Chapter 13: Special Protection

The dark eyes that had been sunk deep below the surface slowly rose up.

Eyes that seemed as though they would absorb sunlight itself gradually regained their natural color, as if he were finally coming back to his senses.

He looked so shocked by his own condition that he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“…”

“…”

Being held in Mo Jun-young’s arms while closely examining his eyes felt strangely unsettling.

They were already far from the buildings, and Baek Eun-hoo, who no longer had the movement-speed buff, had no way of catching up to them.

So why were they still stuck together in this position?

They could slow down now…

Perhaps Mo Jun-young had been thinking the same thing.

He frowned deeply and loosened his arms.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he spoke.

“This is quite strange. Awakening times differ from person to person, but a sudden awakening like this… I’ve never seen a case like it.”

“Then you can imagine how panicked I must be.”

Seong Ju-an deliberately drooped the corners of his eyes, putting on a pitiful act.

Mo Jun-young was the type of soft-hearted person who would give up his own things for starving, homeless civilians, so Ju-an thought playing weak would work.

However, for some reason, Mo Jun-young’s expression stiffened.

Hostility flashed sharply in his eyes, making Ju-an’s shoulders twitch.

“That’s not the main issue…”

Mo Jun-young finally opened his mouth after a long pause.

“This is going to be troublesome. Of all things, a buffer.”

Damn it.

A faint curse slipped out at the end of his sentence.

“What’s the problem with awakening as a buffer?”

In truth, Ju-an himself wasn’t entirely happy about awakening as a buffer rather than an attacker.

He had nothing but support skills that were useless for protecting himself.

Still, he couldn’t understand why Mo Jun-young was reacting like this.

“After experiencing that insane movement speed, I realized something. You’re S-rank, aren’t you?”

“And why is that a problem? It’s better than being low-rank.”

Mo Jun-young looked down at Ju-an as if he were hopeless.

“Are you really asking because you don’t know? Baek Eun-hoo already had an unhealthy amount of interest in you. Now that you’ve awakened as an S-rank buffer, it’ll only get worse.”

Ah, Baek Eun-hoo…

Only then did Ju-an understand what Mo Jun-young meant by “troublesome.”

Still, was that really his fault?

It wasn’t like he’d wanted to awaken this way.

“If Baek Eun-hoo causes trouble, that’ll all be on you, Mr. Seong Ju-an.”

Ju-an, who had been trying to let things slide because Mo Jun-young had helped him and seemed like a good person, felt irritation bubbling up inside.

If something bothered him, he should say it.

“Mr. Mo Jun-young, I was a civilian until this morning. How was I supposed to know any of that? I just thought being a buffer was better than becoming a Hunter and fighting monsters. I’m already scared to death, why are you getting mad at me?”

“…”

Mo Jun-young stared at him in silence.

Was it just his imagination?

For a fleeting moment, it looked like pity crossed his eyes before disappearing.

“Well… I suppose you have a point.”

Checking his wristwatch, Mo Jun-young continued,

“Let’s register you first. Whether buffer or Hunter, you need to be registered to receive the Center’s protection. We should hurry before Baek Eun-hoo catches up.”

The movement-speed skill was still active.

Sensing that, Mo Jun-young lifted Ju-an into his arms again.

“We need to move quickly. This is faster.”

On the way to the Awakener Management Center, Ju-an suffered through several bouts of dizziness, nausea, and motion sickness.

Of course, no matter how much he struggled, Mo Jun-young never slowed down.

Unable to even guess how many more things might happen going forward, Ju-an grew more and more exhausted.

****

The Awakener Management Center was more crowded than expected.

Aside from a few exceptions, most were low-tier Awakeners who couldn’t even enter dungeons, but they all seemed to be registering anyway.

Ju-an naturally headed toward the civil affairs counter like he had the first time, until Mo Jun-young grabbed his wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Huh? Then where am I supposed to-”

Ah, right.

They were here to register, so the Awakener Registration Office.

Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Ju-an turned around.

Mo Jun-young clicked his tongue.

Ju-an shot a glare at the back of Mo Jun-young’s head before following him.

The moment they entered the registration office, all eyes turned toward them.

“Why is the Center Director here?”

“He never comes to the registration office…”

Recognizing the director escorting a frail-looking civilian, the staff began whispering.

Ignoring them, Mo Jun-young spoke to an employee.

“An S-rank buffer has awakened. Register him immediately. From now on, Mr. Seong Ju-an is under special protection.”

This time, everyone’s gaze shifted from Mo Jun-young to Ju-an.

The employee’s face turned pale in shock.

“What? An S-rank buffer?!”

“It may be hard to believe, but I verified his abilities myself.”

“Good heavens… Then shouldn’t you be taking him to the special testing room instead of standing here?”

Though shocked, the employee clearly understood what a “buffer” meant.

That was strange.

From the start, this game’s setting involved Constellations, player users, using coins to provide buffs and potions, meaning buffers or healers weren’t necessary party members.

So how did they know what a buffer was?

Did that mean buffers originally existed in this world?

Then why were they so surprised?

Was it because of the rank?

Mo Jun-young shot the employee a disdainful look and replied,

“The special room is for verifying abilities, isn’t it? I already said I verified him myself. Do we really need to waste tax money on measurements when we know the result?”

The employee’s face reddened at the scolding.

Ju-an was grateful the annoying procedure was skipped, but Mo Jun-young’s attitude toward his subordinate reminded him of his old boss at KA Soft, making his stomach churn.

It didn’t seem like the employee had done anything wrong…

Lost in thought, Ju-an glanced at Mo Jun-young and suddenly met his gaze.

“What is it?”

Did he get caught cursing him internally?

Ju-an immediately fixed his expression.

“Nothing. It just feels a little awkward.”

“We have a lot to do today. Stay focused.”

As he spoke, Mo Jun-young kept glancing toward the lobby.

It didn’t look like he was waiting for anyone, more like he was worried Baek Eun-hoo might suddenly burst in and cause chaos.

At that moment, the employee handed over a form.

Following the polite instructions, Ju-an filled out the basic information.

[Name: Seong Ju-an
Age: 25 (23 international age)]

He’d barely finished that when the next item became a problem.

Address…

The administrative districts here seemed identical to South Korea’s, but there was no guarantee his original-world address existed here.

It would be better to leave it blank than write something suspicious.

“What are you doing? Don’t know your address?”

If it were the address of the Constellation’s house in the Village of Wisdom, he could confidently say “next to the potion shop.”

But that would only get him labeled insane.

After a moment of thought, Ju-an came up with a way to shut down further questions.

“I did have a home, but… do I really have to explain complicated family matters just to register as an Awakener? If I had a place to stay, I wouldn’t have been begging for lodging today.”

Mo Jun-young, who had been scrutinizing him with narrowed eyes, nodded.

“That’s true. You wouldn’t be able to return home anyway.”

Ju-an wrote down the stats and skills he’d seen on his status window and submitted the form.

As the employee typed rapidly, a voice announcement rang out:

“Registration of S-rank buffer Seong Ju-an is complete.”

“The subsidy will be paid immediately. Normally, guidance to Awakener-exclusive housing is handled by a higher-ranked Awakener of the same type, but since this is the first S-rank buffer…”

The employee shot Mo Jun-young a pleading look.

He responded,

“I’ll handle it myself. We’ll visit the facility today and complete the remaining procedures afterward.”

“Then will you also personally deliver the Hunter, no, buffer, license?”

“Yes. Bring it to the director’s office once it’s issued.”

Judging by the employee’s flustered expression and the jealous stares from other Awakeners, it was clear: in this world, S-rank Awakeners were treated like royalty wherever they went.

And yet, what good was that?

Ju-an was penniless and could be captured by Baek Eun-hoo at any moment…

How did things end up like this?

All he’d wanted was to escape his hellish job and live a normal, quiet life.

After leaving the registration office, Mo Jun-young said he had a few things to take care of and headed back to the director’s office.

Ju-an sat on the office sofa like a sack of barley, watching Mo Jun-young work busily.

Every movement looked impressive, it was genuinely entertaining to watch.

What first caught Ju-an’s eye were the bulging arm muscles visible beneath a shirt folded three times.

Looking closer, the buttons over his chest looked ready to burst.

To think a body like that was wasted on nothing more than signing documents with a fountain pen and organizing paperwork…

The thought amused him, and he chuckled quietly, until Mo Jun-young looked up and their eyes met.

“…”

He’d expected a scolding for staring, but instead Mo Jun-young asked,

“Are you hungry?”

“No. We ate earlier.”

“Then why are you eyeing someone like you’re whetting your appetite?”

“What? When did I ever-”

Mo Jun-young turned his gaze away with a displeased expression.

Ju-an followed suit, awkwardly looking away as well, but it didn’t take long before his head slowly turned back again.