Chapter 20: Courage

“Stop crying.

I was wrong.”

The man said kindly, as if trying to comfort her.

Han Yu Ri listened to those words and froze for a moment, then raised her head and looked at the man’s face.

‘He was wrong?’

He risked his life to save her, and even dealt with a 3rd-class monster.

He was apologizing to her because she cried, saying she was very worried?

The man had no reason to apologize.

Han Yu Ri felt his desire to comfort her.

Han Yu Ri was deeply moved.

This time, tears of gratitude and emotion flowed.

Looking into the man’s eyes, tears unknowingly trickled down her face again.

Originally, Han Yu Ri wasn’t someone who cried easily like this.

Crying this much was something that happened to her perhaps once every ten years.

But the thankful feelings this man gave her kept making her cry.

“Stop crying.

In the end, both of us are safe, aren’t we?”

Han Yu Ri wasn’t crying from surprise or sadness anymore.

She was crying because she was so grateful.

But the man seemed to think she was still crying from surprise, and restlessly tried to comfort her.

Han Yu Ri was wearing a dress, so her arms and shoulders were bare skin.

The man gently stroked her bare shoulder, comforting her as he spoke.

Han Yu Ri liked that feeling, that hand; it was warm and good.

When he, her benefactor for whom she felt a great fondness, touched her without hesitation, Han Yu Ri was happy.

She liked that he didn’t seem burdened by her being an S-class Hunter, and seemed to think of her a little more intimately than before.

But with him, whom she had just met today, continuously stroking her bare skin, while she didn’t dislike it, she felt a bit embarrassed.

So, without realizing it, she wore an expression that was both happy and awkward.

“We saved hundreds of people by combining our strengths, right?”

He spoke warmly.

Han Yu Ri nodded quietly.

“Everything turned out well. So stop crying.”

“Yes.”

Han Yu Ri felt good because of his words.

So she sent him a beautiful smile and replied.

“Then, since it seems Hunter Han Yu Ri has also used up all your magic power, you should head back now.”

‘Head back?’

‘Ah, does he mean we should part ways?’

‘Like this?’

‘Already?’

Han Yu Ri was momentarily flustled.

She wanted to stay with him longer, to talk more.

‘What should I do?’

“But…”

Han Yu Ri didn’t know what to say, so she just blurted out anything.

She wanted to buy time, even just like that.

‘What to do?’

‘If I suddenly ask to stay together longer, he might think it’s strange…’

‘How should I say it…’

“Don’t worry about me.”

Just as Han Yu Ri was flustered, thinking ‘What to do?’ because he might leave, he suddenly stood up and said to Han Yu Ri.

He seemed to think she couldn’t leave because she was worried about him.

He seemed to be getting up and preparing to leave to reassure her.

‘Uh… that’s not it.’

‘I want to stay together longer…’

She wanted to properly express her gratitude to him.

And as an S-class Hunter and the Guild Master of a guild, she wanted to ask him about his mysterious power.

But the most important thing was that she wanted to stay with him a little longer.

She really didn’t want to part with him like this.

“Um…”

Han Yu Ri steeled her courage in her heart and called out to him.

She thought it would be strange to suddenly ask him to eat together.

Coffee!

The excuse Han Yu Ri came up with was coffee.

If she asked him to have a cup of coffee together… could they stay together longer?

“What is it? Please speak.”

Seeing that she couldn’t speak for a long time, he smiled and asked kindly, as if finding her amusing.

“Ah…”

No matter how much courage Han Yu Ri gathered, her mouth wouldn’t readily open.

She had always received many offers from men first, but she had never asked a man to have coffee first, so she was extremely nervous.

‘What if he refuses?’

It was her first time doing this, and her heart thumped with nervousness.

Still, she couldn’t keep the man waiting forever.

Han Yu Ri truly steeled her resolve.

“If you don’t mind, would you like to stop by for a cup of coffee together?

At that cafe over there.”

Han Yu Ri held her two small hands tightly, gathered the greatest courage of her life, and spoke to the man.

Thump.

Thump.

After saying it to the man, her heart pounded even harder.

Pfft.

When she said that, the man chuckled, “Pfft.”

‘What… what is it?’

‘Did he refuse?’

Han Yu Ri was despairing.

‘Why is he laughing?’

‘Asking for coffee… is this not how you do it?’

‘Did I do something wrong?’

Han Yu Ri, thinking she had been refused, started to feel down.

“Ah, well, it’s not like that, it’s just that you were hurt a lot and you have blood on you… so if you rest a bit at the cafe before you go…”

Han Yu Ri was embarrassed that she had asked for coffee because she wanted to stay together longer.

So, even though her intention was to talk more, she earnestly made excuses that it wasn’t that intention, but that she was purely asking if he wanted to rest there.

Han Yu Ri released her tightly clasped hands and frantically waved them as she explained.

“Yes. Alright.”

While she was earnestly explaining, he replied calmly.

‘Ah?’

‘Uh?’

‘Really?’

‘Did he say okay?’

‘Did my earnest explanation work?’

Han Yu Ri was happy that the man accepted.

“Ah, yes. Heh.”

In relief and joy, Han Yu Ri let out a short, bright laugh without realizing it, “Heh.”

“Shall we go then?”

He motioned towards the cafe and said.

“Yes.”

Han Yu Ri looked at him, smiled, and replied.

And she started walking towards the cafe with him.

***

[Kwon Geon’s Perspective]

Han Yu Ri and I arrived at the cafe.

The owner and part-time staff here must have been very surprised by the attack as well.

Normally, they would have run far away, leaving the store behind.

But it seemed they couldn’t escape because the 3rd-class monster had put up a dark barrier.

When Han Yu Ri and I dealt with the 3rd-class monster, it seemed they returned to the store and started operating again.

When I saw people inside from a distance, I suggested to Han Yu Ri that we go to this cafe.

I placed my left wrist on the Hunter Watch verification device at the store entrance.

Beep.

The background of the verification device’s monitor turned green.

And I saw it display [Unknown C Hunter. Attacker. Kwon Geon.]

Next, Han Yu Ri placed her slender wrist on the verification device.

The background of the verification device’s monitor changed to a beautiful golden background and glittered brilliantly.

And it displayed [S Hunter. Blesser. Han Yu Ri.]

‘Wow… I’m seeing an S-class Hunter use the Hunter Watch for the first time.’

It was natural.

As for me, there was no way I would have had the chance to see this sight.

Not just me, but most people in the world could absolutely never see the screen displayed when an S-class Hunter uses the Hunter Watch to enter.

It was a sight you couldn’t even vaguely see from a distance like watching a celebrity.

To see it being done by the person who came to have coffee with me.

It still felt unbelievable.

Han Yu Ri and I quickly glanced at the people inside the cafe.

This was because if even one person had looked at this monitor, the entire cafe would have gone into an uproar upon realizing an S-class Hunter had arrived.

Just like when Kim Joon Hyuk came to meet me at the cafe.

But luckily, no one looked.

The Hunter Watch verification device is largely for the purpose of the Hunter Association grasping the status of Hunters, and in reality, for store owners, it was essentially a machine for filtering out E-class Hunters.

If an E-class Hunter used this, the alarm would automatically ring, so from the store owner’s perspective, there was no need to pay attention intentionally until the alarm sounded.

Han Yu Ri, whose face was covered with a hat and mask brought from her car, looked around the store.

Her actions somehow felt unnatural.

She felt like someone who was nervous.

‘It doesn’t seem like it’s because of me.’

‘There’s no reason to be nervous about having coffee with me, is there?’

‘I’m not someone great.’

‘Rather, I’m the one who’s nervous about having coffee with an S-class Hunter.’

‘Perhaps because she’s an S-class Hunter, she’s not used to coming to cafes used by ordinary people like this, and it feels awkward and makes her self-conscious.’

‘Would it have been better for Han Yu Ri to get coffee to-go and drink it in the car?’

“If you feel uncomfortable drinking here at the cafe, would you like to get takeout and drink in the car?”

I asked Han Yu Ri cautiously.

“Yes?! Ah, no.”

‘What is it?’

‘Why is she so surprised?’

Han Yu Ri quickly waved her hands and said no.

‘She means this place is comfortable, right?’

‘She doesn’t look comfortable at all.’

“Then sit here.”

‘Well.

You said you were okay.’

‘Then sit here.’

It was fortunate for me that having coffee at the cafe was comfortable.

Wouldn’t it be too awkward and stifling to have coffee alone in the car with someone I just met?

I was already nervous.

Han Yu Ri obediently sat in the seat I told her to sit in.

“I’ll go to the restroom for a moment to wash up.”

“Yes?! Ah. Yes…”

Han Yu Ri meekly gestured for me to go ahead.

Because I had protected myself with magic power, my clothes weren’t torn much.

However, my skin was torn in several places due to the damage from the dark magic power that erupted internally.

Blood had soaked through my clothes.

These things also needed to be wiped, and there would likely be bloodstains on my face, so I needed to wipe those too.

It would be the case even with someone else, but I was having coffee with none other than Han Yu Ri.

I couldn’t possibly drink it with a disfigured face.

Thinking about this and that, I headed to the restroom.

That the person waiting for me in the seat when I came out of the restroom would be Han Yu Ri.

I still couldn’t believe it.