I got out of the taxi and headed straight for the Circle Guild building entrance without hesitation.
I hadn’t made an appointment or anything, but who cared? He was the one who showed up in my dreams telling me to hurry up and come see him. It wasn’t my fault. What is he, a ghost?
‘If he has any conscience, he won’t kick me out. More importantly, though...’
I came to a stop in front of the closed door.
Currently in Cover form, my senses were more heightened than when I was Cha Seohu. Because of that, I could feel the energy signatures of the Hunters inside the building much more clearly.
‘Sunghyun bro.’
Among them was an unmistakable S-rank aura that had to belong to Ryu Sunghyun. He’d definitely sensed me approaching the building too.
After what happened just a few hours ago, was this really okay? Well, Ryu Sunghyun would probably be fine. I was the one feeling uneasy.
‘Still, I can’t let this chance go to waste.’
There wouldn’t be many times moving forward when I could leave Cha Sahyeon somewhere safe and move alone. Especially now that a security team had been assigned—this was a rare opportunity.
Kwon Taehyuk had offered me a room inside the guild building and said I could take him up on it anytime, but... it was a hard offer to accept. It was always uncomfortable relying on someone I wasn’t particularly close to.
Once I was discharged tomorrow and returned to the office with the kid, I planned to stay by Cha Sahyeon’s side and avoid acting as Cover for a while. But if something still felt off, I’d ask Kwon Taehyuk for help then.
That meant this moment—right now—was the only time I’d be able to visit as Cover. It would be a waste to let it slip by just because I felt awkward or uncomfortable. It wasn’t like anyone could even see my face anyway.
“Hoo...”
Taking a breath to steel myself, I gently knocked on the closed main door. The metallic thud echoed, and not long after, the door creaked open.
“Who’s—huh? Ah? Oh?”
The one who opened it was a familiar face. Yoo Harin, who had opened the door with a puzzled expression, widened her eyes in surprise when she saw me.
Yoo Harin was a guildmate I had often hung out with before the regression, along with Kim Suho and Ko Taeseong. I’d also run into her the last time I went to the B-rank dungeon as Cha Seohu. Of course, I was Cover now, so she’d be recalling the competitive match.
“A-Are you Cover Hunter, by any chance?”
“Long time no see.”
We’d exchanged greetings during the match, so something this light was fine.
I dipped my head slightly, and Yoo Harin, startled, hurried to bow in return and swung the door wide open.
“Oh my gosh, what a surprise. Please come in!”
“Who is it? Whoa, it’s Cover Hunter!”
“Cover Hunter’s here?”
“Cover Hunter-nim!”
“...?”
As soon as I stepped inside, the guild member behind Yoo Harin shouted in surprise, and other members started appearing left and right as they overheard.
Sure, I came by after being urged in a dream, but that was only by the fake Song Jiwoon. To the Circle guild members, I was just an outsider showing up out of nowhere. So why were they reacting this warmly?
Also, what’s with this whole “Cover Hunter-nim” thing? Why were they calling me that?
“Whoa, what brings you here?”
“Well...”
“Wow, wow!”
“Did you come to see the Vice Guildmaster?”
“Oh, I get it. You’re close with Sunghyun brother!”
“No, I...”
“Cover Hunter-nim! Can I shake your hand, please?”
“Hey, don’t be rude.”
“But this is my first time meeting them!”
“Hunter-nim, the Vice Guildmaster is upstairs. Should I call him down?”
“......”
I didn’t even know where to begin explaining.
Them calling me “Hunter-nim” was bothering me too, and I worried I might be making things uncomfortable for Ryu Sunghyun. I tried to keep calm and opened my mouth.
“No, I’m not here to see the Vice Guildmaster—”
“Cover Hunter!”
Before I could finish, Ryu Sunghyun’s voice called out from the stairway. Sensing the S-rank aura and the noise, he had rushed over and quickly took control of the situation.
“You can’t just leave our guest standing here like that. This way, Cover Hunter.”
“S-sorry!”
“Told you. I said they were here to see brother.”
“Guess it really wasn’t just a rumor—they really are close!”
“Wasn’t Cover Hunter-nim in the front gate of the Royal Palace photos too? Vice Guildmaster was there too.”
“Please visit again soon, Cover Hunter-nim!”
“Haha...”
I couldn’t help but laugh, bewildered yet oddly touched by the guild members’ sparkling eyes and warm welcome.
Who would’ve thought that Cover’s unintentional image-building would lead to this?
Even if the whole world hated me, I hoped ~Nоvеlight~ at least the Circle guild members would still like me. Cha Seohu might not have that luxury, but Cover seemed to have made a decent impression.
The anxiety that had been simmering in my chest began to ease. The guild members’ joyful reaction to my sudden visit was unexpectedly reassuring.
Thanks to that, I was able to follow Ryu Sunghyun upstairs without getting too emotionally shaken.
“Mm... Cover Hunter.”
As we walked ahead, Ryu Sunghyun broke the silence.
“Yes?”
“Did you come to see the Guildmaster?”
Since he hadn’t made any plans with me, he was asking if I had come to meet the other person in charge, Song Jiwoon.
“That’s right, but I also wanted to see you too, Vice Guildmaster.”
“What?”
He looked back at me with a puzzled expression.
“You said you wanted to talk. Back in the front gate of the Royal Palace.”
“Oh...”
Ryu Sunghyun seemed to recall the moment he had asked, “If it’s alright, I’d like to speak with you privately,” and his ears reddened as he nodded.
“Y-yeah. You remembered.”
“Of course. But I don’t have much time, so...”
“That’s fine. Let’s step into a room for a bit.”
Glancing around, Ryu Sunghyun led me into an empty conference room.
It hadn’t even been half a day since I last saw him, but this time it was a conversation between Ryu Sunghyun and Cover, not Cha Seohu. So it was likely about something different.
Inside the quiet room, Ryu Sunghyun hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“...First, may I ask why you came to see the Guildmaster?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s a personal matter. It has nothing to do with the guild, so you don’t need to worry.”
I shut it down cleanly, and Ryu Sunghyun, sensing he couldn’t press further, nodded. But it was clear the discomfort hadn’t disappeared.
Considering I had previously claimed not to know the Guildmaster, his reaction was understandable. Still, knowing he wasn’t the type to push the issue, I appreciated his restraint.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask Cover Hunter...”
Ryu Sunghyun brought up a second topic, speaking even more cautiously than before.
“You might already know, but I had a conversation with Hunter Cha Seohu at the hospital earlier.”
“I heard.”
The ridiculous rumor that Cha Seohu and Cover knew each other came in handy for once. At my response, Ryu Sunghyun gave a bitter smile, as if he’d expected it.
“Then I suppose you also know what we talked about.”
“......”
“I asked the question I originally meant to ask you, and I got a decent answer. Still, I wanted to ask Cover Hunter directly too.”
I swallowed hard. I had a good idea what he was getting at.
He probably wanted to confirm again whether I had joined the match at Cha Seohu’s request. Back in the hospital, I’d denied it—but he hadn’t believed me.
‘Would he believe it if Cover said it?’
After all the recent events, Cover was a more trusted presence than Cha Seohu. If I, as Cover, denied it, maybe this time he’d believe me.
Or maybe... he’d just assume that I’d coordinated my answer with Cha Seohu.
If it came to that, there wasn’t much I could do. I’d just have to let him misunderstand. Even if it stung a bit.
But then, what Ryu Sunghyun said next was completely different from what I had braced for.
“It’s because... Hunter Cha Seohu is too kind.”
“...Huh?”
I blinked, unsure if I’d heard correctly. Ryu Sunghyun scratched his cheek and continued, sheepishly.
“He’s too kind. Even while answering me, he was worried about my feelings.”
“......”
“I think he thought I’d be disappointed if he told me you joined the match because he asked you to.”
Even as he continued explaining, I still couldn’t process it. As I stood there blinking, Ryu Sunghyun went on.
“Hunter Cha Seohu has always worried about our guild... and he’s always been careful around me.”
“That’s...”
“I think it’s because I got angry at him before. And, well... that’s on me. No excuses.”
Ryu Sunghyun let out a helpless laugh and looked at me again.
“So, I wanted to ask you directly. Did you really join the competitive match at his request? You can be honest—it won’t hurt me. It’s not even that big a deal, really.”
“......”
“If you did, then I’ll just have one more reason to be grateful to him. And of course, to you too.”
My fingers twitched. The sudden warmth in my body made me bow my head like I was trying to hide.
So... the reason Ryu Sunghyun hadn’t believed me wasn’t because he didn’t trust me—but because he thought I was being kind to him by hiding the truth?
It wasn’t about mistrust. He believed I was protecting him by lying.
‘Ah... this is driving me nuts.’
My emotions were tossed around like a dinghy in a typhoon. It was so embarrassing, but I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from twitching upward.
I knew I had to say something, but my throat was tight, like something hot had lodged in it. After opening and closing my mouth several times, I finally managed to speak.
“I guess... I look like someone who would answer bluntly without consideration, huh.”
“Haha. Maybe a little?”
Trying to settle my churning emotions with a joke, I was relieved when Ryu Sunghyun played along. That helped me finally answer properly.
“It was my decision.”
“......”
“I told you—I thought you would win. And I’m not close enough with Cha Seohu for us to be making requests like that.”
I considered adding that Cha Seohu had been genuinely happy when they won the match... but it felt unnecessary, so I swallowed the thought.
Ryu Sunghyun fiddled with his piercing and spoke with a slightly flustered look.
“That’s a little... unexpected. I thought the only connection you had to our guild was Hunter Cha Seohu. So I assumed he asked.”
“I do watch the news, you know. Ronik’s been making a lot of noise lately.”
At the mention of Ronik Guild, I sighed, and Ryu Sunghyun narrowed his eyes in amusement. This time, it really felt like he believed me.
‘So he trusts me... but it’s kind of a weird type of trust.’
And in that moment, I realized just how differently he saw Cha Seohu and Cover. Polar opposites, really.

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