The size difference between them was already palpable in this arrangement. Choi Gang-hu’s dense shadow completely covered Ryu Seo-ha’s slender body. It felt like being a herbivore facing a predator.

 

“Why.”

 

A voice as unfathomable as a dark swamp brushed softly against his ear. The faint breath that seeped in with it was ticklish. Trapping Seo-ha, who had unknowingly held his breath, in his arms, Gang-hu slowly bent his waist.

 

“Are you afraid of me?”

 

The voice, resembling a lightless deep sea, sank even lower. The muscles visible through the open shirt felt ominous. Instinctively, his body began to tremble slightly.

 

“I don’t remember treating Ryu Seo-ha badly.”

 

His pitch-black eyes were so dark they seemed to absorb even light.

 

“Why are you avoiding me?”

 

Seo-ha, who had been holding his breath while facing the chilling gaze, suddenly curved his eyes gently. It was a strange smile that could provoke lewd imagination.

 

“I thought you might dislike being touched.”

 

Choi Gang-hu, who had been looking down at him expressionlessly, paused.

 

“Me?”

 

“Because of what happened last time…”

 

As Seo-ha trailed off, feigning a pitiful expression, Gang-hu’s well-shaped eyebrows twitched. He seemed to recall mentioning causing harm or something similar. His large hand cupped Seo-ha’s smooth jawline, caressing it.

 

Magic Power 69

Magic Power 76

 

As expected, the mana stat began to soar.

 

“Not at all.”

 

An inscrutable smile spread across Gang-hu’s face as he tilted his head as if about to kiss. This time, his breath brushed against Seo-ha’s mouth. A pleasant scent reminiscent of cool skin lotion wafted faintly.

 

“Are you really okay with it?”

 

Seo-ha asked, blinking innocently, as he slightly moved out of kissing range while pretending to tilt his head. Gang-hu nodded slightly as if to ask what the problem was. This gave Seo-ha courage.

 

“Then excuse me for a moment.”

 

Seo-ha’s slender arms extended downwards, wrapping around Gang-hu’s thick torso. He placed his hands on Gang-hu’s broad back over the shirt, rested his chin at the point where the collar met the shoulder seam, and watched his status window.

 

Magic Power 88

 

The number stopped increasing and remained static.

 

‘Does skin need to touch directly?’

 

Due to the sudden movement, Gang-hu’s hand had released Seo-ha’s chin. What was touching Gang-hu’s exposed upper body was Seo-ha’s hoodie. This was more challenging than expected.

 

Gang-hu, who seemed momentarily surprised, slowly lowered his arms to wrap around Seo-ha’s waist. At that moment, Seo-ha came to his senses, stopped the hug, and quickly stepped back.

 

“…”

 

An awkward silence settled in the changing room. Seo-ha quickly lowered his eyes and fiddled with the thick sleeve of his hoodie. The atmosphere made it impossible to openly say he had touched him experimentally.

 

“I’m sorry. I was curious about how firm you were.”

 

Feeling that the silence shouldn’t drag on, he blurted out something random and immediately regretted it. Gang-hu probably guessed the real reason anyway.

 

A low chuckle was heard from Gang-hu at the implausible excuse. Glancing up, Seo-ha saw amusement in Gang-hu’s eyes. Fortunately, he didn’t seem upset.

 

“More importantly, I’d like to discuss the contract after you finish washing up.”

 

Just in case, Seo-ha quickly changed the subject to something that might interest the other party.

 

“So you’re accepting the scouting offer?”

 

Gang-hu seemed to appreciate the effort and willingly went along with the attempt to move past the awkward moment. Though Seo-ha still didn’t understand why Gang-hu wanted to contract with him.

 

“Yes, if you’ll grant me one request.”

 

Gang-hu, who had sat down on the wooden bench with his shirt still unbuttoned, nodded as if to say go ahead. He didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of washing up. Why did he start unbuttoning his shirt then? It was chilling.

 

“I’d like to have the first choice and exclusive ownership rights to dungeon by-products acquired by the guild. Regardless of their appraised value or price.”

 

Seo-ha calmly explained his thoughts with a slightly tense expression.

 

“Of course, limited to raids I participate in, and only once.”

 

He wondered if this condition would be accepted. It was impossible to gauge, not knowing how much Gang-hu wanted to close the deal.

 

“Just once?”

 

Gang-hu asked for confirmation, as if hearing an unexpected condition. Seo-ha nodded seriously. This clause was to get his hands on the world’s first elixir.

 

“In exchange, I don’t need a signing bonus. I’m even okay with a slightly lower annual salary.”

 

He quickly added, fearing immediate rejection. Even for a rookie hunter, not an experienced one, C-rank and above easily receive a 1 billion won signing bonus. He was offering to give that up.

 

Hunter rank would only be determined after registering as an awakened one, but healers are inherently so rare that their value is very high regardless of rank. He was about to reveal that he was a healing type, but…

 

“Alright. Any other conditions?”

 

Gang-hu casually accepted the condition. He even added that he’d listen to additional conditions. Honestly, Seo-ha was dumbfounded. The prices of dungeon by-products vary wildly.

 

There are various types like monster corpses, items, magic stones, and even within the same category, factors like grade, usefulness, artistic value, and market value can make prices range from hundreds of thousands to over hundreds of billions of won.

 

“…None.”

 

In truth, there was a lot he wanted to ask for. Protection from YH Capital, help hiring a healer, or assistance in raising his mana stat. But he didn’t bring these up.

 

It was better to stick to just one condition so that they couldn’t play dumb later when the value of the elixir became known. While Gang-hu wasn’t that type of person, the guild was still a profit-seeking enterprise.

 

“Clean and simple. What’s your schedule for today?”

 

Gang-hu asked, smiling as if satisfied, while buttoning up his shirt. What was the intention behind this question? Did he mean to go write up the contract right away?

 

“I was planning to register as an awakened one first.”

 

As Seo-ha answered honestly, Gang-hu’s smile deepened.

 

“Let’s go together.”

 

“What?”

 

“I was planning to register today too.”

 

Today? Seo-ha tried to recall the flow of the original story in his mind, but couldn’t remember the specific date. Even “The Chaebol Hunter Who Returned from Hell,” which provided detailed settings including a monster encyclopedia with illustrations, had a fairly ordinary main text.

 

“Have you eaten?”

 

At the unexpected question, Seo-ha shook his head while pondering how to avoid this situation. When Choi Gang-hu goes to register as an awakened one, an incident occurs. Not dangerous for him, but for those around him.

 

Who would have thought the timing would align like this? Watching Gang-hu leisurely operate his phone, Seo-ha swallowed a long sigh that was about to escape.

 

He had an ominous feeling that refusing would lead to an even worse situation. In the end, after finishing the bathhouse opening preparations, Seo-ha followed Gang-hu out.

 

“…Don’t tell me that limousine…”

 

As soon as they left the bathhouse, a black car parked in front of the old wall caught his eye. A luxury limousine that utterly clashed with the surrounding scenery. Its exterior was so glamorous it made his eyes spin.

 

The interior revealed as the chauffeur respectfully opened the door was even more luxurious. It was a sight more befitting an indoor space than a car. It seemed even more lavish than an airplane’s first class.

 

The back seat, separated from the driver’s seat by a partition, was very spacious and comfortable. The seats were as large and soft as a bed, and despite being enclosed on all sides, there was no feeling of confinement at all.

 

A perfectly set up space with a large TV, laptop, tablet PC, and other electronic devices, plus a refrigerator full of various drinks, liquor, and desserts. He had read about it in the novel, but seeing it in person, it was an overwhelmingly luxurious car.

 

“What is all this…?”

 

“I didn’t know what you liked.”

 

Most surprising of all was the food spread out on the folding table. A variety of dishes from Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Western cuisines were prepared.

 

“Let’s eat together. The menu is modest as it was prepared in a hurry.”

 

Modest? Did he mispronounce ‘extravagant’? It looks like we’ve come to a buffet.

 

The hot food was steaming, and the fried dishes looked extremely crispy. The delicious smell mercilessly stimulated his salivary glands. Enough to blow away any context of this situation to Andromeda.

 

“…Thank you for the meal.”

 

Seo-ha picked up his chopsticks, putting aside any sense of shame. Though he wasn’t hungry, having food in front of him automatically put him in battle mode. Then, he picked up a large piece of bulgogi beef that was closest to him. He put it straight in his mouth and chewed silently.

 

“Do you like Korean food?”

 

Choi Gang-hu smiled and pushed fluffy rice and well-fermented kimchi towards him. Seo-ha nodded after quickly chewing and swallowing the food in his mouth.

 

“I like all food.”

 

Taking a spoonful of rice and adding the bright red kimchi to the bulgogi beef, a joyful mix of flavors melted in his mouth. Before he knew it, his chopsticks began to move faster. Even though he was trying to restrain himself out of politeness.

 

“You can eat slowly.”

 

Gang-hu gently admonished in a voice tinged with laughter, as if to say he wouldn’t take the food away. Only then did Seo-ha’s chopsticks pause. He felt a bit embarrassed. The problem was his habit of quickly finishing once he started on something.

 

As he turned his head while wiping his mouth with a napkin, already feeling full, he could see the city landscape passing by outside the car window. He hadn’t even noticed when the limousine had started moving. Thanks to the excellent ride quality, he hadn’t felt any shaking at all. It must be the effect of a high-grade item. Shamefully, it was also partly because he had been distracted by the food.

 

“This is troublesome…”

 

He muttered inadvertently while looking down at the many colorful dishes on the table – sushi, steak, sweet and sour pork, chicken, grilled pork belly, and more.

 

“What is?”

 

“I’m full… but I should eat as much as I can when I can… Ah.”

 

Answering as if talking to himself, he realized his slip of the tongue and showed a troubled expression. It seems he had been disarmed in front of food. There was no benefit in showing his Chinatown survivor side. Especially in front of Choi Gang-hu.

 

“That’s right. Eating is not just for pleasure, but also an act of survival.”

 

A calm empathetic response came from him. There was no sign of him being upset or mocking. Choi Gang-hu had lived in an environment far harsher than an apocalyptic situation. In the Abyss, where it was difficult to even see proper food, let alone seasonings and spices, for as long as 300 years.

 

There was a good reason for the scenes in the original story where he enjoyed gourmet food while traveling around the world. As well as his habit of eating a variety of hearty meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

 

“Thank you for the meal.”

 

After rinsing his mouth with water, Seo-ha hesitated for a moment before bowing his head, and Choi Gang-hu laughed softly.

 

“Are you very full?”

 

His voice seemed even softer. Feeling guilty about leaving so much food, Seo-ha nodded hesitantly, and the laughter lines around Gang-hu’s eyes deepened.

 

“The leftover food will be purified with a skill and donated to those in need.”

 

“…?”

 

“Don’t look so dejected, it’s not going to waste.”

 

Dejected? As he unconsciously touched his face, Gang-hu took out a dessert that had been kept warm.

 

“You can still eat dessert, right?”

 

Gang-hu asked in a tone as if coaxing a shy child.

 

“…Yes.”

 

Seo-ha found himself nodding without realizing it.