* * *
The next day, after a good night’s sleep, Yohan woke up groggy but feeling positive.
‘But now that I think about it... isn’t this actually a pretty good setup for a one-sided crush?’
A crush! Whatever mixed-up feelings he’d been unsure about the night before—whether it was just fan admiration or not—were now neatly sorted out. There was no way simple fandom could make him feel this fluttery, make him want to reach out and touch the other person, make him hope the other felt the sa way...
‘This was bound to happen. How could anyone not like soone like Lee Hyunmook?’
He was practically the savior of Korea! An incredible ability user, and handso on top of that. The occasional drawback of him turning into a madman could be covered by his own purification ability!
‘If it weren’t for the Abyss, I probably wouldn’t have even had a chance to et him.’
Even though he had fallen into this hellish place, he couldn’t be more grateful for Awakening as a purifier. Thanks to that, he was able to save Lee Hyunmook, and in turn, they’d built up an enormous mutual fondness for each other. As far as Yohan was concerned, for a crush that had only just begun, the conditions were amazing.
After all, here they had plenty of ti to spare. Yohan nodded to himself inwardly. Spending a long ti together would naturally build attachnt, and attachnt could turn into love. And besides, he and Lee Hyunmook had already kissed twice and even... done other things! Granted, the first was more like a rescue operation, and the second was just him enjoying it alone, but still...
As the last of his drowsiness faded, Yohan finally beca aware of the warm heat at his side—Hyunmook’s body heat. It felt so nice that he pretended to still be half-asleep just to enjoy it a little longer. Then, a sudden scream rang out, making him startle awake. Hyunmook lightly patted Yohan’s chest, which was pounding from the shock.
“W-Wasn’t that Seungryong-hyung screaming just now?”
“Sounds like it.”
Hyunmook’s face and voice made it impossible to tell if he’d actually slept at all. Yohan jumped to his feet. Even though it was his own teammate, Hyunmook didn’t seem the least bit concerned. Yohan was the only one worried, urging him to hurry.
“Co on, let’s go check! Sothing might have happened.”
Only then did Hyunmook get up. He strode to the door, opened it first, and glanced outside to check the situation. Once he confird it was safe, he gave Yohan permission to follow. Yohan rushed out and saw Yoon Seungryong screaming from the rooftop.
At first, Yohan thought Seungryong had gone mad again, but upon listening more closely, it was just him losing his temper and making a huge fuss.
“Joo Hoyoung, you bastard! I’ll kill you if I catch you!”
Seungryong was yanking at his hair, yelling at the top of his lungs. His face and body, clean when they’d gone to bed, were now a filthy ss. Still fuming, he jumped down from the roof. Even from three stories up, he didn’t seem the least bit affected physically.
“Ah! Seungryong-hyung, you’ve got ice stuck in your back!”
Yohan shouted as he ran over. Only then did Seungryong notice the dirty chunk of ice lodged there.
“Ah, damn. This is just great.”
He yanked the ice out irritably. Thanks to an Awakener’s regenerative ability, blood spilled down for a mont before stopping. Worried about contamination, Yohan quickly purified him. Soon his appearance was clean again, but his anger was still burning.
“Was this Joo Hoyoung’s doing?”
“Joo Hoyoung, my ass. That bastard’s in a class of his own when it cos to being a nuisance. You have no idea how much crap he pulled all night.”
Grinding his teeth, Seungryong’s eyes flashed.
“Let’s catch him.”
“And how exactly?”
Hyunmook handed him a piece of tal he’d just pulled out of Seungryong’s thigh, his tone indifferent.
“I don’t know! Let’s set a trap or sothing. You’re good at coming up with that stuff.”
Watching Seungryong irritably scratching at his thigh wound, Hyunmook tossed out,
“Then just lie in wait and use sothing like paralysis poison or sleeping poison. Or maybe hallucinogenics.”
“Oh! Right, poison! That could work!”
Seungryong’s eyes lit up and he ran off sowhere. ...Did Hyunmook just mutter “idiot” under his breath? Yohan wasn’t sure, but ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) inside he was secretly pleased. After all, now he was alone with Hyunmook.
“Then should we go get so drinking water and food?”
“Sure.”
Food wasn’t much of a problem, but water was. The fluid they squeezed from monster eyeballs only went so far. It was heavy and essential, so without Seungryong’s ability they would’ve been in serious trouble.
As they searched for supplies, Yohan kept sneaking glances at Hyunmook. His biggest concern right now was figuring out how to make Hyunmook develop those kinds of feelings for him. A lover... of course he must have had one before, right? Even before Awakening, he was handso and smart—how could he not? Yohan was just trying to casually bring up the topic of past relationships when Hyunmook suddenly stopped walking.
“Yohan.”
“Yes? Y-Yes?! What, what is it?”
Flustered for no reason, Yohan stamred. Hyunmook jerked his chin toward sothing ahead.
“How about that for lunch?”
“That?”
Squinting, Yohan saw several plump, fist-sized little birds perched together atop a tall building.
“Wait, hold on...?”
If they looked fist-sized from this far away, that building couldn’t be that big—aning they definitely weren’t small birds. More like creatures big enough to eat him if they wanted.
“But won’t they all fly away by the ti we get up there?”
“No need to go all the way up.”
Hyunmook shrugged and smiled at Yohan’s puzzled expression.
A few hours later—
“...You’re eating without ?”
Yohan flinched and set down the massive roasted leg he’d been devouring. Ash and grease clung to the tip of his nose as he gave an awkward smile. Looking like he’d been through hell, Seungryong crossed his arms.
“Seungryong-hyung, welco back. Ever had roast sparrow?”
Hyunmook had simply struck the top of the building with lightning, roasting a few of the birds whole. Up close, they were huge—big enough to be mistaken for ostriches. After purification, the massive bodies with their three pairs of wings left them wondering what species they were.
‘From the feather color, I’d say sparrows.’
‘...This is a sparrow?’
A sparrow! Like snake at, Yohan had never eaten it before. Thrilled, he’d hauled them back without a thought for the effort, smoking so and roasting one right away with salt. The at was tender, juicy, and rich in flavor.
Now Seungryong was back.
“Spaaarrow? Sparrowww? You’re telling you ate sparrow without ?”
Grumbling, Seungryong sat down and grabbed a wing as long as Yohan’s arm. One bite and his eyes went wide. Yohan silently set another on the hearth. Seungryong chewed through bone and all in one go, lanting,
“Team leader, are you sure this is gonna help us catch Joo Hoyoung?”
“Quit whining after just one day of lying in wait.”
Hyunmook wiped the ash from Yohan’s nose as he answered.
“...Guess you’re right.”
After a purification from Yohan, Seungryong packed up so of the smoked at and left again.
The next day, with plenty of food stored up, the two turned to securing water. They didn’t even have to look for a source—there was ice all over the road where Joo Hoyoung had frozen it. Yohan moved carefully over the slippery ice, looking for a good spot to smash it with his club.
“Yohan.”
“Yes?”
Bright and cheerful, club raised over his head, Yohan answered—then froze. Damn it, he’d been trying to seduce Hyunmook, but yesterday’s sparrow feast had made him forget all about it...! As he cursed himself inwardly, Hyunmook spoke.
“We’ve got ti to kill. Want to have so fun?”
And when Seungryong returned later, looking like death ward over, Yohan was gleefully riding a sled pulled by Hyunmook.
“...What the hell are you two doing?”
Only then did Yohan snap back to reality. Oh no! The sled was so much fun he’d forgotten about getting water! Seungryong crossed his arms and gave Hyunmook a narrow-eyed glare.
“The hallucinogenic poison didn’t work!”
“What good is hallucinogenic poison? You need paralysis poison to slow him down.”
Still spinning Yohan’s sled in dizzy, delightful circles, Hyunmook replied. Seungryong slowly uncrossed his arms, uncertain.
“...You think so?”
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