Chapter 37: Let me leave
They agreed on a time when the call ended because Yoon Seoyul had to leave for the gate. That night, Cheon Areum couldn’t sleep well. The feverish sensation gnawed at his skin, making it almost impossible to rest. He got up multiple times to drink cold water, only to fall asleep for another ten minutes. This continued the whole night, until he finally gave up and stayed in bed reading on his phone. In the end, he became too lazy to get more water—which resulted in him waking up with a headache.
"....."
Cheon Areum glared at the hot cup of coffee sitting on the table. He wanted to break it. Just thinking about drinking anything hot made him want to jump off the building. His nape was already on fire under the patch that he’d had to change again before coming to the office. As soon as Joon saw him, he ordered a hot coffee for him—knowing full well that he was in heat.
"Can I just slide this off the table?"
"No."
The reply came almost simultaneously. Yoon Seoyul’s eyes never left the report in his hand—the one Cheon Areum had written. Every hunter had to write their own report after clearing a dungeon, to confirm that nothing out of the ordinary had happened inside the gate. It was also a way for the government to spy on hunters under the facade of keeping them safe. Since Cheon Areum was a registered hunter of a higher rank, he also had to write a report of his own. No one gave a shit about low-rankers. They could be playing murder mystery in the dungeon and no one would question it. No one would even know, since the only report the government received would be from the high-ranked leader—glorifying the mission as miraculous and award-worthy.
"Do you want something else to drink?"
"No, don’t get me anything."
Cheon Areum waved his only available hand in front of him. He wasn’t planning to stay long anyway.
Yoon Seoyul, having reread the report, finally decided to set it down. Last night, as soon as he entered the gate, he had been healed—since he was needed the most. There wasn’t even a single scratch on his squeaky clean-cut face now.
"Tell Shin Jia to come up to the office."