Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 66

“W-What… what is he saying?”

Jiwoo completely lost the ability to speak and froze in place. Even the rims of her ears turned red.

“Jiwoo, why are you just sitting there spacing out? Why aren’t you eating?”

Cha Taepyeong asked, utterly oblivious.

“Ah, well, I mean, it’s just that—”

As Jiwoo flapped her lips in flustered confusion—

“It’s probably because the meat isn’t cooked enough. Jiwoo prefers her beef well done.”

“…Huh?”

Taepyeong immediately lost interest.

“Tsk, that’s an odd preference. If you cook it that much, the meat gets tough.”

Jiwoo knitted her brows sharply and shot a glare at Kangwoo beside her.

Are you going to keep doing this?

Doing what?

You know exactly what! Ever since earlier—

She mouthed the words silently, but suddenly felt warmth on the back of her hand resting below the table.

Kangwoo, ignoring everything she was trying to say, was lightly tapping her skin as if fidgeting.

Jiwoo realized instantly.

He’s sulking. This man is sulking at me.

Now that she looked closely, those pretty lips of his were slightly—very slightly—pouting.

She didn’t know what she’d done to upset him, but he was clearly acting out of spite.

Did I hurt his feelings somehow?

She couldn’t think of anything…

Just then, as if protesting for attention, Kangwoo slid his fingers between hers and fully interlaced their hands. He smiled with crescent eyes.

“What’s wrong, Jiwoo? Should I bring you more ssamjang?”

“…Stop that.”

“What did you say? Jiwoo, eat more. You like meat, don’t you?”

“I’m full! I’ve already eaten over two geun of beef!”

“As long as you’re the only one eating it, any amount still counts as one serving.”

“…That’s true, but did I ever say that to you? When?”

“You did. A while ago. Ah—here, have some cucumbers too. You like these.”

A basket full of cucumbers was placed in front of her.

Jiwoo crunched on one.

I can’t keep getting dragged along like this.

She needed to put the brakes on Kangwoo’s runaway behavior—somehow.

When the team members stepped outside for a bit of fresh air, Jiwoo pulled out her secret weapon.

“Come on, let’s have a drink. This is your first time drinking with me, right?”

She poured soju into Kangwoo’s 500cc beer mug instead of beer.

Splash, splash, splash.

“Let’s toast. Cheers!”

“…Cheers.”

Kangwoo drank it down without the slightest hesitation. His Adam’s apple moved distinctly as he swallowed.

Jiwoo’s ambitious plan failed spectacularly.

No matter how much he drank, Kangwoo was perfectly fine.

His body simply wasn’t the type to get drunk from a little alcohol.

“L-Let’s go again. Cheers!”

Panicking, Jiwoo filled the glass again.

Splash, splash, splash.

“Again! Cheers!”

Splash splash splash splash.

“One more time—cheers!”

Splash splash splash splash splash.

Jiwoo kept pouring soju nonstop, and Kangwoo happily drank every drop.

One bottle on the table became two, then three—soon too many to count on both hands.

“What the heck? Are only you two going hard?”

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, I want a drink from you too!”

The team members returned and joined the drinking frenzy.

The result—

“Hic! Beef? Beer? Order whatever you want! That guild master bastard—he shouldn’t have given me his card! He dared give me his card?! He made a mistake! A big one!”

Yoo Jaekyung shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Honeeeeey, I love you soooo muuuch…”

Cha Taepyeong asleep while hugging her waist.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, you can’t lie down here like this. I will escort you home safely.”

Shin Ilguk holding onto a floor cushion and holding a conversation with it.

“Waaahhh, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m sorry for being loud because I’m drunk! I’m so sorryyyy!”

Oh Nara sobbing uncontrollably.

And finally—

“Don’t accept blind dates.”

“…What?”

“Was I not enough? Still… other men are not allowed. I’ll try harder.”

Jiwoo stared at him in horror.

“Kangwoo… are you drunk?”

“Yeah. I see two Jiwoos. It’s great.”

Kangwoo leaned against her shoulder, smiling softly.

Dizzy, Jiwoo squeezed her eyes shut.

Oh my heart…

They say when a fox enchants you, you’ll hand over your liver and gallbladder without hesitation. She finally understood that saying.

Kangwoo tugged gently at her sleeve and tilted his head.

“Jiwoo, should we go home?”

“…Now?”

“Our newlywed house—we still need to buy furniture…”

“W-Wait! Someone might hear you!”

Jiwoo hurriedly glanced around.

Everyone nearby was completely passed out drunk—but still.

You never know. Walls have ears. Birds listen by day, mice by night.

And sure enough, within seconds—

“Hunter Do Jiwoo.”

It was Shin Woohyuk, the guild master of Blank, who had come looking for Special Team 7.

“Oh! Guild Master! What brings you here?”

“I heard you were having a company dinner here. But…”

Shin Woohyuk stopped short.

“Why is Team Leader Seo Kangwoo here?”

Kangwoo, who had been leaning against Jiwoo’s shoulder, straightened.

“Obviously, because Jiwoo is here.”

Invisible sparks flew between the two men.

Shin Woohyuk looked away first. He knew full well he couldn’t win against Seo Kangwoo.

“I already delivered the results in writing to Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung, but I came to explain them in person—”

“Heyyy, Shin Wooohyuuuk! Our amaaazing guiiild maaas-ter!”

“…I see that won’t be possible tonight.”

Yoo Jaekyung slumped forward, collapsing face-first.

Jiwoo quickly moved her hair away from the grill.

“Guild Master, what results are you talking about?”

“We analyzed the monster corpses from this dungeon. Based on the amount of mana stones contained in their bodies, it was a transformed A-rank dungeon.”

Another A-rank dungeon.

Normally, an A-rank appeared maybe once a year at most.

This was already the third one this year.

And two of them were dungeons I entered.

Jiwoo’s expression darkened.

Was this really a coincidence?

Or was it related to her abilities?

At this rate, an S-rank dungeon might appear.

Awakening as S-rank was good—but she never wanted others to be put in danger because of it.

Shin Woohyuk glanced at Seo Kangwoo, then addressed Jiwoo.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo, there’s something I need to discuss with you privately. Could you spare a moment?”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“Not here?”

“This isn’t something I can discuss in front of someone outside the guild.”

He was clearly referring to Kangwoo.

Since it involved the guild, Jiwoo couldn’t refuse.

It’ll only take a moment.

Jiwoo stood up.

“Kangwoo—no, Mr. Seo Kangwoo. I’ll be right back.”

Under the table, Kangwoo’s hand—still interlaced with hers—tightened.

But when Jiwoo looked at him, his stiff expression melted away as if nothing had happened.

“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”

 

 

****

 

 

Behind the barbecue restaurant, there was a small garden.

“Guild Master, you said you had something to tell me…”

As soon as they arrived in the quiet, empty garden, Shin Woohyuk spoke.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo.”

“Team Leader Yoo Jaekyung’s report said there was a group of flying-type monsters. But.”

Shin Woohyuk stared at Jiwoo as if weighing something.

“When the rescue team and the dungeon raid team entered the dungeon, there were no such monsters. Only the corpses of skeletons and the Lich King.”

A battle had clearly taken place there.

But the enemy was gone.

Only traces remained—the monsters that should have been there had vanished.

For hunters, it was a serious incident.

But for Jiwoo, it was good news.

‘Thank goodness. They’re all alive.’

Just before parting with the Whitebirds, Jiwoo had said this to White Hawk 31.

‘Don’t take revenge if it means getting hurt. You have baby birds to protect. That means you have to come back alive, no matter what!’

They were words Jiwoo herself had once said over and over in her dreams when she met her parents.

[Is saving strangers more important than Heeseong and me? How could you be so irresponsible? Did you even think about us, the ones left behind?]

[…No, I was wrong. I won’t say things like that.]

[Mom, Dad. Please come back alive, no matter what. Please…]

She never imagined she’d end up saying the same thing to a monster.

Jiwoo had given the Whitebirds two conditions.

First, that they return alive to their chicks.

Second, that they move their nest to the Safe Zone owned by Jiwoo.

The Whitebirds, who had already been thinking about relocating, accepted the proposal without hesitation.

‘I wonder if they’re looking around their new home by now.’

With the fight over, they would’ve used the portal Heeseong installed to enter the Safe Zone.

‘Dongshik will guide them well. Even if the species is different, they’re still birds.’

Jiwoo recalled Dongshik complaining while flapping his short wings, whining about why penguins couldn’t fly.

She smiled softly.

That was when Shin Woohyuk’s expression hardened.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo. Please tell me the truth.”

“…Pardon?”

“You know what happened here, don’t you? No—you caused this. You did something, didn’t you?”

She felt guilty, but Jiwoo played dumb.

“What are you talking about? What kind of power would I even have?”

But Shin Woohyuk wasn’t easy to fool. His words struck straight home.

“The power to control monsters. A new zone inside the dungeon. That ability.”

“……”

Jiwoo pressed her lips tightly together.

Unlike with the Antmen, she didn’t feel guilty about hiding the truth this time.

At least this time, she had a reason.

‘The system said Whitebirds are the kindest monsters in the world.’

Sure, they became violent if their chicks were harmed—but that was no different from ordinary animals or humans.

And now that the Whitebirds had settled in the Safe Zone, they’d never encounter other humans again.

‘Isn’t that enough? Everyone’s happy and safe. A happy ending.’

But Shin Woohyuk snapped coldly.

“Hunter Do Jiwoo. I’m deeply disappointed.”

“……”

“I clearly explained this to you before. Was it that hard to understand? Or was my explanation insufficient?”

“But this time, I really had no choice—”

His sharp reprimand continued.

“Does saying ‘I had no choice’ solve everything? Are you even aware that you are part of Special Team 7? If this had been discovered, how were you planning to take responsibility for public scrutiny? Do you understand that you acted recklessly?”

“……”

Jiwoo’s shoulders slowly drooped.

With a sigh, Shin Woohyuk delivered his final warning.

“Enough excuses. I will let this incident slide—for now. But I will not tolerate any further involvement with monsters. Remember this. If something like this happens again, then…”

With a deep frown, Shin Woohyuk looked down at Jiwoo as he warned her.

“…Then what?”

“…What?”

Jiwoo sharply lifted her head.

Her green eyes were filled with unmistakable hurt.