There were a thousand different people who wanted Si-woo’s attention immediately following his sudden return from the red gate.
From reporters and high-ranking politicians to curious dungeon researchers, everyone was clamoring for a statement.
However, the Association made sure to step in, shielding him from the media circus so he could enjoy uninterrupted time alone with his family for as long as he might want.
“I’ll go take a quick shower and change into something a bit more casual,” Si-woo said to the gathered group the moment he stepped across the threshold of the apartment.
It took him roughly fifteen minutes to wash away the grim and change his clothes.
During that brief window of time, Si-woo’s family chatted warmly with Hae-in, helping her get comfortable in their living space.
When he finally exited the bathroom, he was dressed in comfortable pajamas and a simple long-sleeve T-shirt.
He walked over to the couch and sat down in the empty space remaining between Hae-in and Jin-ah.
Both girls immediately shifted a little closer to his side, seeking the comfort of his presence as he began to recount a watered-down version of everything he had experienced while inside the red gate.
“I never would have thought there could be monsters who actually want to become allies with humans,” Jin-woo remarked, breaking the silence of the room.
Hae-in looked equally surprised by the revelation, her eyes widening slightly as she processed the details of the high orc tribe.
Jin-ah, however, had stopped listening to the details of the dungeon a long time ago.
She simply sat quietly beside Si-woo, leaning her head on his shoulder while he gently stroked her hair to comfort her.
Ever since Jin-ah’s father went missing and her mother fell into eternal slumber, Si-woo had been a constant source of comfort and protection in her life.
At times, he had filled that role even more than her own brother, because as time went on, Jin-woo had started dedicating more and more of his hours to clearing dungeons, knowing securely that Si-woo would always be there to watch over Jin-ah.
The past week of silence had hit her hard with worry, and right now, she just wanted to feel completely safe in his perimeter.
Do-yoon listened intently to every single word his grandson spoke, letting out a heavy sigh of relief when Si-woo assured him that he had been in no real danger during his absence.
“Go get some rest, Grandpa.
We can talk about this more when you are rested.” Si-woo urged the old man gently, noticing the deep lines of exhaustion tracing his face.
“Look who’s talking,” Do-yoon scoffed lightly with a fond smile.
He pushed himself up from the couch, pausing to gently pat the top of Si-woo’s head before turning to leave for his own bedroom.
Si-woo could only scratch his head awkwardly at the old man’s remark, finding nothing he could say in his own defense.
He glanced to his side and noticed that Jin-ah seemed exhausted as well.
“I’ll see them back to their own apartment, Hae-in.” he said softly, and the blonde woman nodded her head in understanding.
Jin-woo headed off to his own room after giving Si-woo a firm hug.
Si-woo then walked Jin-ah down to her room.
“Rest well,” Si-woo told her softly as he tucked the blankets around her shoulders and gently stroked her cheek.
“I remembered how you used to tuck me into bed every day when I was a kid,” Jin-ah whispered sleepily into her pillow.
“Right up until the day you started biting my hand for trying to do it,” Si-woo teased.
A soft, genuine chuckle escaped Jin-ah’s lips as Si-woo stood up from the bedside to make his departure.
“I need you to promise me that I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” she added, her voice dropping slightly.
“I promise,” he said in a heartbeat before quietly exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
He reentered his own apartment and found Hae-in standing quietly against the wall of his bedroom, looking deep in thought.
She looked up the moment she sensed his presence standing directly in front of her.
Right then, all the remaining strength seemed to entirely leave her body.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and let him carry her weight, not that it was much for him to bear to begin with.
“We have already discussed how everyone else’s week went.
Tell me about yours,” Si-woo said gently as they walked into his room while she continued to cling to his torso.
He guided her over to his bed, giving her a comfortable seat on the mattress before sitting down right beside her.
She paused for a moment before she started speaking.
“I just…
I fought and I fought until I could not think anymore.
And then I would sleep.” she answered simply, her brief summary making Si-woo let out a regretful sigh.
“I’m truly sorry that I made you worry like that,” Si-woo said, offering the apology for the hundredth time that day, yet meaning it fully every time.
“It’s not like you had any control over the gate turning red,” Hae-in said, shaking her head to dismiss his guilt.
She then looked up, carefully observing the sharp lines of his face in the dim light of the bedroom.
One thing became instantly obvious to her.
He was exhausted, yet for some strange reason, he was still pushing himself to stay awake and present.
Hae-in raised her hand, resting her palm flat against his chest before gently pushing backward.
“Wha—” A soft breath escaped Si-woo’s lips as he felt himself tilting backward.
Hae-in was leaning in close toward him as well, her face hovering mere inches away from his own.
But the exact moment the back of his head touched the soft surface of the bed, it was as if a powerful sleeping spell had been cast over his entire body.
Drowsiness completely consumed his senses, and he found himself unable to fight the compulsion of his eyelids snapping shut.
Hae-in watched closely as Si-woo’s breathing softened into a rhythmic pattern, and in a mere moments he was in a deep sleep.
Her gaze drifted down to his lips.
A deep, burning blush crept up her cheeks as she slowly leaned down, briefly planting her soft lips against his in a fleeting kiss.
Her hand gently caressed his chest from the exact spot where she had previously placed it to push him down, but beneath the fabric of his shirt, she found his skin felt unusually rough and calloused.
A wave of curiosity gripped her as she observed that he had chosen a long-sleeve t-shirt that completely covered his torso and arms.
However, she now felt far too shy to remain lingering in his room any longer.
She gazed fondly at his sleeping face for one long, quiet moment before taking a pillow and carefully sliding it beneath his head.
She then reached down to gently take off his shoes, dragging his body completely onto the mattress by pulling carefully on his arms so he could sleep comfortably.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered to him softly, knowing he could not actually hear her voice.
She then quietly slid his bedroom window open and leapt out into the night air, closing the frame behind her before jumping nimbly from roof to roof as she made her way back toward her own home.
The moment she crossed the threshold into her own bedroom, she proceeded to have a complete mental breakdown.
‘He didn’t even know that I kissed him!
Why on earth would I do something like that?’ she screamed frantically in her mind.
She placed her face in her hands, shaking her head repeatedly in disbelief at her own actions.
“I am so hopeless,” she muttered aloud to the empty room.
She really did not possess any actual experience when it came to dating, and that lack of knowledge was making her feel anxious at the moment.
Thankfully the physical exhaustion from her relentless week of raiding finally caught up with her, and she fell fast asleep before her thoughts could spiral any deeper into panic.
Within his deep sleep, Si-woo suddenly found his consciousness manifesting inside his spiritual realm.
The landscape looked entirely different than it had ever done before his excursion into the red gate.
During his stay with the high orcs, his first familiar had been fully born into existence.
With that monumental birth, the spiritual realm had successfully gained a fiery, yet somehow habitable and stable landmass.
“I have been wondering about one thing for some time now.
Where exactly are we?
I have been calling this place my spiritual realm, but it is also a physical reality, right?” he asked, turning his gaze toward his first familiar.
A massive, six-handed giant clad in a towering suit of dark knight’s armor hummed thoughtfully at his master’s words.
“This place is more akin to a dimension that is directly connected to your soul.
It was brought into existence by the divinity of the god that made our binding possible.” the giant, whom Si-woo had named Rhazekiel, answered in a surprisingly gentle, echoing voice.
“What is the status of the request I made of you earlier?” Si-woo asked after humming in understanding.
The armored giant answered the question by slowly lowering one of his massive hands and opening his palm directly in front of Si-woo.
Resting securely upon his palm was a sphere constructed of swirling light, and directly within its center, an eternal fire crackled merrily.
“Does it possess any sort of individual will or living consciousness?” Si-woo asked, inspecting the object closely.
“No, my Lord.
It does not possess a mind, just as you requested of me.
It is merely a dense mass of pure spiritual particles molded in a specific way to follow one singular directive,” Rhazekiel answered, earning a genuine smile of gratitude from the young man.
He looked ahead and observed the population in his dimension had increased by a lot.
The inhabitants were mostly ifrits and fire spirits.
Before being confined by the rulers to be used as a dungeon boss, Surtur had a vast army which scattered in his absence.
An army he was slowly calling to himself and reforming by adding new ranks as well.
Rhazekiel’s mere presence had helped Surtur and the spirits gain strength as he was the aspect of eternal fire after all.
Si-woo turned his head and saw the other eggs would be hatching with time as well, a time he would welcome.
In the afternoon hours, the doorbell of Si-woo’s apartment rang and Do-yoon opened the door to see Hae-in standing there.
“It’s good to see you again, sir.
Is Si-woo awake yet?” she asked the old man with a polite bow.
“Not yet, Hunter Cha.
You are welcome to wait,” the old man answered with a gentle smile as he gestured for Hae-in to enter.
“His room is that one,” he added, gesturing to Si-woo’s room.
Hae-in nodded with a blush, as she had just gotten permission from Si-woo’s grandpa that she could enter his room.
She pumped her fist after turning around so the old man could not see, and entered Si-woo’s room after knocking twice.
Just as she entered, she was met with the sight of Si-woo sitting on his bed, using one hand for support as the other rubbed his still sleepy eyes.
“Good morning, Hae-in,” he spoke slowly in a sleepy voice as he got up from his bed with lethargic, sagging shoulders and stood in front of her.
“Your grandpa let me in,” she said shyly, pointing with her thumb behind her back.
Si-woo nodded before tilting his head and giving her a sly grin.
“Good trick yesterday, by the way.
I honestly thought you were going for something else when you pushed me down.” Hae-in blushed and shuffled on her feet at his words.
“I…
I,” she started with a blush.
“I did something bad yesterday,” she said, her gaze fixed on the ground.
“You aren’t a secret serial killer, are you?” Si-woo chuckled at how guilty she was acting.
“I kinda…
kissed you while you were asleep,” she mustered up enough courage to confess.
She was feeling genuinely guilty at kissing him without consent.
Si-woo took a moment to compose himself after hearing that, which made Hae-in think he was upset with her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, not wanting him to be angry with her.
“Well,” Si-woo started and placed his hand on her cheek before guiding her face to look at him.
“Just don’t wait for me to fall asleep next time,” he added in a whisper before leaning in and planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
“Trust me, you don’t want my breath near your nose first thing in the morning.
I’ll go brush my teeth and give you a proper kiss,” Si-woo whispered to her, making her giggle.
A genuine, happy expression graced her face before she reached out and buried her head in his shoulder as she laughed softly.
“You really should add a filter between your brain and your mouth,” she continued laughing.
“Just keeping it real,” Si-woo countered in a sing-song voice and guided her to his bed before giving her a seat.
He winked at her and went to the bathroom after she took her seat.
Hae-in listened to the sound of him brushing his teeth as she hummed a tune to herself.
She fell back on his bed as her short hair scattered behind her.
Si-woo returned from the bathroom and grinned when he saw her.
“Reminiscing about how you molested me on this bed last night?” Si-woo asked as he moved towards her with his grin still present.
Hae-in answered with a pout as she turned her head away.
“I hate you,” she muttered.
A/n: I may not be able to consistently write for the rest of the month as I am planning a trip.