Chapter 684: Time for Just the Two of Us (1)

Inside the dungeon, I put back on the clothes I’d carelessly thrown off, and returned to the shop with Areum.

For over 12 hours, she had spent time with me inside Belle’s dungeon, and until the very end, she had been half-believing that a day inside the dungeon was only an hour outside.

Only after truly coming out of the dungeon did she confirm that less than an hour had passed, and wear a surprised expression.

“Really? Has less than an hour passed…?”

“Yeah. I told you, so it doesn’t matter how long you stay.”

“Even if you, Oppa, say so, before seeing it myself, it’s hard to believe, isn’t it….”

Well, that’s true. Even I could only believe that the flow of time was different after using Belle’s dungeon myself several times.

Inside Belle’s dungeon, after making love to her heart’s content and sleeping soundly once to relieve her fatigue, it must have been a fresh experience for Areum, who was experiencing this for the first time.

Anyway, thanks to that, in less than an hour, we, me and Areum, had completely resolved both her desire and fatigue.

This time, finally, I handed over the Orichalcum raw ore and the broken Mithril greatsword I had shown her earlier to her and formally commissioned the repair.

“The Orichalcum raw ore and the Mithril greatsword. Please take good care of them, Areum.”

“Yeah, yeah! Leave it to me!”

“So. The repair cost, how much do you think it will be?”

“…Ah, the, the repair cost? You’re right…. I should charge you too, Oppa. I should be charging you for the repair cost, shouldn’t I.”

“Of course. What are you asking? As if I would ask you, Areum, to do it for free.”

No matter what, I wasn’t someone who would go that far to be so shameless.

Even though Areum and I were in a relationship to resolve sexual desires, entrusting my weapons to her care was, after all, a completely different matter.

For professional skills, I believed it was necessary to pay the appropriate price. That was my thought.

…However, the current Areum seemed to think a little differently than I did.

“Th-th-this time, it’s fine. I won’t charge you for this job.”

“…Huh?”

“I, I’ve never touched Orichalcum raw ore myself before, and honestly, just getting to handle something like this is a great opportunity in itself, isn’t it?”

“Still, you have to take the money. This is your rightful compensation, Areum.”

“P-please don’t. Just keep it. You, Oppa, you’re an S-class Hunter now, right? Think of it as a promotion gift from me.”

…Since Areum even brought up the promotion gift, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse this time.

If I refused her offer here, it would be the same as rejecting Areum’s kindness.

The fact that she could handle Orichalcum material herself at least helped her somewhat, which eased my conscience a little.

“Alright. Since you put it that way, I won’t refuse, Areum.”

“Th-thank you, Oppa. I’ll fix it properly and return it as a weapon befitting you, Oppa.”

“And later, if you think you need to receive payment, definitely tell me. I don’t intend to cheat you, Areum, so don’t worry.”

“Th-then….”

“Yeah.”

“N-next time when you come to pick up the sword, Oppa, c-can we roll around like this, with you, Oppa…?”

“I, I don’t think I can anymore without you, Oppa…. Of, of course, you’re busier than me, Oppa, so if you can’t, I understand….”

I never thought she would make sex a condition and agree to take my commission.

Truly, even until the very last moment, Areum’s incredibly lovely appearance made my lips curve into a smile for no reason.

Just something like this, said seriously as if it held great value, the way Areum spoke felt incredibly cute.

Thump.

“Wh-what?”

I gently took Areum’s chin, who had made such a cute request until the end, and lifted it upwards.

Leaning towards her, I slowly brought my face closer and shared a slow, deep kiss.

Slurp, slurp.

“Ngh?! Nn….”

Slurrrp, slurp.

“Hngh, nngh…. Nn, hyaah….”

Our lips parted vertically and horizontally, swallowing each other’s mouths. Inside those mouths, our tongues tangled, exchanging fluids passionately in a final kiss.

It started with me leaning in, but it seemed Areum felt the same reluctance to end it as the end approached.

She immediately tangled her tongue with mine, and within our lips, we confirmed our lustful feelings until the very end.

Sluuurp….

“Hup, haaah….”

After finishing the kiss, with a flushed face, Areum quietly met my gaze.

Anyone could see she looked at me with eyes like a girl in love, and that sight was making me fall in love with her too.

Gazing quietly into Areum’s eyes, I flashed a gentle smile.

“Areum.”

“Uh, yeah….”

“Things like that, don’t need to be asked for separately from the start. They’re already decided.”

“…R-really….”

“Yeah. So, you can look forward to it. If you want, Areum, I’ll have sex with you anytime.”

“Ah, okay, Oppa…. Heh, hehe….”

…Seriously, you’re cute right up to the end.

---

After finishing various things at Areum’s workshop, and after commissioning the repair of the Mithril greatsword, which was the main purpose,

As soon as I left her workshop, the first thing I did was to send a message to Hye-eun via KakaoTalk.

Since her morning expedition might not be over yet, Hye-eun might still be inside a dungeon, making it difficult for her to answer the phone, but a KakaoTalk message, once sent, she would check it anytime.

「I finished my morning tasks. I should arrive at the company in about 30 minutes. Please reply when you see this.」

By the time I left Areum’s workshop after dealing with various things, the time was just past noon, so if her morning expedition ended early, Hye-eun would likely be out of the dungeon and resting already.

「I finished my morning expedition too!」

Fortunately, my hunch seemed correct, as soon as I sent the KakaoTalk message, a reply came back from Hye-eun.

Since I wanted to talk while hearing her voice, I called Hye-eun.

Ring… Click.

「Taekyung!」

“Yeah, Hye-eun. Your morning expedition is over?”

「Yeah, yeah!」

“I’ll arrive at the company in about 30 minutes too, so have you eaten lunch yet?”

「No, not yet. I was hoping you’d come early so we could eat together.」

“That’s fortunate. I haven’t had lunch yet either.”

Hearing Hye-eun say she had been waiting for me gave me a strange thrill, and I told her I hadn’t eaten yet either.

From the other end of the line, immediately, my girlfriend’s voice, tinged with a subtle joy, returned.

「S-so, today, after a long time, shall we have lunch together?」

“We should. It’s been a while.”

「Okay~! Then come slowly. I’ll be waiting in the Sky Blue Shield’s waiting room!」

“Okay, okay.”

Click.

Feeling Hye-eun’s excited voice through the receiver, I also felt my mood lift.

Well, actually, having meals together and running dungeons together is something we do often normally, so it’s not like it’s something extraordinary to be this happy about.

Although I’ve been busy lately with the process of being promoted to an S-class Hunter, even so, I’ve consistently attended the Sky Blue Shield’s ‘regular schedule’.

Naturally, going into dungeons together and having meals together were not rare occurrences.

…Of course, if you ask whether those times were spent alone with Hye-eun, I really have no excuse to offer.

‘Thinking back, it’s certain I’ve made Hye-eun too lonely during this time.’

Especially recently, there have been many sudden relationships with unexpected people.

Areum, Lulusia, or Cheon Jihee suggesting they wanted to meet without Hye-eun was one of those unexpected situations.

Furthermore, becoming involved in that kind of physical relationship with President Seo Ok-hee was something I couldn’t even imagine back then.

In that process, the frequency of meeting Hye-eun, whom I used to see relatively often, had decreased, and there’s no excuse for that.

As a result, I had made Hye-eun lonely for a while.

Today, and tomorrow.

Since this is a rare opportunity, I should do my best to show her the love I haven’t been able to give her enough lately.

While thinking that, I quietly planned in my head what dungeons we would run together today for a dungeon date, and how we would spend tomorrow.

As I was thinking, my steps had already reached the company building.

“Ah, hello, Taekyung-ssi.”

“Yes, hello~.”

“Taekyung-ssi, are you working in the recovery room today?”

“I don’t think I can today because I’m busy. I’ll go in next time I work.”

“Understood! Have a great day today too!”

“Yes~.”

Now, every time I come to work, these conversations with the company staff have become quite familiar.

As the only male Awakened Hunter, my face was already well-known, and on top of that, I had recently been promoted to S-class Hunter.

In reality, within the company now, my face was almost as famous as the CEO’s.

Besides, in a Hunter Guild that was overwhelmingly female-dominated, as a male Hunter, I was bound to receive this much attention.

“Taekyung-ssi, aren’t you working in the recovery room today…?”

“Yes. I’m a bit busy today with various things, so…”

“I-is that so…. That’s a little disappointing….”

“I can’t properly treat you because I’m busy, but… Could you lend me your hand for a moment?”

“Y-yes?!”

I took the hand of a Hunter I’d seen in the recovery room a few times and channeled holy power into it.

What appeared to be a recent tear on the back of her hand healed instantly.

“I’m sorry I could only do this much because I’m busy. If you come next time I’m working in the recovery room, I’ll treat any other injuries then.”

“Ah, th-the treatment fee….”

“It’s fine. It’s just a small thing like this. We’re colleagues, after all.”

Although performing treatments during recovery room duty counts towards performance bonuses from the company, the reason I started working in the recovery room in the first place wasn’t for money or performance.

Improving my understanding of healing spells and seeing the happy faces of the Hunters I treated was enough for me.

With those thoughts, I smiled at the Hunter who looked at me with a strange gaze, and after parting ways, the elevator carrying me went straight up to the 15th floor of the company building.

To the new conference room of the Sky Blue Shield, where Hye-eun would be waiting.