* * *

Nodding, Doyoung headed out alone, completely forgetting his original intention of just grabbing something quick and leaving.

He hesitated briefly as everyone’s gaze landed on him, but a cold, calm glare made them all avert their eyes, pretending they hadn’t noticed him.

“Good-looking, talented… it’s honestly a problem.”

Despite the chaos, they finally bought their coffees and a few pastries for Beom Sinje’s mother before leaving the cafe.

Beom Sinje insisted on paying, but Doyoung waved it off as unimportant.

“Here we are.”

It hadn’t been long since they left the cafe, and soon the car pulled up to a spacious parking lot in front of a three-story building.

The cream-and-gray exterior looked more like a hotel or villa than a care facility, with its clean, luxurious appearance.

“Nice atmosphere.”

“Yes, right? The facilities are top-notch, well-maintained, and the staff is incredibly kind.”

Of course, Beom Sinje must’ve put thought into choosing a place like this for his mother.

A faint smile crossed Doyoung’s lips but quickly disappeared.

“So, where’s your mother’s room?”

“She’s in the VIP suite. Security here is strict, too.”

Beom Sinje explained the facility’s details like an employee giving a tour.

“You need a registered key to visit, and all guests must be accompanied by a staff member or the room’s primary resident. It’s very secure.”

He pulled out a card from his wallet.

“That’s… reassuring.”

Doyoung’s mouth curved slightly in approval, and Beom Sinje, noticing his expression, allowed a rare gentle look to pass over his own face before returning to his usual demeanor.

“I know you went out of your way to make this happen, so thank you again.”

“I didn’t pick this place. I was just told to. I’m not exactly the kind of guy with the time to double-check every little thing.”

Speaking sharply out of habit, Doyoung suddenly caught himself and glanced at Beom Sinje.

“But you did make the request, Hyung.”

Beom Sinje brushed it off with a casual tone, leading Doyoung into the elevator with a familiar look.

‘I really need to be more careful.’

His tendency to act bluntly or coldly must have become ingrained after playing the villain for so long.

He decided silence was better and refrained from speaking until the elevator stopped.

The wide hallway with three doors was well-lit, and each door had an electronic lock requiring card access.

“Mother, I’m here.”

Beom Sinje went in, with Doyoung following, and he noticed a woman reading on the bed.

‘They do look alike.’

This was the first time Doyoung had met her in person.

Seeing her now, he could clearly see the maternal resemblance in Beom Sinje.

“You’re here?”

Beom Sinje’s mother, Jo Wonhee, brightened upon seeing him and turned her gaze toward Doyoung, her eyes widening.

“Oh! So, this must be….”

She hastily brushed aside her blanket.

“Please, just stay comfortable.”

Seeing her about to get up, Doyoung quickly urged her to stay put.

Beom Sinje opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, casting a quick look at Doyoung before turning back to his mother.

“Hello, I… I assume it’s you? The person who brought me to such a nice place….”

She spoke cautiously, her face filled with gratitude and apology.

Doyoung was too embarrassed to confirm it himself, but Beom Sinje stepped in to help.

“Yes. I told you about him before—this is Na Doyoung.”

“Thank you so much, Mr. Na Doyoung. I’ve wanted to thank you in person for a long time.”

Mr. Na Doyoung…?

Doyoung frowned slightly at the formality.

He knew he should say something, but found himself at a loss for words.

If he’d known how uncomfortable this would be, he would never have come.

Regret began to creep in.

“Oh, please, sit down instead of standing!”

Noticing Doyoung’s discomfort, Jo Wonhee got out of bed, insisting they sit on the sofa.

“I didn’t expect you to be so handsome.”

As Beom Sinje poured tea for them, Jo Wonhee struck up a warm conversation.

“Thank you for the compliment. Also, here—this is for you.”

“Oh my, you didn’t have to… Thank you so much. These are my favorites.”

She probably said it out of politeness, but her gentle demeanor slowly put Doyoung at ease.

She was quick to laugh, and her sense of humor made their time together light and enjoyable.

They stayed until the evening glow cast a warm red over the room.

“I won’t ask you to come by too often, but I’ll miss you when you’re gone.”

Jo Wonhee’s face showed genuine reluctance as she saw them off at the elevator.

“I’ll come by again.”

Doyoung’s response was vague, but it seemed enough, as she smiled softly in satisfaction.

“Take care, Shinje. And listen to what Mr. Doyoung says.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Beom Sinje gave his usual curt reply to his mother’s affectionate farewell.

Doyoung didn’t mind—after all, that bluntness was part of Beom Sinje’s charm.

They stopped her from coming all the way out with them, and the two entered the elevator.

There wasn’t much conversation on the way down, but it didn’t feel awkward.

The silence broke when Beom Sinje’s phone buzzed.

He glanced at the caller ID before answering, his tone businesslike, which didn’t catch Doyoung’s attention—until he heard the voice on the other end.

• We’ve had a report of a dungeon appearing nearby! Could you come to verify, Guild Leader?

Doyoung’s expression instantly hardened at the words that followed.

◇◆◇◆◇

‘What kind of dungeon is popping up now?’

As they were on the move, Doyoung tried to recall the novel he had read.

Up until now, he’d been too focused on raising Beom Sinje to protect his own life, so he hadn’t had the time to worry about dungeons.

In truth, his plan had been to wrap things up neatly as a villain and then retire, living a carefree life.

Thus, he hadn’t paid much attention to the dungeon situation.

The problem was that he couldn’t remember anything useful in this crucial moment.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, a scene flashed in Doyoung’s mind.

“Doyoung hyung?”

Beom Sinje looked back, puzzled at the sudden exclamation.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just remembered something.”

It came back to him—the clue to what this event was. In the original story, today’s dungeon was classified as a C-rank.

The government entrusted the task to a mid-sized guild, but they overlooked one critical detail: if the dungeon wasn’t cleared in time, its difficulty would increase.

‘Because of that, Cheonho suffered later when they had to step in. They even lost some of their cherished hunters.’

They eventually managed to clear the dungeon, but at a high cost.

The government was at fault for not thoroughly assessing the dungeon.

Yet, all the blame was directed at Cheonho.

“Beom Sinje.”

To avoid a similar disaster, Cheonho Guild had to take charge of this dungeon from the start.

That way, Beom Sinje wouldn’t end up taking the heat.

‘You can’t trust the government.’

The government didn’t back Cheonho when public and media scrutiny turned harsh.

They didn’t even offer a defense, fearing the backlash would turn against them.

‘And that wasn’t all. They used it as a pretext to hold hearings, demand compensation, and impose restrictions on guild activities…’

Worse yet, they used the incident to make unreasonable demands, plunging Beom Sinje deeper into trouble.

The only solution was to prevent such issues from happening at all.

“Huh?”

“This dungeon—Cheonho has to handle it, no matter what.”

Beom Sinje gave Doyoung a questioning look at his firm tone.

How could he explain without sounding odd?

“I understand.”

As Doyoung scrambled to come up with an excuse, Beom Sinje nodded before he had a chance to respond.

‘He listens well at times like this…’

But sometimes, he acted so unpredictably, as if he couldn’t be controlled.

Especially recently, his behavior had become so erratic that Doyoung had practically forgotten about the original storyline.

‘Anyway… It should be fine, right?’

* * *