Cha Seohu pushed off Cha Sahyeon, who was clinging to him, and raised his upper body. Lifting his head and blinking around his eyes, he asked, "This... is it a shadow?"
"Yeah. I’ll clear it."
As the shadows vanished, the pitch-dark room suddenly brightened. At the same time, Cha Seohu grabbed the blanket and groaned.
"Haaah, ngh...!"
Sparks crackled as his body shrank and his once-bright hair turned a darker shade. Bent forward, Cha Seohu trembled and slowly raised his head. Now back in his original body, his pale face quickly flushed red.
"What the hell..."
"Hyung, you’ve got a fever."
While Cha Seohu was regaining his senses, Cha Sahyeon handed him a glass of water.
"Looks like your body still hasn’t recovered. Remember? You passed out as soon as we got back to the room."
Touching his throbbing forehead in confusion, Cha Seohu ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) finally recalled what happened before he fell asleep. The moment he realized they had safely returned to the hotel through Sahyeon’s shadow, all the tension drained from him and he blacked out.
Well, considering he’d been kidnapped by Eun Woojeong, fought a monster, and resolved a dungeon break, collapsing wasn’t that surprising.
"I wiped your body and changed your clothes in case you'd feel gross. I did good, right?"
Cha Sahyeon asked with a hopeful expression. Cha Seohu, gulping the lukewarm water to soothe his dry throat, nodded.
—So that’s why I was undressed.—
Since they were at a hotel, it wasn’t strange to wear a bathrobe, but maybe it was because he’d just learned about Sahyeon’s feelings during the night—he felt a bit uneasy.
—Don’t tell me this bastard did something weird while I was unconscious...—
Suddenly struck by a sense of danger, Cha Seohu glared sharply at Cha Sahyeon.
"Hm?"
"..."
But facing Sahyeon’s soft smile as he took the empty glass, his suspicion quickly lost steam and fizzled out.
—Ugh, never mind.—
It was already absurd that the mighty Catastrophe liked men, but the idea that he would molest someone while they were passed out? That would be seriously pathetic.
Pulling the bathrobe back up over his shoulder, Cha Seohu asked, "What time is it?"
"Not quite 9 a.m. I honestly wanted to let you sleep more."
Cha Sahyeon’s expression instantly turned cold as he pointed toward the door.
"I heard voices outside. One of them said he’s coming soon."
"Who? Kwon Seoyul?"
"It was a name like that."
So, in the end, his rest had been forcibly cut short thanks to Kwon Seoyul.
As Cha Seohu sighed and climbed out of bed, Cha Sahyeon pouted.
"You haven’t even slept four hours. Can’t you just tell him to go away and get more rest? I’ll go out and get you medicine."
"The wound’s already healed. Just put your choker back on."
Rejected again, Sahyeon drooped his shoulders and pulled a choker out from his pocket. By the time he’d returned to his child form and changed into kid’s clothes, the doorbell rang.
"Hyuuuung!"
Just as expected, the visitor was Kwon Seoyul.
Still wearing only a bathrobe over his bare body, Seohu boldly opened the door. Seoyul covered his mouth with a gasp.
"What—what’s with the outfit, hyung?"
"Just woke up."
Brushing his bangs back, Cha Seohu answered indifferently.
As his chin tilted slightly upward, his pale neck lay exposed. The prominent collarbone and sweat-dampened chest beneath it were also on full display. His eyes, tinged with fatigue, looked reddish, and his languid breath was warm with fever.
"Unbelievable."
Seoyul swallowed hard and urgently began unbuttoning his shirt.
"Hyung, for you to seduce me this boldly—I'm seriously so happy!"
"Kwon Seoyul."
"Hah, I should’ve brought condoms. No, it’s fine without! You trust me, right? I’ll control myself and—"
"Shut the fuck up and go buy me medicine."
"Huh?"
The gentle atmosphere vanished like a mirage as Cha Seohu’s face turned ice-cold.
"I’ve got a fever and a splitting headache, so go get fever meds. Now."
"Uh, what?"
"Don’t show your face again until you come back with medicine."
SLAM!
With that cold declaration, the door shut violently.
Left alone in the hallway, Kwon Seoyul stood frozen for a full minute, unable to process reality. Then, as if coming to his senses, he banged on the door with a teary voice.
"Hyung, hyuuung! How could you do this to me!"
Cha Sahyeon looked at the shaking door with a tired expression. Leaving it be, Cha Seohu trudged into the bathroom.
Too afraid of Seohu’s wrath to actually break down the door, Seoyul sulked off to buy medicine.
Cha Seohu spent the entire day groaning even after taking the medicine Kwon Seoyul brought.
After Seoyul, who had been hovering around the bed nonstop, got kicked out, Hyun Dowoon showed up like a baton pass.
"Did the office sell?"
"You think it’d sell in two days?"
Annoyed by how Seohu skipped straight to business, Hyun Dowoon glared at him and spoke.
"And even if it does sell, what’s the point? I haven’t even heard what kind of new office you’re looking for."
"Something like before. A commercial building with two or three rooms. No—maybe I should get something more secure, even if it’s expensive?"
"If you’re thinking about security, that won’t be easy to find."
"Hmm..."
Honestly, if it was about security, he could just accept Kwon Taehyuk’s offer and join Yesung Guild. He felt a little guilty about it, sure—but who cared? Strictly speaking, it was the rich guy who extended a hand to the beggar. Worrying about the wealthy is the most pointless thing in the world.
—And I’d get these annoying guys off my back too. Two birds with one stone.—
It had already started to get tiresome how Kwon Seoyul and Hyun Dowoon kept visiting one after the other.
That offer from Kwon Taehyuk, which hadn’t been appealing before, was suddenly looking more tempting.
"Just go ahead and sell it. I can’t find a new office until the money comes in."
Once it’s sold, I’ll head to Yesung Guild.
Hyun Dowoon, completely unaware of the decision Seohu had just made, suddenly coughed and looked around nervously.
"Hey, then... can I look around for good spots before it sells?"
"Just looking? Sure, whatever."
"Is it okay if there are more than two or three rooms?"
"I don’t care, but won’t that be more expensive?"
"A cheap and good one might pop up."
He avoided Seohu’s gaze as he continued awkwardly.
"Or I could pitch in some money."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, just keep that in mind. I’m heading out."
Clutching his laptop under one arm, Hyun Dowoon made a hasty retreat. Lying face down on the bed, Cha Seohu frowned as he watched him leave.
—He wants to pitch in? That stingy bastard?—
The guy who never spent a single cent needlessly and saved money like his life depended on it... offering to help with office costs out of nowhere?
—Guess I really did look pitiful, bouncing around hotels after leaving the zone.—
Cha Seohu let out a quiet chuckle.
Even if it meant owing something to a rich bastard, he figured he’d accept the help—for the sake of protecting his friend’s savings.
That night, just before midnight, Cha Seohu finally got out of bed and changed into outdoor clothes.
"Hyung?"
Cha Sahyeon, who had just come out from a shower, was startled and ran over.
"Where are you going again?"
Wearing the choker, Sahyeon had returned to his much smaller form. Looking down at him, Seohu pulled a cap over his head.
"Change your clothes too. And take off the choker."
"Huh?"
"We’ve got somewhere to go."
For the first time, Cha Seohu was the one asking him to come along. Sahyeon’s eyes widened.
"Really? I can come too?"
"You think I’d lie about something like this?"
"Wait a sec! I’ll go get changed!"
"You can just change here..."
Before Seohu could finish, Sahyeon, face flushed, grabbed his outfit and darted into the next room.
—He was all over me this morning, and now he suddenly has to change in the next room?—
Honestly, he acted like some awkward middle schooler going through puberty.
As Seohu crossed his arms and let out a faint laugh, the corners of his mouth slowly fell again.
—...Am I really okay bringing him?—
The place they were headed to was the Circle Guild’s director’s office. Where the fake Song Jiwoon was.
That fake, no matter how you looked at it, was a transcendent being. If he already knew Sahyeon would be coming along, that wouldn’t be surprising—but it still weighed on Seohu’s mind.
—If what Sahyeon said about living through hundreds of lives is true, then the one who made that possible must’ve been the fake.—
The massive tree the fake had shown him in a dream came to mind. A tree that held a single light within it.
He had claimed to be a transcendent trying to protect the world, while Sahyeon was the Catastrophe. If those two met, maybe they could uncover something new.
With those cult bastards constantly messing with dungeons and rifts, things were getting worse, and he didn’t have the luxury to hesitate. If another monster appeared in the middle of the city like last time...
—We got lucky this time. But will I really be able to keep handling everything quietly like that?—
To minimize the damage from the cult’s next disaster, he had to start preparing now. That meant he needed help—from both the fake and Sahyeon.
He just hoped the fake would cooperate.
Remembering how that bastard always smiled while twisting people’s nerves, Seohu narrowed his eyes.
"Hyung, I’m done changing."
Sahyeon returned after quite a while. When Seohu turned to look, he stared in disbelief at Sahyeon’s outfit.
"You’re just going out for a bit—why are you dressed like that?"
Navy shirt, jacket, slacks.
Something like a plain t-shirt and cotton pants, like Seohu was wearing, would've been enough. But judging by the outfit, Sahyeon looked like he was headed out for a fancy dinner.
"You bought me these clothes, remember?"
"I’ve bought you clothes more than once, haven’t I?"
"Not kid clothes. Grown-up clothes."
The clothes had arrived earlier today—he’d ordered them online a few days ago, picking out Sahyeon’s outfits while buying his own. There were plenty of child-size clothes already, but ever since Sahyeon had grown, he had almost nothing to wear.
Seohu had bought them because it hurt to see him always wrapping himself up in that black robe every time he took off the choker. But he hadn’t expected him to like them this much.
—Should’ve done it sooner.—
Feeling oddly conflicted, Seohu stood there silently, at a loss for words. That’s when Sahyeon stepped closer and asked shyly, "...How do I look?"
For a moment, it felt like light flashed behind him.
It was unreal that such a physically strong man could look so pure, like a single delicate flower.
"Uh... it suits you."
Feeling unexpectedly drained, Seohu gave an answer that fit the mood. Blushing, Sahyeon smiled sweetly.
Watching him, Seohu muttered inwardly.
—God, this is exhausting...—

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