Nari, who hadn’t stepped outside her room for the past week, crawled towards the bathroom. It was time to get ready and go out. She had an appointment.

In Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Nari looked around the corner of her neighborhood.

She’s usually a person who stands out just by standing, especially in this quiet neighborhood. She thought he might be late, but she had received a text saying he had arrived, so he must be here.

“Where are you, exactly…”

“Here!”

As Nari slightly frowned while looking around, a small honk sounded next to her. Lee Hyun rolled down his car window and called her.

“It’s cold, so get in.”

“You already have your own car…”

What have I been doing all this time? Nari, struck by a sudden realization, obediently got into the passenger seat next to Lee Hyun, reassuring herself that she can now earn as much as he does…

“It’s really been a long time, hasn’t it!”

“Yeah. Since the mock battle.”

Lee Hyun hadn’t been in much contact with her since the mock battle.

Nari thought he might be avoiding her and even checked his SNS account, but he hadn’t been active for a week. Now, a week later, he finally responded to her call.

“So, sorry… I had some things to think about…”

“It’s fine. Oh, I called you today to return this.”

Nari, who claimed to have enjoyed her time as an unemployed person, handed Lee Hyun a shopping bag she had been holding.

“Thanks.”

“Why don’t you look for your stuff? Do you have several at home?”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t really use it.”

Lee Hyun took the shopping bag. Inside the large shopping bag from a luxury men’s clothing brand was the laptop and pad he had lent her, along with another item.

“What’s this?”

Lee Hyun pulled out a small box. Nari’s ears turned red in an instant. From the passenger seat, she turned her head away and stammered.

“It’s just… since you helped me a lot… and I got in thanks to you… so, it’s like… a token of gratitude! I don’t like being in debt, you know? It’s just…”

“Ah, wow. Thank you! You didn’t have to… but really, thank you, Nari. Can I open it now?”

Nari looked away from Lee Hyun and just nodded. Click, Lee Hyun opened the small box.

Inside was a set of small, elegant cufflinks. They were obviously from an expensive brand. Nari continued speaking without looking at Lee Hyun.

“I thought about what to give you, but it seemed like you’d have everything I could think of… so, when you wore that suit… I thought it suited you well… so I bought that. If you have something better at home or don’t like it, you don’t have to use it.”

Nari’s voice trailed off.

She was worried that the gift she had prepared with such care might be a useless present to him.

“This… this…”
As Lee Hyun’s voice reached her, Nari sneaked a glance at him. He carefully held the cufflinks and covered his mouth, speaking.

“Did you pick these thinking of me?”

“Uh? Of, of course.”

“While choosing, you kept thinking about what would suit me better, right? That I would… keep thinking about me wearing them…”

“Right? How else would I choose?”

Lee Hyun, slightly blushing, asked if she had been thinking of him while choosing them. Nari nodded silently, and Lee Hyun carefully held the cufflinks in his hand, his face flushed with excitement.

“I’m so happy. I’ll treasure them. I’ll wear them every day. Really, every day!”

“I’m glad you like them, but wearing office attire and heading to work every day might be tough, right?”

Nari sighed with relief. Lee Hyun looked at the sparkling cufflink set a few more times before carefully putting it back in the box. Then he cautiously started speaking.

“I’ve thought a lot about you, Nari. After the mock battle, I really thought about you a lot. Almost every day for the past week…”

This sudden confession should have made him shy, but the way he spoke and his expression were not shy at all.

Rather, it had a slightly troubled feel to it. Nari, sensing this, looked at him curiously. Lee Hyun looked at her awkwardly.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you during the mock battle.”

“Oh, that’s…”

“I’ve been told many times not to do that by the guild leader and my partner, but I’m a front-line type of hunter. It’s my job to protect others. I thought it was natural.”

Lee Hyun sighed while holding the steering wheel. After the mock battle, his conversation with Lud, which had weighed heavily on his mind, made him reflect on himself.

In critical situations like the mock battle, Lee Hyun’s sacrifice of his armor allowed many to be saved.

Of course, it hurt when he got injured. It hurt a lot.

The pain of broken bones, ruptured organs, broken bones piercing organs, burned or torn flesh, and severed limbs was still vivid.

Even though he heals, he doesn’t completely forget the pain at the time. Rather, as the memories accumulated, his fear of pain grew.

But if I didn’t do that, weaker people would die. And I am a hunter. With that resolve, Lee Hyun always headed to the front lines of the Gates.

And he constantly reassured himself. I don’t hurt. No, I am someone who can bear the pain.

But looking back, he realized that such thinking had caused a lot of harm to both his body and mind. And it was the same for the people around him who cared for him.

“It’s okay, I guess. That was my personal desire. Thinking about it now, your point makes sense too. Honestly, if you hadn’t taken off your armor and you survived while the other person died, you would have heard things like, ‘He heals quickly but didn’t even take off his armor.'”

“So, what should I do? If both ways aren’t great, then…”

Lee Hyun looked down, uncertain. It seemed his recent inactivity was due to the conversation during the mock battle. Nari, turning her head, spoke as if wondering what the big deal was.

“Why worry so much… I’m here now.”

“Me, Nari?”

“Why? Don’t you trust me? I’m stronger than you. And now we’re from the same organization.”

Nari confidently crossed her arms and leaned back in the passenger seat. Seeing Lee Hyun’s lukewarm reaction, she frowned.

“What, weren’t we going to team up? Were you planning to leave me alone in Holy War?”

“No, not at all! It’s just, I didn’t expect my worries to be resolved so easily, that’s all… Being with Lud means there won’t be such situations. He’s stronger than me…”
Watching Lee Hyun seriously ponder with his hand on his mouth, Nari detached herself from the passenger seat and smirked. An arrogant smile played on her lips, and her black eyes twinkled.

“Trust me. While you’re with me, you won’t need to take off your armor. I can make that happen for you.”

“Really, Nari…”

“Why?”

“You’re just so cool…”

Lee Hyun, with both hands covering his mouth, looked at Nari with sparkling eyes, admiration apparent in his gaze. To anyone passing by outside the car, it might have looked like Nari had just made a proposal.