That Face Is the Problem - vanish into fiction

Could he be angry? But even if Hee-ro got angry, it couldn’t be helped. It was a fact that he had caused great damage to the team, so Jae-gyeong naturally had to endure whatever insults came his way.

“Haa… Mr. Jae-gyeong.”

Hee-ro finally opened his mouth. Resting his arm on the sofa’s armrest, he propped his chin on his hand and looked askance at Jae-gyeong. Jae-gyeong sat up with his back even straighter.

“Whether firing at the boss first was a mistake or whatever, either way, you are the tanker, Mr. Jae-gyeong. Before entering a dungeon, we gather together, hold meetings, and map out all sorts of plans, but once we step inside, most of it is a battle of instinct and intuition. You know that too, right?”

“Yes…”

“If you had known what was ahead of the boss at that time, what would you have done?”

“I would have stated that it seemed to be a boss monster… and then soared into the sky to draw its line of sight before firing… or fired from nearby…”

“Right? In other words, that means it’s no different from you firing at the Murder Tiger’s hindquarters during this dungeon raid, isn’t it?”

“It is different…! At least if the team members had been aware of the fact that a boss monster was right in front of them, the preparation time—”

“Just how much would that preparation time have been? What if the Murder Tiger had recognized us and attacked first? Even if we did prepare, would I have sent out someone other than you as the first batter, Mr. Jae-gyeong?”

“…”

Hee-ro puffed his cheeks out alternately, inflating them side to side, before letting out a long sigh. He straightened his posture.

“Inside a dungeon, any variable can occur, and that can either save or kill a hunter. But we made it out alive, and either way, you achieved a great feat, Mr. Jae-gyeong. Even so, would it be right for me to accept this resignation letter for the reasons you mentioned?”

“…”

“Well, if you truly desire it from the bottom of your heart, I would have to let you go… but if guilt like what you just mentioned is the cause, I’d like you to think it over once more.”

In the end, having faced a flat refusal, Jae-gyeong trudged out of the Guild Master’s office. His eloquence was far too lacking to counter Hee-ro, and it was also because Hee-ro’s words weren’t wrong.

However, Jae-gyeong had not spoken of the most crucial piece of information. That he hadn’t fired the arm-cannon out of a simple mistake, but because he was distracted by Da-sol and had fired it as a way to vent his anger.

‘What do I do…’

Jae-gyeong headed home listlessly. It didn’t seem like his resignation would be accepted based solely on the reasons he had explained just now, and most importantly… Jae-gyeong himself didn’t particularly want to leave this guild either.

He was now feeling a clear attraction toward Da-sol. To the point where his mind was so occupied by Da-sol that he made a mistake during a raid. Now that he had grown to like someone that much, there was no way he would want to leave his side.

Even so, the reason he had submitted his resignation letter was because, for now, his head could still override his heart.

‘Because of your weakness, Mr. Da-sol was hospitalized. In the end, you took all the credit for the achievement, but in reality, it was just a string of pathetic actions. You know what you did. Are you going to just wipe your mouth clean and stay like this? Are you just going to sit back and watch people praise your petty jealousy as an achievement? You cowardly bastard.’

His head severely rebuked him. This wasn’t all.

‘And didn’t you say you wouldn’t do something like love anymore? Didn’t you say you’d fold your unrequited love too? But you fall in love again? On top of that, the younger brother of your former crush? Mr. Da-sol also knows that you liked his older sister, so imagine telling him that you like him now. Think about how absolutely horrified Mr. Da-sol will be. Do you want to lose both of your balls? Don’t you know Mr. Da-sol’s personality?’

His head spoke nothing but the absolute truth from beginning to end.

He liked Da-sol. He wanted to be by Da-sol’s side. He felt jealous when another man stuck close to Da-sol. He wanted to protect Da-sol. The truth inside his heart was entirely too weak and shabby to flex its strength.

That was why he had gathered the courage to bring his resignation letter to Hee-ro, but even this had been rejected.

Jae-gyeong was terrified. As time continuously passed and these feelings grew even larger, what if he didn’t listen to what his head was saying and ignored it instead? What if he became entirely distracted by Mr. Da-sol and made an even bigger mistake during the next raid—a fatal, irreversible mistake? What if I… lose the ability to control myself?

An unrequited love was exactly that sort of thing. Losing control over oneself. Finding joy inside suffering. Gradually idolizing the other person while lowering and lowering oneself.

Jae-gyeong wanted to break the shackles before this unrequited love grew any worse. Before he fell for Da-sol to a point where he could no longer deny it…

However, the moment Jae-gyeong stepped inside the apartment complex, he froze completely. It was because he had spotted Da-sol walking with a face that looked a bit more gaunt than before.