Chapter 33
"Why don't we just live together?"
"Fuck off."
Baek Eunseong was wearing his usual poison cotton candy smile, but his voice was serious without a hint of laughter. Sensing something off for a moment, I was slightly startled and immediately refused. I almost regretted it for a second, but thinking about it again, this reaction was only natural, so I actually became more confident. Why would I live with that guy?
At my genuinely horrified reaction, Baek Eunseong lowered his eyes and laughed softly.
"You could at least hear the conditions before rejecting."
"It's horrifying just imagining it."
When I shot back sharply like driving a wedge, he turned his gaze out the window without answering. Where Baek Eunseong's gaze landed, Do Yudam and Baek Hamin were running around playing.
No, to be exact, Baek Hamin was attacking Do Yudam.
Was she jumping rope, or whipping Do Yudam with vines...? Baek Hamin, who was swinging her hands this way and that, made eye contact with me and smiled brightly, bouncing in place and waving her hand. Seeing that, Do Yudam, who had turned around, also shyly greeted me.
Was it peaceful for a moment? About 3 seconds later, the two suddenly started fighting noisily. Baek Eunseong, who was watching them with a satisfied smile, opened his mouth.
"...It's because of Hamin."
"I understand what you're worried about, but that doesn't mean we need to live together, does it?"
"I can't guarantee that something like today won't happen again."
At Baek Eunseong's words, I rested my chin on my hand and glared at the innocent floor.
Hmm. It seems he wants me to stay by Baek Hamin's side and continue suppressing the curse... I stretched my back and looked around Baek Eunseong's house.
Honestly, it was a perfect house, almost embarrassing to compare with my studio apartment. If it were here, I wouldn't have to worry about when the house might collapse. Since Baek Eunseong proposed living together first, I probably wouldn't have to pay a deposit either.
However, after weighing the pros and cons in my head for a moment, I shook my head.
"Still no."
I was curious about what 'Seong Dohyun' would do later upon finding out that his body lived with Baek Eunseong, but even excluding that, no matter how I thought about it, it was my loss.
I only took care of the sick kid for a moment because I was worried; I didn't want to get more involved in the original work and become exhausted. Of course, also in the Baek family's internal power struggle.
Furthermore, if Baek Jiseong found out that I was suppressing the curses of Baek Eunseong and Baek Hamin, it wouldn't just be a shrimp's back bursting from a whale fight—I might just burst and die as the shrimp.
"Hmm. It's getting late, so why don't you stay the night today and we can talk again tomorrow..."
"No."
I cut off Baek Eunseong's words and gestured toward the entrance.
"Baek Hamin!"
Not long after, the front door opened and Yang Jihwan strode into the house.
Baek Eunseong's eyes widened as if he truly hadn't known. Wait, he didn't even notice any presence even though Yang Jihwan was coming? Is his body condition that bad?
I looked at Baek Eunseong and raised an eyebrow once, then buried my body as deeply as possible into the sofa. I didn't want that guy to find out I was here. Unlike his uncle who had a bewildered expression as if asking what was going on, Baek Hamin was smart enough to have apparently hidden Do Yudam somewhere in the bushes. I hadn't heard Do Yudam's voice for a while.
"Hyung! I want snacks!"
Baek Hamin shouted, trying to draw Yang Jihwan's attention, but Yang Jihwan had already discovered me.
"...Hunter Seong Dohyun?"
Yang Jihwan stood close to Baek Eunseong, watching me warily.
"What brings you here..."
"It's confidential so I can't tell you. Ask Baek Eunseong."
When I answered sarcastically just as I had heard from him before, Yang Jihwan turned to Baek Eunseong.
"You said Hamin suddenly disappeared today..."
Then he spoke in a gentle voice while glancing at me. It was a look that anyone could see was saying this person is suspicious, so hurry up and investigate. Baek Eunseong waved his hand slightly as if to say it was okay.
"It's fine. I asked Hunter Seong Dohyun to do this."
"Oh, really?"
Whatever the two talked about, I got up and sent Ashil to Do Yudam, who would be quietly hiding somewhere in the bushes. A moment later, blue eyes peeked out from the middle of the grass. I signaled the child to meet outside, then hesitated for a moment before turning around.
"Baek Eunseong. Let's talk."
"Yes."
Yang Jihwan looked at Baek Eunseong with an expression of disbelief as he came running to me at just one word. Then he glared at me fiercely with sharp eyes. Seriously. If you're going to glare, glare at Baek Eunseong, why glare at me.
I smiled deliberately deeply at Yang Jihwan, whose lips were trembling, then asked Baek Eunseong.
"Do you happen to have a separate training room in the house?"
"Yes? Ah, I do."
"Show me."
Arriving at the training room following Baek Eunseong, I looked around inside and then signaled Baek Eunseong.
"Stay still."
"Excuse me?"
"I said stay still for a moment."
Grabbing his cardigan as he reflexively stepped back, I placed my hand on Baek Eunseong's chest and opened the skill window.
[Viewing Pass Used]
[Will you view the information?]
As I nodded with a sigh, golden letters floated in the air.
[Awakener: Baek Eunseong
Age: 22
Skill: Earth
Status Effect: Medusa's Gaze (S)]
As expected, it was an S-rank curse.
Taking a deep breath, I gathered mana fully in my palm, then forcefully pushed Baek Eunseong's chest.
"Ugh!"
At the sudden movement, Baek Eunseong was pushed back defenselessly. Barely maintaining his balance by touching the ground, he glared at me with wide eyes. Toward Baek Eunseong who was summoning a golem to counterattack, I shook my bracelet.
[Command of the Heavens]
"What on earth..."
[Calm down and check your body condition first.]
When I spoke with skill in my voice, Baek Eunseong felt around his chest with his fingertips. I could see Baek Eunseong's eyes, which had been full of wariness toward me, gradually softening as time passed.
No, beyond softening, wonder was slowly mixing into the eyes looking at me.
Hmm. Was it too much compared to what I intended? I only meant to give him some breathing room.
Blood was gradually returning to Baek Eunseong's face, which until just moments ago had been so pale he should have been laid in a coffin. As I closely observed him hastily taking breaths, I sensed something was off and reflexively stepped back.
[Thread of Ariadne]
Then Baek Eunseong came a bit closer by the amount I had retreated. Feeling a creeping sense of anxiety, I secretly called Ashil and looked for an escape route. I didn't know what might happen if I stood there blankly like last time.
Baek Eunseong seemed to have noticed I was looking for a chance to escape, as he stopped walking, but his eyes were still unfocused.
Only after confirming that he wasn't coming any closer did I open my mouth.
"With this, the debt is paid."
"...What debt?"
There was a time before when Baek Eunseong had saved me, not 'Seong Dohyun.' When I was drunk on my power, unable to tell front from back, and ended up losing an arm and breaking a leg, Baek Eunseong appeared and saved me. Not only that, he had Yang Jihwan treat my mangled body.
If it weren't for Baek Eunseong, I wouldn't be able to walk normally right now.
So just up to here.
"And, if you're going to rush at me like this every time I suppress your curse, I'm overturning the contract."
"...I'll try not to rush at you."
I glared at Baek Eunseong, who put his hand on his chest as if making a vow, then went without hesitation to find the venomous scorpion's tail.
Baek Eunseong's secretary, who handed me the tail with an excessively polite attitude, also offered his business card. Was Baek Eunseong's condition so serious that a person who used to look at me like I was a bug was bowing his head to me?
Well, Baek Eunseong must have his own reasons for living like that.
* * *
After dropping Do Yudam off at the Academy, I slowly returned home. The business card I received from Baek Eunseong's secretary was thrown into one corner of the room.
Before starting the full-scale repair of M's Band, I opened the window for ventilation, only to find magical beasts roaming the streets—looks like a dungeon break had occurred. I watched the outside scenery for a moment, then closed the window with a sigh.
Really... I wanted to return to my original world as soon as possible. To a place where I wouldn't have to tremble in fear while sleeping, wondering when a dungeon break might occur, and where I wouldn't have to worry about my house collapsing from a magical beast attack.
To do that, I needed to quickly earn every penny I could, buy materials, and repair M's Band. That's why I had promptly gone out to help whenever the Association President summoned me....
"Hey, Seong Dohyun!"
The place I arrived at after being called by the Association President this time was literally a scene of chaos. Collapsed buildings and sand were mixed together in a mess, and to make matters worse, traces of desert wraiths were tangled everywhere.
Wondering where to even begin, I stood there looking at the scene, then called out Ashil. The Association hunters, who had now become practically my hands and feet, started running in the direction Ashil pointed to find the missing.
Continuing the work smoothly as usual, I frowned when I saw sand suddenly rising. I had a very good idea who was using their ability over there right now.
"Why is he here?"
"Don't you know? He suddenly said he'd help. And for free, too."
The Association President emphasized 'for free' particularly, pointing at Baek Eunseong who was commanding sand golems.