The next morning, Jinwoo woke slowly, his senses returning one by one.
A comfortable, grounding warmth lingered at his side. He turned his head on the pillow and saw Jinah sleeping peacefully beside him. Her face was completely relaxed, her lips slightly parted as she breathed in an even, quiet rhythm. Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting her delicate features in soft strokes of gold.
She looked… happy.
Jinwoo smiled faintly. Since it was his Sunday off, he decided not to wake her. She hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and the serene expression on her face was something he wanted to protect for just a little longer.
Carefully, he slipped out from beneath the covers, moving as quietly as a shadow. Jinah stirred slightly at the loss of warmth, but quickly settled back into a deep sleep.
Jinwoo headed to the kitchen. He prepared breakfast with unhurried, practiced hands—steaming rice, perfectly rolled eggs, a rich soup, and a small plate of sliced fruit. It was simple, but warm. Familiar.
Once everything was ready, he carried a fresh cup of coffee to the living room sofa and turned on the TV, keeping the volume low. The morning news filled the room with a quiet murmur—reports about minor dungeon activity in the suburbs, followed by standard weather updates.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated against the glass coffee table.
Jinwoo glanced at the glowing screen.
[ Caller ID: Yoo Jinho ]
He picked it up and answered. "Yeah."
"Hyung!" Jinho's voice came through immediately, sounding bright but laced with a heavy undercurrent of nervous energy. "Are you free today? I… I was hoping we could meet."
Jinwoo leaned back against the sofa, taking a slow sip of his coffee. "Why?" he asked calmly.
There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a relieved, somewhat awkward laugh. "Actually, I need your help with something."
"Okay. Tell me what you need help with," Jinwoo replied.
"…Then," Jinho said carefully, choosing his words, "can I come to you? Or—"
"Send me the location," Jinwoo interrupted smoothly. "I'll come to you."
"Thank you, Hyung!"
The call ended. Jinwoo lowered the phone just as he heard a soft rustling behind him. He turned.
Jinah stood at the bedroom doorway, wearing one of his oversized shirts, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
"Oppa…?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep. "Good morning."
"Morning," Jinwoo said softly, his cold, calculating hunter persona instantly melting away.
He walked over to her, gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He smiled. "Breakfast is ready. Eat while it's still warm."
She blinked, the sleep clearing from her eyes, and a brilliant smile spread across her face. "You made it again?"
"Yes," he replied lightly, his thumb brushing her cheek. "I'm heading out for work for a bit. I'll be back later this afternoon."
Jinah nodded, leaning into his touch for a brief second. "Okay. Be careful out there."
"I will."
He picked up his new jacket, gave her one last, lingering glance, and stepped outside. The door closed softly behind him.
As Jinwoo walked down the stairs of the apartment complex, his expression shifted. The tender warmth vanished, replaced by the sharp, unreadable mask of a predator.
The Deal
Jinwoo arrived at the café Yoo Jinho had sent the location for.
It was an upscale, heavily partitioned VIP lounge in the business district. Quiet. Private. The exact kind of place where no one listened too closely to the conversations at the next table.
Jinho was already there, pacing slightly. The moment Jinwoo entered, the young man stood up sharply and bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle. "Hyung-nim."
Jinwoo gestured casually toward the empty chair. "Sit."
Jinho obeyed immediately.
For a long moment, neither spoke. Jinho looked incredibly nervous—his hands were clasped tightly on the tabletop, and his eyes kept flicking up and down as if he were frantically rehearsing his words in his head.
Finally, he took a deep, steadying breath.
"Hyung," Jinho began, his voice tense but steady, "I want to raid dungeons with you."
Jinwoo didn't react. He simply watched the young man over the rim of his water glass.
"I need you to raid nineteen more C-Rank dungeons with me," Jinho continued, his words spilling out faster now. "All under my name."
Jinwoo lifted a single eyebrow. "Nineteen?"
Jinho nodded emphatically. "Yes. I need dungeon-clear records. Flawless ones. My father is planning to establish a guild under Yoojin Construction, and I need the qualifications of a Guild Master to take control of it."
Jinwoo leaned back in his chair, resting his arms on the armrests. "And what do I get out of this?"
Jinho swallowed hard and slid a sleek, leather-bound folder across the table. "This."
Jinwoo opened it. His eyes moved calmly across the legal jargon and the staggering numbers printed on the pages.
Then—he paused.
"…Five billion won?" Jinwoo asked, his voice perfectly level.
"Yes," Jinho said quickly. "Minimum. Paid in full regardless of the dungeon results or what materials drop. Plus, you get to keep all the magic crystals and monster cores we find."
Jinwoo looked up from the contract, his dark eyes locking onto Jinho's. "Are you sure about this?" he asked flatly.
Jinho shook his head, a determined fire sparking in his eyes. "Yes, I am sure."
Silence stretched across the table.
Then, Jinho bowed deeply again, right there in his seat. "I know what I saw in that dungeon," he said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "And I know I'll never be anything like that. But if I stay near you… I know I can survive."
Jinwoo closed the folder with a soft snap.
"I'll accept," he said.
Jinho's eyes widened, a massive wave of relief washing over his face—
"But," Jinwoo added, his voice dropping to a firm, commanding register, "I have conditions."
Jinho straightened his posture immediately. "Anything."
"Only the two of us enter the dungeon," Jinwoo stated. "No extra hunters. Just you and me."
Jinho froze, the color draining slightly from his face. "…Only us? But the Association requires a minimum party size—"
"We'll hire a strike squad to stand outside and fill the headcount. But inside the gate, it's just us," Jinwoo said calmly. He leaned forward slightly. "You trust me. Or you don't."
Jinho hesitated.
Nineteen C-Rank dungeons. Only two people. If something went wrong, if a boss mutated, if they were overwhelmed...
But then, he thought of the bug dungeon. He remembered the blinding speed, the shattering stone, the absolute, effortless slaughter of Hwang Dongsuk's crew. He remembered the S-Rank monster that now stood before him wearing human skin.
He nodded fiercely. "Okay. I trust you," Jinho said firmly.
Jinwoo continued. "I take the lead. You don't interfere in combat. You follow my instructions exactly."
"Yes."
"And if you break the contract—" Jinwoo's eyes sharpened, a faint trace of blue light flickering in his irises. "—You won't get a second warning."
Jinho nodded without a fraction of hesitation. "Understood."
Jinwoo slid the contract back across the table. "Then we have a deal."
Jinho picked up his designer pen with slightly shaking fingers and signed the bottom line. Jinwoo took the pen next, his signature clean and sharp.
The moment the ink dried, Jinho exhaled as if he'd been holding his breath for ten years. "…Thank you, Hyung."
Jinwoo stood up, picking up his copy of the contract. "This benefits both of us," he said coldly. "Don't mistake it for kindness."
Jinho smiled faintly, undeterred. "I won't."
The Return
After leaving the café, Jinwoo walked through the bustling city streets. The afternoon sun was warm, the air crisp.
On the way home, he stopped by a local convenience store. He ignored the aisles he used to carefully budget around and filled a basket with bags of Jinah's favorite snacks—sweet red bean buns, premium chocolate sticks, and the expensive imported juice she always looked at but never bought for herself.
When he finally reached his apartment complex, the familiar, slightly weathered door greeted him.
As he stepped inside, hearing the faint sound of the TV and Jinah moving around in the living room, he felt it again. That profound, grounding weight in his chest.
His strength wasn't just a tool for killing monsters anymore. It wasn't just a desperate bid for survival.
It was a shield. It was the absolute power required to protect his loved one.
Five billion won. Nineteen dungeons.
A dangerous smile touched his lips as he set the groceries down on the counter. Soon—very soon—he would become so unimaginably strong that nothing in this world, human or monster, could ever threaten his peace again.