* * *
It was said that extreme shock left people speechless.
That was exactly what happened.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the bisected car.
“Get out.”
Beom Sinje’s calm voice shattered the quiet.
Even without words, the ragged breathing and short gasps revealed how shaken they were.
[How rude. You cause an accident and don’t even apologize—what kind of nonsense is this?]
A tall man emerged from the wreckage.
Beom Sinje’s eyes flashed as he recognized him—the smug foreigner from the hotel.
“Johan Resenbrink.”
Hearing his name so suddenly, Johan frowned, then smiled as if piecing things together.
[Oh, do you know me? Ah! Now that I look closer, you seem familiar. You were the ‘younger brother’ of that beautiful person I fancied, weren’t you?]
He emphasized “younger brother” with a mocking grin.
But Beom Sinje didn’t bite.
The guild members, however, were thrown off by the mention of a brother.
The whole situation left them confused.
‘A brother? What’s going on?’
[Where is your charming ‘older brother’? I was quite disappointed when we parted ways.]
“That’s none of your business.”
[What? I don’t understand your language. Would you mind speaking English?]
The corner of Beom Sinjae’s mouth twisted in a sneer, but Johan only tilted his head in confusion.
Of course, Sinjae had no intention of kindly repeating himself in English.
Instead of speaking again, Sinjae pulled a business card from his pocket and tossed it at Johan’s feet.
Johan’s gaze lowered, and he frowned when he noticed the small piece of paper partially caught beneath his shoe.
[What’s this?]
“Something we found at your lab.”
Despite being fluent in English, Sinjae stubbornly stuck to Korean.
His tone was cold, devoid of any emotion or consideration for whether the other party understood or not.
It was clear he didn’t care if Johan grasped his words.
Johan’s expression hardened, irritation creeping in. He didn’t bother picking up the card at his feet.
The two glared at each other, locked in a silent standoff.
[I have no idea why you’re doing this…]
“Keep denying it. From now on, we’ll hunt you down thoroughly. You won’t be able to play dumb next time.”
[You’re impossible. Daiken, let’s go.]
Johan shook his head and signaled to the white hunter beside him.
Daiken, however, looked at him in disbelief.
[Go? Go where? Look at what they did to us! The car’s completely totaled. Are we supposed to trek across the plains on foot? I don’t care how…]
Mid-rant, Daiken suddenly clamped his mouth shut, realizing Sinjae’s group was still watching. He nearly blurted out too much, catching himself just in time.
At that moment, the distant rumble of an engine echoed across the plain.
Johan’s eyes flicked toward the sound, and the others soon followed suit.
Screeeech.
A vehicle skidded to a halt, kicking up a cloud of dust. But no one stepped out.
[Daiken.]
Johan strode toward the car.
Daiken hesitated, then followed, realizing someone from their group must have called it over.
He didn’t forget to shoot Sinjae’s party one last glare.
‘I’ll get you next time.’
His lips formed the threat, and the way he did it suggested this wasn’t his first time.
[What about the Charybdis locked in the tank? Planning to leave it there?]
Just as Daiken slid into the passenger seat and Johan reached for the rear door, Sinjae’s sharp voice rang out.
Johan froze mid-motion.
Sensing the shift, Sinjae’s taunting voice followed.
[No matter how much you try to imitate them, this is why you’ll never succeed. You’ll never stand on equal ground.]
[What the hell are you…]
Johan couldn’t stop himself from responding. Sinjae spoke again, unbothered.
[If you can’t handle it, stay out of the way. Sit tight. I’ll deal with it soon enough.]
Wasn’t that line something villains usually say to heroes?
Johan’s companions exchanged glances, sighing as if the roles had somehow reversed.
Sinjae, indifferent to their reactions, turned toward his car as if the matter was settled.
Without hesitation, he reached for Doyoung, but the moment he tried to pull him close, a dry hand clamped tightly around his forearm.
“You… your body…”
The voice that followed was hoarse and cracked.
“Hyung!”
Sinjae immediately pulled Doyoung’s trembling body into his arms.
“Ugh… Hey, this is— uncomfortable…”
Before Doyoung could finish complaining, he was freed.
But Sinjae’s gaze remained, scanning him thoroughly for any sign of injury, worry etched into his features.
Doyoung squirmed under the attention, feeling his ears and neck grow uncomfortably warm.
He averted his gaze, only to lock eyes with the rest of the group standing outside the car, visibly stunned.
For a brief moment, everyone froze before hurriedly looking away.
The flush spreading across his face made Doyoung bite the inside of his cheek, feigning calm.
“Why the hell did you do that!”
His frustrated outburst came before Sinjae could say anything.
The heaving of Doyoung’s chest gave away the depth of his anger.
“How could I just stand there watching you walk straight into a monster’s mouth?”
Sinjae snapped back, voice rising.
But the strength behind his words wavered, unsteady and trembling as if on the verge of tears.
‘Is our guild leader… crying?’
Park Bora struggled to believe what she was witnessing.
‘Why do I always end up third-wheeling…’
Song Jihee lamented silently, while Lee Jihoon and Lee Namsoo exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“You’ve pushed your limits before and dealt with the aftermath! And now, this… Do you enjoy making me lose my mind?”
“It was a dangerous situation. Do you think I had a choice?”
“Did I ask for your help? You standing still would’ve been better for me!”
“Stand still and let you go alone? How the hell could I do that?”
The two glared at each other.
Sinjae’s veins bulged at his neck, while Doyoung’s grip tightened on his arm.
Moments ago, he’d barely been able to move.
Now, strength coursed through him as if revived by pure adrenaline.
“Why?”
“What?”
“Why can’t you leave me alone?”
“Well, that’s…”
Caught off guard by the directness, Sinjae hesitated.
Because… well…
“Have you started liking me?”
The question slipped out of Doyoung’s mouth before he could stop it. His eyes darted nervously.
“W-what are you…”
All Sinjae could do was scold him for not choosing his words more carefully.
But he noticed the lack of denial, and that fact didn’t escape the others either.
“Is it true? Really?”
“N-no…”
It was too late to deny it. Everyone else clearly thought the same.
“Still… don’t do that. Take care of yourself. Every time you do, my heart sinks.”
Doyoung couldn’t promise anything.
His gaze wandered, landing on the ceiling of the car.
“…Doyoung hyung.”
The soft call pulled him back.
His eyes met Sinjae’s again.
As their gazes tangled, Sinjae’s face inched closer until they were almost touching.
“Can I kiss you?”
“W-what?”
What did he just say…?
“If you let me, I’ll forgive you for earlier.”
Before Doyoung could question the logic behind that, something warm pressed against his lips.
His eyes squeezed shut instinctively.
Despite the bold words, Sinjae’s kiss lingered only briefly, but it was enough to leave everyone else speechless.
“…Let’s head out.”
The very person responsible for stirring things up silently urged the others to get in the car as they lingered outside.
It wasn’t until then that the group, as if suddenly snapping out of it, hurriedly climbed into their seats.
Silence filled the vehicle.
* * *
