VSP 84

To be honest, Seo Sejun didn’t even feel like arguing about what part of that could count as flirting. He knew there had been too many kill points that day to count one by one.

Back when he had complained every time he got a sub-mission, asking how he was supposed to flirt with that guy, things had been tough, but once the missions became easier, instead of feeling relieved, his mind only grew more tangled.

He felt glad that his mana had increased. He was really glad.

But the increase no longer brought him the same thrill it had at the start. He just thought “It went up again, that’s nice.”

He knew he should feel happier, but he felt less and less moved by it.

More accurately, something else had been on his mind, and that made him pay less attention to the rest.

These days, before sleeping or whenever he drifted into thought, Sejun often found himself thinking about Cha Dogyeong.

Of course, it wasn’t like he had just started thinking about that bastard since the day he got this cursed main mission and sub-missions, but lately, the way he thought of Dogyeong has slightly changed.

Until now, he had thought of him only while worrying about how to handle those missions together. But now, what surfaced were random moments, like when they had gone down to Bucheon together or when they had drunk together.

He could say that instead of intense memories, small everyday moments came to him more often.

His interest in Cha Dogyeong hadn’t really changed from before, but the kind of interest had shifted.

And that kind of thing was what people usually called a crush.

“Haa…”

Sejun rubbed his face roughly. He couldn’t deny it. He really had a crush on Cha Dogyeong.

What bothered him even more than the fact that the other person was Cha Dogyeong, a man, was something else entirely.

It was that their relationship existed because the author wanted it that way.

Although he acknowledged that what he had with Dogyeong was more of a crush, what weighed heavily on his heart was the knowledge that everything was just the author’s manipulation.

What started out as a desperate attempt to save his hair had, once it became easier, started to feel uncomfortable.

He had no excuse if someone called it contradictory, but that was how it was for Seo Sejun.

He’s attracted to Dogyeong and Dogyeong is attracted to him.

Could that be real?

“Ah!”

After thinking for a long time, Seo Sejun lost his patience and stomped his feet on the sofa.

Usually, when he made a fuss by himself, the system would chime in with a comment, but maybe because it knew how complicated his mind was, it was unusually quiet today.

In the end, when Sesejun ran out of energy and lay down, he no longer had the strength to think.

Thinking didn’t suit Seo Sejun anyway.

And the conclusion he came to was the same old one he had reached every day these past few days. He knew it was a pathetic conclusion, but he kept thinking about it and that made him feel even more foolish.

Thinking about it wouldn’t change anything.

He felt a bit down, but he quickly comforted himself out of habit. Since when had he ever been the type to think, worry, and act this much?

Besides, even if he did, as long as the main mission stood in his way, the two of them were bound to get entangled no matter what.

“……”

Of course, now that he was conscious of Cha Dogyeong, the mission ‘Eat with Cha Dogyeong’ needed a different approach.

His face started to feel hot for some reason and he shook his head, but just then his phone chimed. He reached toward the table beside him and checked the screen.

There was a new message. It was from Ryu Sehyun.

[The teams rotated again.]

As the system had said, the message meant the team rotation had happened.

Come to think of it, quite some time had passed since Cha Dogyeong and Lee Dohun had fought, and although he hadn’t cared to know, he had learned from Choi Hangyeol’s message that Dohun had been discharged safely.

In the meantime, Team 4 had cleared their target, and now the teams had rotated again. During that time, Cha Dogyeong hadn’t contacted him personally even once.

Wait, why was he even thinking about Dogyeong? As soon as he realized he had thought about not getting a message from him, Sejun shook his head and forced himself to focus on the text.

Who would he be teamed with this time? Anyway, the worst-case match with Lee Dohun had already passed, so he didn’t care who it was now.

[This trouble will probably end soon.]

But unlike usual, there was another note added under the rotation message.

[The election period is over, and we’re getting complaints about the A-rank dungeon monopoly, so after two or three more rotations, the special management period should be over. Hang in there a little longer, everyone.]

It seemed Ryu Sehyun was tired too, since the Baecheon Guild led by Lee Yongseok had been protesting lately. Besides, the rotation had gone on long enough for the seasons to change, so the S-rank hunters had done more than enough.

Below that, the new team list followed in order.

Sesejun scrolled down and checked his team, and his expression was difficult to describe.

[Team 4: Seo Sejun, Jeong Siwoo]

He had ended up with someone he could instantly say he wasn’t close to at all if anyone asked.

Jeong Siwoo.

The most recent memory Sesejun had with Jeong Siwoo, a hunter three years younger than him, was the time he had given him lemonade. They had no real connection beyond that.

Before even asking wether their relationship was good or bad, he could count the number of times they had exchanged words on one hand.

Now that he thought about it, had Jeong Siwoo enjoyed the lemonade that day?

[It seems like this is your first time doing something alone with Hunter Jeong Siwoo.]

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Sejun nodded. He had been on the same team as Jeong Siwoo a few times when they were being dragged around by Cha Dogyeong’s calls, but they had never done anything alone together.

They had never shared small talk or any kind of personal interaction either.

Since most people disliked him, the only reason he could vaguely assume Jeong Siwoo didn’t dislike him was because there had been no point of contact between them at all.

Originally, that had been true for most hunters, but recently, because of the team rotations, he had been running into the others often enough to at least see their faces.

But that hadn’t been the case with Jeong Siwoo.

If someone asked Sejun what he thought about Jeong Siwoo, the only answer he could give was that he neither liked nor disliked him.

They had never been paired alone, not even once. He didn’t know what Jeong Siwoo thought.

Well, he had given him a drink last time, and he had taken it with a smile, so it didn’t seem like he hated him. The original story’s influence had probably weakened by now too.

Of course, human relationships weren’t that simple just because of a single drink but he felt like Siwoo didn’t dislike him, so he didn’t feel uncomfortable about it.

Anyway, nothing could be worse than being teamed with Lee Dohun.

Sejun calmly moved past the team assignment.

But that wasn’t the only message he had received. There was another one, not from Ryu Sehyun, but directly from the Hunter Association.

[Hunter Seo Sejun,

Your annual physical examination period has begun.

Please visit the Hunter Association Medical Center within the designated time frame to complete your examination.]

Ah.

It had been a while since he last got this text.

Since all hunters registered under the Association – meaning every hunter in Korea, since registration was mandatory – had to take a physical exam once a year.

They called it a physical exam, but it was closer to a health checkup for disease prevention.

It was like how big corporations offered health screenings, but to Sejun, it only was annoying. Hunters barely even got sick anyway.

But he had no intention of throwing a tantrum and bothering Ryu Sehyun over it. He just didn’t feel like going.

[You’ll have to do it anyway, so why not just go today and get it over with? It’s only a scan or two, so there’s nothing to prepare. You might as well strike while the iron’s hot.]

At the system’s words, Sesejun hesitated. It was still morning, and the system was right. The earlier he finished unpleasant tasks, the better.

In the end, he forced his heavy body up. He decided to finish it quickly and forget about it.

He got ready to go out, grabbed his car keys, and stepped outside.

“Ah.”

Once he sat in the car, his gaze naturally went to the plush toy in the passenger seat. He had forgotten about it since it blended into the background, but seeing it again brought Cha Dogyeong to mind.

It was a gift from Cha Dogyeong. The plush toy, about the size of two palms, had sat on the passenger seat with its seatbelt fastened ever since he had received it.

Because of that, the things he used to put in the passenger seat had been exiled to the back seat, but he had never thought about removing the toy.

It wasn’t because he had forgotten to bring it inside.

He just thought that maybe one day, at some unexpected moment, Cha Dogyeong might ride in his car again. Like when they went to Bucheon. He wanted to know what kind of reaction Dogyeong would show if he saw the toy sitting there.

He just wanted to see that look on his face.