Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Sinful Man (3)
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Before the flustered emotions from oversleeping and my cold could even settle, Hye-eun appeared right in front of me.
While I hesitated, unsure what to say first, she started walking toward me.
"Uh, Hye-eun..."
"What’s with that look right after waking up? Did you flip a washbasin over your head from the desk or something?"
"Why are you... in our house right now...?"
"Seriously, your clothes are all soaked. Now you’ll have to change again. I just changed you out of those sweat-drenched ones not long ago."
...Come to think of it, the clothes I was wearing now felt a bit different from the ones I’d fallen asleep in last night.
More importantly, there was something I needed to say to Hye-eun...
"Wait a sec, I’ll go downstairs and grab a towel."
"Hye-eun..."
"Yeah?"
"Sorry for breaking our promise to watch that movie..."
"Is that what’s important right now?!"
I had no idea.
I didn’t even know what was important anymore.
"Sorry. I’m sorry, Hye-eun..."
"Ugh, fine. Just wait here a minute."
"Okay..."
I stared blankly at Hye-eun’s back as she headed downstairs with the empty washbasin in hand, sitting dazed on the floor until she returned.
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"Arms up, let’s get these clothes off."
"Okay..."
"I’ll wipe off the sweat too. At least you won’t need a shower now."
"Yeah..."
"Seriously, where did you wander off to catch a cold like this..."
...I had more than one or two places in mind, so I couldn’t say.
Did I catch it inside a dungeon and bring it home, or catch it outside and take it in?
Either way, it was undeniable that I’d overworked my body without realizing it, all because of my greed to raise my hunter rank. In the end, it was my own desire that caused this, leaving me endlessly sorry to Hye-eun for breaking our promise. With my mind foggy from fatigue, stray thoughts were even harder to grasp.
"Take off the bottoms too. Gotta wipe the damp stuff and change you."
"Okay..."
Just silently following Hye-eun’s instructions, before I knew it, I was dressed in fresh loungewear, lying in bed with a new damp towel on my forehead.
"If you weren’t feeling well, you should’ve said something last night."
"I didn’t know... I was fine until last night..."
"So you couldn’t answer texts or calls and just slept here until now?"
"Sorry... Did I keep you waiting long...?"
"...N-no, not really. I called and texted until the movie was supposed to start, but you didn’t pick up, so I stopped by just in case."
"I see..."
There were a ton of missed calls and texts piled up, though.
She was probably saying that to spare my feelings, so I pretended to believe her obediently for now.
"How’s your body feeling? Any better?"
"Not sure... My head’s been throbbing since I woke up. I can’t tell if it’s getting better or not..."
"Then rest more. At least until you’re better."
"Okay..."
A strange coziness emanated from the blanket Hye-eun tucked up to my neck, and my feverish head started cooling bit by bit thanks to the fresh damp towel.
"Hye-eun, um..."
"Yeah?"
"There’s something I wanted to tell you today..."
"You can say it later when you’re better."
"I might forget by then..."
"Then... what is it you want to say, Tae-kyung?"
In my hazy mind, independent of my will, my lips began to move, and just as I was about to confess one of the secrets I’d been debating whether to reveal...
-Sniff, sniff.
"......?"
The acrid smell creeping up my nose drowned out the words I was about to say in a haze of black smoke.
"Hye-eun, um..."
"Yeah."
"Don’t you smell something burning...?"
"......Yeah?"
Hye-eun’s face, which had been listening tensely, slowly stiffened.
"Ah, aaaah!! That’s right!!"
She suddenly bolted upright and dashed out the door.
"I was in the middle of making porridge! J-just wait, I’ll be right back...!!"
"Okay..."
I’d wondered if that burning food smell meant she’d borrowed the kitchen without telling me.
It might be a bit ungrateful to Hye-eun, who was making it for me, but given her cooking skills, it was probably a relief that it burned.
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"Tae-kyung, porridge delivery’s here..."
The moment I mentioned the burning smell, Hye-eun had let out a loud shriek from the kitchen and made a huge fuss.
About 30 minutes after all that commotion, she returned to my room with a packaged franchise porridge container.
"Sorry, Tae-kyung. I burned one of your house’s pots..."
"It’s fine. It wasn’t on purpose."
"Why does this always happen whenever I go into a kitchen... I’m such an idiot..."
"Your feelings got through, so it’s okay."
Having eaten Hye-eun’s homemade cooking multiple times since we were kids, my honest take was that at least her intentions came through—that was the best news.
"This time it was really properly made porridge. I even added chocolate and protein powder to make it tasty..."
"...I’ll pretend I ate it and it was delicious."
With no malice involved, even if it had gone in my mouth, the good Samaritan law would’ve protected Hye-eun.
It was truly fortunate her crime of unintentional injury remained an attempt.
"Beef porridge or tuna—which do you prefer?"
"Tuna..."
The moment I answered, Hye-eun scooped some from the rectangular plastic container.
She carefully blew on it to cool it before bringing it to my mouth.
"Tae-kyung, here. Ahh~."
"......"
"...Oh, r-right. Tae-kyung doesn’t like this stuff. Sorry, Tae-kyung..."
I’d been momentarily dazed admiring Hye-eun’s earnest motions, showing no reaction, but she pulled the cooled spoonful away, embarrassed.
...Come to think of it, I’d always recoiled and refused whenever she did this before.
"C-can you eat by yourself? Should I cool some more and bring it?"
"Ah~."
"Eh, yeah?"
"...Aren’t you feeding me?"
"Ah, y-yeah! Hold on!"
The spoon she’d withdrawn from my face returned to my mouth, and I savored the soft porridge she fed me before swallowing.
"How is it? Tasty?"
"It’s store-bought porridge, so of course it is."
"R-right, yeah."
"But it tastes even better because you’re feeding it to me, Hye-eun."
"...Uh, u-um?"
Once I decided to act spoiled, there was no need to hide my feelings behind stiff words.
I was the patient right now, and Hye-eun seemed to want to take care of me.
If she found even a little joy in nursing me, matching that was the best I could do for being late to our date.
"Ah~."
"Here, wait! Cooling it now!"
Compared to eating it myself, the meal time dragged on several times longer, but I didn’t mind.
It felt like not just my empty stomach, but something in my heart was being filled too.
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After somehow finishing the meal Hye-eun fed me spoonful by spoonful, my body—which had struggled even to move an arm or leg—was entering recovery.
Compared to my initial state where even speaking was hard, this was definite improvement. Hye-eun’s nursing had played a big part, undeniable.
"All done? I’ll clear this up."
"Yeah. Thanks, Hye-eun."
After thanking Hye-eun as she took the empty porridge container and leftovers downstairs, I lay back in bed, quietly lost in thought.
Our planned date had fallen through, but we’d spent even more intimate time together instead, and an even stronger sense of satisfaction bloomed in my chest.
It was different from lust or the desire for recognition. Maybe I’d needed someone to comfort the psychological toll I’d been under.
For over ten years, I’d endured bullying and humiliation, fixated solely on awakening to become a hunter. My mind must’ve been worn down in many ways already. Unconsciously, I’d craved this kind of baseless comfort and care sometimes.
I’d thought I was too old to act spoiled and noticeably cut back on visiting Hye-eun’s house. Memories flashed of times I’d sulked over trivial conversations she’d had without me, treating her coldly.
The one who’d distanced himself from her over silly reasons and deepened emotional rifts alone was me, not Hye-eun.
"Sigh, idiot..."
A self-mocking scoff escaped my lips at the realization of how stupid I’d been.
I had no intention of wasting this unique talent awakened in a man’s body, nor had my resolve from ten years ago—to prevent monsters from killing people—wavered for a moment. But I regretted not acting more wisely along the way instead of charging blindly like now.
...At least I’d realized it now. That had to count as fortunate.
"Tae-kyung, I tidied up. Put the leftover porridge in the fridge, so eat it for breakfast tomorrow. Rest well today, and text me when the cold’s gone."
"Hye-eun."
"Yeah?"
Calling out to Hye-eun, who was turning to leave as if her work was done, my mouth had already confessed the truth I’d kept hidden until now.
"I... awakened my hunter ability."