"Excuse me."
"Please come in."
While she was nervous, Cha Hae-In smiled when she was able to invite Kim Min-Jun to her place. Yes, she knew she might be a little too hasty with her invitation, yet she was also happy to do it, as she was lonely and it was her first time having someone stay at her place.
Many might ask, why didn't she make a friend?
If she could, she would, but unfortunately, her sensitive sense of smell made it impossible for her to make friends, as everyone practically smelled like rotten meat to her. It was cruel, but what could she do?
It was her biological function that forced her to be like this.
If she stayed with someone else, she could only close her nose with a handkerchief, and that wasn't even enough to stop the smell, which was a hell-like experience for her.
So, with such a situation, could she even make a friend?
No, and that was why her home was at the penthouse, on the top building, where she was away from everyone, and the only place where she could rest, as the rotting, putrid smell that had been haunting her stopped for a moment.
Yes, it wasn't perfect, as the air itself was surrounded by mana, but her body had already adapted to the slight smell, like how one with bad body odor wouldn't smell their own scent due to the phenomenon known as nose blindness.
Still, her nose was perfect, so even if she wanted to have a nose blindness, it was impossible, but this was also the reason why Min-jun's existence meant so much for her.
At the end of the day, Cha Hae-In was a human despite being known as the strongest female Hunter, and no matter how grand the title that she had, she was lonely, as she was unable to get closer to anyone due to her nose, but Min-jun's change everything, and this time, she was no longer alone, so by using Choi Jong-In's advice, she decided to invite Min-Jun on a dinner, despite how embrassed she was, yet she was glad that she took the courage to do so
"Thank you, Haein."
Their ways of calling each other might appear close, as they didn't even use the "-suffix," but they were the same age, after all, so it was normal for them to be like that, as if they were too fixed with "-suffix," it would be too stiff.
More importantly, they were from the same team. While Min-Jun could handle most dungeons alone, he knew that in an S-Rank Dungeon, others wouldn't allow him to be alone, or it might be possible later, but even so, it wouldn't hurt for him to get close to Cha Hae-In, since, despite her becoming Sung Jing-Woo's waifu, she was still his guild member.
Still, he would try to keep everything as a normal friendship, as more than that was a little troublesome for him.
"It's a nice place."
"Is it?"
"You don't know?"
Minjun couldn't help but look at Cha Hae-In strangely.
"It's been like this since I lived here."
"..."
"...so, this is the original setup."
"Yes."
"...you haven't tried to buy anything with your money?"
"Er... swords?"
Minjun was at a loss for a while, and almost rubbed his temple, but he was afraid that if he did so, he might make her worry, so he tried to maintain a calm expression all the time as if she did nothing wrong.
"Is... is it weird?"
"No, it's normal. You are a sword user, after all."
Hearing those words gave Cha Hae-In some relief.
"What about you? What did you do with your money?"
"What did I do with my money?" Minjun thought for a while. "Er.. investing?"
"...that's all?"
"Yes."
"...." 2x
The two looked at each other and then laughed.
"You aren't that much different from me."
"Yup."
The two of them weren't that different, since while Cha Hae-In thought of investing in her gear so she could be stronger and safer during the hunt in the dungeon, Kim Min-Jun wanted financial security, so he invested his money in various things, and with the help of the "Manager," all of his investments were perfect. Even if there was a problem, he didn't have to do anything, as the "Manager" would manage everything.
Still, at this moment, he was glad that he had become the Archer since, unlike Cha Hae-In or other close combat fighters, who might chip or destroy their weapons, as his weapon was practically his mana arrow, and if he didn't want to, he didn't really need to use his bow.
'Even if I use a bow, the string is also created by mana.'
The only problem was the frame of the bow itself, yet considering he didn't use it for defense, like a shield, or smash it, he knew that the longevity of his weapon was practically immortal.
Still, there was one huge problem—
"Hae-In."
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
Cha Hae-In's mood was at its best, and she would practically answer him any questions, but—
"Can you cook?"
"....."
Cha Hae-In's mood instantly fell to the bottom.
Still, while there was a problem with his words, the two had fun in the end.
"What do you think?" Cha Hae-In looked at Min-Jun proudly, as she could see he had practically devoured her food. He might have looked down on her before, thinking she was just a woman who only knew how to swing swords, yet now?
How was it?!
"It's delicious, can I have more?"
"Sure."
Minjun looked at Hae-In, who helped him take more food, wondering whether happiness was really this simple.
At this moment, just the two of them were having their warm, delicious dinner.
This might be mundane for many, especially those with families, but for the two of them, who were practically treated as monsters by society despite how worshipped the Hunters were, their lives were incredibly lonely.
He could also see that Cha Hae-In didn't live with her parents, unlike him, who had Sung Jinah and Sung Jin-Woo. She was all alone.
"You are going back?"
"It's a little late, after all. I can't stay with you all night, right?"
Cha Hae-In's face reddened. She wanted to refute him, saying that it was okay, as her penthouse was huge and had a lot of rooms, but she was afraid that she would be mistaken for a slut. Even so, she had to say that it was a little lonely, thinking about how her place would return to the previous quietness.
"...you are right, but..."
"But...?"
"You haven't tried my tiramisu!"
She quickly found an idea and quickly put what she had in her mind into practice. "It will be more delicious than before, so you should try it!"
"...." Min-Jun.
"...or, you don't want to?"
Minjun, who hesitated, replied hurriedly, "I'd love to. Please let me test your tiramisu!"
"Okay~!"
"Then, I will go home first. I look forward to your tiramisu, Hae-In."
"Um~!'
Minjun maintained his gentle smile and left Hae-In's penthouse without knowing that she was practically plopped on the ground just behind the door, holding her chest, trying to stop her rapidly beating heart, which was impossible to stop.
Still, Minjun felt complex, especially when he got a text on his smartphone.
Jinah: "Oppa, are you going home? I am making dinner for you."
"..."
Yes, the world was about to be destroyed, and there were many threats that he likely faced, yet why, among all the troubles that he faced, was this one the most difficult?
Still, he only shook his head, as he wouldn't focus on the relationship first; instead, he should focus on improving his strength, as he realized there were many things he had gained from that dungeon raid. Still, before that, it was the turn of Suzuki Zenin, the one from Jujutsu Kaisen, who was about to go back to his house, to take away the position of the head from his father.
---
Yup, tomorrow is the JJK!
While some might wish to see more Solo Leveling, please wait for a while.
But, based on my wish, after JJK, it will be Arifureta, then Naruto.
What about Naruto?
Hmm... I haven't thought about it since I haven't even finished the Arifureta, or even written the Naruto arc, but I will either write Solo Leveling, or have the new Suzuki.
This Suzuki, er... I mean, the 5th, probably, from a futuristic world; the 6th, probably, from a slice-of-life; and the 7th... let's see how it goes.
Still, look forward to it!