GDS - Chapter 33

"You hang it like this."

"L-like this?"

Before entering the entry-type gate, there were more than just one or two things to wear and prepare.

Even in the midst of that, the two men's war of nerves was still ongoing.

'Hey, I'll give you our guild's stuff. How good could the stuff from Bureau be? At best, it's just supplies.'

'Oh, wow. Chief, thank you. The composition is really well-organized. A communicator, a bulletproof vest, and even emergency rations. It's amazing! Haha! It's my first time receiving something like this, so I'm happy!'

Wonwoo wanted to cry. He understood that Hyeonil and Yonghyun didn't get along, but he couldn't understand why they had to get on each other's nerves like this.

No, it's not that they're getting on each other's nerves, but that Hyeonil is unilaterally doing it to the Chief.

Wonwoo accepted the things Yonghyun gave him with exaggerated delight. Making a fuss like this was the best way to change the atmosphere.

"Um, excuse me for a moment."

After putting on the bulletproof vest and various protectors, only the earpiece of the communicator was left. But whether it was because of nervousness or because it was unfamiliar, the earpiece kept slipping in Wonwoo's hand. Seeing this, Yonghyun, who couldn't watch any longer, approached Wonwoo.

Yonghyun's fingertips touched the auricle of Wonwoo's ear. Yonghyun carefully put on the earpiece as if he were tucking his hair behind his ear. As he moved, Wonwoo felt Yonghyun's breath on his head and ears, and he unknowingly flinched.

'The Chief's hands are so big... Well, his height and build are big, so his hands must be big too.'

"It's a bit tight because it's a supply item. We'll have the equipment tailored to your body later, Wonwoo-ssi."

Wonwoo, who couldn't tell if the goosebumps and trembling were because of the cold aura emanating from Yonghyun or because of the voice tickling his ear, couldn't say anything and just had to accept Yonghyun's touch.

"There, it's all done. It's the most essential piece of equipment you'll use first when something happens, so please take good care of it."

"Yes, yes. Thank you...!"

"Press it once to connect with the party members, and twice to connect with my communicator. If anything happens, please be sure to contact me."

Yonghyun's hand lingered around Wonwoo's ear for a long time before pulling away. Then, he looked at Wonwoo with a gaze full of lingering attachment, as if he had a lot to say.

"...I'll be waiting. So please be careful."

Yonghyun's gaze continued to follow Wonwoo until he entered the gate. Wonwoo hiccuped from the tension.

***

'That was a very... earnest expression. Was he that disappointed that he couldn't raid the gate together?'

There was nothing difficult about entering the gate. All he had to do was enter a cave-like place. Wonwoo, who let out a breath filled with tension, squeezed his eyes shut.

'It'll feel like you're falling deep into water. Just in case, hold my hand as you go in.'

As Jinho said, the feeling of entering the gate was like burying his body in a soft, squishy jelly and spinning around once.

Startled by the unfamiliar sensation, Wonwoo unknowingly tensed his body, but soon realized he was holding Jinho's hand and finally relaxed.

As if to soothe the startled Wonwoo, Jinho's fingers gently tapped the back of Wonwoo's hand a couple of times.

Somehow embarrassed by the feeling, Wonwoo bit his lip for no reason.

"Wow, it really looks like a dungeon."

There was a stuffy smell, as if a lot of sand was mixed in. Wonwoo sniffed and looked around. The three of them were greeted by a dark interior, so dark that they could barely make out their surroundings, relying only on the torches, as there was no sunlight.

"Dungeon...?"

"Oh, right. Is it a maze-type dungeon?"

Leaning on the small torches hanging on the wall and looking closely, he saw an earthen wall that looked like a dugout or a maze.

He hadn't expected to face a monster as soon as he entered the gate, but he also hadn't expected to see such a scene. Wonwoo moved closer to the wall.

-Can you hear me?

"Ah. Yes. Chief. I can hear you."

Yonghyun's voice, slightly mixed with static, came from the communicator.

-The body cam connection and communication connection seem to be fine. Everything is connected without any problems.

At Yonghyun's words, Wonwoo looked down at his chest. On Wonwoo's chest was a body cam that Hyeonil had attached, saying, 'I think we'll need this for the report later!'

-If anything happens, please contact me immediately. Safety is first, and safety is second.

"Ah, really. There are two S-classes next to the Guide right now, Chief? I'd understand if this were an A-class or AA-class gate. But you're so anxious about a B-class gate, as if he's a child left by the water. Do you not trust me that much?"

Hyeonil shouted into the communicator that was also connected to him. Wonwoo quickly opened his mouth as if to cut off Hyeonil's words.

"Haha, I'll be careful. Thank you for your concern."

'Of course, it's a gate that could turn into an A-class if things go wrong...' Wonwoo swallowed the thought that rose to his throat and looked back and forth between Jinho and Hyeonil before taking in the path that lay before the three of them.

"Um, what do we do in a case like this?"

"What do you mean, what do we do? First, we have to follow the path. Finding the monster in this gate is the first priority."

After saying that, Hyeonil sidled up to Wonwoo.

"You two, either let go of your hands or hold my hand too. If you two are so friendly with each other, I get a little jealous, you know?"

"Gasp, I'm sorry!"

Only after hearing Hyeonil's words did Wonwoo realize that he was still holding Jinho's hand, and he let go in surprise.

"It's okay! Actually, it was really... nice."

What... what on earth was so nice...?

At Jinho's words, which lacked a subject, Wonwoo became nervous and swallowed hard. At Wonwoo's reaction, Jinho blushed and hurriedly added, "The-the guiding!"

Because of that damned 'Heart-pounding♥ Relationship with Espers,' he thought a perverted demon... no, a favorability demon had taken over his ears, and Wonwoo laughed awkwardly.

'Right, this way I can accumulate hearts and it's good... no, what am I going to do if I connect every action to hearts and favorability! Let's stop thinking, stop.'

While Wonwoo was having these thoughts, Jinho was still blushing and smiling at Wonwoo.

"Just holding your hand makes me feel so much... stronger. It feels like I can really do anything..."

"Jinho, you could already do anything you wanted, couldn't you?"

"Ah, I just mean it feels that way."

"That's true. Just being next to you like this, just making eye contact is nice."

Hyeonil looked at Wonwoo with that usual seductive eye smile.

Feeling embarrassed as if he were being graded between the two of them, Wonwoo said, "Sh-shall we go now!" and moved forward awkwardly.

"Wait, wait. In a maze like this, the one in the lead is the most dangerous."

"That's right, Wonwoo hyung. I'll take the lead. Stand behind me."

The opinion of having Wonwoo in the middle and Hyeonil and Jinho on either side was brought up, but the path was too narrow for the three of them to stand side by side, so they decided to move in a single line.

"Uh-huh, Jinho's body is really sturdy. I saw it."

"Uh... yes, I'll do that."

Thus, the three of them began to move forward in a line in the order of Jinho, Wonwoo, and Hyeonil. To defeat the monster hiding deep inside the gate and to clear the gate. In the meantime, Hyeonil's attempt to secretly grab Wonwoo's hand from behind failed, which was a bonus.

***

"How many... no, how many is this?"

"Hmm, I stopped counting after ten."

"Ah, I know. This is the thirtieth one. I counted just in case."

With that, the head of the thirtieth clay soldier was shattered by a single punch from Jinho. Then, not only its head but its entire body crumbled, raising a lot of dust. Jinho, who was covered in it, shook his head from side to side as if to shake it off and recalled the moment he first encountered these clay soldiers.

While the three of them were carefully moving forward, clay soldiers with weapons that looked like they came out of a historical drama, such as spears, swords, and bows, attacked them from a distance.

'Is this place connected to Qin Shi Huang's tomb or something?'

As Wonwoo said, the clay soldiers looked like they had just jumped out of some historical site. The clay soldiers, with their messy features that looked intentionally made that way and dirty things like moss here and there, could not be said to be a pleasant sight no matter how nicely you put it.

But unlike their clumsy appearance, the clay soldiers' fighting skills were excellent. Perhaps because they were B-class even if they were minions, their weapons were sharp and heavy, unlike their appearance. The way the clay soldiers wielded their weapons was like they were imitating well-trained soldiers.

But Jinho easily smashed their heads with a single punch.

As the clay soldier broke, a diamond rough stone appeared, as if dropping an item in a game. Hyeonil hummed and happily exclaimed, "This gate won't be a loss!"

But Jinho didn't have time to pay attention to that situation.

'My body feels light. Really light.'

There was no obstacles to using his abilities.

Normally, to use his ability, he had to concentrate all his nerves from head to toe and move as if he were waking up each and every cell. He had to put strength in his fingertips and step as if he were curling his toes. But now, he could comfortably control his body's weight without having to do so.

'Is this... the effect of Wonwoo hyung's guiding?'

Thanks to that, the clay soldiers, for monsters from a B-class gate, were all knocked out by a single punch from Jinho, which was heavily weighted.

'Besides, if I had used my ability this much, my body should have become as heavy as a thousand pounds and sluggish, but there's none of that.'

Jinho looked at Wonwoo, who was standing behind him, clenching his fists and being very wary of his surroundings, and took a deep breath.

Perhaps because of the guiding, the area around Wonwoo was glowing with a blue light. Thanks to that, Jinho could see Wonwoo more easily.

Someone he wouldn't even hurt if he put them in his eyes. That's exactly what Wonwoo was to Jinho.

There was a stuffy and damp smell unique to dust, and perhaps because of the torches, there was a smell of burning wood and oil. And in the midst of it all, the citrus scent of the perfume he had sprayed stimulated Jinho's nose.

How long had it been since he had gone on a gate raid while smelling like this and fully accepting the surrounding environment with his senses?

Jinho took a deep breath. The stuffy smell had somehow turned into a sweet and soft cotton candy-like scent when he thought of Wonwoo.​