After washing up and changing clothes, Cha Seohu and Ryu Sunghyun came downstairs and were momentarily speechless at the sight of the dining table.
Compared to their first day, the table was now covered with an overwhelming variety of side dishes. Including jangjorim, there was stir-fried spicy pork, soy sauce bulgogi, and several other meat dishes scattered among the spread.
Anyone could tell that this meal was specifically tailored to target Cha Seohu, who was known to enjoy jangjorim.
'Ha......'
Ryu Sunghyun let out a hollow laugh, and Cha Seohu, surprised, turned to Song Jiwoon and asked,
"Did you make all of this just now?"
"I wanted to thank you for cleansing this place, and you went through a lot today because of me. I just wanted to make sure you at least had a hearty meal."
Behind Song Jiwoon's smiling face, a literal halo seemed to shine. While Ryu Sunghyun looked utterly speechless, Cha Seohu was completely taken by that smile, his expression overwhelmed with emotion.
"We're the ones who should apologize for following you here uninvited... but to show us such consideration..."
"Haha, no need to apologize at all."
As Song Jiwoon and Cha Seohu spoke amicably, Ryu Sunghyun sighed internally.
Now it was certain.
Song Jiwoon had asked him to see if Cha Seohu could purify the mountain, but clearly never intended to just sit around and wait. He planned to actively charm his way into Cha Seohu's favor. Ryu had thought that someone who had lived hidden away on a mountain for so long would be naïve, but this man was as sly as they came.
Completely unaware of the sharp look forming in Ryu Sunghyun's eyes, Cha Seohu smiled brightly and grabbed his arm, guiding him to sit at the table.
"Looks delicious, right?"
"......Yeah."
Ryu Sunghyun forced a smile and nodded in response to the cheerful voice.
Cha Seohu was as much of a problem as Song Jiwoon.
From the very beginning, he'd never hidden his favorable impression of Song Jiwoon, and the longer they stayed here, the more that fondness grew. Even though Song Jiwoon's strong aura was affecting his health, Cha Seohu's rising affection didn't waver.
At this point, Ryu Sunghyun couldn't help but wonder why Cha Seohu's ★ Novelight ★ goodwill was so unwavering. Still, since it was true that Song Jiwoon had saved them when they had nowhere else to go, there wasn't much he could say about it.
'...Yeah. It's not like Hunter Cha Seohu did anything wrong.'
Cha Seohu was full of affection like a loyal puppy, with a soft heart. Of course he'd be drawn to someone who had rescued him. And he wasn't the type to turn his back on a snow-covered mountain, either.
What annoyed Ryu Sunghyun was that Song Jiwoon was clearly trying to manipulate such a kind-hearted Cha Seohu into purifying the mountain for him.
There were countless dealers out there who lost their minds at the sight of a talented Supporter.
To be honest, even Ryu himself had been shaken when he first received a buff from Cha Seohu. And that was back when they barely knew each other. Kwon Taehyuk was probably no different.
So it wasn't like he didn't understand how Song Jiwoon felt... but asking someone to cleanse an entire mountain? That crossed a line. And to bait someone with just a bunch of meat side dishes?
'No way in hell.'
Determined not to let the innocent Cha Seohu get swayed, Ryu Sunghyun turned his head.
Sitting beside him and already starting to eat, Cha Seohu looked pleased. With his fair hands delicately holding chopsticks and eating so neatly, he resembled a well-bred heir to a chaebol family.
"I know it's a rude question, but..."
After taking a sip of water, Cha Seohu carefully opened his mouth.
"You've lived alone on this mountain for a long time... how do you manage food supplies?"
The vegetable side dishes they had on the first day were understandable. Some hardy plants could survive the cold, and the lower part of the mountain wasn't as frigid, so self-sufficiency seemed plausible.
But these meat dishes? Those were impossible to come by in such a desolate mountain. Aside from Eunbok, no other animals lived here.
As if he'd expected the question, Song Jiwoon replied calmly.
"Several years ago, I helped a man who had come to the mountain to die."
His gaze shifted toward the neatly arranged dishes.
"He was just an ordinary father who'd lost his wife and daughter to a criminal. The murderer was caught, but by then, the man had lost all will to live."
"......."
"When I found him, he was on the verge of death, frozen stiff from the cold."
Song Jiwoon had nursed the man back to health. He hadn't been able to just leave someone sobbing and begging to be allowed to die.
Whether it was that compassion or a miracle at death's door, the man eventually recovered, promised to live his life diligently, and returned to the city at the foot of the mountain.
"He now runs a small butcher shop down there. He checks in on me sometimes and brings meat and ingredients to the base of the mountain."
"Then... these meat dishes too?"
"Yes. And after learning about what happened, the government officially assigned me a caretaker role. It's not much, but I get a monthly salary."
"A salary..."
The unexpected answer left Cha Seohu dumbfounded for a moment. Then he suddenly laughed.
"You asked me to just call you the mountain caretaker... and you really are one."
"Ah."
At the joking remark, Song Jiwoon blinked with an awkward expression.
He remembered how he had coldly pushed Seohu away when the latter asked for his name, saying that "caretaker" was enough.
"I'm sorry about earlier. My name is... Song Jiwoon."
After a brief hesitation, he finally said his name.
In truth, it had been a very long time since he'd told anyone his name. He rarely met people, and even when he did, he introduced himself only as "the mountain caretaker."
Maybe that's why — today, his name felt especially gentle as it rolled off his tongue. Song Jiwoon. Yes, that had always been his name.
"Yes. Caretaker Song Jiwoon."
Upon finally hearing the name, Cha Seohu smiled faintly.
The gentle response was touching, and somehow it felt like Cha Seohu had already known his name all along. Though that couldn't possibly be true.
"If it's alright, may I ask you something too?"
A cold, firm voice suddenly cut in. It was Ryu Sunghyun, who had been silently listening to their conversation.
"That monster we saw on the mountain. You told us not to kill it—what did you mean by that?"
"That's..."
Song Jiwoon's face instantly darkened. The peridot-like light in his eyes that had been directed toward Cha Seohu now dimmed with shadow.
Regardless, Ryu Sunghyun pressed on.
"It was shockingly human-like. From what I can tell, it's probably the source of this unnatural cold that blankets the mountain."
"......."
"Why did you tell us not to kill it? You were pleased when Hunter Cha Seohu purified the mountain, but you want to leave the cause alone?"
"Vice-Guildmaster."
Unable to bear the cold edge in Ryu's voice, Cha Seohu grabbed his arm.
He was clearly flustered. The tension between Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon was unmistakable.
'Why...?'
Cha Seohu knew just how close the two had been before regression, which made the current situation all the more confusing.
Sure, they'd only just met in this timeline, and they had no reason to be close yet — awkwardness was to be expected. But this wasn't just awkward. There was a deeper undercurrent here.
To Seohu, both Ryu Sunghyun and Song Jiwoon were like the most important adults in his life — a guiding big brother and an older guardian figure.
Now that the two were openly butting heads, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious.
At least when Seohu grabbed his arm, Ryu Sunghyun forced a slight smile. But everyone could tell it was entirely empty.
Letting out a bitter breath, Song Jiwoon lifted his head. Although the question had come from Ryu Sunghyun, his eyes turned to Cha Seohu.
"...Alright. I was planning to explain anyway."
And it was true — Song Jiwoon had already decided that he needed to explain the "monster" to Seohu.
Only then would he earn the boy's sympathy or understanding, and persuade him to purify the mountain.
A long silence fell between the three.
Song Jiwoon hesitated for a while, as if struggling to decide where to begin. Finally, he opened his mouth.
"That monster is—"
RUMBLE!
It happened in that instant.
A tremendous boom echoed from outside, and the floor gave a short tremor. Startled, Cha Seohu shot up from his seat.
"......!"
Whoosh. A terrifyingly cold energy — one that could freeze to the bone — surged in like a wave. The source was up on the mountain.
A dreadful feeling rushed in. Cha Seohu and Ryu Sunghyun exchanged glances, and beside them, Song Jiwoon's face went deathly pale in an instant.
"This... can't be..."
Muttering to himself, Song Jiwoon grabbed the blue cloak hanging on his chair and dashed outside.
"Let's go too."
Cha Seohu pulled a coat out from his inventory as he spoke, and Ryu Sunghyun nodded.
Leaving behind a peacefully sleeping Eunbok on the sofa, the two of them followed Song Jiwoon out into the cold.

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