When we stepped outside, we found ourselves back in the very alley where we’d first discovered the Unidentified Rift.
As the last person, Eun Woojeong, came through, the rift’s light dimmed and soon vanished.
Just as “Ryu Sunghyun” had said, it disappeared the moment the boss monster inside was judged to have been dealt with.
Unlike when we’d entered in the middle of the night, bright sunlight now poured into the alley. Kwon Taehyuk squinted against the glare and had just turned toward Cha Seohu when—
“Hrk...!”
Cha Seohu let out a short groan and staggered. Bzzzt, sparks crackled as his appearance changed in a rush.
Golden hair darkened to black in an instant, and his frame shrank slightly. The fierce aura of an S-rank dealer scattered like a mirage.
Already pushed to his limits in both body and mind, he couldn’t withstand even that brief pain and lost consciousness.
He pitched forward helplessly, and Kwon Taehyuk, startled, lunged to catch him—
“Don’t touch him.”
A low voice cut in, and a pitch-black arm slid between them.
Cha Sahyeon slipped an arm around Seohu’s waist from behind, holding him up and drawing him into his arms.
The order not to intervene had ended the moment they exited the rift. Cradling Seohu and preparing to leave at once, he was stopped by Ryu Sunghyun’s voice.
“Where do you think you’re going.”
All the usual gentleness was gone; the voice was rigid and cold.
“Hunter Cha Seohu needs rest. Where are you taking him.”
“...And why would I owe you that explanation?”
The relief and peace that had come with leaving the rift turned razor-thin, threatened at once by the killing intent rising off Cha Sahyeon.
Normally, Ryu Sunghyun would have stepped back by now. Even with that sharp aura prickling his skin, he spoke with the same calm face.
“Hunter Cha Seohu made me a promise. He said that once we were out, he would explain everything. If there’s one thing you value more than anything, it’s Hunter Cha Seohu’s will, isn’t it? If you take him like this, he won’t be able to keep his promise to me. Are you fine with that?”
“......”
“It wasn’t some throwaway promise—you should be able to infer as much from what just happened in the rift. I’m sure Hunter Cha Seohu has a plan he’s thought through on his own. Right now, you’re getting in the way of that.”
Cha Sahyeon’s eyes twisted into something ugly.
He knew, in his head, that Ryu Sunghyun was playing a petty card to shake him, but the words to deny it wouldn’t come.
“More than anything, Hunter Cha Seohu is exhausted—enough to faint. He needs time to rest somewhere safe and comfortable. Can you give him a place and time like that?”
The final question struck where it hurt.
Humiliation rose—and with it, a strange feeling: shame.
In a life repeated countless times, Cha Sahyeon had always lived much the same.
Now and then he found a hideout, but it was only a meaningless place meant to dodge the rain and wind. It was nothing like a “home,” nothing like the “safe and comfortable place” Ryu Sunghyun spoke of.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know such places mattered. More precisely, for the first time in this life, he’d learned that—through Cha Seohu.
So he couldn’t dismiss Ryu Sunghyun’s words. His arms tightened around the man in his hold.
“......”
Cha Sahyeon pressed his lips shut, but silence was answer enough.
As his killing intent faded and quiet returned, Kwon Taehyuk let out a long breath.
“Good grief. Can’t let my guard down for a second.”
Eun Woojeong grumbled like a man who was tired, but the amusement in his voice was impossible to hide. With arms folded and °• N o v e l i g h t •° a single step back, Mook Jeongho spoke.
“Return to the District.”
Moments later, a car sent from the District pulled up to the alley. The S-ranks climbed in without a word.
Among them, Cha Sahyeon and Cha Seohu were missing. Before the car arrived, Cha Sahyeon had sent a bird ahead using his shadow skill and then, with his brother in his arms, had already headed back to the District.
By now he’d likely reached Seohu’s room and laid him on the bed. In any case, it was a relief that the Supporter—who would have it the hardest—had gone on ahead to rest.
“...Are you all right?”
Kwon Taehyuk turned to the man beside him.
He was worried about Seohu, of course, but Ryu Sunghyun’s condition was hardly any better.
He had fought “Ryu Sunghyun” without pause and then rushed out of the rift with no chance to breathe, let alone receive healing; he was covered in blood from head to toe.
“Don’t worry about me.”
Even so, the fatigue on Ryu Sunghyun’s face was impossible to hide.
Kwon Taehyuk blinked once, then asked,
“Whatever explanation Hunter Cha Seohu gives... can you accept it?”
Kwon Taehyuk was confident. It wasn’t exactly consideration; it was closer to the truth that anything would be fine.
What mattered most to him now was Cha Seohu’s safety. As long as he could protect that, he could accept any past Seohu might carry.
Of course, that wasn’t the end of it; there were other desires.
He wanted to dig out every secret Cha Seohu was hiding and know them all. He wanted to understand them and hold them. He wanted Seohu to rely only on him—an emotion a bit too dark and sticky to be called mere “desire.”
He clenched his fist and forced that impulse, pushing up in his mind, back down. Then, when his thoughts settled, Ryu Sunghyun spoke.
“To answer honestly, I’m not confident. But... I want to hear it. Even if I end up not understanding, I’d rather hear something than sit here in the dark, frustrated.”
Hearing that dry voice, Kwon Taehyuk nodded quietly.
But he saw it in the other man’s eyes: though Ryu Sunghyun said he wasn’t confident, the same yearning that churned in Kwon’s own gaze was already swelling there.
Kwon Taehyuk swallowed a sigh. They had left the rift, but nothing was resolved.
When would Cha Seohu wake up? And when he did, what would become of his relationship with Ryu Sunghyun?
In the middle of it all, what was Kwon supposed to do? His head grew crowded with questions.
Staring out at the street sliding past the car window, unsettled, Kwon felt a vibration in the inner pocket of his jacket.
It was his phone, which he’d pulled from his inventory upon leaving the rift. He’d kept it on him in case Seohu, who’d arrived first at the District, tried to contact him—but unexpectedly, the caller was Secretary General Kim Kyungmin.
Time flowed differently inside a rift; in reality, not even a full day had passed. He’d told his staff ahead of time that he’d be busy with personal matters today, so a call from Secretary Kim wasn’t exactly welcome.
“What is it?”
A bad feeling crawled up his spine as he answered. Kim Kyungmin’s voice came back, tangled with helplessness.
— Guildmaster. A, uh... guest has come to see you...
“A guest?”
— No matter how many times I tell her you’re away today, she won’t budge. How should I handle it?
Normally, Kim Kyungmin handled most matters on his own. For him to call like this meant the visitor was someone even he couldn’t manage.
“Who is it?”
— Phew... Hunter Yoon Jeha.
...Of course.
The image of flame-red hair and heedless behavior brought on a sudden headache.
Pressing his fingers to his temple, Kwon Taehyuk said,
“Tell her to come tomorrow—one more time. If she still won’t leave, give her my personal number.”
— Y-yes. Understood.
Before hanging up, Kim hesitated, then added,
— Also, Guildmaster... there’s someone else here who isn’t asking for you.
“What?”
— They’re here for Hunter Cha Seohu. In fact, it seems he was their real purpose in coming.
Kwon Taehyuk’s brow knotted into something severe.
“Just give them my number directly.”
Why are they looking for him? For what business? He needed to hear it before Seohu did.
It was protection—bordering on control.
A little flustered, Kim asked,
— Pardon? Your number instead of Hunter Cha Seohu’s?
In the question lay the obvious: They’re looking for Cha Seohu, so why give them your number?
“...Hunter Cha Seohu isn’t in any condition to take calls right now. Just do as I say.”
— S-sorry? Ah, yes. Understood.
Still sounding uneasy, Kim ended the call.
Silence settled over the car. Feeling Ryu Sunghyun’s gaze on him from the side, Kwon cleared his throat.
'Yoon Jeha. What are you thinking?'
He knew she’d helped during the Irregular Rift incident.
But she was so unpredictable—he’d assumed her interest had shifted elsewhere, or that she was preparing to head overseas again.
'Looking for Cha Seohu again?'
Why? For what reason?
She wasn’t like the other Hunters he’d seen. Yoon Jeha was a woman. Problematic in temperament, yes—but outwardly, a very beautiful woman.
Recalling what Kwon Seoyul had told him about Seohu’s past and the countless women who had brushed past his side, Kwon Taehyuk tightened his fist.

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