Rookie: Baek Jaesung 23
“Seonwook, it’s your watch.”
Kim Seonwook snapped awake at the voice rousing him. Forcing his groggy body upright, he barely pried open eyes that felt like lead weights.
Night watch never got any easier, no matter how many times you did it. It was one of the reasons long dungeon expeditions were such a grind. Even superhuman dungeon hunters couldn’t conquer sleep forever.
“Ugh… yeah. I’m up.”
As party leader, Kim Seonwook had to set an example. He slipped on his shoes without delay and stepped out of the tent. Jang Hana, his girlfriend, had been on the previous shift.
He checked the time as he emerged. It was past 5 a.m.—an hour later than he was supposed to relieve her. Seonwook jolted in surprise.
“It’s way too late! Hana! Did I fall back asleep or something?”
It sounded ridiculous, but in the dungeon hunter world, it happened more often than you’d think: wake up for watch, nod off again. Night watch was a high-stakes duty, and one slip like that could sour the whole party’s mood.
He scrambled for his gear—which was just a portable lantern, really.
“No, it’s my fault. I woke you late by mistake. Sorry… I got lost in thought.”
Jang Hana gave an awkward smile. Her cheeks were flushed red, like she had a fever. Seonwook stepped closer.
“You feeling okay? Your face is all red.”
Hana flinched and backed away at his sudden proximity. Seonwook sensed an inexplicable distance in her reaction.
She always spoke politely to him, sure, but they were definitely lovers. He couldn’t pinpoint this strange new barrier between them.
“I’m fine. What about you, Seonwook? You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
He forced a smile and flexed his arm. His condition was actually decent. Sure, fatigue weighed on his shoulders, but everyone was in the same boat. He was more worried about her.
Weeeeng!
“Eek!”
Suddenly, Hana clamped her thighs together and bent her knees. Eyes squeezed shut, she didn’t look right at all. Seonwook grabbed her hand.
“Seriously, you okay? Let me check you out.”
“I-I’m fine…”
Ignoring her protests, Seonwook sent a trickle of mana into her body. As a healer, he could assess physical conditions on the spot.
Not that it was foolproof. Things like Jaesung’s poison were beyond it.
Slap!
Hana smacked his hand away hard. Face beet red, she yelled,
“I said I’m fine!”
“Ah…!”
Hana put distance between them, then realized her overreaction and added,
“I-I mean, I’m fine, but you grabbed my hand out of nowhere…”
“Oh, sorry. Was that too sudden?”
He apologized immediately, but couldn’t hide the odd sting in her words. They’d gone all the way, after all.
Not that sex meant zero boundaries. If anything, Seonwook believed lovers should be even more considerate.
Still, her reaction stabbed at him strangely. Hiding his hurt, he forced himself to speak.
“Looks like you’re okay. It’s late—go crash.”
Hana nodded and headed slowly to her tent.
Hm?
As she brushed past, Seonwook caught an unfamiliar scent on her. Unfamiliar, but nice.
Long expeditions meant body odor built up inevitably—no room for shampoo or conditioner to save space. Yet Hana smelled oddly good.
Perfume? Not her style in a dungeon, as far as he knew.
“Hey…”
Seonwook called out on impulse and regretted it instantly. He had no idea why.
“Yeah?”
Hana turned. He swallowed hard.
Something was off. She looked exactly like always. No changes whatsoever. But her aura felt totally different today—radiant, almost.
“Hana. Wanna drop the formal talk?”
Seonwook wanted to kill his one-second-ago self. What the hell was that?
“Heehee.”
Hana giggled softly. She’d always used polite speech, and he’d found it classy and charming—until today, when it felt like a wall.
“Maybe later… yeah, later.”
She slipped into her tent. Watching her go, Seonwook felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Her reply felt like a rejection of a love letter.
It was trivial. They’d been intimate, promised marriage. This was barely a blip, not even a fight.
Yet it tormented him disproportionately. He kept it off his face.
Must be fatigue making me edgy.
He shook his head. Resting properly after this would fix it. He’d been running on fumes lately.
Whether bad luck or good, his swirling thoughts chased sleep away. He stared blankly at the cave wall. An hour left on watch.
Hana stayed up over an hour extra. What’s eating her?
He could guess her worries easily—and they were his too. Seonwook’s lips tightened as he dwelled on it.
‘If Jaesung reports us after we get out…’
He wasn’t a lawyer, but legal trouble from this wouldn’t be light.
Theft in a dungeon was huge, especially essentials like food or potions—not monster byproducts. Worst case, demonic classification. If proven.
No evidence, though. None…
If Jaesung pushed it, countermeasures came to mind. All morally bankrupt.
But damn if they weren’t tempting.
His problem was clear and dire. Jaesung’s words could torpedo his career—his life. And hers too.
If their shared tower of achievements crumbled, would he cling to hollow morals? Seonwook questioned himself.
“On night watch, huh.”
The voice from behind startled him. Speak of the devil—Baek Jaesung appeared just from thinking his name.
“Oh, you’re up?”
Seonwook reflexively checked Jaesung’s right arm. It dangled limply, swaying slightly with his steps. No faking that. If it was, he deserved a supporting actor award.
“Can’t sleep. Common in dungeons.”
“Still, rest up for tomorrow, right?”
Jaesung sat casually in front of him. Seonwook felt like he was on pins and needles but couldn’t tell him to leave.
“Uh… how’s the arm?”
Seonwook broke the ice awkwardly. Jaesung shrugged his left shoulder.
“Not getting worse. For now.”
“That’s a relief.”
“We’ll know more once we’re out.”
His face seemed less angry than before. The daytime tension had eased. Seonwook instinctively relaxed.
“No words for it. Sorry again.”
“Apology accepted. From Hana too. Let’s call it an unfortunate accident.”
Relief flooded Seonwook like a dam breaking. His pointless worries evaporated.
“I’ll be in your debt till we exit.”
Jaesung smirked. Seonwook pounded his chest confidently.
“Leave it to me. I’ll take perfect care of you till we’re out.”
“Good to hear.”
Jaesung chuckled and rose, heading back to his tent.
Wake-up time hit. We scarfed dungeon rations—no cooking needed, always a staple.
“Ten-minute break, then we move. Bathroom now if you need it.”
Seonwook led the party. I hung back, playing the injured card.
“Let’s hit the bathroom.”
I told Yeonji that and stood. In dungeons, you minimize going solo. Hence group bathroom runs. Why mixed parties were rare.
I shot Jang Hana a look. She turned away, ignoring me pointedly. Pathetic.
Level 5.
Weeeeng!
Hana’s face went crimson. I headed deeper into the cave. Yeonji followed. Hana scurried after in short steps. We ducked into a narrow passage out of sight.
“Strip.”
I ordered Hana. Her face crumpled. Yeonji, beside me, looked thrilled.