The caretaker, watching Ryu Sunghyun wrap Cha Seohu tightly in the blanket, finally opened his mouth.
"To me, it does seem like a cold... but I think we should confirm it. Even I don't know everything about this mountain."
"Confirm... cough."
"Is that possible?" Ryu Sunghyun asked on Cha Seohu's behalf, since his throat was swollen and the coughing wouldn't stop.
The caretaker calmly nodded and explained, "My skill is related to cold energy. I'll use it to check whether there's a similar force lingering in his system."
"I only asked out of desperation, without much expectation... But if it does confirm something, that would be a relief."
"I've never done this before either, so I can't promise results."
The caretaker stepped closer to the bed and lowered his gaze. The flushed face, reddened with fever, looked up at him.
The line of his neck, exposed above the blanket, looked so thin. His condition had visibly worsened since yesterday—it had finally taken its toll.
A physically weak Supporter climbing this mountain. In all his years watching over this place, the caretaker had never seen a Supporter come this far. All the fugitives who had tried to enter were Dealers.
Sure, there must've been criminal Supporters out there too, but the fact he'd never seen one suggested that even those on the run avoided Taebaeksan. Even seasoned Dealers had perished in this place.
Had they not run into him during his patrol yesterday, this Supporter would've died wandering through the snow—frozen solid or worse. The mountain was not normal.
'He must've known how dangerous this place was. So why... why come here?'
The caretaker quickly shook off the thought.
What good would it do for him to ask something like that? He pushed away all distractions and refocused on checking Seohu's condition.
"I'll use my skill. Please stay still and bear with it for a moment."
Bear with it? Before Seohu could question him, the caretaker activated his skill.
Shhhhhhh...
A surge of frost burst forth from the caretaker's body. A tremendous cold wave swept the room. White frost bloomed around the caretaker's feet, and the blanket wrapped around Cha Seohu's body began to freeze.
"Ugh—ghk...!"
Seohu gasped violently and twisted his face in pain, clutching his throat. It felt like shards of ice had pierced his windpipe—he couldn't breathe properly.
"Wait—!"
Ryu Sunghyun, alarmed by the sight of Seohu in agony, started to intervene—but just as quickly as it came, the cold vanished. The frost melted away in seconds.
"...It's done."
The caretaker swiftly pulled his power back and stepped away from Seohu.
Now free of the cold, Seohu blinked and instinctively reached for his neck.
'My throat...'
His breathing had returned. The pain from the swelling remained, but at least he could breathe again.
'What the hell was that just now...?'
Still dazed, Seohu looked at the caretaker, who calmly delivered the results.
"There's nothing out of the ordinary. It appears to be just a common cold."
"I see."
"I do have some cold medicine on hand. If you're okay with it, I'll bring it. I was planning to prepare rice porridge this morning anyway. A warm meal and some medicine should help."
"Thank you."
Ryu Sunghyun had been planning to ask for medicine and food anyway, so having the offer come first was a relief.
He decided to bring up the main reason they needed to stay.
"And... if it's alright with you, we'd like to stay for a few more days. If Hunter Cha Seohu moves in his current state, it could become very dangerous."
"Well..."
The caretaker glanced between Ryu Sunghyun and Seohu, a conflicted look on his face. Seeing his hesitation, Ryu Sunghyun pleaded again.
"I understand it's a lot to ask. We won't disrupt your home or bother you. We'll stay quietly, and once he's well enough, we'll leave immediately."
"...Hmm."
"If you allow us to stay, I'll help around the house in return. I'm an S-rank Dealer—you'll find I can be quite useful."
Even so, the caretaker didn't look very moved by the offer. He merely lowered his gaze and blinked slowly.
"......"
Silence settled over the room. After what felt like a long contemplation, the caretaker looked at the worn-out Seohu and sighed as if he had no other choice.
"...Alright. I'll give you three days."
"Thank you."
Ryu Sunghyun bowed deeply in relief.
Three days wouldn't be enough for a full recovery, but they couldn't complain. If the caretaker had refused, they'd have had no choice but to leave immediately.
"On the third day, you must leave. No exceptions."
"Understood."
With a grim expression, the caretaker gave a short bow and left the room.
Once the sound of footsteps fully disappeared, Ryu Sunghyun turned to Seohu.
"The plan worked. It's a shame we only got three days, but it's the best we could've hoped for."
"Yes, cough."
Ryu Sunghyun recalled how hesitant the caretaker had seemed when asked to let them stay.
'His reaction was a bit odd...'
It hadn't been simple discomfort over letting strangers stay. It was more like...
'Fear?'
Maybe it was just his imagination. What would someone who's lived here for so long have to fear?
Shaking off the stray thoughts, he looked at Seohu, who was still shivering beneath the blankets.
"Time is short, so you need to focus on recovering, Hunter Cha Seohu. You need your strength to make it down the mountain."
If it came to it, he was prepared to use the emergency flare Kwon Taehyuk had given him. It would cause a lot of trouble, but he wouldn't let Seohu die.
Quietly, Seohu nodded and reached under his pillow to pull out the pen and notebook. So that's where it had gone—he must've hidden it so the caretaker wouldn't see.
It reminded Ryu Sunghyun of a squirrel stashing acorns.
As he watched, Seohu began scribbling something quickly. Then he showed the newly written message:
<Don't worry about me. What's more important is still ahead.>
Compared to his earlier scribbles, the handwriting was neater, and the grammar flawless. It meant Seohu was serious.
<In the next two days, we have to persuade the caretaker no matter what. We also need to explain why we're really here.>
<I don't think I'll be much help from now on.>
Ryu Sunghyun agreed with the second line.
With Seohu unable to even speak properly, health had to come first.
"I'll handle persuading the caretaker. That's my responsibility anyway."
"......"
He'd said it so that the sick Seohu wouldn't feel pressured by Circle Guild matters. But unexpectedly, Seohu looked a little bitter hearing those words.
Worried he'd sounded too cold, Ryu Sunghyun quickly added,
"I mean... since you gave me this opportunity, I'll make the most of it. I just want you to focus on getting better."
<Understood.>
The bitterness vanished from Seohu's face as he smiled and handed back the notebook and pen. Then, as if collapsing, he lay down on the bed.
"Then... I'll rest a bit."
"Huh? Hunter Cha Seohu?"
The moment his head hit the pillow, his eyes closed. Startled, Ryu Sunghyun grabbed his shoulder and called his name—but there was no response.
He wasn't sleeping. He'd passed out. No wonder he'd looked so desperate earlier—he'd been holding on until the very limit of his strength.
'He's burning up...'
The shoulder in his hand was burning hot. Touching his forehead confirmed it—his fever had spiked even more.
Biting his lip, Ryu Sunghyun covered him with the blanket and dashed out of the room.
The caretaker, just finishing the rice porridge, was coming up the stairs when Ryu Sunghyun met him.
"Breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat now?"
"No, not yet. Could I have the medicine first?"
With Seohu unconscious from exhaustion, eating was impossible. He'd have to at least get the medicine down.
The caretaker seemed to understand the situation without needing an explanation and went to retrieve the medicine.
"...Um."
Standing by the cupboard, the caretaker hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"I don't know your circumstances, so this might be unwarranted..."
He paused, sighed, and continued,
"If you truly care for your partner, it would be better to come alone next time."
"...What?"
Partner?
The unexpected word made Ryu Sunghyun blink in surprise.
"This mountain isn't survivable for someone with an ordinary body. I understand you didn't want to leave your partner behind, but it's too dangerous."
"Uh—no, that's..."
"This medicine should take care of the cold. It's strong but effective. I have to step out for a while."
Handing over the medicine packet, the caretaker practically fled the scene, looking embarrassed for speaking out of turn out of concern for the frail Supporter.
Ryu Sunghyun stood there, holding the packet, blinking blankly.
Then the meaning of "partner" hit him.
Partner—an old term once used to refer to a Dealer and Supporter in a romantic relationship. Sometimes called a "pair."
If the caretaker thought of him and Cha Seohu as... that kind of partner...
"...Hah."
With an exasperated sigh, Ryu Sunghyun rubbed his face. A faint flush bloomed across his cheeks under his hands.

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