* * *
“Is that so?”
“Looking at you, it seems like you lack ambition.”
“If I wanted fame, I wouldn’t have been the head of a group like this.”
Of course, he wasn’t the one who originally founded Antithesis.
That credit went to the villain Na Doyoung before his possession.
And the organization’s original goals had nothing to do with what Sarah now described.
Having joined much later, Sarah likely had no idea what things had been like in the past, which is why she spoke as she did.
“You really are fascinating. Then again, that’s why you discovered top-tier Hunters like Beom Sinje and Yeo Giwon and quietly sent them off to a Hunter training school.”
“Hm?”
Doyoung’s brows furrowed at the abrupt remark.
“Though I can somewhat guess why you sent them there.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“They were both talented individuals, but life didn’t give them a chance, right? Beom Sinje didn’t even realize he’d awakened as a Hunter, juggling various jobs while taking care of his sick mother and supporting his family. And Yeo Giwon, stuck in an illegal fighting ring, had it even worse. You probably hoped they’d grow and thrive in the sunlight instead.”
“Wow… you’ve got me all figured out.”
“Anyone observing you could tell.”
Could they?
Had he made it so obvious to anyone nearby?
Doyoung narrowed his eyes, recalling his earlier conversation with Beom Sinje.
“It’s a bit different from what you’re thinking…”
He had his reasons for acting as he did, reasons distinct from Sara’s assumptions.
“Sorry?”
“Never mind. More importantly, I need a favor.”
“Anything. Just say the word.”
Why did she have to sound so unnecessarily serious?
Not that he didn’t know why.
Sarah had once confessed that Doyoung had saved her when she’d joined Antithesis, stripped of everything she held dear and consumed by malice.
‘Even so, why does she act like she’d lay down her life for me?’
He’d gone out of his way to ensure she could rebuild her life, even helping her become the CEO of a pharmaceutical company.
“It’s nothing dramatic, so don’t make a fuss. Just send some people to wreck a few of those research labs overseas.”
“The ones for that Dungeon Ecology Research Institute? Why? Oh no… Zero…”
“Yep. That’s exactly it.”
Doyoung’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“They’re trying to impersonate us. We can’t just let that slide.”
“You said it wasn’t dramatic! And you told the service center team to play it safe!”
“This is different.”
“Of course it is! They’re a scrappy little local team, and these guys are part of a global pharmaceutical company!”
“You know a lot of mercenary groups, don’t you? Put them to good use.”
“Ha…”
A long sigh escaped from the other end of the line.
“What’s driving you to go this far?”
After a pause, she asked the question.
“Doesn’t it piss you off? They’re trampling on the reputation we’ve built.”
“You’re unbelievable…”
Doyoung knew she’d accepted his request.
It had to be done—this was about proving that Antithesis and that research institute were on entirely different levels.
“This is the last time. No more dangerous schemes, okay? You can take it easy now.”
“I already am.”
As he spoke, he glanced around.
Truthfully, Doyoung’s life was as relaxed as it could get—aside from having to deal with the side effects of the poison with Beom Sinje in a rather physical manner every day.
“Come to think of it… hasn’t the poison fully worn off by now?”
Counting the days, he realized it had already been a week.
He recalled what Beom Sinje had said yesterday.
‘It’s better to take precautions before symptoms arise, don’t you think?’
At the time, it had sounded reasonable enough, so he’d gone along with it.
“That sly bastard knew exactly what he was doing, didn’t he?”
While Doyoung had been too busy to notice the days passing, Beom Sinje clearly hadn’t.
As the head of a guild, he had to keep meticulous track of dates and schedules.
Yet, pretending otherwise, he’d slyly pulled Doyoung into bed.
“Just wait till I see him.”
He had another thing to confront Beom Sinje about.
Glancing at the clock, Doyoung decided he’d deal with him properly when he got home tonight.
Unfortunately, that determined resolve didn’t pan out.
That night, Beom Sinje didn’t come home. In fact, several days passed without a glimpse of him.
◇◆◇◆◇
“What’s going on? Why haven’t you come back yet?”
Doyoung tapped his crossed leg as he sat on the sofa, arms folded.
It had already been three days since he last saw Beom Sinjae.
‘I thought he’d come home right away.’
At first, he suspected Sinjae might be avoiding him.
But now, curiosity was taking over.
Not that he was entirely out of contact with Sinjae.
He’d sent the occasional call or message, and when Park Chanoh was unavailable or busy with work, Yeo Giwon would show up in his stead.
Still, that only made Doyoung question Sinjae’s prolonged absence even more.
“The guild’s been hectic lately. I’m sure you understand,” Giwon explained.
“What’s so hectic about it? Is that Dungeon Ecology Research Institute causing trouble again?”
The only information Doyoung could gather about the situation came from internet rumors or sporadic visits like Giwon’s.
Sinjae never spoke a word about it, Park Chanoh pretended not to know anything, and if Doyoung pressed the guild members over messaging apps, they deflected the questions.
The reason was obvious enough.
‘Sinjae must’ve put a stop to it.’
If even Giwon hadn’t come by, Doyoung might have stormed into the guild himself—though that would mean getting past the guards stationed at the entrance.
“Yeah, they’re a bigger headache than expected. At first, we thought they were just some weird group mimicking Antithesis, but turns out they’re darker than that.”
“Darker?”
“There’s still a lot we don’t know for sure, but it seems they’re after more than just byproducts.”
Not just byproducts? Doyoung’s eyes narrowed at the statement.
“What do you mean?”
“It hasn’t shown up domestically yet, but there’s evidence overseas that they’ve been smuggling monsters for experiments.”
Giwon’s face twisted as if even saying it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Understandable—hunters who faced monsters daily wouldn’t take kindly to such news.
But Doyoung was different.
‘So, this has already been exposed…’
Doyoung, who knew from the original story what the Dungeon Ecology Research Institute was plotting, was more surprised by how quickly this fact had come to light.
“How’d they figure that out?”
“Come on, hyung. Do you know how many talented hunters we have? It’s no surprise.”
Giwon, who was starting to sound smug, suddenly wrinkled his nose and admitted the truth.
“Actually, it wasn’t us. It was uncovered by a hunter who used to work for the government.”
“A government hunter?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he recently quit and applied to join our guild.”
“What?”
“Interesting, right? Sinjae found it odd that a government hunter resigned and applied now, so he interviewed the guy personally. And during the interview, the guy said he had crucial information about the Dungeon Ecology Research Institute.”
The Dungeon Ecology Research Institute?
Giwon’s apparent dedication to online community slang was amusing—he even used their abbreviation.
“Who is this incredible hunter?”
What piqued Doyoung’s curiosity more was the identity of someone who’d managed to dig up such information.
“Kim Jinsoo. He claims you offered to scout him, too.”
“Kim Jinsoo?”
Doyoung’s eyes widened. There was no mistaking that name—it was the rookie government hunter he had run into at the dungeon before.
* * *
