Pure Imagination (Solo Leveling)

Egg Benedict

Go Gun Hee can recall the first time he met Min Matsuno Yuki. A small boy, hair in disarrayed, red eyes that looked bored with everything, and wearing clothes that were too big for him. His face, arms, and legs had no signs of obvious bruising and the slight malnourishment could be chalked to the fact that his family's financial situation was too low to afford anything other than rice and kimchi.

All according to Min Baek Hyun. The patriarch of the household, who had rules that were to not be crossed. After talking to the neighbor's, school, and whoever has had contact with the family would all say the same thing, "Min Baek Hyun was an asshole pretending to be a good guy." Go Gun Hee knew he was trash the moment they first talked. In fact, it was Go Gun Hee who requested that Yuki be removed for a few days so they could monitor him and the family.

After their first encounter, the two would spend more time together. As more calls came in about Yuki's parental figures either being absent or too loud, Go Gun Hee had the opportunity to see and really get to know this small boy who grew more and more every time he saw him. Yuki barely talked to him on their first outing. Opting to sit quietly and drink the warm milk that was presented in a porcelain coffee cup with a saucer. Go Gun Hee can still remember how the boy's arms would shake and the look of concentration whenever he brought the cup to his chapped lips.

It wasn't until their fourth outing that Yuki asked, "What kind of cups are these?" Go Gun Hee smiled and explained, "These are Royal Albert's coffee cups." Yuki scrunched his nose, "But I'm not drinking coffee." The older man stared at him for a few minutes, before breaking into a deep belly laugh. He had to set his coffee cup down so he wouldn't spill, and even then him slapping the table had almost made everything capsize.

"No, you're not. But still, holding a nice coffee cup in comparison to a mug can do wonders on someone's self-esteem. What do you think?" Yuki stared at the milk within his cup, the white color almost matching his hair, "I feel... like I am supposed to be drinking with royalty." Go Gun Hee smiled broadly, "Indeed. And isn't that enough of a confidence boost?" The smile he received will forever be remembered. It was the first smile Yuki ever gave him.

"Mm!"

Go Gun Hee smiled at the memory of tiny Yuki, learning and asking him all about teacups and coffee cups. It got to the point that Go Gun Hee was doing extra research on them so he could be knowledgeable whenever little Yuki decided to ask a question. However, now it could be Go Gun Hee asking him a question about the two. Yuki, who was always too smart for it to be normal, had memorized all the teacups and coffee cups. On Christmas, he would send Go Gun Hee and his wife a teacup and coffee cup pair. Mrs. Go loved tea to the point it was nearly as bad as Go Gun Hee's coffee addiction.

In return, Go Gun Hee would send him money. At first, it was as an apology. An apology for not being able to do more. Then it became a grandparent thing. The more he and Yuki lost contact due to busy lives and different priorities, the more frequent checks became. It was Go Gun Hee's way of saying, 'I remember you.' Yuki would then send a recipe, either for a meal or for a pastry. Sort of as a way to say, 'I'm doing fine. Here's proof of that.'

It had Go Gun Hee smiling every time he saw one of those coffee cups or a pastry that he recognized from the recipes. Like right now. Munching on a sugar cookie from Yuki's shop and sipping on coffee. He was looking over Sung Jin Woo's files and trying to deduce if the man meant what he said that night. Was he a hunter that liked hunting, or just another person that was in it for the money?

He had nothing against Sung Jin Woo, and was quite grateful to him and his family. He was able to give Yuki something Go Gun Hee couldn't. Everything Go Gun Hee wasn't allowed to. However, as someone who saw Yuki as a son, the old man wanted to get a 'feel' for this man. After all, he was now an S-Rank Hunter that was hanging around a civilian. Which, even before being officially declared an S-Rank, has drawn the attention of other S-Ranks. So forgive him for maybe grilling the guy.