Why Are You Here?
Why were you coming out from there? By the time I crawled out of that centipede cave and reached my front gate, the sky had already turned a deep indigo. Click. The moment I unlocked the gate with my key, all the tension drained from my body, and suddenly I was starving.
Screech. "How about chicken for dinner?" I asked Yoo Seo-ah, who was following behind me as I pushed open the gate and stepped inside.
"Sounds great! With beer too! I've always wanted to try chimaek!"
"Okay, beer it is... Huh? Seo-ah-ssi, you've never had chimaek before?"
"Nope!"
"Why not?"
"I only wanted to drink with you, Jinseong-ssi!" Yoo Seo-ah replied with a beaming smile.
Come to think of it, the booze we shared at my housewarming was her first time drinking ever. Looked like it had imprinted on her—only drink with me.
Yoo Seo-ah's a person, not some animal with imprinting, you say? "Now I'll learn chimaek from you too, Jinseong-ssi... I can't wait!"
With those clear, sparkling eyes gazing up at me, how could I not melt? They were like a baby bird's, full of utter trust in its mother. Staring into that infinite faith made me feel this overwhelming urge to protect her. And yeah, she's a way stronger, more badass hunter than me, but damn if it didn't make me want to shield her anyway.
"Come on in."
"Yes!"
I vowed to make sure Yoo Seo-ah had the best chimaek of her life as I ushered her inside.
"Jinseong-ssi, Jinseong-ssi!"
After kicking off her shoes, Yoo Seo-ah called out to me in a voice bubbling with excitement. I turned, and there she was, grinning like a kid at an amusement park on Children's Day, bouncing around like a rubber ball.
"I love your house so much, Jinseong-ssi! It feels way cozier than my place!"
Her cheeks flushed pink as she gushed about how great my home was—she looked genuinely thrilled. Was it the Safe House effect? Nah, on second thought, no. She'd been in high spirits all day. When I'd called her earlier, when we met at the cave entrance, even inside hacking away at those monsters—her energy never dipped.
Even staring down those massive, grotesque centipedes—bodies swollen twice as ugly as before—she'd been beaming. What the hell had her so hyped? It hit me quick: Cheongmyeong Guild.
I'd figured she was just stoked about their sweet benefits when she picked up my call, but nope. It was the vacation. Escaping, even briefly, from the guild that had worked her to the brink of death (literally) had her this overjoyed.
Fucking Cheongmyeong Guild, you psycho bastards. How hard did you grind your people for a simple break to spark this much joy?
Up till now, I'd assumed Yoo Seo-ah lived in some glamorous hunter world far above mine, that she had it made. But no. One lousy vacation lit her up like this—her life must've been brutal.
Yeah, stars up in the sky burn themselves out just to shine. That's what Yoo Seo-ah had been doing.
"After chimaek tonight, I'll probably get smashed like last time, right? Totally out of it... Then going home alone would be tough. Hmm, what to do... ehehe!"
"Just crash here like before."
"Really?! That's okay? Thank you, Jinseong-ssi! I swear I wasn't fishing for that!"
Her eyes went wide with delight at the mere offer to stay over. How low did you set her bar, Cheongmyeong...?
I felt a twinge of guilt for assuming life as Cheongmyeong's Sword Flower was all glory. Gotta take better care of Seo-ah from now on. I etched that responsibility into my heart.
"That was so much fun, Jinseong-ssi!"
Standing at the front door the next morning, Yoo Seo-ah flashed a bright smile but couldn't hide her reluctance as she said goodbye. Part of me wanted to beg her to stay longer, but I had shit to do.
"Yeah, I had a blast too. I'll hit you up soon."
I grinned and saw her off. She waved back and stepped out.
Click. Clack. Clack. Clack.
The front door shut, her heels fading away.
Screech. Thud. The gate closed, and that was it—no more sounds from Yoo Seo-ah.
"Whew. Three beers and she's wasted. Seo-ah-ssi's tolerance is no joke."
Heading back inside, I replayed last night. Her limit was even lower than I'd guessed. Looked like any booze, little or much, just knocked her flat—straight-up lightweight constitution.
"And she picked up a new drunk habit."
On top of that, a whole new level of drunken antics. Fueled by the buzz, she just surrendered to her impulses. When she suddenly crashed onto my bed yelling she was sleepy, I was floored.
'Seo-ah-ssi, that's my bed...'
'Eeeeng! Nooo! I'm sleeping hereee! Last time we cuddled right here—why not nowwww?!'
Remembering her tantrum over my bed gave me a headache. Then she scrunched her brow, complaining it was stuffy, and peeled off her stockings—holy shit, I nearly passed out.
Fine at home with me, but if she pulled that at a guild dinner? Disaster.
"Next time, gotta teach her to keep a grip even when hammered."
As her self-proclaimed booze master—endorsed by her—I sat at the table, recommitted to the mission, and fired up my laptop.
"Time to tackle today's to-do."
"Can you transfer yesterday's footage to this laptop?"
Yes, that's possible. Shall I transfer now?
"Yeah, please."
Transferring footage of House Owner Kang Jinseong's Man-gae-hwa弾 power measurement.
I couldn't keep her longer because I needed to set up a promo YouTube channel. Thanks to Yoo Seo-ah's clarification stream, I was mega-famous now—but fame like this evaporates fast. One slip, and poof, gone. Had to ride the wave ASAP.
"Channel name... Gotta include my name, right."
How about Kang Jinseong's Safe House?
"Not punchy enough. Just slap TV on my name? Kang Jinseong TV."
...Transfer complete. Recommend reviewing footage first.
"Whoa, already? Fast as hell."
Pocketed the channel name debate and dove into the footage first.
"Been dying to rewatch the Man-gae-hwa弾 shots since yesterday."
In front of A-rank Seo-ah-ssi, I'd played it cool like, "Why are these enemies so squishy?" But inside? Holy fuck. A C-rank ten-year centipede's head and a third of its body vaporized in one shot—I nearly shit myself.
No unique ability, half-assed hunter or not, I've got ten years under my belt. I knew Man-gae-hwa弾 shattered hunter norms. D-rank me, D-rank power tailored to my level, one-shotting C-ranks? Bullshit logic.
That's why this footage check had me hyped.
"Start with the goblins? Yeah, savor from the top—builds to the climax."
I kicked off with the goblin sub-colony clips from yesterday.
BOOM!!! CRASH!!! Crackle-crunch!!! Rumble-rumble-rumble!!! KABOOOM!!!!
The century centipede, lord of the C-rank dungeon cave, twisted mid-air from a Man-gae-hwa弾 hit... then exploded.
"Fuck yeah. That's a unique ability. That's Man-gae-hwa弾. That's Kang Jinseong!"
Tenth replay, zero boredom. Now I got why big-shot hunters loop their highlight reels—how could you not? This was the dream I'd chased for a decade: unleashing OP power, stylishly dropping bosses. Like Yoo Seo-ah vs. the Grim Reaper. My chest swelled again.
"Man-gae-hwa弾 is insanely strong. Still blows my mind every time. Uploading this? Recruit offers incoming."
Imagined my raid team geeking out: 'Knew you had it, Jinseong!' 'Goddamn, Jinseong!' 'You're our hero!' 'Woo, party time!!'
"Heh heh heh."
Grinning like an idiot. "One more time."
Reached for rewind on the eleventh loop—
Ding-dong!
Doorbell. "Hm? Seo-ah-ssi forget something?"
Only her visits here, so I stood, hit the gate open without checking the intercom.
Clank! Screech.She'd be fine—no need to confirm.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps neared the door. I swung it open with a smile.
"Guh."
Froze solid. Not Yoo Seo-ah.
"...What's with the reaction?"
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She was drenched in sweat, brow furrowed, eyes narrowed in a glare.
This was Baek Ji-an. My childhood friend, infamous as the Dream Dragon Leader.
Why were you coming out from there?