Knowing this was his issue, Haeon, slightly annoyed, forced his attention away from his hand. In the dungeon, no one would hand over a tissue or wet wipe no matter how much he complained.

…It’s a given, but it’s still unsettling.

Seeing something seemingly bothering Haeon, Lee Soo looked at him with curious eyes.

Since Lee Soo kept him close like a beloved stuffed toy, no hunter bothered him, no monster injured him, and no fool rashly challenged a healer at the risk of their life. No hunter used their decision-making priority to cause a fuss either.

Unable to articulate his discomfort, Lee Soo searched cautiously for the source of Haeon’s discomfort as a housecat’s keeper might, scanning unobtrusively.

After much searching and seeing no apparent issue, Lee Soo wondered if he was the problem and his lips turned down slightly.

As his gaze wavered, Lee Soo noticed the chocolate on Haeon’s fingers.

That’s it! It wasn’t me! Lee Soo internally revealed his excitement by jumping around, while Haeon, focused on the chocolate, failed to notice Lee Soo’s overt joy.

When someone gently wiped his hand without touching it, Haeon turned and was surprised.

Lee Soo had crouched down on the floor and was carefully wiping Haeon’s fingers with a tissue, trying not to startle him.

Haeon looked as if asking what he was doing, and Lee Soo just smiled slightly and stood up after finishing.

“Aren’t your legs numb? Moving like that with your condition is bothersome,” Haeon said, drawing a thin line on his brow, and then fixed his gaze on Lee Soo’s eyes.

“What did you do?”

“Um, I wiped off the chocolate.”

“That a passing dog would know too… So why…”

Interrupted by Haeon’s question, Lee Soo blinked slowly, his clear eyes showing it was nothing much, and replied.

“You seemed uncomfortable, Healer-nim Haeon, so if I bothered you, I’m sorry.”

Receiving help and an apology in such an ambiguous situation, Haeon scowled and looked at Lee Soo, then spoke in a rather gentle tone, which, for Haeon, was still quite normal.

“It’s not that. It wasn’t uncomfortable?”

Considering it was uninvited touching, which Haeon usually detested intensely, it was surprising.

Contemplating how he was different from others, Lee Soo recalled not touching Haeon’s delicate, slender fingers and stared at them.

No one’s fingers were as slender and fine as Haeon’s, which flinched slightly under Lee Soo’s gaze.

As if about to say something, Haeon inhaled sharply, and Lee Soo, meeting his eyes as if it were natural, seemed ready to speak but then Haeon averted his gaze.

For a brief moment, their eyes clearly avoided each other more times than Lee Soo could count.

“…The chocolate being there did bother me. But it wasn’t you, Ryu Leesoo the hunter, who annoyed me,” Haeon murmured, his expression softening slightly as he stared blankly at Lee Soo.

“It didn’t bother me.”