<Episode 35>
His eyes gleamed coldly.
‘…That expression is scary.’
It was the same icy gaze he had worn the first day I met him.
But when I looked carefully into his eyes, they were clearly different from back then. The concern lingering within them. The emotion reflected in the way he looked at me was worry and anxiety.
I cautiously asked him,
“Are you worried about me?”
“Is that really what matters right now? You’re currently–!”
He took a deep breath as if suppressing something. Then he stared at the wound on my neck as though he himself were the one in pain.
“The wound is deeper than I expected.”
Stepping closer, he slowly raised a hand and gently brushed near my neck. His touch was so light I could barely even feel it. His fingertips trembled faintly, like he was handling fragile glasswork that might shatter at any moment.
“Still, it feels nice that you’re worrying about me.”
“I’m not worrying.”
His words didn’t match the carefulness of his touch, and I let out a small laugh.
Just moments ago, my heart had been wildly shaking with anxiety, but now it calmed down astonishingly fast. At my laughter, his brows twitched.
“You can still laugh right now?”
“I know. This really isn’t a situation where I should be laughing… but somehow I just keep smiling.”
To the frowning man, I briefly explained what had happened today.
That someone had come outside, and thinking it might be someone I knew, I went out only to suddenly get dragged into an alley. They talked about my shop and demanded money.
When I finally told him they had escaped, he clenched his teeth hard.
“Don’t worry. I’ll track them down somehow.”
“The police already said they’re checking the CCTV footage. They’ll probably find a lead soon.”
No matter how dark the alley was, there were still CCTV cameras installed all over the area. And the criminals would have no choice but to flee onto the main roads eventually, so they would likely be found soon.
At that moment, the streetlight above us flickered. Tilting my head back, I looked up and noticed several broken lights here and there.
“I kept putting it off because I didn’t have time, but I really do need to move.”
My home address had already been exposed, and the culprits still hadn’t been caught, so continuing to stay here was dangerous. After glancing around the eerie alleyway, I brought him inside my house.
“Why are you only coming back now, nya!?”
The moment I opened the door, Hanyang rushed toward me. Come to think of it, I had said I would only step out briefly, so of course, Hanyang must have been terribly worried when I didn’t return for so long.
“Sorry. I ended up being late.”
“Wait. You’re hurt, nya? I smell blood, nya!”
I quickly scooped up the sniffing Hanyang into my arms. After struggling for a moment, Hanyang relaxed against me when I let out a shaky breath.
“I missed you, Hanyang…”
Holding the warm cat in my arms, I sat collapsed near the entrance for quite a while. Hanyang’s tiny front paws patted me gently, as if trying to comfort me.
Once I had barely calmed down, I rubbed away the tears gathered around my eyes. Hunter Lee Hyunwoo treated me as though he hadn’t noticed my tears at all.
“What are you planning to do tonight?”
“I know… The culprit might come back again, and honestly, I don’t think I can sleep here anymore.”
But it wasn’t like I had anywhere else to go immediately. I didn’t have relatives I could visit, and Shinhye lived with her parents, so showing up at her place this late would be difficult.
‘Going to a hotel is a problem because of Hanyang.’
Hanyang wasn’t an ordinary cat, but I couldn’t be sure a hotel would accept that explanation.
While I hesitated, Hunter Lee Hyunwoo extended his hand toward me.
“I have a place in mind. If you’re alright with it, come with me.”
***
The place Hunter Lee Hyunwoo took me to was surprisingly familiar.
“This is… the Hunter Management Bureau?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The place I visited every day to run my shop. The Hunter Management Bureau, whose surrounding geography I now knew by heart.
His car passed the bureau entrance where my shop was located and drove farther inward. As we climbed uphill, several similar-looking buildings came into view.
This place was…
“Don’t tell me these are dormitories?”
“You know about them. These are dormitories provided by the Bureau.”
It was my first time coming this far inside. While I curiously looked around, a beep sounded behind me. Hunter Lee Hyunwoo, having finished parking, came up while waving his hunter ID card.
“If you scan your hunter ID, an available room is automatically assigned. It’s designed so people can use it if work ends late.”
Long-term stays were possible too, but even non-residents could use vacant rooms anytime. It was one of the Hunter Management Bureau’s special welfare benefits.
‘But I’m not sure I’m allowed to use this.’
Sadly, not every awakened person belonged to the Bureau. I had received a hunter ID, but as an F-rank who couldn’t officially register with the Bureau and who operated a private shop instead of working there, my status was awkward.
Perhaps noticing my hesitation, he spoke.
“You don’t need to worry about minor technicalities. I’ll take care of everything.”
Come to think of it, the person before me was the leader of Team 1. He obviously knew the Bureau’s regulations far better than I did. Feeling reassured, I accepted his offer.
“Thank you. I was wondering where I could go this late at night, but if it’s the Bureau dormitory, I feel much safer.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
After carrying my belongings to the assigned temporary room, I lightly looked around the interior.
“They say it’s cleaned daily, but since other people have used it before, it still feels somewhat cluttered.”
“Oh, come on. This place is already way better than my home.”
I wasn’t exaggerating. The place I used to live in was barely a tiny five-pyeong studio apartment. Once a bed was inside, the room was practically full, and if you turned your head, the built-in kitchenette was right there.
But this temporary room had a bed, a desk, and even a dining table. It was small, but it had everything necessary.
Hanyang also seemed to like the new place, carefully wandering around and inspecting everything. For somewhere we had arrived at so suddenly, it was far better than I had expected.
“Thank you again. It feels like I’m always receiving help from you.”
“It’s nothing. I’m simply glad I’m able to help.”
Hunter Lee Hyunwoo told me it was very late and that I should get some rest. Sure enough, it was already past 1 a.m.
“Hanyang, come here. Let’s hurry and sleep.”
After washing up lightly, I crawled beneath the blanket with Hanyang.
I still couldn’t believe what had happened to me today. The moment I remembered it, that chilling fear seemed to cover me all over again.
“I feel like I’ll have nightmares, so stay beside me.”
“Don’t worry, nya. This body will protect you, nya.”
At Hanyang’s dependable words, I let out a soft laugh and fell asleep beside the fluffy, warm cat. Perhaps Hanyang really had protected me, because the night passed peacefully.
And after some time…
‘M-My chest feels heavy…’
Feeling something pressing heavily on my chest, I slowly opened my eyes.
“Wake up, nya!”
Through my blurry vision, I saw Hanyang’s thick belly. No wonder my chest felt suffocated. Hanyang had climbed onto me and was kneading away.
“Ugh, Hanyang… you’re heavy.”
Realizing I was awake, Hanyang hopped off me. I tried to sit up, but strangely, I had no strength. Barely lifting my hand to my forehead, I felt burning heat.
“Ugh, my head…”
It felt like someone was smashing my skull repeatedly with a hammer. Like I had been hit with a terrible fever.
What time was it anyway? I fumbled around for my phone, only to realize it had powered off.
I must have fallen asleep immediately yesterday without charging it because I was so overwhelmed. Ugh. Thinking about yesterday made the wound on my neck throb again.
“I need to go open the shop…”
People were definitely waiting for the shop to open. Ari was probably anxiously waiting for me too.
But my body felt as limp and heavy as waterlogged cotton. I truly couldn’t move at all. Clutching my pounding head, I groaned.
Knock knock knock.
“Unni! Are you in there? It’s me, Ari!”
At that moment, I heard knocking from outside.
“One sec–! Cough, cough!”
I couldn’t even force myself up, so I asked Hanyang to open the door instead. Thankfully, it was a digital lock, so Hanyang jumped up and pressed the buttons.
“Unni! I heard you were sick. Are you okay?”
Ari looked at me with teary eyes. I didn’t even have the strength to answer properly, so I just nodded faintly.
Behind Ari stood Hunter Ria.
“The leader told me you were here. I stopped by the shop because I was worried when you didn’t show up, and your employee was panicking outside, so I came together with her.”
‘Honestly, I already felt bad for not being able to contact Ari, so this is a relief.’
When I tried to sit up, the two of them stopped me and tucked the blanket back over me instead. Hunter Ria placed porridge and medicine on the table, saying she had brought them for me.
“The leader is currently speaking separately with the Director.”
“…With the Director?”
“Yes. I don’t know exactly what they’re discussing, though.”
I swallowed nervously.
‘They’re not talking about me… right?’
It might sound self-centered, but an S-rank hunter had brought an F-rank with no Bureau affiliation into the dormitories without saying a word. It wouldn’t be strange at all for the Director to summon Hunter Lee Hyunwoo and ask for a full explanation.
What if I got kicked out immediately after arriving?
Rubbing my arms anxiously, I must have looked uneasy because Ari quickly spoke up.
“Unni, don’t worry about the shop. I explained everything to the customers and even put up a notice on the door.”
She said she had posted that we would be closed for about three days just in case, so I should focus on resting. Really, I picked a good employee.
I smiled faintly.
“Thank you, Ari.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing! Just don’t stay sick too long, unni.”
With the help of Hunter Ria and Ari, I managed to sit up and eat the porridge and medicine. They even left a damp towel for me and continued worrying over me until the very end before leaving.
‘It’s really been a long time since someone took care of me like this.’
Ever since my parents passed away, enduring pain alone had become normal.
But having people care about me like this made me feel strangely happy, even while I was sick.
Feeling more at ease than before, I lay back down on the bed.
And some time later, when I opened my eyes again, I saw a familiar figure sitting in front of me, looking at a tablet.
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