~ Chapter : 06 ~
“……”
“……”
The shop owner, the other customers, Chanyoung, and Hyoji all stared blankly at the fallen table.
His arm hadn’t even touched the table. He had just swung it.
“Just swinging his arm made the table…”
“Is he a Hunter?”
“Do Hunters shoot air blasts?”
“Maybe…”
Chanyoung and Hyoji were both equally shocked.
“What… just happened?”
Even Chanyoung, as an awakened being, had never experienced something like this without using his ability.
And he wasn’t even a physically strong Hunter. He was a sword-type Hunter who used speed-based techniques.
“You’re incredibly strong, Hunter…”
Hyoji could not imagine it was because of the potion. It smelled awful and looked like a useless plant potion.
A short silence fell between them.
‘Hunters are this strong even without weapons.’
‘I had this kind of strength?’
In that brief moment, they each had different thoughts.
‘Wait… is it because of the potion?’
That thought crossed their minds.
Hadn’t Hyoji said it clearly?
That it was a strength-boosting potion.
‘Then it must be from a top-tier Hunter shop…’
Only high-ranking Hunters could buy such items. Even guild cleaners couldn’t access them.
‘No way.’
But there was no other explanation.
“The person who gave you this potion…”
Hyoji swallowed nervously.
It felt like her lie might be exposed.
“They must have spent a lot of money.”
“…What?”
“It looks like a top-tier shop potion. The effect is amazing.”
As he spoke, Chanyoung bent a spoon in his hand effortlessly, like it was paper.
“Wow, I’ve never used something like this before.”
“Ah… I see…”
It really works?
Even Hyoji couldn’t believe it.
‘This actually works?’
Maybe Chanyoung was just naturally strong and she never noticed?
She was confused.
“No wonder you gave me something so expensive. Thank you, Hyoji.”
Chanyoung smiled brightly, not knowing anything.
“If I had known it was this good, I would’ve used it sooner.”
“Ahaha…”
“I’ll try buying it from the shop next time.”
He stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To clean the table. Since I caused it.”
He walked over to the shop owner with an easy smile. He had a personality that made people feel comfortable.
Hyoji also stood up and crouched beside him.
“You don’t have to help. I’ll do it. Please sit.”
“I want to help too. You saved my life today. This is the least I can do.”
They smiled at each other.
‘I’m annoyed because of the hidden quest…’
But still, it was a good day.
* * *
“So this actually works?”
Hyoji looked at the room filled with potions.
Containers filled with strange-colored liquid were lined up everywhere.
‘If top-tier shops sell this, can’t I sell it too?’
But who would trust a cleaner selling potions?
‘No one would. Not even me.’
Chanyoung only drank it because he felt bad for almost vomiting earlier.
In another room, more plants were being extracted.
Clattering sounds filled the house as potions dropped onto the floor.
“If I can’t sell these, what am I supposed to do with them…”
Soon, her small house might be completely filled with potions.
While she was thinking, her second-hand phone rang.
An unknown number.
“Hello?”
—Hello. Is this Jeon Hyoji’s phone?
“Yes, it is. Who is this?”
—This is the emergency room of a hospital in Korea.
“Excuse me? Why is the hospital calling me…”
Her face darkened.
Receiving hospital calls always reminded her of something painful.
Her parents, who died after being swept into a dungeon long ago.
She tensed and waited for the answer.
—We’re preparing surgery for a patient named Kim Harin, but we can’t reach any guardian. Could you come immediately?
Click.
Before the call even finished, Hyoji opened the door.
She didn’t care that her slippers didn’t match or that her hair was messy.
‘Kim Harin is going into surgery.’
Harin was the one who always took care of her, even when she had nothing.
Her smiling face came to mind.
“Unnie…”
She ran to catch a taxi, but tripped and fell.
Her knees scraped on the asphalt, but she didn’t care.
“Driver, to Korea Hospital. Please hurry.”
Pain didn’t matter.
Blood didn’t matter.
Only Harin mattered.
* * *
“You should wake up soon. Don’t worry too much.”
The doctor tried to comfort her.
They said the cause was unclear, but likely tumors caused by malnutrition, overwork, and stress.
“The surgery went well, but recovery is more important. Please take care of her.”
Hyoji remembered those words.
“She always acted like she was fine.”
How badly had she ignored her own body to end up needing surgery?
Hyoji held Harin’s hand and rested her forehead on it.
Ever since dungeons appeared, she lost her parents.
Not just her—everyone did.
Families, friends, lovers. People died because they didn’t know anything about dungeons.
Her parents were one of those cases.
It was their wedding anniversary.
‘Mom, Dad. Let’s go eat out today. I made a reservation.’
‘Oh my, do you even know what day it is?’
A popular restaurant for young couples.
And that restaurant was where a gate opened.
If she hadn’t made that reservation…
Her parents might still be alive.
Kim Hyunmin was the one who helped her when she was drowning in guilt.
‘Again.’
She told herself not to think about that trashy man.
“Unnie, please wake up.”
“I’m awake, you brat.”
“Ah—Unnie?! Are you okay? You should’ve called me if you were sick! Do you know how shocked I was?!”
Hyoji couldn’t hold back her tears and cried while holding Harin’s hand.
“Don’t cry. I’m fine.”
“Do you know how scared I was?!”
Watching someone die was terrifying.
She never wanted to experience that again.
That was the first reason she didn’t want to become a Hunter.
“Sorry, sorry. I guess no one could reach family. Everyone was busy…”
“That’s not true! Of course I came! You always took care of me!”
“Okay, okay. Stop crying.”
Harin patted her shoulder.
But Hyoji noticed the bruises on her arms.
“Unnie, what happened to your arms?”
“Ah…”
Harin quickly pulled down her sleeves.
“I must’ve hit them when I fainted.”
It was clearly a lie.
The bruises didn’t look recent. There were too many.
“Unnie… are you really okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She smiled as if to reassure her.
So Hyoji couldn’t ask more.
‘She’ll tell me later.’
Right now, Harin needed to recover.
“I’ll bring you what you need during your stay.”
“No. My family will come soon. Go home and rest.”
Even while tired, Harin worried about her.
“I understand. Call me if anything happens.”
If Harin wanted to hide it, she would have to accept it.
After making sure everything was okay, Hyoji returned home.
‘Is there anything I can do for her?’
Soon, she found her answer.
The plant potions filled her house.
“This is it.”
She quickly searched through them.
There were definitely healing or recovery potions.
“I should’ve organized these earlier!”
She regretted throwing them around carelessly.
‘It should be around here…’
One of the plants from the B-rank dungeon had healing effects.
She hadn’t tested it yet.
But Chanyoung’s potion had worked, so this might work too.
She found a dark-colored potion buried among the others.
“Ah.”
Right.
It was a healing potion—but it looked so bad she had shoved it aside.
She put it in her bag and rushed back to the hospital.
By the time she arrived, Harin was asleep.
‘They said family would come…’
No one was there.
Carefully, she placed the potion beside her bed with a note:
[Unnie, this is a recovery potion I got from a Hunter I know. It smells suspicious, but it should work. Please don’t be sick. – Hyoji]
She had almost thrown it away earlier.
Please get better.
She left the room.
* * *
The phone call from Harin woke Hyoji from her sleep.
She barely reached for it while half-asleep.
It rang so loudly she could hardly wake up.
“Hello…”
—Hyoji!
It was Harin’s voice—but completely different from last night.
—Did you leave this potion?
“Unnie… how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
—This is insane. Is this from a Hunter shop? My body feels… unbelievably light!
Hyoji thought she was exaggerating.
Just a plant potion couldn’t do that.
‘Unnie is too kind.’
She probably didn’t want to disappoint her.
“Unnie, I know you’re still not okay. Please rest at the hospital.”
—I’m telling you, I feel completely fine!
“…Huh?”
—I got checked again, and even the tumor that wasn’t removed is gone! All the bruises are gone too!
What?
—Is this actually a cure-all potion? I even checked three times!
What is happening?
—Anyway, where are you? I’m coming to you. We need to talk.
Somehow…
It felt like she had caused a huge incident
