Only the Two of Us Remain
Ever since then, whether on my commute to work or on my way home. In the office. At the site. I could feel Reporter Kim Yeonggil’s gaze coming from every possible angle.
What I realized for certain was that he wasn’t a high-ranking hunter who possessed stealth. If he were, it wouldn’t have been this obvious. At any rate, because of that, articles not only about me personally but also about the raid party frequently appeared online.
By nature, the internet could never be filled with only good comments. Still, the fact that the majority were positive was genuinely surprising.
Back when I was in the Onhwa Guild, any related article would be flooded with nothing but praise and comments that worshipped Yu Hyejeong. Han Junho was never mentioned. Of course I wasn’t at that level of fame, but still—the day had come when articles centered on Han Junho received kind comments.
“Longevity really lets you see everything.”
It was impossible not to feel strange. I had always lived sacrificing myself for others.
“Ugh, this is so damn annoying. Hey, Han Junho!”
And just as I was sinking into that pleasant sentiment, the voice I had wondered why I wasn’t hearing finally rang out. Yeah, it wouldn’t feel right if you didn’t show up.
“What is it, Kim Pilseok.”
“Fuck! Hey, why the hell are you speaking casually to me?!”
“You’re speaking casually too.”
I usually respected people and defaulted to polite speech. But whenever I looked at Kim Pilseok… well, let’s just say the mood wasn’t there.
“This—this bastard…!”
“Oh my, are you and Mr. Pilseok using casual speech with each other?”
And as soon as Kim Pilseok stepped forward, our perfect comic duo—Raid Captain Shin Jiyu—appeared right on cue. Flawless. Yes, this was exactly what our raid party was like. It had reached the point where I would actually feel bored without this exact sequence of events.
“I’m so jealous…! I want to get that close to Mr. Junho too… but you only ever call me Captain.”
She pouted her lips and looked over with teary eyes. At first I had fallen for that expression several times. But now I knew.
“I won’t fall for that look anymore. Stop acting.”
“Ah, you caught me…?”
That it was a very sly and adorable performance.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a man build such a wall against our Jiyu.”
“Ah, Jia noona.”
As time passed, the way I addressed the raid party members had gradually become more comfortable. Of course, that was true for everyone except Shin Jiyu, who openly displayed affection toward me.
“I wish you’d call me Jiyu noona too!”
“The captain is younger than me to begin with…?”
“…! That’s right…!”
No, why are you reacting like you just discovered a new fact? You already knew that!
“Captain, it’s time to head in. Junho, see you later then.”
“Yes, Chaseok hyung. Work hard today too.”
“Hey, Han Junho! What about me!”
“Yeah, yeah. You work hard too, Heeyeon.”
And as always, seeing this scene made Raid Captain Shin Jiyu’s lips stick out like a duck’s bill.
“You treat everyone so casually but only ever call me Cap-tain like that!”
“…I don’t think I’ve ever actually called you Cap-tain like that, though?”
“You do! You always glare at me with those big eyes, Mr. Junho!”
Did I unconsciously put some strength into my gaze? Ahem.
Oh, right—I had completely forgotten about Kim Pilseok. Feeling oddly bothered, I turned to look where he had been standing, but somehow he was nowhere in sight.
“Then shall we head in, our pretty captain?”
I don’t know when he had moved, but seeing him stuck right beside Shin Jiyu, he made an exaggerated puking motion. That greasy voice of his was truly a sight to behold. Honestly, I had no intention of dating anyone right now. It was true that I wasn’t interested in Captain Shin Jiyu, but watching a guy like that aggressively hit on her still didn’t sit well with me. A twelve-year age gap. Wasn’t that practically an uncle-niece relationship?
“Okay! I’ll be off then, Mr. Junho! See you later!”
“Yes, go safely, Captain.”
“See! You called me Captain again!”
“I didn’t, though?”
“Hmph…”
Watching her pout her lips like a duck’s bill and walk through the gate, I couldn’t help thinking what a helpless young lady she was. As she herself said, I wondered why she kept expressing affection toward a man who kept putting up such a firm wall.
“Then shall we wait here until everyone comes out?”
“““Yes, Team Leader!”””
The most boring stretch of time—waiting for the raid party members to return—had begun.
“Everyone worked hard today!”
Today’s gate had been on the larger side, so it took quite a while. By the time the work was completely finished and we stepped outside, the sun had fully set. It really had taken a long time.
“Ah, everyone! Did I mention we’re having a company dinner today?”
And that clumsy captain only now delivered the news of the dinner. What kind of bombshell was this after we had already finished everything? Of course the team members were all good people, and aside from Kim Pilseok the raid party members were all close and friendly, so it wasn’t as burdensome as before… but a company dinner was still an extension of work, wasn’t it?
“Eh? So suddenly?”
“What’s up with you, Jiyu? Did the wind change direction or something?”
“Aww, if everyone hates the idea, I can just eat alone with…”
“I’m free.”
The moment Kim Pilseok spouted nonsense, Chaseok hyung cut him off with his upright voice.
“I’ll treat you to plenty of beef!”
Oh, she was pulling out the cheat key here?
“Premium Korean beef!”
“I’m in. I happen to have plenty of time.”
In the end, everyone surrendered to the premium Korean beef.
“It’s not mandatory, but I’d really love it if everyone could come…! The mining team was just reorganized, so I thought we could get to know one another over dinner…”
The captain looked up with that signature teary expression again, but there was no need. Everyone had already been won over by the promise of premium Korean beef.
“Captain, what are you doing over there?”
“We should get going!”
“I’m starving—I’m gonna eat a ton!”
“Ah? Wait a second…! We have to move all this equipment back to the office first…!”
After moving the gear back to the office, tidying up for tomorrow, we headed to the restaurant that supposedly had incredibly delicious meat. Beef! And not just any beef—premium Korean beef! Eating it at a proper barbecue place…!
“By the way, the reporter came too?”
It seemed she had invited him as well; I saw him naturally sitting across from me.
“Ah, yes! The captain invited me too!”
“Yeonggil is part of our team now, after all!”
He had originally made a personal contract with me, so he was someone I should be taking care of. It felt nice that she was looking after him.
“We should have had a proper dinner much earlier, but things kept getting busy, so we’re only doing it now!”
After noisily ordering meat, alcohol, and drinks, the captain’s excited voice rang out again.
“The reason I scheduled the dinner for today is… because there are no gates booked for tomorrow or the day after, so we have days off!”
She was only telling us now that we had two whole days off?
“What the heck, Jiyu! How could you tell us that so late?!”
“That’s right, Captain! So mean!”
Heeyeon and Jia noona voiced their complaints first, and soon “boo” sounds came from all around. Of course, no one was genuinely upset.
“Ugh, I’m sorry…! I’ll definitely tell you all in advance next time…!”
“Then penalty! Penalty! Let’s make her drink a bomb shot!”
“Waaaa—! Drink! Drink! Drink!”
Jia noona immediately mixed a bomb shot on the spot, and everyone cheered her on. The Korean beef hadn’t even arrived yet, but it looked like they were already off to the races.
“Ugh, with this kind of atmosphere I can’t exactly refuse…!”
Starting with the captain downing a fairly large bomb shot in one go—
“Whoa! Captain, you’re a total heavyweight!”
“Kya— she really downed it in one! Then we have to do the same!”
“Come on, you all know the first glass has to be a one-shot, right?”
“Wait, I have to do another one-shot?”
“Of course, Captain!”
And so the drinking party began in earnest.
“Ugh… I can’t… I can’t drink anymore…”
One by one, people were turning into zombies. From the start of the dinner they had been mixing soju with beer, soju-beer bombs, and even makgeolli. As the raid party members all began to collapse, only two people remained conscious.
“Ahaha, our pretty captain. You sure can hold your liquor, huh?”
Kim Pilseok, still armed with that greasy voice and greasy expression, and—
“Hmm, is that so? I don’t think I’m particularly good at it.”
—Shin Jiyu, who looked so delicate she might pass out after a single glass.
“Mmm… our Jiyuuu~ our princess~”
Watching Jiyu skillfully soothe and coax a completely wasted Jia, Kim Pilseok’s face grew anxious.
‘What kind of woman drinks this well…!’
At first, when he heard there would be a company dinner, Kim Pilseok had planned to get everyone blackout drunk and take Jiyu out for round two alone. His goal had been to keep feeding her until she was completely unconscious and then do whatever he wanted. But Jiyu’s ability to hold her liquor was completely outside his calculations. She hadn’t drunk this much at previous dinners, so he had assumed she was only a moderate drinker.
“Hmm, we’re out of alcohol. Mr. Pilseok, would you like more?”
“Huh? Ah, uh, yes…! We should drink more…!”
“Then… Miss! Four more bottles of the red-label soju, please!”
“R-red label…?”
It was right around the time he was reaching his limit. Yet she was ordering four more bottles of liquor that was over 20 percent ABV? Clearly only two people were still drinking—himself and Shin Jiyu. And now she was suddenly raising the alcohol content and ordering four whole bottles? What the hell was this madness?
“Ah, I usually only drink the red label. Everything else is too weak and bland for me.”
“Y-yes…?”
“I usually try to match everyone else… but Mr. Pilseok seems like a strong drinker, so I thought it would be fine!”
Kim Pilseok did like alcohol and could drink quite well. But this was on a completely insane level.
“You… you really can drink…”
“Aww, this much is nothing. Everyone in my family drinks way more than me. Look, I’m already a little tipsy!”
She didn’t look tipsy at all, but there was no one left to point that out. And after they drank about half of the newly arrived soju—
“Uh… Mr. Pilseok? Are you okay?”
Kim Pilseok was completely knocked out. Looking at him slumped over the table, Jiyu wore a slightly disappointed expression.
“Everyone’s such lightweights.”
Staring at everyone except herself lying unconscious, Jiyu stood up as if she had no choice. She paid the over five-million-won bill in a single lump sum, then one by one loaded people into taxis, told the drivers their destinations, and sent them off. She congratulated herself on having memorized everyone’s addresses in advance. After sending even Kim Pilseok away, only one person remained.
“Mmm…”
Only Junho.
Just Jiyu and Junho—only the two of them—stood on the dark street.
Thump— Thump—
Jiyu’s heart began to beat louder than it ever had before.