Ryu Sunghyun quickly turned his head forward. The sudden surge of irritation was so evident on his face, he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.
"...What exactly do you mean?"
He asked in a low tone. Song Jiwoon blinked a few times, then slowly opened his mouth.
"For a long time, this place has been engulfed by severe frost and blizzards. Twenty years ago, the government intervened to identify the source and resolve the weather phenomenon, but every attempt failed."
"......"
"Even a supporter with Divine Power once tried to purify the mountain, but they collapsed before passing the lower slopes. The energy occupying the mountain far exceeded that of a supporter — the outcome was inevitable."
"So, Hunter Cha Seohu is the first one to succeed in purification?"
"Yes. In the first place, supporters capable of purifying an entire mountain are extremely rare. And at the time, other places were suffering too — rifts opening everywhere, monsters flooding out. The government eventually decided to shut this mountain off completely."
"You know quite a lot."
"Actually, I saw it on the news. I was still an unawakened civilian back then. I only came here after the area was declared off-limits."
After Song Jiwoon began hiding out in the mountain, its condition had deteriorated further.
At first, he turned a blind eye to the changes, only focused on hiding. And once the mountain became precious to him, the frost had intensified so much, there was nothing he could do.
He'd accepted that the mountain would slowly die under the pressure of the cold — and that he, too, living in its shadow, would eventually meet the same fate. He had lived believing that...
Song Jiwoon now looked out at the green forest, bathed in warm sunlight. The leaves, reflecting a color similar to his own eyes, fluttered gently in the wind.
"...I never dared to hope I'd witness a scene like this."
To think that so many forms of life had been lying dormant beneath the winter brought by the frost. If he had remained ignorant, maybe he could've ignored it. But now that he knew, there was no turning a blind eye.
"So, that supporter... no, um..."
Song Jiwoon hesitated, then looked at Cha Seohu, who was holding Eunbok in his arms.
"I was thinking of asking Hunter Cha Seohu... if he'd be willing to purify other places as well."
The name Cha Seohu came from Jiwoon's lips. Hearing it, Ryu Sunghyun narrowed his eyes again, the displeasure returning to his expression.
"If you're particularly close with Hunter Cha Seohu, I thought it was polite to ask you first. I just wanted to confirm. If I've made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
Ryu Sunghyun covered his mouth with his hand. His twisted lips were hidden — barely.
He felt... completely awful. The last time he'd felt this irritated was when Kim Suho got beaten up by the Ronik guild members.
He suppressed the urge to lash out with sarcasm, forcing himself to respond in as even a tone as possible.
"Hunter Cha Seohu and I are not partners. But we're working together for now, and I've been acting as his damage dealer for this mission."
He paused. The more he repeated that explanation in his mind, the more he liked the sound of it.
"We came up here with a specific goal. Once it's complete, we'll return. If — and only if — Hunter Cha Seohu wants to purify this mountain, he may return later. But for now, that's unlikely."
"...I see."
Jiwoon's shoulders slumped slightly. His expression dimmed.
But his gaze didn't leave Seohu. In his pale green eyes, emotion churned just beneath the surface.
"Could you... ask him for me? Just once. You seem very close with him. Please."
"......"
"If it's difficult, I'll speak to him privately—"
"No. I'll ask him."
Ryu Sunghyun cut Jiwoon off sharply. The air between them turned awkward in an instant.
Feeling awkward himself, Ryu brought a hand to his forehead while Jiwoon silently thought:
He said they weren't involved, but that attitude...
Is this... a crush?
Thanks to Ryu Sunghyun's suspicious behavior, Song Jiwoon began forming a whole new misunderstanding.
Since it was time for dinner anyway, they agreed to clean up and change before having their talk over a meal.
Having purified the area, Cha Seohu climbed to the second floor feeling accomplished.
"You should shower first. You'll catch a cold like this."
Seeing how soaked Seohu's shirt was, Ryu Sunghyun followed closely behind, voicing his concern.
"Okay."
Seohu answered without protest. Getting sick from needlessly yielding the bathroom again really would be troublesome.
But more than the shower order, there was something else he needed to say. Entering the room with Ryu Sunghyun, Seohu lowered his voice.
"This works out well. We can talk guild stuff over dinner. I've found a lead that might help with the mountain keeper's energy."
"A lead?"
"My throat. It healed after the purification."
He pointed to his neck, blinking.
"My healing skills don't apply to myself, but purification seems different. If the mountain keeper's been hiding here out of fear of harming others with her energy... maybe my skill could help convince her."
"Ah."
"It's not a perfect solution, so it could still be rejected."
Ryu Sunghyun smiled gently as Seohu shrugged out of his outer robe and added that final note.
"Still, I'm glad your throat's better."
Even though the fix wasn't complete, Ryu's focus was entirely on Seohu's health.
That struck Seohu as oddly touching. Apparently, Ryu Sunghyun had been more affected by that earlier cold than he let on.
'So I've been branded as the fragile supporter type, huh.'
Not bad. Until recently, Ryu had probably viewed him as some shady, lying schemer.
Being the troublesome but weak supporter was far better.
'Honestly, haven't we gotten a lot closer?'
They'd even hugged! Well, Ryu had been forced to, but the buff had been insanely effective — surely that helped lower his guard a little?
"...Hunter Cha Seohu."
While Seohu was deeply evaluating their relationship, Ryu spoke up carefully.
"What if the mountain keeper... says no? What will you do?"
"I'll persuade her, of course."
"And if persuasion doesn't work?"
That made Seohu blink. Facing him from close range, Ryu Sunghyun felt his throat dry up.
"If she absolutely refuses... then I'll have to give up and descend. We can't drag her away by force."
Seohu rubbed at the corner of his mouth, eyes serious.
That made sense. It'd be great if they could persuade her, but they had to be ready for failure too.
"You're right. And forcing her down wouldn't be easy."
"Exactly, so—"
"Then how about I stay?"
"...What?"
Ryu, who was just about to suggest they go down together, froze. Seohu lit up like he'd had a brilliant idea.
"I'll stay behind and keep trying to persuade her. I can purify more areas while I'm at it. She seemed really grateful when I did it earlier — maybe continuing to help will make her more willing to listen?"
"......"
Ryu Sunghyun shut his eyes against the sudden wave of dread.
"Th-that's ridiculous... Why would you stay here? Even if you owe the Guildmaster, you don't need to go that far."
"But this is the most practical solution. And I don't really mind staying."
"What do you mean, you don't mind?"
Ryu demanded. Seohu answered calmly, almost puzzled by the question.
"I'm fine not going back."
His golden-brown eyes wavered as he spoke.
"What are you saying? Of course we go back together."
"Well, you have to. The guild still needs you."
"So do you, Hunter Cha Seohu!"
"With how trashed my office is, it's basically done for anyway."
Seohu shrugged dismissively.
As expected, his tiny guild probably didn't mean much to him.
'If not the guild, then what can I use to keep him around?'
Thinking quickly, Ryu blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"Your brother. And Cover Hunter — they're both waiting for you."
"They're doing fine. If anything happens, they'll reach out."
Luckily, his phone still had service here. No internet, but calls and texts worked. Just a little further up, and even that would cut out.
'Cha Sahyeon left a shadow watching me — he'll show up if needed. As long as I'm back in Seoul on match day, this works.'
The more he thought about it, the more appealing staying seemed.
It was a restricted zone, so neither the cultists nor the C-281 gang could get in easily. The frost here no longer posed a threat.
As long as he kept Jiwoon fooled, working as Cover at night would be easier than ever.
"Yeah, I think I should stay."
"No."
"...Huh?"
Seohu blinked, caught off guard by Ryu's immediate refusal. Ryu, ears red, reluctantly confessed.
"Th-the mountain keeper is targeting you. I mean... your skill."
"She's targeting my skill?"
"Yes. I think she really liked how you purified the area."
Watching Seohu carefully, Ryu spoke in a ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) coaxing tone.
"If you tell her you'll stay and keep purifying, it'll only encourage her. That's exactly what she wants. Staying here would be a bad decision."
Finally, Seohu seemed to understand and nodded.
"In that case, I'll need a new plan. If she wants my skill, maybe I can offer purification in exchange for her helping with the guild. A trade."
"Yes, that's much better."
Having successfully changed Seohu's mind, Ryu breathed a quiet sigh of relief. But the anxiety still lingered, so after a pause, he repeated himself.
"You must not stay here."
"...Okay? Got it."
"If you come up with anything else, promise you'll talk to me first. And even if we return to purify this place later — you must come with me. Always."
"Aha, sure."
"...Promise me."
"Yes..."
Seohu gave him a bewildered look that said, What's with you?
Who was the one being reckless first? Ryu Sunghyun felt slightly wronged — but still, if it meant Seohu wouldn't stay by the mountain keeper's side, he was satisfied.

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