Free Web NovelI’d known Do Yehyun had woken up a while ago. At some point, that natural presence just cut off completely.
Do Yehyun, who’d been lying still without even pulling the blanket over himself, rubbed his face a few times, then pushed himself up.
“Awake? You could sleep more.”
“I didn’t realize I fell asleep.”
“Must’ve been tired. Well... if you think about it, it makes sense, right?”
I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d slept properly, so of course I was tired. If anything, it was weird that I was standing here on my own two feet looking this normal.
I checked Do Yehyun’s Status Window again.
Name: Do Yehyun
Age: 21
Rank: B
Title: -
Main Skills: Moonlight’s Blessing (S), Surging Wave (B)
Growth Limit: A
I’d expected it, but just because we got out of the dungeon didn’t mean the Status Window would revert to normal.
‘If his mana shot up this much, it should show up as physical backlash, but he looks fine.’
It was probably because of the skill that let him self-heal.
‘Aside from having no attack skill, a healer really is broken.’
I met eyes with Do Yehyun as he sat on the bed and looked up at me, then pulled a chair over, sat down, and held his gaze.
“You probably need a re-test too. You already know what I mean.”
“.......”
“Don’t you feel it yourself? Your mana increased.”
“...I feel it.”
Do Yehyun answered quietly. He rubbed his palms over his knees a few times, then added slowly.
“When I use skills like usual, it’s definitely easier. Using strength is easier, and shaping it as much as I want is easier too.”
“So you’re happy?”
“Yes.”
The answer came out clear as day, without even a second of hesitation.
Do Yehyun looked me straight in the eye and said it again.
“Yes, I’m happy.”
“Me too.”
“.......”
It was a shame one skill had disappeared, but even factoring that in, getting an achievement like this wasn’t easy, so I was satisfied enough.
“Your rank going up is basically guaranteed. The re-test is just because they need data. And you’ll probably have to register again.”
“Yes.”
“If you and I both re-register our ranks at once, it’ll draw attention, but... it can’t be helped.”
Even if you tried to keep your head down, the situation was obviously weird, so people questioning it was unavoidable. The only thing that mattered was how much, and how long, those questions would drag on. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
“So what are you going to do, hyung?”
“About what?”
“The beast... are you going to register it?”
“I have to, don’t I? That’s the law.”
“.......”
Of course it wasn’t an option that made you want to pick it. Beast-bonded hunters didn’t have a good reputation, and there were reasons that reputation was bad.
‘And it’s also fucking shitty that they “manage” you.’
But when it had been sleeping quietly in my palm, and when I’d absorbed it properly into my whole body, that was a completely different situation. And if markings started appearing all over my body every time I used a skill, then even if it wasn’t now, it was only a matter of time before people found out.
“If it’s going to get out anyway, it’s better to report it first. If it comes out some other way later, it’ll be even more of a headache.”
If it was under embargo and then blew up after an incident, it would be awkward to contain. I didn’t care if I became the nation’s favorite punching bag like Kwon Taehan, but having my face known and it getting hard to move around would definitely be annoying.
‘Maybe I should squeeze some info out of Sung Uijae.’
He’d looked like he’d been dying to give me advice about beasts since last time—if it was a question like this, he might even be happy to hear it.
“I don’t know.”
That was when Do Yehyun spoke, his voice firm.
“About what?”
“Registering a beast.”
“.......”
“The system is too sloppy. The treatment’s bad, too.... And most of it is just surveillance under the excuse of management. Joining a private guild, even moving around—there are restrictions.”
“You know a lot.”
“I looked it up.”
Why the hell did he look that up when even I hadn’t?
When I stared at him, puzzled, an answer came out like an excuse.
“After you told me you’d bonded with a beast, I researched it. ...Just in case.”
That was some impressive dedication.
I let out a short laugh at Do Yehyun’s words, then slowly ran a hand back through my hair.
“Well, it’s not like I’m saying I’m going to run outside and advertise it. Think about it later.”
“I don’t want you to do it.”
“You’re being really clear about what you want. You weren’t like this before.”
“It’s only like that when it’s about you.”
He was just openly confessing, one after another, like it was nothing.
I looked out the window, then turned my head back at Do Yehyun’s words. I could feel that gaze—fervent, fixed on me, not going anywhere.
“I don’t like that.”
“Like what?”
“More precisely... I don’t like other people treating you that way. Like you’re a beast.”
“What did you even see? Did you see a beast-bonded hunter in cuffs, locked behind bars, groaning and struggling? At that point it sounds like you’re into some kind of niche-fetish porn.”
It was the first time he’d ever communicated what he wanted this clearly, and it was almost fascinating. Do Yehyun, like he was at a loss for words, parted his lips a few times, then dropped his gaze to the floor.
“I... want to be next to you.”
“.......”
Was he scared I’d get quarantined or something?
‘If you think about how people see beast-bonded hunters, you should be more scared if they don’t quarantine them.’
I looked at Do Yehyun and answered.
“You are next to me.”
“...In the future too.”
When our eyes met again, his gaze was stronger than I expected.
Before and after going into the dungeon, my impression of Do Yehyun had changed. Maybe because he’d actually killed someone inside the dungeon, he’d gotten less squeamish about that kind of thing...... and his obsession had gotten a little more blatant.
It still wasn’t at an annoying level.
‘Weird.’
It was fine if his strongest desire was wanting me to need him. What really mattered was what came after that.
I was keeping Do Yehyun around as a healer. So if the moments where I needed Do Yehyun became more frequent and more intense, that meant—paradoxically—that I’d be getting hurt more often.
‘How far is that desire going to go?’
Still, in the past, it felt like he’d at least worried about me and told me not to get hurt.
I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at Do Yehyun. I wasn’t going to complain. I was just... a little curious, that was all.
Just then, a message came in on my phone.
It looks like I’ll arrive in about an hour.
It was Im Haekyung.
They’d said they’d send someone, and it looked like they actually kept their promises. Even though a lot of time had passed, and they had to be busy too.
‘Not sure exactly how much time passed since they joined us halfway through, though.’
I typed a rough reply, shoved my phone aside, then looked steadily at Do Yehyun again.
“I ordered some clothes. My outerwear’s gone, and I don’t even have a decent top. If I ran around like this, I feel like I’d get reported for a different reason.”
“.......”
“And since we haven’t properly eaten anything, I ordered food delivery too. When you can’t eat, your personality turns fucking shitty in real time.”
“.......”
“Oh, and someone the Haeseong Guild Master sent is supposed to arrive in about an hour....”
After listing off mundane things like that, I paused.
“Anything else you’re curious about?”
Either way, talking about whether I was going to report the beast-bonding or not wasn’t worth more time. I wasn’t deciding it right now, and even if Do Yehyun’s desire was laid bare, that wasn’t a reason to delay or change my decision.
Do Yehyun stayed silent for a long time, then asked something else.
“Earlier, when you were on the phone... was that Seowon hyung?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded with a short answer.
“Seowon hyung was mad.”
“.......”
“We lost contact for two weeks.”
When I shrugged and spoke like it was no big deal, Do Yehyun’s ambiguous reaction came back.
“Two weeks....”
“Two weeks is longer than you think. SH is a mess too, apparently. They said Guild Master Song got caught up in a dungeon accident. On an overseas business trip, too.”
“.......”
“Aren’t you worried?”
This time, I didn’t even get an answer. I added, sounding like the wind had gone out of me.
“Seowon’s worried.”
“Do you want me to worry about Guild Master Song too?”
A question came back instead of an answer.
‘He’s asking if I want him to worry about Song Hwayoung?’
It was an awkward question. It felt like there was no emotional waste quite like worrying over someone who was already destined to get swept up in an incident and die—yet the fact he was asking this at all felt like a signal.
“I... only worry about you.”
It was the answer I’d expected. I tapped the table with my fingers and replied lightly.
“Good kids don’t do that.”
“Like Seowon hyung?”
“Seowon?”
This was the first time Do Yehyun had brought up Joo Seowon in this kind of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) context.
So did that mean he was saying Joo Seowon was a good person, or that he was saying he wasn’t like Joo Seowon?
I weighed the two for a moment, then answered simply.
“Yeah. He doesn’t.”
Again, after a brief silence, a question came back—like it was obvious.
“Do you... like Seowon hyung?”
Of course, the contents of the question were a little off from what I’d expected.
