Chapter 18: Teaching an S-Rank How Not to Be Alone

When they reached the third floor holding Gong Se-yoon’s hand, a staff member approached with a polite smile.

“Welcome. Mr. Gong Se-yoon, thank you for visiting our store. Is there anything you’re looking for?”

Ju-an stood quietly to the side, waiting for him to speak first. Gong Se-yoon looked at the staff member with anxious eyes, his shoulders trembling slightly, then opened his mouth as if resigning himself to it. His voice shook a little.

“Um… do you happen to have equipment for buffers or healers?”

The staff member replied with a puzzled expression.

“May I ask what grade of equipment you’re looking for?”

Just as Ju-an was about to answer, Gong Se-yoon cut in.

“S-rank would be nice.”

The staff member’s eyes went wide in shock.

“An S-rank buffer? Do we even have an S-rank buffer in our country?”

Just as Ju-an was about to say, I’m that S-rank buffer, Gong Se-yoon cut in again.

“No! There isn’t. There’s no way something like that exists.”

I’m standing right here, why are you saying there isn’t one?

Is it troublesome if people find out he’s an S-rank buffer?

Ju-an found Se-yoon’s behavior a little strange, but he didn’t contradict him and simply went along with it.

“But then, why-”

“…Why? I have a lot of money, so can’t I buy some S-rank buffer gear? I’m just going to use it as decoration.”

The staff member tilted their head, but soon put on a polite smile. Gong Se-yoon’s eyes curved into crescent moons. He looks so pretty when he smile.

Seeing that expression made Ju-an want him to smile more often, and he found himself unable to say anything as he stared at Se-yoon’s face.

“Then I’ll guide you to the S-rank exclusive section.”

Following the staff member, they arrived at a place that looked like a luxury boutique. Inside, various pieces of equipment were displayed inside glass cases.

“Wow…”

An exclamation slipped out naturally. Seeing the equipment he had painstakingly designed brought to life made Ju-an feel strangely emotional.

As he looked through the weapons, armor, and accessories one by one, he turned his head and saw Gong Se-yoon staring with sparkling eyes, as if seeing everything for the first time.

“What? Is this your first time here?”

“Yes.”

“Then what did you do about equipment until now?”

“I either cleared solo dungeons whenever I needed something, or had it delivered. I’d just call, say my name, and they’d send it.”

Ah, so that kind of system existed. No wonder he could live as a shut-in without problems. Still, it really is flashy.

The more he looked, the more amazed he became. When designing the items, he’d had no help, but the budget had been generous enough to draft decent designs for weapons and armor.

Since there hadn’t been any buffers or healers back then, many of these items were completely new to him.

“Mr. Gong Se-yoon, which category would you like to see?”

Good question, what does he need most?

His skills are things like handshake, hug, kiss… nonsense like that, so weapons were probably unnecessary. Armor would be more important.

While Ju-an was thinking, Gong Se-yoon suddenly spoke up.

“Please show us the toughest S-rank armor you have. No matter what.”

Why is he suddenly so assertive? It was odd, but far better than him shrinking back in fear, so Ju-an decided to just watch.

“Then please come this way. It’s best to try armor on before purchasing.”

“Yes!”

He answered brightly, even though he wasn’t the one wearing it. Following the staff member, another employee brought out a robe-like garment.

“Unfortunately, the highest-grade buffer armor we currently have is only A-rank. If such items drop in future dungeons, we’ll be sure to stock them.”

For now, even A-rank armor was more than acceptable. If the stat system worked like the game, buffer armor would have low physical defense but high evasion, still useful.

Suddenly, he remembered what Mo Jun-young had said about potion prices, and anxiety crept in.

Can I really afford all this?

“Um… how much is this robe?”

The staff member smiled politely.

“245,500,000 won.”

“…What?”

Two hundred million… With the 1.5 billion won subsidy, buying a full set of gear might leave him struggling just to afford meals.

As he touched the robe and was about to put it into his inventory with tears in his eyes, Gong Se-yoon grabbed it and didn’t let go.

“Why are you putting it away? You should try it on.”

“…Is that really necessary? The size adjusts automatically.”

“I’m not worried about the size.”

“Then why?”

Gong Se-yoon hesitated, his cheeks turning red.

Why does his face keep turning red at random moments…?

“I… I want to put it on you myself. I think seeing that might make me feel less depressed…”

He wanted to ask what that had to do with anything, but the mention of his depression easing convinced him, so he decided to go along with it.

The staff member looked confused, but Se-yoon ignored everyone else and kept his gaze fixed on Ju-an.

The moment the robe touched his body, the soft fabric slid over him smoothly. It was light, almost like wearing nothing at all, and so soft it truly felt like clothing from another world.

He absentmindedly lifted his head and met Gong Se-yoon’s gaze, Se-yoon was staring at him with his mouth slightly open.

‘What is that expression supposed to be?’

When Ju-an frowned, Gong Se-yoon flinched and looked away, then suddenly started ordering items from the staff.

“I’ll take a magic staff, a necklace, bracelets, and earrings too. Oh, right! Shoes as well.”

Just moments ago he’d been trembling in fear, and now he was rattling off orders like a kid in a toy store. He looked cute when he smiled, sure, but isn’t this too much? They didn’t even need weapons. Still, with money tight, Ju-an had no choice but to speak up.

Lowering his voice so only Se-yoon could hear, Ju-an said,

“Mr. Se-yoon, armor and accessories that boost magic stats or evasion are more than enough for me. A magic staff won’t really help my skills-”

Before he could finish, Gong Se-yoon’s eyes filled with tears.

‘Why is he crying now?’

Unable to continue in front of a crying person, Ju-an fell silent. Gong Se-yoon immediately urged the staff.

“What are you waiting for? Bring them now.”

The staff replied awkwardly.

“Um, as you know, high-grade weapons and accessories are quite expens-”

Gong Se-yoon glared at them. His eyes were cold and sharp, befitting an ice-attribute hunter, it felt like the air itself might freeze.

“I have money. Just bring them.”

As the staff hurried off, Gong Se-yoon kept his eyes fixed on Ju-an. Feeling self-conscious, Ju-an tried to take the robe off, but Se-yoon’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Don’t take it off. We need to match the items.”

“…Is that really necessary?”

That glare… it’s terrifying.

He hadn’t noticed when Se-yoon was scared, but now that he was seriously glaring, Ju-an finally understood why people fled at the sight of his expression.

“Alright. We’ll match them.”

Only then did the coldness leave Gong Se-yoon’s face. Soon, the staff returned with the items.

Since he was already wearing the robe, Ju-an moved to put on the shoes, but Gong Se-yoon suddenly grabbed his hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“Wait. I want to put them on you.”

“…Do you really need to?”

Gong Se-yoon stared at him, as if at a loss for words. The shoes would fit automatically anyway, why insist?

Ju-an didn’t understand, but Se-yoon either cried or snapped whenever opposed, so it felt safer to endure it. Besides, his angry face was too pretty, refusing felt like committing a crime. Seriously, that’s cheating.

“Alright. I’ll stay still.”

Gong Se-yoon smiled softly and bent down, guiding Ju-an’s foot into the shoe. He pressed down on the toe, then the heel, checking the fit with satisfaction.

“Wow. Perfect fit.”

‘Of course it is. That’s why it’s a magic item.’

After admiring him for a while, Gong Se-yoon stood up and personally put on the earrings and necklace, smiling all the while. The goal of today’s shopping had been to make Se-yoon smile, but seeing him smile so much made Ju-an’s skin prickle and his limbs feel awkward.

Last came the ring.

“Give me your hand.”

“…”

“Hurry.”

Gong Se-yoon grabbed his wrist and, of all fingers, slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of his left hand.

The atmosphere feels weirdly intimate… that’s just my imagination, yeah, right.

From nearby, the staff giggled. He even heard whispers about how well they suited each other.

Heat rushed to his face. He was mortified, but refusing might worsen Se-yoon’s depression, so he couldn’t object. It was unbearably awkward.

“Wow, the ring fits perfectly too!”

Ju-an awkwardly smiled, put on a hat, and even held the staff. He’d thought it would be too embarrassing to look at, but once everything was equipped, it strangely suited him, as if it had always been his.

Beside him, Gong Se-yoon smiled in satisfaction and then dropped a bombshell.

“Please ring all of this up.”

Not only the staff, but Ju-an’s mouth fell open.

“All of this?”

“M-Mr. Se-yoon, let’s calm down first… this much really isn’t-”

Gong Se-yoon lifted his chin.

“Have you ever entered a dungeon?”

I made those dungeons, he wanted to say, but instead just shook his head. Se-yoon pressed on menacingly.

“If you’ve never even been in a dungeon, how do you know what’s necessary? I’m holding back from buying two of everything and only buying one, so keep that in mind.”

“…What?”

‘What is he even saying? We’re not buying your gear.’

As Ju-an stared at him in confusion, Gong Se-yoon suddenly pulled out his wallet and handed his card to the staff.

“One payment.”

“Yes. Buffer’s Robe, Buffer’s Shoes, Magic Staff, Constellation Earrings, Constellation Necklace, and Constellation Ring, your total comes to 1.28 billion won.”

“…What?”

‘1… 1.28 billion? What did you just say?’