A Moonlit Offer
It wasn’t an unexpected remark from the King of the Ice and Snow. They possessed distinct, eye-catching features—hair color, eye color—so they had already decided exactly how they would answer.
“While I was on vacation, I figured I’d take care of a few things at the same time…” She fidgeted with her fingers, stealing glances at Seokjun.
“Wow, I’m jealous of your boyfriend. Dating a beauty like her.”
Mina felt relieved by the way the man spoke, as if he had noticed she hadn’t answered properly. In truth, claiming they were awakened individuals without hunter qualifications would have drawn less suspicion, but there was a separate reason they hadn’t hidden the fact that they were hunters. Seokjun had pointed out that if they concealed it and then had to step forward during an unforeseen incident, it could end up exposing them instead.
“But if that’s the case, doesn’t it mean you hunt the monsters that come out of that strange gate? Isn’t that dangerous?”
Afterward, he kept striking up conversation, and as Seokjun and Mina gave suitably vague replies, the wariness that had made her pick at her food gradually faded. By the time she had emptied her bowl, the conversation finally came to an end.
“Oh dear, it’s already this late. Sorry about that. It’s been a while since I’ve seen outsiders.”
“Not at all.”
Mina said it out of politeness, but she was already utterly drained. While talking to him, she had to stay strictly within the story she and Seokjun had rehearsed in order to keep up the pretense that they were just ordinary travelers. Having to recall every detail in a situation that demanded natural behavior was surprisingly exhausting.
“It’s getting late. I’ll clean up and head out.”
She watched briefly as the man carried the low table out the door.
“The blankets are in the wardrobe. Take out whatever you like and have a good night.”
The sly look on his face as he delivered those words left Mina frozen. When she thought about it, of course it made sense. For a real couple on a trip, sharing a room was perfectly natural. Sleeping together would have been no issue at all.
If they had actually been lovers, that is.
After what just happened, how are we supposed to sleep in the same room?!
On top of that, Mina’s current state made the whole situation even more inappropriate. The slightest movement let her feel the rough texture of the jumper brushing against her bare skin, but the man had already left with the table. The clatter of spoons and bowls scraping across the metal tray faded into the distance, and it was Seokjun who spoke first.
“Then I’ll lay out the blankets right away.”
“A-already?”
The conversation had dragged on, but they hadn’t eaten that long ago.
“Killing time with a walk wouldn’t be bad, but in our situation it would only raise suspicion.”
Right now they were playing the part of people who had been rescued after a disaster. Someone who had just survived being stranded would look strange taking a leisurely stroll. Simply going to sleep would appear far more natural.
Before getting ready for bed, Mina checked the dress shirt she had spread out to dry where no one could see it. She felt relieved when she touched it; a trace of moisture remained, but it had dried enough not to be noticeable. When she glanced behind her, he was already sitting with his back to her in silence, facing the wall.
He’s really thorough about these things.
Feeling an inexplicable pang of disappointment, she slipped out of the jumper and put on the shirt.
Tick-tock.
After that, Mina lay under the blanket, staring up at the pitch-black ceiling. The darkness had gradually been dyed by moonlight seeping in, and even though the ceiling lamp was off, a faint fluorescent afterimage lingered.
Whether it was the unfamiliar bed or the coarse, heavy texture of the strange blanket, sleep refused to come despite her exhaustion. It’s so quiet. Because it was a perpetually cold region, not even the usual sounds of insects or owls drifted in from outside; only silence reigned.
Listening to the wall clock that rang through the room like a bell and the soft breathing she would never have noticed on any other night, Mina finally spoke.
“Mr. Seokjun. Are you asleep?”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, nothing like that.”
His reply made her freshly aware that they were on a job, and she continued.
“I was wondering if you do this kind of thing all the time.”
She had known his work differed from that of ordinary hunters, but she hadn’t expected it would include disguising themselves as stranded travelers to infiltrate a village. In the Southern Plains there had at least been monsters, so it had felt somewhat similar, but when she thought about it, that had simply been a job that arrived via disaster alert.
“It’s not quite the same. Requests come in according to each person’s individual circumstances, after all.”
As expected, he won’t give me a proper answer.
Accepting the additional request had been partly because the Freeze Golem couldn’t be handled without an A-rank hunter, but mostly because of her curiosity about him.
She turned over to look in his direction. He lay right beside her on a separate blanket, gazing at the ceiling.
“Isn’t it a shame to just fall asleep like this? Don’t you have any interesting stories?”
Even though talking over dinner had made it late, it still wasn’t late enough to force sleep. When Mina spoke in a slightly petulant tone, he glanced at her and let out a soft chuckle beneath the streaming moonlight.
“Unfortunately, I doubt I have any stories as interesting as what you’re hoping for, Ms. Mina. Aside from the fact that they’re classified, some things simply need to stay buried in the heart, don’t they?”
“Tch. So you’re saying you can’t.”
She knew it couldn’t be helped, but Mina swallowed her disappointment. She had thought that working a request with him might let her learn a little more about the man.
Then Seokjun turned toward her as well.
“If you’re truly curious, there is a way for you to become directly involved, Ms. Mina.”
“Directly involved?”
When she looked at him in confusion, he nodded.
“By joining my office.”
“That would be…”
Mina met his turquoise eyes. In the darkness they held the moonlight yet still looked muted, yet something about them was strangely captivating. She stared as if entranced, then gave a start, shaking her head vigorously and puffing out her cheeks.
“Hmph. I may not look it, but I’m expensive, you know. Do you think you could afford my salary?”
Calling it a salary was one thing, but the cost of employing an A-rank hunter was no small sum. It was precisely why most mid-sized guilds—except for a handful of major ones—only had two or three A-rank hunters at most, with the rest being B-rank. A-rank hunters were premium talent.
Even if a lot gets taken out in taxes.
As if that weren’t enough, taxes on A-rank hunters were set extremely high. The byproducts salvaged from gates fetched high prices, but the nearly fifty-percent tax bite had left her feeling resentful more than once.
“That’s something you can look at later and decide for yourself.”
“Hehe. That actually sounds a little exciting.”
She had already grown sick of the Hanshin Guild, but had endured it for the sake of making a living. I have some savings, and if it’s enough to live comfortably… Working at his office didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.
Perhaps because the tension had finally eased, the drowsiness that had been held at bay now came rushing in. Her eyelids grew heavy. She tried to hold on just a little longer, just a little more, but the sudden wave of sleep was too much for her exhausted body. In the end, her eyes closed.
“Sleep well.”
“Mmm… yeah. You too, Mr. Seokjun…”
She answered reflexively to his faintly heard voice and fell fast asleep.
“Huaaam?”
Mina stirred, eyelids fluttering against the sunlight stabbing at her eyes.
“Where…?”
Still half-dazed, she looked around the unfamiliar room, remembered this was the house of the people who had taken them in yesterday, and sat up. She pulled her phone from the jumper pocket—around six o’clock. Her gaze moved to the ticking clock, then to the spot where Seokjun had been.
“Mr. Seokjun?”
Only the rumpled bedding remained where he had lain, bearing the clear imprint of someone who had risen and left.
Did he wake up first?
Even after scanning the room, there was no sign of him. There was nowhere to hide, so he had to be outside.
…
Mina quietly crept over to the place he had slept and pulled the blanket he had used into her arms. The cold weather had stolen its warmth, but the faint scent of old wood that was uniquely his still clung to it.
“It really is amazing.”
“What is?”
“Hyat?!”
At the sudden sound of Seokjun’s voice she whipped around in surprise, but he was still nowhere to be seen inside the room. Only his shadow stretched across the door from the other side. Relieved, she set the blanket down.
“What are you doing out there? It’s cold.”
“I received a call and came out to get some air. There’s also some news I need to give you.”
“News?”
Had they learned something about the missing persons case?
“The timeframe has been shortened from one week to three days.”
The voice that followed sounded noticeably stiffer than usual.