"Is that Sung Jin-Woo the Hunter over there?" "Where, where?" "Whoa… it really is Sung Jin-Woo."
Many weekend visitors who had come to the amusement park spotted Jin-Woo and sent him curious looks.
"Who's the woman next to him? His girlfriend?" "Wait… isn't that Cha Hae-In from Hunters?" "Whoa! No way!" "What, have those two been dating?"
The woman who always kept a neat short haircut so it wouldn't get in the way of movement. Cha Hae-In, perhaps still not accustomed to the gazes around her, ducked her head slightly and asked in a small voice.
"You liked places like this?"
Jin-Woo smiled and answered.
"I didn't particularly like them, but I always wanted to come at least once."
Watching Jin-Woo laugh with a childlike expression—where had his ice-cold face from when he slew monsters gone?—Cha Hae-In realized her heart was beating faster than ever before. But the man beside her was exceptional even among S-rank Hunters. There was no way he couldn't hear her loudly pounding heart, and that thought made her cheeks flush hot. Desperate to divert his attention even slightly, she asked another question.
"Why did you bring me to a place you've been wanting to visit?" "Because the only friend I have is you, Hae-In." "Excuse me?"
When had she and Sung Jin-Woo agreed to be friends? While Cha Hae-In tried desperately to recall a memory that didn't exist, she looked up unintentionally, their eyes met, and Jin-Woo flashed a playful smile.
"Why, in front of that strange statue…"
Ah, that day. The day she'd entered the double Dungeon to rescue Jin-Woo. The talking angel statue she'd encountered there had asked.
—What is your relationship with Sung Jin-Woo? —…Friends.
It seemed Jin-Woo still remembered that answer.
"You heard that?" "I did. My hearing is a bit better than most."
She felt a faint sense of injustice, but back then too, instead of rescuing Jin-Woo, she had ended up receiving his help. The fact that her life had been saved by Jin-Woo's help time and again hit her anew.
"But… what exactly was the deal with that strange Dungeon?"
She had been meaning to hear the explanation someday. But Jin-Woo thought it wasn't the right time to answer yet.
"I'll tell you once I've sorted my thoughts out next time. Even I'm not entirely sure what it was right now."
Cha Hae-In nodded as if she understood. After a brief lull in conversation, Jin-Woo suddenly looked around.
"Over here! Please look over here too!" "I'm a fan, Hunter sir!"
People had swarmed like a beehive, holding up their phones, as if a famous celebrity were walking through a busy street. By now, Jin-Woo's face was more familiar to people than most superstars. Ever since the Extreme-Rank Gate had appeared, his face was on every channel. Normally he'd brush it off, but he didn't want his rest time—complete with company—interrupted.
'Come.'
As Jin-Woo issued his command, his personal bodyguards—those who worked harder than anyone, even for free—made their appearance. Igrit and the elite knights. Thirty knights who burst forth from the shadows encircled Jin-Woo and Cha Hae-In in a ring and walked in step with them. Igrit in particular went out of his way to find every camera flash, hold up a finger, and wag it in warning. Cha Hae-In, now walking under the knights' escort, looked flustered.
"Isn't this even more conspicuous?" "As long as it's invisible to our eyes, that's all that matters."
It was somehow so convincing that Cha Hae-In's head nodded on its own. And sure enough, with the gazes that had been pouring in from every direction now gone, she genuinely felt at ease. Come to think of it—when was the last time she'd gone out with such a light heart? Since becoming a Hunter, about two years. In all that time, she couldn't remember ever truly relaxing. On days she skipped raids, she worried her comrades might get hurt. On days she joined, she feared making some mistake. She always had to be on edge, spending her time in constant tension. But.
'…It's different when I'm with this man.'
A man she could lean on. Being with Jin-Woo made her feel as though she'd escaped the obligation of living up to the expectations of her comrades who depended on her—like she'd become just a woman again. One step. Without realizing it, Cha Hae-In had moved closer to Jin-Woo, and her cheeks flushed red.
'He smells nice.'
Seeing Cha Hae-In's expression brighten considerably, Jin-Woo belatedly regretted something.
'I should've done this sooner.'
Jin-Woo scanned the rides, then pointed to one that plunged at dizzying speeds from a tremendous height and asked.
"Want to try that one?" "Yes."
The reply came so quickly that Jin-Woo pointed to another ride.
"How about that one?" "Sure." "Then the one next to it?" "That one too." "You like them all?" "Yes, I like them all."
Watching Cha Hae-In answer with a flushed face, Jin-Woo chuckled.
'Wait, so it wasn't just me who wanted to come to a place like this.'
Relieved that she showed no sign of dislike, he gently took her wrist and led her to the nearest ride.
"Then let's ride them all."
* * *
But it wasn't as fun as he'd expected. Squeal! Squeal! Whoa—! Having luckily snagged the very front seat of the roller coaster, Jin-Woo watched the scenery blur past with virtually no excitement amid all the screaming around him.
'Hm? That kid's gonna drop his ice cream like that. Oh, called it. Wait, was the food court that way? Though it's still a bit early for dinner…'
Hm. Because the roller coaster was accelerating, every background had slowed to half-speed like a video playing on slow-mo, and Jin-Woo couldn't help but sit through a thoroughly boring time. He felt he could even stand the entire ride without sitting if he wanted to.
'…'
Jin-Woo barely suppressed a yawn that wanted to escape and looked back. Behind Igrit and a few soldiers who had volunteered to ride along, he saw other passengers screaming with delight. From every facial muscle of theirs, the thrill and enjoyment they were feeling came through clearly. He could hear their hearts pounding as if they were about to burst. On the other hand—swish. He felt his own heart beating calmly, as always, and a faint smile crept onto his face. Running with all his might to punch the colossal divine statue looming far above had been far more exhilarating than this.
'And what about being chased around by centipedes in a penalty zone.'
That had been a hundred times—no, ten thousand times scarier than now. Oh no. Jin-Woo shook his head quickly to shake off his thoughts.
'Came all the way to a place like this and all I can think about is monsters.'
Just as he was worrying that he might truly have something wrong with him, Jin-Woo spotted his companion sitting beside him with a remarkably similar expression. Heh. A laugh escaped him. He asked Cha Hae-In, who had been sitting dazed in thought.
"Not having fun?" "Ah… no. It is fun."
It was nice that her senses were so sharp she didn't have to shout like other people.
"But why haven't you screamed even once?"
They had already been through five different rides. Every single one was supposed to be packed with thrills, yet she hadn't uttered so much as an "ah." She was an S-rank Hunter too. Not quite to his level, but she was still leagues beyond an ordinary person. Somehow, he felt relieved knowing he wasn't the only one who felt disconnected. At that moment, Jin-Woo suddenly wanted to show her the world he saw. Beru, sensing Jin-Woo's intentions, tried to stop him.
[My King… this could be dangerous for the woman.] 'It's fine. If Hae-In falls, you catch her. If by any chance you miss her… you know what happens?' […I shall obey.]
With the obstruction out of the way, Jin-Woo spoke to Cha Hae-In.
"Want to skip this stuff and go ride something really fun?" "Really… fun?"
As the roller coaster came to a stop, Jin-Woo led the puzzled Cha Hae-In to the open plaza. Whoa—! People gasped at the sight of the black knights escorting the pair. But soon their gasps turned to screams.
"Wh—what is that?!"
From the space the shadow soldiers had cleared by pushing the crowd back, a massive black beast erupted, flapping its wings and roaring toward the sky. Keeeeeeah—! It was Cha Hae-In's first time seeing a wyvern this close up, and her reaction was no different from the onlookers'.
"Oh… my God…"
Jin-Woo beckoned to Cha Hae-In, her eyes wide as saucers.
"Come on, hop on."
Seeing Jin-Woo already seated on the wyvern's back, she was struck speechless.
"You… you want me to ride that?" "I told you."
Unable to watch her standing there frozen, Jin-Woo used his 'Ruler's Authority' skill to pull her up.
"Ah!"
Being yanked by an invisible force startled a sound out of her. But the reaction Jin-Woo was hoping for hadn't come yet. This was only the beginning. He sat Cha Hae-In behind him, her mouth still hanging open, and gave Kaisel a command.
"Up."
Kyaak—! As if waiting for this very moment, Kaisel spread his massive wings and took to the sky. Looking down at the people growing smaller below, Cha Hae-In swallowed hard. This was a thrill on an entirely different level from what any amusement ride could offer. Her arms wrapped naturally around Jin-Woo's waist. Once they reached a height where the onlookers were no longer visible, Cha Hae-In's voice rose.
"Um, excuse me." "Yes?" "Why is that ant flying along behind us?"
Jin-Woo leaned over and looked down to see Beru ascending right below Kaisel. At the knight's solemn expression, a laugh leaked out of Jin-Woo before he could stop it.
"Security escort!" "What?" "Hold on tight. We're about to really fly." "Wh—what?"
Did he even need to explain further? Jin-Woo felt the tremendous pressure of Cha Hae-In's arms locked around his waist.
'If I were any normal guy, my spine would've folded.'
That was how frightened she was. With his plan already half a success, Jin-Woo spoke in an excited voice.
"Kaisel, full speed!"
Kyaak—! As Kaisel kicked into full flight, the first scream of the day from Cha Hae-In trailed long behind them.
* * *
A single small dragon cutting through the wind. Swoosh—! Riding Kaisel, Jin-Woo soared freely to places that would have been unreachable had the person behind him not been an S-rank Hunter. They plunged into rain-lashed clouds, skimmed dangerously along towering mountain ranges, and crossed over an endless expanse of snow. The most beautiful sight of all was the sunset over the ocean. Kaisel gradually slowed. The two of them watched the sun sink beyond the horizon, dyeing the sky crimson, as a cool sea breeze brushed their cheeks. Just like the sky that had been painted over, Cha Hae-In's eyes too glowed red as she gazed upon the magnificent scene. Suddenly, she grew curious.
"Jin-Woo." "Yes?" "If you were having experiences like this, why did you go to a place like an amusement park?" "That amusement park…"
Jin-Woo, lost in reverie, continued slowly.
"It's where a Gate with my father's disappearance appeared." "Ah."
The park where the Gate had appeared—the park that would have been shut down if her father had failed and a Dungeon Break had erupted—was still packed with people. At first, she had resented her father for leaving his family behind like that. But now, just seeing other families laughing and chatting there filled something in her empty chest. So that was enough.
"That's why I wanted to go at least once."
As Jin-Woo spoke with a touch of loneliness, Cha Hae-In silently hugged him from behind. Her warmth seeped through his back. Cha Hae-In said.
"Thank you."
At the sudden words of gratitude, Jin-Woo turned his head, but there was no way he could see Cha Hae-In pressed against his back.
"What?" "I wanted to make sure to thank you properly. You've helped me so many times this whole time."
From their touching backs, from her breath reaching his neck, from the heart beating against him, he could feel her sincerity. Yeah. So that was enough. Jin-Woo wore a faint smile and turned Kaisel around.
"Where are we going now?"
Hearing the slightly wistful tone in Cha Hae-In's voice, Jin-Woo answered.
"There's something I want to show you."
* * *
The place they flew a long way to reach was not Korea but Japan. A restricted zone with no humans—indeed, not even animals, as even they had fled the aura of the vicious monsters. In a vast forest where not even the breath of a small creature could be heard, Kaisel landed. Kyak—! Jin-Woo dismounted first from Kaisel, who had pressed close to the ground, and turned to help Cha Hae-In.
"Be caref—"
Before Jin-Woo could even extend his hand, Cha Hae-In landed lightly and shrugged her shoulders. He'd momentarily forgotten her profession, and he let out a small laugh.
"This place…?"
Having seen more than she'd ever imagined today, Cha Hae-In looked around with eyes full of anticipation. But there was nothing to see in this vicinity except an endless expanse of forest. Jin-Woo spread a blanket he had bought from the System Shop on the ground and said.
"If I tell you in advance, it won't be any fun, so would you lie down for a moment?" "Excuse me?"
Had she misheard? But there was no way an S-rank Hunter's hearing would misread such clear pronunciation, and on the blanket, Jin-Woo had already finished getting into position.
"Hurry up."
Watching Jin-Woo urge her so casually, Cha Hae-In's heart began to pound as though it would burst.
"Are you… serious?"
Cha Hae-In asked once more to confirm Jin-Woo's intentions. But Jin-Woo nodded seriously without the slightest hesitation. Seeing her hesitate and then finally approach, Jin-Woo slowly lay down. Soon after, as though making a great decision, Cha Hae-In lay down beside him and straightened her legs.
"I'm… ready."
Saying this with her eyes squeezed shut, Jin-Woo told her.
"Then open your eyes."
As she gently opened her eyes, Jin wordlessly pointed skyward. And there, a cascade of starlight.
"Ah…"
At the dazzling spectacle of starlight filling the entire sky, Cha Hae-In let out an involuntary gasp. Beautiful. What other word besides "beautiful" could describe this sight? Satisfied with her reaction, Jin-Woo smiled warmly and said.
"I stopped by here while handling a Dungeon Break and got to see this night sky."
He had laid his exhausted body down and closed his eyes, but it was too bright all around to fall asleep. Annoyed, he opened his eyes, and what unfurled was a canopy of countless stars echoing across the entire sky. Simply watching that starlight was enough to make his chest swell with emotion.
"I thought how nice it would be to see this night sky with someone."
In the silent forest where not a single sound could be heard, a night filled with nothing but starlight. Jin-Woo wanted to share this feeling, this moment, with someone. The result was a relief. Knowing that a person who could feel what he felt was close by gave him a profound sense of comfort. It was as though the knot in his chest had softly unraveled. But then.
'…?'
Jin-Woo felt Cha Hae-In's hand come to rest on the back of his.
"Can I… hold your hand?"
Even though they were already holding hands. Smiling, Jin-Woo shifted the back of his hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. A cold yet soft woman's hand filled his palm. Quietly, so very quietly, countless stars rained down upon the two whose heads lay side by side.