Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 102

“Ki-Kiss…?”

After a brief hesitation, Jiwoo made up her mind.

Come on. It’s just a kiss.

I’ve done it a few times already. I can handle one more.

The problem was that there were monsters—her whole “household”—crowding around everywhere. There was no way she could do it here.

“Jiwoo, where are you going?”

“I’m going for a little walk! Have fun and be careful!”

With Kangwoo still wearing a pitiful expression, Jiwoo led him away.

They walked for quite a while, leaving the campfire behind, until darkness surrounded them on all sides.

The sound of waves rolling in and out, the soft crunch of sand beneath their feet… and the familiar warmth that naturally slipped into her hand.

At some point, Kangwoo holding her hand had stopped feeling awkward.

In fact, it would feel strange if he didn’t.

Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the others, Jiwoo stopped beneath the bright moonlight.

“It’s your right arm, right?”

“Yeah.”

She took a deep breath.

Then she activated her skill once more.

“[Jiwoo’s hands are healing hands! Filled with love~ Ho~♥].”

But this time was different.

As soon as she finished the activation phrase, Jiwoo gently held Kangwoo’s forearm.

Then…

Peck. Peck. Peck.

“…Jiwoo?”

“Hm?”

She looked up to see Kangwoo staring at her in surprise, his lips slightly parted.

“What… are you doing?”

“Healing you. The skill works better if I do this.”

“…”

“So? Does it feel better now?”

Jiwoo smiled expectantly.

A deep sigh drifted down from above.

“That’s… not what I meant.”

“What do you mean? Does it still hurt?”

“No, my arm doesn’t hurt. But… Jiwoo.”

“Yes?”

“It’s somewhere else that hurts.”

“Huh? Where? I’ll heal that too.”

With a sulky expression, Kangwoo pointed at his right cheek.

“It hurts here.”

“…Your cheek?”

“Yeah. My cheek really hurts.”

He said it so naturally that Jiwoo narrowed her eyes.

Seriously?

His intentions were as clear as crystal.

What do you mean your cheek hurts? You’re obviously faking it!

She almost laughed at how shameless he was.

But maybe it was the grilled fish she’d eaten earlier.

For some reason, the sight of the huge man standing there with his lips puffed out looked…

…ridiculously adorable.

How could a man that big pouting because he wanted a kiss be so cute?

Suddenly, she remembered something Yoo Jaekyung had said during the company dinner.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, be careful. If someone can do absolutely anything and you think it’s all cute… then it’s over. That’s when you’re headed for marriage.”

Why am I remembering that now?

Flustered, Jiwoo simply stood there, blinking.

“Jiwoo. Hurry.”

Without realizing it, she found herself drawn toward Kangwoo’s urging voice like a magnet.

She rose onto her tiptoes and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Then, suddenly—

Wait! What am I doing?!

She snapped back to her senses.

Instead of kissing him, Jiwoo pinched his cheek.

“Stop pretending to be sick! Who are you trying to fool?”

“…You usually fall for it.”

“What was that?”

Jiwoo shot him a glare.

Kangwoo slumped his shoulders, looking like a drenched puppy.

“I’ve been clearing dungeons all day.”

“…”

“I spent all of yesterday in dungeons too.”

“…”

“And the day before that…”

“Oh, come on. The Emergency Response Team has healers.”

Jiwoo thought of Hunter Lee Yeonwoo, the healer she’d met in the East Sea Dungeon.

But then, imagining Kangwoo receiving treatment from another healer made her feel strangely uncomfortable.

No… it’s more than uncomfortable…

She frowned.

Seeing her suddenly fall silent—and even look displeased—made Kangwoo grow uneasy.

“Jiwoo… I think I’m fine now.”

“Weren’t you saying you were in pain just a second ago?”

“I was. But now I’m okay. Really.”

“Huh?”

Jiwoo tilted her head.

She had no idea why he’d suddenly stopped pretending, but she didn’t mind.

If he’d kept it up, her heart might have exploded.

“Then… should we head back?”

The cool sea breeze tousled their hair.

They walked together along the moonlit beach.

For a long while, neither of them spoke as they watched the waves crash against the shore.

Unlike Kangwoo, who was naturally quiet, Jiwoo was simply lost in thought.

After a comfortable silence, Kangwoo spoke first.

“Jiwoo.”

“…”

“Jiwoo?”

“Huh? Oh—yes.”

Her absent-minded reply made Kangwoo knit his brows.

He stopped walking and looked closely at her face.

“Is something wrong?”

“Wrong? No… it’s just…”

She could see the glow of the campfire in the distance.

The sound of the waves carried the faint laughter of the household monsters.

I can tell Kangwoo.

He’s practically family.

She felt like she could be honest with him.

“It’s about Heeseong. I’m worried… if it’s really okay to let him keep living like this.”

“Like this?”

“I mean…”

Jiwoo let out a long sigh.

People are supposed to live with other people.

It wasn’t that she wanted to make Heeseong miserable.

She just couldn’t keep him inside the Safe Zone forever.

“You know… growing up surrounded by monsters isn’t exactly normal.”

Kangwoo, who had been quietly listening, asked,

“Then what’s normal?”

“Going to school… playing with kids your own age…”

“Things that would’ve been impossible to imagine before.”

“…Oh.”

“Heeseong’s only been discharged from the hospital a few months ago. Right?”

His gentle voice made Jiwoo nod almost automatically.

Thinking back, there had been a time when just seeing Heeseong walk around healthy would have been enough.

“Maybe… I was rushing things too much.”

“Yeah.”

Kangwoo nodded without hesitation.

“You didn’t have to agree so quickly.”

Jiwoo puffed out her lips.

But the moment Kangwoo smiled softly with his eyes, her irritation melted away.

“We have plenty of time.”

“…At least in this world.”

“Huh?”

She didn’t understand what he meant.

She looked at him, hoping for an explanation, but he didn’t seem interested in giving one.

Instead, he playfully took the end of her hair between his fingers and gently rubbed it.

“And if Heeseong goes to school, he’ll have plenty of things to stress over. Just trying to catch up with his classes will be hard enough.”

“Well… that’s true.”

“Even though he’s recovered, wouldn’t it be better to avoid putting too much strain on his body?”

“I… guess so?”

Before she knew it, Kangwoo had completely convinced her.

It felt like they hadn’t walked very far, but soon they were back at the beach where everyone was gathered.

Around the bonfire, the Whitebirds were singing.

— Let’s find a conch shell~ Open your beaks nice and wide~♪

In the shallow water nearby, the Black Dolphins whistled along.

— Wheeeeee! Wheeeeee!

The Antmen danced in circles around the fire.

Kangwoo shrugged and looked down at Jiwoo.

“You’re right.”

“This definitely isn’t normal.”

“Mm…”

A moment later, Jiwoo spotted Heeseong among the crowd.

— Heeeeseong! Right foot, then left! Keep the rhythm!

“Dummy! You’re the one doing it wrong!”

Heeseong was dancing together with everyone else.

It was the smallest festival in the world.

Yet every single one of them looked genuinely happy.

After watching them for a while, Jiwoo smiled softly.

“…You’re right.”

“I think… this is enough for now.”