That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 53.2
“What kind of trash did you think I was?”
“Huh? No, I did not think you were trash… It is just, I did not think you would act like that, but you did…”
Da-sol sank deep into the sofa. He replied quietly.
“My personality is kind of dirty to begin with. Or maybe I should say I am just quiet. Anyway, the world is what made my personality this way.”
“…It is not the world. It is the people in it.”
“Same difference. This world where gates keep popping up is shitty, and men are shitty too…”
Da-sol crossed his arms and continued in a more relaxed posture and tone.
“But I know too. This world is not only terrible, and it is not filled only with terrible people. There are capable people who trust others, who risk their lives for hope, who try to protect anyone no matter who they are. People who live with pride in things like love, justice, courage, and a sense of duty.”
He must be talking about the members of Team 1 from the Suryeon Guild. Jae-gyeong felt an odd sense of awe along with alienation. He could clearly feel how much time they had spent fighting together and building their bond.
“Even looking at Hunter Jeong Jae-gyeong.”
“Me…? Y-you mean me…?”
Jae-gyeong, who had been feeling lonely while thinking about Team 1, suddenly looked foolish.
“If I were you and there had been a guy acting like I did in the beginning, I would have fought like hell and then quit. When that ugly potato and his potato friend picked a fight, I would have kicked them right away. If Ri-na, who is much younger than me and meeting me for the first time, spoke in that half polite half casual tone and acted cheeky, I would have cursed her out immediately.”
Da-sol’s face and voice did not change. He spoke calmly, as if he had been thinking this way for a long time.
“No matter if people misunderstand you, pick fights with you, or ignore you, Hunter Jeong Jae-gyeong just does things your own way. And sometimes people like that pop up and surprise me. People who live lives I could never manage to live. Because those people definitely exist, it makes things a little more bearable for me. That is how it is for me. Living.”
Da-sol straightened his posture. Then he let out a disbelieving breath of laughter. He had noticed tears pooling in Jae-gyeong’s eyes while listening.
“You are crying again? Seriously, what is with your eyes, like a faucet…”
“Sniff… I just… I was born with tear ducts that are…”
“Ah, seriously. Fine. Cry or do not cry, do whatever you want.”
Still, Da-sol tossed a few tissues that came with the drinks toward Jae-gyeong. Jae-gyeong caught them, wiped his tears, and blew his nose. Da-sol watched him with the ease of someone who was already used to this.
Just then, the manager came out carrying a neatly wrapped box and a shopping bag.
“I will have you check the rings one more time.”
Even after seeing Jae-gyeong’s red eyes and nose, the manager did not look flustered. She was truly a professional. After briefly explaining the warranty and care instructions, she showed the rings one last time.
“Would you like to wear them now, or shall I put them in the shopping bag?”
“We will just wear them. That is fine, right?”
Da-sol asked the last part while looking at Jae-gyeong. Jae-gyeong nodded.
The manager held out the ring box with a smile. She seemed to be imagining a romantic moment where the two would put rings on each other, especially judging by the jealous look from the male staff member standing behind her earlier. But the two of them dryly picked up their own rings and put them on themselves.
“It is simple and light. I like it…”
Jae-gyeong forced himself to offer praise to the manager. It was a comment bravely thrown out as a gesture of thanks. The manager smiled calmly and replied, “Thank you, Customer Jeong Jae-gyeong.”
With that, their item shopping for “heal priority” ended. It had only been an hour. Yet the time they spent at the department store left them as drained as if they had used up an entire day.
Wearing matching rings, Da-sol and Jae-gyeong returned to the same apartment building.
“Let us do a mock training session tomorrow. We should test the items.”
“Yes…”
Inside the same elevator, they pressed the buttons for the 8th and 12th floors. While the elevator went up, neither of them spoke. Then, when the doors opened at the 8th floor, Da-sol suddenly said,
“I will ring your doorbell around 10 in the morning tomorrow. Come out then.”
“Ah… okay…!”
Jae-gyeong answered hurriedly as he stepped out of the elevator. Da-sol immediately pressed the close button, and the elevator went up.
“…”
Left alone in the hallway, Jae-gyeong stood there blankly until the automatic sensor lights turned off. He did not know why. His heart just felt like it was going to burst.
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