* * *
Naturally, his gaze shifted to Lee Namsoo and Lee Jihoon at the back.
Lee Namsoo, noticing Doyoung looking at him, stepped forward.
“If we open the door, we’ll see the tank immediately.”
“So we’ll be face-to-face with the creature inside?”
“Most likely.”
Not knowing the type or behavior of the creature, rushing in would be dangerous.
The group decided to strategize before proceeding and gathered closer.
“Just open the door a crack. I’ll use my ability to check it out.”
Lee Jihoon’s eyes glowed blue, and tiny specks of dust-like particles began appearing.
Doyoung’s eyes followed the movement.
“Do you control insects?”
A few mayflies fluttered almost imperceptibly in the air, their presence so subtle that no one had noticed them.
“Technically, with enough skill, I can control any living organism, including monsters. I’ll use this one here to investigate. The creature inside won’t notice.”
Lee Jihoon explained his ability and glanced at Lee Namsoo, who pressed a spot on the wall.
A small gap opened, allowing a mayfly to slip through.
Blinking, Jihoon observed the inside through the insect’s eyes.
His view was transmitted directly to his smartwatch, which allowed others, including Doyoung, to watch via their phones.
“Impressive.”
Jihoon murmured in awe. Indeed, the tank was massive, as wide as a sports field, with water nearly reaching the ceiling.
No wonder Lee Namsoo warned them about facing the creature directly upon opening the door.
“It’s calm. What should we do?”
The problem was that the previously aggressive creature was now still, and the water obscured their view inside.
“What do we do?”
Jihoon turned to Beom Sinje for a decision.
The mayfly couldn’t dive underwater, and switching to another creature was not feasible given the presence of the monster.
“Wait here.”
Beom Sinje instructed, opening the door.
As he stepped in, he sensed someone following and frowned, already suspecting who it was.
“Sigh… Hyung.”
“Just to this point. I want to confirm what it is. I told you, I feel like I’ve seen this monster before.”
Doyoung stood by the door, determined.
He leaned casually against the frame, crossing his arms, as Beom Sinje sighed again.
“Stay put.”
With a sigh of resignation, Beom Sinje allowed it, and Doyoung grinned.
“Don’t worry. I’ll just check from here as I said. Now, watch closely.”
Doyoung took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and shook it. The familiar clinking sound made Beom Sinje accept it without a word.
“Thanks, hyung.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Doyoung watched Beom Sinje drink it obediently, feeling pleased, and as he took back the empty bottle, he subtly channeled his ability through their touching fingertips.
Beom Sinje’s eyes flickered briefly, a trace of purple appearing and vanishing in an instant.
Doyoung adjusted his ability with extreme care to avoid being noticed.
As expected, Beom Sinje tilted his head, seemingly wondering if the reaction he just experienced was due to the medicine.
“See you soon.”
He waved nonchalantly, while their companions behind them observed the two with expressions of amused detachment.
Among them, Park Chanoh’s face was particularly changeable.
He still found it hard to believe what he was witnessing.
But judging by the shock expressed in the guild members’ group chat, he wasn’t the only one.
Of course, he wasn’t the one who spread the news within the guild.
Lee Jihoon had told Jang Jihye, who then spread it.
“Sigh…”
“Hunter Park Chanoh, why are you sighing? No need to worry. The guild leader can handle any monster.”
There might be unknown threats, but with Beom Sinje’s current abilities, he could overcome anything.
He had the legendary sword Levatein and the enhancement abilities Doyoung had imbued him with.
Speaking confidently, Park Chanoh’s face turned even more enigmatic.
However, Doyoung, preoccupied with watching Beom Sinje walking along the railing, didn’t notice.
“Hunter Park Chanoh, your expression is quite funny right now, did you know?”
Instead, Song Jihee, who had been observing him, spoke with a chuckle.
When Park Chanoh gave her a puzzled look, she glanced at Doyoung and whispered.
“You look like someone who’s been betrayed.”
“Sigh…”
At that, Park Chanoh let out another long sigh, prompting Doyoung to finally turn around.
“Why are you acting like this?”
“It’s just… I’m wondering how I missed this atmosphere.”
“Come on, don’t beat yourself up. Honestly, who could’ve expected that those two were more than just close?”
“But I’ve been watching them closely all this time…”
Doyoung watched their conversation with an amused expression.
He hadn’t really thought about how others perceived them, but hearing it directly like this was quite interesting.
“But seeing it today, you’re so obviously taking care of him. It’s shocking to realize we didn’t catch on.”
“Yeah, you were unusually attentive to your secretary. But we all just thought the younger brother was deeply devoted to the older one, not that there was an ulterior motive. Isn’t that right?”
“It seems like it’s all my fault.”
The conversation was veering into an increasingly absurd direction.
“So, was their relationship so conspicuous that others could notice?”
Pretending not to listen, Park Bora’s eyes sparkled as she joined in.
“Don’t even get me started. When the secretary first started at the guild, so many rumors flew around. At first, we thought they were real brothers, but when that turned out not to be the case, we speculated he must’ve saved the guild leader’s life when they were younger.”
Song Jihee shook her head, and even Lee Jihoon, standing next to her, added his knowledge to the tale.
“But according to Team Leader Hyeryoon, Doyoung helped the guild leader a lot in the past.”
“Oh… So admiration turned into affection?”
Park Bora glanced over Doyoung’s shoulder at Beom Sinje, who was approaching the tank.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn’t seem like that kind of person.
“Seems like it. Gratitude can develop into love. Thinking that way, the guild leader seems like quite the romantic.”
Although not entirely convinced, Park Bora’s gaze shifted from Beom Sinje to Doyoung, their former leader, who continued to fix his eyes on Beom Sinje.
“Does it really seem that way?”
Unexpectedly, Doyoung turned around and asked.
“Well…”
Under Doyoung’s gentle gaze, Song Jihee instinctively avoided eye contact.
The evaluations about Doyoung had generally fallen into three categories: a parachute brought in by the guild leader, a frail man who might collapse at any moment, and a competent individual who appeared exactly when needed.
Many thought of him as a fragile figure, but why did he now seem like an unyielding rock?
“It’s hard to believe, but honestly, yes. Earlier, seeing how you worried and told him not to come further, it seemed different from the cold, indifferent guild leader we knew. Seeing that, it’s not surprising that your feelings for your secretary, I mean, Na Doyoung, might have evolved into something else.”
She spoke seriously after taking a deep breath, making Doyoung ponder her words.
‘Could affection turn into love?’
His gaze returned to Beom Sinje, who was now standing at the edge of the railing, looking down into the tank below.
The monster didn’t seem to notice anyone’s presence yet, and the water surface remained still.
Judging by his expression, it was hard to tell what Beom Sinje was thinking.
But Doyoung knew firsthand that Beom Sinje had once harbored different feelings for him.
And now Song Jihee was saying something similar.
“It could change.”
If so, could it be the same for him?
Could he start seeing someone he merely supported with different eyes?
Gurgle… Gurgle… Gurgle.
A peculiar sound, like something slowly unclogging, echoed.
From Beom Sinje’s vantage point at the railing, the water’s surface began to ripple and spin, gaining speed gradually.
‘It looks like a whirlpool is forming.’
It resembled the scene of water draining from a filled bathtub, with the center gradually widening.
This revealed part of the monster that had been unidentifiable until now.
It was large, lumpy, with sharp, jagged edges.
Kwaaaah!
The hole widened, and now a tremendous volume of water was rushing into it.
It wasn’t draining but being consumed.
“A monster that eats water.”
* * *
….