"I'm sorry. I'll untie your hands, so please try to keep your voice down... Understand?"
I nodded. Soon, the man slowly removed his hand from my mouth.
"Someone's... alive...! Ah, ah!"
"Haha... Actually, I'm being chased. If you let me hide for a moment, I'll let you go right away."
Wow, this can't get any more suspicious.
What reason could there be to hide behind the wall of this shop in broad daylight?
A spy? Or a criminal?
"I'm not a criminal."
Could he read my mind?
"It's hard to not know when your face is so expressive."
I had a perfect poker face, but he was quick to notice.
"Anyway, do you understand what I mean?"
Nod, nod.
Of course, I planned to chase him out as soon as he removed his hand.
Until I noticed one fact.
While my mouth was covered, I naturally found myself looking closely at the man's face.
Though hidden behind thick glasses, his facial features were quite refined. His eyes were well-defined, and his long, dark eyelashes cast shadows on his bright, milky skin.
In short, this man... was handsome. He was even pretty.
My rational side told me to scream, but my emotional side held me back.
After all, how often do you get to see a handsome man in real life? This kind of guy is the type you'd brag about to your friends for an hour after running into him on the street.
I don't want to get involved in any trouble.
He didn't seem like a criminal, but being chased... whatever the reason, he was a bundle of trouble.
My motto, after coming back from the dead, is "Avoid trouble."
I just decided on this motto, but anyway.
I really should kick him out, I should...
The man slowly removed his hand from my mouth. Our eyes met.
He was incredibly handsome.
"...Just come inside for now."
In the end, my emotions won.
Yeah, you don't always have to be so rational.
* * *
"Mi-eum, we have a guest."
"What (What's that supposed to mean)?"
"Something like that."
The man who came inside sat down at an empty seat at the table. He acted strangely familiar.
I asked him, "So, why was a member of the <Cheongra Guild> hiding there?"
To clarify, I didn't bring him in just because of his rare and sparkling appearance.
When my mouth was covered, I noticed the mark on the collar of his coat.
The man I spoke to suddenly stopped moving. I could feel him scrutinizing me carefully.
"Why are you surprised? That's the <Cheongra> mark, right?"
I pointed to the blue embroidery on his coat. The blue vine pattern was definitely the <Cheongra> mark.
A guild affiliation is the most solid proof of identity. Guilds are responsible for managing and supervising their affiliated hunters. Minor disputes can be reported to the guild for immediate resolution.
In other words, he is a person with a clear identity.
"You know your stuff. I just threw this on."
"What do you mean, are you impersonating?"
I subtly grabbed the phone in my pocket. Impersonating a hunter guild is a serious crime. If he was impersonating, I planned to report him to the police immediately.
"No, no. I'm not impersonating."
The flustered man waved his hands and introduced himself.
"My name is Ki-yu-hyun. As you said, I'm a hunter affiliated with the <Cheongra Guild>."
"But why were you hiding there?"
"That... Haha, for various reasons. There are too many people looking for me, so I was just trying to hide for a moment..."
In short, he's a slacker.
I stared at Ki-yu-hyun.
Despite his sparkling appearance, his attire was sloppy, and he looked rather weak. It was hard to imagine him defeating monsters in the dungeon with that weak appearance.
I get it.
He's a <Cheongra> affiliated hunter, but a weak one.
And weak hunters have their own struggles. They get assigned menial tasks and suffer from the arrogance of higher-ranking hunters.
Not all hunters are the same.
I, who once was a salary slave, could easily imagine Ki-yu-hyun's situation.
In such a position, it's understandable to want to hide from people. I used to hide in the bathroom when I was about to die from exhaustion.
While I was feeling sorry for him, Ki-yu-hyun looked around the shop and spoke.
"I didn't know there was a cafe here."
"..."
"..."
And silence.
If this were a natural and social conversation, I should offer him coffee now.
'Yes, would you like a cup of coffee?'
'Oh, you don't have to trouble yourself.'
'No, I should offer you a cup of coffee.'
'Thank you, I'll enjoy it.'
Something like that.
But I had just returned to the shop from the hotel this morning. The refrigerator was naturally empty after the repairs.
The only thing I had was the 100th mix coffee I was about to drink.
Should I give him this?
But this 100th coffee was for me to savor after completing my quest!
It's not that I'm stingy about a mere mix coffee. I'm not that petty. It's just that I can't fully enjoy this historical moment of completing the quest.
"..."
Ki-yu-hyun looked at me with sparkling eyes.
It seemed like he was asking, "Can't you give a poor, overworked, low-ranking hunter a cup of coffee?"
He might just be looking, but his beautifully arched eyebrows and deep eyes made me imagine such a story.
Ugh, it's a hard look to resist. Is this what they mean by a "beauty that moves the nation"?
"What (Isn't that a bit too small to be a 'beauty that moves the nation'?)"?
'Be quiet, Mi-eum.'
I glared at Mi-eum.
Even if not the nation, this shop would surely be in trouble.
"Ahem, I only have mix coffee right now... Would you like a cup?"
"Ah, you don't have to trouble yourself... I'll enjoy it."
Thus, my last mix coffee left my hands for the sake of social courtesy.
Ki-yu-hyun took a paper cup and sipped the coffee.
"This is... incredibly delicious."
His smile faded, and he took another sip with a slightly surprised look.
"It's really delicious."
It was a 4-star mix coffee, slightly cooled but still in good condition. Seeing him enjoy it made me feel a bit proud. Ki-yu-hyun quickly finished the paper cup.
Now, the quest completion notification should appear...
Huh?
That's strange. I waited for a while, but the quest completion notification didn't appear.
Is it lagging? Does the system lag? Is it connected to the internet?
Panicked, I hurriedly opened the quest window.
'Quest.'
It didn't open.
'Quest.'
Still no response.
'Open the quest window!'
"Why are you doing that?"
When I silently stared at the air, Ki-yu-hyun spoke.
"Ahem, nothing. I just thought I saw a bug."
I'll think about it later. The fact that I have awakened is still a secret I haven't revealed to anyone. I don't want to be seen as a strange person talking to myself while staring at the air.
"By the way, I have a question..."
I changed the topic, flustered and speaking randomly.
"Ki-yu-hyun, have you ever seen the real <Cheongra> guild leader?"
"..."
Oops. I spoke without thinking.
I was flustered, but I was genuinely curious.
The guild leader of <Cheongra> is the mysterious top-ranked hunter, Mu-won.
The first and best S-rank hunter. A hunter who has never left the top position since ascending to it. Only rumors circulate about him.
He's like a character from a fantasy novel. It's natural to be curious about a person.
"He always keeps his identity hidden. I was just wondering if you've seen him since you're affiliated with <Cheongra>."
I didn't expect an answer. The chances of a low-ranking hunter like him meeting such an important figure are low.
But Ki-yu-hyun, instead of answering, said something unexpected with a complicated expression.
"You seem very interested in our guild leader."
"Um... No."
"Then why are you asking?"
"Just because he always keeps his identity hidden. I mean, if it were me, I'd be boasting about being the top-ranked hunter everywhere."
"Would you...?"
"Yes. There's even a rumor that he's hiding because he's ugly, but I don't think that's true..."
"..."
Suddenly, Ki-yu-hyun's deer-like eyes widened.
But this is a well-known rumor.
Even Kwon Ji-won, who is so often in the media, has said that he finds it troublesome to reject numerous interview and broadcast requests.
Moreover, the <Dungeon Management Office> often uses top-ranked hunters for publicity to reassure the public.
Even the current second-ranked hunter, Seo Se-dric of <C&L Corporation>, has appeared in public service announcements, magazines, and broadcasts, and has a wide range of merchandise.
So, the rumor that the top-ranked hunter is hiding for some dubious reason. Most of it seems to be made up out of inferiority.
"I would subtly show off my top-ranked wristwatch while pretending to check the time."
"Ahahaha..."
Ki-yu-hyun pulled up his sleeve and subtly covered his wristwatch. I don't understand why he's so concerned about the wristwatch, which is a symbol of a top-ranked S-rank hunter.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. I've never met him."
"I see..."
Well, Ki-yu-hyun looks like a low-ranking hunter. He wouldn't know such top-secret information. I really shouldn't have asked out of curiosity.
Suddenly, Ki-yu-hyun bent down under the table.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Soon, the same voices I heard earlier came from outside the window.
"Where are you hiding?"
"Come out quickly!"
"There! You're hiding over there, aren't you?"
His reaction was incredibly quick. Indeed, to be a slacker, you have to be this quick.
I mentally named Ki-yu-hyun the "Master of Slacking."
Ki-yu-hyun crawled under the table and approached the opposite window.
"See you next time."
As Ki-yu-hyun quickly jumped out of the window, a system notification appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations! You have completed the 'Tutorial Quest: Coffee is My Dream.'
Please claim your reward.]
Finally, the lag is gone.
* * *
A small cafe located on Dungeon Gate 3, 16th Road.
After walking without stopping until the shop was out of sight, Ki-yu-hyun took off his thick-rimmed glasses.
The smile on his lips had long disappeared.
When he brushed back his messy hair, the clumsy and awkward hunter from before was gone. Instead, the black eyes revealed under his long eyelashes glowed with a cold light.