Home/The F-class hunter wants to get a job again today/ch 10

Chapter 10

For some reason, I felt sorry for this male protagonist who'd never once made a friend in his life. Without thinking, I reached out and patted Seong Si-hyeon's head. Startled, he jumped in his seat, still gripping the steering wheel.

"Wh-What are you doing!"

"Si-hyeon, I'll be your friend."

"I have plenty of friends too!"

"That can't be true...?"

"...Ah!"

He stopped the car at a red light, turned to me, and growled.

"I really do have lots of friends. Way more than you, got it? I can't even count them. They call me every day—asking me to hang out."

"Riiiight."

Knowing his personality, I couldn't help but respond with a drawn-out "Riiiight." I couldn't refute him, nor could I agree, so that was the best compromise I could come up with. He seemed to get even more annoyed.

"What do you mean 'riiiight'? I'm telling the truth!"

"Is it possible that all citizens are your friends...?"

"No!"

He insisted he had many friends, and I started to feel like teasing him. Sure, teasing a nineteen-year-old kid wasn't right—but still, I couldn't help it.

"Hmm, then you could throw a party, right?"

"...Huh?"

We had already arrived in front of my house. He parked the car, then realizing something, stared blankly and asked back.

"I thought you had lots of friends. I saw on your online profile that your birthday is in a few days. So you could throw a birthday party, right?"

"..."

"Since you have so many friends, how about renting a cruise? I only have a few dozen friends—but since you have more than me, that should be no problem, right?"

Once I started teasing, the words just kept flowing. Si-hyeon kept his mouth firmly shut.

"You really do have lots of friends, don't you?"

"...Yes, I do."

I drove the point home with that last remark. He was surprisingly honest in moments like this, which made teasing him fun—it had impact, you could say.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, stayed silent for a while, then finally spoke.

"...Fine. A birthday party. Whatever. I'll do it."

I beamed and clasped his hand.

"Great! When will you have it?"

"...Tomorrow."

"T-Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And you have to come too."

"...Me too?"

He grinned mischievously and squeezed my hand tightly. His strong grip locked mine in place—like an inescapable trap.

"Yeah. Why? You said you'd be my 'friend,' didn't you?"

"Well, I said I'd be your friend if you didn't have any..."

"Friends are always better in larger numbers. You be my 'friend' too."

He smirked, shaking my hand as he held it.

"See you here at 1 PM tomorrow."

"Are you coming to pick me up?"

"Of course—since you're a 'friend' coming to my party."

He emphasized the word "friend," then unbuckled his belt and leaned toward me. He came so close it looked like he was about to kiss me, so I pressed my back as far into the seat as I could.

Swallowing hard, I asked.

"Wh-What are you doing! There are no monsters here!"

He scoffed lightly at that.

"Who said I was going to kiss you? I was just unbuckling your seatbelt."

He released the buckle and opened the passenger door.

"Get out. Now I see—you're the type who misunderstands easily."

"...Yes, I suppose so."

Anyone would misunderstand if you lean in like that, you bastard.

Unable to say what I really thought, I got out of the car with an awkward smile, repeating this mantra in my head:

10 million won a month. Bonus separate.

He closed the door and drove off smoothly. He seemed pleased that he'd gotten the last laugh—his face was bright as he drove away. Good. As long as the boss is happy. Who cares about the employee's feelings?

I opened the iron gate, went inside, and flopped onto my bed. A sigh of relief escaped me. Lying on an electric mat—this was the best.

Let's see.

Tomorrow's work starts at 1 PM. It's 4 PM now, so I have 21 hours until I leave. Maybe I'll check out the Hunter community for a change.

I tapped the status window and opened the community board. As expected, it was buzzing about the large-scale dungeon break that had happened today. Most of the talk was about praising Si-hyeon and discussing the loot prices.

[(T1WinsWorlds): Ah, did that dungeon close fast today? Couldn't even grab anything]

[Reply: Seong Si-hyeon went in]

[Reply: Alone? Or did he form a raid party?]

[Reply: He was carrying some woman on his shoulder like luggage]

[Reply: Who's that woman? Does anyone know?]

[Reply: I don't know, just saw people filming it]

My eyes widened at the mention of me.

[(HairLossHairLossBin): Must be someone who joined Si-hyeon's guild this time]

[Reply: How amazing must she be to get in on the first try—I'm jealous, I applied 10 times and failed every time, fml]

[Reply: Did she just awaken? It was a face I haven't seen before]

[Reply: Is she an S-rank healer?]

Unfortunately—F-rank healer.

[(It's Damwon, Not Drip): Or maybe she's a buffer? If she's a buffer, other guilds would be eyeing her like crazy]

[Reply: Lol even an F-rank buffer has never appeared in Korea. In the US, a C-rank buffer caused a bloodbath when guilds fought over her]

[Reply: Lmao if she's a buffer, assassination guilds would try to snatch her first]

[Reply: For real, they've got money these days]

[Reply: Hunters always solve things through murder instead of law—like some Code of Hammurabi shit]

[Reply: Lol says the Hunter]

The words "assassination guild" made my hair stand on end. Si-hyeon's voice echoed in my head: "Don't ever let it get out."

[(SomedayMartialArtsWillRuleHunterWorld): Anyway, now that guy's got the media chasing him like crazy, he must be exhausted]

[Reply: Seong Si-hyeon or that girl—life must be tough for both]

[Reply: I wish my life was that tough]

[Reply: Lol same ^^]

[(Si-hyeon, Always Stay Healthy): Still, I'm glad Si-hyeon looks healthy]

[Reply: Where did you see him?]

[Reply: He's being interviewed on SBS right now]

[(WaitSi-hyeonIsThatReallyYou): Couldn't even grab any loot... Si-hyeon, please close dungeons a little slower next time T-T]

[Reply: Next time, let's go]

Sigh. My head hurt from all the talk about me, so I closed the window. Everything said that if I got caught, I was done—my chest felt tight.

I have to survive without being discovered. As long as they don't find out I'm a buffer, I'm safe. I'll just live pretending to be a healer.

I changed clothes, washed up, and buried my face in the blanket, repeating to myself: 1 PM tomorrow, 1 PM tomorrow.

---

The chirping of birds. Warm sunlight. And a strangely refreshed body.

I opened my eyes wide. Usually, this feeling meant I was late. I frantically checked the clock—luckily, it was only 12 PM. Si-hyeon said he'd come at 1, so I had enough time to wash and get ready.

Just then, someone knocked on the iron gate.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

It was Seong Si-hyeon. I quickly splashed water on my face at the sink and opened the door. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, hair styled with wax into natural waves.

"You said you'd come at 1."

"Yeah. I woke up early and had nothing to do. Did you eat?"

"Not yet."

"Me neither, so I brought this."

He casually handed me two paper bags.

"What's this?"

"I didn't know what you liked."

Inside were various sandwiches and salads. In the other bag were cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and Shine Muscat grapes. It looked like he'd swept through a department store.

"Did you buy these yourself?"

"No. I sent Kim Dae-un."

I silently offered my condolences to Kim Dae-un as I gratefully accepted the bags.

"I don't have many plates."

"Let's just eat."

He went to the bathroom to wash his hands, then sat down on the floor in his suit. Spotting the small table leaning against the wall, he set it up himself.

I washed the strawberries, put them on a plate, and laid them out with the sandwiches and salad. The strawberries from the department store glistened.

"Thank you for the meal."

"Mm. Eat well."

Ignoring his words, I took a big bite of the sandwich. The crunchy cabbage, fresh tomatoes, savory ham, and rich sauce made it incredibly delicious.

It was my first meal of the day, so I forgot there was someone with me and wolfed it down with huge bites.

After finishing one sandwich, I noticed Seong Si-hyeon hadn't touched his—he was just staring at me.

Feeling a bit embarrassed about how greedily I'd eaten, he spoke first.

"You eat well."

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I was so fascinated watching you."

Fascinated? I wondered what that meant. But he genuinely seemed amazed. Come to think of it, Si-hyeon didn't have much of an appetite—or more precisely, he hated eating alone.

Having grown up without parents, rolling through life as a Hunter since childhood, he'd often filled his stomach with monster meat. He had the mindset that eating was just for fuel.

In his younger days, he'd only eat when he was starving to the bone. Now he seemed to have recovered somewhat, eating properly—but he still never ate alone at home.

Despite being someone who did everything alone, he didn't eat by himself. He was surprisingly prone to loneliness—in the novel, he always ate with his comrades.

Before his comrades appeared, he'd eat at crowded restaurants even if paparazzi followed him—just to be around people.

I smiled and popped a strawberry into his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise. Those crimson irises wavered again, endlessly.

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