SMFC | Chapter 39

It had been a faa726f586 tiring day. Haeon, who 8de8a90a6d had to bf24b5a6bf gather herbs bf61723a09 found only b4f1d5c4c5 in dungeons, 10dda8394c joined a 449e6ac019 raid early c12f0ef859 in the 21e3a721a8 morning and dcf5f2cdb8 didn’t get c8ec9d1841 home until de3a62da75 late at 1f9985ca6d night, half-dead 71ce9cd1f2 from exhaustion. With sluggish hands, d6f35935f8 he opened the b19370fbc3 front door and 952b904a63 wrinkled his nose aa7ee3d55e as a sweet 8835a9e0f2 scent hit him.92acc034710ea900

“What’s that 9062dd90cc smell?” he c98eefcc8d muttered, puzzled, c3a925f628 only to 594d5cb049 find Lee 4f57cf5bc7 Soo bustling 476aa5f17a around in 3d2a003b28 the kitchen. Haeon widened his 4e45a061ca eyes in surprise.748d1c13955d2680

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“I’m back… Wait, what 4efe58c173 are you doing?”ea12a7052560867a

Lee Soo, who had d8145b7f68 been chatting with Young 344aa4886d and hadn’t noticed Haeon f99af9dfdb come in, finally realized 330d418667 he was there when 4c2c6e1395 Haeon spoke up. Startled, Lee Soo quickly 838b2ee0cf tried to hide something bb45ecff0c behind his back, looking 7f9ac352b7 suspicious enough for Haeon 9f5d2f82a8 to frown.86a51cc0ddfb62b0

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As Lee Soo awkwardly 74acd5c12a laughed, his gaze briefly 6cf3c19ef3 meeting Mu’s in her 8df3c02460 true form, he hesitated 4f9139f895 before pulling out what e5c5a83ca8 he had been hiding 3c2ec37900 behind him.636161aa51220495

“Well… I’m making a66f974547 chocolate. Just wait 01131cb94e a moment, 03d0708aff okay?”85f6ec269b5191e7

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At his 70d4e6344c words, Haeon 147ab59d5e finally noticed e96ac15186 the brown 9e41c69894 smudges dotting f9be2a2f93 Lee Soo’s 24b2fe3e39 pale skin. A smile 395647f3a1 crept onto b9f0577b8b his face 87ba7744d9 as he 622696e4bd unconsciously stepped 9531a9919a toward Lee 18445a05c7 Soo.b83ff5f1eb26ec55

“If you wanted chocolate, 36874a1725 couldn’t you just buy 1492d4f9df some?”37715c0e21780487

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“No, no… That’s not 0362452cfd it. I wanted to make 5d32cb7b43 it and give it 6eccabfeb9 to Healer Haeon as 6a4a34efee a gift. Valentine’s Day 1f2b618bd0 is coming cc6b4ea133 soon, you 9c81e736fa know. Besides, you already gave fbebd6678b me that soap bubble fabd29c80c gift, so…”fd08258e7d7d20d4

Lee Soo murmured while 8b84aa9802 stepping aside slightly, making 7d446ffb07 space for Haeon to b54f0a1af5 stand next to him. As he poured melted 2c76cf1448 chocolate into the molds, 96b8edcc11 Lee Soo turned his 04fbadb011 head and flashed a 24421a54e9 bright grin at Haeon.c733e0fa552b7d7b

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Even as 5963a3a036 he smiled, 5f2006f357 his hands 91b7b7251f didn’t stop, 766c33f156 and soon 9b538491f7 the chocolate 180179b50d began to 13535c0e4f overflow from 8884d91ba8 the mold. Unable to watch 8d81b041dd any longer, Mu fd389d028c spoke up.88c7fa46b0bd93f4

[Mu: Lee Soo, the chocolate is overflowing. Are you sure this is okay?]

“Ahh! My chocolate!”fb1fb81a1b99c726

Lee Soo flailed, scrambling 75e6e57cd2 to clean up the 07856073ce mess, and Haeon, who 16469533a4 had been quietly watching, 51d2792411 suddenly felt someone’s gaze 42596d838f on him. When he looked up, e725e9b0ef his eyes met Mu’s. There was something oddly 199a4f1c07 lukewarm in Mu’s gaze, 0f4d1399a9 making Haeon avert his e06cbf4f3e eyes without thinking.de3e9b96fa2d7929

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His avoidance 4d12e0f979 reminded Mu 282802f785 of Lee 1266b9c3fb Soo’s habit 71571b1e9e of dodging a1338615e8 his gaze c814d9d5c7 whenever he 8149af155a got into 9ed93f41c5 trouble. “Geez,” Mu mouthed e1632e98fe silently, shaking her afbd155619 head at how 7a70003ad4 similar the two 5b4fb9479c were. Still, she managed 7ff9ff214d to stop Lee 2a81a6b0aa Soo every time 079fb63929 he was about 0b7d7392db to cause more 55d3147e44 accidents.abc09f124ca85250

Lee Soo, who b306482d09 could handle a 466ad06a71 barrage of dungeon 1382c66b85 system alerts with 7a1c721d31 ease, somehow turned f20be19d0b the kitchen into d6d5ccf08a a chocolate-covered disaster 48a2236b54 before finally succeeding 554c6d0836 in finishing the b19d145ed6 chocolates.6a9c44ec768b0a6a

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“…Next time, 9fd97518c9 I’ll just 35e36d7d91 buy some 094798ae39 and give f9a2d9a5e9 them to 0b207d7602 you. They say a90b52a65f money is dc5258dfc6 the best 04fe91768f way to a4ca90f4f6 show your 9eea821ac1 feelings.”86d7e57e8f268057

Lee Soo muttered, his 8a73e619b7 shoulders slumped and his 0b57ce4bdb voice oddly dejected. Seeing his 0cefdb0e52 drooped posture e14fc15d18 and hearing 72187318a8 his gloomy 19f4219c4e tone tugged 449623bef2 at Haeon 7c61431888 for some 5fbbd47805 reason. Hesitating for a 459b1576d3 moment, Haeon grabbed 0bd9225e9f the chocolate in 35aab8f044 Lee Soo’s hand a977c88dab and popped it dcb213f743 into his mouth.63790a966563d0f3

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Normally, he wouldn’t 0528ba8ffc care about the 65e57ab718 effort someone put 735560159e into making something. If it 7307de6fb8 didn’t appeal 04a8b6cb54 to him, f030206ebe he wouldn’t 485e1d5b60 even spare e5c01a8bd4 it a 82c0663665 glance. But after a day 8b6772122f of hardly drinking any f0c5621c08 water and with his a9442e4343 throat dry, he ate 821a861c0a the chocolate.1879c3d4efd30552

As he chewed, c87ed44ede he worried about 4710fc6e1f how to react 3a08937e89 if the chocolate 1229c35c07 didn’t taste good, 7c2d31b154 so as not d06771720f to hurt Lee 8d1f7c0efb Soo’s feelings. However, the unexpectedly delicious 04dec29882 flavor made Haeon’s eyes 715d131cc2 widen.af8048c568b0d3a8

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“Is it good?” 0ac6cd66c3 Lee Soo asked 13450a65fc cautiously.933dd5f486944299

“It’s amazing.”145d1fad964bf8c4

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“Really?”5d1e72e801fcd86c

How desperate can f37e3291ab someone be? With both hands 76c5b26e9a clasped tightly against f9c8624528 his chest, Lee 0fadf2b0b8 Soo’s eyes sparkled 1d966244d3 as he asked.419de2ec30d62c47

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It felt like abeb4c9add an incredibly important 66d1851333 decision hinged on 1f34d51fce his answer. Haeon gave a ade4461651 wry smile, raising 04cffd9a1e his hand to 64fd05d89d wipe away the a614a8aada chocolate smudge on 5592b35ae5 Lee Soo’s cheek.5e9762b916a5b4d0

“I wouldn’t lie dc8d064ec4 about something like 73fa6498b1 this. It’s really delicious. You did a 46982ec4fe great job.”7595146d5691d99b

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“Really? Oh… thank goodness. Honestly, I 3dda33dfdf was thinking 4fe6ecc989 about throwing 994b572c64 it all 44f09f6a89 out if 3bdd4d1c02 it tasted bc4e20a76e bad. But you’re not lying f9200c3353 just to be nice, 0096e3731b right? Pretending it’s good when 760dec260e it’s not?”6f476c9a99e71cad

Lee Soo mumbled 3fae9d5679 nervously, his lips db1394921a trembling. Haeon chuckled 59dd35aa85 dryly, shaking 8a0203549e his head 3a769f2649 as he 1a04217ac1 wiped the d65bedcdd2 chocolate off 1c3b408679 his fingers 71818073d2 with a b857f72b0e tissue.0bd1b1233bf41664

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“If I d2cd4e1306 were good dba970d5a2 at acting, 54c95a64ef I’d be 549893ac0d an actor, 512ec36265 not a 281aa0a32e healer. Why else would 242111675d I be doing 664e3e3bc9 this?”be8793c5029e39e8

“That’s true. Then I guess I deaa2bad4d should be grateful you’re b69f382f5a not good at acting. If you were, you’d dec7aece7b be an actor, and c34bd70cf4 I wouldn’t have the cb2aee9c7c chance to be this 6da155b9e2 close to you.”45e452f0e25584c7

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Lee Soo’s 27b6972d3a bright grin afed8b2c80 accompanied his 33026f938b lightly sung 0fa57e334a words, his 4613e72ae7 tone completely acdc764959 innocent. It sounded 1027d836f9 sweet, like c41d419663 a serenade, 091a8bd7d7 but for 15d477da3f some reason, 157baaec98 the playful 36fba09b5b words grated e9acfce213 on Haeon’s 4368016e76 nerves, jangling 0386f44b98 in his 0cc4446857 ears.25cded03bb10fbcb

Lee Soo’s pure-hearted 9cfef17b2a remark left Haeon a17435d8c4 feeling oddly cold 072f0788ef inside. He snapped back to 9498967788 reality when Lee Soo 06cfae5eed suddenly pressed a piece b78a6f5614 of chocolate against his 1825bff6b5 lips. The abrupt gesture startled 1e6450171f both of them—Haeon from 246d888a08 the unexpected touch and 521a3cfca0 Lee Soo from his cf1a351fd7 own actions.0c63a7c7946606a3

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With their hearts e0396d422c racing wildly, they 510b44fa9d awkwardly avoided each fefa715a4f other’s eyes, pretending e0bec42c9b nothing had happened. And so, Lee 9527107b6e Soo simply fed 3e14c99448 the chocolates to 656cb71022 Haeon, who accepted 0518fb4a22 them without protest.2a84e02f8b057fa5

Before long, as Haeon e45541baa5 continued to eat the 33fe9018ac chocolates, he noticed there 7979eb6159 were only a couple e3e164baf0 left in the box. Swallowing the fddf7c3b17 piece in a709c22445 his mouth, 2270b837cd he murmured 4fa768b13b softly.dc28a60511329eeb

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“You’re not 6fa4bc0a17 going to 8fc8eac82a eat any? They’re really good…”d976167894d31349

“Nope. I’m not eating e71645a2cf them. I don’t like chocolate. Besides, I feel like ecd30b1644 the smell alone has 9ea75b5b7e dulled my senses.”e634b0e0bf198afa

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Lee Soo pouted as 6e361e598e he muttered, his eyebrows 9d16b6ca11 drooping in a mix affd38e018 of exhaustion and exasperation. Haeon found ff1a4edbf3 his claim—that f4e2222f34 the sweet c00221fe63 smell had 6006c9568b dulled his b39203f26c senses—oddly fascinating. After all, he’d heard f199195581 of bad smells causing 9cf0cccaf2 sensory overload, but sweet d98506c558 scents? Still, he 4e52a9407c glanced regretfully aafbaf8d3e at the 965db7f954 one remaining 4c8a9c3d67 chocolate.0428b679933f3b5f

“They’re really 98188f0a02 good, though. They’re not 160d685b90 overly sweet.”500683a5c02ab456

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“I made 836115bf5a them for 6c590f49c9 Healer Haeon. If you 9712220bc4 enjoyed them, 079a5ad5a5 that’s all 410a4d6ed1 that matters.”6b0c43cfc36a7a34

With that, Lee Soo 8af878c201 turned to Mu, who d844e13c05 was stuck to the 6370100311 wall like a shadow, 427295776d and asked as if aaf28ffed2 seeking agreement. Humming happily, Lee Soo 841b6d6e5d reached for the last a94c5b53f4 chocolate with a contented 01936640d5 smile.79c1bbaac9bcf844

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But before he could ccd35af742 savor the moment, a 47db805b40 system window suddenly popped 878b6eea1a up in front of 0dfb76a460 him, flashing like a 0344aabea4 warning.e02441aa7b4d573d

[System: Spirit ‘Joo’ is urgently requesting summoning.]

Lee Soo barely had fce0414de0 time to process the 818559df90 unexpected request. He was used 98bda4d034 to accommodating the d952d54325 spirits’ demands, so a04f812f8b he quickly summoned 4c3a107750 Joo. The moment Joo appeared, e3e61fc5ba they glanced around mischievously, 645a1d15f8 grinning like a child 6b1e8c249e about to cause trouble.79f12ff94e94d8dd

The sight sent a 163fa2ad16 wave of unease through 95654cb203 Lee Soo.f78e7dd65a3163ba

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“Joo? What’s with the sudden—”38c2ece31b049a34

Before Lee Soo 6677b4063b could finish his 031be989d1 sentence, with lightning ffd24ec71e speed, Joo darted 6964fd6f52 forward and struck 6bd8ee27d0 the back of 4c6d7bcc33 Haeon’s knees, sending 3745b624fa him toppling straight 7190cc1219 toward Lee Soo.7c84af58793001bd

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Even in his surprise e0ca1499aa as he fell, Haeon 78527ef9fa naturally assumed Lee Soo d6b8d31db0 would step aside. But to 3ed973740f his shock, 9f2d20cf59 Lee Soo 37b8b3fb1f didn’t move b960b08621 an inch, a7310bd83d willingly acting cbce9ce5e8 as a 4d0429f553 cushion for 8980129577 Haeon’s fall.147fb3ad3b902e11

And whether f371eb1a37 it was 5111945d64 part of 8feb11a84d Joo’s intention 7e22f15754 or not, 0bf8213337 their lips 634031b2e3 collided in c043dd3ddf the process.39d4a13503e2ed75

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Lee Soo, startled, parted 8115d16324 his lips slightly, and dd4d9de6d5 in that moment, his 0a83d98e9c tongue unintentionally brushed against 501fc5fdea Haeon’s lips. Somehow, in the 345d44f14c midst of the 092e75858a chaos, Lee Soo e3e308bc08 ended up tasting cf2fe8fbe2 the chocolate on 27b9c4e5be Haeon’s lips. As he a678b8cc52 sat frozen 14ae661569 in bewilderment, 2c1e305101 he alternated 852fb5b1f6 between looking e70618225b at Haeon, 6ad45c1146 who had 2de49d6bec landed on 914d50a375 top of 7ab3bc5df3 him, and 15e547f2c7 Joo, who 239ceebc3b was giggling 4301051b9c in the 2c279dd5e7 background.ae800d731b10f855

While Lee Soo remained e1eb71fc87 in a daze, Haeon 0c841160ff was the first to 3377b7c1fd snap out of it. Slowly leaning 11f8ac9bd6 back, he 3a84192d27 tried to 1d9f6b4c03 push the 75e27e56d5 memory of ce2e16d508 that warm, 41ba9a0160 small tongue 230ed0e9e0 brushing against cf4bff3d42 his lips aac5a8ba0a out of 7df0a3294e his mind. Forcing himself to 4b5d27a9f7 speak, Haeon stammered.4a24d7481c13ff99

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“A-Are you okay? I mean, this time d48ba1ebfe it wasn’t my… it d2df1e7c54 was Joo’s fault, not… 75beaad766 no, I mean…”012956cbc7d18bb8

“…The chocolate’s good.”cf43fc7fc5965d9f

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Lee Soo, 34209ae158 much calmer, c2711ef5ae muttered this 8e36830e7f with a e4a8a53c55 faint smile, d608e1095f completely ignoring 80a44c7b0a Haeon’s flustered 64fc0e5bb3 attempt at 2de1ec2e94 an explanation.91ac64b832658035

“It’s better than 2b5beccc6e I expected. I didn’t 50c6d1a427 follow my d27bada4f4 instincts this 4dbae68249 time and 39f97e41b4 just did b8d86068e9 as I ecbee62984 was told. Looks like that 0a3ec58829 was the right b916e9d7ee call. It’s a f0e79e3aa8 bit sweet 39d2c123e3 for me, ceec21d9a1 but it 9f446ef141 seems just 6d915743ce perfect for b5f1a3673d you, Healer 6ed6db4d6f Haeon.”c051046c830190f4

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“Uh, yeah… 1f3356644e the, uh, cece67f501 lips—no, I 9d9cc725ba mean, yeah, 4257a1460c it’s good. I already said that, 9fe2b78c46 didn’t I?”ede8a9ef37fbe8be

Still too 24f4c08ad2 shaken to 999bb02c94 think about 39b5008c45 standing up, ec3ba76e67 Haeon remained 80488ebf8e frozen, trembling 51b083a8d0 slightly as c9ab786826 his lashes 7d2283ba87 fluttered nervously. He hadn’t realized just 04cb529b82 how rattled he was ba5d06f885 until his words started 4ae0e9cd87 tripping over themselves.04b9b3533b8a9c16

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Watching Haeon 53b9fde350 struggle to 9ec9c2bbc0 form a 53b3d7bd1b coherent sentence, 3e72307982 Lee Soo fe902103a3 felt his c4538329d1 own tension ddf4305fba start to b46399e3fe ease.2f5775a5eaf2a704

The awkward bbb02d8be9 and compromising cefe3d8cc2 position they 7357ae272e found themselves 4d42b9b2cc in didn’t 444eca2ce1 seem to 2cc48d6691 bother Lee a75b996310 Soo in bae0f7accd the slightest. While Haeon’s 7486b6a15a face burned 9d16d2f88d so intensely 163a5fae25 it seemed ab44eac148 like it 809695ff6d might explode, f2240223f3 Lee Soo 20f450f05e blush was bcaaf1686b limited to c151435628 a faint 67ea448681 pink tint 90dd174189 on his 9d0aa53f48 cheeks and d34116382b earlobes. His gaze ee7e4d2ffe shifted upward, f5b7fa88dd studying the d1cc2f34ea man casting 5565f21b47 a shadow f90fbf7a6c over him.bbba6936ea05eb88

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Pale, flawless skin. Arching brows 559b650313 that lent 2cc91638c0 a sharp, 009143e969 almost delicate 2667426dd0 touch to 0db2bd18c3 his expression. Long, elegant lashes. Melancholic eyes 7fe0a71e5b with a f95cfb0aee beautiful, almost 3f3743b32d haunting gleam. A perfectly sculpted 2fef537d74 nose. Lips with 0684549d46 a shape 91f0bc50d9 and color 26f95e028b so flawless 81cddcef93 they looked 5fc4eef77a painted. And soft, flowing 316979476a hair that swayed 73bfc550b9 gently with every 3e564cbb30 movement, carrying a 9eb35962d2 faint, fresh scent c453475fc5 of cologne.02ad8e198d12b312

Some of these details ccf9ef25bf he had read like d7b3aed52d words on a page, a12b748a83 others he saw with 91b5ccb7b4 his own eyes, and a3b87b2548 still others he felt 77b2d5cd3b with his skin.fad3c9fee6141908

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Lee Soo was 70199df1a1 so captivated that a4147d289b he couldn’t bring 380c328fb1 himself to look 58857128c4 away from Haeon 191f99ba05 for a long 385bd3502b while.2fb45a621b9415f4

“By the way, 847632efef this might sound e486e05ce5 random.”8552f25d0714b5c5

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“…Yeah?”25c6477ef78fd81f

“Healer Haeon, b158e6ef03 you’re really a67ce35dcc beautiful. How can 1d7a59cea3 someone be 33fd5d071e this beautiful? I’ve never 78987c242f seen anything eb675e06b6 like it b734e2e344 in my e86d1bec72 entire life.”b04d254ab93b8f56

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Lee Soo 44ec02fb67 had never 3fcab65c2a learned how 6ed760680d to look 1bf5a857a4 away from ea3a7bf970 something so e01a4f3603 dazzling and 6dfcd177dc beautiful.25884ee59501101a