Work Text:
“This cannot be happening right now.”
Han Yoojin’s breath hitched. Did the world seem blurry? It looked a bit blurry to him, as if he had spun around way too many times and was now dizzy. This was insane. Surely someone like Sung Hyunje would not be like this. And surely Han Yoojin would not—
“Ah, Yoojin-gun,” called out Sung Hyunje’s smooth and elegant voice, “you must calm down.”
Han Yoojin jerked back as the platinum blond tried to step toward him. He completely missed the downturn of Sung Hyunje’s lips as he did so.
Han Yoojin’s breathing was sporadic and a mess. It was warped, just like his vision was. He clung onto his chest, digging into the fabric of his shirt and jacket. This was insane. Inane, too. And yet Han Yoojin could not look away from the screen that was shining in front of his eyes.
[Han Yoojin: Rank S(F)]
It was temporary. It had to be temporary. Han Yoojin was not made to be an S-Grade Hunter. He wanted to be more sturdy, of course, but nothing above C-Class. He just didn’t want to be so breakable! It didn’t mean that he wanted to turn into the thing that broke others!
“Yoojin-gun.”
It was Sung Hyunje’s voice again. It was still calm and smooth, yet also deeper and more commanding. It demanded Han Yoojin to pay attention and focus on him and only him.
His breath hitched, and then he let out a low sigh. Right. He had to remain calm. Even in events like this, he would be fine. They would be fine. Worst things had happened.
Han Yoojin’s eyes flickered over Sung Hyunje’s frame. The way the man moved was no different than it was a few minutes before, yet everything had changed.
Han Yoojin would not be so freaked out if it was only he who was affected. He had been this powerful before, and it was likely to happen again in the future.
Final Gratitude was the gift that kept on giving, wasn’t it? Han Yoojin chuckled dryly to himself and let the hand on his chest go slack. He dropped his arms to his sides, fisting his hands so he remained in control.
He had to be aware and wary of every move he made. They were in a dungeon, so there was that, at least, but he could not trample around without a care.
However, the Sung Hyunje, a few steps away from him, was not the proud S-Class Hunter with whom Han Yoojin could easily argue and slap on the shoulder. Han Yoojin’s touch would typically not do anything. Even if he were an S-Class currently, Sung Hyunje would have taken the hit just as he took one of Moon Hyuna’s spears.
But Sung Hyunje was also affected by this. Han Yoojin would bet that Sung Hyunje’s window looked similar to his own, only reversed. [Sung Hyunje: Rank F(S)]
This damned dungeon. What sort of weird effects did it need to have? Nothing! It should not have had anything! But! It did! And Han Yoojin was going to murder someone over it!
Han Yoojin was going to rip out his own hair. This was so fucking idiotic. Why would a dungeon do this to them? And why did it say that the effects were going to last an entire week even though the dungeon was cleared now?
“Dumb fucking stupid system and it’s administrators—”
Han Yoojin cursed up a storm. No one even popped up with a new screen that tried to assure him or calm him down. There was no panel that said something like, Woopsie, Honey, we didn’t mean for this to happen!
He knew he was acting out of character. He was even showing Sung Hyunje a glimpse of himself that he tried not to make too apparent.
Han Yoojin needed to reign in his emotions, remain clear-headed, and not think too hard about how this would be his new life for a week. But that was the last thing Han Yoojin could do.
He made a noise not unlike a wounded animal as his gaze finally rounded on Sung Hyunje’s face.
Sung Hyunje looked the same as he did. He was perfect, always.
His hair was windswept, sure, but it looked purposeful. He wore a suit today as well, but his jacket was long forgotten, probably buried amongst the monsters that they had fought earlier. His collar was slightly askew, but Han Yoojin could only see it as charming.
The crinkles in the corner of Sung Hyunje’s eyes only showed that Han Yoojin had at least one ally who was more mature than him. Sung Hyunje’s pupils trembled as he looked at Han Yoojin— and oh, his irises, they were a shimmering gold that Han Yoojin could lose himself in. It would be so easy to fall.
“Fucking dammit,” he sighed, his voice softer than before.
Han Yoojin could not fight or be upset when Sung Hyunje looked at him like that. He sucked in a wavering breath as his heart thumped loudly in his ears. No, wait, that wasn’t his heart. It was Sung Hyunje’s. He could hear Sung Hyunje’s heartbeat without doing so on purpose.
This was so fucked. Han Yoojin didn’t remember Yoohyun-ie’s powers making him feel so deranged. But then again, there was nothing in that dungeon except for Han Yoojin, Rauchitas, and his vendetta against the monster who killed his dongsaeng.
There was no heartbeat to hear aside from his own at the time. Perhaps that was why Han Yoojin did not know that S-Class Hunters could accidentally hear the heartbeats of those close to them in proximity.
And dammit, why was it always he and Sung Hyunje who got into trouble like this?
Sung Hyunje blinked at Han Yoojin as if Han Yoojin wasn’t holding a monstrous amount of power within him. As if Sung Hyunje wasn’t anything more than a fly.
Oh, wow, Han Yoojin was thinking like Song Taewon. He needed to cool it, now. Han Yoojin couldn’t have that kind of mindset. He had to think about how Sung Hyunje looked at him, truly looked at him, with no fear.
Han Yoojin exhaled breathily. His fists loosened, his nails no longer biting into his palm.
“Sung Hyunje-ssi.”
There was a short pause. Sung Hyunje lifted his eyebrow, almost quirking it up curiously. “Yoojin-gun,” he returned shortly, though not any less fond than normal.
“This…” Han Yoojin’s voice was strained. “You’re— You’re an F-rank right now, right? One tap on your shoulder and you would…”
Sung Hyunje looked at him passively. His gaze was still so soft, though. It made Han Yoojin’s dry throat squeeze, unable to form any more words. He wet his lips, trying to find the courage to do something, anything, but failed.
“Yoojin-gun is correct,” he admitted at last. “I have a body that is not as durable.”
Han Yoojin nodded, just once, to show that he understood. Sung Hyunje was supposed to be an S-Class Hunter, the top one in Korea. He was supposed to be the Guild Leader of Sesung, who could handle all dungeon-related incidents with relative ease.
But now Sung Hyunje could not perform those duties. He could not enter dungeons as he usually would since he was just as weak as Han Yoojin was earlier that morning.
The dungeon was cleared, but not without leaving a surprise gift. It was not Han Yoojin’s birthday, and Sung Hyunje’s had already passed, so why, oh why, was this happening?
When the change first happened, Sung Hyunje noticed the panel first. He murmured softly, “A rank swap, how quaint.” And that was it. He didn’t do anything else different, and Han Yoojin didn’t know anything was wrong until the world was inexplicably different from before.
“Do you normally feel so odd?” asked Sung Hyunje.
Han Yoojin wanted to beat the man over the head. He wanted to smack Sung Hyunje with a brick and call it a day. But that sort of thing would actually harm Sung Hyunje, and wasn’t that such a bizarre thing?
Han Yoojin had never thought about seeing Sung Hyunje truly be harmed before because the sheer idea of it was lost on him.
Sung Hyunje was strong; so strong that no one but a fellow S-Class Hunter could ever hope of harming him. Yet, as Sung Hyunje stood in front of him, his collar popped open and his clavicle on display, Han Yoojin could do nothing but think about how easily it would be to harm someone so delicate.
Han Yoojin was a bit in awe of his Yoohyun-ie, now. He was never able to take in the idea of how powerful he felt in a setting like this. There was no lingering, doomed death above him right now. At least, no more than usual.
He was going to exit this dungeon with Sung Hyunje by his side and keep his thoughts to himself. Did all S-Classes have these thoughts, or was it just Sung Hyunje? Maybe Han Yoojin could say that he wasn’t actually murderous all the time. He would blame the blond and pretend that he wasn’t manipulative or a killer.
Sung Hyunje already knew both of those things about him, but still, he didn’t move away once Han Yoojin’s rank had been changed. Han Yoojin thought that Sung Hyunje was being dumb, maybe even showing his old age. Then again, Han Yoojin knew many things about Sung Hyunje, yet he continued to let the man into his orbit.
What a pair they made, huh? It was no wonder that Han Yoohyun occasionally thought that Han Yoojin needed an intervention.
“You’re pretty like this,” murmured Sung Hyunje.
Han Yoojin opened his mouth, his voice finally found. He was going to argue and shout, most likely, about how idiotic Sung Hyunje sounded. Han Yoojin was an S-Class, and he didn’t look any different than he did a few minutes ago before the dungeon’s effect hit them.
Sung Hyunje continued, interrupting Han Yoojin’s thoughts easily, trampling over his sane mind with hooves more suited for something demonic.
“You looked just as powerful on the outside as you do in my mind.” Sung Hyunje said it casually, his voice almost filled with hints of awe or wonder.
What the hell? Really, what the hell was that supposed to mean? Han Yoojin gave Sung Hyunje a look, baffled by the prospect of ever looking powerful until this day. He was an F-rank, nothing more and nothing less.
Sung Hyunje looked at him, though, and Han Yoojin’s heart skipped a beat. There was something more in that gaze. It elicited a shiver down his spine, an electrical hum zipping through his muscles and nerves.
Han Yoojin was shutting down, his brain capabilities non-functional as Sung Hyunje smiled at him with tight lips. He looked so caring, understanding, and lovely right there. Han Yoojin swallowed roughly, determined not to show how affected he was by a beautiful face.
“You’re saying nonsense.” Han Yoojin cleared his throat, his gaze averting to Sung Hyunje’s buttons. So many were undone, and for what? “Just— Give me a moment, and we can leave. Call for Kang Soyoung-ssi, and maybe whoever else you trust, and after this week has passed, we’ll pretend that nothing happened.”
Sung Hyunje narrowed his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering. Why was Han Yoojin focusing on eyelashes, of all things? Did his vision somehow get better as well? Dammit, Han Yoojin wondered how S-Classes remained functional when there was so much to look at.
“Han Yoojin-gun invited me along,” began Sung Hyunje, and if it were not for his nonchalant tone and the teasing grin across his face, Han Yoojin would have felt guilty about what he said next, “and yet he will not be the one to look after me? Tut, tut, how cruel.”
He was such a fucking bastard. Han Yoojin twisted his lips and glared at Sung Hyunje. As he looked at the blond, though, Han Yoojin did not feel hatred or anger. He was almost fond, and so genuinely charmed. Sung Hyunje remained the same as ever, even in these circumstances.
“Fine,” gritted out Han Yoojin. He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I won’t tell anyone about your predicament.”
“Ah, but that’s not enough.” Sung Hyunje tsked.
Sung Hyunje strode forward. He was smiling, still, and so casual as he landed a hand on Han Yoojin’s shoulder. He patted Han Yoojin a couple of times, looking almost curious at the effects. Han Yoojin held still, too afraid that he wasn’t yet adjusted to his newfound rank, and would accidentally harm Sung Hyunje if he even so much as twitched.
“I have a bright and shiny new protector here, don’t I?” Sung Hyunje met Han Yoojin’s gaze and said, “A knight in shining armor, all just for me.”
Han Yoojin was officially annoyed. He knew what Sung Hyunje was thinking. It was not enough for Han Yoojin to keep silent about Sung Hyunje’s F-rank status. No, that was too easy. Instead, Sung Hyunje elected Han Yoojin as his protector for the next week.
So troublesome. Han Yoojin should have invited Yoohyun-ie to the dungeon, or Yerim-ie. They would have loved to be pampered for a week, he was sure, but instead, Han Yoojin was sacked with a clingy leech called Sung Hyunje.