When the darkness that had covered my eyes vanished, a familiar room appeared.
It was the Yesung Guild reception room we’d been in before flying to Spiderweb’s headquarters where Eun Woojeong was.
The reception room was dark and quiet with the lights off. Kwon Taehyuk checked the time on his wristwatch and let out a tired breath as he spoke.
“It’s 11:30 p.m. It’s late, so the staff won’t be here.”
“Thank God.”
Sahyeon must have checked ahead and moved us, so the chances of running into someone were low, but it was still far better to suddenly appear in the middle of the night when nobody was around than to pop in broad daylight.
“Ah, I’m exhausted. Following you around, what kind of goddamn suffering is this?”
Kwon Seoyul complained loud enough for everyone to hear as he flopped down on the sofa.
“Then you should’ve gotten lost sooner.”
I replied halfheartedly and looked at Cha Sahyeon.
We’d gotten past one huge lump of garbage called cleaning up Spiderweb, but this wasn’t the time to rest.
“Hey, kid. Any news yet from the shadow you sent to go find J?”
Yoon Jeha, who’d been showing fatigue as she shoved her weapon into her inventory, immediately turned her gaze to me.
Cha Sahyeon calmly nodded.
“Yeah. If the bird hasn’t come back, it means it still hasn’t found him. And it’ll take some time to check what’s going on.”
“Haa...”
Hearing Sahyeon’s answer, Yoon Jeha let out a deep sigh.
Her shoulders, which had been stiff, slumped down. She looked exactly like someone who’d gotten her hopes up and then been disappointed. I watched Yoon Jeha’s pale profile for a moment, then said to Sahyeon.
“Find out. Something might’ve really happened.”
Not just because Yoon Jeha had helped us first and we owed her something.
J mattered to me too.
He was the only one with a line connecting to those cult freaks.
‘And his skill set is useful.’
An S-rank Awakener who couldn’t refuse Cha Sahyeon, and who used shadow skills similar to his.
No matter what, we had to pull him onto our side. That was the way J survived, and the way we survived.
“Yeah. But it’ll take a bit.”
“Hold on.”
Kwon Taehyuk raised a hand to signal us to wait.
“Then instead of doing this here, let’s move. You’re all tired, and it’s late, so I’ll lend you rooms where you can rest. Hunter Cha Seohu, I’ll guide you back to the room you stayed in before. It’s maintained daily, so you can use it right away.”
At his calm, organized words, Kwon Seoyul—who’d been sprawled out and lazily wiggling the leg that was hanging off the sofa—smirked.
“Wow, so the big boss of a guild really is different, huh? Just handing out rooms? Feels like a hotel.”
Kwon Seoyul rolled onto his side, propped his chin on his hand, and lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Can I use it like a real hotel? Like, trash the place, throw a booze party, call girls—ah, right, there aren’t any girls to call here. Then I’ll just sleep al—”
“Shut your mouth.”
Before Kwon Seoyul’s words could rot everyone’s ears—including Kwon Taehyuk’s—I cut him off. I didn’t bother hiding my disgust as I glared at him.
“I’d really like you to get lost already. No, seriously, get lost. Just get lost, no matter what. If I send you back, they’ll send another sibling, right? That would be better.”
“Ah, what the hell is your problem with me now?!”
Kwon Seoyul sprang up, bristling.
“You’re the one who screwed up in the first place! You said you were just going {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} out for a bit, and it’s been a whole day now!”
“What do you want me to do about things suddenly turning out like this? Did I do it on purpose?”
“Whatever! And I still can’t go back. You forgot what Father ordered? We’re supposed to find Hyun Dowoon.”
“Ah.”
I sucked in a breath without meaning to. I was genuinely shocked.
‘I completely forgot.’
I’d been so frantic about finding J that I’d forgotten about Hyun Dowoon. Jesus. How was that even possible?
Sitting on the sofa and watching my expression, Kwon Seoyul snorted like he couldn’t believe it.
“Wow... You’re incredible. You piece of trash.”
“Shut up. I just blanked for a second. I was too busy saving some bastard who almost died.”
I roughly raked a hand through my hair and squeezed my eyes shut.
After taking a deep breath, I called out to Sahyeon with apology and embarrassment mixed in.
“...Kid.”
“Mm. I’ll send one.”
Thankfully, Sahyeon caught on fast and summoned a new shadow bird before I even had to ask.
Kreeeek!
The shadow bird circled over our heads, cried out powerfully, then flew outside. Please, at least let that one come back quickly with news.
“...I’ll guide you to your rooms.”
Ten minutes later, looking even more tired, Kwon Taehyuk opened the reception room door for us.
***
The room I returned to after a long time was clean, just like Kwon Taehyuk had said, with nothing changed from before we left.
The room across from the one Sahyeon and I would use went to Yoon Jeha and Kwon Seoyul. Kwon Taehyuk explained that there was a resting space inside the representative office, and he would rest there.
‘A resting space in the same place you work.’
Being the boss isn’t easy either.
I clicked my tongue silently, but Sahyeon stopped instead of entering the room.
“Rest, bro. I’m going out to check the shadows and come back.”
Just like he’d said earlier, he meant he was going to check on the state of the shadows he’d sent to J.
“You can’t do it from the room?”
“I might have to move around. Rest. I’ll come back once I gather information.”
Kwon Taehyuk, who hadn’t left and had been watching our conversation from the hallway, opened his mouth.
“Hunter Cha Seohu. Then how about you talk with me for a moment. Of course, only if you aren’t too tired.”
“Talk?”
Beside me, looking puzzled, Sahyeon turned his gaze to Kwon Taehyuk.
He stared at Kwon Taehyuk with a look like he was measuring something. Kwon Taehyuk didn’t avoid that stare and met it head-on.
After a moment, Sahyeon gave a short nod and looked back at me.
“That’s better, bro. Just in case, don’t be alone.”
“No, I mean... do I really need to be that careful? This is Yesung Guild, at least.”
“While I’m checking the shadows, I have to focus, so it’s hard for me to keep an eye on this place. So stay with him.”
Sahyeon looked at Kwon Taehyuk one last time and said,
“I’ll be back.”
The moment he finished speaking, black shadow surged up from beneath his feet.
The shadow rose in a rounded shape like a crown, then swallowed Sahyeon. He vanished without a trace.
Only Kwon Taehyuk and I remained in the hallway. I shrugged and moved into the room first.
“Come in.”
The moment I said it naturally, it felt weird.
Why was I telling him to come in like I was the owner? This was a Yesung Guild room.
“Thank you.”
Maybe he didn’t notice how strange it was. Kwon Taehyuk dipped his head briefly, took off his shoes, and followed me in.
Click.
When I flipped the switch, the lights snapped on, revealing a living room with neatly arranged furniture.
“Uh... do you want me to get something to drink?”
It felt awkward, so I scratched the back of my neck for no reason as I spoke.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I had no idea what was even in the fridge.
‘What is wrong with me? Seriously, I’m doing the most.’
I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed. Kwon Taehyuk stopped at a measured distance and answered calmly.
“No. It’s fine.”
“Right...”
Only then did I lift my gaze and look at Kwon Taehyuk properly.
Seeing his neat face, I finally remembered why I couldn’t help but feel awkward.
‘This is the first time since that day.’
The time Kwon Taehyuk confessed to me on the snowy mountain.
That night he insisted he’d take responsibility for the kiss, his cheeks and ears turning red as he tried so hard to appeal to me.
Even though Eun Woojeong barging in had smashed the mood to pieces and made it all fizzle out, it was still the moment I learned how Kwon Taehyuk felt.
‘...What did I even say back then? I can’t remember.’
It felt like it ended without any proper talk because Eun Woojeong interrupted.
After that, so many insane incidents happened, and we never had time alone, so it seemed like it got buried and forgotten.
By the time that thought reached the end, a bit of cold sweat broke out.
‘Don’t tell me he dragged me here to bring that up again right now?’
I mean, I could just refuse.
That kind of relationship was hard to see with a man, and I didn’t have the breathing room to worry about kisses and all that.
If I explained it like that, Kwon Taehyuk would definitely understand and back off.
‘In the first place, even that kiss was because of the buff, so obviously.’
Then why was I so anxious, unable to keep still?
Before I knew it, I was fidgeting and watching Kwon Taehyuk’s mood.
I wanted to bite my tongue at how ridiculous I was. But my body wouldn’t move the way I wanted.
The longer the silence stretched, the more I couldn’t keep my hands still. In the end, almost like I was binding myself, I crossed my arms and locked them tight, then spoke first.
“So... what did you want to talk about?”
“Yes.”
Kwon Taehyuk hesitated too, like he was wavering, then opened his mouth.
“From next time on, you don’t have to do that.”
“Huh?”
I’d been bracing myself for the word “kiss,” and I blinked with a blank expression.
Kwon Taehyuk spoke again, firm.
“When the entire team is in danger, you don’t have to consider me.”
