RG 144

Ryu Seonghyeon quickly turned his head forward. The sudden surge of irritation showed plainly on his face—too clearly to hide. “…What exactly do you mean by that?” he asked in a low voice. 

Song Ji-un blinked, then finally began to speak after a pause. “For a long time, this place was wrapped in bitter cold and blizzards. Twenty years ago, the government attempted to investigate the cause and resolve the weather problem, but every effort failed.”

“…”

“A Support with divine power tried to purify the area, but they lost consciousness before even passing the foot of the mountain. The energy dominating this mountain was far stronger than the Support’s—it was inevitable, really.”

“You’re saying Hunter Cha Seohu is the first person to succeed in purifying it?”

“Yes. There aren’t many Supports strong enough to purify a place like this. And back then, there were problems everywhere—rifts opening and monsters flooding out. The government eventually decided to seal off the mountain.”

“You know a lot about this.”

“I actually saw it on the news. Back then, I was still an unawakened civilian. I came to live here after the mountain was declared a restricted zone.”

After Song Ji-un began hiding on this mountain, things only worsened. At first, he ignored the changes, telling himself he was just here to hide. Later, when the mountain had become dear to him, the cold had grown too severe to do anything about it. He had resigned himself to the idea: This mountain will slowly die under the weight of the cold… and so will I, hiding here. He’d lived with that belief until now…

Song Ji-un looked out at the green forest bathed in warm sunlight. The leaves, tinted the same shade as his own eyes, swayed gently in the breeze. “I never… dreamed I’d get to see a scene like this.”

To think that so much life had been slumbering beneath the brutal winter brought by the intense cold. He might have ignored it in ignorance, but now that he understood, he couldn’t turn a blind eye.

“So that Support—no, uh…” Hesitating, Song Ji-un looked toward Cha Seohu, who was holding Eunbok in his arms, and spoke. “I was going to ask if Hunter Cha Seohu… might be willing to purify other places as well, if he’s okay with it.”

Cha Seohu’s name came from Song Ji-un’s lips, and hearing it made Ryu Seonghyeon narrow his eyes in irritation once again.

“If you and Hunter Cha Seohu are close, I figured I should ask for your opinion too… That’s why I double-checked. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

Ryu Seonghyeon covered his mouth with his hand, his lips twisting beneath it in irritation. His mood was… terrible. The last time he’d felt this awful was when Kim Suho came back after getting beaten by a Ronic guild member.

He held back the urge to lash out, doing his best to keep his voice neutral. “Hunter Cha Seohu and I are not partners in that sense. But we’re currently working together on a mission, and in the meantime, I’m acting as the DPS protecting him.” He paused there for a moment. The more he replayed that explanation in his head, the more he liked how it sounded. “We came up here with a goal. Once we’ve achieved it, we’ll have to leave. If he wants to return and purify the mountain, maybe he’ll come back… but for now, that’s unlikely.”

“…I see.” Song Ji-un lowered his shoulders slightly, a faint gloom settling over him. Even so, his eyes didn’t stray from Cha Seohu. His gaze, tinted with soft green, brimmed with emotion. “Could you ask him—just once? You seem very close to Hunter Cha Seohu. Please, I’m asking.”

“…”

“If that’s too much, I can speak to him later, on my own—”

“No. I’ll ask him,” Ryu Seonghyeon cut him off.

The decisive tone instantly cast a tense air between the two. Realizing belatedly how he’d come across, Ryu Seonghyeon rubbed his forehead, and Song Ji-un quietly fell into thought.

‘He said they weren’t anything special… but his attitude is totally…’

Could it be a crush?

Song Ji-un began forming a new misunderstanding due to Ryu Seonghyeon’s suspicious behavior.

***

It happened to be dinnertime, so they decided to talk while eating after changing out of their wet clothes and washing up.

Having finished purifying the nearby area, Cha Seohu climbed to the second floor in a satisfied mood.

Noticing that his shirt was completely soaked, Ryu Seonghyeon followed behind him, fussing with concern, “You should wash up first. You’ll catch a cold again like this.”

“Okay,” Cha Seohu replied without resistance. Catching another cold after giving up his turn would truly be a bother to everyone.

Still, there was something more important than who showered first. Once inside the room with Ryu Seonghyeon, he lowered his voice. “This worked out well. We can talk about the guild over dinner too. I found a clue to resolving the powerful energy the mountain keeper holds.”

“A clue?”

“My throat. It healed after the purification.” Cha Seohu blinked as he pointed to his own neck. “My healing skill doesn’t work on myself, but purification seems different. If the mountain keeper is hiding away in fear of harming others because of that powerful energy, this skill might be enough to persuade him.”

“Ah.”

“It’s not a fundamental solution, so there’s still a high chance he’ll refuse.”

As he added this while taking off his overcoat, Ryu Seonghyeon gave a faint smile. “Still, I’m glad your throat’s better.”

Even after hearing that it wasn’t a perfect solution, Ryu Seonghyeon only cared about Cha Seohu’s health. Cha Seohu found that strange. It seemed catching a cold had really left an impression on Ryu Seonghyeon.

‘Does that mean he now sees me as a frail Support?’

Well, that wasn’t a bad thing. Until now, Ryu Seonghyeon had likely seen him as shady and dishonest. Being seen as a high-maintenance, bothersome Support was a hundred times better than that.

‘Honestly, haven’t we gotten a lot closer?’

They’d even hugged, like before his regression. Sure, Ryu Seonghyeon had done it reluctantly, but in return he’d received a killer buff, so maybe that lowered his guard a bit?

“…Uh, Hunter Cha Seohu.”

Just as Cha Seohu was seriously evaluating the nature of their relationship, Ryu Seonghyeon cautiously spoke up.

“If the mountain keeper… refuses, what will you do?”

“Then I’ll try to convince him.”

“And if that doesn’t work either?”

The question made Cha Seohu widen his eyes slightly. Standing close and meeting his gaze, Ryu Seonghyeon felt his throat dry up for some reason.

With a serious expression, Cha Seohu touched his lips thoughtfully. 

“If the mountain keeper refuses to the very end… I think we’ll have to give up and leave the mountain. We can’t exactly drag him out by force.” 

Well, that made sense. It would be great to persuade the mountain keeper, but they had to consider failure too.

“You’re right. Even if we tried to force him, it wouldn’t be easy.”

“Yes, so…”

“What if I stay behind, then?”

“…Excuse me?” Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been about to suggest they go down the mountain together, froze completely. 

While he stood there, startled, Cha Seohu lit up as if struck by a brilliant idea. “I’ll stay and keep trying to persuade him. I can purify the mountain at the same time. The mountain keeper seemed really grateful when I purified the area—if I keep doing that while trying to convince him, it might actually work.”

“…”

Ryu Seonghyeon squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden rush of dizziness. “What kind of nonsense is that… Why would you stay here? Even if you owe the guildmaster, there’s no reason to go that far.”

“But this is the most effective method, isn’t it? I don’t mind staying here.”

“How can you say you don’t mind?”

When Ryu Seonghyeon asked again, Cha Seohu replied calmly, looking genuinely puzzled, “I don’t really have to go back.”

Those golden-brown eyes trembled violently. “That’s not true. We have to get back together.”

“Well, you need to return. You’ve got a guild to run, Vicemaster.”

“So do you, Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“That office was already a mess—it’s basically done for.” Cha Seohu gave a half-hearted shrug.

As he expected, the small guild he had built didn’t seem to hold much weight anymore.

‘If not the guild, then what can I use to hold him back?’

Ryu Seonghyeon, thinking quickly, blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “What about your brother? And isn’t Hunter Cover waiting for you?”

“They’ll be fine. If something happens, he’ll contact me.”

Fortunately, cell service still worked here. The internet didn’t, but calls and texts worked just fine. Though if you climbed just a bit higher up the mountain, even that would cut off.

‘Cha Sahyeon already put a shadow on me, so he’ll find me anyway. As long as I return to Seoul for the ranking match, I should be fine.’

The more he thought about it, the more staying on the mountain didn’t seem like a bad idea. It was a restricted area, so neither the cultists nor those territory freaks could easily get in. Plus, the cold energy that once posed a threat no longer affected him.

If he could keep Song Ji-un unaware, operating as Cover at night would be easier than before.

“Yeah, I really do think staying here is the best option.”

“No, you can’t.”

“…What?” Cha Seohu looked genuinely confused by Ryu Seonghyeon’s immediate rejection. 

Ears tinged red, Ryu Seonghyeon reluctantly confessed, “The… the mountain keeper is targeting you—or rather, your skill.”

“He’s targeting my skill?”

“Yes. He seems to like what you’ve done purifying the area.” Watching Cha Seohu closely, Ryu Seonghyeon softened his voice as if to coax him. “Saying you’ll stay behind to purify the mountain won’t persuade the mountain keeper—that’s exactly what he wants. Hunter Cha Seohu, staying here would not be a wise decision.”

Only then did Cha Seohu nod in understanding. “In that case, we’ll have to think of another approach. If the mountain keeper wants my skill, what if I propose a trade—purify the mountain in exchange for managing the guild?”

“Yes, that sounds much better.” Having finally turned Cha Seohu’s thoughts in another direction, Ryu Seonghyeon let out a silent breath of relief. But perhaps still feeling uneasy, he hesitated briefly before repeating, “You can’t stay here.”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

“If you come up with another plan, don’t keep it to yourself—talk to me. And if we ever return to purify this mountain again, you must go with me. Always.”

“Ah, okay.”

“…That’s a promise.”

“Yes…”

Cha Seohu looked at Ryu Seonghyeon with a What’s with you? kind of expression.

You’re the one who scared me first… Ryu Seonghyeon felt a little wronged by the look, but he was still satisfied—as long as Cha Seohu didn’t stay behind with the mountain keeper.