I’m embarrassed. So embarrassed.
Yeon-ha-neul, who had let Do-Gyeon-woo touch her ears until the morning assembly started, couldn’t raise her head properly afterward. She was utterly mortified.
‘Why does he touch them so well?’
This wasn’t like the times when people at the daycare had occasionally touched her ears out of curiosity.
When Do-Gyeon-woo touched her ears, it felt different.
Was it because he was raising a rabbit?
There was something about his hands—both skilled and gentle—that carried a strange warmth and affection.
She had almost lost herself to those hands.
‘I almost slipped away.’
Yeon-ha-neul remembered how she had nearly tilted her head entirely into his touch. Thankfully, her eyes had met those of a classmate sitting in front of her at that moment, snapping her back to reality.
Although… calling it “fortunate” might be a stretch.
Her classmates had stared at her blankly, their faces frozen after hearing her startled squeak.
‘Embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing…’
If only she could disappear into a rabbit hole.
The memory made her cheeks flush again. She buried her face in her textbook, hoping it would somehow erase her shame.
Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t help but glance at Do-Gyeon-woo—the one who had caused this mess.
“Oh, it hurts,” he muttered, resting his chin on his hand and yawning during class.
‘I hate you.’
Of course, that wasn’t true.
If she truly hated him, she wouldn’t have let him touch her ears in the first place.
‘But you must be feeling better now.’
A faint smile crept onto her lips as she covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to focus on her pencil.
Do-Gyeon-woo, who had looked drained earlier, seemed much livelier after touching her ears. While he wasn’t particularly focused on the class, at least he wasn’t dozing off anymore.
In truth, his newfound energy had more to do with the approaching lunch break and the fact that he’d slept all day before. But Yeon-ha-neul didn’t know that. She assumed it was thanks to her ears, and the thought made her feel oddly proud.
‘Should I let him touch them sometimes from now on?’
She entertained the idea for a moment, almost amused by her own thoughts.
That’s when Do-Gyeon-woo’s voice interrupted her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Huh? When did I?”
“I saw you staring earlier.”
“I wasn’t looking at you…”
“Oh, really? My mistake, then.”
“…”
Her heart skipped a beat. Had she been staring too hard?
Caught off guard, she hurriedly tried to dismiss the conversation and refocus on her textbook. Thankfully, Do-Gyeon-woo didn’t press the issue.
‘Why does he seem so mature sometimes?’
She found herself pondering that again. Even though they were the same age, Do-Gyeon-woo often carried himself with a sense of calm that felt beyond his years.
But then…
“I’ve been thinking,” he began, his tone casual, “Haneul, how about you and me becoming hunters?”
“What?”
Sometimes—no, often—he said things that completely threw her off.
“….”
Let’s become hunters together?
It was such a lighthearted tone for a topic as serious as choosing their futures.
Yeon-ha-neul blinked, unsure of how to respond.
Sensing her confusion, Do-Gyeon-woo added, “I think you have the qualities to be a hunter.”
“Qualities? Me? How would you know?”
“I just know. I’m from a prestigious family, after all.”
“….”
She stared at him, unconvinced. His claim sounded dubious at best, but curiosity kept her from dismissing it outright.
“First of all, you’re an Ain, so your physical strength is naturally superior to others.”
“Hmm… Any other reasons?”
“You seem like you’d be good at using magic. The mana you naturally let out feels really dense.”
“I’ve never used mana before.”
“Everything alive unconsciously sheds mana. You just don’t realize it.”
“…Really?”
“I can sense it because I’ve trained to handle mana.”
“…Hmm.”
It still sounded unlikely, but she decided to listen anyway.
Yeon-ha-neul tried to read his expression, but his thoughts were impossible to decipher.
Eventually, she returned to the original topic, mulling over Do-Gyeon-woo’s suggestion.
‘Hunter….’
It wasn’t the first time she’d considered it.
At twelve years old, she knew she had seven years left before she’d have to leave the orphanage. Once she turned nineteen, she would be on her own.
And as an Ain, her chances of being adopted were slim to none. She was too old for most families to consider, and her Ain heritage made things even more complicated.
Becoming a hunter—earning her independence and carving out her own future—seemed like a viable path.
She glanced at Do-Gyeon-woo, who was now fiddling with his pencil absentmindedly.
‘Why does he bring this up so suddenly?’
The boy always seemed to say things out of the blue, yet somehow, his words had a way of sticking with her.
She knew she had to prepare for the future—seven years from now, when she would need to live on her own.
In that sense, becoming a Hunter seemed like the most practical path. It was a profession where she could make good money and receive preferential treatment, even as an Ain.
In truth, the options for an Ain to live a so-called successful life in this society were severely limited.
‘It’s not like I haven’t thought about it…’
Of course, Yeon-ha-neul had considered the possibility before.
If she were lucky enough to receive sponsorship, the financial burden of becoming a Hunter would be significantly reduced.
However, one issue loomed over her thoughts.
“Will I be able to do it well?”
That was the crux of her concern.
She had never handled mana before—not even the basics. She hadn’t yet reached middle school, where learning mana control was mandatory.
This made her anxious.
Could she really succeed as a Hunter?
Moreover, being a Hunter wasn’t just about learning skills. It meant battling monsters in life-or-death situations.
She couldn’t help but worry if she was mentally strong enough to endure such fights.
Do-Gyeon-woo, however, seemed completely unfazed.
“You can do it,” he said with a calm certainty.
“….”
“I’m serious. I can guarantee it. If you become a Hunter, you’ll be with me anyway.”
“Right… with you?”
“I’ll be right by your side, so don’t worry if you feel like you can’t do it. I’ll take responsibility for everything.”
“…”
What on earth made him so sure?
She stared at her friend—someone she thought she knew but now felt she didn’t fully understand.
Yet, strangely, his words resonated deeply.
When she heard him say it so confidently, it felt like it could actually happen.
For some inexplicable reason, a part of her heart felt reassured, as though his certainty had reached her own doubts and quieted them.
She found herself wanting to believe in him, to rely on him, and to hope alongside him.
Yeon-ha-neul absentmindedly fiddled with her rabbit ears as she responded in the most indifferent tone she could muster.
“Okay, then. You have to take responsibility.”
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