"Why the hell are you here?"
Kwon Seoyul. Like me and Hyun Dowoon, he grew up in the C-281 district. The guy rarely ever leaves that place unless something really unusual happens. I gently lowered Cha Sahyeon from my arms and walked over to him.
"At least pretend to greet me nicely."
"Cut the crap."
I pressed my foot hard on Kwon Seoyul’s shoulder as he lay sprawled on the floor. He laughed like a fool and grabbed my ankle.
"Ow, that hurts."
"You busted my window and crashed into my office. What kind of friendly greeting do you expect?"
Kwon Seoyul was an S-rank Hunter whose skill activated through musical instruments. A rare ability that triggered both offensive and debuff effects when he played music. Since he wasn’t registered with the government, barely anyone knew about him.
The shockwave from the harmonica must’ve been what shattered the glass earlier. That harmonica was his go-to weapon.
So that’s why Cha Sahyeon activated his skill so suddenly...
Thanks to him, we blocked the attack, but one glance at the wrecked office made exhaustion wash over me. Annoyed, I pushed my foot even harder into Seoyul’s shoulder. He groaned and kept up the drama, pretending to be in pain.
As if. He’s an S-rank—no way that even registered.
"I was going to knock like a normal person, you know."
"And?"
"There was a kid I’d never seen before. So I figured I’d test him with a skill."
He pointed behind me at Cha Sahyeon. The kid was still glaring daggers at Seoyul, black shadows writhing behind him like octopus limbs.
"Who’s that? Yours? Like, are you raising him?"
He spoke more like he was talking about a pet than a person. I sighed and pressed Seoyul’s shoulder down again as he tried to lift himself.
"Who I live with isn’t your damn business. So butt out and tell me why you’re really here."
"Isn’t it obvious? I’m here on orders."
"..."
I didn’t need to ask who gave them. There was only one person who could command a loose cannon like Kwon Seoyul.
As I narrowed my eyes, Seoyul slid his hand slowly up my ankle.
"Father’s really worried about you."
"..."
"I heard you came to the district recently and didn’t even show your face. You know he hates that. Why keep provoking him?"
"So he told you to drag me back?"
"Nope. Sadly for you, it’s just surveillance."
"Surveillance?"
As I scowled, Seoyul pouted like it was unfair.
"I swear! Just surveillance. He even told me not to touch you since you’re injured."
"What?"
I shook off the hand that had crept up to my calf and this time grabbed him by the collar. Up close, there wasn’t a hint of a lie in Seoyul’s eyes.
"He actually said that...?"
"Yup. So I’m behaving, see?"
Kwon Seoyul always followed orders to the letter. And he had no reason to lie about something like this.
Which meant... that man really gave that order. Because he thought I was injured?
...He figured it out.
My chest felt heavier than ever. I didn’t know when he’d noticed, but I had always assumed he’d find out eventually—especially after I picked up that longsword.
If he watched the Competitive Match broadcast, then he probably knew even before that.
I expected it. But now that it was happening, my mind was a mess. I let go of Seoyul’s collar and asked,
"Why you, though?"
"What, you don’t like me? If one of the others had come, they’d have made a bigger mess."
By "brothers," he didn’t mean blood relatives. We were part of a group—created by that man—that followed his every order without question.
There were six of us in total: me, Hyun Dowoon, Kwon Seoyul...Well, five now, since I left.
None of them were registered Hunters. Even Dowoon, who was an S-rank information-type, didn’t exist in the government’s database. Whenever someone needed to operate outside the district, they used fake identities.
Which was why the first thing I did after leaving was register properly as a Hunter. Not that it helped—I got kidnapped by the lab almost immediately after.
"You can drop the skill now, kid."
Ignoring Seoyul, I approached Cha Sahyeon, patted his head, and pulled him into my arms. The boy finally relaxed, his last lingering shadow vanishing from his back.
I sat him on the couch, gave him a lollipop, and went to retrieve my phone. It had fallen during the scuffle, and although the screen was cracked, it still worked.
As I searched for Hyun Dowoon’s number, Seoyul stood and shuffled over to me with a whine.
"Aww, hyung. After all this time, this is how you treat me? I said I was sorry about the window. And you didn’t even mention that kid."
"Why should I?"
"Because we’re brothers?"
"Fuck that. I quit that damned family."
I said it without hesitation. Seoyul looked genuinely startled for a second.
Ignoring him, I dialed Dowoon. The dial tone only lasted a few seconds before he picked up—surprisingly fast.
― "Every time you call, I get nervous now."
His exasperated tone made me chuckle.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but this one’s not an emergency."
― "That so?"
"Yeah. So right now I—"
Just as I started to explain, the phone was yanked out of my hand.
Startled, I turned. Kwon Seoyul, now holding my phone, frowned coldly.
"You quit the ‘family,’ huh? Then why are you still talking to Dowoon hyung?"
― "Wait, is that Kwon Seoyul?!"
Hyun Dowoon’s voice rang out from the speaker in disbelief.
"Are you still talking to Dowoon? What about Jeongho hyung? Haeil hyung?"
― "Put Seo-hu back on the line."
Seoyul’s amber eyes shimmered with tears as he shouted:
"You all kept in touch without me?!"
"......"
Silence blanketed the office. I «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» had no idea where to even start with this mess. I just stood there, my expression cold and flat.
From the phone, Dowoon’s muttering could still be heard:
― "Goddamn it, this little psycho again..."
Where did it all go wrong?
I buried my face in my hand, groaning in frustration, while Hyun Dowoon spoke with something resembling pity.
― "Come on, you knew someone was gonna get sent."
"Yeah, but him?"
I clicked my tongue, glaring at the now-gaping hole where my window used to be. Hearing that, Seoyul slumped his shoulders and started picking up the wreckage.
― "I told you to check in before you left."
“...So this was punishment for not visiting?”
― "Only he knows that. But even if you had gone, I doubt you’d have gotten out safely."
"Yeah, probably not."
I’d have been locked up for sure. So in a way, maybe this was the best possible outcome. If they wanted to drag me back, they’d have sent someone like Jeongho or Kang Haeil—not Seoyul.
― "But it’s still weird. Sending someone just to spy? Especially a ‘brother’?"
"Hmm..."
― "Seriously, what the hell have you been doing?"
I didn’t answer Dowoon’s direct question.
From his perspective, it probably looked like I was running around stirring shit up as “Cover,” so they sent Seoyul. But it was likely more complicated than that. I could never fully read that man’s mind.
"Ahem, anyway. You didn’t know he was coming, right?"
I forced a cough and changed the subject. Dowoon seemed to get the hint and sighed.
― "Yeah, I gave your office location, but I never expected them to send Seoyul."
After a pause, he added:
― "Honestly, if it had to be one of them, I figured they’d send Jeongho and just haul your ass back, injuries or not."
That was why he gave me that hint last time. Unlike me, Dowoon still lived in the district. That was the most he could do.
Being under surveillance instead of dragged off... that much I could understand. But why Seoyul?
Over the past two weeks, while waiting for the Competitive Match, I’d assumed someone from the district would come. The worst-case scenario was one of the “brothers.” All of them were high-tier S-ranks—even with my Hidden Skill, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
Anyone else, I could probably handle—or chase off with Cha Sahyeon’s help.
But the fact that they waited until after the match to send Seoyul?
They knew I’d be there.
Even after all this time since I left—both in this life and the last—I was still dancing in that man’s palm.
As I stayed silent, Dowoon sighed again and continued.
"You’re saying that a little too openly, don’t you think?"
Seoyul muttered, clearly listening in on the call while stacking up shattered glass like a scolded puppy.
He had a point. This wasn’t the time to be chatting leisurely. Dowoon didn’t have any more info, so it was time to hang up and deal with Seoyul.
"Oh, right."
Just as I was about to end the call, a thought flashed in my head—something I meant to ask Dowoon later.
"Actually, I had something I wanted to ask."
― "What now."
"That SNS search trick you told me about."
― "SNS search?"
"Yeah. I followed your instructions but... nothing new came up. Not a single post. And that doesn’t make sense—the reaction was great, so..."
Dowoon listened quietly as I explained, then responded, sounding vaguely annoyed.
― "What did you search for?"
"......"
― "......?"
"...You don’t need to know."
― "What?"

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