"Ah, does the teleportation skill also have item detection?"
Kwon Jihan's sharp deduction made Yoon Seo flinch in surprise. He pulled Riceball back into his embrace.
"It's fine if you don't know."
"Got it. I won't try to deduce anything then, but can you let me touch hyung's egg again?"
Cough, cough.
The three on the opposite side, munching on some medicine with great interest, coughed as if they were choking.
Since this had been happening a lot lately, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo didn't pay it much mind.
"Do you really want to touch my egg that much?"
"Yeah, it's warm and the size is just right. I'm also curious about what might pop out."
"Alright then. Feel free to touch it."
Yoon Seo generously extended Riceball to the side again. Kwon Jihan gently stroked Riceball with his large hand.
"..."
"Huh? It vibrated."
"I guess it feels good."
"The pulsation under my palm is quite moving. Let's crack the egg soon, Riceball. Uncle wants to see you quickly too."
The egg trembled slightly.
"Stop touching it now."
"But maybe the egg wants to be touched more. Why take it away?"
"It's mine."
"Hyung's is mine, and mine is hyung's."
"But as Hunter Kwon Jihan, I don't have any eggs to touch."
"Hyung is so stingy. Where should I get an egg from?"
As Yoon Seo took the egg, Kwon Jihan chuckled softly and picked up his teacup. Yoon Seo watched Kwon Jihan sip his tea and hugged Riceball closer.
He imagined Riceball, now a blue bird, flying around Kwon Jihan's vicinity while chirping happily. He pictured a white ferret peeking out from the nape of Kwon Jihan's neck, giving him a sharp look, or a yellow hedgehog clinging to Kwon Jihan's broad shoulder, meowing softly. These thoughts made him feel a warm, fuzzy sensation spreading in his chest.
Once he finished his will, he planned to transfer Riceball to Kwon Jihan. He was sure Kwon Jihan would take good care of it.
Usually, he would have tried to suppress his smile, but this time Yoon Seo didn't hold back.
"..."
With his long, lush eyelashes, slightly lifted, alluring eyes, and deep brown pupils, Kwon Jihan's smile, the dimples under his eyes, prominent cheekbones, and upturned lips clearly showed his good mood.
Tap, thud.
At the sudden noise from the side, Yoon Seo turned his head.
"Ah, damn."
Kwon Jihan quickly set down his teacup, having spilled some of the tea. Yoon Seo handed him a tissue.
"What can we do if you're an S-rank but have weak hands?"
"No, it was just a mistake this time. I'm really strong. Want to arm wrestle?"
"I don't want to make a child cry."
"Ugh, what should I do with this rookie hyung?"
"Are you calling Seo Chaeyoon a rookie now?"
"Didn't you say you didn't want to be called Seo Chaeyoon? Are you selectively being Seo Chaeyoon now?"
"Just take the tissue quickly."
Kwon Jihan smiled as he took the tissue. Their fingers brushed lightly, and Kwon Jihan gently wiped the tea off his sweater.
"Will this come off easily? I was planning to wear this outfit when we go to a nice restaurant."
Yoon Seo blinked, pressing his thumb on his finger.
"What restaurant?"
"Are you forgetting something, Chaeyoon? We agreed to go to the spicy braised ribs restaurant this weekend."
Kwon Jihan shook his solid shoulders with a hint of disappointment.
"Wasn't that canceled?"
Yoon Seo remembered the promise, but he thought that such a minor commitment had naturally been canceled due to the urgent matter of explaining strategies for the great dungeon.
"You're not only not letting me touch your egg but also trying to cancel the long-awaited promise? Are you really going to keep disappointing me? I keep salivating over the reviews of that restaurant. I've been diligently training by eating kimchi to get used to spicy food, and this is just too much."
"Now is not the time for leisurely restaurant outings…"
Yoon Seo glanced at Yoo Juncheol and the other two. Yoo Juncheol, who had been watching with great interest, straightened up.
"Yoon Seo, we're still far from that point. We're almost done with the great dungeon explanation, aren't we? It should be finished by tomorrow."
"That's true, but…"
"Given all the stress you've been under with the great dungeon, please make sure to enjoy the restaurant with Jihan and relieve some of that stress this weekend."
"Do I not need to research the strategies over the weekend?"
"What do you mean by that? How can you suggest working on great dungeon strategies over the weekend? I didn't realize Yoon Seo was so diligent, righteous, and self-sacrificing."
Yoon Seo jumped at Yoo Juncheol's words.
Oh my! How can he call me righteous?
Yoon Seo could tolerate other comments, but he couldn't stand being described as diligent, righteous, and self-sacrificing.
"Alright. Then I'll take the weekend off."
Yoon Seo answered coldly, gathering all the seriousness he could muster.
Lately, he hadn't been able to properly execute his will due to the great dungeon strategy explanations. He had only fulfilled the will to visit ten popular restaurants twice, so he was pleased to take care of it while the topic was still up.
Looking forward to dining alone with Kwon Jihan…
When Yoon Seo subtly raised his gaze and met Kwon Jihan's eyes, Kwon Jihan winked.
"I'll make sure to wear this sweater after washing it properly. Hyung, you should wear something in a similar color too."
Yoon Seo's ears turned red.
A sweater in the middle of summer? It doesn't make sense. How can he wear something so hot when he can't even handle spicy food? What if he ends up sweating buckets? He'll probably roll up the sleeves to his forearms because it's too hot. Then sweat will bead up on his thick, muscular arms. What if he roughly sweeps his sweat-soaked hair back with his big hands? What if he exhales hot breath with a flushed face? This is a big deal.
"Um, where exactly is that restaurant?"
Yoo Juncheol threw a splash of cold water on Yoon Seo's serious thoughts.
"I haven't had spicy braised ribs in a while either; I'd love to have them again."
Yoo Juncheol, knowing that Kwon Jihan might not be aware but was interested in Yoon Seo, wanted to set up a private meal for the two. However, upon further thought, he didn't want to miss out on the fun and intriguing sight of them dining alone, so he decided to tag along. He wasn't the only one with such thoughts.
"I love Korean food. I'm a foreigner who wants to eat Korean food."
Grace suddenly became a foreigner who loved Korea, despite having eaten only Korean food for the past few days.
"I won't be eating. I'll just be watching."
Going to a restaurant just to watch?
Do Deungsoo was the most straightforward but received a strange look from Yoon Seo.
"Who's trying to add a spoon to my restaurant? It's only for hyung and me. Don't even dream about joining us."
"But I want to eat too…"
"I'm a foreigner interested in Korean food…"
"I'll just watch…"
"Everyone be quiet and let the three of us handle it."
Kwon Jihan firmly shut down the 30-somethings trying to intrude, so decisively that the three could only pout their lips and stopped pressing further.
Yoon Seo was considering whether he should suggest that everyone go together, saying he didn't mind. He did want to have a meal alone with Kwon Jihan, but seeing how much everyone else wanted to join… Just as Yoon Seo was about to say it was okay, he locked eyes with Kwon Jihan.
"..."
Kwon Jihan smiled at Yoon Seo. It was a smile that seemed to say, "I did well, didn't I?"—a smile so dazzling it was almost blinding.
Yeah, let's just eat together, the two of us.
Yoon Seo turned his head away with a pout.
***
Finally, it was time to explain the fourth and final area: the temple terrain.
The last area truly lived up to the name "dungeon." Yoon Seo drew the map of the temple's interior with no hesitation, as if he were looking at it in real-time, marking the locations and types of traps.
"You remember all the trap locations?"
"I remember all the traps that were triggered. But there are probably many that weren't, so we need to be careful."
"…Understood."
As always, Yoon Seo's detailed memory of a dungeon from ten years ago pained them.
"Most of the traps can be detected with items, so make sure to bring enough of them. Oh, and bring as much food as possible."
"Food? Did people starve?"
"Yes, there was nothing to eat in the temple terrain, and many people starved to death. A total of 111 people died of hunger."
"..."
Grace quickly covered her mouth with her hand, realizing how careless her words had been.
"Well, with inventories and subspace storage now, it shouldn't be a big problem."
"That's right… Thank good—…"
Do Deungsoo let out a long sigh of relief, only to feel guilty and quickly shut his mouth.
He wanted to smack himself for nearly saying "thank goodness" in a situation like this.
"Still, it's fortunate that Yoon Seo has managed to overcome such harsh obstacles and is now here to explain everything to us."
"Ah, that's because the other Revengers shared their food with me. I was a valuable asset, after all."
"..."
Even Yoo Juncheol clamped his mouth shut after that.
With the three of them sitting side by side, hands over their mouths, Yoon Seo calmly clicked open the bottle of medicine, took out a few pills, and swallowed them.
Kwon Jihan, the only one with his hands free, handed him a cup of water with a practiced ease, which Yoon Seo accepted and drank.
Kwon Jihan silently watched Yoon Seo as he swallowed the water.
Starvation… what a meaningless death. How must it have felt for those who could do nothing but watch others die? How must Seo Chaeyoon feel, now that he's survived and is recounting those events?
Even as he listened to the straightforward, emotionless story devoid of feelings or narrative, Kwon Jihan felt the urge to comfort him. But he knew that no words could ever offer true comfort, so he stayed silent. It was the same now.
Yoon Seo didn't seem particularly troubled. It wasn't as if he was reliving a painful and distressing past; it was more like he was recounting the plot of a drama featuring a character who had gone through hardship and suffering. But in his brown eyes, there was an overwhelming sense of futility and resignation. It was the kind of emptiness that no comfort could ever reach.
Kwon Jihan wished he knew how to console someone like this. If someone offered to tell him how in exchange for a few skills, he would gladly make the trade.