‘What the actual fuck...’
No matter how many times I blinked, hoping this was a hallucination, Kwon Seoyul was still there in front of me.
As I stood frozen, stunned by the utterly unexpected appearance, Seoyul sauntered up and gave my cheek a playful tug, grinning wide.
“Totally spaced out. So cute.”
“......”
This little shit.
Once the initial shock faded, what surged in to take its place was pure, boiling irritation. I slapped his hand away, my lips curling into a twisted sneer.
“Why are you here? You were given an order, weren’t you?”
“Well, yeah, but the order changed.”
He shrugged, completely unfazed by the smack.
“Father told me to help you get inside the venue. I was just watching you when I got the new command.”
“He told you... to help me? That man?”
“Who else would it be?”
He said it so casually, like it was obvious.
But for me, it was anything but. It was already a mess that Seoyul had appeared out of nowhere—now he was claiming that man had ordered him to help me?
‘What the hell is going on?’
I wanted to go back to the district and get a clearer read on the situation, but if I crossed that gate, I’d be dragged straight up to the top floor. No way out.
This had gotten complicated. I never imagined Seoyul would openly reveal himself in front of others.
How the hell was I supposed to explain this?
I pressed a hand to my temple, trying to soothe the growing headache, when—
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
A low voice called from behind. I turned around to find Kwon Taehyuk, face cold as stone, speaking up.
“Can you explain who this is?”
“Ah...”
Standing next to him were Ryu Sunghyun, wearing a polite smile that didn’t hide the wariness in his eyes, and Eun Woojeong, looking outright amused.
‘This is a goddamn disaster.’
It was far too late to brush Seoyul off as just some acquaintance. He’d already babbled about receiving orders and offering help, meaning no one was going to believe a word I said. Not when the phone he’d called moments earlier belonged to Taehyuk himself.
Everything I’d built up in terms of trust... on the verge of crumbling. Especially with Sunghyun, who I’d just barely managed to start building a rapport with.
“This is, well...”
“I know him.”
Before I could even begin a panicked explanation, Seoyul casually interjected.
“I ran into him before, on the stairs of his office building. Right?”
“Kwon Seoyul.”
I called his name in warning, hoping he’d get the message. But he ignored me, tilting his head innocently.
“Why are you pretending not to know me? I heard you even tried poking around in our district’s system.”
His eyes curled with a smile, but his words were sharp as a blade. A blatant threat.
Even Kwon Taehyuk’s eyes grew cold at that, one brow rising ever so slightly.
He accessed the district system? That was news to me. But even if he did, it wouldn’t have yielded much. Hyun Dowoon built the servers, and even the government couldn't crack them.
Chances are, Taehyuk just sensed something was off with Seoyul and tried to investigate. He probably already knew I had ties to the district.
I could guess where this was going.
“Enough.”
I grabbed Seoyul’s arm, and he finally turned toward me.
“But Hyung! That guy was watching your office. I almost killed a bunch of sketchy-looking dudes hanging around the building.”
“...I get it, so shut up already.”
Today’s just full of revelations, huh?
Why Taehyuk had someone monitoring me was still a mystery, but now wasn’t the time to dig into it. I pressed my palm firmly to the back of Seoyul’s head and bowed.
“I’m sorry, Guildmaster of Yesung. I’ll find a way to make up for the leaked number after this is over. And you—apologize. Now.”
“What the hell, why me?”
“Shut up. Do it.”
“...Sorryyyyy.”
Kwon Taehyuk looked at the two of us, sighed, and said, “No, it’s fine. Let’s put the matter to rest here. I didn’t exactly handle it well either.”
As soon as he heard that, Seoyul straightened up like he’d been waiting for it. I seriously had no idea what to do with this reckless brat.
“Well then, now that we’ve all had our say, how about we take a moment to introduce ourselves?”
Eun Woojeong finally spoke, arms crossed and a pleasant smile playing on his lips.
“I already know Guildmaster Kwon and Hunter Cha Seohu from before, but I’m meeting the other two for the first time. And it sounds like the five of us will be working together now.”
“...I agree introductions are in order. But Mr. Eun Woojeong, is there a reason you need to be involved?”
I frowned, annoyed. He smiled even wider, as if he’d expected the pushback.
“That’s a little harsh. I did tell you about the increased security, didn’t I? And once we’re inside, I’ll be the most useful, no? I was officially invited. With me around, you’ll attract less suspicion.”
“......”
He was clearly trying to stick with us no matter what, offering excuses that sounded helpful but reeked of ulterior motive.
‘As the leader of Spiderweb, he probably realized Kwak Seunggyu is tied to the lab.’
If Taehyuk and Dowoon figured it out, then of course Woojeong would know too.
He hadn’t contacted me, which is why I’d written him off and sided with Taehyuk—but if Woojeong was attending to meet Seunggyu...
‘...Fine. Might as well keep him where I can see him.’
Better than being nervous about what he’s doing behind my back. And if things go south, I can always blackmail him by threatening to expose his identity.
“I do hope you’re actually helpful.”
“Haha, you’re always so cold to me, Hunter Cha Seohu. Anyway... does everyone agree with my suggestion to do introductions? We should wrap it up and get moving.”
“...I think just the new folks need to introduce themselves.”
Ryu Sunghyun spoke up gently, sounding a little embarrassed.
“I’m Ryu Sunghyun, Vice Guildmaster of the Circle Guild. I’m here to assist Hunter Cha Seohu and Hunter Kwon Taehyuk.”
As expected from Ryu Sunghyun—his voice was calm, his tone pleasant, the whole delivery pitch-perfect.
Next to me, Seoyul added his bit.
“Kwon Seoyul. Seohu hyung’s little brother!”
“....”
Zero effort. Not even a speck of decency.
If he’s going to name-drop me, could he at least act a little polite? But no—expecting anything from Seoyul was a waste of hope.
While I stood there, silently fuming, Woojeong and Sunghyun shook hands.
“Vice Guildmaster Ryu, it’s an honor to meet ★ Novelight ★ you. Congratulations on your victory in the competition. I’m a big fan of Cover, so I watched the entire broadcast—you were incredible.”
“Thank you. I’ve heard a lot about you too, Mr. Eun Woojeong. You’re quite famous.”
Can this guy please stop mentioning he’s a Cover fan?
“Let’s move on and revise the plan.”
I cut in quickly, before Woojeong could start babbling more about Cover. Truthfully, Seoyul’s arrival had already delayed us far too long—we needed to get moving.
Seoyul’s method was surprisingly straightforward: enter through Yeongchumun, the west gate of Gyeongbokgung, located on the exact opposite side of the National Folk Museum entrance where we currently stood.
“I already gave the guards there a heads-up. They said we can just walk in.”
“...Haah.”
Seoyul’s explanation sounded simple—but the logistics behind it were anything but.
That man’s influence didn’t end with the C-281 district. It had long since spread, through the people raised there, scattered now across the country.
Even outside the district, there were still those who obeyed his orders without question. Security companies staffed by Awakeners included.
I didn’t even know how many groups he had under his control anymore. There were likely so many that keeping count was meaningless.
“We should move to Yeongchumun, then. There’s nothing more to do here.”
“Can we trust this?”
Kwon Taehyuk asked quietly, eyes meeting mine.
There was no accusation in his tone. He just wanted to confirm.
It gave me a strange feeling. If I said yes—would he really believe me, even though this was Seoyul?
I tamped down the unease and nodded.
“It’s hard to believe, I know. But it’s worth checking. He really did come here to help me.”
“...Understood.”
To my surprise, Taehyuk accepted that answer without a word of complaint.
Did he... still trust me, even a little?
That thought gave me a flicker of relief.
With our next move set, we took the least crowded route possible. Taehyuk and Sunghyun led, while I walked behind with Woojeong and Seoyul.
“Hey, hyung.”
Seoyul, who had surprisingly kept quiet so far, couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I’ve got a question.”
“...What?”
I replied half-heartedly. He fidgeted a bit, glancing around like he was hesitant, then asked:
“Did your type change?”
“...What?”
I was prepared to brush off whatever stupid thing he said—but that one short-circuited my brain.
I turned to him, stunned, and he looked genuinely puzzled.
“You always liked the pretty and sexy ones, right?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the three ahead of us all spun around at once.
I reached to shut him up before the damage spread—but I was too slow.
“So why are you dating that guy? He’s nothing like your type.”
And then—he pointed. At Kwon Taehyuk.
Ryu Sunghyun and Eun Woojeong stared back and forth between the two of us. Even Taehyuk, usually composed, looked uncharacteristically flustered.
Cold sweat slid down my spine. I quickly blocked Seoyul’s view.
“Are you insane? We’re not like that—get your damn hand down.”
“Really? Hm... It’s just, back on the stairs, he glared at me like I was stepping on his turf. I figured you two were, you know, a thing.”
“Shut up. Stop talking.”
“Right, right. I guess you never did go for guys, huh? You always slept with wome—mmph!”
That was it.
I slapped my hand over his mouth, hard.
My grip turned white with effort, veins bulging. I clenched my teeth and hissed in a low voice:
“Shut. The hell. Up.”

Comments

Loading...