* * *

Inside the bathroom, Beom Sinje stared at his reflection in the mirror.

His eyes betrayed his inner turmoil, swirling with emotions he couldn’t quite name.

‘Damn it.’

Closing his eyes tightly, he tried to steady his breathing.

But no matter how hard he tried, the muffled groan that had escaped Doyoung’s lips earlier replayed in his ears, making it impossible to push away the thoughts that had haunted him since that day.

That sound—soft, pained, and undeniably intimate—had been impossible to ignore.

And now it was driving him insane.

The faint rustling sound and the barely audible breaths—small yet noticeable—immediately caught Beom Sinje’s attention.

His eyes widened as he froze, rooted in place in front of the closed door.

In an instant, heat flushed his face, and his mouth went dry.

It was then that the warning bells rang.

He knew he couldn’t stay here any longer.

Without sparing another glance, he turned and headed straight for the front door.

There was no time to think about where he would go or what he would do.

The only thought that consumed him was the need to get out of this space, away from it all.

Beom Sinje, fully aware that his face was burning red, began searching for somewhere quiet and deserted.

His gaze fell on the small wooded hill behind the officetel.

“That will do.”

Usually a neighborhood walking trail, it was likely to be empty this weekday morning.

The elite hunter, who hadn’t felt exhaustion even after battling through an S-class dungeon all night, quickly ascended the trail at a speed that would have made anyone witnessing him think a predator was on the prowl.

Luckily, as he’d hoped, there wasn’t a soul in the forest.

Only after zigzagging through the trails, climbing up and down multiple times, could Beom Sinje finally push the lingering, suggestive sounds from his mind.

“YAHOO! YAAAAAHOOOOO!”

The shout startled him.

Turning his head, he saw someone standing not far away, hands cupped around their mouth, yelling out loud.

The look of relief on the stranger’s face stirred an unexpected urge in him—to try it himself.

Beom Sinje turned to face forward, about to open his mouth, when his gaze caught on a familiar building.

He immediately recognized the officetel and, worse yet, pinpointed the exact floor he lived on.

“Ugh.”

He stumbled back, uncharacteristically flustered.

Beom Sinje, a top-tier hunter who could face monstrous threats or domineering bureaucrats with perfect composure, now found himself battling an inconvenient memory trying to resurface.

“Excuse me?”

A woman nearby gasped as she recognized him, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Are you… are you the guild master of Chunho Guild?”

She approached him with enthusiasm, but Beom Sinje didn’t wait to respond.

He had already started descending the hill, urgency driving every step.

The thought of escaping the area completely overtook him.

The woman’s recognition or whatever she might have said didn’t matter anymore.

As if fleeing, Beom Sinje left the hill and made his way to a nearby market, far from the officetel.

“I’ll buy something to eat. What should I get? What would hyung like…?”

He busied himself walking and scanning the stalls, using the task as a distraction from the whirlwind of thoughts in his head.

Focusing on shopping seemed like the only way to keep his mind from wandering.

After much effort, he managed to calm himself.

When he returned home, the sight of Doyoung greeting him sent his heart fluttering inexplicably, prompting him to retreat quickly again.

Because of this, he didn’t get a proper look at Doyoung’s face as they sat together.

‘What on earth…?’

When he finally noticed the red flush on Doyoung’s cheeks, forehead, and even his ears, the heart he had worked so hard to settle started pounding wildly again.

◇◆◇◆◇

“You didn’t sweat much, so why were you in the shower so long?”

Doyoung, setting dishes on the table, glanced toward the kitchen as Beom Sinje walked in.

“Uh, yeah.”

Water dripped from Beom Sinje’s hair as he approached, pulling out a chair and sitting down without even making eye contact.

‘What’s this now?’

Something felt off.

Doyoung, puzzled, quickly figured out the reason—Beom Sinje wasn’t meeting his eyes.

Worse, his movements seemed unnaturally stiff.

“Beom Sinje.”

Doyoung placed a glass of juice in front of him, calling his name.

“Yes, go ahead.”

Though he responded promptly, his eyes remained averted.

Suspicion began to creep in.

Beom Sinje was clearly hiding something.

“Spit it out. Now.”

Lowering his voice and using a stern tone, Doyoung’s command made Beom Sinje flinch visibly.

Watching this, Doyoung let out an incredulous laugh.

“Don’t tell me… you…”

“No, I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t see anything. It’s not like that!”

Before Doyoung could finish, Beom Sinje hurriedly blurted out his denial.

“You didn’t hear or see anything?”

“Yes, nothing at all.”

“Are you sure? You really didn’t know?”

Doyoung wasn’t convinced. Beom Sinje’s reactions screamed guilt.

When Doyoung crossed his arms and glared at him, Beom Sinje finally raised his head, meeting Doyoung’s eyes with a determined expression.

“Yes. I didn’t hear or see anything.”

“Hah.”

The resolute denial felt almost laughable, like a politician feigning innocence.

Scoffing, Doyoung left the table, ignoring Beom Sinje’s puzzled call of, “Hyung?”

Returning moments later, Doyoung slammed a laptop onto the table in front of Beom Sinje, the screen facing him.

“Look at this! It’s all over online—articles, forums, everywhere! Are you seriously telling me you haven’t seen this? That the guild didn’t contact you?”

“What…?”

Beom Sinje’s gaze shifted from the angry Doyoung to the monitor, where headlines and photos filled the screen.

“Still going to deny it? How long were you planning to hide this from me?”

Doyoung grilled him as Beom Sinje stared at the articles, frozen.

“You…!”

Doyoung was about to scold him further when Beom Sinje’s quiet, steady voice interrupted.

“Who came here while I was gone?”

“What?”

“Did someone visit the house?”

Beom Sinje’s tone was sharp, almost accusatory, making Doyoung gape in disbelief.

‘Is he seriously trying to shift the blame now?’

“You’re asking that now? Does it matter?”

“Was it Dr. Joo again? Or Hunter Park Chanoh? Or perhaps Yeo Giwon?”

“Why the hell does that matter? Explain yourself first!”

Doyoung glared at him, frustrated, but Beom Sinje was relentless, ignoring every question and bombarding him with his own.

Finally, Doyoung pointed to the blinking notifications on the laptop.

“Look there! Your messenger is blowing up! People are demanding to know why you carried me out of the dungeon, and you’re here questioning me?”

Beom Sinje’s eyes shifted to the corner of the screen, where countless notifications lit up.

Opening the messenger, he found it flooded with unread messages.

“What… is this?”

“Still playing dumb? Everyone’s talking about your behavior in the dungeon!”

Doyoung’s tone grew sharper, but as he watched Beom Sinje’s confused, trembling gaze, a thought dawned on him.

“Wait… you really didn’t know?”

Beom Sinje’s eyes met Doyoung’s again, his confusion evident.

“Where’s your phone?”

“In the study.”

“Ugh…” Doyoung sighed deeply, exasperated.

Doyoung covered his forehead and eyes with his palm, then exited the kitchen again before Beom Sinje could say anything.

“I’ll go.”

But Beom Sinje’s body moved first, cutting him off.

* * *