* * *

He was acting the part of a guild leader so well, but the smile he made at being called handsome was very much like a young man his age.

And with his looks, he certainly had reason to be proud.

“Regarding the Argentina case, it might be a good idea to gather various perspectives. Schedule a meeting for tomorrow morning.”

“Isn’t that something you could just decide yourself?”

Without meaning to, Doyoung muttered this aloud, quickly closing his mouth in regret.

“If you say so…” Beom Sinje responded, though he looked uncertain.

“Wait! No, forget I said that.”

Despite his attempt to downplay it, both Beom Sinje and Jang Jihye simply nodded knowingly.

“Alright, let’s proceed with that and draft a team plan. Update me once it’s organized.”

“Yes, sir,” Jang Jihye replied cheerfully, giving Doyoung a quick wink before leaving.

Over the following days, Doyoung noticed a peculiar pattern: Beom Sinje would always ask for his opinion whenever someone reported something.

At first, Doyoung tried to ignore it, but watching Beom Sinje ponder over each issue sparked his interest, and he found himself chiming in.

After working for a few days, Doyoung concluded:

“It’s amazing things have gone so smoothly here…”

While the reports gave him some idea, he couldn’t help but think that everything was remarkably disorganized.

Hunters might be focused on catching monsters, but a company couldn’t function on that alone!

“Hmm… is it that bad?”

“Worse than you think. You should have brought in a consulting team at the very least.”

“Consulting team?”

Seeing Beom Sinje’s blank expression, Doyoung sighed.

Clearly, he hadn’t even considered such things before.

“Well, you’ll be overseeing things from now on, won’t you?”

It was becoming clear to Doyoung that Beom Sinje was beginning to realize the full power of his looks; it would be difficult to refuse when he smiled like that.

“I don’t know that much myself.”

“That’s alright. You’re still better at this than I am.”

Doyoung tried to deflect, but Beom Sinje remained firm.

“I trust you, hyung.”

Seeing that earnest expression, Doyoung had no choice but to nod.

---

Trying to keep up with office work, monitor Beom Sinje’s activities, and deal with curious Hunters left Doyoung exhausted.

It was past 10 p.m. when he finally dragged himself back to his apartment.

“Ugh… I’m dead.”

He collapsed just inside the door without even removing his shoes.

As the sensor lights flicked on, the brightness made him turn onto his side.

The coolness of the unheated floor seeped into him.

“How does he think I’m supposed to handle all this when I’m so weak?”

He’d only held up in front of Beom Sinje by sheer willpower.

He had no idea why Beom Sinje insisted he stay for dinner after Doyoung had said he was going home.

If he’d stayed even a moment longer, he might have passed out right there.

After all, he had once been a villain notorious enough to shake the world, and now here he was, worn out and helpless.

“Maybe if I look miserable enough, he’ll pity me and send me back to my old life.”

Saying it out loud, his life from before felt like a distant dream—quiet days in a small town, bustling marketplaces, warm bowls of soup, and bags of fruit swinging from his wrist.

Days when he only had to focus on his favorite idol, enjoying a leisurely retirement.

“I miss it…”

The reason he missed it was probably because this new life was so exhausting, like treading on thin ice every day.

Worries crowded his mind—whether his true identity might be exposed, or if Beom Sinje might inadvertently cause a mess because of him.

“Forget it.”

The thoughts left him with a dull headache. He closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he’d dozed off.

In his dream, he became a robot under Beom Sinje’s control, following commands without question—running when ordered, flying when told, fighting when commanded, and fleeing when directed.

He tried to resist, asking him to stop, but Beom Sinje showed him a message on a translucent frame instead.

[When did I ever bother you? (+_+)

It looked like you wanted to, that’s why.

If you’re not happy, you don’t have to.

But we both know you’ll listen to me, right?]

The emoji at the end was so absurd it jolted Doyoung awake, his eyes snapping open.

“Now I’m even dreaming about pop-up messages from him.”

Could this be a nightmare brought on by stress?

Letting out a long breath, Doyoung unsteadily got to his feet and brushed off his pants.

The brief nap must have helped because he felt a bit of his strength returning.

Slowly, he dragged himself to the bedroom.

His bag was still left by the wall near the front door, but he couldn’t even bring himself to care.

With a heavy sigh, he collapsed.

Thud.

Without changing out of his clothes, he dove into bed.

The fresh scent of fabric softener was soothing. Maybe he’d just fall asleep like this.

With his eyes closed, he waited for sleep to take him when he heard soft music playing somewhere.

“Oh, damn.”

Only one place in this house could be making that sound—the smartphone he’d left in his bag. Of course.

“Ugh…”

Moving even a little felt impossible, but he thought about using his powers.

Just trying to activate them made his headache worse, but he was too exhausted to care.

At least the door was already wide open. If he’d had to open it, he’d be even more annoyed.

‘Didn’t I leave some painkillers back in that little town?’

Unfortunately, those were at the other house.

Looks like he’d have to make a trip back there to pick up the things he’d forgotten.

His violet eyes moved slightly.

Then, hovering in the air, his smartphone floated toward him, settling into his hand.

His eyes returned to their normal color.

Just this small effort made his fatigue even worse.

But he needed to check who was calling.

“Why’s he calling me… sigh.”

When he saw the name on the screen, Doyoung let out a long sigh.

It was Beom Sinje.

He could already guess why.

“Yeah, I got home fine.”

Before Sinje could even ask, Doyoung answered first as soon as the call connected.

• Did I wake you up?

“No, I just got into bed.”

• Just now? It’s been a while since you got back.

A while?

No way.

Doyoung frowned as he glanced at the clock, muttering to himself about Sinje’s nitpicking.

He thought he’d only closed his eyes for a moment, but midnight was almost here.

“What the…”

Had he really been lying on the floor, fully dressed, for almost an hour?

• Or did you go somewhere else?

That’s when he heard the question that pricked his ears.

It was loaded with suspicion, and it stung a bit.

“Hey, I barely made it to my bed from the doorway. I’m like this because you overworked me, you know?”

• What are you saying? Are you telling me you were lying in the entrance this whole time?

The response came sharp and quick, and Doyoung instantly realized he’d said too much.

In situations like this, he needed to play dumb.

“I get it. I know you don’t trust me.”

He’d meant to pacify Sinje, but hearing himself say it somehow made his own mood drop.

“Just… know that I don’t want to get in your way.”

For some reason, his voice sounded weaker than usual.

Doyoung had always done everything for Sinje.

He wanted him to have a clear path as a hunter, free of obstacles.

He’d been proud, thinking this was the ultimate gesture a wealthy, capable fan could make for the one they admired.

Though, of course, this was something he’d never confess to Sinje.

• …

The silence stretched on without a response.

“Right, yeah. You wouldn’t believe me. Given everything I’ve done.”

Doyoung chuckled dryly, turning over to lie flat.

“But you’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you? I have nothing left. The guys who followed me all fled, and I’m left as a penniless, weakened wreck.”

The astronomical amount sitting in an account not under his name—that, Sinje wouldn’t know about.

It pricked his conscience, but he let it slide.

After all, that money was set aside as a life-sustaining pension for himself.

* * *