Seonu Gyeong walked toward Inyeong, who was sitting by the side path near the rear entrance of the Life Sciences Building.
Inyeong was squatting down, staring up at the sky, muttering complaints to himself.
“Why the hell did I end up like this... Ah, that damn four-year-old!”
Ham Honggi ruffled his hair with both hands, completely disheveled.
He hadn’t even been able to resist when Guru told him to help out at the café—he’d just ended up working like a damn errand boy.
“Ham Honggi.”
“...Seonu Gyeong?”
“You look like shit.”
“You here to mock me too?”
“Haha! Mock you? Come on.”
Seonu Gyeong shoved his hands into his pockets and looked around. The building was in such an isolated area, there wasn’t a soul in sight.
After making sure no one was around, Seonu Gyeong pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it over.
“...?”
Ham Honggi reflexively caught whatever had flown toward his face.
It was a small syrup bottle, barely fitting into his palm, filled with some unidentified liquid.
Ham Honggi grimaced.
“What the hell is this?”
“It’s your favorite thing, isn’t it?”
“Ah, I told you I’m not doing that shit anymore. Don’t come making my life messier—take it back.”
Ham Honggi tossed the syrup bottle right back at him.
“You?”
Seonu Gyeong caught the bottle and let out a quiet, mocking laugh.
“Honggi, did your card get declined again or something?”
“Wha? My card?”
“I’ll give you a discount. You’ve been a loyal customer for years, after all.”
Ham Honggi ran a hand through his hair, looking fed up.
Seonu Gyeong always played the model student, top grades, good reputation, yet somehow he was even more hopeless than a fuck-up like him.
“You should quit trying to be so damn good all the time. How long are you planning to live like that?”
As he said it, Ham Honggi trailed off and his mouth hung open.
Ah.
Ah...?
Even as the words left his lips, they sounded weirdly familiar—and then he realized, those were the same damn lines that four-year-old had thrown at him.
The endless nagging from his family echoed in his ears right after.
Ah, fuck. Ham Honggi scratched at his head, uncomfortable.
It was a weird experience, getting a taste of how people probably felt when they looked at him.
...This is awkward as hell.
He darted his eyes around with an embarrassed look, only to find Seonu Gyeong glaring at him with a chilling expression.
What the hell? Why’s he looking at me like that...
But Seonu Gyeong quickly wiped the expression away and flashed a relaxed smile
“Honggi, wanna bet? Whether you can quit or not. I’ll bet on you not quitting.”
“What?”
It happened in an instant.
Seonu Gyeong twisted the cap off the syrup bottle and splashed the liquid ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) straight onto Ham Honggi’s face.
“Ugh!” Ham Honggi instinctively lifted his hand, but some of the liquid still got into his mouth and nose.
“Ptuh! Cough— You piece of— Hey! Seonu Gyeong!”
Just as Ham Honggi grabbed Seonu Gyeong by the collar and shoved him up against the wall—
Thump!
His heart pulsed violently.
...What the?
Thump!
His chest felt like it was going to explode, the pressure under his ribs unbearable.
Ham Honggi clutched his chest with a pained expression.
“You ain’t quitting shit, dumbass.”
Seonu Gyeong kicked him hard in the side.
“Don’t make me laugh. Just sit your ass down, do your drugs, and keep tossing your life down the gutter!”
“Urgh!”
Ham Honggi curled up like a shrimp.
Seeing him so pathetic filled Seonu Gyeong’s fingertips with an exhilarating thrill.
As he lifted his foot to stomp him again—
A sharp sting shot through his thigh.
“Ah!”
A tiny kid stood there holding a plastic duck-shaped grabber, glaring up at him fiercely.
“Stop bein’ so mean!”
Ham Honggi leaned his dizzy head against the wall.
“Hanghanggi, yoo okay?”
“...Ugh.”
He wanted to say, No, thanks to you, I’m really not, but the words wouldn’t come out.
The pounding of his heart was slowly settling down.
His body should’ve built up a tolerance to this shit by now—there’s no way such a tiny dose should trigger this kind of reaction. Was the concentration higher than usual?
Seonu Gyeong watched him gradually regain color in his face, looking a little put off, then turned to Guru with a softer voice.
“You’re Dani’s little sister, right? You shouldn’t go around hitting your Oppaw like that.”
“Hanghanggi bein’ a meanie first!”
“What? You sure you didn’t imagine that? We grown-ups gotta talk, why don’t you go inside? Or should I take you in?”
He reached out his hand.
That bastard...
Ham Honggi yanked Guru over to his side.
“Hey—cough! Leave the kid alone.”
Seonu Gyeong shot him another vicious glare.
“Pretty sure a junkie like you is more dangerous than I am.”
This motherfucker... Ham Honggi bit down hard on his lip.
Just then, Seonu Gyeong’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
[NAG Gu Shinhoo]
Goddamn it.
How many times is he gonna call today?
That was already the tenth time. Normally he’d ignore him, saying he had class, but on a day like this, he didn’t even have a good excuse to dodge it.
Swallowing his irritation, Seonu Gyeong answered the call.
“...Hello, Guildmastuh Gu.”
While he was on the phone with Gu Shinhoo, Ham Honggi wiped the liquid off his face and muttered.
“Hey, four-year-old... Cough, cough... Don’t hang around out here, go inside already.”
The moment Guru showed up, his erratic heartbeat had calmed like nothing happened.
That was a relief, but Seonu Gyeong suddenly losing his damn mind was the real problem now.
First priority was getting the four-year-old out of Seonu Gyeong’s sight.
But Guru shook her head.
“Mean gwasses gonna huwt Hanghanggi again.”
“T-That’s only ‘cause I let my guard down!”
Ham Honggi’s face flushed red as he defended himself, while Guru furrowed her brows in sympathy at how frail Ham Honggi looked today.
Should I take that thing out now?
Guru was debating it when a familiar voice called out.
“Gwuu Gwuu, why’re you out here? I been lookin’ evwywhere.”
“Oppaw!”
Gidan approached, eyeing both the unsteady Ham Honggi and Seonu Gyeong, who was still on the phone.
Seonu Gyeong gave a half-hearted wave, but his discomfort was plain as day.
“...Mm.”
Gidan quickly scooped Guru into his arms.
This setup’s kinda weird...
It reminded him of the strange tension between Seonu Gyeong and Ham Honggi when he visited the third-year classroom before.
He was trying to gauge their relationship again when—
To make matters worse, Gu Shinhoo’s voice rang out nearby.
“Hey, Woo Gyeong. It can’t be that hard to show your face, huh?”
Gu Shinhoo, gripping his phone anxiously, spotted them and his eyes widened.
Seonu Gyeong’s face turned ghostly pale in an instant.
“Hah, no wonder everyone’s been gathering around this building. Guess all the celebs are hiding out here?”
Still holding Guru, Gidan bowed politely toward Gu Shinhoo.
“Guildmastuh Gu, came to check out the festival?”
“Oh! Dani, you go here too? You know Woo Gyeong?”
It’s that mean ugly fish-man! Guru squinted her eyes and clung tighter to Gidan’s collar.
Gidan patted her back gently to calm her down.
“Figures, only the rich kids get to play at fancy schools these days. Back in my day, couldn’t even dream of a place like this. World’s gettin’ real nice.”
Grinning ear to ear, Gu Shinhoo casually threw his arm over Seonu Gyeong’s shoulder.
“Whoa, no way... Senior Seonu Gyeong, you joining NAG?”
“...I...”
Before he could speak, Gu Shinhoo cut in.
“Well, Woo Gyeong’s still thinking it over, but I’m working hard to convince him.”
“Hah, I see.”
If Gidan remembered right, Seonu Gyeong was a C-rank Hunter. Not low, but not exactly worth all this VIP treatment from NAG either...
“We set up a class café inside this building, come by sometime. I’ll spoil ya, Guildmastuh.”
“No freebies?”
“Ah, Guildmastuh, if you love freebies, you’ll go bald. You’re the face of NAG, gotta protect that pretty boy image.”
Gidan’s playful jab made Gu Shinhoo chuckle, glancing slyly at Seonu Gyeong.
But Seonu Gyeong’s unease was obvious, shifting his gaze, fidgeting with his elbow.
Gu Shinhoo clicked his tongue, annoyed.
He’d been careful to keep things discreet... Did Gidan know him too?
Could Hyeonak be scouting Seonu Gyeong as well?
Is that why they’re together? Is that why Seonu Gyeong kept dodging his calls?
Maybe the guy was shopping around, playing NAG and Hyeonak against each other.
Should I lock this down now?
No, don’t jump to conclusions.
Gu Shinhoo forced a casual smile, testing the waters with Gidan.
“Looks like even our fake officer’s getting a few offers, huh?”
Gidan stiffened for a second, hugging Guru tighter.
“What’re you talking about?”
Gu Shinhoo smiled wider, watching Gidan’s reaction with calculated ease.
“You didn’t know? Woo Gyeong’s one of the fake officers. Guess you two aren’t that close after all?”

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