* * *
“Doyoung hyung!”
The one who greeted Doyoung most enthusiastically upon his return to work was, without a doubt, Yeo Giwon.
Behind him stood Kim Jinsoo, his entire face lighting up like a dog spotting its long-awaited owner.
“Hey, long time no see. Hunter Kim Jinsoo, you’ve been well?”
Doyoung ruffled Yeo Giwon’s hair as he returned the greeting briefly, then turned to Kim Jinsoo.
“Yes, Secretary-nim. I hope your vacation was healthy and restful?”
Kim Jinsoo nodded quickly, as if deeply moved.
If Doyoung told him he looked like an excited puppy, would he laugh?
Standing side by side with Yeo Giwon—who could transform into a werewolf—Kim Jinsoo seemed to share a similar energy.
Come to think of it, Doyoung had always thought the two resembled each other.
“As you can see.”
Kim Jinsoo slowly scanned Doyoung, as if needing to confirm his well-being for himself, then finally nodded in relief.
It was both amusing and endearing, and Doyoung let out a soft chuckle.
“By the way, hyung, what’s this? Beom Sinje came back to work ages ago. Why are you only showing up now?”
“I still had vacation days left. And anyway, I’m quitting soon, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Quitting?!”
Yeo Giwon’s eyes widened comically.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“What?! Since when? When did this happen?”
“Hmm…”
Doyoung laughed awkwardly.
It had been a somewhat impulsive decision—one he’d made just this morning.
The trigger had come a few hours earlier.
As usual, after rolling around in bed with Beom Sinje late into the night, he woke up groggy and sat at the dining table in a daze when the thought suddenly struck him:
Now that everything’s settled, shouldn’t I take a proper break?
So he casually brought it up to Beom Sinje, who—surprisingly—agreed without hesitation.
“Well, if that’s what you want.”
After a brief pause, Yeo Giwon quickly accepted it too.
“Honestly, everyone’s adjusted fine without you. They’ve all gotten better at their roles.”
True to his words, the guild members—who had been floundering at first—had gradually grown more competent.
At some point, they’d even stopped contacting Doyoung for help.
Though that might’ve also been because the guild master had sternly warned them not to bother him while he was resting.
“But then what are you gonna do after this?”
“First, I’ll look for a place to live.”
“A place? Wait, are you breaking up with Beom Sinje?”
Yeo Giwon’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Kim Jinsoo looked just as shocked.
“They say a lot of newlyweds break up after traveling together…”
What the hell? Doyoung stared at him in disbelief.
“What are you talking about? Why would I break up with Sinje?”
“Huh? Then what ‘place’ are you talking about?”
Yeo Giwon narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Are you… getting a new house for the two of you?”
Another wild guess.
Kim Jinsoo, though silent, looked equally surprised, as if thinking along the same lines.
Why are these two so similar?
“No, it’s because Beom Sinje’s mother is being discharged from the hospital. I’m looking for a good place for her.”
“Beom Sinje’s mother?”
Yeo Giwon knew Beom Sinje had a mother recovering in the hospital.
He didn’t visit often, but he’d occasionally seen them on the phone.
Though, true to his personality, the conversations were always blunt and short-lived.
“But why are you doing it?”
That was the part Yeo Giwon didn’t get.
Beom Sinje could take care of his own mother—so why was Doyoung, of all people, handling it?
Shouldn’t someone who was physically weak and prone to collapsing just stay quietly at home?
Honestly, when Doyoung mentioned quitting, Yeo Giwon had initially assumed Beom Sinje was finally keeping him locked up at home—and he’d been furious.
Because that was a whole different issue from just being protective.
But after hearing the details, it seemed subtly different.
More importantly, it was something Doyoung wanted to do.
“Just because…”
“‘Just because’? Hyung, no matter how much you’re dating Beom Sinje, you don’t have to take care of his mother too.”
Doyoung just shrugged, offering no further explanation.
Even if he said it was what he wanted, he already knew what Yeo Giwon’s response would be.
“Honestly, hyung… I think you have a bit of a pushover streak when it comes to Beom Sinje.”
Doyoung could only blink in bewilderment.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.”
“Where?”
“The fact that you even accepted him in the first place.”
What kind of logic is that?
While Doyoung was speechless, Kim Jinsoo seemed to silently agree with Yeo Giwon’s assessment.
“Hunter Kim Jinsoo, do you think so too?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kim Jinsoo hesitated before carefully answering.
“Well, I don’t know you two that well… But from my perspective, Secretary-nim does seem a bit… wasted.”
“Really?”
Doyoung hadn’t expected Beom Sinje’s reputation to be this bad.
“Yes. Of course, Guild Master is exceptional in his work, but… personality-wise, he’s a bit…”
“Exactly! He doesn’t seem like the type to dote on you. He’s obsessed with work and ignores everything else.”
And yet, it was Beom Sinje who traveled with me for a whole year.
“Though, to be fair, he does treat you differently. That’s why I thought you two dating was for the best.”
But now, Yeo Giwon couldn’t help feeling like Doyoung deserved better.
“What nonsense.”
“Anyway, fine. Let’s say you help find a place for Beom Sinje’s mom. What after that?”
“Well…”
Beom Sinje had asked the same thing.
What will you do after leaving the guild?
Of course, he wouldn’t oppose whatever Doyoung chose.
Hell, when Doyoung suddenly announced he was quitting, Beom Sinje had just nodded without a word.
“Lots of things. I’ve got a countryside house to sort out. Like you said, I’ll look for my own place. Maybe pick up some hobbies I never had time for.”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t checked Hunters.com in ages.
And he had a stash of hidden merch to organize.
“Huh? Hobbies? Since when did you have hobbies?”
Yeo Giwon looked at him skeptically.
“I do. I have them.”
He still hadn’t told Beom Sinje about it.
Wasn’t that also why he hadn’t cleared out his old place?
But he couldn’t leave things there forever.
It’d be better to find somewhere closer.
“Well, I am thinking of getting a separate place nearby.”
“Huh?”
Yeo Giwon tilted his head at the sudden mention of moving out, especially since Doyoung had denied it earlier.
“It’s just… If we keep living like this, I’ll run out of stamina sooner or later.”
This, too, was something he hadn’t told Beom Sinje—not just the merch, but this reason as well.
And he didn’t plan to.
“Forget it. I get it, so you don’t have to say more.”
Luckily, Yeo Giwon didn’t pry further.
He just made a face.
“Hey! Beom Sinje! What the hell are you doing to him?!”
Then, out of nowhere, he glared past Doyoung’s shoulder and barked.
His eyes burned with the same ferocity as when he faced monsters.
Only then did Doyoung realize someone else was there.
He turned and saw Beom Sinje standing with an indifferent expression, as if he’d been there for a while.
“You’re here?”
“Yes. You were told to wait in the guild leader’s office—why are you here?”
“I was just talking with Team Leader Yeo Giwon and Hunter Kim Jinsoo.”
Beom Sinje’s gaze shifted to Yeo Giwon and Kim Jinsoo in turn.
His expression remained calm, his eyes steady, but something flickered in them.
Why are you bothering Doyoung?
That was the unspoken question.
“You seriously have no conscience! What did you do to him to make him talk about moving out?!”
But at Yeo Giwon’s outburst, Beom Sinje’s attention snapped back to Doyoung.
“What are you talking about?”
Ah, this wasn’t how he’d meant to bring it up.
* * *
