VSP 72

“Why are you fidgeting like a puppy that needs to pee?”

As always, Na Yookyung couldn’t leave him be and gave him a light nudge.

Lee Dohun, who had been staring at the report, turned his head at the familiar voice. Recognizing it was Na Yookyung, he let out a deep sigh.

“Huh. That was a bit harsh.”

“He’s actually sighing in front of his noona now?”

“Ah, noona. Just let it go.”

“I don’t want to. I really feel like poking you right now.”

Na Yookyung smiled brightly and sat down beside Lee Dohun without hesitation. Glancing at the report, she tilted her head in confusion. It only had “escape room type” written down, with nothing else filled in.

If it’s an escape room type, shouldn’t the report be super easy? Just write down what puzzles or games came up and how you solved them. Why is he agonizing over this?

As Na Yookyung pondered this, she suddenly recalled who had accompanied Lee Dohun to the dungeon. “Ah!” she exclaimed.

Seo Sejun.

She didn’t think Seo Sejun himself was the problem, but the combination of Lee Dohun and Seo Sejun was bound to cause trouble. Anyone aware of their relationship would understand why.

But no matter how bad Lee Dohun and Seo Se-mjun got along, could something have happened that made him unable to write the report? Considering Dohun’s personality—the more he disliked a task, the quicker he wanted to get it over with—he should have just written something up quickly and handed it in. The fact that he couldn’t do that meant…

“Did you do something you can’t talk about?”

It meant this wasn’t just a case of him being “unwilling” to write it.

Startled by her words, Dohun snapped his pen and drew a long line across the report.

Huh?

Yookyung looked dazed by his much more intense reaction than she’d expected. Before she could say anything else, Dohun clenched his teeth and preempted her.

“Please, noona, don’t ask any more questions.”

“Uh… okay, fine. Got it.”

Under normal circumstances, Na Yookyung would have teased him further at such a reaction to her joke. But at that moment, it seemed wiser not to prod Lee Dohun any further.

It felt like looking at a precarious pile of toys that might collapse at any moment if touched.

Though she answered obediently, Na Yookyung’s mind grew unnecessarily complicated. Had the two of them done something unspeakable…? What kind of unspeakable thing?

Several possibilities surfaced unbidden, but she shook her head vigorously to dismiss the thoughts.

Seo Sejun and Lee Dohun? That made no sense. Besides, she’d never heard of escape room missions or quizzes featuring such content.

She’d been dragged into escape rooms several times herself, but the missions were always manageably easy.

Besides, if such a mission had been assigned, both of them would have just chosen the antlion hell option instead of doing it. At least, that’s how Na Yookyung knew them to be.

The two fell into an unintentional silence.

After a long pause, Lee Dohun spoke first.

“Noona.”

“Hm?”

“Something’s changed.”

“……”

“You know it too.”

Though the subject was omitted, Na Yookyung understood what he meant.

That subtle sense of dissonance she’d felt since some point. That must be what he was referring to.

“I don’t know.”

She feigned ignorance. It was true that something had changed at some point, but to her, it wasn’t just one change.

One of those changes was something she still wanted to hide from others, so she didn’t want to reveal her hand first.

“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about Seo Sejun.”

Fortunately, what he had pointed out wasn’t about the change she wished to conceal.

“You would have known, right, noona?”

“Hmm.”

“I know myself. How could my loathing for that guy, someone I used to hate to death, suddenly weaken like this?”

His loathing for Seo Sejun had weakened.

An ordinary person might dismiss it as a mere shift in feeling, thinking, Ah, well, I guess I don’t hate him quite as much as before. But S-rank hunters, who transcend human limits, are a breed acutely sensitive to their own states. She couldn’t help but notice.

“It feels like someone arbitrarily toyed with my emotions and then abruptly dropped them. It’s unpleasant.”

That this wasn’t a natural shift.

His loathing for Seo Se-mjun had suddenly lessened, and since clearing the Final Dungeon, the difficulty level, which had been dormant, was steadily rising.

While the former was serious enough to be a genuine problem, Na Yookyung, who had no intention of revealing the latter to the public, felt relieved that Lee Dohun hadn’t noticed it yet. There was no need for unnecessary anxiety to spread.

Cha Dogyeong, Ryu Sehyun, Na Yookyung.

These three were the only ones aware of the dungeons’ peculiar current state.

And as far as Yookyung could tell, all the S-rank players knew something had changed, centered around Seo Sejun. Whether Seo Sejun himself was aware of that fact remained unknown.

Lee Dohun, who had scowled and declared it unpleasant, sighed, clutched his head again, and fell silent.

Knowing that if she stayed, Dohun would never finish his report, Na Yookyung patted his shoulder a few times before leaving.

But Dohun…

That day, she had barely managed to hold back the words rising to her throat.

It seems to me you’re not just feeling less disgusted.

It was a subtle difference only her keen sensitivity could detect.

“Noona.”

Lost in thought, recalling memories from days past, she turned her head up at the sound of Jeong Siwoo calling her. Seeing Siwoo, his face slightly dried from moisture, preparing to greet her, she cut short her lingering thoughts and flashed a bright smile. She could ponder things while driving.

“You worked hard.”

“Yeah, you too, Siwoo.”

With that exchange, the two parted ways coolly.

After confirming her clothes were somewhat dry, Na Yookyung climbed into her car.

On the drive home, she listened to the soft music playing on random play and started thinking.

Lately, the situation around her had been quite interesting.

Cha Dogyeong, Ryu Sehyun, Lee Dohun, Choi Hangyeol… And then there was Jeong Siwoo, though his role was slightly different.

This whole situation, strangely revolving around Seo Sejun.

She still couldn’t pinpoint the reason behind it, much like the recent unusual state of the dungeons. But unlike the dungeons, which only caused her worry, this situation provided her with a small, amusing diversion.

If even one of them had caught her interest, she might have felt sorry for the men entangled in this situation. But truthfully, none of her fellow hunters held any special place in her heart.

No, it was more accurate to say she simply had no romantic interest in any man, hunter or otherwise.

So while she felt pity for Jeong Siwoo, she couldn’t empathize with his feelings.

Had she never liked anyone before, so she just didn’t know?

Whatever the case, she felt she was merely enjoying a great romantic show from the best seats in the house, happily popping popcorn as she watched. She found him entertaining.

Suddenly, the cheerful song she’d been listening to cut off. She glanced at the screen connected to her phone and saw a call coming in from Ryu Sehyun. She pressed the answer button immediately.

-Did you clear the dungeon?

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

Since they had known each other long, she skipped the small talk and got straight to the point, responding cheerfully. Maybe that cheerfulness reached Ryu Sehyun on the other end, he paused before asking.

-You seem in a good mood.

“Yeah, I guess.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say how entertaining the recent situation surrounding them had been, so she evaded the question. Fortunately, Ryu Sehyun didn’t ask further.

-How was it?

“Well, same as always. I could tell the difficulty was subtly ramped up. If Siwoo hadn’t controlled the mobs, it might’ve been a bit of a hassle? For a mere A-rank, that is.”

True to her status as one of the elite S-rankers, she dismissed an A-rank dungeon as “mere.”

Had she found it challenging like most others, it might have been understandable. But precisely because she was who she was, this shift stood out all the more.

Their serious discussion about the current situation gradually subsided as her car entered Seoul.

Before ending the call, a playful spark lit up in Na Yookyung’s eyes as she teased Ryu Sehyun.

“Lucky you.”

-What ?

“You’re doing the next mission with Sejun, right?”

-……If you’re gonna talk nonsense, hang up.

Ryu Sehyun casually brushed off her teasing, but Na Yookyung caught his fleeting, almost imperceptible silence and snorted.

If anything could fluster Ryu Sehyun in this world, it was undoubtedly Seo Sejun.

Was it just flustering him? Or perhaps every joy and sorrow in this guy’s life revolved around Seo Sejun.

“I have a question I want to ask. Is it okay?”

-As long as it’s not pointless.

“It’s nothing big, just something I suddenly wondered. Why do you like him?”

At that question, Ryu Sehyun fell into a long silence.

Ryu Sehyun’s feelings were so blatant that anyone who had known him for a long time and watched him closely couldn’t help but notice.

Of course, he usually wore a stony, indifferent expression, and before becoming the Association President, he preferred solitude. So not many people knew the truth. But long-time colleagues like Na Yookyung or Jeong Siwoo, who harbored a crush on him, couldn’t possibly be unaware?

Beyond that, someone sharp-eyed and unbiased might also figure it out.