Lee Sayoung's sofa was incredibly soft, as if filled with some mysterious material. These days, even blankets were made from dungeon byproducts, so maybe this sofa was crafted from something similar? Choi Euijae was desperately trying to redirect his thoughts, attempting to come to terms with the situation.

Despite taking a more comfortable spot than the host, which made him feel uneasy, he knew he couldn’t risk another argument. If he did, they might end up breaking the sofa too, and he would be forced to sleep on the floor beside Sayoung.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t contributed to breaking the bed earlier. He couldn’t afford to destroy yet another piece of furniture, especially since he had no money to replace it.

*“Yeah, the older one should give in...”* he rationalized to himself, relying on his ingrained sense of hierarchy to justify the situation. 

Just as Euijae began to enjoy the plushness of the sofa, Sayoung tossed two pillows and two blankets his way. He instinctively caught them, muttering under his breath, “I don’t need two of each.”

“Just take what you're given,” Sayoung replied curtly.

Behind his, a mountain of pillows and blankets loomed, evidence of her recent haul. Euijae didn’t know anything about the high-end rest facilities in the Wave Guild, so he simply marveled at how many he had gathered. Still, with all the extras, it didn’t seem like Sayoung would be short on bedding, even after giving him two sets.

After watching Euijae squirm around, arranging his pillows and blankets, Sayoung finally began laying her own bedding out on the floor. He layered several blankets, turning them into a makeshift mattress, and lay down with a pillow. With a single clap of her hands, all the lights in the house turned off.

Euijae stared at the now-dark ceiling and muttered, “...Good night.”

There was no response, not that he’d expected one. It didn’t really matter to him. The sofa was soft, the blankets were warm, and the pillows had just the right amount of firmness and height to support his neck. It had been a long time since he had such a comfortable place to sleep.

But if you were to ask whether he was able to fall asleep easily... the answer would be no.

Roughly ten minutes had passed since they both lay down. Euijae knew this with certainty because, out of sheer boredom, he had counted the seconds as they ticked by.

*‘I can’t sleep.’*

He wasn’t the type to sleep much anyway, and this was around the time he would normally be up prepping for work, not lying down to sleep. It wasn’t easy to change a well-established routine. His body, unused to such sudden comfort, seemed incapable of relaxing enough to fall asleep. And with Sayoung lying nearby, his mind grew sharper as time passed.

“... …”

Moreover, Sayoung was still awake. Although he hadn’t moved at all, lying still like a corpse, his breathing had remained steady and unchanged since they lay down. Just as Euijae noticed he was awake, he must have been aware he wasn’t sleeping either. Euijae tried to distract himself with other thoughts.

In the silence, his mind started spiraling into the cracks of his memories: the apocalypse, Yoon Gaeul’s kaleidoscope, the West Sea Rift, the screams of people, the smell of blood… His thoughts tumbled endlessly into a dark abyss. He felt himself being sucked into the familiar bleakness once again.

Unable to bear it, he bit his lip and opened his mouth to speak.

“Sayoung, are you still awake?”

“What about you?”

His voice wasn’t groggy as if he’d just woken up—it was the same clear tone he’d spoken in earlier. Why was he so quick to respond? Hearing his voice brought some clarity back to Euijae’s mind, calming the chaotic thoughts that had been overwhelming him. His consciousness slowly returned to the present. He blinked and spoke again.

“I can’t seem to fall asleep either.”

“You must be tired, though.”

“Why?”

“With all the chaos you caused, how can you ask why…?”

Sayoung laughed, not mockingly but in mild disbelief.

“It wasn’t even that big of a deal,” Euijae replied, casually brushing it off.

Another brief silence fell between them, but this time, it was more bearable. Euijae stared at the ceiling for a moment before asking again.

“How’s Chaegoyo? Think they’ll be okay?”

“Well... from Incheon to Seoul, it shouldn’t be too bad.”

Sayoung paused, seeming to choose her words carefully before continuing.

“They’ll probably be back to normal in about a day. By tomorrow evening.”

“The penalty is harsher than I thought.”

“It’s a skill that’s too good to be used without limits.”

“That’s true…”

Their conversation flowed sporadically. As with all human interaction, silence inevitably crept in. But Euijae wasn’t afraid of it anymore. Even if something tried to invade the quiet spaces between them, he felt like he could push it away this time.

This time, Sayoung broke the silence.

“Hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“You know I still have that letter, right?”

“Letter? What letter?”
“You gave it to me, and now you don’t even remember…”

Euijae tried to recall, but nothing came to mind. He didn’t remember giving Sayoung anything that could be called a letter. He heard the sound of his shifting, possibly turning over, and so he did the same, turning toward the edge of the sofa.

Sayoung was now propped up on one arm, looking at him with an amused expression on her pretty face.

“If you touch it, you’re dead.”

"...Ah."

Could he be talking about the threat he’d scribbled on his business card? He really had delivered it to the right person. As Euijae gave his a sheepish look, Sayoung let out a small snicker and lowered her head.

Suddenly, a faint blue light slanted across his vision. One side of the living room was a large window, and through it, the first light of dawn was beginning to creep in. Time had passed faster than he realized. Euijae rubbed his face and asked,

“What time is it now?”

“Not sure… maybe around 4:30?”

“... …”

"Why? Are you planning to open the shop again?"
"I mean, the store has to open."
"Have Bae Wonwoo do it."
"Can he handle it?"
"After all the food he’s eaten, he should at least be able to make hangover soup by now..."

Sayoung grumbled as she sat up, while Euijae stretched as he got out of bed. Time was a bit tight, but with his newly acquired traits, preparing for the day’s work would be quick.

Since Sayoung had taken care of washing his clothes from the day before, Euijae had to borrow her clothes again. After putting on the black turtleneck and black slacks he handed him, the two stepped into the elevator together.

Well, "together" wasn’t quite the right word. Euijae stood neatly diagonal from his but clung to the corner of the spacious elevator, trying to maintain as much distance as possible. Sayoung smirked at him.

"You know, you could stand a little closer."
"I'm more comfortable here."
"After breaking my bed and borrowing my clothes?"
"Don’t say things that’ll give people the wrong idea."
"We’ve already done everything; why act all shy now?"
"Can you stop talking?"

Euijae didn’t want any sort of send-off from Sayoung, but the elevator in the Wave Guild building, where her official residence was, required a guild member’s ID to function, much like a hotel. Even if he tried to take the stairs, those too needed a guild member’s ID to open. So, whether he liked it or not, Euijae had to drag along this "giant access key" that was Sayoung. Worse, her next comment made him even more anxious.

"You're famous, you know."
"Me? Why?"
"Do you think there’s anyone in this guild who hasn’t had your hangover soup?"
"..."

"And if the guild members ask why the part-timer is here?"

The reason Euijae’s face was known at Wave Guild was because Sayoung had prepaid 5 million won at his hangover soup restaurant. He wanted to argue, but now wasn’t the time to quibble over who was at fault.

It was 4 a.m., so there was little chance they’d run into anyone, but if they did, how would he explain himself? He couldn’t say he was there for a soup delivery—that’d be impossible since his restaurant didn’t offer deliveries. He'd even emphasized to customers that they didn’t. If he tried to make excuses, he might find himself giving a press conference about favoritism toward the Wave Guild leader.

As Euijae pondered this, his eyes caught the reflection in the elevator glass. The front of the elevator was entirely glass, providing plenty of light, and for a moment, the exterior seemed to look like a door. Could I just break it… and jump out? He wouldn’t be too injured if he did, but the problem was…

"Hyung?"
"Never mind..."

The cost of paying for that shattered window. Euijae already had a huge debt thanks to the bed. Silently folding away his reckless thoughts, he stared straight ahead. He briefly considered using his silent footsteps skill, but all it did was hide his presence; it wouldn’t make him invisible in such a small space, so it wouldn’t help.

As soon as the elevator announced its arrival on the first floor and the doors opened, a dreaded voice could be heard.

"Man, it’s late as hell after clearing that dungeon... Oh, Guild Leader?"

"You should rest in the nap room for a bit and—huh? Oh, good morning! You’re up early, huh...? Wait, what?"

All eyes were suddenly on the two of them. First, they bowed in shock after seeing Sayoung’s shadowed face, and when they raised their heads, they noticed Euijae huddled in the corner. The hunters, returning from clearing a dungeon, and even Bae Wonwoo, who had just finished an early morning run and was wiping sweat with a towel, were all present.

"Wait, aren’t you the part-timer? What are you doing here?"
Bae Wonwoo approached the elevator door, greeting him cheerfully, but his face quickly turned confused when he saw Sayoung standing firmly in the center. He began wracking his brain, trying to figure out what was going on, but it wasn’t making any sense. Meanwhile, Euijae, feeling like his soul had left his body, began muttering to himself about random flower names.

"Uh… yes... well... you see..."
"Excuse me?"
"Haha... something like that."

Neither Euijae nor Bae Wonwoo knew what he meant by "something like that." Only Sayoung, standing nonchalantly in the middle of the elevator, glared at Bae Wonwoo. But with his oblivious, almost unbreakably thick skin, Bae Wonwoo continued chatting with them, seemingly unfazed by the icy stare.

"But seriously, part-timer, what brings you here?"
"..."

"What brings you here?"

Sayoung remained silent. Bae Wonwoo, already expecting no answer from her, turned his gaze to Euijae. Surely, the part-timer would explain—there was some camaraderie between them, after all. However, Euijae was just as tight-lipped.

As the awkward silence stretched, the hunters’ curiosity only grew. Bae Wonwoo, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed something strange. Euijae’s outfit—a black turtleneck and slacks—looked oddly familiar. The all-black ensemble was exactly what Sayoung often wore.

"Wait a minute."

That turtleneck... hadn’t Sayoung worn it recently? A forbidden realization slammed into Bae Wonwoo's mind: Euijae was wearing Sayoung’s clothes. And Sayoung, who wouldn’t even let others come close to her, much less lend out her clothes... had come down the elevator with Euijae? While lending him her clothes?

Bae Wonwoo’s eyes widened in disbelief. His hand trembled as he pointed a finger at Sayoung.

"Y-y-y-you, wait. What? You two...?"

"Wonwoo."

"What the hell is going on here? Explain!"

Sayoung’s response was calm, yet it carried a clear threat.

"How about you go for two more laps around the Han River?"

Though his words sounded like a friendly suggestion, the underlying message was clear: Get lost. Even Bae Wonwoo, who was usually oblivious, picked up on it.

Still, he stubbornly lingered, refusing to leave. His tenacity, fitting for a tank, was unrelenting.

‘If this keeps up, I’m not going to make it to the shop until after 5,’ Euijae thought.

Realizing the situation wasn’t going to resolve itself, Euijae stepped in. He moved from the corner and casually threw his arm around Sayoung’s shoulder in a show of camaraderie. The Wave Guild members stared in silent shock. Even Sayoung seemed to be glaring at him with wide eyes, but Euijae didn’t care.

Patting Sayoung on the shoulder, Euijae flashed a friendly smile.

"There was a bit of trouble last night, and Guild Leader Lee Sayoung was kind enough to help me out. Haha."

"What? Trouble? Did someone break another table?" Bae Wonwoo asked.

Euijae felt Sayoung’s shoulder flinch ever so slightly under his arm. Keeping a serious expression, Euijae shook his head.

"I can’t go into detail right now, but the Guild Leader was a huge help."

"Sayoung did… that?" Bae Wonwoo’s face twisted in confusion. He wanted to believe the part-timer, but the idea that Sayoung had helped out at a hangover soup shop was hard to wrap his head around. Euijae drove the point home.

"Well, since I’m Bae Wonwoo’s favorite hangover soup part-timer, I think that’s why he took care of me."

"What? ...Is that so?"

Bae Wonwoo, unfortunately, fell hook, line, and sinker for Euijae’s smooth talk. While Bae seemed oddly touched, Sayoung coldly ignored his gaze. Euijae, on the other hand, seized the opportunity and swiftly slipped out of the elevator, waving as he did.

"Ah, I have to go open the shop now. See you later, customer! I’ll be at the shop!"

"Oh? Oh, okay, see you later, part-timer!"

Bae Wonwoo waved his muscular arm energetically. After Euijae disappeared, Bae turned back to Sayoung, looking utterly bewildered.

"So, why was the part-timer here? And did you really help him?"

Sayoung, who had remained silent throughout, clicked her tongue and replied icily.

"You're really useless, you know that?"

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!