While Eun Woojeong remained unconscious, Cha Seohu explained what had happened the night before to Cha Sahyeon.
Of course, given his current position—having to make things up to his younger brother later—he tweaked the facts just a little.
“I got there on time, but this bastard was the one who showed up late!”
He conveniently omitted the part where he himself had left for the abandoned building later than planned.
“I mean, seriously! He stepped on a hidden floor button and the dungeon entrance pulled me in—!”
He'd also stepped on that trap, but since it might make him look bad, he left it out.
“While I was running around with my sword like crazy, that son of a bitch was just floating in the air casually tossing a few chains!”
He made sure to explain thoroughly why he ended up getting so injured.
“Really?”
The muttered response was chilling. Sahyeon’s green eyes glared even more murderously at the unconscious Eun Woojeong.
Watching his brother’s reaction, Seohu grinned secretly.
'Heh, just as planned.'
Sorry, Eun Woojeong.
You’re already on his bad side anyway—deal with it. Consider it repayment for saving your life.
'Still, if he actually tries to kill you, I’ll stop him.'
As Seohu silently offered a prayer for Eun Woojeong’s soul, he brushed a hand over the base of his neck.
'And then...'
Shelob wasn’t the only thing in that dungeon.
There were also the two videotapes he’d barely managed to retrieve, even at the cost of getting flung through the air.
'How do I even bring this up?'
He felt the hard edge of the inventory pendant hidden beneath his clothes as he mulled it over.
He now understood that Cha Sahyeon had been forced down the path of Catastrophe because of unwanted human experimentation.
...But knowing something in your head and seeing it with your own eyes were two very different things.
Seohu couldn’t deny how deeply shaken he’d been when he saw Sahyeon’s face on the video.
If he brought it up, Sahyeon would definitely ask to see it. And Seohu had no idea how his brother might react to watching that footage.
'In the worst case, it could trigger painful memories and cause the Seed progress to spike...'
At that thought, he lost all courage to tell Sahyeon about the videotape.
“....”
He swallowed dryly and let go of the pendant.
'It’s better to wait until it’s safe.'
Maybe Chronos would give him an item again to suppress the Seed progress, like last time.
At the very least, he needed to consult Chronos first before bringing up anything related to the videos.
“Hyung? What’s wrong?”
Noticing Seohu’s unnatural silence, Sahyeon looked at him with concern.
“It’s nothing.”
“But—”
“Ugh.”
Just then, Eun Woojeong stirred with a groan.
'Nice timing!'
Seohu quickly turned his head toward him, while Sahyeon furrowed his brows and glared even harder at the now-moving man.
“Are you waking up?”
“...Cha Seohu?”
“Oh, we’re on a first-name basis now?”
Seohu shot back the same sarcastic remark Eun Woojeong had once thrown at him over the phone, right before they entered the Great Dungeon.
Blinking a few times, Eun Woojeong slowly sat up.
He looked down at his completely healed body, then glanced at Seohu and Sahyeon in turn before letting out a short sigh.
“Where’s Cover?”
“She left. She’s got a busy schedule, you know.”
“She left me behind?”
At the indifferent reply, Eun Woojeong twitched an eyebrow in irritation and let out an annoyed chuckle.
“She was too busy to stay with someone who was dying in a place like this?”
This bastard didn’t even say thank you.
The way he started looking for Cover the moment he opened his eyes was beyond annoying.
“No one was dying. You were fine.”
“That’s only because you treated me.”
Eun Woojeong frowned and sharply turned his head away, his attitude growing increasingly abrasive.
“No matter how good of a Supporter you are, what kind of person leaves a dying man behind like that? What if you stabbed me in the neck while I was unconscious? I’d be dead instantly.”
“...What?”
Seohu stared at him in disbelief.
“Why the hell would I do something like that?”
“And what proof is there that you wouldn’t? I only trust Cover. And Cover left me—someone on the brink of death—in the hands of someone I don’t even know!”
He just kept spewing utter nonsense. Clearly, he was still seriously pissed about Cover leaving him while he was hurt.
“Haa...”
While Seohu stood speechless, Sahyeon spoke up from beside him.
“Hyung, are you really gonna let this lunatic keep talking?”
My thoughts exactly.
Seohu silently rubbed his forehead.
To be honest, he wanted to tell the guy to keep ranting and just head back to the Yesung Guild building, but Eun Woojeong was a main character.
He didn’t ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) get to see him often as it was. Now that he’d saved his life, he couldn’t just walk away without any return.
“So did I kill you or not? I brought you back from the brink of death. If anything, you owe me a thank-you.”
Even with that pointed comment, Eun Woojeong remained sulky.
“If you trust Cover, shouldn’t you also trust the person she trusts? Do you even know how desperately she begged me to save you? That’s why I came all the way here at the crack of dawn—because it was Cover’s request.”
Man, I’m really piling on the lies today.
Without so much as a twitch of guilt, Seohu fabricated the whole thing. Eun Woojeong flinched slightly.
“She... begged you to save me?”
“Yeah. Practically on her knees. I haven’t seen her plead like that in years, so I couldn’t turn her down.”
“....”
“You know how it is—I’m a pretty high-demand Supporter. Expensive. You won’t find this level of treatment anywhere else—are you even listening?”
With his long lashes lowered and lips pressed together, Eun Woojeong finally spoke in a soft, sulky tone.
“You should’ve said so from the start.”
“...What?”
Blushing faintly, he began toying with the ends of his hair.
“You’re saying Cover did that. Said all that... to you, no less.”
What the hell kind of reaction is this?
Just as Seohu felt dumbfounded for the second time—
[Eun Woojeong’s Affection has increased!]
[Hidden Quest unlocked!]
[Hidden Quest: Gain Eun Woojeong’s Trust – Phase One (S-rank)]
[Hidden Quest: Gain Eun Woojeong’s Trust – Phase One (S-rank) Complete!]
[Hidden Quest Reward granted.]
[Eun Woojeong’s Affection has increased!]
“...?”
Seohu’s expression crumpled as the system window popped up in front of his eyes.
'What the hell is this guy’s deal?'
Cha Sahyeon, who had also witnessed Eun Woojeong’s bashful reaction, mirrored his brother’s expression and growled.
“Gross. Hyung, let’s just kill him.”
“Calm down. I get it, but we can’t kill him.”
No matter what the brothers were saying, Eun Woojeong stood up with a thoroughly satisfied smile.
“Alright. For Cover’s sake, I’ll let it go this time.”
Bullshit...
“When is Cover coming back?”
“No idea.”
Despite the indifferent reply, Eun Woojeong, now completely recovered, smiled brightly as if nothing mattered.
“Cha Seohu.”
For once, Eun Woojeong actually addressed him by name instead of asking for Cover.
“I’ve realized something.”
“Yeah?”
“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?”
“What is it.”
He wasn’t even remotely curious, but asking back would only drag out the conversation.
“I realized that Cover really likes you.”
“...So?”
“Which means, if I stay near you, I have a higher chance of seeing her again.”
“...What?”
Even under the withering stares from both brothers, Eun Woojeong calmly adjusted his clothes. Then he stepped up onto the broken window frame of the abandoned building and said:
“I’ll be visiting soon. Hopefully Cover will be there too. I still owe her a thank-you.”
'Say that to me, dammit!'
“See you around.”
Eun Woojeong summoned his chains as if the healing herb had worked perfectly and leapt out the window without hesitation.
Silence fell over the room.
After a brief pause, Sahyeon spoke first.
“Hyung, I hate that guy.”
“Me too.”
Among all the “main characters” designated by the system, he’d always been the weirdest. But somehow, he just kept getting worse.
'Why is he so obsessed with Cover?'
It’s honestly disgusting.
Still, it was a relief he didn’t ask how he’d recovered his energy. Or rather, there just hadn’t been a chance to ask.
That part was absurd too.
I mean, he almost died—shouldn’t he at least ask how he was healed or how his energy came back? Why the hell did he just confirm Cover’s whereabouts and leave? The more Seohu thought about it, the more ridiculous it was.
“Haa, let’s go too.”
“Mm.”
As if waiting for that, Sahyeon reached out his hand. When Seohu took it, a black shadow surged up from the floor and swallowed them both.
Back in his room at the Yesung Guild, Seohu transformed back into Cover to rest a little while no one was around.
At the same time, he checked the system window that had popped up earlier.
Even with Sahyeon’s shadow stretched across the room, the window displayed clearly.
'First it was Kwon Taehyuk. Then Sunghyun-hyung. And finally Eun Woojeong, huh.'
With this, he’d completed all three Hidden Quests to “gain their trust.”
Even though they were labeled “Phase One,” he’d still gained the trust of three major characters. Shouldn’t there be something special?
But no matter how much he searched the window, the only reward was a cash box.
Disappointed, Seohu pulled out his phone instead.
He was planning to browse some cheerful Association news to lift his mood, but before that, a different headline caught his eye:
“S-rank Hunter Yoon Jeha Spotted at Airport — Domestic Activity Imminent?”

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