The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 208

208. Anomaly (2)

Peace shook its body roughly, sending droplets of water clinging to its fur flying in all directions.

“Stay still.”

– Kkyang.

“I’ll dry you off soon.”

I wrapped Peace in a soft towel and took out the hair dryer. Peace grumbled and licked my hand.

“I can dry my own fur,” Yoohyun said, sounding annoyed as he came out of the bathroom.

“Still, you must be tired, so there’s no need to use more magic. Peace’s fur dries quickly. It’ll be over soon. Want me to dry your hair too?”

“Yeah.”

“Sit there.”

My brother sat obediently on the chair, and I quickly finished drying Peace’s fur. It seemed like more fur was falling out than usual. Now that it’s September, it must be about time for shedding.

Still, less fur fell out when changing from summer to winter fur. Going from winter to summer is the problem. When I was working part-time at the animal hospital, a medium-sized dog came in shedding, and clumps of undercoat came out every time I touched it.

I should get a couple more robot vacuum cleaners. And buy more tape cleaners. I let Peace go and approached Yoohyun.

“When you were little, I used to sit you in front of me and dry your hair.”

We both sat down. But now, only my brother sits, and I have to stand. I wiped his damp hair, which had become curlier, with a new towel. He often straightens his hair these days, but when he was little, he left it as it was, and it was so cute.

I put the towel away, got the hair dryer, and dried it well. He’s my brother, but he’s still handsome. Even hedgehogs think their babies are precious, so it’s only natural that my already good-looking brother seems perfect.

“All done. Are you sleepy? Go to bed soon.”

It would be nice if we could sleep together. Yoohyun never lets Peace into his room. Is it because of the fur?

“You’re not going out, are you?”

Yoohyun looked up at me and said.

“Where would I go… Ah, I almost forgot to give Sorok some snacks. Don’t eat the dried fruit in the kitchen basket. It’s for monsters. Most of the fruits haven’t been approved for human consumption yet.”

“…You even dry fruit for the monsters to eat yourself?”

“There’s too much, so I’m asking Myungwoo for help. Ismual’s blessing makes them dry quickly, and he’s amazing at trimming the fruit. I can’t even keep up.”

I felt very sorry for asking such a favor of such a precious person, but if I made Sorok’s snacks myself, I wouldn’t be able to do anything else. There were many hard and difficult-to-handle fruits, so what Myungwoo could do in a minute took me over an hour.

When I said I would just go and give Sorok some snacks, my brother got up to follow me.

“I’ll go with you.”

“I’ll be right back.”

“But just in case…….”

“Just in case what?”

“…You might go looking for the volleyball by yourself.”

Was that what he was worried about? Of course, I wanted to go. Especially because I was worried about Yerim.

“Don’t worry. I’ll never go alone. I think Yerim will be out by tomorrow anyway.”

I said, moving my feet, saying that I couldn’t wait even a day, and my brother followed me. Peace followed, and even Bbyak and Bellare lined up as we passed through the living room. This is something.

I had no choice but to hold them in my arms, put them on my head, and wrap them around my wrists as I left the house. Yoohyun carried the fruit basket.

“Sorok.”

– Bbyaeaeeng!

Sorok, who had been lying in the training center garden, quickly backed away as soon as he saw us. It was the first time I had seen him move so fast. The unicorns approached, but they seemed hesitant. Was Peace the problem, or Yoohyun? I tried to hand Peace over to Yoohyun… but he didn’t seem to want to hold him, so I just put him on the floor. I took the fruit basket and approached Sorok alone, and Sorok wiggled his short tail.

He sniffed and ate the fruit well. The unicorns also got a couple each. I told the handler not to give them more than five a day and to use them as rewards for walks whenever possible, then handed over the basket and left the training center.

“Now, really go to sleep, both of you. I don’t have anything to go out for either.”

It’s not that I didn’t have anything to do, but I decided to just stay home. The gaze… it could just be a new employee or another system administrator looking into it. Other than that, they said nothing else happened.

But when I sat on the living room sofa, Yoohyun and Peace followed me again. Aren’t you going to sleep? Peace can sleep on my lap, though.

“How come you’re more clingy now than when you were little, even though you’re twenty years old?”

“Can’t I be?”

“It’s not that you can’t… no, you can’t. If you’re free, go out and make some friends, date someone. Speaking of which, Yoohyun, don’t you have anyone you’re interested in?”

At twenty, shouldn’t you have dated once or twice? …Not that I’m one to talk. I asked if there was any woman who caught his eye and turned on the TV. The people on TV were talking about Yoohyun’s capture time.

“No.”

“Really, not even one?”

Yoohyun was silent for a moment. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“Do I have to like someone else?”

“…Huh?”

“I don’t really know how to like someone. Except for you, hyung.”

…I remembered what the unfilial sons had told me before. That born S-ranks don’t mix well with their own kind. Is it simply difficult to have feelings for people? But Riet seemed different. Sung Hyunjae… honestly, I don’t know. I’m confused whether he’s sincere or acting.

“At least I like you, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then you might be able to like other people too, right?”

“But no one likes me as much as you do, hyung. You’re… different.”

“Hey, why not? Don’t say that.”

I felt upset at his lack of confidence. Is it because of our parents’ coldness? I tried to make up for it, but it couldn’t have had no impact.

“Many people like you. There are many people at Haeyeon who care about you. You get along well with Peace, don’t you? Yerim also takes care of you quite a bit. She even bought you pajamas. And you care about Yerim too. Don’t you?”

“Well, Park Yerim… she’s not bad. Peace too, we get along well.”

“That’s enough, even if it’s small, it’s still liking. What’s liking anyway? If they keep catching your eye, you want to take care of them, and you want to keep knowing them, then you have feelings for them. It starts like that and gradually grows.”

There are cases where you fall in love at first sight, but there are also feelings that you get to know slowly and build up. So solid that it won’t shake easily for a long time.

“And there will definitely be someone who likes you as much as I do, or even more than I do.”

“I don’t think there will be.”

“There will be. You never know.”

Even if it’s hard because you’re a born S-rank, you never know. Kang Soyoung is getting along well with Riet without any resistance thanks to her skill. …Yoohyun might have a chance if he gets the Dragonkin title. Or a spirit-related or fire-attribute skill.

“I wish everyone in the world would like you, Yoohyun. Yerim too.”

They both deserve to be loved. They’re actually popular, but I wanted even more.

“Of course, the best thing is to be with someone who loves you very much. You have to like the other person too, but they have to like you even more than that. Otherwise, I’m against it.”

Even in a simple relationship, it’s better to be the one who’s loved more, but it’s even more so in marriage. Not only Yoohyun but also Yerim. Both kids don’t have parents, so there’s a high chance they’ll be taken advantage of, so they should never give their hearts more.

In an instant, all the stories about unhappy marriages and family problems that I had heard, and even the makjang dramas [Korean soap operas] I had seen before regression, came to mind. It was still a long way off before the kids even talked about marriage, but I felt suffocated.

“…Really, no way. You two must meet someone who will love you with their lives on the line. If it’s unrequited love or the other person has a light heart, I’m really, really against it, even if dirt gets in my eyes. Yerim is too young, so I’m even more worried. I hope there aren’t any weird guys around her.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. If Park Yerim gets involved with a weird guy, I’ll take care of it quietly.”

I was so touched that he said he would take care of Yerim too. Yeah, you have to take good care of your brother. But when are you going to sleep? Peace on my lap was already curled up and asleep.

In the end, Yoohyun fell asleep crumpled on the sofa. He should have gone in and slept comfortably.

Not only that evening but also the next day, Yerim did not come out. The gate was still there, so it was certain that she was safe, but I was starting to get worried. One has little experience, and the other is a beginner in high-level dungeons, but they are two S-ranks. An A-rank dungeon should be finished within four days with that composition.

Moreover, Blue is a fast-flying mount, and Yerim has wide-area attack skills, but still.

“Calm down, hyung. Either way, they won’t be able to let you into a closed dungeon.”

Yoohyun said, sticking close behind me.

“But you never know. There might be a way.”

“If there is a way? There will definitely be a price to pay, and Hunter Park Yerim doesn’t want you to give something else.”

He’s not just saying ‘won’t,’ he’s sure of it. But I was too anxious to stay still.

“If you’re anxious because you’re alone, then.”

Just as I came out of the building, I waved my hand towards the building. Recently, Noah had been spending a lot of time indoors with other people, but today he was sitting on the roof of the building in his dragon form. Noah transformed into a human and flew down, looking back and forth between me and Yoohyun.

“What’s wrong, Yoojin-ssi?”

“If you have time, would you like to go into the dungeon with me? It would be okay if Noah-ssi accompanied us, right?”

Even though he’s a support type, he’s an S-rank and helpful in many ways in battle.

“Of course, I’m fine with─”

“No.”

As soon as I heard a cold voice from behind me,

“Keuk─!”

Noah’s neck was grabbed. It was Yoohyun’s hand. Yoohyun, who had moved behind Noah in an instant, grabbed his neck with one hand. Noah also didn’t just stand there and take it, trying to attack Yoohyun with his transformed hand, but his wrist was grabbed even faster.

Irin was already on Noah’s free remaining hand. Dragon scales were tinged reddish under the flame-waving lizard’s body.

“Yoohyun!”

“He’ll only be a burden.”

“Hey, how many hunters are stronger than you!”

“When Hunter Park Yerim comes out, we can go into a dungeon with a large river or lake. Once we secure a spot, I can’t touch her easily either. But Hunter Noah is different.”

Noah bit his lip tightly as if he was upset. But he couldn’t refute it. It was true that Yoohyun could easily subdue Noah if he wanted to. Poison could be blocked with fire, and even if he transformed into a dragon and flew, he couldn’t do more than escape.

If he used the Blue Thunder Bird’s artifact, his speed would increase, and it would be over the moment he approached. There was no choice because the difference in stats was so great. That’s why I kept running away from Riet too.

“Blue is playful. The capture might be delayed because he’s playing around. It’s also possible that they’re deliberately proceeding slowly to match their teamwork since it’s Hunter Park Yerim’s first capture.”

Yoohyun said, taking a step back from Noah. Irin slithered back to his owner again.

It’s true that Blue likes to play with monsters more, so the capture was delayed in the last dungeon too…….

“…Okay. Noah-ssi, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It’s… true that I’m lacking.”

Noah touched his neck and stepped aside. He glanced at Yoohyun and said with a sigh.

“…I think it would be good for me to periodically capture dungeons too.”

Before I could answer that Noah was okay, Yoohyun spoke first.

“That’s a good idea. It’s appreciated that Hunter Noah is protecting this place, but it’s a waste to keep holding your position. Go into the dungeon when I or Hunter Park Yerim are staying here.”

…I think so too, but. Noah nodded and looked at me.

“I will try not to be a nuisance to Yoojin-ssi.”

“No, you’re already helpful enough, hey, Hanyoohyun. Why don’t you just say it nicely from the beginning?”

You start with your hands first. Noah-ssi’s spirit has been broken. Yoohyun said to Noah without any concern, even with my scolding.

“I can help with simple sparring.”

“Thank you.”

Sparring, that’s good. Was he actually caring about Noah?

In the end, I decided to wait patiently for another day, and time slowly passed. The next day, it was Sung Hyunjae, not Yerim, who came out of the dungeon. I headed straight to the dungeon that Sung Hyunjae had entered as soon as I heard the news.

“I’m okay, so please let me in.”

The Seseong Guild member had a troubled look on his face at my words. Sung Hyunjae had not yet come out.

The S-rank dungeon building was built in a busy downtown area of Seoul. Usually, people refuse to stay around high-level dungeons, so the area nearby becomes deserted, but this place was different. Only the area right next to the dungeon had fallen in price, but the bustling streets were no different from before.

If everything was empty because a dungeon was created, there wouldn’t be any places left. Instead, they paid more attention to management in these cases. That’s why Seseong was entrusted with the dungeon.

“You said you got a message that there were no problems.”

“That’s true, but that message came directly from the Guild Leader.”

When the Seseong Guild capture team finishes a capture, they usually wait for about an hour or two before coming out. That was the basic rule, even if no one was particularly excited.

The same was true when Sung Hyunjae was included, so they contacted the guild immediately after the capture and waited, but the person who contacted them was the Guild Leader himself. Not one of the team members.

In other words, it meant that the other team members were not in a state to contact the Guild Leader instead.

“It may be a simple whim, but we must ensure safety.”

“It’s okay. No, I should go in further.”

It was different from usual. In other words, there was a high possibility that Sung Hyunjae also felt an anomaly like Yoohyun. Waiting for an hour or two wasn’t difficult. But maybe because I had already waited for two days, I kept getting impatient.

“Even if you say you’re okay… and we can’t know what the internal situation is like, so the Haeyeon Guild Leader can never enter.”

Yoohyun narrowed his brows at those words. I can’t do anything even if I’m only a C-rank, not an S-rank, but Yoohyun isn’t.

“Let’s just wait, hyung.”

“But.”

Should I call him? Would he answer? There are too many people listening here, so I can’t talk properly, so I’m going to get in the car and make a call, but Evelyn approached.

“It might be okay to let him in, Director Han.”

She said with a faint smile.

“We’re worried too, so we’d appreciate it if you could check on the situation for us.”

“I can’t let hyung go in alone.”

“It’s right in front of you. Should I give you an emergency button? And here.”

Evelyn held out one hand. A large bow appeared and took its place in her hand.

“If you send a signal, I’ll cleanly blow up the building.”

So please go in with peace of mind, her eyes sparkled behind her glasses. The Seseong Guild Leader is worried is an excuse, and it’s half for fun.

But there was no reason to refuse the help, so I accepted the emergency signal button. I calmed Yoohyun down, used Grace at the S-rank level, and walked into the dungeon building.