Huiyeong paced restlessly around the kitchen.
He even pretended to look through the psychiatric medication he'd rather die than take, and after downing about three glasses of water, he finally heard Shinyul head into the bathroom for a shower.
Huiyeong immediately tore through the kitchen drawers, pulling out every sharp knife one by one and inspecting them until he picked the one that looked the easiest to grip and the sharpest. It looked like a sashimi knife—longer and thinner than the other kitchen knives, its blade gleaming with a chilling edge.
The luxurious knife set contained so many different types that even with one missing, no one would notice anything out of place.
Holding the knife, he wandered around wondering where to hide it before slipping it into the leather sheath hanging neatly beside the set. After some thought, he shoved it deep into the very bottom compartment of the shoe cabinet.
Shinyul always wore the same pair of shoes. Huiyeong, on the other hand, had sixteen pairs sitting in there.
He hid it in the section containing lace-up leather sandals and white flip-flops—shoes no one would ever touch in this weather.
There was no way anyone would find it.
Once the knife was hidden, Huiyeong let out a long sigh.
Idiot. Moron...
Was he seriously losing his mind?
He genuinely considered taking the psychiatric medication after all.
If there weren't something fundamentally wrong with him, there was no way he would've answered "Okay" to a batshit insane question like, "Want to go into a dungeon?"
But...
There really hadn't been anything else he could say.
It wasn't because of some pathetic conscience or misplaced sympathy.
When Shinyul had casually asked, "Want to go into a dungeon?" Huiyeong had been so dumbfounded that he couldn't even get angry.
"...Why?"
He'd only managed to ask, wearing the stupidest expression imaginable.
Shinyul had looked at him with another miserable expression before quietly answering,
"Because you keep meeting other Espers whenever I'm not around... I thought maybe it'd be better if we just never had to be apart."
"...What? You're asking me to walk into a monster-infested dungeon for a reason like that? With this half-dead body?"
"That too. And... you said you hated me, but that was just something you blurted out in anger, right? Then you'll Guide me inside the dungeon, won't you? Mister... I'm scared. Prove you don't hate me."
"What are you, my fucking boyfriend?"
"Close enough. If you won't go into the dungeon with me... I might get so sad that I go Berserk."
Berserk?
The instant Huiyeong heard that word, a horrifying image flashed through his mind.
Shinyul losing control inside a dungeon...
Being dragged away by a bunch of burly men after passing out...
And someone forcibly shoving Huiyeong's lower body between Shinyul's legs.
His face instantly turned ghostly pale.
"Fine! I'll go!"
The answer escaped before he even realized it.
The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to bite his tongue shut, his face collapsing in despair.
But he couldn't take them back.
No...
He never got the chance.
Because the instant he'd agreed, Shinyul had broken into a radiant smile and thrown his arms around him in an unbearably tight hug.
Everything after that happened at lightning speed.
Still holding Huiyeong's hand, Shinyul marched straight to the Dungeon Management Department at Center Headquarters, grabbed the nearest employee, and registered for a long-term dungeon expedition.
That was when Huiyeong learned how dungeons were classified.
Based on danger, they ranged from High-Risk all the way down to Safe.
Based on size and estimated completion time, they were divided into Long-Term and Short-Term dungeons.
Which meant...
The absolute worst combination was a High-Risk Long-Term dungeon.
Apparently, those were mostly handled by S-rank Espers like Shinyul.
As for Long-Term dungeons, the rule was that Espers almost always entered alongside a Guide.
If they didn't have a matched Guide, a Center Guide accompanied them instead.
Shinyul, however, had been such an exceptional case that he'd always entered carrying enormous quantities of Guiding drugs.
Still, receiving actual Guiding from a Guide was considered vastly superior to relying on medication.
Ever since Huiyeong had Awakened, Shinyul had stubbornly limited himself to High-Risk Short-Term dungeons.
Because of that, the workload dumped onto the other S-rank Espers had become absolutely unbearable.
So the employee responsible for dungeon assignments nearly beamed with joy the moment Shinyul submitted an application for a Long-Term dungeon.
The schedule was approved almost immediately.
The employee had been about to assign them to a High-Risk Long-Term dungeon before Shinyul casually requested they switch it to a Safe-rated one.
Only then did the employee notice Huiyeong standing behind him looking like a walking corpse.
"Oh... y-yes, of course."
Though they answered immediately, disappointment was written all over their face.
Huiyeong had secretly hoped Center would stop this absurd situation.
Surely someone would prevent Shinyul from dragging him into a dungeon.
After all, the employees had practically talked his ears off explaining how dangerous dungeons were.
Since Guides were required to enter dungeons eventually, they insisted it was essential for someone like Huiyeong—who barely understood this world's common sense—to learn everything beforehand.
Because of those explanations, Huiyeong had already accepted that entering dungeons would eventually become part of his life.
In fact, it had only strengthened his determination to return to his original world, because surviving here seemed impossible.
But he'd definitely been told that Guides weren't deployed until after completing all their basic training.
Normally, Guiding training took about a month.
Huiyeong had simply assumed that Espers and Guides only entered dungeons after recovering from the weakness that followed Awakening.
Yet thanks to this ridiculous brat's tantrum—and Center's slapdash administration—he was somehow about to walk into a monster's nest in just two days with this pitifully weak body.
Of course, after seeing the look on Huiyeong's face, the employee had hurriedly tried to reassure him.
"Mr. Huiyeong, you're an S-rank pair Guide. You'll be heavily protected, and it's only a Safe-rated dungeon. It lasts a little longer, but there's practically no danger."
Huiyeong decided right then and there never to trust the underhanded bastards at Center again.
The moment he got home...
He'd hidden the knife.
Walk into a monster's nest and trust nothing but that guy?
What if he lost his mind and didn't save me?
What if something happened and even he got into trouble?
Then I'd just get ripped apart by monsters?
Bullshit.
Leaving your life entirely in someone else's hands was insanity.
Not understanding just how extraordinary an S-rank Esper really was, Huiyeong resolved to protect himself his own way.
Whether a knife like this would even work on monsters...
He had no idea.
After checking the knife's hiding place inside the shoe cabinet one last time, Huiyeong trudged over to the largest bathroom—the one he always used—and repeatedly bumped his forehead against the closed door.
Fuck...
Should I tell him I can't do it after all?
He grabbed handfuls of his own hair.
But then...
What if he really did go Berserk?
He'd have to enter a dungeon someday anyway.
But shoving it into Shinyul...
That was something he could happily avoid until the day he died.
The thought of Shinyul going Berserk, being dragged away by people, and having his pants forcibly ripped off...
No.
Absolutely fucking not.
"...God."
"This is exhausting..."
"What the hell am I even doing at my age?"
"No."
"Stop whining."
"Get your shit together."
Determined to smack his forehead even harder, Huiyeong leaned back.
He squeezed his eyes shut and slammed forward with all his strength.
Instead of pain...
Something warm and solid caught his forehead.
It was Shinyul's hand.
"Princess... what are you doing?"
"What upset you?"
"If you're angry, hit me instead."
"Why are you hurting yourself...?"
Sounding both heartbroken and worried, Shinyul gently rubbed Huiyeong's forehead before pulling him into a hug and turning him around to look at his face.
Huiyeong wasn't even surprised anymore.
His expression simply sagged.
"..."
"My princess, your forehead's all red."
"How many times did you hit it?"
"Don't like the bathroom door?"
"Want me to take it off the hinges?"
"What the fuck are you talking about, you psycho..."
"Why do you sound so lifeless?"
"Want to pull my hair instead?"
Shinyul suddenly lowered his still-damp head toward him.
Huiyeong stared blankly at the perfectly round head in front of him.
Jesus Christ...
What kind of habit is this?
Does he actually enjoy it?
Fuck...
This perverted bastard.
His face twisted with utter disgust.
Seeing Huiyeong remain completely motionless even after offering up his head, Shinyul's eyebrows drooped sadly.
"What do I have to do to cheer up my princess?"
Princess, my ass.
If Your Highness could just say, "We're not going into the dungeon," I'd be over the fucking moon.
Maybe I should get on my knees?
Tell him I'll definitely Guide him, just not now...
Let's go to the dungeon later...
That thought crossed Huiyeong's mind.
Then he met those golden eyes.
He could only sigh.
Yeah.
Like he'd ever listen.
"Hm?"
"Baby."
"Tell me."
"Or should I kill the bastard who upset you?"
"The one we saw today?"
...You.
Go kill yourself.
Baby, my ass.
I've told you over and over I'm pushing fifty.
You've got one hell of a stomach calling me that.
Huiyeong let out another deep sigh.
If I'd already agreed...
Then I'd just have to see it through.
Making a miserable face and running away wasn't going to solve anything.
"Move."
"I'm taking a shower."
"Want me to drop one of your favorite bath bombs in?"
"It'll make you feel better."
...?
Since when the hell did I like those?
But Huiyeong didn't even have the energy to argue anymore.
"...Sure."
"They smell nice."
***
The morning of the dungeon expedition finally arrived.
The moment Huiyeong opened his eyes, he wore the solemn expression of a man marching toward his final battle.
He didn't even respond to Shinyul's usual nonsense.
He simply remained silent, dignified like a general preparing for war.
If I've agreed to do it...
Then I'll do it.
Repeating those words to himself, Huiyeong followed Shinyul out of the apartment.
Thinking about the large knife tucked inside the purple sling bag Shinyul had packed for him—after he'd thrown out the random stuffed animal that had somehow been inside—gave him at least a little peace of mind.
He had only one goal.
To come back with all four limbs intact.
Someone else might say, "You're going into a Safe-rated dungeon with an S-rank Esper. What are you even worried about?"
But for Huiyeong...
Today would be his first encounter with monsters.
The first time he'd witness the true nature of this world.
There was no way he couldn't be nervous.
Up until now, life had actually been peaceful.
Physically, anyway.
Not mentally.
He'd heard countless stories of people losing their homes to newly formed dungeons...
Or losing their lives to monsters.
Compared to such a terrifying world, the hospital and the Center where he'd been staying had felt almost identical to the world he'd originally lived in.
Which only made it worse.
Fear of something completely unknown—something he'd never even glimpsed—grew larger with every passing day.
Huiyeong knew exactly how to deal with fear.
Face it.
Or run forever.
He'd never chosen to run away in his entire life.
Although...
This time...
He really wanted to.
He found it strange that Shinyul wasn't clinging to him or trying to hug him every other minute for once.
Still, Huiyeong wisely kept that observation to himself.
Honestly...
It was better this way.
If Shinyul hugged him, he might discover the knife hidden in the bag.
After trudging along for a full ten minutes, they finally reached Center Headquarters.
The moment Huiyeong saw the huge crowd gathered in front of the building, he scowled.
What the hell?
Didn't they say this was supposed to be some harmless dungeon?
Fuck.
Serves me right for believing them again.
Clicking his tongue, Huiyeong pushed through the crowd.
Then...
He froze.
"Mr. Huiyeong?"
"...Huh."
The instant Jeong Haram spotted him, he slowly walked over.
"...Class."
"Why didn't you come?"
Should I make a run for it?