Reading the death threat comment, I briefly thought. If I report this to the police… it won’t work. It might lead to my identification.

A week after the article was published, there was still no contact from Cheon Shinwoo, and Cheonrang hadn’t reacted to the dating rumors.

Whenever I almost forgot, someone would post an article or a news story would come up. Mostly, they were harsh criticisms of me. Harsh and juicy curses directed at a mere civilian who had snagged Cheon Shinwoo.

Feeling dizzy from unjustified anger, I wondered why I even bothered to look at these reactions.

Eventually, my team leader asked with a worried expression, “Do you want to take sick leave?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’ll make sure there are no mistakes in my work.”

“No, it’s more about… you’ve just experienced a gate incident, haven’t you? Even newly started hunters take a few days off for post-traumatic counseling after returning from a gate. I’m just wondering if you’re really okay. Do you want me to recommend a good counselor?”

At that moment, something welled up inside me. The well-intentioned concern, though misplaced, felt warm. My problem wasn’t post-gate syndrome, but still, I appreciated the thought.

“Thank you, but I’m really okay. I won’t make you worry.”

“Alright, but please let me know if it gets tough, okay?”

“Sure.”

The team leader left with a still uneasy look. I pretended to be fine and continued with my work.

‘It’s been several days without any unusual incidents, so it should be okay.’

Perhaps I was just being overly sensitive.

I took a deep breath, calming down.

Then another thought struck me.

It was strange. Normally, even most hunters suffer severely from post-gate syndrome, but why don’t I feel anything like that?

Buzz.

My phone rang, distracting me from my thoughts. Looking at the screen, I saw a message from someone who kept worrying about me and contacting me despite my lack of response.

[ㅂㅇㅎ: I heard from Min-Young noona. You got caught in a gate incident recently. Are you okay?]

Relentless, this guy.

‘Hmm.’

I pondered for a moment. If I asked to meet, he would likely make time for me. Given my limited social circle, there aren’t many people I can meet.

Should I call him to vent a bit?

‘Nah, I have my pride. Baek Yi-Hyun is not an option.’

Just as I was about to dismiss the idea.

[ㅂㅇㅎ: If you’re okay, do you want to meet today? I’ll treat you to dinner.] [Me: Okay. Treat me to chicken and beer.] [ㅂㅇㅎ: ?] [ㅂㅇㅎ: Who are you?]

After responding, he asked who I was.

“This guy…”

I almost got angry at his reaction after finally replying, but then remembered my own karma and couldn’t find the words to say anything. I just quietly typed my response.
[Me: I devoured Park Ha-young. If you want her back, bring half-and-half boneless chicken and 900cc beer at ㄲㄲㅊㅋ.] [Baek Yi-Hyun: Haha, you scared me. Got it. Just wait at the usual spot, right?] [Me: Yep. I’ll be there around 7:30 after work.] [Baek Yi-Hyun: I’ll wait.]

He’s a returnee just like me, yet I don’t understand why he’s the only one who speaks so formally. Am I just cheap?

Still, it felt good to have made plans to meet someone, even though he was an uncomfortable presence for me. Since I wasn’t paying, I decided to ask for something expensive.

During the bustling rush hour, I arrived at the noisy meeting place. From afar, I spotted a lone figure with white hair.

Of decent height with a well-built physique, he had strikingly white hair and blue eyes resembling the sky. This exotic appearance was characteristic of Baek Yi-Hyun.

It’s fascinating. They say appearances change to some extent after awakening, but such an unreal transformation is rare.

Baek Yi-Hyun was an enigmatic boy with white hair and light eyes since his return. His mixed Eastern and Western features had gained him a lot of attention for their cuteness.

He seemed to be waiting for me while looking at his phone. Other than his attire, he hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw him, which somehow irritated me.

Time to tease him.

I blended into the crowd, erasing my presence and quietly approached him, about to yell “Boo!” when…

“Long time no see, Ha-young. How have you been?”

As if it was the most natural thing, Baek Yi-Hyun turned to face me.

“…Boring.”

“Haha, I thought I’d pretend to be fooled just this once, but it’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Baek Yi-Hyun, with his angelic appearance, said with a warm smile.

I knew he wouldn’t be fooled. After all, he is a high-ranking awakened with sharp senses.

But it was still disappointing. Of course, I would have been even more upset if he had pretended to be scared.

“Next time, I’ll react properly. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Almost a year?”

“It’s been four months.”

“No, it’s half a year. You haven’t changed at all.”

“You know that already. You haven’t changed either.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Baek Yi-Hyun laughed, then slowly started walking. There was no awkwardness in meeting after a long time; he just seemed happy.

“How have you been lately?”

“Me? Same as always. The newest thing is that I entered an A-grade gate for the first time recently.”

“Wow… that’s impressive.”

“And you?”

“Just the usual, getting by.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I had experienced an S-grade gate he hadn’t ventured into yet, so I vaguely brushed it off. His expression remained a kind smile.

“I heard you joined Cheonrang. Congratulations.”

“You’re late to the news. I joined a while ago.”

“You hardly ever respond to my messages.”

“…….”