* * *

“When did he go missing?”

─ He said he was stopping by home briefly last night, but no one’s seen him since…

I recalled Baek Gunho visiting yesterday. He said Uncle had called him over.

But Uncle wasn’t home… Could that mean he had already disappeared before then?

“Then, uh…”

What should I say?

There was so much I wanted to ask, but no words came out.

It felt like I was falling into an abyss of darkness.

─ “Do you have any idea where he might be?”

“Uh… no, not really…”

Saying that made me feel pathetic.

After all the years we’ve lived together, I didn’t even know where Uncle might go.

─ Well, considering how little he strayed from home and the Hunter Management Bureau, it’s understandable if you don’t.

“….”

─ “If anything comes to mind, please contact me. That’s all for now.”

“W-wait.”

I stopped him instinctively, but words failed me again.

Swallowing the sob rising in my throat, I barely managed to speak.

“No… never mind.”

─ …You know the team leader. He’s resourceful; I’m sure it’s nothing serious.

Kim Jinhyung, calming his earlier urgency, tried to reassure me.

─ I called to inform you as his ward… It might not be a big deal, so try not to worry too much and wait.

“…Okay.”

─ I’m busy, so I’ll hang up now. I’ll call again with good news.

With that, the call ended.

Though Kim Jinhyung tried to comfort me, his own anxiety was palpable, lessening the impact of his reassurance.

Not that his words, no matter how well-delivered, could have quelled this growing dread.

What do I do?

Where could Uncle have gone?

As Kim Jinhyung said, he knew little beyond home and the Hunter Management Bureau.

It wasn’t like him to head elsewhere after saying he was going home.

That meant he vanished along the way.

How on earth could I find him…

“…”

One person came to mind.

Baek Gunho.

Whether he approached me with ulterior motives or had killed me multiple times in past lives, in this one, he was the only person I could trust to help.

I called him immediately.

He picked up on the first ring.

─ Heewon.

Before I could say anything, Baek Gunho’s gentle voice greeted me.

Softer than I’d ever heard, his tone broke my resolve, and tears welled up.

Ah, Uncle… Uncle’s…

─ Heewon, calm down.

He already knew.

From his response, it was clear.

Clutching my phone, I pleaded.

“Please, find Uncle. Please… I’m begging you.”

─ I’m already looking.

“R-really…?”

─ I’m using a tracking skill right now. I’ll know soon.

“…Okay.”

Baek Gunho’s steady voice and measured explanations began to pull me back to my senses.

Just yesterday, I had pushed him away with disgust, yet now, the moment something went wrong, I was calling him and begging for help.

Wiping away tears, I stammered an apology.

“S-sorry… I’m just…”

─ It’s fine. Can you stay alone for now? I’ll come to you.

“N-no, you’re busy…”

─ I’m nearby.

“….”

─ See you soon.

Before I could respond, Baek Gunho hung up.

Shortly after, he opened the door and walked into my home.

I had been pacing the living room but froze when I saw him.

“Heewon.”

“….”

Baek Gunho strode over and grabbed my arm gently.

Though I flinched instinctively, my biggest fear right now was Uncle’s absence, so his presence didn’t terrify me as it once had.

He led me to the couch and disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water.

“Drink this and calm down.”

I stared blankly at the cup he held out.

Seeing my trembling hands, he tilted the glass himself, letting me sip slowly.

After drinking, I hesitated before speaking.

“About Uncle’s disappearance…”

“Yeah.”

“…Do you think it’s my fault?”

“No.”

His reply came without hesitation, dismissing my guilt immediately.

Yet, despite his certainty, my unease remained.

“You know about my trait…”

Villain’s Qualities. A cursed trait that brings misfortune not only to me but to those around me.

It would’ve been better if it just killed me.

It’s already killing me slowly anyway…

Why does it have to reach out and hurt even him?

“Seo Heewon.”

Baek Gunho knelt in front of me, where I sat with my head bowed.

He looked into my eyes and whispered.

“No matter what happens because of your trait, it’s not your fault.”

“…How is it not my fault?”

“It’s a trait you never wanted. So why would it be your fault?”

“But still, I…”

“It’s not because of you, Seo Heewon.”

It’s my trait—how could it not be my fault?

I didn’t want meaningless comfort.

I shut my eyes tightly, as if to shut him out.

“Heewon.”

“….”

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll find him. The whole guild is focused on this right now…”

Baek Gunho’s words were the only thing I could cling to in my anxiety, so I nodded.

When I opened my eyes again, Baek Gunho’s calm face was there.

“So you need to calm down, too.”

“…I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine at all. You’re trembling even now.”

As he said, my body was trembling like I’d been struck by a bitter cold.

Baek Gunho reached out a hand toward me, and I instinctively flinched back.

His hand lingered in the air for a moment before falling. I looked at him and finally spoke.

“You know it too. He… He doesn’t deserve this. Unlike me, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong either.”

“…Please find him. He doesn’t deserve to suffer just because of me.”

“I already told you—it’s not your fault.”

Baek Gunho was stubborn. I’d never been able to break through that stubbornness before.

“I’ll find him. So you focus on taking care of yourself.”

“I…”

“You’re not okay.”

“….”

“Don’t cry.”

I rubbed my eyes.

They were dry, of course—uncomfortably so.

Why does he keep saying I’m crying? I’m not…

Baek Gunho sighed as he looked at me.

“I’ll find him, if only to stop seeing you like this. So don’t worry too much, and take care of yourself. Got it?”

I nodded under Baek Gunho’s insistence, silently hoping that he really would find him.

---

Fifteen more hours passed after that.

Instead of going to work, I spent the entire time anxiously waiting for news about him.

But there wasn’t even a clue as to his whereabouts.

All I heard were whispers that the press might get wind of it, or that if he wasn’t found soon, the case might go public.

Baek Gunho, who’d been staring at his phone, stood up.

“I’m heading to the guild for a bit.”

“Did they find something?”

I jumped up to follow him, but Baek Gunho let out a sigh and shook his head.

“It’s not certain. I’ll let you know the moment we find anything.”

“….”

“Just wait here for a while. Eat something, even if it’s light.”

“…Okay.”

Baek Gunho looked at me with worry in his eyes until the very last moment before leaving.

Left alone, I paced the living room in circles.

I couldn’t calm down.

Countless moments of losing him replayed in my head—each one a horrific memory.

If he dies, I’d rather…

It was then.

Tap, tap. I heard something hitting the window of my room.

At first, I ignored it, but the sound persisted, and something felt off.

I walked over to check.

A small stone struck the window.

I looked in the direction it came from.

“….”

Standing there was Lee Jaehee, the current guild master of Black Sea.

A chill ran down my spine.

I opened the window and jumped down.

Lee Jaehee’s eyes widened in surprise.

I grabbed him by the collar.

“Was this your doing?”

Instead of answering, Lee Jaehee’s gaze dropped to the ground.

“You could’ve at least worn shoes. You’ll hurt those pretty feet of yours.”

“I asked if this was your doing!”

Lee Jaehee slowly lifted his face, a faint smile playing on his lips as he shook his head.

“What exactly are you accusing us of?”

“The disappearance. Of him.”

His shameless, feigned ignorance enraged me.

“As if. Why would I do something that only makes us look bad and brings no benefit?”

“Is it really not you?”

“It’s not.”

“Then why…”

I was about to ask why he’d come when Nayoung’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.

“If you ever fall out with Baek Gunho, or need help, think of us at least once. We’re ready and waiting. We’ll serve you anytime.”

Did Nayoung know?

That he would disappear like this?

That I’d be forced into a situation where I’d have no choice but to ask for help?

If that were true, I’d be furious.

And yet… I was desperate enough to take their hand.

No one knows what state he is in right now.

What if he needs someone’s help?

What if we lose him by the narrowest of margins, and the worst happens…

This wasn’t the time for hesitation.

I let go of Lee Jaehee’s collar.

He stared at me, his disheveled appearance unchanging.

“…Do you know where he is?”

“Of course. We have a Seer, remember?”

Lee Jaehee answered immediately, as though he’d been waiting for me to ask.

The smile on his lips was one of satisfaction—the kind you wear when everything is going according to plan.

Lee Jaehee reached out his hand to me.

“Do you need us?”

“…I’m not going to work with you.”

“Sure, sure.”

Lee Jaehee replied with a tone that made me wonder if he was even listening.

He seemed so certain that I’d come over to their side eventually.

That smug certainty was infuriating.

And yet…

Knowing all that…

I took Lee Jaehee’s hand.

* * *