Chapter 110

“?”

I opened my eyes and sat up, only to stare blankly at the ceiling like an idiot.

It wasn’t a strange ceiling. No, it was a familiar one.

The problem was that I’d only meant to nap for thirty minutes slumped over the table, so why the hell was I waking up feeling this refreshed—in bed?

It felt like a memory from over ten years ago.

My head was unusually clear, my mind unusually peaceful. It was like…

Waking up way past the point of being late for class?

Chills shot through me, and I bolted upright in bed.

―Thump!

The thick blanket flipped back with my movement.

A quick check of my clothes confirmed it—I was still in my work outfit, which meant I’d passed out cold.

“Why… bed?”

It was the small bedroom attached to the office.

The spot for power naps.

Had Helen suddenly bulked up and carried me here?

“……”

But she was E-rank? And she didn’t even seem like a dealer type?

Besides…

I glanced absently at the clock on the nightstand and freaked out.

“It’s 5:30 p.m.!”

I was supposed to be up at 1:30!

“Helen!”

How many tasks were backed up? How many messages needed sending in those four hours!

She didn’t wake me? Slept like a rock? Like a dead log?

―Bang!

The moment I flung open the door to the small bedroom…

I had to pull another dumb face at the sight of the office, bathed in peaceful afternoon sunlight.

“Huh?”

“You’re awake?”

The person saying that—sitting at my desk in the office—was…

“Jooian-ssi?”

None other than Jooian-ssi.

He flashed a gentle smile and gestured to the sofa in front.

“Have a seat and relax.”

“No, wait—how are you here?”

Wasn’t this my office? Had I wandered to the temple half-asleep, worked there, and passed out?

Or was there some bizarre twist of fate connecting my nap room to Jooian’s office?

No way in hell!

“Why are you here?!”

I hurried over and planted myself in front of him.

Had they moved the office? What about the penalties?

Had these people finally lost it as a group after Epe blabbed once?

But Jooian-ssi looked way too serene for that.

As my sleep-addled brain struggled to process, Jooian’s voice cut through.

“Rest more. I’ll handle the urgent stuff.”

“B-but it’s our territory.”

Was it really okay for an outsider to handle that?

I could already picture the penalties detonating like a chain of bombs.

But there was no sign of the flashing RP dungeon penalty crisis window blotting out my vision.

This whole situation had somehow been accepted by the Edelweiss estate folks.

How??

“It’s fine. Helen-kyung took the important documents.”

I blinked at his words.

“Then…?”

Curiosity won out, and I craned my neck over the work desk.

[Emergency Team Formation Documents]

Those were the exact files I’d been reviewing before crashing.

So it looked like he was just issuing orders for the team reshuffles due to the gate difficulty spike.

“I’m only standing in for the Guardian Knight Commander duties.”

Jooian-ssi said, pointing at the papers.

“Is that… okay?”

No penalties? I scanned his face closely.

Jooian-ssi looked perfectly fine.

“Yes. It’s urgent, and… well, I’m the only one who truly gets the Guardian Knight Commander’s strategies and can issue quick orders to the priests.”

He added with a small smile—when Hunter Shin Yuri-nim is out of commission.

My brain felt like it was frying.

“Helen approved that???”

“We couldn’t just grind to a halt. And Hunter Shin Yuri-nim wouldn’t wake up even when called.”

“Oh.”

Then she should’ve shaken me upside down or something!

If Jooian-ssi hadn’t shown up, maybe she would have—but this time, he’d arrived first.

“Luckily, Helen-kyung turned out to be pretty flexible…”

Jooian-ssi murmured as he flipped a page.

I froze.

Wasn’t he the most inflexible one on our team?

But today, he just seemed shameless.

I waved a hand in front of his face.

“You’re really Jooian-ssi? Not Shin Jae-heon?”

“It’s me.”

Not Shin Jae-heon after chugging a disguise potion?

I knew he had no way to get one, but the suspicion lingered anyway.

“Jooian-ssi’s birthday?”

“January 7th… Though Shin Jae-heon Hunter-nim knows that too.”

Jooian-ssi burst out laughing.

“Nah, that guy’s terrible with numbers. He even asks me sometimes if it’s July 1st.”

I shook my head. But the smile on the Jooian-ssi in front of me was genuine.

That soft warmth—he could never pull it off on Shin Jae-heon’s face.

Even trying his best, it’d come out as some sleazy smirk.

“What happened when we hiked Seoraksan two years ago?”

“I met up with my ASMR YouTuber crush for an interview—”

Jooian-ssi’s face flushed beet red mid-sentence.

Thaaat’s it!

“You are real!!!”

So why was the real deal here? I clutched my head.

“I am. Now rest already.”

Jooian-ssi rubbed his face dry and pointed at the sofa again.

“No penalties either, so relax.”

Jooian-ssi couldn’t lie. Finally, I eyed him warily before slinking over to the sofa and sitting down.

“Work’s almost wrapped up. Oh,”

Jooian-ssi paused mid-page-flip to look at me.

“Temple reports show more gates piling up on the eastern families, so I dispatched extra priests.”

The eastern families were mostly under the Miya Union.

“The Miya Union won’t let any gates slip.”

His words jogged my memory from earlier.

Wondered why someone was needed to command the priests—right, extra forces meant official dispatches…

“Probably why Helen-kyung signed off on it…”

Jooian-ssi smiled as he said it.

“That aside, you looked exhausted, so I came to help.”

He spread his hands.

“You’re beat as it is, and you hate paperwork anyway.”

“Well…”

He’d shown up at the perfect moment—too perfect. Grateful, sure, but weird.

So Jooian-ssi, yet not quite.

That odd vibe—he had something to say.

Why else would he come back here after beating down Epe and parting ways?

―Scrape.

I dragged a chair right up to him and sat.

Backrest facing him, arm draped over, chin propped as I eyed him.

“So, what’s the real reason you came?”

Jooian-ssi hesitated at my question. Then:

“To heal you up, and… um, repay that favor from before?”

“Favor?”

He nodded.

“You stopped by the temple before leaving.”

I could see every little pause when he spoke.

Brain running at full speed!

I narrowed my eyes.

“Hiding behind that excuse, huh?”

His hand finally stopped. He chuckled low.

Now that was Jooian-ssi.

“Yeah. Hiding behind that excuse.”

Then he met my gaze.

“But then I heard you dove into a dungeon. Pushing that hard and jumping into another one…”

“Tha-that one couldn’t be helped.”

Nag, nag! I threw up both hands.

“C-rank dungeon upgraded. Couldn’t exactly do anything about it.”

Can’t toss newbies into a B-rank, right?

Jooian-ssi furrowed his brow slightly.

“A B-rank might seem easy at Hunter Shin Yuri-nim’s level, but…”

He knew I was B-rank now. Just politely calling it overkill for me.

“Still no room for carelessness. You need to be cautious.”

Classic healer… word choice. I pinched my forehead.

He’d probably say the same even if I were S-rank. Please don’t push yourself.

“Got it.”

I nodded along.

Completely unaware it was a trap.

Like he’d been waiting, Jooian-ssi piped up.

“Then no work for the next two days.”

“Huh?”

He spread his hands again.

“You need rest, don’t you?”

“……”

This time, it felt dead serious.

Really… what kind of person pops up like a genie at the perfect moment?

I’d wished for a magic helper, but hadn’t expected a real one.

Wait—in this case, magic guy?

“Seriously…”

I mumbled, gaping.

Jooian-ssi had his own busy schedule, yet he’d come all the way here to take over willingly.

Acted fine after tangling with Epe, but a healer’s eyes see through that.

Worried I’d crash from exhaustion, he’d dropped everything to rush over.

“I’m really sorry. And—”

―Scrape!

I shot to my feet. Circling behind the desk, I threw my arms around him.

His pristine white robe and red-trimmed cloth fluttered up, then settled.

“Thank you! Jooian-ssi, you’re the best!”

People outside, so I whispered it.

Startled, his quill skidded, streaking ink across the paper.

I ground my forehead into his light brown hair.

“Love ya—!”

Soft strands, just like back at the Korean estate. Something we did often.

Whenever he’d magically appear and handle the tedious crap.

Out of pure gratitude.

Normally, Jooian-ssi would laugh, gently prying my face away.

Turn to me with a smile.

‘Rest up. Sleep’s the best medicine, you know?’

That soft, smiling face.

“……”

But Jooian-ssi said nothing.

I sneaked a peek from the side.

“Jooian-ssi?”

He’d been off all day.

Jooian-ssi stayed frozen in my embrace—ink blotting the paper unnoticed, barely breathing.

Then he asked.

“Really?”

His low voice echoed through the room.

Graver, more serious than I’d ever heard.

…Like he was waiting for an answer.

His brown eyes turned to mine.

Our gazes locked—from inches away.