Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Could it be that Hunter Yoon Juyeong personally took care of it himself?

Around the relatively simple-looking detached house, various fresh flowers and trees were beautifully arranged, looking vibrant just to the eye. Among them was a nameless tree heavy with bright pink blossoms that seemed to be in full bloom for the season.

Following Hunter Yoon Juyeong’s lead, I carefully stepped into his garden.

“Did you tend to the garden yourself, Hunter Yoon Juyeong?”

“Not all of it… I only took care of the trees over here. The rest I owe to a special item I got as a reward when I was lucky enough to clear a B++-Rank dungeon.”

There was a special item that helped with gardening? I looked around the garden with eyes full of wonder, curiosity, and amazement.

It looked like a garden that had seen frequent human hands, so I’d assumed Hunter Yoon Juyeong tended it himself, or at least hired a gardener…

‘As expected, there really are a lot of rare dungeon items in all sorts of ways.’

I’d heard stories about how in one dungeon, a perfume bottle—not even perfume itself—would drop, and in another, some random button would drop.

I figured the item used to maintain this garden was probably one of those rare, little-known types that were hard to find a practical use for.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your garden tour, but I think it’d be best if you went inside now, Seohee. It’s still early spring, so the weather is cold.”

“No, it’s not like I’ll catch a cold from just this much chill…”

Even the lowest-grade Awakened, as long as they bore the title of ‘Awakened,’ were bound to have physical strength and immunity several times superior to ordinary people.

In that sense, worrying about an Awakened catching a cold over the slightly cool weather of April was nothing more than a foolish concern.

I thought about pointing that out, but then decided it wasn’t right to add unnecessary words to someone who was worried about me, so I kept my mouth shut and followed Hunter Yoon Juyeong’s lead toward the house.

“Ah, Seohee.”

“What now?”

“Would you perhaps consider calling me by a more comfortable title instead of ‘Hunter Yoon Juyeong’?”

Standing in front of the door leading from the garden into the house, Hunter Yoon Juyeong held the doorknob and asked with a very serious expression.

Was that really something to ask with such a serious face? I tilted my head, but considering it wasn’t a difficult request, I readily gave him an answer.

“Then I’ll call you Juyeong.”

“Personally, I’d prefer something a little more affectionate…”

“I don’t think we’re close enough for that.”

“How can you say that… You and I share the most intimate and close master-servant relationship that will never exist again in this world—”

“Ah—more than that, I’m curious about the inside of the house! When are we going in?”

In a situation like this, listening to Yoon Juyeong any further would only get me swept up in his nonsense. I deliberately stared at the doorknob he was holding, pretending I couldn’t stand my curiosity about the house’s interior.

Fortunately, it seemed Yoon Juyeong was willing to back down this time, as he opened the door immediately without adding any more words.

Beyond the opened door, the first thing visible was the entrance, as in any house. Following Yoon Juyeong’s gesture to go in first, I carefully stepped into the foyer.

As I entered, the lights flickered on, revealing the interior of the house—so spotless it looked either meticulously maintained or completely uninhabited.

‘Hmm.’

I had a vague feeling that Yoon Juyeong probably didn’t spend much time at home. I carefully placed my bare feet on the floor, which was so clean it lacked any trace of daily life, not even a speck of dust.

Meanwhile, Yoon Juyeong closed the door behind me and carefully set down the luggage by the entrance.

“It’s a bit empty, isn’t it? I don’t usually stay home for long… Still, I’m truly honored to have you in my house, Seohee.”

As he said that, a flush of vitality and joy rippled across his pale face. His attitude made it perfectly clear that he genuinely felt honored by my visit, just as he’d said.

Faced with that pure joy, I instead felt a heavy pang of guilt. It was unavoidable for me, who had to recall the influence of my skill every time I saw all the favor and delight Yoon Juyeong showed.

‘How on earth am I supposed to get rid of the skill’s effect?’

I followed Yoon Juyeong, who was smiling brightly and guiding me through the house—pointing out where the living room was, where the storage room was, and which room I could use—while repeating the same thought over and over.

“How can I let him go without tormenting an innocent person…?”

Because of that, I didn’t notice the young man’s face, which would occasionally stare blankly at my troubled expression with no emotion, only to break into a smile a moment later.

Not that anything would have changed even if I had noticed.

* * *

There was someone who spoke of usefulness.

It’s a memory not too distant. A memory so vivid and clear it feels like I could reach out and touch it, still lurking right before my eyes.

That person whispered softly with lips painted a vivid red. You are useless.

Is that memory true, or is it false? Perhaps it wasn’t even a real event to begin with. Like a weak, foolish child often does, maybe it was a lie I crafted by dragging a fantasy into reality.

But either way, it doesn’t matter. Whether the woman’s words were true or false, what mattered was reality and the facts before my eyes. So let me speak the facts, the truth alone.

I was useless.

From beginning to end, I had never been useful to anyone. That was something like an unshakable truth. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, no matter how much I tried to turn away and escape by saying it wasn’t true, it was something I had no choice but to face in the end.

So, I thought vaguely. If there was someone who needed this wretched person, if there was someone who would look down on me with pity and compassion, giving me even the chance to kiss their shoes, then.

Then… .

* * *

“—What kind of nonsense is that!”

“…Lady Seohee?”

“…Huh?”

I could have sworn that just a moment ago, some unknown person was spouting ridiculous nonsense, but when I opened my eyes, Yoon Juyeong was looking at me with a startled expression.

What the hell is going on? For a moment, I couldn’t grasp the situation and just blinked stupidly, but then I saw the morning sunlight pouring in from behind Yoon Juyeong and immediately shot up from my spot.

“Gasp, I wasn’t talking to you, Yoon Juyeong.”

“Yes, I figured as much. But did you have a bad dream? You look quite upset…”

“Ugh, I just had a dream where I had to keep listening to some nonsense over and over…”

It was a dream where a little kid who couldn’t have even started elementary school kept saying she was useless, that she wished someone would tell her she was useful, and that if someone did that, she would even kiss their shoes.

Thinking about it makes me even angrier. To a kid like that? What, you’re useless? I ought to sew the mouth shut of whoever said that crap.

Even if it was just a dream, it still pisses me off.

“It seems you’re tense from staying in an unfamiliar place. Shall I prepare some fragrant tea to help you relax?”

“Uh… no, you don’t have to…”

“Then shall I prepare some simple snacks for you to eat?”

“No, there’s even less need for that.”

“Ah, if you don’t want to get out of bed, I could bring it to you myself—”

“I’ll just go out and have some tea, just tea.”

I never had the right to refuse in the first place. I pouted my lips and sluggishly got out of bed. Yoon Juyeong had already gone ahead to the kitchen, saying he’d prepare things first.

It seemed he had come to wake me up in the morning, but I felt a bit sorry that the moment he entered the room, he had to hear me swearing about nonsense and whatnot.

After tidying up the blanket I had slept under, I went straight into the bathroom attached to the room, washed my face quickly, and fixed my hair. I don’t particularly have a hobby of dolling up my appearance, but still, I didn’t want to show an unkempt look in front of others.

Though, if I think about it, I guess it was already ruined the moment Yoon Juyeong came into the room to wake me up.

After tidying up as much as I needed, I headed to the kitchen. Yoon Juyeong was just pouring the tea he had finished brewing into a beautiful, transparent teacup.

Following Yoon Juyeong’s gaze, I sat down at the table while examining the tea he had poured for me. Even for someone like me with no knowledge of tea, the pretty, clear yellow color was impressive enough to make me admire it naturally.

“The color is really pretty…”

“I’m very glad you feel that way, Lady Seohee.”

“What kind of tea is this? Is it like, barley tea, or something?”

I’d seen barley tea sold in tea bags at the convenience store near my house a few times. It was always right next to popular teas like green tea or barley tea.

“It’s chamomile tea. It’s said to have a calming effect on the mind and body.”

“Mm.”

It was a tea I’d heard of at places like cafes. Of course, I’d never actually tried it since I wasn’t interested in tea. For someone like me who only ever ordered iced chocolate or bubble tea when stepping into a cafe, this kind of tea had too high an entry barrier.

I carefully grasped the teacup. The warmth that filled my palm was very comforting.

As I cautiously brought the teacup to my lips, Yoon Juyeong sat down in the chair right next to me, picked up his own teacup, and used the remote to turn on the TV. The morning news program I always watched appeared on the screen, which looked expensive with its high-quality picture.

Does Yoon Juyeong watch this program every morning too?

I wondered for a moment, then remembered that, regardless, he had come to my house and stayed overnight.

…Could it be that he turned it on with my daily routine in mind?