Chapter 71: A Wish Called a Ring

After reuniting with Yoo Heero and Koo Minah, everything moved swiftly. The hastily formed five-person party hadn’t entered the gate to subjugate it, but to carry out a rescue, so there was no reason to go any deeper.

They informed the other guilds they encountered inside the rift that the rescue had been successful, and the seven of them exited the gate together.

Throughout it all, Sung Jiwoo wore a peculiar expression, as if he were lost in deep thought. Yoo Heero quietly observed him.

At last, they were greeted by the real sky as dawn broke. A cool breeze carried crisp air, and from somewhere nearby came the fresh scent of grass.

A rural morning was on an entirely different level compared to a city one. In the distance, the crowing of roosters and the barking of dogs echoed warmly. Clean air filled their lungs with every breath in, while the stale, damp air of the dungeon seemed to leave their bodies with each breath out.

It was the first time the contrast between two worlds had felt so vivid. Perhaps everyone felt the same, because no one spoke for a long while.

“Everyone did great.”

After some time, Im Changwon spoke first, and soon people were exchanging words of thanks all around. Im Changwon and Park Sujin, who had only crossed paths a few times at official events, were now warmly shaking hands and saying things like, “Let’s grab a meal sometime.”

Sung Jiwoo lightly tapped Lee Hyerin on the back. From crying so much, her eyes were swollen. She returned the gesture, tapping his shoulder in the same way.

“Still, I’m glad it ended without anything serious happening.”

At Shin Yoonjae’s words, Sung Jiwoo nodded. It was a huge relief that every scenario he had imagined had turned out to be wrong.

******

As soon as they returned to the village hall, they heard that Koo Minah’s father had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital.

Apparently, while Sung Jiwoo’s group had gone into the gate to search for Koo Minah and Yoo Heero, he had come nearby and learned from other hunters that his daughter was missing.

Koo Minah immediately headed to the hospital in the city with Park Sujin. Sung Jiwoo and the others decided to follow after wrapping things up.

“It seemed like Minah’s father really didn’t like that she’s a hunter,” Lee Hyerin said.

Sung Jiwoo nodded, and Shin Yoonjae let out a sigh.

“He must’ve been really shocked.”

“……She might not be able to continue as a hunter anymore.”

At Sung Jiwoo’s words, the two of them fell silent.

It was a bitter and heartbreaking situation—but also an unavoidable one. There was no justification for stopping Koo Minah if she chose to quit being a hunter.

“We’ll withdraw first.”

Helios Guild Master Im Changwon said his goodbyes, explaining that he’d be heading back to Seoul. A few members of the Knocker Guild followed him.

“I’ll grab my stuff first.”

Sung Jiwoo decided to stop by Koo Minah’s house to pick up his clothes and belongings. Given the chaos of the situation, he hadn’t had time to think about it—but he was still wearing baggy work pants.

Before reentering the gate, he’d shoved his upper body into combat gear, but there was no hiding the flashy floral pattern on his lower half. Lee Hyerin eyed the bizarre combination and asked,

“Come to think of it, why are you and Minah dressed like that?”

“……A gate opened suddenly while we were picking peaches.”

Now that things had settled down, he felt newly embarrassed about how he looked. And to make things worse, no one was commenting on Yoo Heero’s outfit, which felt deeply unfair.

Were those dangling pouches and completely exposed ankles really invisible?

Even feeling indignant seemed pathetic, so Sung Jiwoo pretended not to notice. To begin with, Yoo Heero didn’t seem to care about his own appearance at all.

“You should change too.”

“Oh—yes.”

It seemed he only realized it after being told. Sung Jiwoo let out a long sigh and dragged Yoo Heero into Koo Minah’s house.

Perhaps because the night before had been so chaotic, the front gate was wide open. A cat had crawled under the porch, shooting them wary looks.

As Koo Minah had asked, Sung Jiwoo poured expensive canned food into the empty bowl before heading into the room. Yoo Heero obediently followed right behind him.

“I’m going to change clothes.”

“Yes.”

“……I said I’m changing.”

Even after Sung Jiwoo emphasized it again, Yoo Heero only tilted his head as if he didn’t see the problem.

“I meant don’t stare.”

“Ah…… I can’t?”

The regretful tone in his voice made Sung Jiwoo stare at him in disbelief. Normally, he wouldn’t care if someone watched or not—but for some reason, this time felt different.

No, to begin with, it was impossible to shamelessly change clothes while someone stared straight at you.

“How is that even a question?”

“……Okay.”

Yoo Heero turned around. Sung Jiwoo did the same, facing away as he changed.

“You should wash your face.”

Now that his clothes were clean, the grime on his face stood out even more. Dust tangled in his hair had clumped together like gum stuck to it, and there were spots splattered with monster blood or fluids.

Compared to that, Sung Jiwoo looked relatively fine.

Yoo Heero was pushed into the bathroom by Sung Jiwoo. Thankfully, he’d already gotten Koo Minah’s permission just in case.

When Yoo Heero came out shortly after, he looked like the familiar version Sung Jiwoo knew. Sung Jiwoo wiped the blood he hadn’t managed to clean off the back of his neck. At first, he’d panicked, thinking Yoo Heero was injured, but he quickly relaxed when he realized it was just monster blood.

“You must’ve had a hard time. Looking for me couldn’t have been easy.”

“You were looking for me too, hyung?”

“Of course! Everyone was worried sick……”

“Thank you. For coming to find me.”

It had been a terrifyingly close call—one that could have turned into a disappearance inside the gate. Even now, his heart still felt like it was dropping.

“I didn’t want to make you worry…… but I really like it when you worry about me.”

“……You’re joking, right? I felt like my blood was drying up.”

“That’s exactly why.”

Yoo Heero smiled, saying something Sung Jiwoo couldn’t quite understand.

“Oh—this is a gift.”

Suddenly, he thrust out his fist. Without thinking, Sung Jiwoo opened his palm beneath it.

Clatter.

Tiny objects spilled out—no bigger than fingernails. They looked like pretty pebbles picked up from a riverside: red, amber, black, white, and the most brilliant of all, a blue-green one.

They were all minerals found inside gates.

“What are these? Don’t tell me—”

“I found them here and there while looking for you.”

The casual way he spoke, as if he’d picked them up off the road, left Sung Jiwoo speechless. The “here and there” Yoo Heero mentioned were probably monsters.

“That blue-green one in the middle is a gate core.”

“What? You removed the gate core too?”

“Yes. It was just there.”

“……Right. Good job.”

There was nothing he could even say to that, so Sung Jiwoo decided to hold his tongue. Yoo Heero smiled gently.

“Wouldn’t it be pretty if you made this into a ring? It looks just like an emerald.”

“A ring, all of a sudden? You want one? Should I make it for you?”

“Huh? No. It wouldn’t be romantic if you made it, hyung.”

Why was romance suddenly entering the conversation?

Sung Jiwoo blinked rapidly. Yoo Heero’s words failed to register, bouncing right off his brain.

“What?”

At his dumbfounded question, Yoo Heero whispered in a tender voice. His face looked shy, but the words coming from his mouth were anything but.

“It’s our wedding ring.”

“……Huh?”

“There’s only one like it in the world. Isn’t that romantic?”

Sung Jiwoo’s mouth fell open even wider, while Yoo Heero smiled brightly, looking completely unaware that anything was wrong.

“Hey, uh—maybe you’re still, you know…… socially…….”

Unsure how to phrase it, Sung Jiwoo struggled for a long time to find the right words, his thoughts going in circles.

“Um…… I mean, that…… you know?”

After wrestling with it for quite a while, Sung Jiwoo finally landed on the most accurate expression possible.

“You’re crazy, right?”

Yes. That was exactly what he wanted to say.

Isn’t this guy insane?

“Even if that’s my wish?”

“Haah… what kind of wish is that—!”

Sung Jiwoo snapped, then abruptly shut his mouth as memories of Yoo Heero’s heartfelt letters surfaced. After taking several deep breaths, he felt himself calm down a little. He muttered self-mockingly,

“Yeah. I said I’d grant your wish. I did say that.”

Why did I ever say that?

Four years ago, when Yoo Heero’s grades had improved, Sung Jiwoo had impulsively handed out a “wish coupon” without giving any thought to the future. He never imagined it would come back to haunt him like this.

Worse still, he’d completely forgotten about it starting the very next day.

“You remember. I thought you might’ve forgotten, hyung.”

Feeling strangely guilty, Sung Jiwoo raised his voice.

“Hey, what do you take me for—!”

“You read my letters, didn’t you?”

Yoo Heero was never an easy opponent. At the sudden question, Sung Jiwoo flinched, and Yoo Heero’s smile widened even further.

“I heard you were at the Association before coming here. At first, I thought you went to pick up your hunter registration…… but that didn’t quite add up. So I thought—my letters finally found their owner.”

“……Yeah.”

It was something Sung Jiwoo hadn’t intended to tell Yoo Heero.

The moment he admitted it, he’d be forced to relive the contents of those letters—and inevitably, have that conversation.

While searching the gate for Koo Minah and Yoo Heero, Sung Jiwoo had made one resolution. And to carry it out, he knew he’d have to settle things with Yoo Heero once and for all.

In a firm voice, Sung Jiwoo asked,

“Heero. Want to have a drink with me?”

At the sudden proposal, Yoo Heero’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he smiled gently.

“Sure.”

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