"How's the knitting coming along? Are you tired from doing it?"
"I'm not tired at all. And the knitwear is already done."
"Huh?"
"Look at that bag."
Kwon Jihan blinked in surprise, glanced at the crossbody bag lying on one side of the sofa, and then looked back at Yoon Seo. His eyes seemed to ask for an explanation, but Yoon Seo said nothing and simply petted Riceball. Kwon Jihan walked over to the sofa and opened the crossbody bag.
Inside was an ivory knit, folded haphazardly. Kwon Jihan widened his eyes and asked,
"Does this mean it's for me?"
"Yes."
"Isn't it a bit carelessly placed? And why didn't you say anything? If I hadn't asked, when were you planning to give it to me? You didn't carry it around for days, did you?"
"You're asking too many questions. If you don't want it, just leave it. I can give it to Jaehee or Soobin instead."
"Thanks. I'll wear it well."
Kwon Jihan immediately threw off his short-sleeved shirt. Yoon Seo glanced at him sideways. His S-grade visual acuity quickly took in Kwon Jihan's impressive biceps, pectorals, and external obliques. It hadn't seemed bulky when he was wearing clothes, but now that he was shirtless, his chest was strikingly muscular.
"It must be too hot to wear right now."
"What do you think my S-grade temperature control is for?"
Without hesitation, Kwon Jihan put on the long-sleeved knit.
Having researched Kwon Jihan over the past few days, Yoon Seo knew he usually wore black shirts, leather jackets, and ripped jeans, giving him a rough style. He had chosen this ivory color deliberately to see how it would look, and indeed, it brought out a new charm.
'I knew it would suit him well.'
Yoon Seo was pleased and barely managed to keep a smile from spreading. Kwon Jihan plopped down in front of Yoon Seo. It seemed like he was also quite satisfied with the outfit.
"Our hyung, always giving generously with cookies and knits. What can I do for you? Is there anything you want?"
Yoon Seo had baked chocolate crack cookies the previous day and shared them with the four of them. Only Kwon Jihan had eaten all his cookies. Yoo Juncheol, Do Deungsoo, and Grace Elysia carefully stored their cookies in an A-grade container and placed them in their inventory. Even so, Kwon Jihan couldn't resist taking one cookie at a time and was so moved that he praised Seo Chaeyoon, wondering if there was anything he couldn't do.
"Think of it as a meal thank-you."
"Thanks. But it's amazing how it fits perfectly. When did you measure my size?"
"Just by eye."
"That's unbelievable. How can you get it so right just by looking? Did you sneak in while I was sleeping to measure me?"
"I've knitted 100 pieces so far, including this one. I could measure body sizes even while falling off a cliff."
"100 pieces…."
Kwon Jihan, who had been smiling, now frowned.
"So, I only got one out of those 100. I'm a bit disappointed."
"What?"
"From now on, knit 100 more just for me."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Don't be shy. Next time, make it in dark gray. It can be thicker or not, whatever you prefer."
Yoon Seo exhaled with a sense of disbelief.
'Yeah, it's probably surprising. It's surprising for us too.'
'I wonder if Kwon Jihan will back down here.'
'We'll see. My heart's racing.'
The two were conversing in the reception room, where Yoo Juncheol, Do Deungsoo, and Grace Elysia were also present. Whenever Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo started talking, the three of them would gather and sip tea, enjoying the conversation with great interest. They couldn't understand why watching these two talk was so entertaining and thrilling, but they hoped the conversation would continue forever, even more interesting than any drama.
"Why are you leaving money here? Just buy it and wear it."
"I'm disappointed because it's the 100th piece."
"Take it off immediately. I'll give it to someone who won't be disappointed."
"There's no one who can pull off this knit better than I can. Stop being shy and knit another one. If you're short on yarn, I'll buy it for you."
"I've already finished all the knitting and discarded the needles and remaining yarn. I'm not knitting anymore."
The three who were watching with great interest widened their eyes. Kwon Jihan seemed the same way.
"Why? It's a hobby you enjoy."
"I didn't actually enjoy it that much."
"Should I believe you when you say you didn't enjoy it after knitting 100 pieces, or should I not?"
"When you do a hobby that much, you get bored of it. Haven't you ever felt that way as a hunter, Kwon Jihan? A hobby you got tired of because you did it too much."
Kwon Jihan rubbed his chin, his gray eyes narrowing. He stared at Yoon Seo's white, pretty face as if trying to read something, and finally smiled.
"You're trying to change the subject by asking questions you're not even curious about. Fine. I'll let it go."
"..."
Yoon Seo showed no reaction, but he was disappointed inside.
Last time, it was true that he asked questions to change the subject even though he wasn't curious, but this time, he was genuinely curious…
"It's such a waste. You're so good at knitting, but you're stopping. It's not because I want more gifts, but because it's a shame that someone so skilled won't knit anymore."
Kwon Jihan touched the sleeve of the knit. It was handmade, more delicate than machine-knitted, with no loose threads. Yoon Seo turned his head sharply and petted Riceball for no particular reason.
"Even though it has temperature control, it's still warm to look at, so you should take it off now."
"I'm going to keep wearing it."
"… The break was too long. Let's start again."
Yoon Seo felt his face warming up again. Preferring to think of the terrible events of the Great Dungeon rather than dwelling on his discomfort, he forced a neutral expression and continued.
Kwon Jihan smirked, and the others, who had been watching with great interest, quickly prepared to listen seriously.
***
It was time to explain the middle of the labyrinth region.
Yoon Seo had to speak about Lee Domin's death.
He vividly remembered the despair, sadness, grief, anger, sense of loss, and emptiness that had swept over him at the time. Even now, it was so clear that every hair on his body seemed to stand on end.
He omitted all the emotions and simply told the four,
"During the mid-point of the cave raid, Hunter Lee Domin died."
It was a very brief explanation, leaving out the many stories behind it.
Yoo Juncheol was startled.
"Does this mean time has flowed again?"
"I thought so too, but fortunately, Hunter Lee Kangjin copied the
"
"By the way, Lee Domin also had a skill called
"How many people had Gaia skills in the Great Dungeon?"
Kwon Jihan asked.
"There were five. I had
"What about
"It was a powerful telepathy skill. It could transmit thoughts and communicate over long distances, and also had mind control capabilities."
"Like your
"
"Just as I ended up with
"That could be possible…"
Yoon Seo felt an unsettling chill and hugged the egg in his arms even tighter. Riceball was warm, and the heat quickly transferred to him.
He continued his explanation.
The explanation went on for a long time, with Yoo Juncheol, Do Deungsoo, and Grace taking meticulous notes. Kwon Jihan listened with his usual cynical demeanor, arms crossed.
***
At 6 o'clock, Yoon Seo got up precisely to leave for the day. However, today Yoo Juncheol invited him to join for dinner. Although he intended to refuse, Do Deungsoo and Grace also earnestly pleaded, so he reluctantly stayed. Kwon Jihan offered to make spicy beef tripe stew and japchae, but that had only a minimal impact on his decision. Really.
After a satisfying meal, Yoon Seo genuinely tried to leave, but that too was unsuccessful.
Kwon Jihan presented traditional Korean medicine and sujeonggwa as dessert. Yoon Seo closed his eyes, savoring the slightly bitter taste and tangy aroma of the sujeonggwa.
How does Kwon Jihan manage to excel at everything? It's a second great mystery along with the Gaia system.
"Hyung, it's almost time for Riceball to wake up."
Kwon Jihan said while looking at the large egg in Yoon Seo's arms.
"How do you know that?"
"I can just feel the magic energy building up."
"…That's right. It should hatch within a week."
"It's going to be so cute. I'm looking forward to it."
Yoon Seo smiled as if he had been complimented and subtly nudged the egg towards Kwon Jihan.
Since they were sitting side by side, Yoon Seo's action was essentially a way of telling Kwon Jihan, 'You're welcome to pet the egg.'
Kwon Jihan chuckled and lightly placed his hand on the eggshell, then widened his eyes in surprise.
"What's this? It's really warm. Is it because you're holding it?"
"It's warm now because Riceball is in a good mood. It was cold when I first brought it."
"Oh, from our African vault. Everyone was truly shocked back then. I understand how you used a spatial movement skill to get there, but how did you know Riceball was there?"
"That's a secret."
"Come on, between us…"
"What do you mean, 'between us'?"
"We're comrades who share life and death."
"I have no intention of sharing life and death with you."
Sharing life and death was truly troublesome. Yoon Seo hoped that Kwon Jihan would live a long, long life.