Episode 13
It was a shitty morning.
Baek Dam, vice guild master of Philoso and an S-rank healer, was in an especially low mood today.
It wasn’t particularly because his younger brother had said he would come home, only to get distracted by some other guy and set off on a dungeon tour, or because Baek Dam had to treat the very root cause of that every single day.
He had simply dreamed an old dream for the first time in a while, and his schedule was especially packed today.
And when he’d said he might not be able to go treat the B-rank, his younger brother had flown into a rage.
So the sight of the blood-soaked man he saw as soon as he opened the door had no effect whatsoever on his mood.
In other words, even as he personally knelt down and wiped up the blood, the foolish man sitting blankly on the bed meant nothing to him.
Perhaps he sensed Baek Dam’s displeasure, because the B-rank slowly opened his mouth.
“You said you were too busy to come today…”
“Shut your mouth. You smell like blood.”
“……”
He looked better with his mouth shut than he had a moment ago.
Meanwhile, Han Chasu was bewildered by Baek Dam’s behavior. ‘I don’t know why he’s throwing a fit.’
Was it because he hated wiping the floor? But wasn’t he the one who had snatched away the rag Han Chasu had brought?
Come to think of it, there had been people like that in the shelter too. Han Chasu was suddenly steeped in nostalgia.
Whenever they returned right after a battle, they would unleash every bit of temper they had and pour out a torrent of abuse.
Then later, they would sidle over and hand him a drink.
He seemed to recall hearing afterward that they had something like mysophobia… ‘Ah, no way.’
Han Chasu thought Baek Dam might be that type as well.
At that, an extremely faint sense of sympathy bloomed and vanished.
As a healer, he would see more blood than anyone, so how hard must it be if his mysophobia was that severe?
But Han Chasu’s own situation was too urgent for him to worry about someone else.
“I heard on my way here. You said you wanted to be discharged?”
Baek Dam tossed the dirtied rag into the trash can and spoke bluntly.
He flopped down in front of Han Chasu and propped his chin on his hand.
His pale brown eyes moved busily between his narrowed lids.
At that dissecting gaze, Han Chasu drew his brows together.
“You seemed to be adjusting well to the hospital, and now you suddenly want to be discharged?”
“What does it matter if I’ve adjusted well? It’s not as if I’ll live here for the rest of my life.”
“Hmm. Well, if you put it that way.”
Baek Dam’s eyes swept over the lifetime contract on the table.
“But I doubt he’ll let you go easily.”
Realizing where his gaze had gone, Han Chasu’s face hardened.
“I had no intention of accepting it from the start.”
“Hm…”
“And I don’t think the contract is something I need to hear about from you, Mr. Baek Dam, an outsider.”
Han Chasu drew the line gently but coldly.
His attitude was so firm it seemed not even a needle could slip through.
“All right. I spoke out of turn.”
Baek Dam smiled as he always did and took a step back.
But behind that pretty smile, the emotion surging up inside him was ugly. ‘…
How annoying.’
A small bit of spite sprang from his twisted insides.
Looking at Han Chasu’s loose clothes, he said,
“Should I discharge you?”
Baek Dam smiled as he looked at the gray eyes that widened as if they couldn’t believe what they had heard.
“I’m tired of coming all the way here every time for a treatment that doesn’t even do anything.”
If he collapses and dies somewhere on the street, Seon will give up too.
Baek Dam smiled radiantly and asked again.
“What do you think? Should I discharge you?”
***
Of course, Han Chasu did not easily fall for that smile. ‘Does this guy maybe have some kind of grudge against me?’
He had suddenly offered to discharge him. It felt like an unbelievable windfall, but he couldn’t accept it so easily.
All throughout the treatments, Baek Dam had never hidden his displeasure. ‘If not for his younger brother, we wouldn’t even have exchanged names.’
To S-rank healer Baek Dam, Han Chasu, a B-rank potion maker, was only worth about that much.
That was why Baek Dam had often been curt with him during treatment. But Han Chasu actually welcomed his arrogance.
At least it was better than someone like Jeong Iheun feeling some needless sense of responsibility toward him.
And yet now he was suddenly doing him a favor…
Baek Dam claimed it was because coming and going was bothersome, but Han Chasu couldn’t trust him so readily.
Han Chasu was in the middle of rapidly turning the matter over in his head.
“You spat up blood, and now even your ears don’t work?”
Along with that quiet mutter, a cool hand approached.
Han Chasu reflexively started to twist that hand away, then stopped.
Unlike its sunlit, gentle color, the hand was colder than body temperature.
Baek Dam, who had activated his healing skill, stroked Han Chasu’s ear and rolled his bark-colored eyes.
As if he were trying to see inside Han Chasu.
Just as the persistent stare made a slight chill run down his spine, Baek Dam’s hand fell away.
Watching the hand slowly retreat, Han Chasu abruptly asked,
“Why are you suddenly saying you’ll discharge me?”
Baek Dam tilted his head lightly.
“I thought you’d like it.”
“I’m not a child. I’m not naïve enough to simply rejoice because something I wanted suddenly fell into my hands.”
“……”
“If all I wanted was to be discharged, I would have signed the lifetime contract long ago.”
At Han Chasu’s words, Baek Dam furrowed his brow.
But at the words that followed, his gaze changed.
“If you answer me properly, I’ll gladly accept your help, Mr. Baek Dam.”
Baek Dam pressed his lips tightly together, then slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Like someone choosing the correct answer from countless options.
At last, his lips parted.
“I told you before. The one who saved you wasn’t the medical staff of this hospital. It was me.”
“What does that have to do with…”
“To be precise, they have no authority over you.”
An arrogant smile settled over his soft lips.
“I’m the one who saved you, and I’m the one saying I’ll send you outside. What’s the problem?”
Baek Dam straightened his back.
His flaxen hair sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight.
Han Chasu’s gray eyes, looking at him, sank into calm.
***
It was a little past noon when Jeong Iheun heard the news of Han Chasu’s discharge.
After he had resolved the dungeon break that appeared in downtown Seoul.
He was exchanging a brief message with Seohun for the first time in a while when an emergency message arrived.
The message from the secretary’s office was short and concise.
[Hunter Han Chasu has been discharged. He is currently moving under the guidance of Philoso’s vice guild master.]
“Iheun, they want to see you over there… Hey, what’s wrong with your face?”
“……”
“Iheun, Jeong Iheun!”
Lee Jinryeol shouted after him, the veins standing out in his neck, but it was no use.
A wild blaze flared in those red eyes, which had remained calm even while beating monsters to death.
***
How long had it been since he last breathed outside air?
Han Chasu drew the sweet freedom he had tasted for the first time in ages deep into his lungs.
“So when are you coming to my house? Now?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to use me like this and throw me away.”
If there was one flaw, it would be Baek Dam following after him while spouting nonsense.
Han Chasu sighed. ‘Did I make a mistake asking for a deal?’
Just a moment ago, he had left the hospital with Baek Dam’s help.
Not by accepting Baek Dam’s forceful goodwill, but by setting a condition.
“I’m the one who saved you, and I’m the one saying I’ll send you outside. What’s the problem?”
Even if he said something like that, it was hard to trust a favor from someone who did not like him.
But Han Chasu absolutely wanted to be discharged. To be precise, he had to be.
So Han Chasu accepted Baek Dam’s help in exchange for one condition.
“One-sided goodwill is very burdensome. Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Within my abilities, I’ll help you with something as well, Mr. Baek Dam.”
“Hmm… Then come visit my house.”
Baek Dam smiled languidly at Han Chasu, who was flustered.
“Your house, Mr. Baek Dam?”
Han Chasu did not bother hiding his reluctance.
“There’s no bait as good as you, Mr. Han Chasu, for bringing back a prodigal son who left home and is wandering around.”
“A prodigal son? Are you talking about Mr. Baek Seon?”
“Yes. Actually, he promised to come home in exchange for me treating you, but he suddenly broke his promise and went off on a dungeon tour.”
Saying he had to look for items that would help your recovery, or something. Baek Dam muttered.
‘It’s because of me.’
Han Chasu let his gaze drift away, pretending not to know.
“You’ll come, won’t you?”
Baek Dam smiled brightly and gently swept down his flaxen hair.
“Well, if you don’t want to, then don’t.”
Han Chasu stared at him with eyes that seemed to say, What kind of guy is this? But soon he nodded.
“Understood.”
His shameless way of speaking, which made people want to clutch the backs of their necks, and the power of being the only S-rank healer in the country.
That combination would surely be enough to free Han Chasu, who had been held back because of Jeong Iheun.
And so, Han Chasu promised to become bait for luring Baek Seon.
“Then I’ll be in your care.”
And his choice produced excellent results.
The only problem was that after the deal was done, he had not expected Baek Dam to trail after him like this.
“…
Aren’t you going home?”
“Why would I? There’s no one waiting for me.”
A man with glittering hair following close behind him while pouting.
It was rather burdensome, but not enough for Han Chasu to go out of his way to shake him off, so he ignored him.
Besides, there were times when Baek Dam was fairly useful.
Like right now.
“You’re getting in, right?”
As soon as they stepped out of the hospital doors, Baek Dam jerked his chin toward the limousine that appeared as if it had been waiting.
Han Chasu nodded without delay.
He hadn’t had his wallet on him anyway.
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(13)
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