Chapter 37: Baek Sihyun's Monologue
Even up until then, I was only thinking about running away.
Honestly, I never intended to fight from the start.
S-class or no S-class at my side, dungeon collapsing or not, all I could do was avoid getting hit as much as possible and stay out of it.
The problem was the world didn't see it that way.
The air in the B-class dungeon was dank.
The smell of moss clinging to the walls stung my nose, and somewhere, water droplets fell at regular intervals with a steady plink.
Every step on the damp floor made my sneakers stick with a sticky squelch.
I swallowed hard, staring at Baek Sihyun's back as she walked ahead.
"Excuse me."
"What."
"Are you really coming in with me?"
Baek Sihyun didn't even turn her head.
"I'm already in."
"That's what I mean. Why?"
"Something to confirm."
I had no idea why her confirmation had to involve me.
I swallowed a sigh. My mouth tasted metallic.
It always happened when I got tense. My tongue dried out, my jaw stiffened, cold sweat beaded on my fingertips.
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'Two? As if.'
I muttered it in my head.
Before the words even finished echoing in my mind, footsteps echoed from the distance.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy, rhythmic steps. Not rushing, but deliberately not hiding their presence. The vibrations climbed up through my ankles, and Baek Sihyun stopped.
I froze solid beside her.
A man emerged from the darkness. Tall, broad-shouldered.
His arm muscles bulged under a black jacket, and though his eyes looked like they were smiling under his cropped hair, they weren't smiling at all.
Lee Dojin.
I'd seen him a few times on the news.
The fight junkie.
That one phrase summed up the S-class hunter.
He spotted us and his lips curled up.
"Well, well."
His low chuckle bounced off the dungeon walls.
"You really are here."
I instinctively stepped back.
I wanted to ask why he was here, but my throat locked up first.
Lee Dojin's gaze skimmed past Baek Sihyun and locked straight onto me.
"Kang Minsu."
The moment he said my name, a chill ran down my spine.
"Heard a lot about you."
"I haven't heard much about you, sir."
"Fair enough."
He approached slowly. His steps were still heavy, no hesitation in his stride.
"Thought I'd get it just by seeing you in person."
He stopped about three paces from me.
"Now I'm even more curious."
His words sounded so genuine it creeped me out even more.
I unconsciously angled my toes toward the wall. Standing sideways felt a tiny bit less terrifying than facing him head-on.
But Lee Dojin caught even that pathetic little shift, his smile unwavering.
Baek Sihyun stayed silent.
That made it even more suffocating.
I hunched my shoulders.
"Uh, what is it?"
"What else."
Lee Dojin grinned.
"Wanna spar?"
My mind went blank.
"No."
"Rejecting me?"
"Yes."
"Just like that?"
"Right now?"
Lee Dojin burst out laughing.
"I like it. Makes you even more appealing."
He rolled his neck. Joints cracked with a pop.
"Still gotta check, though."
That was when it hit.
My vision narrowed sharply.
The chat window shook violently once, then a suffocating pressure slammed into my whole body.
A low hum buzzed in my ears, the hairs on my neck stood on end.
I instinctively held my breath.
Lee Dojin's expression, right in front of me, froze.
The smirk on his lips stiffened for a split second.
His fingertips trembled first.
Just barely.
But definitely trembling.
He dropped his arm like nothing happened, but it was too late. I'd seen his right fingers flex and release clearly.
And then came the distance.
Lee Dojin stepped back half a pace—natural enough that I might not notice, but unmistakably deliberate.
From striking range to evasion range.
The change was so subtle it chilled me deeper.
'What the hell.'
Lee Dojin fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke in a voice different from before.
"...This is really fun."
The cocky playfulness had faded just a touch.
"You."
I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants.
"I didn't do anything, sir."
"That's what makes it hilarious."
Baek Sihyun stepped forward one pace in the meantime.
"That's far enough."
Lee Dojin turned his gaze.
"You were watching first, huh."
"Not just watching."
"Oh yeah?"
"I don't charge in headfirst like you."
The air grew colder.
I was stuck between them, eyes darting back and forth.
'Why's it turning into a fight?'
'Why over me?'
Lee Dojin twisted his lips.
"Headfirst?"
"Your methods are always so simplistic."
"At least they're honest."
"Honest and thoughtless aren't the same."
"Would a thoughtless guy make it this far?"
Each short exchange tightened my throat.
They spoke casually, but even the moisture on the walls seemed tense.
Lee Dojin looked at me again. This time it wasn't provocation—more like verification.
"Kang Minsu."
"Yes, sir."
"Too bad you met Baek Sihyun first."
"Why's that?"
"If I'd seen you first, it'd have been quicker."
"Quicker what?"
"Certainty."
I made a genuinely confused face.
Baek Sihyun spoke coldly.
"Certainty? I'm still verifying."
"You always stick to stages."
"You always rush to conclusions."
"And I've never missed because of it."
"Might miss this time."
Their gazes clashed in the air.
"Excuse me."
I finally spoke up cautiously.
"I don't get why either of you is doing this to me."
Lee Dojin replied.
"I'm here to check that out too."
Baek Sihyun followed right up.
"I'm here to confirm it."
"You think that's different?"
They both shut their mouths at once.
A low roar echoed from afar.
Grrrrumble.
Something flipped over deep in the boss room. Dust shook loose from the walls, and the floor trembled faintly underfoot.
Lee Dojin and Baek Sihyun turned their heads simultaneously.
For the first time, their expressions matched perfectly.
Tension.
And a flicker of interest.
I seized the gap and stepped back.
'Now.'
'Gotta slip out now.'
I braced my sweaty hand against the wall.
And stared up at the two S-classes glaring inward, unable to believe it.
Something was waiting for us.
The words barely finished when Lee Dojin twisted first.
Not a full lunge. Instead, half-step sideways, half-step back.
He shifted from blocking my front at an angle, yet poised to surge forward anytime.
The movement was so fluid it terrified me more.
Baek Sihyun did the same.
She stepped back another pace from before—but calling it a retreat didn't fit.
Her eyes fixed on the boss room, she measured my position and Lee Dojin's shoulder angle together.
Her face didn't blink, locked in constant assessment. The problem was I was at the end of that gaze.
"Both of you."
I said cautiously.
"Can't you back off from me a bit?"
"Why."
Baek Sihyun shot back immediately.
"Closer lets me see better."
"I don't get what that means, ma'am."
"Haven't decided yet."
Lee Dojin chuckled shortly.
"But one thing's clear."
"What's that, sir?"
"You're just thinking about running right now."
I clamped my mouth shut.
My chest tightened. Even deep breaths wouldn't fill my lungs. The low vibration from the boss room thrummed inside my ribs.
Something was closing in.
I reflexively stepped back, and Lee Dojin immediately blocked my left blind spot. Baek Sihyun filled the right gap oppositely.
"Kang Minsu."
Lee Dojin called low.
"If you move now, I'll follow."
"Why?"
"It's fun."
This time, a metallic claw scrape echoed from the boss room.
Screeeeech.
"It's here."
"...Not numbers."
"Obviously."
She glanced my way.
"That's your reaction."
I watched the scene and my throat choked up oddly.
They blocked my escape differently. Baek Sihyun with quiet stares, Lee Dojin with curiosity.
But the result was the same. I couldn't fully break free from this spot.
The darkness deep in the dungeon writhed once more.
And for the first time, something's silhouette emerged from it.
Too long, too low—a shape too ambiguous to call a monster at a glance.
I swallowed.
Lee Dojin placed a hand on his sword hilt.
Baek Sihyun stepped one pace ahead.
And I truly had nowhere left to retreat.