"Shall we take an extended vacation?"
"...."
Yoon Seo sighed.
"It's not easy."
He couldn't readily agree, knowing how much the other hunters would struggle to fill the gap left by two S-rank hunters.
"It's really frustrating. Why is it that the ones with power, who are supposed to be on the good side, have to suffer more…?"
"Hyung, if the ones on the bad side had the power, we, the good ones, would be suffering far more than we are now."
"...."
It was true. If bad people had awakened back then, Earth would have been destroyed during the Great Dungeon 11 years ago.
Kwon Jihan reached out and grasped Yoon Seo's hand. He intertwined his fingers with Yoon Seo's, which had been unconsciously petting Riceball, and tilted his head to meet Yoon Seo's eyes.
"I don't think us taking an extended vacation is overworking the other hunters. In fact, I believe we should lead by example and take one. As you know, unless a hunter is severely injured and forced into retirement, there's no such thing as a long vacation right now. If we start, others can follow. We'll be setting the precedent."
"...."
This too, made sense.
"Alright. Let's take a vacation. Starting in the fall? From October?"
"Yeah, let's rest for about a year. We've done space travel, so how about traveling domestically this time? I've been to so many places, but it was always for dungeon clears, so I'm basically still a complete city boy from Seoul."
A year?
Yoon Seo was surprised because he had only anticipated a month at most.
Would it really be alright to rest for a whole year? Was it even possible? Though Yoon Seo had disappeared for ten years once before, he doubted Kwon Jihan could manage the same. If a dangerous dungeon appeared and there was a shortage of hunters, Kwon Jihan would undoubtedly step up. Even though he now claimed Yoon Seo was his top priority…
"I'm curious what the Milky Way looks like from a quiet spot in our country. What do you think, Hyung?"
"…I'd like that."
"If you'd like it, then that's it. Let's do it. While we talk to Juncheol hyung about our vacation, I'll tell him to exploit the scientists more. Have them develop tons of weapons so people can manage even without hunters. We'll also need to create more item farming teams."
Kwon Jihan spoke in a tone that made it unclear whether he was joking or serious.
Could they really rest for a year?
If they couldn't rest together, Yoon Seo wanted to at least make sure Kwon Jihan took a break. After all, since his awakening, Kwon Jihan hadn't had a single moment to look up at the sky. More than anyone else, he deserved the right to rest.
***
When the appointed time came, Yoon Seo stood up, carrying a shopping bag. As Kwon Jihan extended his palm towards the lizard, Riceball scurried over to him.
"Go on. I'll be here."
"Are you going to wait?"
"Yeah. You're just going for dinner and then coming back, right? Or you could be a bit later, that's fine too."
"...."
"I'll be having fun playing with Riceball. Don't worry about us."
Kwon Jihan pulled out a tablet PC from his inventory. Despite saying he'd be playing with Riceball, it was obvious he was planning to look up more information about Love in Han River's producers.
"Got it. I'll be back soon then."
"Take your time."
Kwon Jihan waved with a smile.
It felt like Yoon Seo was leaving a part of himself behind in that café.
When he arrived at the barbecue restaurant, Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum were already grilling meat.
"Oh, Yoon Seo! Over here!"
Park Youngbum waved enthusiastically when he spotted Yoon Seo.
"Still punctual as always. You're such a consistent person."
"Hello."
"Oppa, I knew you'd arrive exactly on time, so I started grilling the meat. It should be ready now, right?"
"Eat, eat, eat. It's about to burn, so dig in."
"How have you been—"
"No time for chatting. Eat first, then talk. It's going to burn!"
Park Youngbum hurriedly grabbed a lettuce leaf. The meat on the grill was cooked to perfection. Without even exchanging pleasantries, Yoon Seo had to start eating a wrap as soon as he arrived.
After eating a few pieces, there was finally time for conversation. Yoon Seo handed the shopping bag to the two of them.
"Here. I made enough for the other guild members too. Do whatever you want with it—eat it or throw it away."
"Yoon Seo, you're still the same, baking so meticulously and then handing it over so nonchalantly."
"Seriously, it's so cute."
The two laughed as they checked the contents. Goh Heewon widened her eyes in surprise.
"No way. Am I seeing this right? These aren't chocolate cookies?"
"What? No way. The signature chocolate cookies from Yoon Seo… they're gone? Really gone? What happened? Your 10-year-long love for chocolate cookies, what's going on?"
"This has to be a doppelganger monster disguised as Yoon Seo oppa!"
"Clearly a doppelganger with poor intel-gathering skills!"
Yoon Seo thought it had been a while since he last experienced such commotion.
"I'm sick of chocolate crack cookies now. I won't be making them for a while."
Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon burst into loud laughter.
"Well, after making the same thing for years, I guess you'd get tired of it. To be honest, it's a secret, but even the director's wife and daughter refuse to eat chocolate cookies anymore."
"Yeah, to be honest, it's also a secret, but sometimes when you gave me cookies, I didn't eat them and gave them to my neighbors."
"For the record, I never got tired of them, Yoon Seo. Unlike Heewon, I ate them all by myself."
"Wow, you traitor!"
"I might open a bakery when I retire and make your chocolate cookies the main product."
"Oh, now you're really overdoing it, huh?"
"Heewon, your speech is getting shorter."
"So what? You're not even my direct team leader anymore."
After their guild merged with Seokyoung, Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon had gone through two departmental changes. Though they both still worked desk jobs, Park Youngbum was now the leader of Maintenance Team 4, and Goh Heewon worked as an assistant manager in Item Creation Team 3.
"How long do you think you can enjoy this freedom?"
Park Youngbum's glasses glinted sharply.
"Why, what are you up to?"
"I've been persistently requesting that our department gather all our Guild of Leaves people. Especially you, Goh Heewon! Without fail, absolutely, definitely, I'm making sure you join my team. This time, when the department shift happens, I will once again be your team leader. Just watch!"
Goh Heewon looked as if she had just heard the world was ending, her face contorted with horror.
"Th-there's no way Seokyoung will agree to this, right?"
"It seems like they will… at least for you."
"…"
Goh Heewon's face turned pale. Determined not to suffer alone, she pointed at Yoon Seo.
"Then Yoon Seo oppa has to come too! If you're going to make me part of your team, you have to drag him along!"
"Why me…?"
"Yoon Seo is too much of a big deal now; it's difficult."
Park Youngbum shook his head.
"They said that field workers have a completely different system of transfers compared to desk workers. And among the field teams, dungeon attack squads are considered above all other roles. I even tried asking for Yoon Seo, but there's no chance."
"What about Yoon Seo oppa becoming your superior?"
"I even swallowed my pride and suggested that. I thought it didn't make sense to have someone who's been in a desk job for 10 years suddenly tackling dungeons. He's higher-ranked than me and has way more dungeon experience, so I said I wouldn't mind him being my boss, but even that was rejected."
Yoon Seo was a bit surprised. He hadn't realized how much Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon cared about him.
"They keep saying, 'Yoon Seo will continue going into dungeons.' It's driving me crazy. Team Leader Lee Inseon is so stubborn. It's like talking to a brick wall. They've rejected me three times in the last six months, and now they don't even answer my calls."
Lee Inseon was probably just as frustrated, unable to reveal that the Yoon Seo they were concerned about was actually an S-rank hunter.
"Seokyoung people are nuts. No matter how good his shield skills are, they should take into account who they're sending into dungeons. I worry myself sick every time oppa goes in."
"Me too. Whenever you don't talk in the group chat for three days, I get this awful feeling in my stomach. Yoon Seo, are you at least bringing up this unfair arrangement to the higher-ups?"
"Well, I…"
Yoon Seo hesitated before answering.
"I've decided to just keep going into the dungeons."
"Whhaaaaaat?"
"Whhaaaaaat?"
"After each time I go, I get a few days off. Our team only tackles easy dungeons that are B-rank or lower, so there's nothing to worry about. Team Leader and Heewon, you really don't need to be concerned about me."
"…"
"…"
Goh Heewon and Park Youngbum's expressions grew teary.
"Sniff. To tell us a kind-hearted lie just to ease our worries!"
"Bring anyone who bad-mouths Yoon Seo to me! Who could criticize someone who tells such a kind-hearted lie for the sake of a former colleague? Who dares?"
"Exactly! Those who spread strange rumors, misjudging him by his cold exterior, need to see the Yoon Seo oppa we know now!"
The two continued to express their heartfelt emotions. Luckily, the barbecue restaurant was bustling with people drinking, so the atmosphere was loud enough to drown out their conversation.
Then, Yoon Seo noticed something odd.
"You know, usually these cool and aloof types are soft and tender-hearted on the inside…"
"Hold on a second, Team Leader."
"Mm-hmm. Our tender-hearted Yoon Seo. Go on."
"What rumors? What exactly are you talking about?"
"…"
"What rumors are being spread about me?"
Hiccup.
Park Youngbum and Goh Heewon exchanged glances, both hiccupping.
"…"
"…"
Yoon Seo was aware too. He had noticed the murmurs and sidelong glances every time he walked in and out of the Seokyoung Guild as 'Yoon Seo.' From the start, people hadn't looked at him kindly, but recently, the hostility had become almost threatening.
As Yoon Seo, he had been posing as part of Attack Team 5, led by former Perfect Team 2 leader Lee Inseon, tackling B-rank dungeons or lower. In reality, he had only been entering A-rank and above dungeons as Seo Chaeyoon. Since Attack Team 5 was entirely made up of former Perfect Team 2 members, there was little chance of being exposed.
Naturally, he had no reason to interact with other regular guild members as 'Yoon Seo.' Yet, the growing hostility puzzled even him, who normally didn't care much.
"Team Leader, Heewon, tell me. What exactly is the rumor going around?"
"N-no! Who said that? I've never heard any baseless nonsense about you cheating with someone in a relationship!"
"M-me neither! I've never heard any awful rumors about oppa being some kind of animal hoarder!"