Chapter 12: The First Dungeon (8)
Chapter 12: The First Dungeon (8)
The two individuals who had left the Yuseong Clan and the Association staff in a total fog were, of course, completely unaware of the chaos they had caused.
Han Shin and Grace sat on the sofa in Han Shin’s living room, the air between them thick with awkwardness.
The only sofa in Han Shin’s home was the long one he’d been napping on earlier. Naturally, this meant he and Grace were sitting side by side.
A strange atmosphere had settled between them after Grace changed her clothes. After a long silence spent stealing glances at one another, Han Shin had finally suggested they sit down and rest.
He figured sitting would be better than standing around awkwardly... but contrary to his expectations, sitting closer together only made the atmosphere weirder.
Han Shin’s eyes kept drifting toward Grace.
As a man, it was only natural to be drawn to a beautiful woman. Even when he tried to look away out of self-consciousness, he found it impossible not to stare.
With her well-groomed, platinum-blonde bob, the beautiful female knight was incredibly attractive to him.
When he thought about it, it made sense. She was the first follower of Tiamat to come to his aid. Even though he was Tiamat’s Proxy, Han Shin was currently little more than an ordinary person in terms of strength. She could have looked down on him or ignored him, but she showed no sign of doing so.
She treated him with the respect due to a superior and was always attentive, prioritizing his needs and supporting him. It was impossible not to feel a sense of goodwill toward her.
Even though they hadn't known each other long, the scent of a person's character could be felt instantly.
Furthermore, she had immediately put on the clothes he bought her, even though she didn't strictly need them, just so he wouldn't feel awkward. Even in a simple white tracksuit that ordinary people wore for light exercise, her charm didn't fade in the slightest. If anything, it suited her so well that Han Shin couldn't help but keep stealing glances.
Having already assisted Grace to his bed and nursed her, Han Shin had a general idea of her physique. He knew she had a great figure since her full body armor had been custom-made for her, but...
‘Grace’s breasts are actually way bigger than I thought... Ahem.’
Han Shin’s base male instincts kicked in, and he’d already taken note of the size of Grace’s breasts. He hadn't touched them, of course, but based on his visual estimation, the underwear he’d bought surprisingly fit her perfectly.
This was something that had slightly surprised Grace as well. She wondered how Han Shin had managed to bring underwear that fit her so precisely, but since there were so many new things to see in this world, she simply assumed there was some method she didn't know about.
After stealing glances at Grace, who sat beside him with perfect posture, Han Shin decided he couldn't let this continue.
‘Ugh... I should do something else... Ah! It’s dinner time.’
“Grace. Is there anything you want to eat for dinner?”
“Ah... I am fine, Han Shin-nim. My body does not strictly require meals.”
As she said, Grace had reached a state where she didn't need to eat after becoming a follower of Tiamat. As long as she returned to the Sanctuary, her body would recover and her hunger would be satiated.
Han Shin had suggested dinner partly to break the ice, so he felt a bit disappointed when she said she didn't need to eat. Being human, it felt strange to him to eat alone while leaving Grace by herself.
“Is it that you can’t eat at all?”
“No, that is not the case.”
“Then let’s eat together. It’s a bit awkward for me to eat alone.”
Han Shin used a slightly selfish excuse to encourage her.
“I understand, Han Shin-nim. Then I shall prepare the meal,” Grace replied, standing up immediately after changing her mind.
Seeing this, Han Shin quickly stood up to stop her. If he let her do it, it would look like he was ordering her to cook for him.
He quickly grabbed her left arm and said, “No, no. Grace, you worked hard today because of me, so just rest.”
“But...”
“Please, just do as I say.”
“...Understood.”
Having finally convinced Grace to stay put, Han Shin headed to the kitchen.
Taking a breath, it really hit home for Han Shin that he could walk and prepare a meal like this on his own, unlike when he had to visit the kitchen in a wheelchair. It was a small thing, but until yesterday, he hadn't been able to do even this.
Until yesterday, he had felt pathetic and frustrated, constantly relying on his noona for everything. But now that everything had changed, his mindset had shifted as well. The Han Shin who was once shrunken by self-loathing and negative thoughts was gone.
‘But... what should I make?’
Han Shin realized too late that in his rush to stop Grace from cooking, he hadn't actually heard what she wanted to eat.
‘I should go back and ask...’
As he turned around, he found that Grace had already followed him into the kitchen without making a sound. In truth, Grace couldn't bring herself to just sit idly while Han Shin cooked alone.
“Han Shin-nim. I would like to help, even if it is only with small tasks.”
Seeing Grace offer her help reminded Han Shin of how he used to try and help his noona, Kang Yujin.
“Hmm... Alright. But is there anything specific you want to eat?”
“Ah...”
Grace also realized she had missed her chance to answer when Han Shin asked earlier.
‘To make such a mistake... What is wrong with me?’
Though she had failed to protect her own world, Grace had lived a heroic life that everyone acknowledged, one without a single blemish. She reproached herself for making a mistake she had never made before.
As a knight of commoner origin, she wasn't a picky eater and considered saying "anything," but she felt that would be unfairly shifting the responsibility of choice onto Han Shin. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment.
“I would like to eat meat. It has been a while.”
“Got it. Then could you just set the table and put out the utensils?”
“Understood.”
Han Shin didn't have to do much heavy cooking. Kang Yujin, who had left for a week-long business trip, had prepared various side dishes for him, including meat. Since he only had to do some light reheating and prep, dinner was ready quite quickly.
Fortunately for Han Shin, the food culture of Grace’s world wasn't drastically different from Earth’s. Watching Grace eat without any trouble, Han Shin felt like his current situation—and the hectic day he’d had—was all a dream.
‘My body is healed, and I’m having dinner alone with a beauty like Grace...’
Meanwhile, Grace was secretly surprised by how delicious the food was. It was only natural; she was of commoner birth, and shortly after becoming a knight, her world had begun to fall into ruin. How could the food have been any good? To Grace, the meal Han Shin provided was more delicious than anything she had ever tasted.
“Han Shin-nim, this is truly delicious.”
“I’m glad it’s to your taste.”
As the one who prepared it, Han Shin felt great. Seeing her hands move busily and her eating with such gusto, it was clear she wasn't just being polite.
They cleaned up together after dinner. Standing side by side with Grace while washing the dishes made Han Shin feel strangely self-conscious.
Once everything was tidy, Han Shin brushed his teeth while worrying about where Grace should sleep.
‘Hmm... and if Noona comes home early...’
Since he didn't have a separate place for Grace to stay, his head began to ache thinking about Kang Yujin, who was due back in five days.
‘For today, it’s best if Grace sleeps in my room and I take the sofa.’
Han Shin first changed the bedsheets and blankets in his room. Thinking about it, he’d been using them while bedridden until yesterday, and Grace had been sweating profusely earlier, so they definitely needed a change.
Grace watched Han Shin change the sheets and bring out fresh blankets, realizing what he intended to do. She felt she should quickly tell him that she could return to the Sanctuary to rest and that he could summon her whenever he needed.
“There... Grace, you can sleep here tonight.”
“Thank you.”
Contrary to what she had planned to say, entirely different words tumbled out of Grace’s mouth. She didn't know why she was acting like this, but deep down, she already knew the answer.
Grace was grateful for Han Shin’s kindness, and she found that she didn't dislike the idea of living in the same house with him—in fact, she liked it. It was the first time Grace had ever given in to her own selfish desires.
Han Shin didn't notice that Grace’s skin had flushed slightly, but her heart was currently racing.
Unaware of Grace’s inner turmoil, Han Shin thought about how to spend the time since it was still too early for bed.
‘I need to learn more about entering dungeons and how things work on this side...’
“Grace, could you teach me about the monsters in the dungeons, the Evil Gods, and things like that?”
Seeing Han Shin’s proactive attitude toward learning without being prompted, Grace felt a sense of pride swell within her.
“Yes, I shall teach you.”
Han Shin grabbed some note-taking materials and spent the time until bed absorbing a wide range of knowledge from Grace.