Creating Hidden Endings

“Why are you sleeping there?”

“…That’s a strange question. What’s wrong with me waking up in my room, my bed?”

“No! You said insomnia—”

The end of my words gradually faded at the sight of Lee Jehee frowning as if it was noisy. But the guy who I thought would be saying something sarcastic covered his face with a blanket, like someone trying to get away from the noise and go back to sleep.

As I was exhaling while noticing the atmosphere that was not likely to happen easily, Ddari climbed up on the blanket and took slow moves to the position. 

“Seonwoo, don’t make noise and sleep more. I’m still sleepy.”

“….”

Since when were you guys so close? You guys were killing each other until yesterday! 

I endured what I wanted to shout out so much because I was dumbfounded and washed my face dry. I was so surprised that my heart was beating as if it would pop out of my mouth.

Whoa. It really scared me.

I felt like I was running away from sleepiness. As soon as I came to my senses, I thought I should go down this damn bed first, so I stood up. After that, when I tried to leave the room, Ddari, who I thought was asleep, quietly raised his head.

“Seonwoo, where are you going?”

“…I want to drink water.”

“….”

“Sleep more if you’re sleepy. Don’t force yourself to get up.”

Ddari, who was still staring at him with drowsy eyes, rolled up again and buried his face in words. Then the cloth is wrapped in a round shape.

I looked down at the bag, which I was curious about, and left the room as if running away from the presence of Lee Jehee, who was tossing and turning in the blanket. 

Perhaps because it was way past noon, the sunlight that came through the living room windows shone. So the terrible sight caught my eye better.

The broken door was hanging at an angle as if it were about to fall off, and the messy room was seen through the hole in the door.

“….It’s not my fault, but he’s not asking me to pay for it, right?”

I looked awkwardly at the chaotic room and living room and turned my eyes away.

It’s not my fault; it’s not.

I repeatedly said it inside and took a step toward the kitchen. It also felt like he had not touched it. This is because there was no water in the sink, making me wonder if the water supply was cut off.

Thinking that the whole house was fresh, I opened the door to the refrigerator.

“Oh?”

The refrigerator, which I thought would be fortunate to have water in it, was lined with neatly packed side dishes.

Can’t this be?

I looked at the appearance because I doubted if it was the right refrigerator door when I opened it because it was beyond my expectations. However, if the common sense here and the common sense I know is the same, this is the right refrigerator. 

As I was doing such a foolish thing, I pulled out a bottle of water that was lined up in a row. I quickly drank water from the thirst I had felt since waking up, and it felt like I was about to live.

When it resolved my thirst to some extent, I could see the clean kitchen and living room.

Come to think of it, there was also a reason that it was too clean to give the impression that the house didn’t smell like people living there. Although the remains of the Chorok’s mess were sparsely seen yesterday, this place was always too clean as far as I remember.

“There’s no way he can do anything like cleaning.”

Turning the vacuum cleaner on and mopping with that precious hand? It’s so unfamiliar just with the sight that’s pictured in my head, but there’s no way it’s like that.

Shaking my head, I went out to the living room and looked around once again. As I looked around the living room while drinking water, I felt a rustling sound and a presence from the front door.

Is a thief breaking into Lee Jehee’s house? What kind of punk would do that? If you are someone who knows how precious your life is, you can’t do that.

I looked at the front door with narrowed eyes at the noise that followed for a short time. The sound stopped after staying like that for a while, and the presence disappeared.

“What is that?”

I went to the front door and opened it out of curiosity. Lee Jehee used the third floor of the three-floor villa, which occupied a large site alone. There was only one elevator in the hallway in front of the house where there were no other households.

A large bag was placed in front of such a messy house. It was a bag with a warming function added to keep the food inside warm.

“That’s right.

I thought he couldn’t cook, but he had a delivery system like this. Surely, someone will come and do the cleaning as well.

After checking the new rice and soup in the bag, I burst into laughter as I entered the house with them.

It’s good to have money. 

I put the heavy bag on the table in the kitchen and rubbed my stomach. It was because I felt hungry only then. 

Yesterday, before leaving for the dungeon, I barely managed to get lunch because I was hungry. Since then, I have been starving. To put it bluntly, I was starving almost all day, so I was just hungry.

I hurriedly headed to the bathroom, thinking about eating after washing up. I still felt rejected by the gloomy bathroom, but I couldn’t help but wash up.

“Because it’s like a beggar’s taste.”

While grumbling and complaining, I took off my clothes and lowered them with my hands as I felt the T-shirt was caught. The servant ring and watch, which were illuminated by the bathroom lighting, sparkled like a set, revealing their presence.

All of them were given by Lee Jehee.

“1 year… It’s just 1 year… Let’s endure it for a year.”

I looked away from my hand, trying to soothe my bloated stomach. I felt like I had to take a shower to calm myself down because it seemed that this place was not much different from the tiger’s den.

*****

Even though it took quite a while to wash up, I couldn’t feel any presence in the living room. When I went back to the room, I saw a person and a monster who were still sleeping.

“Isn’t it a lie that you said you had insomnia?”

He was sleeping really well enough to make me have such doubts.

“Hey, please wake up.”

“….”

Despite the sound of waking them up from a distance, they showed no sign of getting up. At this point, I’m even starting to doubt whether Ddari has used a skill with status effects. 

It was a little awkward, but I couldn’t help it and went to bed. In the meantime, Lee Jehee, who took off the blanket he had been covered in, was asleep without even making a sound of breathing. That look is—. I don’t know if I can express it like this, but it was like an angel. An angel who will immediately turn into a demon when he opens his eyes.

I raised my finger and poked him with half thought of waking him up, and half thought that I had to feed him even if he slept.

“Excuse me, Hunter Lee Jehee-nim.”

“….”

I only slightly touched his shoulder, but he opened his eyes immediately. I didn’t know he’d wake up this soon, so I quickly stepped back. 

The man, who was staring blankly at the ceiling with cloudy eyes, blinked slowly. 

“…What time is it now?

He lowered his gaze to my wrist with the question asking as if he had just finally woken up. The watch he gave me still boasted of its presence.

“It’s 3:42 PM.”

“….”

The man who solved his curiosity said nothing, as if he was enjoying his sleep again. As if he had heard the conversation next to him, he groaned as he tossed and turned his body, as if he was about to wake up.

I asked Lee Jehee, wondering if he would fall asleep sooner. 

“When did you fall asleep?”

“…Not long after Yeon Seonwoo fell asleep?”

What? You slept well.

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t sleep well because you have insomnia? For things like that….”

I was trying to ask if I slept too well, but I thought it would cause a fight, so I blurted out what I was saying. Then, he raises the corner of his mouth and slowly raises himself. For some reason, it felt a little intimidating, so I stepped back a little further.

“I think I said I’d sleep about once every two days.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. I guess today was the second day?”

“Are you unhappy with me sleeping well now?”

“No, that’s not it. Next to me… Nothing. As long as you slept well. If you wake up, wash up and come out. I’ll prepare a meal.”

I thought it would be ridiculous to argue further, so I glanced at him towards the bathroom. I just want to forget about what happened today. I decided to tap Ddari, who was still asleep next to him.

“Hey, you should stop and wake up.”

“Not ‘you’, Ddari—”

“Ah, yeah. I know your name. So stop and wake up.”

What kind of monster is this lazy? Do monsters usually sleep too? I don’t know if I should go to the bookstore and buy a book like raising monsters. I don’t know anything.

“Seonwoo, I’m hungry.”

“It’s driving me crazy. You’re doing so many things.”

He got up and floated in the air, digging into my arms with a still sleepy expression on his face. It was the time when I looked down at Ddari with a half-embarrassed face, who was rubbing his face around my shoulder like a sleeping child.

I turned my head to the point where my cheeks were prickly. Lee Jehee was sitting up in bed. Lee Jehee, who is literally staring at us.

“…Why?”

“Because I think you’re having fun?”

“…I told you to wash up and come out. So that we can eat.”

I didn’t have anything to say, so I went out to the living room with Ddari in my arms.