The Dimensional Swordmaster C30

Chapter 30. The Fact That One Cannot Know (10)

No matter how shaken he had been, he shouldn’t have just stood there like an idiot.

When Yurian threw himself into the grotesque monster’s body, Gong Siyoung had been genuinely stunned.

Whether Yurian simply didn’t understand that he could die—or deliberately ignored it—he hadn’t hesitated for even a moment.

And there had been no need for him to risk his life like that. No one had asked him to. Even if he had fled right there, nobody would have blamed him.

Yet Yurian stepped forward as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Was that simply the kind of person he was? Only then did Siyoung notice the peculiar calmness unique to people who solved everything alone and endured everything alone.

Ridiculously enough, it reminded him of himself.

Though he pretended otherwise, Gong Siyoung also carried an obsession with protecting others. As an S-rank hunter, he had always fought that way.

He was someone who protected—not someone who was protected. He accepted sacrifice as natural, and stepping forward had always been his role.

But Yurian was different.

Yurian treated him as though he were some helpless child. Just as Gong Siyoung always charged ahead without hesitation, Yurian too stepped willingly into danger as though it were obvious. That composed indifference stirred something strange inside him.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—they arrived at their destination before the conversation could continue. After parking, Gong Siyoung led Yurian into a restaurant.

While they sat down and ordered, Yurian looked around curiously.

“What kind of place is this? Don’t tell me it’s chicken?”

He pointed at the large smiling chicken painted on one wall. Gong Siyoung frowned, as if only now realizing it was there.

What was this supposed to be, a memorial portrait?

“Samgyetang… a dish made with chicken. Last time, you seemed to eat meat pretty well.”

“Ah… yeah. I like meat.”

Yurian smiled brightly. The corners of his eyes curved into crescents, making Gong Siyoung instinctively look away.

“…Well, whether we like it or not, we’ll probably be stuck together for a while. So if there’s anything you want to eat, just say so. Or things you like…”

“I like everything.”

Yurian looked directly at him as he smiled.

Even though he knew that wasn’t what he meant, the answer still made Gong Siyoung feel strangely unsettled.

Everything? So that includes me too, or what?

Was he doing it on purpose? Or did he always look at people that warmly?

Given everything Yurian had done so far, it was impossible not to overthink it.

“Thanks for taking care of me. Because of you—”

Gong Siyoung shot to his feet.

“I-I’ll go get water.”

He abruptly cut Yurian off and practically fled.

He hurried to the water dispenser across the restaurant. As he filled the cups, he tapped repeatedly at his pounding chest.

“What the hell is wrong with me?”

Was it because he’d been diving into bizarre dungeons nonstop lately? Feeling flustered over meaningless words was pathetic.

He stared at the rising water and sighed.

Get a grip, Gong Siyoung.

If he got swept up by Yurian, he was finished. At the end of the day, he was supposed to be Yurian’s watcher. If he let appearances blind him, how was he supposed to face Gong Sijin later? If he kept getting dragged around like this, even things that should work out would fail.

Carrying two full cups carefully so they wouldn’t spill, he turned back toward the table.

Then he froze.

Yurian—who was supposed to be sitting obediently—was gone.

Only the empty chair remained.

“…What?”

He quickly set down the cups and looked around frantically.

Surely, surely he hadn’t run off somewhere in the span of a minute—

“Soju? Is the name really soju?”

“Ha! First, take a shot!”

Clink!

The sound of glasses colliding rang out from a table some distance away.

Yurian eagerly accepted the glass an old man handed him, then raised a thumbs-up in admiration.

“Wow…! This is really good! The alcohol is sweet!”

“Tsk! Stop talking and drink another one!”

Yurian grinned as he held out his glass again. Soju overflowed into it with a cheerful gurgle-gurgle. Laughter and conversation filled the air between the clinking glasses.

“Where’s your hometown, kid?”

“My hometown? Ah, if we’re talking my mother’s side, then the Eastern Continent. If it’s my father’s side, then the Kingdom of Kalian.”

“Kali-what? So you’re a foreigner, huh.”

Only after hearing that far did Gong Siyoung stride over rapidly. Before Yurian could properly settle into the drinking session, he grabbed him by the shoulder.

“…What exactly are you doing over here?”

Yurian waved cheerfully.

“Come sit down!”

Ignoring the invitation, Gong Siyoung hurriedly pulled him to his feet.

When the elderly man insisted they stay for another drink, Gong Siyoung bowed politely.

“My apologies. Please enjoy your meal, sir.”

When he offered to pay for both the food and alcohol, the old man laughed heartily, praising him as a rare and respectable young man.

By the time they finally returned to their own table after exchanging farewells, Gong Siyoung felt like he had aged ten years.

“What exactly were you doing over there?”

“Nothing much. I was just sitting here when Grandpa was holding that bottle, and I got curious about what it was.”

Yurian pointed at the soju bottle.

To think he’d managed to get drinks from a stranger’s table in that short amount of time… Gong Siyoung pressed a hand to his aching forehead.

“Don’t wander off without saying anything. And alcohol… it’s not good for you anyway. Especially drinking while eating. Absolutely not.”

“You’re picky….”

“Do you have a problem with that? You do realize I’m paying for all of this, right?”

“Mhm, no complaints. None at all.”

The face giving him a cheerful thumbs-up looked absurdly innocent.

Watching it only made his headache worse. Gong Siyoung let out a long sigh.

“If you casually talk to people, weird rumors can start spreading. Hunters attract gossip ridiculously fast.”

Even harmless incidents often became distorted once people started adding details. It came with the territory of being a hunter.

A simple story about sharing drinks and laughter could somehow mutate into Hunter steals alcohol from civilians’ table. Plenty admired hunters, but just as many envied and resented them.

Especially someone as conspicuous as Gong Siyoung. Malicious rumors followed him constantly. That was why he avoided interacting with ordinary people whenever possible.

Well… that, and his personality.

“Okay. I’ll be careful.”

Yurian nodded obediently.

Deciding to make the warning absolutely clear, Gong Siyoung leaned closer.

“Stay beside me at all times. Got it? And if you’re going anywhere, report it first.”

“Okay. I’ll stay beside you all the time.”

That compliant answer finally satisfied him somewhat. He should’ve been like that from the beginning. Gong Siyoung smiled faintly at Yurian.

Completely unaware that someone in the corner of the restaurant was secretly filming the entire scene.

“As expected, there’s no place better than home.”

Collapsing onto the sofa, Yurian stretched lazily. Gong Siyoung neatly aligned the shoes Yurian had kicked off carelessly by the entrance.

After tidying the shoe rack, he gestured toward Yurian.

“Wash your hands first.”

Don’t touch everything looking filthy like that.

At the warning, Yurian shuffled toward the bathroom. Once he carefully washed his hands and came back out, clothes were suddenly thrust into his face.

Gong Siyoung handed him a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt.

“You want me to change into these?”

“At the earliest, another summons won’t come until dawn tomorrow. Rest until then. And don’t lounge around in outdoor clothes.”

Was there really a difference? To Yurian, these clothes and those clothes all looked basically the same.

Still, if the homeowner said so, then so be it.

He immediately peeled off his clothes. While Yurian casually changed into the shirt, Gong Siyoung stared openly at his body.

Feeling the gaze, Yurian tilted his head.

“What?”

“…Nothing. You just have more scars than I expected.”

“Ah, these?”

He rubbed at his abdomen. A long scar stretched across his toned stomach and down toward his waist. There were countless smaller scars as well.

Yurian shrugged.

“What choice did I have? Had to survive somehow.”

There had been too many near-death encounters with monsters to count. The rest were souvenirs from mercenary work. He wasn’t ashamed of them—they were proof he’d lived fiercely.

“There are more on my back. Want to see?”

More on his back?

As Yurian proudly turned around, Gong Siyoung stumbled backward in alarm. Like someone who had accidentally seen something forbidden, he hastily shoved the T-shirt over Yurian’s head.

“J-Just put your clothes on already!”

He even threw the shorts at him before slamming the bathroom door shut.

Pulling the shirt down properly over himself, Yurian clicked his tongue.

“What’s with him?”

Had he overdone it? Maybe.

From what he’d observed so far, Gong Siyoung absolutely hated noisy, troublesome behavior.

He’d better tone it down a little. Maybe speak only once instead of twice.

Yurian repeated that resolution to himself despite knowing perfectly well he wouldn’t keep it.

After changing completely and stepping out of the bathroom, he was greeted by an empty living room. The faint sound of running water came from the master bathroom—Gong Siyoung must have been showering.

Dropping onto the sofa, Yurian leaned back comfortably.

He’d eaten, showered, and now sat against a cozy sofa. Sleepiness began creeping over him.

Just as he wondered what time it was, his gaze landed on the table.

“Oh?”

The phone Gong Siyoung had confiscated earlier sat there temptingly.

Without even pausing to think, Yurian snatched it up. His eyes sparkled brighter than ever.

He immediately opened the video app. A wondrous world unfolded before him, more mystical than magic itself.

As his finger hovered uncertainly between industrial documentaries and talking animals, a familiar name suddenly caught his attention.

Yurian frowned.

Next to a blurred photograph unmistakably resembling Gong Siyoung was an aggressively provocative headline.

[Exclusive Leak! The Secret Private Life of an S-Rank Hunter?! Witnessed on a Secret Date!]

notes

1. Samgyetang (삼계탕) — A traditional Korean soup made with whole chicken stuffed with rice, ginseng, and medicinal herbs; commonly associated with nourishment and stamina recovery