Please Give Me A Kiss, Healer! Chapter 8

Kang-woo’s beautiful face suddenly twisted, and he hugged Ji-woo so tightly it felt like he might crush her.

Soon, a desperate vow brushed against her ear.

“From now on, I’ll protect you. Just like you did for me.”

Uh… there’s really no need for that.

Frozen stiff, Ji-woo couldn’t say a word.

Whatever he misunderstood again, Kang-woo left a light kiss on her hair.

“Don’t worry. I’m never going to leave your side for the rest of my life.”

No, that’s actually exactly what worries me?

It was starting to feel like pretend to be that “Jiu” person had been a terrible mistake.

I only wanted to coax this flower boy a bit so I could unlock the rest of the skills…

She never imagined Kang-woo would cling to her like this.

Should I run now?

Ji-woo swallowed hard.

As long as she met up with the rescue team, she could find a way to escape.

But…

Would this man really just watch me run away?

Even now, Kang-woo was pressing his nose against her shoulder, taking in her scent.

As if he wanted to swallow up even her smallest breaths.

And at some point, her palm had started to feel ticklish.

By the time she snapped back to her senses at the loud smacking sounds, Kang-woo was already rubbing his lips against her palm.

“K-Kang-woo! You can’t just do stuff like this out of nowhere.”

“Yeah. It’s fine—we’re going to get married.”

There was no getting through to him.

Was the translation skill malfunctioning?

Ji-woo quickly opened her status window, but everything seemed normal.

Which meant…

He really means it when he says he wants to marry me!

Ji-woo couldn’t deny it anymore.

Forget unlocking skills—first I need to run. Before this gets any deeper.

Sure, she liked handsome men, but she couldn’t marry a monster she just met!

To escape, she first needed to redirect this clingy flower boy’s attention.

Otherwise, he’d grab her by the back of the neck and drag her off.

But Kang-woo is pretty gentle—if I talk him down nicely, maybe I can slip away safely?

Ji-woo hesitated, lips parting.

“Um, Kang-woo. I have something to—”

But then—

Static crackled from the communicator hanging on her harness.

[Ah-ah. This is the rescue team. This is the rescue team.]

Ji-woo urgently pulled it out.

The voice continued.

[We are looking for E-rank healer Hunter Do Ji-woo. Hunter Do Ji-woo, if you hear this message, please respon—]

Crunch.

“Huh?”

Ji-woo stared blankly.

She couldn’t comprehend what had just happened before her eyes.

The communicator that had been passing along the rescue team’s voice had shattered.

Not with a crack or a thud—but with a crisp snap.

It had turned completely into powder.

Th-this should’ve been orichalcum alloy…

All equipment brought into a dungeon was made of extremely strong metal.

Otherwise, it would break during the gate crossing.

Orichalcum was known to be the strongest metal currently in existence.

There was even a saying: “If you’re desperate, use your communicator as a weapon,” or “If you hit someone with it, it counts as attempted murder.”

So for a communicator like that to crumble to dust…

Ji-woo swallowed nervously.

Only an S-rank… no, even higher could do that.

But no matter how hard she rubbed her eyes, the scene didn’t change.

Ji-woo looked at the culprit in stunned disbelief.

“Kang-woo, why did you…?”

“What?”

Kang-woo, who had smashed the device right in front of her, smiled with a lifted corner of his mouth.

A moment ago, she had thought his smiling lips looked lovely—but now there was an inexplicable chill.

“Ji-woo, what’s wrong?”

When she didn’t respond, he grabbed her tiny hand and rubbed it against his cheek.

He looked like a puppy trying to charm its owner, but Ji-woo refused to be pulled along by his pace anymore.

The communicator had been her last lifeline.

Without it, meeting up with the rescue team—or even getting out of the dungeon—would be extremely difficult.

Did he break it because he knew that?

Ji-woo’s expression hardened.

“Why did you break the communicator?”

“Oh… you mean this thing.”

Kang-woo laughed brightly and dusted off his hands.

His eyes glinted like the sun in the reflected light, and what used to be the communicator scattered as dark powder.

Ji-woo flinched and stepped back.

He lowered his gaze and closed the distance again.

“They came to take you back.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“But they can’t.”

“…What?”

“Because you have to stay with me. Wherever, whenever.”

Stay with him? Wherever and whenever?

Ji-woo blinked in confusion.

She lived outside the dungeon.

Her only family—her younger sibling—was in Seoul.

A monster couldn’t possibly go there.

But unaware of her thoughts, Kang-woo was already looking up again.

She followed his gaze and saw the green smoke signal from the rescue team.

A burning intensity shimmered in his eyes.

No way…

Ji-woo froze.

Only now did she understand why Kang-woo reacted so sharply to that smoke.

He’s planning to destroy everything.

Whether it was the communicator that had turned to dust—

Or the rescue team searching for her.

Anything that might give her a reason to leave his side.

Ji-woo bit her trembling lip.

The tender skin split, giving off a faint metallic taste.

Talking won’t work. I need a different way—now.

She couldn’t live trapped here forever.

Ji-woo quietly opened her skill window.

Hoping—desperately—that something inside could help.

Soon, a suitable skill caught her eye.

Skill

Welcome to My Home (SSS)
= Creates a safe zone inside the dungeon.

 

“…Welcome to my home?”

The moment she murmured the skill name, Kang-woo’s gaze snapped to her.

His cool lips curved upward, and he looked strangely delighted.

“Ji-woo, does that mean we can finally go to our home?”

“Our… home?”

“Yeah. The skill you just used—the one for going home.”

Well, the skill was called “Welcome to My Home.”

But how did Kang-woo know about it?

It had only just appeared.

It seemed he was interpreting the “safe zone” as something to celebrate.

Wait—this might actually work in my favor.

Ji-woo’s mind churned quickly.

If they went into the safe zone, she might find a chance to get away from him.

After all, it was a space created by her skill.

“Ji-woo?”

As the silence stretched, Kang-woo nervously grabbed her shoulders.

After a brief hesitation, Ji-woo softened her eyes and spoke gently.

“Okay, let’s go. To our home.”

When she held out her hand, Kang-woo stared blankly at it.

Then, when she gave a tiny smile, he relaxed and smiled back like an innocent child.

Like a fool—so naïve.

Clueless that Ji-woo was secretly planning to shake him off.

Seeing his bright face made her chest sting a little, but she had no choice.

“Move!”

As she shouted the activation word, the air split open and a golden portal appeared.

Ji-woo grabbed Kang-woo’s hand and stepped into the portal with him.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Right after they arrived in the safe zone.

 

[You have obtained a hidden title.]

System

Title: I Am the True Landowner

Effect: Affection with all monsters +10

 

This is… my house? My land?

Ha. Ha. Hahahahaha.

Ji-woo forgot she needed to get away from Kang-woo and began laughing like someone who had gone completely mad.

No matter how you looked at her, she didn’t seem sane at all.

Worried, Kang-woo grabbed the collar of her clothes.

“Ji-woo, why are you like this? Is the house maybe…?”

He didn’t even finish speaking.

Ji-woo suddenly hugged him tightly without a word.

“J-Ji-woo?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected skinship, Kang-woo’s smooth cheeks flushed bright red.