After the meeting with Argus Guild, Jun didn't return straight to the dungeon.
The sun hung low in the sky as he walked down the narrow street leading to his family's home—a small, two-story building nestled between rows of modest shops. A wooden sign above the entrance read "Lee Family Vegetable Shop", slightly tilted but clean.
The scent of fresh scallions and damp soil greeted him as the door swung open.
"Junie!" his mother called from behind a digital scale, her smile wide. "You're home? You ate outside again, didn't you?"
"Had business," Jun replied briefly, kicking off his shoes. "Just stopped by for a bit."
From the kitchen, quick footsteps followed—and a girl appeared with shoulder-length black hair, a worn hoodie, and earbuds hanging around her neck.
"Huh? Big bro? You're here this early? Don't tell me… you need money again?"
Lee Hana. His seventeen-year-old younger sister—sharp, cheerful, and annoyingly observant. Her eyes darted to the black case strapped to Jun's back.
"What's that? Doesn't look like your college bag."
"Work equipment," Jun said flatly.
"What kind of work? Looks like something out of an RPG," Hana squinted. "Don't tell me you're a stuntman in some indie action movie."
Their father chuckled from behind a stack of tomatoes. "Let your brother be. Boys need their secrets."
Jun gave a small smile and looked away. Warm. Noisy. Familiar. A world far removed from where he'd just come—cold meeting rooms, sharp-eyed Han Seo-jin, and threats laced in contracts.
"I'm just stopping by," Jun said, finally sitting on the floor. "I need to leave again tomorrow morning."
His mother handed him a warm cup of tea. "At least stay for dinner."
Hana plopped down beside him, pausing before she asked quietly, "You're still doing… that weird job, aren't you?"
Jun looked at her. Not annoyed. Just careful.
"It's not time for you to know yet," he said gently. "But I'm okay. That's enough, right?"
She didn't answer right away. But after a moment, she gave a small nod.
Outside, the sky darkened. The world beyond the window slowly disappeared, but in Jun's mind, the shadows of Goblin's Grove, Veilroot, and the creature lurking in the dark remained.
This peace… wouldn't last long.