SMFC | Chapter 23

Yoo Haeon, c8671a15df who had 33a7e869a3 been chatting 108bc325c9 with On 0f4804d9c7 about Lee f2868cd143 Soo’s maternal eb1806621a and paternal 6589b8e7d7 families, was cf817cf12f startled when 357071b840 Lee Soo 91f2e8d8d7 suddenly stood cdd8f370ec up. The abrupt movement cb2ff55f46 caused Haeon to c368521e38 drop the chart da20e7c6ae he was holding, f9d6130d59 scattering its contents be56ad8710 across the floor. With a sigh, ed2632c381 he glanced at 8afa37eb2a the papers strewn 445ae798df about, then furrowed b4cf586095 his brows as 6d9c1fd24e he looked at 92c7a25ad0 Lee Soo’s oddly 79b42940cf flustered expression.84b59739870a1518

“Is something the 9cee02ffe4 matter—”64311bb6a420ebbb

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“Want to bb8b52c8e4 hang out? I need eb38c44c75 to buy 45f9a68ce0 some things 77a43a00c0 in the d671d657be city. Healer Haeon, do 59c5cf2bdb you want to aa5aa88e64 come along?”61ddf1879769e644

On mumbled something 9b6e22dd1a about how his 28bdb011a2 expression made it db6bec280b seem less like 558457887f a casual trip 21cf2387b3 and more like 8ad640e180 they were heading 7063273770 to a battlefield. Subtly agreeing, Haeon nodded.b894a89785b3ce69

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“I don’t have any 610a63fddb calls today, so if a73c1b6215 Hunter Ryu Leesoo is f120aa8d60 fine with it, I’d e8b8463b36 like to go with 4dbc562671 you.”b4022da1d05fcf5f

“Then now—what df422af6a0 time is 05955f9afd it? Let’s get ready 7a8d0b4d11 and leave right f9d77cc12a away! Ah, the chart. I’ll pick it ddceef3de1 up, so go eb654b9649 get ready and f8f2183c62 come back.”0191478dcf2054c0

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Why is he in bd230f46f9 such a rush? Did he 2394301e01 forget a 21dc3e05d9 friend’s birthday d071509e9a or something? While Haeon 11302ba573 hesitated, puzzling 2248959176 over Lee 7e7eca2b68 Soo’s urgency, 113171ccf6 he was 382667cced gently pushed 2a65c4aff9 out and 891e415abd told to ea554455d9 prepare. Once Haeon was out 797545fa22 of the room, Lee 8dbb4b9fbf Soo leaned against the 6a6acea0b1 door, clicking his tongue 8de6b91bf2 in frustration.6c8d7dbef036641d

He’d been so busy 88cbe1bc43 lately that he’d forgotten 90416021eb something so important like d181c71702 a fool.0a38be1ab07fa76e

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The first meeting 38f66965f8 between Haeon and 37c64792d5 Jiwoo wasn’t exactly 659ac002a5 pleasant. Lee Soo b49bde674c had vowed ac69820206 to change 9f7dee4456 that if 77452623d0 he ever dbe496dff0 took over 8aa25d4f98 this body, 6dd8d88664 making today 2791cc1872 their new 4f8ab10ad5 first encounter. Only now did he e794e5e5c2 remember! Internally screaming, he 678f8127a3 hurriedly picked up 24b32471df the items he 8e287a0231 had left outside, 6413af45ba stuffing them back 60be2ec154 into his inventory, 8e6a8c9d2c and paced anxiously.f2f4990490a840bd

Today, in the 0eda839303 original story, Jiwoo 5e2732871a was supposed to 339dbb8165 get caught up f302162565 in a dungeon 50db561560 incident and awaken cfad000074 as an Awakened. Though her 2bb823ed2d ability was d1815027d8 low-tier, it b7351e2762 was still 14979c35dd significant. Soon after, Jiwoo started a761dfed75 dating the Awakened who 2fa563b89d saved her during the f83a2369d9 incident. However, about 64469f4284 two years 076d1e2a05 later, near e5b89bd56c the start 305ec211ee of the ac52179980 original story, 0e4e532613 her lover 977599a4c8 died in f4b2e69ecb a dungeon. Unfortunately, it was Haeon 20feb83285 who was the healer 02659138a3 trying to save him a4f6b75356 until the end.fcf1c559b050a65a

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What a 207e925326 way for d42ef63725 their story 912565ff49 to begin—a fdf92c17a5 healer known 12cfccca90 for their 1f89cae7f5 exceptional skills 9c7f47b9ac failing to 2ecc7a8656 save her 3d0727bd54 lover. Jiwoo knew it wasn’t f1daf940ad Haeon’s fault, but she 526785eae1 couldn’t help resenting him.995f571ebcbb8774

But what if, f9326f9bc2 from the very b5721779c1 beginning, Haeon was dd876d1684 the one to d0cadf5763 save Jiwoo? Wouldn’t that lead to 3e75c6e92b a smoother relationship between 637cc02a8d them, free from major fc38f1efa8 misunderstandings?6a6a89e15df7a4e0

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It might seem 1c1486c13a like a simple d37d3c99b0 idea, but most 3897621be0 relationships are built—or 7151135168 broken—on small twists e27c43137d of fate. That’s why 31df703da3 Lee Soo a3c9d5c60a couldn’t afford 0ed8e2644c to overlook ea9df9300e this chance. If he 4c1e6609be failed, he’d 8d38a6f3ed have no efd3a3d6f5 choice but 1fab04b98c to prioritize a0a704e464 protecting Jiwoo’s 8b753d3f2e lover when db38a9712e the original cade9fbc61 story began.b36f4e8cc2bf6156

Muttering about 87c00fdc74 how it 7fd6fb2ea2 would be 80bb6be316 ideal to 7781d139e8 resolve everything f6a7d3057f today, Lee 9bd478012d Soo quickly 2391f70367 changed his fa466834d1 clothes. Fully prepared, he 70202b3e72 swung the door 9cd372e1bc open. There stood 3cc4cadd26 Haeon, who 0a0c526e37 had already 2c3c1c8647 finished getting aa09b46036 ready and f368c417a8 was leaning 6c228457ad against the e9fd0f5a82 wall, though 8e0c4583c8 he clearly 81aa06ee30 didn’t understand 1839751450 what was d2a6ac6dad happening.e9b6290c01c5e914

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“Healer Haeon! Let’s go, let’s 0fd81e739e go!”f21f977d1b129eaa

“Why are you in 54a64a354b such a rush? Did you forget about c6c2203002 an important promise or b055827367 something?”3a849e8423313b0a

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Even as 56db69777a Lee Soo a6cea50f32 flailed around, d1cf983644 Haeon reached 6bda1df964 out hesitantly c73c889aff and gently 44c9968baa held his e8d3ceb614 hand, as 28e9e79fe2 if afraid 905d300abd of being a3f9a57221 too forward. While they 3d6d53cc71 walked, he 8fac2a5e7f asked quietly, 4d4af5a834 “What’s going 895e80c245 on? Why are you dragging 58d7e8387c me into this?”2f6fa8b8a73b073f

Caught off 8cd5986ed6 guard, Lee d24e6683b9 Soo hesitated 974a02a8de for a a19d003872 moment before 1f91da6db6 smiling faintly 93837f12ec and answering, b80831f49f “I made ac01605d0b a promise cbb1514787 to someone 3f7f3145c6 important.”9a397d374e6198d6

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To bring back the 26b1af7ff0 person you love in 567f7c046a a way that causes a11bfdd6a2 you the least pain. A promise meant 9ce72f067d for Haeon but 769b402601 one he had f2be811c68 never shared with 5f71457cd0 him.b62feb9ba7fde523

Turning the 2b9351b559 unspoken promise 905e3fdb92 over in 9aa1adb144 his mind, f5a62106d3 Lee Soo 71819f67b2 half-walked, half-ran 15bec320c4 ahead. At some point, 2694179422 Haeon found himself 500f5c24c6 walking behind Lee 5f9a1af807 Soo instead of 676867ffc1 beside him, staring d72820ddad at his back 27be546dfe with an unreadable f8a74fd8fe expression.10f3a045be4f6579

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He acts like b8efe0359a I’m the most 4c3dc51e26 important person in 430f61b982 the world, only 2cd6ded85f to turn around dbb285d3cb and talk about 5b7acbcca2 promises to someone d649be4392 else. And then he 7740be77b1 drags me along b3bceffae7 on whatever errand 4eef665d74 this is. Plenty of 29769e2e0c reasons to 8459a005d8 be annoyed, 40f2438366 yet Haeon ca52c64c74 decided to 62d141a0d7 give him 3942efc471 one more 2114760df2 chance—just one—to d7928b5304 explain.4abac691a9709191

After leaving the guild cd33ab4ae1 and hailing a taxi, 7478772d84 Lee Soo finally realized a3c9dd430e something was amiss.e5f0c5d3b1b5f12b

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“Wait! I didn’t file for 2520bf7ee0 a half-day off today. What if the Guild 197a10b01e Leader scolds you, Healer 816f9ae877 Haeon?”c5e7ce5025cbc48c

“Isn’t it f7450435eb a bit d9ac3560a1 late to c74cd3cd6d worry about a9130b02b9 that? And I’ll be 634f2ff7b8 fine. What about c54ee926c8 you, Hunter d41ea8c0cc Ryu Leesoo?”d9fcc6a7ca76c438

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“Me? I’ve been 9b2307a175 given permission 4d17b8872e to go ff215c1342 anywhere as 4b4dfbe372 long as 4d880f2b78 I finish 6c97554668 my work. Of course, if I ab8369caed ran off in the c4c7075c9f middle of work, I’d 5d2e558871 face disciplinary action…”9602801b08bdf394

But that won’t happen. His cheeky 396321b2fd grin convinced 29c1cbb093 Haeon he af75320dc4 was entirely 310d6f707b capable of d5a6b41f61 pulling it 18b4ccca13 off, and f3547e4912 Haeon nodded 0c7b535288 in reluctant 0340db17e7 agreement.e49106864aa1ce19

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As Lee 790751a365 Soo absentmindedly e8406e6dcc lowered his 09dc6b4c7b gaze, he f9964ba2cd noticed an 2887c3d35c unfamiliar weight 142fa45e3c in his feb9859939 hand. Looking down, 8a181ffdbc he realized 054932d9de it was ce209a4b41 still being 6b1dc80e67 held by 7e11e6e56b Haeon. Smiling slightly f7ba9b41ce at the ec48659da2 heavier feel 98356c2d2d compared to 0f10372674 his other 3838480636 hand, Lee 67ccef2712 Soo tapped 0e877f0afd the back 4a8af761e2 of Haeon’s 823f2508d8 hand playfully.ee66c8b2abc89d38

“How long b1a50dc805 are you a2a9d66654 planning to 040968ce8e hold my d80228bfc4 hand?”204584379b0d8265

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“…Until Hunter Ryu 5ed8c54ea0 Leesoo tells me 4028c57e7a to let go.”b9607fb7e9b3d135

“You’re surprisingly bold.”2597437ceaa4ad73

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Haeon shrugged at a19972a2ef Lee Soo’s tone, 8732ee606d which showed no b125622d42 hint of annoyance, 7309be62f3 and muttered, “Maybe 01fa98890b so.” As Haeon 27ea3237a2 quietly agreed, Lee fe5e69642f Soo turned to fb43a12cd3 look out the 441d729baf window, not even 35fa44f034 trying to take 4a98f361e4 in the rapidly dbe21c0ae0 passing scenery. Instead, he focused 19e03b6bc3 on the description 286b97a55d of Jiwoo’s appearance 30ab5f3980 from the novel.5a392b63cf12bd20

A woman with bronze fb1c1b449d skin, long white hair e8fc623883 braided and draped over 4ad2177fee her right shoulder, and 9c7d918098 jet-black eyes with bold c02d1664aa features. He could 908e48425f barely contain 5179db8a5a his excitement 28255909a6 at the 93e0a563e7 thought of 2bd8a96d7f seeing in c7f8e83159 person what b935c9add0 he had 1947a61a68 only read bb295a7102 in words. His heart raced c530d30dd3 as he thought f8ba91cf09 about Jiwoo, imagining 07a0d47a8f her vividly.f67f6d7a018ee84e

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But then he 15a57b87e7 realized his heart d524838a78 wasn’t pounding purely 89a065facb from anticipation. Most of 403ebfd62b it was 7318a26fbb excitement, but e856feb4f4 there was e38e02a41c also a 81d2af2295 tinge of ac25c25793 anxiety… and 82d80e36bb jealousy? Furrowing his b256f900ed brows, Lee 60ce94cc7d Soo picked 676b45e1eb apart his f66e9fe37b emotions one 084051e549 by one, 6dea34ac7d startled by 3da4465930 the unexpected 151409662a feelings. The remnants of his ea2de8b243 emotions seemed to lead 7268dc0b6a him toward an unknown 177b2613cc destination.2c6fce3cffdcf371

Not yet, 178953d0cd he muttered 163b23d938 to himself, bc98440a23 snapping out 5b2eb2bc47 of it 08bcb83819 as he d3656ae484 turned his 38e8f1475c head to c73624f1de meet Haeon’s fb366cd854 gaze. The complex thoughts fcb62bf28a swirling in his e14c4ddb78 eyes steadied the 635a671edd moment they locked 8bc850a836 onto Haeon, as 58910fb4ec if they had b7c9af5be8 never wavered.5d53dff376654a41

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“Is something wrong?” Haeon da0e2d450e asked, noticing the shift.93937b5b9db397f0

Lee Soo’s lips curved 40f0011c71 into a soft smile c27a71aead as he shook his 8bad40c279 head, deciding not to 6a539afdff mention his unsettled pulse. Though Haeon 0057668b6c tried to 835f0116a9 hide it, a4a233e4eb it seemed b86a2df323 Lee Soo f506399955 already knew.dc818d0cc8ee9e77

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Lee Soo repeatedly 89c045216d checked his smartwatch, 54d09f749f reassured by the 7bfcbd7aa0 absence of dungeon-related 18bf94d3f9 alerts that Jiwoo bbf8c1ed58 was still safe. Haeon, meanwhile, cdbe712ab8 quietly watched df4d23f72c Lee Soo’s 5d4bec1451 restless fidgeting, 734e25fccb as if 4ef226b22c he were 2280724ac0 waiting for aafc680aa2 a particular 82328e0574 message.08c297ed240818c5

So absorbed a1a59ead62 in his a0330dba73 smartwatch and 8debd0de60 thoughts of a46d3976c4 Jiwoo, Lee d2a814595c Soo didn’t d19bb6388d even notice 85f2e1c126 Haeon observing e23551a1b7 him. When the taxi finally afa784f716 arrived, Lee Soo nearly 76e9ed2d8f leapt out, moving as 62fcb90a3a if he were being 45a9b1ee89 chased. Following his hurried steps, 5a1ee2e458 Haeon frowned at the 644c5d4641 loud alarm blaring from 90e44c0e51 Lee Soo’s smartwatch. The familiar sound bfdaaa1678 made him realize—it 1878883453 was a dungeon 5e960e936f alarm.957f9d2316255335

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Typically, such things could e41220e043 be chalked up to ae63261a24 coincidence, no matter how 6369edcf57 strange they seemed. But the way Lee 01e6a30d36 Soo had been repeatedly 6027275f37 checking his smartwatch, combined bd5ba10ebe with his urgency and 17b00f0a81 the alarm, painted a 12c7a7cfe2 different picture.ade452dec773d312

Everything pointed e76bd26ea1 to one 9948503563 conclusion: Lee e39500b8de Soo knew c81dfaee7f this dungeon fbd66355aa would appear. Did necromancers 4728b27ee9 have precognitive 2c64d6ede6 abilities? If so, it a4c072b899 would explain how b6090cd1a9 he could remain 2e0e49d632 so composed, even 696f509f33 in the face bf7e8d6ae5 of his own 527f423f99 death.7bfe42e8814ec125

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While Haeon struggled to c64b65b421 organize his tangled thoughts, e0b20123a9 Lee Soo checked the c5b878e1d0 dungeon’s coordinates and began 9f12352cdb heading toward it. He felt a 4be6e64b89 pang of guilt cbfe7f8544 for dragging Haeon 74038ca9ae along under the a453de4eb7 pretense of hanging 2baf57d81c out, knowing full 8ad13528da well he was fe2196f5f1 heading into a ad1ceb2e38 dungeon. Asking Haeon to join 88c5430a19 him would only make 02d6e4f435 things worse. The dungeon 860cdc0ca0 was filled 96ef4e40ef with ordinary 11d7734414 people, not 398060744b Awakened, and ebe6a73f4e bringing a cbf318eb3b healer into b81fb270c5 such chaos f3db827daa would lead fd6f2ba2f2 to inevitable b76d7563b2 disaster.8a23e2c018c7af3e

His plan was simple: 23fec6b6aa stop anything from happening 74f2c47c05 to Jiwoo and then aab1d67d97 bring her to Haeon 3631b6a634 for healing. But just as Lee 88564789be Soo took a step 2451a412cf toward the dungeon, he 62e6e329c9 was unsurprisingly grabbed by 4f49c78465 Haeon.b881460ac4c567af

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“Wait a 8f48b3a54e second, Healer 3668954eb8 Haeon. Let me go—”3a30deebc533bb27

“We came out to a739ef9089 hang out, didn’t we? Why are 261c12802a you leaving? You knew 25e152da7f this dungeon 2407a604c8 was going 5f1e876650 to appear, f7d0ad976e didn’t you? That’s why you brought ca0829aebd me here.”cc4c15c8eb347d79

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“…I’m sorry. You can 0d0e72a03a scold me 289fedf408 later, Healer 1727252e8b Yoo Haeon. Let’s talk later. The dungeon will close a013420260 soon. If no hunters 8925d6c1b3 are here, everyone 73077c05c2 caught inside will a11c1efa66 die… There’s someone cdba88bcc6 I need to 25180fdb6b save.”5f31ed63ed695a55

For the first time, 390b9beef4 Haeon found himself resenting c3ce242f37 the sight of Lee 2825f87a58 Soo’s lips, which refused 7096acaa69 to deny his accusations.f6bbb9630fb5f29d

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Looking at Lee 9bb383e65e Soo’s desperate expression, 98ec79ff67 Haeon lowered his e6ee59e7bf gaze to the 49b3689178 slender wrist he abb6f67e6b held. If he a219f36cda didn’t let 6d34ede4f2 go, Lee 21eee6b35e Soo wouldn’t 3f11e6f15c be able 3c210b4ef2 to leave. Most hunters wouldn’t 5d763d852f feel guilt over c9df91e79e an unanticipated dungeon, abba7763d3 treating it like b3ba1e6672 a natural disaster 43241a033f beyond their control.9ea217b09729e653

But could Lee Soo 1b7ad3e850 be counted among “most 5914b85f49 hunters”?77c583364ec5a7b5

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No. That’s why b846e8f9d6 Haeon felt 25f8cb067c salvation in 864d585ca9 Lee Soo. If he 25714098d8 didn’t let ad749452e8 go, Lee 97a6b0016c Soo would 3898b59d2d resent him—and, 08bf51070f more than d3169745f7 that, he 55f8cd9305 would blame 657197d981 himself even b851fcb1a7 more.05c0ad759f201dfd

In the split 80474b816f second Haeon mulled 3ce3ea6338 over countless thoughts, 25ec934534 he released Lee db78ac34a4 Soo’s wrist. As Lee Soo turned e1bcc99aba to check his expression, 09fca3e292 Haeon murmured quietly.8a16d2287506a4b5

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“Go protect everything you 82890cf598 want to protect. Even if they’re barely 8172a67790 breathing, that’s fine… Protect 354aa2f1dd everything and come back 2cd18d835e to me. No matter what happens, 650f59aa8e Hunter Ryu Leesoo, I’ll a470012ede make sure to save a958c16543 you.”cce034c834e29049