"...So."

"Yeah."

"To summarize what I've heard so far..."

"Yep."

"Yun Gaeul went into the Corrosion Dungeon to find a Fragment of the World, and for some reason, Hong Yeseong, who had disappeared, went in with her. We don't know why, but the dungeon reconfigured itself, and while that was happening, I ran into you guys. I protected everyone from the dungeon boss, then passed out, and suddenly, J appeared and took out the golem with one hit?"

*Crunch, crunch.*

"Exactly."

"And J said to deliver the message that 'J has returned,' right? Directly from J?"

"Good comprehension! Wow, J is seriously strong. As expected from the number one ranker. The way he pierced through that giant golem with one blow, amazing."

*Cock-a-doodle-doo!*

"...Am I supposed to believe that?"

"What can I do if it’s the truth? It's sad when people don't believe the truth, you know."

*Sigh...*

A deep sigh, as if it came from the depths of the earth, escaped from Jung Bin. He was sitting on a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages.

Around the bed were baskets of fruit, flower arrangements, and boxes of health drinks. A pink ribbon with the words "Get well soon" fluttered in the breeze coming through the open window.

With his relatively uninjured left hand, Jung Bin pressed his forehead and muttered.

"How did the news that I collapsed spread?"

"Um, the Ranker Chat? But the story only circulated in Channel 1. The ones who sent it were the HB Guild, the Wave Guild, and the Samra Guild—big names."

"......"

"In a country as information-driven as Korea, where's the secrecy, Mr. Public Official?"

Lying in the bed next to Jung Bin, staring blankly at the white ceiling, was Hong Yeseong, munching on a red apple. Next to him, Gyu-Gyu was curled up into a ball. Compared to Jung Bin, Yeseong looked much better.

One serious patient, one mild case, and a chicken—the three of them were in a private room inside the Seowon Guild’s hospital. It was a cozy and secretive space, accessible only to those with permission from Guild Master Nam Woojin, but it wasn’t exactly relaxing. After all, Nam Woojin would soon be coming to inquire about the situation.

The problem was that Jung Bin knew absolutely nothing about the current situation. His last memory was of a massive fist flying at him and the terrifying pain of his body being crushed. When he woke up, all he saw was the white ceiling of the Seowon Guild’s infirmary.

When he blinked his heavy eyelids and turned toward the sound of movement, there sat the very person he wanted to run away from—Hong Yeseong.

Before Jung Bin could say anything, Yeseong shamelessly pressed the call button for him, and in no time, the marionettes had arrived, dragging Jung Bin’s bed to the examination room.

‘Something’s wrong,’ Jung Bin had thought, lying there hooked up to machines and IVs. After barely escaping a series of endless tests, he cornered Yeseong and questioned him about everything he could. He needed more information.

But Yeseong hadn’t been much help. The countless words Yeseong and Gyu-Gyu spewed could be summed up in one sentence.

‘And then J appeared.’

What was this? Were they treating J like some sort of master key that solved everything? Admittedly, before the West Sea Rift, that had often been the case, but not anymore.

It was exhausting. Yeseong, just by existing, drained Jung Bin’s mental energy. Even with his head spinning, Jung Bin managed to tap into his public official mindset.

"First of all... please don't touch any of the gifts that came for me. I'll have to return them. You're welcome to eat anything from the Awakener Management Bureau."

"Eh, you’re still under gift price restrictions?"

"Yes, it’s the law. It's also better not to owe favors to guilds or hunters... so it's best not to accept anything at all."

"That's lame."

"Indeed. Don't become a public official. It's a grueling job, especially when you also have to clean up after Hong Yeseong."

Jung Bin smiled warmly as he quickly typed something on his phone with his left hand. It was a message to the security team, who were likely still on high alert. After wiping his hands with a wet tissue, Yeseong grumbled.

"You're complaining about me, right?"

"Your intuition has sharpened. Yes, you're correct."

Just as Yeseong pursed his lips to properly start grumbling, there was a knock at the door. The soft white sliding door opened smoothly, and a man in a white coat walked in silently.

"You seem lively enough to be chatting. That’s good. I was startled when I saw a corpse being carried in."

It was Nam Woojin. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. Jung Bin let out a small groan and straightened his posture.

"You’ve arrived."

"Stay lying down. Even though the treatment is done, you still need rest. If it weren’t for those chains, even my abilities might not have been enough to repair the damage."

Nam Woojin's pale eyes flicked toward Jung Bin's cast-covered right arm. Jung Bin smiled bitterly.

"Yes, thank you."

"Right...."

Nam Woojin massaged the back of his neck and let out a small sigh.

"I can't avoid hearing what happened. I've already received a formal report from Lee Sayoung. There was a sudden reconfiguration of the Corrosion Dungeon, and its rank was upgraded to S+. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And we don’t know the cause of the reconfiguration?"

"For now, we don't."

"J said it was because of him."

"...What?"

"Sorry?"

Jung Bin and Nam Woojin's eyes widened as they looked at Hong Yeseong. However, the one who had dropped the bombshell was busy peeling an orange.

"J said it seemed like the reconfiguration happened because of him, but he didn’t know why. He said until he figures it out, he’ll only appear when absolutely necessary—like in this dungeon."

"......"

Yeseong’s tone was unexpectedly calm, so it didn’t seem like a joke. And based on what Jung Bin knew of J, he was someone who would say something like that. Nam Woojin murmured to himself.

"So J actually showed up. It wasn’t a system error; he really survived and escaped the West Sea Rift."

Jung Bin glanced at Nam Woojin, who was lost in thought. His pale eyes, lost in contemplation as he rubbed his lips, gleamed with a strange intensity. Even though he had lost the light in both his eyes and his mind, Nam Woojin’s thirst for knowledge seemed endless. At this rate, it felt like he would burn himself out completely.

Jung Bin deliberately let out a rough cough. The white eyes turned toward him as his shoulders heaved. Fortunately, the strange intensity quickly faded, replaced by concern for his patient.

"Are you okay? Is the room too cold?"

"No, I’m fine. The temperature is just right."

"Good.... I’ll handle the contact with Ham Seokjung. Don’t even think about leaving until your right arm heals."

With that stern warning, Nam Woojin flapped his coat and left the room. Jung Bin rubbed his mouth, taking a deep breath. The weather outside was surprisingly bright and clear. As the sunlight gently streamed in, it lit up the leaves outside in a soft greenish hue. Staring at them absentmindedly, Jung Bin spoke.

"Hong Yeseong."

"Hm?"

"What was J like?"

Hong Yeseong blinked in surprise. Jung Bin murmured again.

"Did he seem alright? Was he hurt at all?"

What had J been like in Jung Bin’s memory? It had been so long since their last encounter that the details had faded with time.

Back then, everyone was on edge. Just surviving those days had been difficult. Whenever they crossed paths, the most they managed was a nod of acknowledgment.

No, there had been a day when J had handed him a cigarette. There had even been a day when J had seemed to be in a good mood. Or at least, that’s how it seemed. After all, J was just another person.

Without saying much, Yeseong split the perfectly peeled orange in half and held it out. Jung Bin blinked and quietly stared at the orange's flesh.

After hesitating for a few moments, he finally accepted it. Yeseong grinned.

"He seemed fine."

"......"

"He was smiling after smashing the golem. Honestly, it was a little scary."

"...I see."

Jung Bin finally smiled faintly. He clumsily peeled a slice of orange with one hand and popped it into his mouth. His face twisted slightly.

"...It’s sour."

"Of course it’s sour, that’s why I gave it to you."

"......"

*Coo-coo.* Gyu-Gyu let out a long cry. It sounded almost like laughter—or perhaps mockery.

The day before Jung Bin and Hong Yeseong were admitted to the hospital, at the entrance of the Jongno 3-ga Underground Dungeon.

*Thud.* Trembling hiking boots stepped out of the dungeon and touched solid ground. The boots were a mess, covered with dirt, ash, and bloodstains, indistinguishable from one another. The early morning silence was pierced by a voice trembling like a goat.

“So… so heavy…”

Hong Yeseong, holding Jung Bin in a princess carry, looked as if he was about to cry. With Jung Bin’s arm broken, carrying him on his back wasn’t an option, and wrapping him in a tarp wasn’t feasible either. The only solution was to carry him in his arms. Meanwhile, Lee Sayoung walked briskly past Yeseong, who was trembling like a newborn calf.

“Deal with it.”

“Sayoung, can’t you carry him instead?”

Sayoung turned around and twisted his lips into a smirk.

“Ah… sure, if you want to watch Jung Bin die.”

“You bastard!”

Hong Yeseong’s face crumpled as he whimpered. Uijae, who stood beside Sayoung, muttered awkwardly.

“Should I carry him instead…?”

“No.”

Sayoung immediately shifted his position, blocking Uijae’s line of sight.

“Don’t even think about meeting Nam Woojin.”

“Stop this madness, you lunatic.”

Uijae pushed Sayoung’s head back with a long sigh. The playful back-and-forth between them felt so natural, like something they had been doing for a long time. Watching them, Gaeul cautiously called out to Uijae.

“But… J.”

Uijae looked up, responding with a soft “Hmm?” At the same time, Sayoung’s sharp gaze also turned toward her, making Gaeul shudder slightly. She lowered her head, pretending to brush dirt off her pants, and murmured nervously.

“Well, it’s great that J has returned, but… what about the hangover soup restaurant?”

“Huh? The soup restaurant? Why?”

“Well… if you’re going to be working as J again, doesn’t that mean you won’t be able to manage the hangover soup restaurant anymore?”

“Of course not.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m going to do both.”

“Both…?”

Uijae crossed his arms behind his back confidently and flashed a grin.

“Hero J and Cha Uijae, the part-time worker at the hangover soup restaurant, are two different people. Right?”

In this era of great Hunters, it wasn’t uncommon for Hunters to hold multiple jobs—whether as models, actors, or even dungeon ASMR YouTubers.

So, naturally, the number one ranker in the world announced his bold decision to juggle two jobs: being a Hunter and a part-time worker at a hangover soup restaurant.