Chapter 19: A Hunter’s Sincerity

I was so utterly dumbfounded that anger failed to even spark within me. Even Kratus never uttered such things. Then and now, such words were far removed from my reality.

As a child, I had been a filthy, scrawny thing. After several transformations, I had gained a formidable physique. No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t believe they were speaking sincerely.

‘Was he trying to insult me?’

Was he picking a fight, just to see my reaction?

As my eyes turned cold, the man gripped my shoulder with a serious expression.

“Listen closely.”

‘What now?’

“About being cute, you see. If you suddenly feel something is cute, then that’s what it is. Just like how I saw you a moment ago.”

“……”

Thwack.

When I slapped his hand away from my shoulder, he retreated, feigning pain and looking utterly pitiful. I shot him a sidelong glare, but he merely shrugged, then suddenly spoke with a serious tone.

“There’s a custom of buying cakes to celebrate anniversaries, but there’s no rule that says you can only eat them on that specific day. You just eat them whenever you want. Some people who truly love them even eat them every day.”

He wasn’t trying to tease me, nor was he testing me. Instead, a pure, unadulterated fondness, devoid of any ulterior motive, seemed to overflow from him.

“If there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask again. No matter what you ask, I won’t laugh or make light of it.”

The man smiled brightly, as if genuinely pleased.

“I will be pleased, though. Pleased that you asked me.”

My chest gave an uneasy lurch. My heart pounded faster, despite having done nothing.

My palms grew slick with cold sweat, and the only thought filling my mind was that I mustn’t let this man see my current agitation.

“Cake… why new clothes?”

It was my way of asking why he’d bought new clothes if we were just going to eat cake. In my flustered state, trying awkwardly to change the subject, I’d blurted out something far more concise than usual.

The man replied naturally.

“In cafes like that, you’ll stand out if you go in shabby clothes. Everyone will stare, you know? If you’re unlucky, you might even get kicked out.”

He pushed the shopping bag towards me again. This time, I accepted it willingly. At least by going into the changing room, I could get away from him for a moment.

As I finally stepped into the separated space, the tension in my body finally eased. I let out a long breath, rubbing the cold sweat from my palms onto my work clothes. Who would have thought this desolate, cramped makeshift changing room could feel so stable?

I sighed once more.

Malice would be preferable. An ulterior motive would be better. I knew how to block and endure the thorns directed at me, but I had absolutely no idea how to deal with goodwill.

Knock, knock.

I startled, as if pricked by a needle. Clutching my pounding heart, I turned to see the door still closed.

“They’re closing this down soon, so hurry up.”

“……”

I double-checked the flimsy lock and quickly began to change. As I swiftly removed my upper clothes out of habit, I noticed an old mirror hung by some worker.

It was a plastic mirror, chipped at the corners and smudged with fingerprints. In this tabletop mirror, clearly not meant for such a purpose, my own reflection appeared—a reflection that shouldn’t have been there. Though my expression remained impassive, the contract of subservience flickered into view, then vanished, between the fumbling fingers of this clumsy fool.

My blood ran cold in an instant. The queasy, churning emotions, like seasickness, turned frigid, and my agitation vanished. Armored in familiar apathy, I stepped out to find my work boots gone, replaced by a pair of new, unfamiliar sneakers neatly placed on the floor.

They fit perfectly. I hadn’t told him my shoe size, had I? I looked at the man, a question in my gaze, but was cleanly ignored.

“Hmm, perfect.”

He looked at me as if I were a work of art. It was unsettling, yet strangely, I didn’t dislike it.

For lunch, Sagyeol took me to an exotic restaurant adorned with red lanterns and latticed windows.

“This place serves traditional Haram cuisine. Are you perhaps bothered by spices? The smell isn’t too strong, but some people can’t tolerate it at all.”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Then let’s order both spiced and non-spiced dishes. A variety of them.”

Dishes piled up, completely filling the table. It was impossible to tell how many servings he had ordered. I felt a flicker of exasperation, but the man suppressed his laughter and assured me we could just pack up the leftovers, allowing me to finally regain my neutral expression.

As the man had said, the food was not unpleasant to eat. In fact, it suited my palate quite well. Moreover, despite the many dishes, the portions were smaller than I expected, allowing me to eat everything without leaving a single bite. The man, resting his chin in his hand as was his habit, smiled.

“How was it?”

How was what?

Then, I naturally assumed he meant the food. I was about to reply that it was delicious, but the man was a step ahead.

“Me. Don’t you think I’m worth getting to know by now?”

“……”

“I’ll treat you so well that everything you’ve experienced so far will feel like nothing but a mere taste.”

Even as he spoke, he observed me intently. He was like a hunter assessing their prey. One could visibly see him deliberating whether to prod further or retreat for now.

“If you’ve finished eating, let’s get up.”

The hunter, having decided it wasn’t the time yet, subtly withdrew.

“You wanted to eat cake, didn’t you? I’ll buy you every kind. Besides that, if there’s anything else you want to order, you can get it all. Or should I just buy you the whole cafe?”

He tossed it out like a joke, but his words were utterly serious. No, it felt more like the nuance was that if I wished it, the joke would become reality. When I merely stared at him without a reply, he shrugged.

“It’s just that all I have is money.”

He looked utterly carefree and relaxed. So much so that simply watching him instilled a sense of ease and languor in my own heart. Without realizing it, I opened my mouth.

“If I were to ask for something that money couldn’t solve…”

I didn’t finish the question, but the meaning was clearly conveyed. The man’s gaze changed in an instant.

“It would depend on what kind of specific task you’re referring to.”

When I merely stared, he ran a hand through the back of his hair, disheveling it.

“It might sound a bit arrogant to say this, but I don’t particularly like vague phrases like ‘I’ll do my best to the extent I can.'”

‘But you have no intention of elaborating, do you?’ His piercing gaze seemed to say just that. I rarely felt regret, but now I did. Why had I even brought that up?

“Can’t you at least give me a hint about what it is?”

The man, who had subtly taken a step forward,

“Then I suppose I’ll have to wait until we’re closer.”

When I offered no reaction, he instantly took another step back. My fingers twitched, curling inward. It was tantalizing. A never-before-felt anxiety began to sprout within my ribcage. It was the exact same feeling as that night in the hospital when I had resolved to quietly escape.

The cafe, with its attached terrace, was quiet. We settled at a window seat, somewhat secluded. The man returned with our drinks, taking the black one for himself and placing the cream-topped cup before me.

As I drank, a sweet flavor spread through my mouth. I emptied half the cup in a single gulp. He laughed aloud.

“Is it delicious?”

I nodded obediently, and he laughed again. I kept thinking it, but he was a man whose laughter came easily.

“Drink up.”

The man rose again, this time bringing cakes. I wondered why he’d ordered them separately, but then I realized it was because of the sheer quantity. The trays in both his hands were laden with food. I could feel the cashier’s weary gaze.

“I can’t eat this much.”

“If there’s any left, we can pack it up. Eat it at home. It’d be even better if you thought of me every time you ate it.”

“……”

Half a cake was my limit. I put down my fork and looked directly at the man sitting opposite me.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Yes.”

“Honestly.”

‘Answer honestly.’

“Of course.”

“Lies…”

‘Don’t lie.’

“Certainly. How about it? Should I swear an oath?”

The man’s demeanor remained light. Only I. Only I gripped my hands tightly on the table, my heart heavy.

“What do you want from me?”

“To think you’re still asking that. It saddens me that my sincerity hasn’t reached you. Haven’t I been telling you all along? That I fell for you at first sight. That’s why, when you attacked me, I was honestly delighted.”

A loud noise erupted from the counter area. I wanted to believe it was for another reason. However, the part-timer’s face, looking our way, was stained with embarrassment.

“Kim Cheol-su was truly cute that day. So cute, in fact, that I seriously considered just closing my eyes and kidnapping you right then and there.”

“Stop.”

“Why? Do you think I’m joking?”

I was utterly exasperated.

‘I’d rather be on the front lines, wielding an axe.’

Before that thought could even finish, his approaching finger brushed my earlobe.

“Your ears are red?”

Without realizing it, I checked the glass window. Through the clear glass, not a mirror, I couldn’t discern the color of my ears.

“…Even with your hair down, you look like an apple.”

“?”

“I’m joking. Your ears aren’t red.”

‘This bastard?’

When I gave him a furious glare, the man exaggerated his fear.

“I won’t tease you anymore, so please stop making that face. You’re scaring me to death.”

He claimed to be scared, yet showed no sign of it. Facing his perpetually smiling face, the overwhelming sensation from the first day washed over me again.

“Still, falling for you at first sight is no lie.”

The man’s face suddenly turned serious.