* * *
Still, seeing Doyoung’s astonishment, Park Chanoh explained further.
“Reporters swarmed the guild entrance, and civilians started protesting—it got very noisy. I think he was trying to sort things out when it happened.”
“So he got hit by paint-filled balloons from some strangers?”
Doyoung let out an exasperated breath.
Who would even think to do such a thing?
This incident wasn’t even in the original storyline. And paint? Really?
“The guild leader couldn’t have been unaware of their approach, though.”
“I wasn’t given all the details.”
Fair enough—Park Chanoh had been here, so it wasn’t like he could know everything.
But the questions kept piling up.
“Do you know anything?” Doyoung turned to Yeo Giwon.
“Hmm… It must’ve happened while I was on my way here. If something like that occurred, they should’ve reported it to me immediately. What’s everyone been doing?”
Yeo Giwon furrowed his brow and began rapidly typing on his phone, likely contacting someone in the guild.
“I should get going,” Park Chanoh said, preparing to leave.
“Go ahead.”
Doyoung nodded, knowing he couldn’t keep a busy person any longer, though he added a quick reminder.
“I understand it’s hectic, but tell them to answer their phones. I need to know what’s going on if I’m to respond effectively—it’s frustrating.”
Park Chanoh paused mid-step and turned back to look at Doyoung.
For a brief moment, his eyes gleamed with an unreadable emotion.
“I’ll pass along the message.”
With that, he nodded again and left. But what was with that look just now?
“Hyung, I heard from the guild—Beom Sinje didn’t dodge the paint.”
“What? Why?”
“The press and the citizens were all gathered behind him, weren’t they? If Beom Sinje had dodged it, it might’ve flown straight at them. I think that’s why.”
Of course.
There’s no way Beom Sinje, with his exceptionally honed senses, wouldn’t have noticed a paint-filled balloon flying towards him.
“And what’s the reaction?”
“Total chaos. It’s blowing up online right now. The guild members are all up in arms, demanding that we capture whoever did it immediately.”
“Don’t they know who it was?”
How long has it been since this happened?
‘Don’t tell me they lost the culprit.’
“They must’ve bolted in the confusion. Besides, there were so many people in that area—protesters, reporters. And with everything that happened to the guild master, it’s no wonder everyone was distracted.”
Doyoung frowned deeply.
As chaotic as things might’ve been, they should’ve captured the culprits immediately.
“What kind of sloppy handling is this… Never mind. So, what were you going to say earlier?”
Doyoung, realizing this situation was beyond his control, decided to shift the focus and ask about Yeo Giwon’s purpose for coming here.
Yeo Giwon wrinkled his nose playfully and glanced around the empty house.
“What? You want something?”
“Yeah. Some water with ice, if possible.”
“Fine. Wait here.”
Though the visit was unexpected, a guest is still a guest.
Doyoung nodded and headed toward the kitchen.
As he turned away, Yeo Giwon gave him a meaningful look, though Doyoung didn’t notice.
◇◆◇◆◇
“Alright, spill.”
“Oh, that thing.”
After gulping down the ice-cold water, Yeo Giwon wrinkled his nose again.
“Not long after Beom Sinje arrived at work, a big piece of news broke. Apparently, this place called the Dungeon Ecology Research Institute caused a stir by sneaking into a C-rank dungeon raid organized by a small guild.”
“Yeah, I heard about that.”
It had happened early in the morning.
A small guild with fewer than ten members had received government approval to tackle a C-rank dungeon.
The raid itself wasn’t particularly challenging.
The problem arose toward the end of the mission when a group of mysterious intruders suddenly appeared.
They brazenly introduced themselves as researchers studying dungeon ecosystems.
Before the small guild could intervene, they began poking around everywhere.
“So, they were targeting them from the start?”
“Yeah, it seems like it. With the guild being small, they probably couldn’t monitor who was trailing behind them when they entered.”
That explanation made sense, though it didn’t sit well with Doyoung.
Even if it wasn’t a high-ranking dungeon, weren’t there government-assigned hunters stationed at the entrance?
“These guys were smart. Normally, there’s just one hunter guarding the entrance, right? Three of them distracted the government hunter, leaving the rest to sneak in unnoticed.”
That was a tactic that had failed during the previous Happyridge Dungeon incident.
But it seemed to have worked this time.
“So why are people comparing this to Antithesis?”
“It’s not just that they disrupted the raid. They claimed they needed to research the by-products and ended up taking everything.”
“They’re really something, huh.”
“Well, honestly, comparing them to Antithesis is a bit of a stretch. Antithesis never pulled off anything this petty. They’d outright hijack a dungeon if they were going to do anything.”
Doyoung had plenty to say about that but decided to change the topic.
“What’s odd about Beom Sinje?”
“Oh, right. That came up during the meeting too. Since their actions are similar, some suggested revisiting Antithesis’s past activities to see if there’s a connection.”
“And?”
“That’s when the guild master shut it down, saying the two are completely different. He claimed to know exactly what’s going on, so we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
Doyoung raised an eyebrow.
He couldn’t make sense of what Beom Sinje was aiming for with that statement.
Of course, Beom Sinje could say something like that because he knows who the leader of Antithesis was, but still…
“He’s lost it.”
“Right? I mean, how could the guild master defend a group he personally dismantled?”
“And now he wants to issue an official statement?”
“Exactly.”
“You didn’t press him further? Didn’t hear anything else?”
From what Doyoung knew, Beom Sinje wasn’t the type to act recklessly.
If he’d gone as far as to say that, there might’ve been some intel Doyoung wasn’t privy to.
‘Could it be ATE Pharma’s trail? Or the Universal Service Center?’
That didn’t seem likely.
ATE Pharma operated strictly overseas as a global corporation.
Back when Antithesis was active, neither Doyoung nor Sarah Choi had sought them out intentionally.
Reports on pharmaceuticals had come his way, of course, but…
He’d destroyed them as soon as he received them, ensuring nothing could leak.
Once the conflict with the government escalated, he’d even ordered all records at the medical center erased.
“No, nothing. That’s why I wanted to ask you if you’ve heard anything.”
“All I know is what you’ve just told me.”
“Figures. Honestly, given your relationship with Beom Sinje, I thought I’d hear something juicy from the bedroom.”
“What?”
At Yeo Giwon’s teasing remark, Doyoung’s face twisted in shock.
“What are you…”
“You two seem to be getting along, right? Beom Sinje’s been looking pretty relaxed lately. I figured you must’ve worked things out.”
“Huh?”
What was Beom Sinje doing?
As Doyoung stood there flabbergasted, Yeo Giwon, seemingly amused, bobbed his head from side to side, rambling on like someone enjoying himself.
“For the past few days, his mood’s been brighter, and he seems different overall. Naturally, I assumed you two had a talk and sorted things out.”
“What talk?”
Come to think of it, Yeo Giwon had been making random comments before, like telling Doyoung to do his best or to confide in him if he had concerns.
“Uh… um…”
Finally realizing that Doyoung had completely missed his insinuation, Yeo Giwon smacked his lips.
It seemed his assumptions had been off.
‘Then what’s with that guy? He’s been acting all cheerful, pretending not to, but it’s obvious.’
Not that it was overt.
Doyoung, more than anyone, knew how skilled Beom Sinje was at keeping a poker face.
But lately, he seemed unusually buoyant, as though his mind was preoccupied with something else.
“You didn’t hear anything from the doctor, did you?”
“Hm? Doctor? What are you talking about?”
Reassured by Yeo Giwon’s clueless expression, Doyoung relaxed.
So, he didn’t know about that week between him and Beom Sinje.
* * *
