Sharp leather shoes strode confidently down the hallway.
The man walked quickly, his expression rigid. Staff passing by tried not to look, though their glances flicked toward him.
As he reached his destination, he stopped in front of the door and straightened his clothes. After clearing his throat briefly, he knocked.
“Come in.”
At the prompt, the door opened.
The man—Park Minhyuk—entered the Association President’s office, gave a short bow, and spoke.
“You called for me.”
“Did you catch the news on the way over?”
“I didn’t have time. I only skimmed a few articles on the portal.”
The Association President, looking up from his paperwork, smiled faintly.
His neatly combed hair was streaked with gray, and soft lines had settled around his eyes.
Despite being nearly sixty and giving off a kind impression, the President had a large frame. Setting his fountain pen down, he fixed his gaze on Park Minhyuk.
“There’s a lot of buzz around the Supporter you brought in. Even overseas, people are going wild.”
“...”
“Well, of course they are. Do {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} you think he’s just a regular Supporter? It’s already shocking that he has S-rank healing and buff skills at the same time—but purification on top of that?”
The President clicked his tongue, shaking his head slightly.
“There have been rare dual-skill Awakeners in both domestic and international records, but never a case like this.”
“...”
“Team Leader Park.”
His tone suddenly dropped, cold and firm.
“If your report is accurate, then we absolutely must bring this Hunter into our ranks.”
“Mr. President, that’s...”
“Think about it. Can you really trust a private guild? What if they get greedy and sell him off overseas?”
Park Minhyuk’s pupils trembled at the words. The President clicked his tongue again.
“You’re too naive. A Supporter with those abilities is a world first. Not just for Korea—the entire world. What do you think would happen if he wasn’t affiliated with our government? How many tempting offers do you think he’ll get from abroad?”
“...”
“Do you think our guilds can compete with American or Chinese capital? If they really wanted to, they could easily lure him away with honeyed words. Who’ll take responsibility if that happens? How do you plan to handle the fallout?”
Park Minhyuk couldn’t bring himself to argue.
If Cha Seohu were lost to a foreign power, the nation would suffer a massive loss, and there would undoubtedly be widespread backlash from the Hunter community.
Still...
“If we try to force him, it could backfire. He might push back even harder if we pressure him.”
“Then make sure he doesn’t want to refuse.”
The Association President cut him off, a slight smirk forming on his lips.
“What’s the point of worrying about that now, hmm? Let’s take our time and think it through.”
“Mr. President...”
“First, finish assessing his skills properly. I saw the re-evaluation is scheduled for tomorrow. Are preparations going well?”
“Yes.”
“There must not be a single mistake. We’ll be making the results public the moment they’re out.”
“I’ll be thorough.”
“Good. I’m counting on you, Team Leader Park.”
Leaning back in his chair, the President looked satisfied.
“His name was Cha Seohu, right? Once the re-evaluation is over, I’ll meet him myself. You may go now. Take good care of that Hunter. You’re the one he’s most familiar with here.”
“...Understood.”
Suppressing the wry smile that rose involuntarily at the word familiar, Park Minhyuk bowed his head and turned to leave.
After leaving the President’s office, Park Minhyuk headed straight for the guest room where Cha Seohu was resting.
Unexpectedly, Cha Seohu hadn’t resisted when asked to come to the Association.
What’s more, even while Minhyuk returned to the office, handled urgent business, and met with the President, Seohu had quietly remained in the room.
That fact only made Park Minhyuk feel more uneasy.
‘Why is he being so quiet?’
With anyone else, it might be nothing. But considering Cha Seohu’s long history of doing reckless things, his current obedience was unnerving.
[Stop beating around the bush and just say it!]
[Excuse me?]
[I was officially ranked B-class, but I’m actually an S-rank buffer!]
[Wait—Hunter Cha Seohu—!]
[I also have an S-rank healing skill!]
[Hunter Cha Seohu...!]
Remembering the chaos outside the dungeon earlier, Park Minhyuk massaged his temple.
“Sigh...”
By his logic, Seohu’s actions were incomprehensible.
He had tried to escort Seohu quietly to avoid any trouble, since Supporters were more vulnerable than dealers.
But Seohu had kicked his efforts aside and stirred things up into a full-blown mess.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
He must have something else planned.
Just because he came to the Association didn’t mean Minhyuk could let himself be played any further.
Taking a deep breath, Minhyuk stood outside the guest room and knocked lightly on the closed door.
Knock knock.
There was no response.
No sound at all from the locked room. Frowning, he pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong.
Still nothing.
“...?”
Did he go to the wrong room?
Momentarily confused, he double-checked the room number.
Room 7. It’s correct.
Narrowing his eyes, Minhyuk pressed the doorbell multiple times.
Ding dong. Ding dong.
No reaction.
Now openly scowling, he curled a fist and banged on the door.
“Hunter Cha Seohu?”
Raising his voice, he carefully modulated the strength of his knock so the door wouldn’t fly off its hinges.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, open the door!”
Bang!
“Hunter Cha Seohu!”
What could he possibly be doing that he wouldn’t respond even after being called like this?
Was he asleep? But even the deepest sleeper would’ve woken up from this racket.
Escaping was impossible.
Staff had been stationed outside the hallway before Minhyuk arrived, the window was sealed shut, and the room was on the 10th floor—there was no way out.
‘Did something happen?’
He had never trusted Seohu to begin with. Now his mind was split: 60% unease, 30% anger, 10% worry. Grinding his teeth, he shouted:
“If you don’t open the door right now, I’ll break it down—”
Clack!
Before he could finish his warning, the door suddenly swung open.
Minhyuk stepped back, startled by the forceful motion—only to be utterly shocked when he looked down.
“...Why—why are you undressed?!”
“Huh?”
After only a few hours apart, Cha Seohu was standing in front of him—wearing only pants.
Confronted with Seohu’s bare, pale torso, Minhyuk jumped back like he’d been burned. Seohu frowned in exasperation.
“You were the one shouting you’d bust down the door. I ran out mid-shower.”
“...Ah.”
“I didn’t even dry off properly, just threw on some pants and ran out—and that’s all you’ve got to say?”
Minhyuk, who had been deliberately angling his head away to avoid looking, finally took in Seohu’s condition.
His hair was soaked and slicked back, revealing his forehead. His pale skin still glistened with moisture. A faint flush on his cheeks made it clear he had genuinely rushed out of the shower after hearing the bell.
Now it was Minhyuk who looked sheepish.
“I apologize. I didn’t realize you were... washing.”
“It’s fine.”
Scoffing, Seohu stepped back into the room.
Minhyuk followed him in, awkwardly clearing his throat.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand—I wasn’t trying to interrupt your shower. I was just worried something might’ve—”
“Ugh, I didn’t dry off before putting these on, and now they’re all damp. So annoying.”
“....”
Deliberately grumbling loud enough to be heard, Seohu pulled on a t-shirt he’d thrown over the back of a chair.
It was one of the new outfits Minhyuk had arranged through staff ahead of time. At least he wasn’t refusing those.
Steadying himself, Minhyuk spoke again.
“There’s an update about your schedule—”
Whirrrrrrr!
“....”
The loud hum of a hairdryer drowned him out.
Minhyuk’s gaze grew sharper by the second.
But Seohu, completely unfazed, stood in front of the mirror blow-drying his hair while humming.
After a long session of drying, styling, and inspecting his appearance from multiple angles, he finally turned around.
“So? What did you come here for?”
Minhyuk swallowed the sigh that had risen all the way to his throat.
He’s doing this on purpose. Don’t get drawn in. Getting angry won’t help anything.
“Your re-evaluation has been scheduled. You’ll accompany me to the testing room at 11 a.m. tomorrow.”
“Ah, I’ve got low blood pressure, so mornings are hard for me.”
“Eleven is hardly morning! And blood pressure has nothing to do with—”
“Anyway, Team Leader. Do they serve food here? If not, I was gonna go out to eat.”
“They do. It’s 4 p.m. now, so a staff member will bring dinner in about two hours.”
“Six? That’s so early. What if I get hungry again later?”
“...Then go hungry. Late-night snacks are bad for you.”
“How is that fair? You drag me here against my will and lock me up, and now I can’t even have snacks? At least give back the stuff you confiscated.”
“We didn’t confiscate anything!”
“You tried. They searched me the moment I got out of the car.”
“......”
Park Minhyuk squeezed his eyes shut and thought:
God, this is exhausting.

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