* * *
What should one do when in a relationship?
‘What do you mean, just carry on as usual.’
Doyoung was aware that his gaze frequently wandered towards Beom Sinje.
He just tried hard not to think too deeply about why.
“Sigh…”
“Why the sigh?”
Startled by the sudden voice, he looked to his side.
There stood Park Bora, who had approached without him noticing.
“I was just thinking about how it seems like we can’t get a clear understanding of what’s inside the lab.”
“Oh, changing the subject?”
“It seems Guide Park is getting more comfortable with me.”
“Oh no, not at all.”
She quickly composed herself and whispered while glancing around.
“Doesn’t it seem suspicious how clean it is inside?”
“Why? Do you think there’s something there?”
Doyoung knew that Park Bora and Lee Namsoo had raided the lab under his orders.
Her asking such a meaningful question hinted that she had something to say.
“There wasn’t a single device or item installed on this floor. From that, we guess they might have moved the container the locals mentioned downstairs.”
As expected, she began speaking in a subtle tone.
“How?”
“There was a freight elevator over there. Unfortunately, we couldn’t operate it since there was no power and no way to control it.”
Following her gaze, Doyoung turned his head.
Indeed, there was a firmly closed metal door.
Approaching it, he looked around, but there were no buttons in sight.
“But it sounds like you went down to the lower floor?”
“Yes. We got close, but nothing seemed left there either. It was so clean… But there was something suspicious, they said.”
“It sounds like you confirmed there was something below even without going down properly.”
Feigning ignorance, Doyoung asked, and she cunningly nodded.
What she was saying now was fine for others to hear.
Because…
“Yes. Lee Namsoo’s vision ability is quite useful. He told me as soon as he arrived that the lower level was suspicious.”
Smiling knowingly, she pointed at Lee Namsoo, who then approached and said,
“There’s water on the lower floor.”
“Water?”
“Yes, covering the entire floor.”
Glancing between the two, Doyoung felt a question rise.
“Why didn’t you report this?”
Considering the situation, it was suspicious enough to warrant reporting.
But there was no separate notification through Sara.
Gazing at her steadily, Park Bora twirled a lock of hair with her finger and avoided his eyes. It was clear she felt guilty.
“Spill it. What’s up?”
The atmosphere changed abruptly.
Without altering his expression, his gaze alone could make people tense, as always.
‘He’s as ruthless as ever.’
Is someone like him really dating a guy who’s not only the same gender but also five years younger?
Park Bora observed Beom Sinje exploring the research lab with guild members from a distance.
“That guy, who has the guts to date someone like him, must not be ordinary either.”
But then again, they somehow seem to suit each other…
“Guide Park.”
Perhaps she was lost in thought for too long.
Seeing Doyoung’s gaze turning colder than before, Park Bora quickly opened her mouth with a nervous laugh.
“Actually, I found something suspicious and was going to confirm it before reporting.”
“Suspicious?”
“Well… After that incident, the two of them returned after sending the other employees away.”
She added, explaining that she saw a Jeep.
“But no one got out; it just circled around like it was patrolling and then disappeared.”
“What does that have to do with you not reporting it?”
“I found something interesting while trying to follow it.”
When Doyoung gestured for more information, Park Bora pulled something out of her pocket.
It was a business card.
‘This is…’
Doyoung narrowed his eyes as he read the content.
He found a piece of paper in his wallet that he had put aside and forgotten.
“Huh?”
Park Bora’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between what Doyoung took out and the business card she showed.
Both had the same content.
Consultant Manager Johan Resenbrink.
The name of the man who had tried to flirt with Doyoung was written there.
“Guild leader, take a look at this.”
Beom Sinje, who was thoroughly scanning the surroundings, attempted to walk toward Lee Jihoon.
But he suddenly glanced back at Doyoung, who was talking with Park Bora.
The distance made it hard to hear what they were discussing.
Moreover, Doyoung’s expression remained unchanged, making it difficult to gauge his mood.
Only from Park Bora’s serious expression could one guess it was a grave conversation.
‘What are they talking about?’
Their relationship had already been confirmed through Doyoung.
Thus, it was likely related to the Antithesis or the Dungeon Ecology Research Lab.
“Guild leader?”
Even in this situation, Beom Sinje hesitated.
If a guild member asked him to come over, it must be urgent or something that required his confirmation.
Yet, his curiosity leaned more toward what Doyoung was discussing.
Beom Sinje barely suppressed his feelings and was about to turn his head when he spotted a suspicious scene.
Park Bora handed something from her pocket to Doyoung, who quickly showed something similar from his wallet.
‘Business card?’
Why are they suddenly exchanging those?
More puzzling was that both their expressions changed.
Seeing this, Beom Sinje unconsciously changed direction.
“Huh? Guild leader.”
“Just a moment.”
After telling him to wait, Beom Sinje briskly approached them.
Noticing this, Doyoung turned toward him first.
“Beom… Guild leader.”
In the midst of habitually calling his name, Beom Sinje corrected himself as he snatched the item from Doyoung’s hand.
The paper, written only in English, mentioned the job title “Consultant” and a name.
“What is this?”
Doyoung inwardly sighed in frustration.
He had intended to put it away as soon as he saw Beom Sinje approaching, but it was too late.
Not that he had intended to keep it hidden for long.
Still, he was pondering how to relay this without bringing up the Antithesis.
‘If I say it’s from the man I met at the hotel lounge last night…’
Considering Beom Sinje’s seemingly wary demeanor, Doyoung hesitated to reveal the truth.
“It’s the same. Did you both get solicited by the same consultant?”
That seemed unlikely.
Beom Sinje cast a meaningful glance at Doyoung and Park Bora, making them both feel scrutinized.
Park Bora subtly watched Doyoung, judging it better for him to take the lead in this situation.
“Guide Park said she got it from a local before entering the lab. The local found it while scouting the area, and it seemed familiar, so we were checking it out.”
“A local found it here.”
That meant it likely involved someone related to the Dungeon Ecology Research Lab.
‘But Doyoung hyung has the same one?’
Beom Sinje narrowed his eyes at Park Bora, clearly suspicious, but Doyoung remained steadfast, knowing he had something to distract Beom Sinje’s focus.
“Yeah. I got the same one yesterday at the hotel bar.”
Predictably, Beom Sinje’s gaze snapped back to Doyoung.
“At the bar? When? From whom?”
As he asked, the image of the Latin man who had tried to hit on Doyoung while he was briefly away came to mind.
“Don’t tell me it’s the foreigner who was hitting on you?”
This time, Park Bora’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘Wow, not only the Cheonho Guild leader, but other guys are hitting on him too?’
Come to think of it, Doyoung was quite popular even within the organization.
With his fair skin, neat features, sophisticated attire, and an aura that drew attention, many showed interest regardless of gender.
He had subordinates who admired him inside the organization, but to think it happened outside as well!
More than anything, a stranger caught between the two men clearly concerned about each other was intriguing.
“It’s not like that!”
Doyoung shook his head vehemently, but Beom Sinje didn’t hide his skeptical expression.
“Not like that? He bought you a drink, toasted you, and even invited you to rest in his room. If that’s not hitting on you, then what is?”
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
“You brought it up first, hyung.”
“That was just part of the business card story!”
Exactly.
He was discussing something important, so how did the conversation turn this way?
Although he knew it could lead to this, he hadn’t planned to bring it up.
* * *
