FTE 028

I’m fine since I can run well~?

I wanted to beat up my past self for saying such words. How embarrassing. A crazy fool. An impudent child who couldn’t see even one step ahead yet boasted about it.

Running backwards while facing Chae Won-u, I managed to give him a forced smile as he looked at me with concern. In truth, I felt like vomiting. It was an expression I didn’t want to use, but Chae Won-u truly was a monster.

“Are you struggling?”

Yes, I was struggling. I also felt slightly nauseous. Every year, my pride steadily increased as I ran further and faster, but Chae Won-u effortlessly shattered it in a simple manner.

He slowly approached me with a worried expression, but when I waved him away, indicating that he should go ahead, Chae Won-u misunderstood completely. Instead, he sped up and came right in front of me.

“I should’ve taken it easy for a bit longer. It was too much to start running right after treatment.”

Nope. That was perfect for me. The impossible task was trying to keep up with you, you little—

Now I understood Doctor Kang’s peculiar expression earlier. He had been genuinely concerned about me despite his unemotional nature.

Breathing evenly, Chae Won-u extended his hand toward me. Despite being hunched over and panting heavily, my eyes were keenly focused on his shadow as I grabbed hold of his outstretched arm. Chae Won-u looked bewildered at suddenly having his wrist seized by me.

“You^[1]… Hunter Chae… You must be taking some good supplements.”

“You can just call me ‘you^[2]‘.”

The bashful smile and returned greeting did nothing to soothe my annoyance. Who are you for me to call ‘you’? My noona? I thought bitterly, the lyrics of that old hit song, ‘You You You,’ echoing mockingly in my head. 

“You’re taking supplements, right? Seriously. We aren’t inside a dungeon, so why aren’t you tired?”

“Maybe it’s due to age?”

“Hunter Chae, people older than me won’t appreciate those words.”

“No, I meant I’m still young, that’s all.” 

“…..”

“You prefer younger people, right? It’s a huge advantage!”

“What have you been watching lately? You’ve gone crazy. What do you mean by that?”

Shaking my head, indicating I’d heard enough, I sat down. Chae Won-u, with his delicate features and charming smile, was hard to believe—whether he spoke about honey or lies. Despite claiming to have run several kilometers, he looked too pristine for anyone to trust him on that front. I let out a deep sigh.

“I can’t run anymore. Let’s rest.”

The Hunter Association’s track, occupying a vast area by itself, had a stand nearby. At first glance, it appeared to be a typical sports park designed for community health promotion, attempting to blend in inconspicuously. However, this field was far from ordinary—it boasted larger dimensions and a more robust surface compared to standard tracks—where I now sat beside someone equally extraordinary. With each deep breath, my chest throbbed painfully.

“Wow, I feel like dying.” As I muttered between gasps, Chae Won-u sprang up.

“I’ll get us some drinks.”

“Just water is fine.”

Normally, I would have declined, but not today. Chae Won-u took large strides up the stairs with his broad gait before shouting back at me:

“Don’t cause any trouble out there! Just ignore anyone who tries to pick a fight!”

It was the exact same tone my mother used when telling me to be careful of cars, be careful of strangers, be careful of everything. Chae Won-u, apparently understanding, just waved his hand dismissively.

Still, I knew Chae Won-u had his own way of filtering things. If someone picked a fight with him, he’d ignore them in a way that would make them die of frustration. I decided that if he wasn’t back in ten minutes, I’d go and find him myself.

Fortunately, Chae Won-u returned safe and sound before the ten minutes were up. In his hands, he held two bottles of iced barley tea – a sight that brought instant relief. He was (surprisingly) sensible. A good thing, too, because my legs, already overworked from the earlier ordeal, felt like they’d have to carry me across continents just to find him.

“They were out of water. I can squeeze some out of my ability if you need it.” 

“No, this is fine.” I emptied half of the tea in one gulp. Then I closed the lid and checked the time.

“Should we take the guiding test together today?”

My tone was quite confrontational. Of course it was—this wasn’t a suggestion or a request, it was an outright demand. Try and refuse.

Chae Won-u didn’t readily agree, his expression clearly reluctant. In truth, I anticipated this reaction. That’s why I made it a command rather than a proposal.

“You have to go,” I stated firmly after finishing the remaining tea. With my index finger pointed at Chae Won-u like a target, I crumpled the plastic bottle. “Chae Won-u-ssi, you don’t look well.”

“You can tell just by looking? You’re no expert, hyung. You’re not even a researcher… you’re just a middle school dropout…”

“I think you were trying to provoke me and make me angry, but you’re really bad at it. It doesn’t even make me angry when you’re telling the truth. I may be a middle school dropout, but at least I have good eyesight. Left eye 1.8, right eye 1.5.  And I can tell that your condition isn’t what it normally is, Chae Won-u-ssi. And even in this state, you must still be some kind of genius, huh?”

Oh no, this was embarrassing. Spending time with Chae Won-u made me sound childish as well. Despite nobody else hearing our conversation, I turned away in shame at what I had said.

” …out.”

“Huh?”

“I said, middle school dropout.”

“…..”

Despite being only a middle school dropout, my prediction about Chae Won-u turned out to be accurate. It wasn’t fair to judge people based on their education, but at least I had learned quadratic equations.

“Alright, alright… I’ll be nice.”

My tone quickly softened due to pity. Considering his age, maybe his education was cut short after the first dungeon break… It wasn’t common, but… 

Trying to convince myself of that, I stood up. My legs wobbled pathetically. Chae Won-u grabbed my arm and suddenly pulled me upright. I was grateful, but the way he did it, like pulling out an overripe radish, made me burst out laughing. 

“You’re pulling me up like I’m some kind of radish…”

“Hyung, you’re as light as a radish.”

“Not feather-light, but radish-light. Lovely.”

By now, I had grown accustomed to Chae Won-u’s offbeat timing and unromantic flirtations, despite his attempts often falling flat.

I defined the genre with Chae Won-u: A failed romantic drama. A failed young adult romance simulation game. It was obvious that this crappy game wouldn’t have any ending or it would be a meaningless one if there was.

Once I thought about it like this, I felt much more relaxed. In the game, one year equaled approximately one and a half hours of playtime in reality at most, right? Given how things had turned out, I wanted to see a happy ending for Chae Won-u.

I grabbed his neck with my hand. Even his neck looked beautiful. While not slender, it had quite a sexy curve. “Hunter Chae Won-u. How should I handle this situation where I am gradually adapting to your eccentric words?”

“It’s just sweet talk.”

“No, seriously. Where did you learn such phrases?”

“From those video platforms.”

“Okay. Today, I’ll definitely put on parental controls.”

I was worried, very worried about this innocent battle monster.

***

I underwent various tests, from blood to brain wave analysis. These were basic procedures similar to when my guidance value was first measured. Feeling slightly dizzy, I awaited the results.

Across from me sat Chae Won-u, solving a Rubik’s cube with his hands. Instead of aligning each face by color, he was creating a puzzle-like pattern with consistency. It didn’t seem challenging for him; it appeared as if his fingers moved instinctively due to sheer practice.

“Won-u, please come inside first.”

The chief called for Chae Won-u. He brushed past me and entered the room. I leaned my head against the cold wall, feeling oddly detached as Chae Won-u passed by.

Chae Won-u showed no emotions and acted like I wasn’t there. His behavior was really childish. While waiting for Chae Won-u, the researchers also worked as if I wasn’t present. In movies or dramas, sometimes they show scenes where time flows quickly around the protagonist while they remain still. This is how it feels now. It wasn’t just this moment; every time I waited for test results, it always felt like this.

The consultation took longer than expected, so I got up from my seat and picked up Chae Won-u’s cube. This game had a strategy to solve it. It was simply a matter of who could do it faster. I started solving Chae Won-u’s puzzle, matching one color at a time. By the time only one face remained…

“Guide Yang, please come inside.”

It was like being called by a nurse to enter a doctor’s office. I left behind the unfinished puzzle and got up from my seat, encountering Chae Won-u who had just emerged.

“…..”

From his expression, it was impossible to discern what he had heard during his consultation. Perhaps it wasn’t anything significant—likely just comments about stability fluctuations, either increasing or decreasing. I briefly considered patting him on the arm but decided against it and simply brushed past him. As I did, Chae Won-u lightly tapped my hand with his knuckles, causing a ticklish sensation due to his protruding finger joints.

“Yes, make sure you close the door firmly before entering.”

Actually, this was unfamiliar to me. Typically, guides and hunters shared their inspection results with each other. Whether they entered together or separately, there wasn’t usually a need to close the door. The term ‘dungeon raid’ might soften the reality, but what we were doing was war, and the places we ventured into were battlefields. Our survival depended on understanding our opponent’s condition, making information about each other crucial. However, I knew almost nothing about Chae Won-u.

Pulling out a chair, I sat down like a dog who had spent three years at school, eagerly deciphering the screen before me.

“His stability seems low?” I asked, pulling my chair closer.

The chief nodded affirmatively while clicking his mouse.

“Was it troublesome because of Won-u?”

“Yes,” I replied promptly.