Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 18

“…Pardon?”

What kind of scout offer is this supposed to be?

If anyone overheard, they’d think he was making some dramatic love confession!

Startled, Jiwoo awkwardly leaned her body back, but Shin Woo-hyuk didn’t back down.

“I will stake everything I have to ensure you are never exposed to danger.”

“No, I mean—even so…”

“I promise you treatment on par with the best in the world. Please trust me.”

His courteous sincerity made Jiwoo waver.

‘Well… it’s not like I don’t trust him…’

The Blank Guild was the biggest guild in the country, and though she’d only known him a short time, Shin Woo-hyuk had proven himself a trustworthy, upright person.

Noticing the shake in Jiwoo’s resolve, he delivered the final blow.

“I already know your secret, Hunter Do Jiwoo. Don’t increase the number of people who know.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t have to answer right away. There’s still plenty of time.”

“Then I’ll think it over slowly and let you know.”

Jiwoo nodded.

Even though it was a noncommittal answer, Woo-hyuk looked satisfied. For now, this was enough.

Telling her not to get re-evaluated was partly for her sake—but it was also deeply fueled by his own self-interest.

‘There’s no benefit in increasing my competition.’

As the guildmaster of Blank, Shin Woo-hyuk had a strong desire for exceptional talent and a constant sense of rivalry with other guilds.

And Jiwoo—was a hidden gem only he had discovered.

Knowing when a gate will open means the ability to claim dungeons first.

‘And even beyond that, Hunter Do Jiwoo has tremendous potential.’

Her actions right before the gate appeared—the determination to save people no matter what, the quick wits to set a fire to evacuate the cafe, and finally, the passion and boldness to leap into an A-rank dungeon without a moment’s hesitation.

He’d pay a fortune to bring in someone like that.

Holding all those urges tightly in check, Shin Woo-hyuk spoke politely:

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, I sincerely look forward to a positive answer.”

 

 

****

 

 

There were only two people on the rescue team that had entered the dungeon—but model student Shin Woo-hyuk still followed hunter protocol and began the briefing.

“Temporary Rescue Team. Team leader: S-rank dealer, Shin Woo-hyuk. And the team member is…”

“Team member Do Jiwoo, E-rank healer… and as you know, a second-awakener.”

Jiwoo purposefully didn’t mention her new rank or awakening category.

The way Woo-hyuk’s eyes were blazing—she felt that if she revealed any more, that fire would only burn hotter.

“Our strategy is a speedrun. Priority one: rescue the child. Priority two: secure the area until the main raid team arrives. Everything else will be ignored—we move strictly by priority.”

“As long as we find the child, I can take care of the rest.”

“…Is that ability also related to your second awakening?”

Jiwoo gave a small nod.

Fortunately, Woo-hyuk didn’t press for details. Instead, he pulled a pair of goggles from his inventory and asked something else.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, do you have any detection skills?”

“Of course I do. Intermediate level 7.”

Detection skills—skills that read terrain and surroundings—were fundamental abilities for healers.

Even though she’d fallen to the role of glorified porter now, a healer’s duty was to save teammates in danger. She’d also used detection often while doing dungeon loading and unloading work, so Jiwoo’s detection skill level was relatively high.

“I’ll clear the way. Hunter Do Jiwoo, please look for the child.”

Woo-hyuk handed her his goggles.

 

Item
High-Grade Goggles of Despair and Wailing (B-rank)

Goggles crafted from the hide of a Tyrannosaurus.
Your eyes grow sharper, and you will see things you normally cannot.

But beware.
Make sure you do not witness something humans were never meant to behold…

Effect: Detection Skill Level +1

What on earth had someone done to earn these goggles a name like “Despair and Wailing”?

A chill ran down Jiwoo’s spine as she asked cautiously:

“This is a safe item, right? It’s not some cursed heirloom or something?”

“It shouldn’t be. …Probably.”

“What do you mean probably?! Wait! I’m not wearing this!”

After a short argument, the two began searching the dungeon.

Dungeon structures changed every time depending on where the gate opened. A gate in the mountains created a mountain-like dungeon; a gate over the sea created a dungeon like an undersea cave.

This time the gate had opened in the city, so the place Jiwoo and Woo-hyuk were in looked like the interior of a large building.

As he cleared monsters, Woo-hyuk sank into thought.

“I expected it, but this is even more horrific than I thought.”

A chilling, grotesque landscape that made even a seasoned hunter’s spine crawl.

Walls covered in desperate pleas for rescue; the floor strewn with blood-soaked fabric and strands of hair—like the aftermath of a serial murder.

Woo-hyuk had been in A-rank dungeons before, so he’d gotten used to sights like this, but…

“Can Hunter Do Jiwoo handle this? First-timers in high-rank dungeons usually get a serious shock.”

He looked back at Jiwoo, who was following behind him.

Sure enough, Jiwoo seemed on the verge of tears as she looked at the blood-soaked carpet.

But it was a completely different type of near-crying than he expected.

“T-this kind of carpet is so hard to wash! How could they commit such an atrocity?!”

“…?”

“Ugh! And on an expensive rolled carpet too… The color’s light gray—there’s no way to restore this!”

“…Hunter Do Jiwoo?”

“Yes?”

Seeing Woo-hyuk’s subtly frozen expression, Jiwoo snapped back to herself.

“Ah—s-sorry. Reflex. I used to work part-time at a dry cleaners.”

What kind of healer was this fearless?

Jiwoo even stepped on a monster’s corpse and climbed over it. Covered head to toe in blood, she cheerfully used her detection skill.

“Guildmaster, the emergency exit is clear. We need to go one floor higher.”

“…Hunter Do Jiwoo, you seem to have incredible mental fortitude.”

“Huh? No way, I’m super cowardly. My little sister calls me a scaredy-cat every day.”

Scaredy-cat or not, Jiwoo’s fear triggers were just… different.

She never understood people who got scared watching horror movies.

No monster or terrifying cinematic scene could frighten her.

But there was exactly one thing that could send her trembling even in her dreams.

‘A dangerously low bank balance. Nothing’s scarier than that.’

What if her hospital bill due tomorrow was 10 million won, and she had only 1 million in her account today?

What if rent was due today—100,000 won—and she didn’t even have a single 100-won coin?

Nothing chilled Jiwoo to the bone more than that.

‘Living stably without worrying about money—that’s happiness.’

In that sense, Shin Woo-hyuk’s offer to join the Blank Guild was an amazing opportunity.

Judging by the way he spoke, they’d pay her handsomely. He was a bit overwhelming, but he guaranteed her safety. And most importantly—he promised to protect her identity and abilities thoroughly.

‘He’s right. If people found out about my abilities, it’d be a nightmare.’

And the “Emergency Disaster Response Team” was infamous. Being dragged off and tortured by them sounded like hell.

But there was just one thing—

One reason Jiwoo hesitated.

‘Kangwoo… I can’t stop thinking about Kangwoo.’

According to the news, Kangwoo was expected to inherit Daun Group.

If that happened, she might end up seeing him through Blank Guild business—Blank belonged to Daun Group after all.

‘He must resent me. He must feel betrayed.’

She remembered him calling her name so desperately in the final moment.

Back then, she thought turning away from him—even coldly—was for his own good.

But now, she worried she might have hurt him too deeply.

‘If we meet again, he probably won’t smile at me like before…’

On TV, he looked cold and expressionless.

It was hard to believe this was the same Kangwoo who once showered her with affection—telling her he liked her, loved her.

For some reason, she feared that cold face would turn toward her—that he would look at her with hostility.

And so Jiwoo found herself reluctant to join the Blank Guild.

‘It’ll be better not to run into him at all. He probably doesn’t want to see me anyway.’

With that thought, Jiwoo tried to shove him out of her mind.

She didn’t know—could never have guessed—that at that very moment, Kangwoo had followed her alone into the gate.