Episode 7
“You mean… hug me? Now?”
The vivid image of it sent a shudder down my spine.
“I have to make a good impression,” Cha Seo-hae said, his nonchalance bordering on brazen. “You might become our guild’s healer, after all.”
He wasn’t just joking; he began to close the distance between us. Even during two years of grinding with the First Division, I had never engaged in that kind of skinship with my teammates. At most, I’d been carried on someone’s back once after collapsing from a surprise attack during an expedition.
‘But I was unconscious then.’
Aside from that, the extent of my physical contact was merely placing my hands over a wound. And now, this guy I just met wants to do what?
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
I saw him leaning in. I flailed my arms desperately to ward him off, so frantic that his name slipped my mind entirely.
At my raised voice, his brow furrowed—but only for a moment. He quickly smoothed his expression as if hiding it and looked down at me, gauging my reaction.
“Just kidding.”
A thin thread of laughter escaped through his teeth as he spoke lightly.
“Carrying someone who isn’t even a guild member once was enough.”
“…”
“Shall we go sign that contract now?”
He turned back toward the door with practiced ease. As his silhouette moved, a slight breeze followed. Snapping out of my daze, I hurriedly shoved my feet into my slippers.
‘…What does he mean “once was enough”? That implies he’s done it before.’
But I had no memory of it. Having no recollection of something involving yourself while the other person remembers—there was nothing more unsettling.
I stepped out of the room. A plaque on the door read [405]. True to its reputation as the Baekyang Guild building, the ‘BY’ logo was engraved into the corner of the sign.
“Oh?”
Chil-deuk, the man who had been kicked out earlier, was standing there.
‘What should I call him?’
I’d heard his name indirectly, so… Mr. Chil-deuk? But we hadn’t been formally introduced. The Driver?
I forgot about chasing after Cha Seo-hae for a moment as I contemplated how to address the man. Noticing my dilemma, he adjusted his sunglasses and approached.
“Is everything alright?”
“Pardon?”
“I thought I heard screaming at the end there.”
“Ah, yes. Nothing happened. We just had a bit of a friction while discussing the contract…”
I let my answer trail off vaguely. It wasn’t something worth sharing as small talk, and seeing how he was constantly by Cha Seo-hae’s side, he seemed like someone I’d be seeing often.
He let out a deep sigh, looking genuinely relieved. It felt less like he was worried about his boss and more like he was worried about me.
“He has very sensitive hearing. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Sensitive hearing?”
The moment I said it, his Awakened ability came to mind.
‘Is it because he’s a Shooter and fires guns often?’
I recalled the frantic racing earlier. The gunfire had certainly been loud.
“Is it okay for you to tell me that kind of information?” I asked hesitantly.
Information regarding Cha Seo-hae should be top-tier confidential. This man’s lips seemed a bit too loose.
“Ah, don’t think poorly of me. I overheard that you might become Baekyang’s healer.”
He was quite desperate to defend himself.
“My name is Chil-deuk. I handle the Master’s driving. Please, feel free to call me Chil-deuk.”
“I’m Moon Yeon-hee. You can speak comfortably with me as well. But… is that your real name?”
“It’s my codename, but I use it more often than my real one.”
To use a codename more than a real name meant he had a lot of work to do within the guild. Sensing the underlying meaning, I let out a short sigh of empathy. It reminded me of my days being run ragged by the Association.
Still, seeing the lack of worry on his face, the treatment here seemed decent. Please let it be so. This might be my future.
‘By the way, can he even see through those sunglasses?’
It was strange to see him wearing them inside the building just as he had while driving. It seemed to be a “concept,” but I decided to hold my tongue to avoid being rude.
“You there. Are you coming or not?”
A sharp voice cut through from the end of the hallway. It was Cha Seo-hae, standing crookedly while waiting for the elevator.
He was slowly rubbing his earlobe. If Chil-deuk hadn’t mentioned it, I would have overlooked the gesture. But seeing it now, the way he had hidden his expression earlier weighed on my mind.
“Anyway, you’re the first person I’ve seen who isn’t intimidated by the Master,” Chil-deuk remarked.
“Intimidated?”
Cha Seo-hae’s presence was certainly powerful. However, it wasn’t threatening in a murderous way. Most of his actions so far had been half-jokes, so he didn’t feel entirely serious.
“Maybe because I’m a healer…?”
I trailed off, unsure of my own answer.
“No, you didn’t even flinch when you saw his face!”
So that was his point. His lips were curled upward as if he’d finally gotten to say what he wanted—like someone who had just downed a cold soda after being stuck with a dry sweet potato.
“I have high expectations for you!”
Expectations for what? He kept leaving out crucial context. I knitted my brows at his ambiguous words.
‘I knew it. He was itching to talk in the car earlier.’
Looking at the situation, it was clear he’d only kept quiet because he was scared of Cha Seo-hae.
“Do I have to say it twice?”
“I’m coming.”
Cha Seo-hae called out again, seemingly frustrated by our dawdling. Chil-deuk replied nonchalantly, as if he were used to that tone.
‘He said he’s surprised I’m not intimidated, but I think he’s even worse than I am…’
As I got closer, I could see his ear was flushed red from how much he’d been rubbing it. He didn’t blame me, but I felt a twinge of guilt.
“Why are you scowling at an innocent person?”
“Me?”
Caught off guard by a reaction I wasn’t even aware of, I awkwardly touched my forehead. “You can see this?”
“I can see that much from here.”
The more we talked, the more I noticed Cha Seo-hae’s condition. It wasn’t just his complexion; his voice had grown heavy too.
‘This part isn’t my fault.’
It was likely the location. Now that he was in a safe place where he could let his guard down, the tension was bleeding out of him. I hadn’t noticed in the car, but under the bright lights, his pallor was even more pronounced.
Dark circles hung heavy under his eyes, and the light in them seemed to be fading into a daze, as if he’d reached his limit. On an ordinary person, that look would have been unsightly, but Cha Seo-hae wore that exhaustion with a strange magnetism. He suited that oddly haggard, decadent atmosphere perfectly.
Between the suit jacket draped over his arm and his title as Master, he looked like a villain straight out of a noir film.
‘Now isn’t the time to be thinking about that.’
I bit my tongue lightly in embarrassment. He was a dangerous guy in more ways than one.
“Are you sleepy?”
No answer.
“I’m asking you a question. Are you sleepy?”
“Do you have no intention of going up quietly?”
“Answer this and I’ll shut up.”
“I have enough sanity left to sign a contract with you.”
So he was sleepy. Having assessed his state, I opened my system window.
[Name: Moon Yeon-hee] [Awakening: Pope] [Class: Healer] [Rank: S] [Skills: Divine Grace / Divine Protection / Divine Blessing] [Traits: S-Rank Perk Active (Additional buffs applied to each skill)]
[There are unread descriptions remaining.] [Some skills are locked.]
[Skill Unlock Conditions] ▶ An Unyielding Heart
It was the second time I’d seen it, but the unlock condition felt profound every time I read it.
‘My desire to avoid the Association has never wavered. Wait—maybe when I was shocked by the getaway car, it counted as my heart wavering?’
It made no sense, but I didn’t dwell on it. There were plenty of other things I had wished for consistently.
‘I want revenge on the First Division, I want the First Division to trip and crack their skulls open, I want to be rich, I want the Association President’s crappy personality to become public knowledge!’
I rattled off a list of petty desires, but nothing changed. No further explanations appeared.
‘I’m sure something will be added as time goes by.’
I was curious about what skills would unlock, but there was no rush. I was still busy adjusting to the fact that I was an S-rank.
My skills were close to that of a classic healer, divided into heals and buffs. First, I checked Divine Grace.
Self-heal, target-heal, internal and external injuries—it was a skill that could heal anything without limits. In short: a Heal. It was essentially a healer’s bread and butter.
Checking the stats, the healing-per-second had increased, likely due to the rank-up. It could even bypass status ailments and debuffs cast by dungeons or monsters. It was a world of difference from when I was B-rank.
I skimmed through the parts that contained information I already knew.
‘Since I have it open, I might as well clear those annoying notifications.’
I’d read the skill description. Now, I checked the “unread description” that had been blinking.
[‘Divine Grace’ S-Rank Perk: Regulation of the target’s biological rhythm]
I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but the system window remained the same.
‘Biological rhythm regulation?’
I’d heard that perks appeared when you reached S-rank.
‘But this feels like… it’s telling me to heal Cha Seo-hae right now.’
I was the one who made the decision to be here! But the way the situation was unfolding in my favor felt suspicious. It almost made me feel a sense of… defiance?
‘Wait.’
When you become an S-rank, does the system window start trying to control you like this?
