Chapter 48

In the end, Soram stepped up.

"The 1st-grade evaluation isn't given to just anyone. If you say that, the other 2nd-grade hunters at the headquarters will get angry. Considering the rarity and uniqueness of your ability, and the fact that you're still growing, it's natural for you to be 1st-grade, Ayoung. Your skills will keep improving, and when you're my age in 7 years..."

Ah. Soram unintentionally hesitated. He usually didn't mention things like "in a few years," but he seemed to be in a really good mood today. ...Although his mood plummeted as soon as he uttered those words himself.

Talking about the future that was to come was always a weakness for Soram.

"...When you're my age, Ayoung, you'll have to sit in the chief's seat and work whether you like it or not, so don't worry."

I don't know if I'll be able to see that future.

"I'm still worried. Then I should also have some kind of development, but I don't have anything to make into a special move like your airplanes, oppa."

"That'll all be created after you graduate and grind through five or six 1st-grade dungeons. Don't worry."

"Aah, don't say such old-fashioned things and just give me one tip."

"What kind of tip is there...?"

The gazes of the two team members gathered on Soram. Ayoung was one thing, but... he didn't know why Han Tae-un was staring at him so seriously. Soram rubbed his head, which was demanding sleep as soon as the trigger was pulled, and answered.

"Take a closer look at your special ability to summon Aila. If you examine the process of summoning a small puppy, which is originally a small dog, in any size you want, there will be room for you to modify certain elements to increase your attack power."

Soram also made a remarkable improvement in his skills when he focused on which object could be controlled most precisely, rather than focusing on the power to lift anything.

"It's most important to understand your own ability rather than just trying to get stronger. Ga-eul was also confused at first because she couldn't recognize her special ability, but now she's become the Destruction Queen."

"Hmm... okay. I'll try to study it."

When he finished giving advice to Ayoung and raised his head, Tae-un was staring intently at his own palm. He clenched and unclenched his hand repeatedly, then his eyes met Soram's. Instead of asking why he was looking, he slyly lowered his hand.

Hmm, whatever. Whether he does that or not.

Anyway, he was too sleepy to ask what he was doing. It was a situation where he had accidentally said the wrong thing and sleepiness was pouring in. Soram left Ayoung, who was studying, and Tae-un, who was lost in thought, to find his sleep mate.

"My blanket."

But the blanket that was like one body with him was nowhere to be seen.

"My blanket!"

Soram wandered around the office desk like a swallow that had lost its nest.

"Where did my blanket go?"

"Ah, right. While you were in the guard floor, the director said he would send it to the dry cleaners and took it. It was a complete dust pile! It's probably in the director's office after being washed, right?"

"..."

That's fine then. He had no intention of going to his superior's room at this hour and asking, "Please give me my blanket."

And there were issues to resolve with Director Park Jae-seon. Although there was a cause, Soram had been slapped quite hard, and their last meeting had ended on a bad note.

Both the person who was hit and the person who hit him thought it was a necessary measure, and they would probably forget about it after exchanging a few words. However, that also required a certain level of mental strength. He wanted to go through it later rather than when he was tired like now.

Soram lay down on the table with his bare body. It was a bit hard, but he usually slept well anywhere.

"Wouldn't it be better to put a portable bed in the office if you're going to do this every day?"

"We had one until last spring. A foldable mattress."

"Oh, so it was removed when I joined? You don't have to do that."

"No. The director got rid of it on my birthday last year. He said he would only tolerate me lying down and sleeping at any time while I was still a legal minor."

"I see..."

A legal minor is from 9 years old to 24 years old. In fact, last year was the borderline at exactly 24 years old, but he had given it up early when told, "Are you going to show yourself lying down and sleeping to the high school student joining your team?" If he had known that Ayoung wouldn't mind and would study well, he should have just endured it.

At that moment, something was suddenly held out in front of his hazy eyes. When Soram raised his eyes, a black jacket was approaching. Behind it, Tae-un wearing only a shirt was visible.

"You can cover yourself and sleep."

"Huh?"

"If you don't like it, never mind."

"Can I use it as a pillow instead of covering myself?"

"Go ahead."

"...What's with you two? Is there really something between you? Tae-un oppa, if something happened to you when you were dragged away earlier, wave a carrot... no, a sword."

"No, it's not like that."

While the conversation between Ayoung and Tae-un was going on, Soram, who had already received permission, rolled up the clothes, put them under his head, and leaned his body against them. Then, as if he felt it wasn't right, he unfolded the clothes again, covered his back with them, and used only the long sleeves as a pillow. It seemed that his body needed a place to curl up like a cocoon.

When he raised his gaze for the last time after wriggling his upper body to find a comfortable position, his eyes met Tae-un's. His lips seemed to be slightly raised. Or it could be an illusion due to sleepiness.

"Thank you. I'll sleep well."

Soram closed his eyes. When he opened them again, it would be around sunset. But today, since his body was tired, he thought he could fall asleep right away without any unnecessary thoughts coming to mind.

Knock knock.

However, when he was about to fall half asleep, someone knocked on the door. Ayoung answered.

"Who is it?"

"It's Min Yu-ra. May I come in?"

"Yes, please come in."

Oh, no. Soram reflexively pulled what he was covering. The sound of high heels clicking stopped close by.

"Hello, Chief Jin."

"Jin Soram is dead. He was beaten by Chief Han. Right, Han Tae-un ssi?"

"That's a false accusation."

"You say it's a false accusation?"

"That, that insensitive human. Ah, I'm really tired today..."

Giving work on a day like today is abuse. Soram pulled the jacket up to the tip of his head.

"What's the matter? I'll do it instead."

Tae-un stepped up, unable to bear it. However, Min Yu-ra coldly replied, "No, it's an order that came down for Chief Jin."

"The director..."

"Sob sob sob sob..."

The hunter, who was hiding like a conch shell under the jacket he had covered himself with, whimpered. Min Yu-ra smiled faintly.

"All members of Team 7 are to go home. The director said that since the number of rift occurrences today is in the single digits and there is a lot of manpower left, it's okay to let the flight team rest."

"Oh!"

Soram raised his head with a beaming face. It was a face that was very faithful to his desires.

"And he said to stop by before going to work tomorrow and pick up your blanket."

"...It's a hostage."

"Yes."

"Gasp, wow, is it really okay for me to go home too?"

Ayoung, who had already closed her workbook and zipped up her pencil case, asked once more.

"Yes. Hunter Ayoung, you can go home too. If you stay alone, the other two won't even budge."

"Yay! Yes!"

I should tell Mom to eat out. Ayoung quickly sent a message to her family on a rare day when she could have an early dinner.

"Then, all three of you, please go home. I enjoyed watching the match."

Min Yu-ra bid farewell and left the room. Behind her, Soram and Ayoung prepared to leave without looking back.

"Thank you, even if it was for a short time."

Soram returned the jacket to Tae-un. Tae-un received it but hung it on his arm instead of wearing it.

The lights in Team 7's office were turned off at an early hour for the first time in a long time.

"Good night, Han Tae-un ssi!"

Soram, who had been excited since getting on the elevator, entered his room faster than anyone else as soon as he arrived in front of the dormitory. Tae-un didn't even have a chance to return the good night greeting.

"I'm going to sleep!"

"..."

"I'm going to sleep well!"

The wall between Soram and Tae-un's rooms allows some sound to pass through. It wasn't a building with poor soundproofing, but the problem was that the people using the rooms were 1st-grade hunters. Thanks to their hearing ability that could pick up even small sounds, Tae-un unintentionally heard the sounds from the next room on a regular basis. Moreover, the door in the middle was not performing its role properly now.

Just in case Soram might find out later and feel embarrassed, he had subtly mentioned it in the guard floor, but Soram didn't seem to mind. The bustling sounds that occasionally came from the next room remained the same.

Light footsteps, muttering that relayed every action he was doing. The sound of footsteps moving around to wash up and change clothes before going to work and right after coming home.

The sounds that had disappeared for about 2 weeks had completely returned. They were heard a little louder through the broken door crack. Only then did Tae-un feel like the room that had become barren had returned to the way he knew it.

The sound of a body plopping onto the bed was heard. And the next room immediately became quiet.

Tae-un turned his gaze toward the door he had shattered with his own hands today. Although the hinges had all fallen off, the door still had some of its function left, so the next room was not visible. Even if he stared through the door crack, all he could see was less than half a span of the wall and floor. He had heard that there were hunters with the ability to see through things, but Tae-un wasn't one of them.

At least cover yourself with a blanket... At the very least, turn off the lights before sleeping.

Since there was no sign of tossing and turning after the sound of jumping onto the bed, he must have just lain on top of the blanket. Light was still seeping in through the crack in the door. He was sleeping without even turning off the lights.

Tae-un's eyes didn't leave the door.

Just go in for a moment.

Should I cover him with a blanket, turn off the lights, and come out?

He knew best that it was nonsense, no matter how he tried to justify it as doing it for Soram's sake. Even if he used all the good excuses to enter his room, it was a crime to sneak into a sleeping person's room.

Even if he entered his room using all those excuses, would he be able to come out as innocently as those excuses? What flickered in his mind again was Soram's body that he had seen through the wet clothes.

Tae-un turned his head away from the door. His face felt hot as if he had done something wrong, even though he hadn't done anything. It felt strange to think that he was pricked by his own conscience.

"Ha..."

Tae-un ran his hands down his face.

Why, when it hadn't mattered until now, was he suddenly bothered by the fact that he was in the next room?

In the situation that had unfolded in Soram's room a few hours ago, Tae-un immediately thought that he had gotten excited because of Soram. He didn't even consider the possibility of another reason and only thought that he had to make excuses.

...Why am I acting like this?

Tae-un tried running his hands down his face and messing up his hair. Only then did his heartbeat seem to settle down, but when he realized that he was still standing in front of Soram's door, his heart started racing again. Thinking that he might have hit his head during the match, he turned around.

As he took off his shirt to change clothes, his clumsily disinfected arms appeared. The wounds that he hadn't even been aware of until just now suddenly felt itchy. When he brushed his arms with his palms, the dried disinfectant fell like a drizzle. He thought it wasn't much, but his insteps became quite mottled.

Tae-un headed to the bed, thinking he would clean it up later. He also needed to dress lightly to cool down his heat.

It was still early afternoon. The bedroom with the curtains drawn had turned crimson as if it were heated up. A long line of light seeping in from the next dormitory drew a line right up to the darkened room with the lights turned off.

The insteps stained with dried disinfectant resembled the confusion that had settled in his heart.