* * *

However, the truly strange thing was that these people would never normally speak to him like this.

Typically, their messages would start with polite greetings and formal inquiries about his well-being, followed by the actual business at hand.

Of course, that had only been the case after he started working as Beom Sinje’s secretary and taught the guild members to follow a proper format when messaging me.

If they had something to say, they needed to say it in the right manner.

At the very least, they had to present their business professionally.

But today, it was as if all his hard-earned lessons had been tossed aside.

His inbox was flooded with nothing but greetings and empty niceties.

It was odd, to say the least.

[Doyoung hyung!]

As I scrolled through the endless list of blinking notifications, I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw Yeo Giwon’s message pop up again.

[Why aren’t you answering?!]

[Hyung, do you know a place called Hunters.com? No, wait—it’s not just there. People everywhere are losing their minds!]

[It’s because of the fact that Beom Sinje carried you out of the dungeon!]

Doyoung smile faltered, and confusion crossed his face as he muttered, “What? What’s this supposed to mean?”

Yeo Giwon sent a flurry of links for me to check, not just one or two but a whopping ten.

It was clear that he hadn’t compiled them himself—he must have copied them from a guild member who’d sent them to him.

But figuring out who made the list wasn’t the issue.

What mattered right now was what on earth had caused such a commotion.

He clicked on the most familiar URL.

◇◆◇◆◇

[Guild Leader, who is that in your arms? （⊙ｏ⊙）
└ That’s not our guild leader! Holy crap, the HQ Manager himself showed up!
└ HQ Manager? LOL. But seriously, who’s that precious person he’s holding so carefully?
└ WTF, they’re not even in combat gear! A civilian went into the dungeon?!
└ Wait, you’re right! Who the heck is HQ Manager carrying?! Are we shooting a romance drama in the dungeon now?
└ LOL someone just called him HQ Romantic!
└ Oh, come on! Just tell us who he’s holding already. 😭]

The forums were abuzz, flooded with demands to uncover the identity of the person Beom Sinje had carried out of the dungeon.

Doyoung’s expression rapidly shifted—pale, then ashen, and finally crimson.

“This… This is insane. Beom Sinje, you idiot!”

What on earth had he done?!

How could he carry someone out like that?!

Sure, the situation had been a bit tricky.

At the time, he had been poisoned and clinging to Beom Sinje, inadvertently flirting with him as a result.

The dungeon had been cleared by then, and the cleanup team was supposed to come in to handle the aftermath and collect resources, so staying on-site wasn’t an option.

“But still, how could he just carry me out like that?”

To make matters worse, he had cradled me in his arms as though protecting something precious, bundling me up so tightly that my face was hidden.

It was no wonder the internet was going crazy.

And of all things, he hadn’t been wearing combat gear.

This sparked a fiery debate about how a civilian had managed to enter a dungeon.

“Sigh…”

Doyoung pressed his palm to his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

The only reason his identity hadn’t been revealed was that no one on the scene had spoken up about the truth.

And it seemed the guild was keeping silent for appearances’ sake—they couldn’t very well admit that the person their esteemed guild leader had cradled so tenderly was merely his secretary.

“No wonder my messenger’s been going haywire.”

The guild members surely knew who Beom Sinje had carried out.

Several of them had seen me there, after all.

“But even so… Beom Sinje, you absolute idiot.”

Doyoung glared daggers at his laptop screen, which displayed a photo of Beom Sinje carrying him out of the dungeon and walking toward a vehicle.

It was no wonder the internet was on fire with reactions.

“He could’ve at least done an interview or something.”

This was why not having a proper PR team in the guild was a problem.

When situations like this arose, there was no one to handle them.

At least everyone had the decency to keep their mouths shut.

“Sigh…”

Even as Doyoung scrolled through the articles and posts online, his messenger continued to light up with more messages.

The activity only seemed to intensify after people realized he’d been in touch with Yeo Giwon.

He clicked back to their chat window, which was buried under a mountain of unread notifications, and typed.

[Yeo Giwon.]

[Yes, hyung?]

Yeo Giwon’s tone seemed calmer now.

More accurately, Doyoung’s stern comment earlier had made him stop spamming.

[What’s Beom Sinje up to?]

[Huh? Isn’t he with you, hyung?]

Doyoung’s brow twitched.

“He didn’t go back to the guild?”

Then where on earth was that bastard…?

Just as the question crossed his mind, the sound of the front door unlocking echoed through the apartment.

His head snapped toward the entrance.

And there he was—Beom Sinje.

“Hyung, you’re awake?”

“Where have you been?”

They spoke at the same time.

“I went out for a quick run and picked up some food while I was at it,” Beom Sinje answered first, his tone and expression as calm as ever.

It was then that Doyoung realized—this man didn’t have a clue about the chaos unfolding online.

‘Either that, or he knows but doesn’t care.’

The latter seemed more likely. It was very much like Beom Sinje.

But if that were the case, he wouldn’t have casually stepped out and come back like this.

“Nothing happened while you were out?”

“Not really?”

Beom Sinje approached him, looking perfectly composed.

Despite claiming to have gone for a run, he showed no signs of exertion—no sweat, no heavy breathing.

Wearing a loose shirt and comfortable pants, with a large shopping bag dangling from his arm, he looked strangely out of place.

“Why?”

“…You just disappeared, and I thought something had happened.”

“Ah, I just wanted to stretch my legs while you were resting. Grabbed some groceries, too.”

“You could’ve waited for the housekeeper to—”

Doyoung cut himself off mid-sentence, suddenly remembering why having someone come over wasn’t a great idea right now.

Because of him.

“It’s just a simple meal. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. Give me a minute,” Beom Sinje said nonchalantly, as though none of this were a big deal, and turned toward the kitchen.

“Forget it. Go take a shower. I’ll take care of it,” Doyoung said as he got up, stopping him in his tracks.

“Why?”

“…No reason. Just go.”

For some reason, Beom Sinje’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer, a peculiar glint in his eyes, before he coughed awkwardly and shuffled toward the kitchen.

He set the shopping bag on the island, his movements a little stiffer than usual.

“I’ll shower quickly. Just put the groceries away.”

“Got it.”

As Doyoung opened the bag to check its contents, he didn’t notice Beom Sinje’s gaze flickering over the still-flushed tips of his ears, neck, and cheeks before the man quickly turned away.

Beom Sinje hurried out of the kitchen, his heart pounding uncomfortably in his chest.

To be honest, it had been acting up ever since…

Since that moment in the dungeon when Doyoung had collapsed against him, their bodies inadvertently pressed close.

‘What the hell is this feeling…?’

* * *