Suddenly, Take Off Your Shirt

Tick. Tock.

Save for the tireless ticking of the clock's hour and minute hands, not a single sound stirred in the room.

This is so awkward...!

I fidgeted with my lips — the same ones Eun Hayoon's had been pressed against just moments ago.

Fine... I'd chalk that up to the heat of the moment. I'd seen online that couples these days went from hugs to kisses on day one of dating without a second thought.

But this atmosphere? What the hell was I supposed to do about this?

After saying she understood, Hayoon had just glued herself to my side and parked her head on my shoulder, not saying another word...

Trying to claw my way out of the awkwardness, I carefully opened my mouth.

"Hayoon... before we head to the workshop, let's go buy you some clothes first."

It was only one in the afternoon. Hephaestus's disciple had told us to come by whenever was convenient today, so showing up a little later wouldn't hurt.

At that, Hayoon lifted her head from my shoulder.

"Clothes? Why...?"

"Your outfit's... pretty revealing. You should change into something else before we go."

With a short sigh, Hayoon gave a small nod.

"So, do I look pretty?"

The sudden question threw me for a second, but I nodded.

"...Yeah. That's why. Come on, let's go shopping."

"Hehe... okay!"

The walk to a clothing store wouldn't exactly be safe, though, so as a stopgap I had Hayoon put on a hooded zip-up.

"It's hot, though..."

"You should've just worn a crop top. Hot or not, you're gonna have to tough it out."

"A crop top isn't any less revealing..."

I headed for the clothing store with Hayoon still whining about the heat. The moment we stepped outside, the air changed.

A muggy, suffocating heat that punched the breath right out of your lungs. Cicadas screaming their heads off. The kind of weather where if you hauled an egg out of the fridge and cracked it on the asphalt, it would fry.

"It's really summer."

"Yeah. But Jinwoo... I'm seriously dying here..."

With that, Hayoon peeled the zip-up off and draped it over her arm. Her back was already soaked through with sweat.

"Uh... sorry. Give me the zip-up. I'll carry it."

"Thanks..."

Hayoon's sweat-soaked hoodie was a little damp, but I could just wash it when we got home. No big deal. Besides, she was my girlfriend now. No boyfriend in the world would call his girlfriend's sweat dirty — even if we were a rookie couple who'd been together for less than two hours.

Hayoon's expression had brightened considerably, and as we talked and walked, we arrived ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the clothing store before I knew it. I couldn't just buy her any old thing, so I'd brought us to a well-known department store. From the outside alone, it looked like the kind of place that dealt exclusively in luxury brands.

"Jinwoo...? This is a department store."

"You've never been here?"

"No... I've been plenty of times, but the clothes here are kind of expensive...?"

This was the moment a man had to show a little pride. I pulled up the coin balance in the community window and turned the screen toward her.

I'd burned through twenty-five million coins yesterday, but there were still about three hundred thousand left.

"This should be enough, right?"

"I could just buy it myself..."

"I can always earn more. Let me get it for you."

I still had farming runs left, and tomorrow I could tackle the third floor again. According to my big-data theory — I'd recorded a perfect score every single time — the new-record bonus stacked on top of the perfect-score bonus would add up to a sum you couldn't ignore. Meaning I'd make at least several dozen times my current balance from a single first-clear reward.

I grinned at Hayoon.

"Let's go in. If you haven't eaten yet, we can grab a meal while we're at it."

"Okay!"

Dating a close friend might not be so bad after all.

I bought Hayoon a cardigan. It would cover her back, it was thin, and the portability was GOAT. More than anything, she seemed to really like that black skinny backless dress of hers.

And now we were on our way to Hephaestus's disciple's workshop.

A search on the internet had turned up nothing, so I'd asked Hephaestus's disciple directly.

I checked the address. It wasn't all that far from the department store we were already at.

By subway, that'd be... what, an hour? Two, maybe.

But taking the subway was out of the question. That was because Hayoon and I were far too famous.

I had switched to being a Hunter without ever explaining why I'd retired, and the public had dumped a truckload of hate on me for it. Hayoon had retired citing stress, injury concerns, and the like. There was no way the public was going to look at either of us kindly — and our current getup proved it. Hayoon had a mask and sunglasses; I had a black baseball cap and a mask of my own.

We'd covered up, sure. But would that actually stop people from recognizing us? Not a chance. So I decided on a safer option.

"Hayoon, let's take a taxi to the workshop."

"Okay!"

Ordinarily, taxis were so expensive they sat dead last on my list of options, but this wasn't the time to be cheap — and besides, I had money to spare. I called a ride, and the car showed up in no time.

We were in the taxi, heading for Hephaestus's disciple's workshop, when it happened.

"So, you two — what's the relationship?"

The driver tossed the question out of nowhere. I was just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠opening my mouth when Hayoon beat me to it.

"We're dating!"

She thrust out our interlocked hands and beamed, bright as anything. The driver chuckled.

"Haha. You two look great together. Do Jinwoo, Eun Hayoon."

"......?"

The taxi, which had been full of laughter a second ago, froze solid. Every hair on my body stood on end. The driver went on, unfazed.

"Ah, well. It's a shame you both retired, but I'm not about to give you a hard time over it. I'm sure you each had your reasons."

"Ah... yes. Thank you."

"That said — before you get out, would you both mind signing something? My family's a pretty big fan."

Thankfully, he was a kind fan. I was grateful for that much. If he'd been someone dripping with venom instead... ugh. Just imagining it gave me chills.

"But you two... when did you start going out? There was never even a dating rumor. Or wait — was there?"

"Haha..."

Our thoroughly curious driver kept the questions coming without a pause. I just wanted the whole thing to be over.

The hellish stretch finally ended, and we arrived at Hephaestus's disciple's workshop.

Judging by the fact that it didn't come up in a single internet search, the location was probably unlisted. And being unlisted, the place looked completely ordinary. No — nobody in their right mind would look at this building and think a famous blacksmith worked here.

No sign. A building one stiff breeze from collapsing. Barely anyone on the street, the kind of stretch that felt like a crime waiting to happen. A pointless tension crept up my spine, and I swallowed dryly, drawing a slow breath. Hayoon was the same.

This was the girl who normally thought haunted houses were a blast, who'd giggle and ask to go through again — and even she was hesitating at the threshold.

"Is this really the place...? It's scary..."

"This is the address they gave us."

"I'm scared, so hold my hand."

"Don't tell me you're..."

"I-I'm not! It's actually scary..."

If she said she was scared, what was I supposed to do? I quietly took Hayoon's hand.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah..."

The link Hephaestus's disciple had sent included not just the location but the floor. If the link was right, we wanted basement level two.

The building was so run-down that even the lights didn't work. We picked our way forward by smartphone flashlight — and then a door far too luxurious for this wreck of a building was there to greet us. This had to be the place.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three knocks, and a voice answered from inside.

"That the Eastern Gunslinger? Just open the door and come in."

I reached for the handle — and that was when the door ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burst open on its own with a bang. For a second I thought it was automatic. It wasn't.

"Welcome to Yura's Workshop!"

Hephaestus's disciple greeted me with open enthusiasm. The woman who'd just introduced herself as Yura let her gaze slide from me straight over to Hayoon.

"Hm? Who's that next to you?"

"My girlfriend. She's a Hunter as well, for what it's worth."

"Hmm... I was hoping you'd come alone, but whatever. Come in."

I followed her inside and looked around. Gleaming pieces of equipment everywhere. A stone table that had to be a workbench. There were no grinders or furnaces like you'd see in a webtoon blacksmith shop, but the interior was unmistakably a workshop built for crafting gear.

"Finding it interesting? You've been looking all over the place."

I'd only been sneaking glances, but she'd caught me anyway. Flustered, I scratched my head.

"Ah — yes. Sorry if that was rude."

"Ahaha! Rude? Please. I'm happy when someone appreciates my babies!"

A refreshingly straightforward personality. I was just thinking we might be in good hands when she spoke again.

"Girlfriend can look around from here. Eastern Gunslinger, you come this way. We've got gear to make."

Yura kindly sat Hayoon down in a chair by one of the workbenches. I followed her across the room, and she stopped dead in front of another workbench.

"Lie down on this workbench."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ah, and..."

Yura looked from me to Hayoon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and back again, a smile loaded with implication curling across her face.

"Take off your shirt, that hat, and the mask. All of it."