VSP 86

In the end, Sejun sighed because he knew the conversation would drag on anyway, and just then, someone entered his view.

It was Lee Dohun. He had just passed through the Association entrance, and despite Choi Hangyeol saying he had been badly injured, he looked perfectly fine.

Sejun reflexively furrowed his eyebrows.

Lee Yongseok and Lee Dohun. The two of them together weren’t a simple one plus one. It was multiplication, or maybe squaring.

They didn’t get along well, so they wouldn’t form an alliance, but when both stood in the same place, it doubled Sejun’s exhaustion all the same.

What kind of luck was this today? He thought gloomily that it was as if the thought of having a good day had never crossed his mind. Then he realized something. There was no way he was the only one who received that message about the health checkup.

Today was the scheduled day for many hunters to visit the Association.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Lee Yongseok urged him for a reply. At that moment, Lee Dohun also seemed to notice Sejun and Yongseok, and he stopped where he was.

That instant, Sejun made a quick judgment. No matter what kind of posts appeared on Hunternet later, it would be better to just get out of there now.

“I’m busy.”

Anyone could tell it was a clumsy excuse, and as Sejun tried to leave, Yongseok’s eyebrow twitched.

Just as Yongseok was about to speak, a voice came from the entrance.

“Hey, Lee Yongseok.”

Lee Dohun, who had walked in from the entrance at a slow pace, called out to him.

Sejun’s eyes widened as he turned his head. He had fully expected Dohun to ignore everything and pass by, but instead, he had stepped between two people who were clearly on bad terms.

“‘Hey’?”

Yongseok’s attention instantly shifted from Sejun to Dohun, who was more than ten years younger and speaking with no restraint.

“Then what am I supposed to call you?”

No matter how angry Yongseok looked, Dohun only looked down at him with his usual casual smirk.

Sejun couldn’t help his dumbfounded expression.

What’s wrong with this guy?

***

When the sound of messages woke him in the morning, Jeong Siwoo sighed at the texts about rotation schedules and health checks disguised as physical examinations.

Being in the same group as Seo Sejun was annoying enough, but the added checkup made him irritated the moment he opened his eyes. He was already in a bad mood.

He knew well that his condition had been poor lately and that every little thing made him irritated and sensitive, but knowing it didn’t mean he could stop the irritation.

Seo Sejun annoyed him. Everything bothersome annoyed him.

“Ha.”

But he knew it was better to deal with unpleasant things quickly, so he dragged himself up and got ready to go out.

“……”

While he was getting ready, Jeong Siwoo stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He had been told he was pretty since childhood, and even he thought his face wasn’t bad. His height was a bit disappointing, but overall, he looked fine.

No, it wasn’t just fine. Since he was little, people would say things like, “Oh my, how can a boy be this pretty?” and that would make his mother smile proudly.

Jeong Siwoo rather liked his pretty face too.

It was just that it was useless with the one person he liked.

The person he liked had a completely different type.

If Jeong Siwoo gave a soft, pretty impression, Seo Sejun was the tall, distinctly featured type whose looks made anyone say “handsome” before thinking.

So no matter how talented Jeong Siwoo was as an S-rank hunter, he could never match that kind of face. That made him even more annoyed.

He couldn’t make himself taller, and even with surgery, that kind of face wouldn’t be possible.

…Not that it mattered anyway. He’s useless.

Of course, he knew looks weren’t the only reason Ryu Sehyun liked Seo Sejun, but that didn’t stop the frustration. Clicking his tongue, Jeong Siwoo finished getting ready and headed for the Association.

“Ah.”

Near the entrance of the association, Jeong Siwoo came face-to-face with someone familiar.

“……”

That person also seemed to notice him and stopped near the entrance.

It was Cha Dogyeong.

Jeong Siwoo and Cha Dogyeong.

They weren’t enemies, but they weren’t close either. No one would call them friends. They just didn’t connect.

They could be in the same group setting, but they had never met one-on-one before.

“Hello, hyung.”

But they weren’t on such bad terms that they’d ignore each other, so Jeong Siwoo greeted him first. Dogyeong was a year older, after all.

“Yeah.”

Cha Dogyeong gave a small nod and walked past.

“……”

Jeong Siwoo puffed his cheeks.

This hyung really had a bad personality. He couldn’t say his own temper was good, but at least he wasn’t this prickly.

Every S-rank hunter usually treated Jeong Siwoo kindly, but Cha Dogyeong had always been cold toward him.

He knew the man was impressive, sure, but Jeong Siwoo grumbled as he walked up beside Cha Dogyeong, who was walking ahead.

“Hyung, you’re here for the checkup too?”

“Yeah.”

I see…

The conversation ended there.

Since they were headed to the same place anyway, he figured walking together was better than keeping awkward distance. But once the talk stopped, the air turned awkward.

Well, the awkwardness was probably only on his side. Cha Dogyeong wasn’t the kind of man who cared about things like that.

Why did it have to be him out of all people? Why couldn’t it have been Sehyun-hyung or someone else?

Muttering inwardly, Jeong Siwoo walked alongside his uncomfortable companion in uncomfortable silence, and soon, after they passed the Association entrance, he saw something.

He would’ve noticed them anywhere, no matter the place.

Seo Sejun and Lee Dohun.

It wasn’t the strangest pairing. They ran into each other often enough that it wasn’t rare to see them in the same space. Usually, one or both wore irritated faces, so it never looked friendly.

But today was different. Neither of them looked angry. Rather, there was a rare quiet atmosphere between the two.

Jeong Siwoo could swear he had never seen the two standing face to face like that, not fighting, not arguing, just looking at each other.

In the past five years, not once.

“…So.”

After staring at Lee Dohun for a while, Seo Sejun opened his mouth first.

“Why did you do it?”

His tone wasn’t critical, but Lee Dohun frowned as if he heard it that way.

“Why do you get pissed even when someone helps you?”

“Ha. That mouth really proves you’re Lee Dohun.”

“What’s your problem?”

“You’re doing something that’s not like you, that’s the problem.”

Seo Sejun looked down for a moment, then lifted his head.

“Honestly, you ‘helping’ me? What could be m ore awkward than that?”

“If you’re just grateful for the help, why don’t you just say thank you? You’re good at that, so say thank you.”

Seo Sejun, who had been looking at him as if asking what he meant, blushed slightly as he belatedly understood the meaning of his words.

“…That time, I said it because I really was thankful.”

“And this time, you’re not?”

“Ha.”

Seo Sejun ruffled his hair roughly and raised his voice, clearly annoyed at the uncharacteristic teasing.

“Fine, thanks! I’m thankful! Happy now?”

“Yeah.”

Lee Dohun smiled, looking genuinely satisfied.

Jeong Siwoo could swear that in all his time as a hunter, he had never once seen Lee Dohun smile like that while looking at Seo Sejun.

“Now that’s more like it.”

Seo Sejun seemed to think the same. He stared at Dohun’s face with an expression that looked both curious and uncertain, then sighed. His face looked like someone staring at a person who stirred something inside him.

“Why did you do it?”

“What?”

“Why’d you interfere? You’re not even on bad terms with Lee Yongseok.”

“Who, me? With Lee Yongseok?”

Lee Dohun gave a short, incredulous laugh.

“Don’t make me laugh. I hate that bastard as much as I hate you.”

“Are you insane?”

He said straight to someone’s face, “I hate him as much as I hate you.” But for Lee Dohun, that kind of line suited him better than that halfhearted help.

“Then why’d you even step between me and him? Answer that at least.”

Lee Dohun shut his mouth at that.

He stared at Seo Sejun for a moment. Seo Sejun, in turn, stared at Lee Dohun quietly. He still had a slight frown on his face, but he seemed awkward about being alone with each other… It was a strange sight, lacking the usual discord.”

“…Just because.”

Lee Dohun muttered vaguely and turned his head away.

“Just because?”

Lee Dohun, helping Seo Sejun for no reason? That made even less sense, so Sejun asked back in disbelief.

“Sejun-hyung.”

At that moment, Cha Dogyeong, who had been silently watching everything, called out to Seo Sejun and took a step closer.