I double-checked the writer’s ID, but no matter how many times I read it, the letters remained the same.
Gu Seohyeong. The fact that the name of the enchanter is here must mean one thing.
***
Tang, tang, tang.
A sound of something splattering echoes across the cold marble table. This was the explosive noise that occurs when an enchanter infuses magic into equipment.
– Hunter, what brings you here...?
– Perhaps permission...
However, moments later, the commotion outside the workshop grew so loud that it drowned out the enchanting sounds. However, the enchanter seemed to expect this and spoke to the guards nearby.
“Is there an S-class hunter outside?”
“Yes?”
“If so, please let him in. Ah, I’m sorry, but could you all step aside for a moment?”
Soon, Gu Seohyeong was able to have a private meeting with the guest who arrived at the workshop.
Standing before her was a man with bright hair and monolid eyes. It was none other than Kim Kiryeo, who had once introduced himself as an F-rank Hunter, now visiting the Enchanter’s workshop.
“Wow, you came so quickly. Were you in front of the association when you called earlier?”
The Enchanter adjusted her glasses and attempted to lighten the mood with a casual remark. However, the response she received was somewhat stiff, indicating an underlying tension in the air.
“Gu Seohyeong.”
Kiryeo first asked a question. In a way, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he had come all this way just to confirm this.
“Were we classmates?”
“Mhm.”
“But why haven’t you told me until now?”
The brown-haired woman answered calmly.
“...You were the one who pretended not to know me first.”
Is the sadness felt in this sentence merely an error in judgment by the alien? The wizard, who has taken over a human body, momentarily panics at the other’s words, but Seohyeong continues in a grumbling voice.
“Anyway, you haven’t changed a bit. Is it because I’ve become too pretty for you to recognize me? Huh?”
“Ah.”
“If there was something I had changed, I wouldn’t feel so wronged. Honestly, I thought you had completely forgotten about me, so it felt a bit awkward to show it all this time. You know?”
However, there was no response. The blonde S-rank hunter merely stood there, staring at Seohyeong’s face.
‘Hmm...’
Honestly, from this side’s perspective, it’s enough to drive anyone crazy. To finally meet someone who had been close to the body’s original owner, who would have thought that his memories wouldn’t come back even after meeting him face to face like this?
‘Anyway, it’s clear that we’re definitely classmates, right? Yeah. So that’s why that Earthling suddenly suggested we drop the formalities.’
After a brief moment of hesitation, the alien archmage finally opened his mouth.
“Seohyeong-ah.”
“Why?”
“Can you tell me how close we were during our school days?”
“What?”
“I’m sorry, but I forgot all about that.”
The most urgent task now was to fill in the gaps in his memory.
He was eager to gather information about the body, even if it meant relying on someone else. Gu Seohyeong readily agreed to fulfill the request of her classmate.
“Do you forget things easily?”
Anyway, willingly
***
The story returns to the time when Gu Seohyeong was in her third year of middle school, at the moment when she was threatened by delinquents and a certain male student helped him.
“Hey! What are you guys doing?”
First, let her explain the background. Gu Seohyeong and Kim Kiryeo were in the same class during their third year of middle school. However, Seohyeong didn’t memorize his name until the end of the first semester. That’s understandable, because she had never had a separate conversation with her classmate Kim Kiryeo before this incident.
“Are you okay?”
“....”
“For now, let’s stay away from those guys.”
The person with attendance number 1 was a so-called quiet student. He didn’t cause trouble, nor did he stand out in any particular way. He was always in the corner of the classroom, blending in and going about his school life quite quietly.
“The police will be here soon.”
But at that moment, the man sitting across from Seohyeong noticed her expression and said casually,
“Gu Seohyeong, there’s something you need to know. This is a bit of a secret, but...”
“Huh?”
“The reason I didn’t remember you is due to a sort of pathological issue.”
He was confessing the truth.
“I lost my memory.”
“What?”
“I lost my memories haphazardly due to brain damage. For a while, I even forgot my own name.”
The creature wearing someone else’s skin comforted Seo-hyung as he said that.
“Anyway, that’s why I didn’t recognize you... If I had been in my right mind, I probably would have recognized you right away. So please don’t take this too personally.”
In response, Seohyeong’s eyes widened in shock as she asked back.
He lost his memory?
“Oh, wait. Memory loss?! Did that happen while you were working as a hunter?”
The man in the suit nodded slightly at the question.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely incorrect since Kim Kiryeo had reincarnated after completing his registration as a hunter.
“Oh my gosh! I heard your job was dangerous, but I never imagined you went through something so serious...!”
Seohyeong muttered with a serious expression, but then the alien archmage smoothly changed the subject.
“Don’t worry. I’m a lot better now. As you can see, I’m doing fine in my daily life.”
“I, is that so?”
“Anyway, since this is the case, would you mind telling me more about my past?”
“Ah.”
“I thought I might remember something if I listened to you.”
However, Seohyeong made a troubled expression.
“Sorry, all I know is up to my third year of middle school...”
Of course, she didn’t know much about Kim Kiryeo’s past either.
“You were the one who kept your distance from me, and that happened the year we became high school students.”
“Dungeon Shock?”
Seohyeong nodded and recalled the past.
“Of course, after the shock had subsided, I remembered the email where we used to exchange video files and tried to contact you, but... at that time, you didn’t reply.”
Up to this point, Kim Kiryeo’s whereabouts after entering high school are completely unknown.
“That’s why I thought you were dead.”
Why hadn’t Kiryeo checked that email? Seohyeong wanted to ask that if he were alive, he should have at least replied to her, but she quickly stopped.
‘No, there might have been some circumstances. Kiryeo must be frustrated not remembering right now, so I shouldn’t put any pressure on him.’
It’s okay. No matter how fate has twisted, she has ultimately reunited with her benefactor.
Gu Seohyeong looked at the blonde awakener dressed in a suit and smiled casually.
“Anyway, do you know how shocked I’ve been lately? Hey, you said you were F-rank, and then suddenly you show up as an S-rank hunter...”
Her old friend wasn’t much different from the one in her memories.
The sharp Sambaegan eyes. While she couldn’t say it was a good thing, it certainly left a strong impression on her mind.
Seohyeong stared at Kiryeo and said,
“Still, I was really happy when I heard that you were an S-class.”
As she spoke, a faint glimmer of tears gathered at the corners of her eyes while she smiled.
“I’ve always thought that good people like you would do well in the future.”
“....”
“But I never thought this would actually happen.”
However, there was no response. For some reason, the blond man had been staring at the window without saying a word since earlier.
“Wow, look at me! Can you wait here for a moment? By the way, I have an enchantment I need to finish this morning. I’ll be right back!”
While Gu Seohyeong went off to work, the man sitting in the corner seemed lost in thought.
Tuk, tuk.
He tapped his index finger against the table, creating a rhythmic sound.