S-Rank Healer Gets Kidnapped First Chapter 8

The higher a hunter’s rank, the greater the gap between ranks.

Even if it was only a difference of one rank, the distinction was unmistakable.

The most solid wall was, without a doubt, the gap between S and A.

After investigation, the reason was found to be the “S-Rank Privilege.”

Until now, A-rank was the highest rank among healers, so there had been no information to go on.

But we did have S-rank tanks and damage dealers.

According to them, the privilege was like a kind of booster.

And now that I had become one myself, I could confirm that description wasn’t entirely wrong.

‘I’ll check what kind of privileges Blessing and Protection have later.’

I was curious, but right now, I was too busy trying out the privilege attached to Grace.

I decided to enjoy the rest when I had some free time and closed the window.

‘I can heal him while we’re signing the contract.’

Whether I had voluntarily left the Association or been kidnapped, they would come looking for me at least one more time.

Common sense couldn’t be applied to them. Just look at Do Ju-yeon’s behavior.

The Association President would undoubtedly act maliciously and petty. I didn’t know exactly what move he would make, so I had to prepare for every possibility.

‘No matter how secure the contract is, the only person I can trust is myself.’

If Baekyang Guild were put in danger because of me, they could demand to terminate the contract.

In the end, a guild was like a private company that calculated its profits. If the damages caused by keeping me were greater than the penalty for terminating the contract…

And the worst-case scenario would be if the Association agreed to Baekyang Guild’s demands. There was no guarantee that Cha Seo-hae wouldn’t throw me out in that situation.

‘I can’t naively assume he’ll protect me just because I’m a contracted healer. I absolutely have to make sure Cha Seo-hae becomes attached to me somehow.’

So that he would protect me no matter what.

Ding.

As I carefully went over my plan, the elevator reached its destination.

“This way.”

I hurried after Cha Seohae, who had already walked ahead.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the floor that had been covered entirely in white just moments ago.

I couldn’t figure out what this floor was for. All I could see was a wide hallway and the windows and doors in the lobby.

The lobby felt strangely cramped compared to the structure outside.

I turned around and checked the floor number.

‘The 45th floor?’

The top floor.

I understood immediately.

If this was the top floor, then that room had to be the master’s office. The rest of the space must be spread out beyond that door.

Without hesitation, Cha Seohae headed toward the only room.

Childeuk and I followed behind him.

“Since this is about the contract, wait outside.”

After confirming that I had entered, Cha Seohae spoke to Childeuk.

“Yes!”

“We’re leaving as soon as the conversation is over, so don’t go anywhere.”

“Yes!”

I felt a pang of sympathy at that very typical response from a working adult.

I nodded toward Childeuk, silently telling him to hang in there.

Perhaps he understood my gaze as well, because he nodded back with determination.

“What kind of signal are you two exchanging?”

After the door closed and the room fell silent, Cha Seohae asked with a small laugh.

“Do you feel left out when we do it without you?”

“You’d really feel that?”

I replied while staring at his completely expressionless face.

Cha Seohae looked at me and silently sat down on the sofa.

“Sit.”

His nod pointed toward the two-seater sofa beside him.

I didn’t hesitate and quickly sat down.

‘It’s really spacious.’

Now that I was properly looking around, the master’s office was indeed enormous.

It felt as though they had intended to use the entire 45th floor as an office but had added a hallway and lobby out of courtesy.

‘It’s basically a house.’

That was my overall impression.

A work desk, sofa, TV, and bookshelf were all things you could find in an ordinary office, so I could understand those.

But…

‘Why is there a bed?’

I couldn’t understand the bed sitting in the corner.

This was supposed to be the master’s office, and he was inviting people into an office with a bed?

“I have to sleep as soon as I get sleepy.”

Perhaps I had been staring at the bed too intensely, because Cha Seohae explained.

At least he seemed passionate about sleeping.

So why did he look so exhausted?

The question remained.

“While inviting outsiders here?”

“Work is on the 44th floor. This is just a room.”

Must be nice.

I had no idea why he had brought me to a place like this, though.

I instinctively became wary of Cha Seohae.

He seemed to read my gaze and let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re looking at me like I’m some kind of pervert.”

“Just give me the contract and a pen.”

“You’re in such a hurry.”

Cha Seohae leaned forward and tapped the tabletop.

A drawer slid out from a previously seamless section.

It was filled with countless documents.

Apparently, he kept them prepared so he could finalize a contract at any time.

“You said you meet outsiders on the 44th floor.”

“There are special cases, like our healer.”

I didn’t particularly like being called our healer either.

Perhaps it was because the image of him being wary of me in the hospital room was still stuck in my mind.

It seemed better to sign the contract quickly and leave this room.

I had experience signing contracts with the Association, so I read through it quickly.

I carefully checked whether there were any tiny clauses or hidden sentences inserted somewhere.

Contract period, salary, duties, compensation in case of injury, living arrangements, and so on.

Overall, it was more lenient than the Association’s contract, while paying more money.

The Association definitely seemed to have a better safety net.

‘It makes sense. Healers aren’t exactly allowed to go outside in the first place.’

“We’ve listed all the clauses we’re offering. Now, I’d like you to show me what you have.”

Cha Seohae spoke after watching me finish reading the last page.

I supposed he was curious because I had boldly asked for a special clause.

The fact that he openly showed his curiosity without even trying to hide it—

“What are you going to show me?”

“I’m a healer, so I’ll show you with a heal.”

I extended my hand as if asking him to give me his.

He tilted his head slightly and answered.

“The healer I’ve received heals from until now was A-rank.”

It was the rank I had expected.

‘But he said the healer he had received heals from until now?’

The past tense.

Did that mean the healer position was currently vacant?

I pushed the question aside for now and answered calmly.

“Really? That’s high.”

“I hear you were B-rank. Won’t it be easy to compare?”

He brought up the ranks and compared us.

It was an obvious provocation.

In an era where the strength of an ability was clearly determined by rank, he must have said it to make me feel inferior or intimidated.

‘Is he basically telling me to come at him if I’m confident?’

Either way, he was the one desperate for a healer.

A laugh escaped me like air leaking out.

I wasn’t the B-rank healer I used to be.

I smiled confidently and waved my outstretched hand, urging him to hurry.

“You’re being pretty harsh to someone who even worried about you and told you not to get hurt.”

“……”

“Give me your hand.”

A crack appeared in his otherwise perfectly composed expression.

It was the first time I had seen his expression become visibly distorted because things weren’t going according to plan.

So this was what it felt like to hold a card that the other person could never know.

Judging by how quickly I had healed Childeuk in the hospital room, it was obvious that I couldn’t possibly be B-rank.

But perhaps because Cha Seohae was a damage dealer by profession, it was difficult for him to distinguish the difference.

Maybe he had to experience it himself before he could understand.

Cha Seohae finally held out his hand.

It was large and beautiful.

His fingers were long, almost like those of a piano major, and despite frequently getting into fights, there wasn’t even a scar on them.

I admired his hand for a moment before slipping my fingers between his.

Perhaps because of the unfamiliar touch, Cha Seohae flinched and slightly trembled.

“I’m going to do it.”

“Do you plan on asking every time you heal me?”

Cha Seohae gave me permission with a mocking smile.

‘It’s okay.’

Perhaps because I was nervous about using my skill in front of him right before signing the contract, my heart was pounding.

“Grace of God.”

The same light I had seen earlier began to shimmer from my fingertips.

I was more accustomed to it than before.

Only now was the reality of having awakened as an S-rank finally starting to sink in.

[Healing Target: Cha Seo-hae]

[Condition: Bruising in left arm, sleep deprivation, accumulated stress, insomnia, tinnitus…]

[※WARNING※ The condition of the body is extremely poor. Rest is recommended.]

‘A bruise?’

The feeling of excitement lasted only a moment.

I stared at Cha Seohae, who had never once shown that he was in pain.

‘Wait. He was going to hug me with that arm?’

I was utterly stunned by his reckless behavior.

Did he even know that his condition was being laid bare before me?

He seemed lost in another thought.

So much so that deep lines had formed between his brows.

“You’re quite unusual.”

“……”

Even if I was unusual, could I really be more unusual than you?

No matter who the opponent was, S-rank healing had to be a first for Cha Seo-hae.

It definitely had to be his first time.

‘Then why are you so calm?’

If I wanted to make Cha Seo-hae desperate to sign the contract, this level of surprise wasn’t nearly enough.

‘Could it be that he’s actually too dense to recognize a high-quality heal?’

I almost wanted to believe that was the case.

“Isn’t it amazing?”

In the end, I asked first so that he would give me the answer I wanted.

Was he pretending to be unfazed because he still hadn’t lowered his guard?

Or was this simply his personality?

“Cha Seohae?”

It was strange that he didn’t answer despite my voice being far from quiet.

I gently shook the hand I was holding.

“Show some reaction or something… Huh? Hey!”

His head suddenly dropped forward.

It fell heavily because he hadn’t controlled it at all, startling me.

Once I calmed down, I finally noticed his condition.

His eyes were peacefully closed.

His chest rose and fell steadily.

His hand and arm had gone completely limp and heavy.

Even in that awkward and uncomfortable position, his body didn’t move at all.

“Are you… sleeping?”

I accidentally said it loudly out of sheer disbelief and quickly covered my mouth.

Still, he didn’t move an inch.

“Here we go!”

I used all my strength to lift his fallen head and rest it against the back of the sofa.

He was definitely thin, but why was he so solid when I touched him?

I nearly stumbled after underestimating him.

“You should’ve told me you were sleepy!”

Since we were still in contact, the healing didn’t stop.

Instead, the area of contact became larger, causing an excessive yellow glow to spread around us.

“Enough.”

I curled one hand as if signaling that I wanted to stop.

The overflowing healing power disappeared, and the yellow light faded neatly away.

“…I guess I’ll have to write the clause I want into the contract before I leave.”

I wrote the clause I wanted on the paper and signed it.

After checking it carefully, I looked at Cha Seo-hae, who was sleeping peacefully.

“I knew something was strange. So you had insomnia.”

 

***

 

Childeuk let out a loud yawn while waiting for Cha Seohae, having grown tired of waiting.

Creak.

The door suddenly opened without any signal, and Childeuk immediately straightened up.

“Master! I’m sorry! I didn’t receive the signal—”

Childeuk bowed deeply, worried that perhaps he had missed the signal.

“Your master is sleeping right now.”

But the voice he heard belonged to someone else, a voice that was still unfamiliar to him.

Childeuk quickly straightened his upper body.

“Pardon?”

“He’s sleeping.”

What could have happened in the room when it wasn’t even hot?

Childeuk looked at Moon Yeonhee, who was sweating for some reason.

Then, thinking he might have heard wrong, he asked again.

“What did you just say…? He’s sleeping?”

“Yes.”

“What happened inside…?”

“Nothing happened.”

“I see…”

Childeuk thought to himself.

The new healer seems to be terrible at lying.

She avoided his gaze as she answered, so he decided to keep his mouth shut for now.

It wasn’t the right time to press her with questions just because he was curious.

“Waking him up is fine, but before that, could you show me the room I’ll be staying in?”

After considering his priorities, Childeuk nodded.

Anyone would have made the same decision after seeing Cha Seo-hae sleeping.

It was obvious which side he should be on.