Chapter 143: Watched and Unbothered

Several rounds of awards followed, and a few more hunters were called up to the stage. Some burst into tears, overwhelmed, while others calmly offered their thanks.

Seong Jiwoo clapped mechanically, desperately holding back a yawn. After watching his photos get permanently stamped onto the internet in real time, he couldn’t afford to act carelessly.

The feeling of being monitored every second wasn’t pleasant.

“Hey…”

During the brief break between Part One and Part Two, Seong Jiwoo quietly called Yoo Heero. Heero was unwrapping a piece of chocolate he’d gotten from somewhere.

“What is it?”

“Have you always been like this?”

The thought suddenly crossed Jiwoo’s mind. Heero had already gained fame while trapped inside the X-Gate, so maybe ever since coming out, he’d been living under people’s constant attention.

Of course, Jiwoo knew Heero was famous. When they went out together, plenty of people recognized him—some even approached him saying he looked just like Yoo Heero.

But people knowing who Yoo Heero is and people constantly watching Yoo Heero were two very different things.

And for the first time, Jiwoo found himself thinking about the latter.

“Like what?”

Heero asked as he tore open the gold wrapper. Jiwoo’s gaze followed the movement, lingering on the chocolate.

“People talking about you. Taking photos and uploading them.”

As he answered, Heero neatly unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into Jiwoo’s mouth. Jiwoo, whose blood sugar had clearly dropped, accepted it without protest.

“Hmm… I guess they do? I don’t really know. I’ve never looked it up myself. They probably do it a lot.”

The reply was more indifferent than Jiwoo expected. Heero even seemed uninterested in the topic, focusing instead on Jiwoo’s reaction as he ate the chocolate.

Jiwoo chewed and swallowed as fast as he could. There was no time to savor it. The nutty crunch and sweet hazelnut cream disappeared almost instantly.

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Why would it?”

“…I mean. Doesn’t everyone usually care?”

“If I care about them, that means I’m trying to show them what they want to see.”

Jiwoo mulled over Heero’s words. He’d never thought of it that way before, but it wasn’t exactly wrong. Caring was a form of awareness, after all.

“I guess so.”

“So I don’t care.”

Jiwoo had spoken out of concern, but all of it felt pointless now. Heero looked completely unbothered. That was a relief—and also very Heero-like.

His way of thinking was… unique. Even back in high school, Heero hadn’t cared much about being excluded. In fact, Jiwoo had been the one to butt in and get hopelessly tangled up with him.

And honestly, even if he went back in time, he knew he’d make the same choice.

“Still, I care a lot about you, hyung.”

“…Huh?”

Jiwoo, lost in thought, reacted a beat late. Seeing Jiwoo spacing out right in front of him, Heero’s mood plummeted instantly.

“…I guess I’m the only one who cares about you, huh.”

“……”

Jiwoo hesitated, unable to find the right words. In that brief silence, Heero made his own conclusion and asked bitterly,

“What were you thinking about that you couldn’t even hear me?”

“…You.”

“…What?”

“You, back when you were in high school.”

“Seriously? Why all of a sudden?”

“Remember the first time we ate school lunch together?”

At that, Heero’s eyes lit up. He scooted closer, nodding eagerly like he was about to hear the most interesting story in the world.

It was a little overwhelming—and kind of cute. Jiwoo let out a small laugh.

“Back then, I never imagined we’d end up like this.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I didn’t think I’d be seeing you for this long.”

“You know that sentence is very easy to misunderstand, right? And I love misunderstandings like that.”

Jiwoo didn’t understand half of what Heero was saying, but he nodded anyway. Heero always said he liked whatever Jiwoo did, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

“Anyway, why? Was my first impression that bad?”

Heero tested the waters cautiously, rolling his eyes around. Jiwoo scratched his chin, thinking.

“Well… not really?”

“…Honestly, it would’ve hurt less if you’d just said my first impression sucked.”

Heero muttered with half his soul gone, rubbing his chest and sighing dramatically. He looked so pitiful that Jiwoo added generously,

“But now, I kind of want to stay with you.”

This time, Heero clutched his heart for an entirely different reason, blinking blankly.

“Wait. It’s too noisy here, I didn’t hear that properly. Could you say it one more time? This time, right into my ear.”

As he said that, he shoved his face forward recklessly. Jiwoo recoiled and pushed him away. Even with his cheek squished against Jiwoo’s palm, Heero stubbornly tried to lean in closer.

“No. I won’t. I’m not saying it again.”

At the firm refusal, Heero changed tactics and rubbed his head all over Jiwoo’s shoulder like an affectionate cat. After messing up Jiwoo’s hair, he lifted his head and looked up at him, smiling warmly.

“I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Yeah. It’s a dream.”

“No way. Seriously.”

“Yeah. Not words either.”

Regardless of what Jiwoo said, Heero kept letting out small, breathy laughs. Jiwoo brushed off his shoulder awkwardly.

“…Hey. You got more chocolate?”

Heero smiled and pulled out another piece, handing it over. Jiwoo accepted it immediately and chewed.

“Man… eating just made me hungrier.”

Now that his appetite had been awakened, the emptiness in his stomach felt obvious. Jiwoo rubbed his slim waist and smacked his lips.

“Want more?”

“If you’ve got it. But where did you even get all this?”

“I don’t know.”

“…You don’t know?”

“It was just piled up here.”

Jiwoo craned his neck to look where Heero pointed and clicked his tongue. Beside Heero’s seat was a whole heap of snacks.

He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.

“…Since when? It’s not like snacks just spawn naturally.”

He checked around, but no one else had even a trace of chocolate. For a moment, Jiwoo seriously wondered if Heero had awakened some new ability.

“Probably my assigned staff brought them.”

That thought died instantly at Heero’s explanation.

“…They do stuff like that too?”

“Guess so.”

Heero shrugged. Jiwoo shook his head, silently mourning the staff’s tireless efforts.

“Ah, I want to eat a proper meal.”

“Should I ask them to bring a lunchbox?”

“With this many people around? Eating a lunchbox here and filling the place with food smells?”

The atmosphere felt like it demanded steak or delicately plated fruit. The large tables draped in white cloth and the flower vases in the center elevated the ceremony’s elegance—but honestly, it didn’t suit hunters at all.

People who waded through gates covered in monster blood, seated in such refined surroundings. Even Park Sujin had complained endlessly about how uncomfortable his tight suit was.

Jiwoo had heard that Gam Jooan tried several times to convince Park Sujin to wear a tie, only to give up in the end.

Jiwoo loosened the tie choking his neck. Breathing felt a little easier. He leaned back against the chair and let out a deep sigh.

“Haa… then I’ll eat gummies.”

The words clashed so badly with the atmosphere that Heero buried his face in his palms and laughed.

“What? Why? I want gummies.”

“Which kind?”

“Bear-shaped ones.”

“These?”

“Yeah. Those.”

The flashing lights strained his eyes. Jiwoo rolled his neck in a wide circle to stretch, then chewed the gummies Heero handed him.

Watching the colorful gummy bears disappear one by one into Jiwoo’s mouth, Heero laughed so hard he almost sounded like he was sobbing.

“…What’s with you?”

Jiwoo’s face cooled as he looked at him.

“What’s going on with you, Guild Master?”

Just then, Chae Minjung returned from the restroom and caught the scene, tilting her head in confusion. Jiwoo shrugged like he didn’t know either and subtly edged away from Heero.

Whatever it was, he didn’t want to be lumped in with it.

“Oh, gummies! Could I have some too?”

“Go ahead.”

Jiwoo poured some into Minjung’s palm. But Heero abruptly stopped laughing and said in a subdued voice,

“Why are you giving those away?”

“What do you mean why? She said she wanted some—”

“I gave those to you.”

Minjung, who had just put a gummy bear into her mouth, froze under Heero’s sharp glare. She clicked her tongue, put the gummy back, and returned everything to Jiwoo.

“I’ll just go eat dust off the floor.”

Muttering with a thoroughly disgusted expression, Chae Minjung fled toward Lee Wonjae and Son Jihwan.

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