It was morning.
Su-Yeon stirred in her sleep.
Si-Hun had already gotten up before her and was making breakfast in the kitchen.
The warm sunlight fell on her face, directly on her eyes, waking her up.
She opened her eyes slowly and looked around.
"…It's morning already…?"She muttered and removed the blanket from her body.
She stepped on the cold floor, which made her squeak softly.
"Ahh…The floor is so cold!"
She went out.
Si-Hun was in the kitchen.
She came right behind him and saw him making breakfast with such precision that she never expected.
"Si-Hun…you cook, too?" Her voice made Si-Hun look back a little.
"Of course. Who's gonna cook for me otherwise?" He said, chuckling lightly.
"…I could." She said, voice almost inaudible, but Si-Hun caught it, eyebrows slightly raised.
He smirked and continued.
"It's almost ready. You can go freshen up." He said.
She hummed and left for the washroom.
"She says things without giving me a warning first," Si-Hun muttered to himself with a little smirk.
She freshened up and went to the kitchen.
Si-Hun had already set up the breakfast table and was sitting, waiting for her.
"…You could've started eating." She said to him, voice low.
Si-Hun straightened up a little and picked up his fork and signaled her to sit down before speaking.
"You shouldn't ask things like that." He said, voice barely audible.
"Huh?" She murmured.
"Eat your food, you'll like it." He said, taking a bite from his while smiling a little.
She obeyed quietly, a little flustered by his forwardness.
She took a bite.
"Wahh! It is so good! I can't believe you made it…"
Si-Hun glanced up at her, who was smiling softly while eating her food.
"She liked it. I'm glad she did." He thought.
They ate quietly, but he would glance at her occasionally, and seeing her happy face would make him smile each time he did.
"Si-Hun…I want to come to your house every day if that means you'll cook for me every day!" She said joyfully.
"You can come every day if you want…" He said, voice low and hesitant.
Her fork stopped in the air for a second, then she looked at him through the corner of her eyes without lifting her head while eating.
He ate quietly, observing her every move.
They finished breakfast.
"…Si-Hun, I think I should leave now. I already stayed for a full day."
Si-Hun's face dropped a little, but he tried not to show it.
"…You could've stayed another day." He finally said without looking at her.
Her breath hitched.
"I…you already had to sleep on the couch. Plus, I have to complete some assignments for university." She said while clasping her hands together.
"Okay. But don't hesitate to call me or text me whenever you feel scared. And tell me before going out at night."
He said that because he knew that Hyun-Woo's friends were dangerous
He hadn't confronted them right now, but he wasn't gonna let them slide for sure.
She blushed a little hearing him.
"O-okay." She said before looking down shyly and then leaving while saying goodbye.
"Take care." He said quietly.
She left, leaving him watch her go like he always did.
"She stayed…for a whole day." He said to himself.
"Of course she did!" Si-Hun was startled seeing a hand on his shoulder, which was of Kuro.
"Dammit! You come out of nowhere!" Si-Hun said to him before looking back.
"Why are you bothering to help? She's just your neighbor."
"…She is."
"Then why do I feel an urge to protect her? If she's nothing more than just…a friend?" Si-Hun thought.
"Don't ask questions like that. She's a friend…why shouldn't I bother?" He said, trying to cover up, while Kuro just patted his shoulder and smiled.
"I have two raids today…Ughh!" Si-Hun said, leaning back in his chair while groaning because of frustration.
"Be careful…Your skills must've skyrocketed now. People are definitely going to notice someone's presence. Especially the predators."
Si-Hun bit his lower lip and got up.
"Let's leave."
"I'm behind."
They left from there.
"Hey…you remember those letters?'' Si-Hun said to Kuro.
"Of course."
"I'm still cautious of my surroundings. God knows who this person is."
"Good move."
Si-Hun reached the portal and, as always, waited outside.
Jae-Un arrived a few minutes later, and they met, as they hadn't seen each other in years.
"Bud… Where are you lost? You don't even hang out!" Jae-Un said, pushing Si-Hun's shoulder.
"Just these damn raids!"
Si-Hun didn't tell him about the recollection with Yu-Jun.
"You busy as fuck, man! At least keep updating me that you're alive!" Jae-Un said.
"Sure…mister." He said, smirking.
"Why do you feel so…I don't know what adjective I can use…but you feel so heavy. Did you gain weight?"
Si-Hun raised his eyebrows.
"I did. Training paid off."
"You've been working out harder, I see…More intimidating."
Si-Hun just smirked and shook his head lightly.
They talked for some minutes before everyone was ready to enter the portal.
Everyone sure did notice some heaviness in the air, even though no monster was there…except for Si-Hun.
"It's intimidation we feel right now…I think a monster is near us." Someone said.
"Be careful." Another one said.
They were soon met by a group of normal beasts.
Of course, Si-Hun killed them easily with even more precision.
The boss was killed by other predators.
"These fights really don't bring any good to me."
"They are low paid…maybe, you could try something else," Kuro said to Si-Hun.
"Like what?"
"You have teleportation. There are portals all over the world, and no one would know anything if you show them a fake foreign ID for your predator status. This way, you can teleport there and make a fake ID, earn more money, but you would have to be careful about using your powers so no one is suspicious."
"Kuro…how can you come up with such an EXCELLENT idea?" Si-Hun said, ecstatic.
"Just thank me later."
"But wait…wouldn't it be illegal?"
"Nah…You're doing it for a good purpose. Not because you're doing yourself good with more money, but because you can't tell anyone about the power. If you could, you'd be earning millions."
"He's doing humanity a favor by risking his own life to end this system of portals and save many lives. This isn't some bad shit." Kuro thought.
Si-Hun sighed.
"We'll…try it this week."
"Sure."
They went home after the portal.
[Police Station]
"Hey, Minjun!" Baek-Hyeon called for Minjun.
"Yeah?"
"We've sent a few people to keep an eye on a few areas, including the areas near the Hwagae Forest, where the recent murder happened."
"Excellent! Tell them to switch shifts. Like recently, the murder in the woods happened after midnight." Minjun said, leaning back in his chair.
Minjun was a mastermind, the one who could maybe match some of Si-Hun's perception.
He knew the patterns.
"I just came to inform you that. I'll leave now. Gotta go."
"Sure," Minjun said and picked up his pen.
He used to spin it in between his fingers when he was thinking hard.
"What can this being be who's been killing…some creatures that don't match any blood that exists on this planet. We…we have to get him. This could be a discovery that can bring a change. My senses tell me something different about that guy I saw. There was blood on his knuckles, but I'm not sure if it wasn't human blood, cause during my years of being in the crime industry, I do know that it was human blood." Minjun thought.
"I'll ask one of the men to keep an eye on him for an entire day to see what activities he's indulging in. I already showed them the faces of a few people that I was suspicious about…He really stood out." Minjun said to himself while calling one of the men to tell him to follow Si-Hun wherever he sees him.
The man also reported Si-Hun to be leaving his apartment, as they were told to keep an eye on him.
"Did you see anything with him? Anything? A bag? A weapon…maybe?"
"Yes sir, he had a bag with him, but I'm not sure about the items in the bag."
"KEEP AN EYE ON HIM, UNDERSTAND?" Minjun said, his tone dead serious.
"Y-yes, sir!" The man replied, scared of making a mistake.
Minjun put the phone down and leaned back again in his chair.
"I've got my eye on you, Si-Hun…" Minjun whispered to himself.
[Si-Hun's POV]
He reached home, and it was time to go to Arthur's.
He drove to his shop and reached it in some time.
"Arthur…Ready to kill ghosts?" Si-Hun said, diverting Arthur's attention as he didn't notice Si-Hun coming in.