* * *
As soon as I saw his displeased expression, the smile that had crept up on my lips slowly faded.
I guess my guilty conscience was acting up—after all, I’d once drunkenly embarrassed myself in front of him.
I really only meant to have one drink.
Sneaking glances at Cha Rui’s face, I let out a deep sigh and shook my head.
Drinking in front of someone who clearly hated the idea didn’t sit well with me either.
“I’m good…”
Maybe it was the gloomy mood, but my reply came out totally lifeless.
Woo Jaehyun didn’t seem to think much of it, but because of a certain someone else, I couldn’t even enjoy a cocktail in peace at this fancy event.
How did my life end up like this?
Sighing over my miserable fate, I chewed the cupcake with a soulless gaze.
Then Jaehyun, perhaps worried I’d choke, brought me a cup of apple juice from somewhere and placed it in my hand.
“……”
Sipping the juice begrudgingly, I suddenly spotted Do Soohyuk in the distance, mingling among the crowd.
The sharp aura from earlier was completely gone, replaced by a polished, businesslike smile.
Before being a top-tier S-Rank, he was also a guild master—and he was fulfilling that role diligently.
“Shouldn’t you two be out there mingling, too?”
“It’s fine.”
Jaehyun replied casually, already holding a cocktail in one hand.
Still, wasn’t he being a bit too relaxed for the head of one of the top three guilds?
Getting all the S-Ranks in the country into one place like this was no small feat.
As mentioned, this wasn’t just a gathering of S-Ranks—there were representatives and investors from top-tier guilds, too.
The goal was to exchange information, but in the end, the real gain depended on who you met and what connections you made.
Jaehyun had understood that perfectly well in the film—he’d smiled brightly and networked with everyone.
Even if it wasn’t sincere, at least he did what a guild master was supposed to do.
But now, he seemed more focused on babysitting me than making small talk.
No doubt he was staying behind because of me.
“I’m the one who’s not okay here.”
“Can’t I just stay? I really don’t wanna go…”
“No. Go, now.”
At my firm words, Jaehyun, who had been trying to discreetly pass me the cocktail, let out a quiet sigh and looked at Cha Rui.
When Cha Rui gave a slight jerk of his chin—clearly telling him to go—Jaehyun frowned and stubbornly stayed rooted to the spot.
They must’ve discussed something beforehand, but even without hearing it, I could guess what it was.
Most likely, they’d agreed at least one of them had to stick by my side at all times.
“Sigh… fine. I’ll be back soon.”
Unable to resist my prodding, Jaehyun let out an exaggerated sigh and reluctantly turned to leave.
The way he kept glancing back was like watching a puppy being abandoned by its owner.
Despite all his grumbling, he still walked away—maybe he did have some sense of duty as a guild master.
I nudged Cha Rui’s side, who was now standing quietly alone.
“Cha Rui, what about you?”
“I can go later.”
Of course. Just as I expected, my guess wasn’t wrong.
The way things were going, once Jaehyun got back, they’d probably switch out like a baton hand-off to keep guarding me.
It was a bit awkward drawing so much attention, but as a borderline S-Rank, it was at least somewhat reassuring.
With this many S-Ranks in one place, there was no guarantee something like last time wouldn’t happen again.
Honestly, this was one of the reasons I hadn’t wanted to come in the first place.
From the moment I accepted the invitation, I had no choice but to become a walking liability.
As expected, the two of them weren’t able to fully engage with the crowd because they were too busy watching over me.
These guys had flown all the way to North Korea to rescue me, after all—so maybe it was only natural they were on high alert now.
“Um… Excuse me. You’re Hunter Seo Inho, right?”
Just then, a man I’d never seen before approached us hesitantly.
He was a bit shorter than me, with orange-tinted hair and a face covered in freckles that stood out across the bridge of his nose.
I tilted my head without thinking.
He wasn’t someone I’d seen in the movie.
“Yes, that’s me. And you are?”
“Oh, I’m Illya from the Zmey Guild.”
Illya?
Definitely a name I’d never heard before.
One thing was certain—he wasn’t an S-Rank.
Then was he just a guild affiliate?
I kept tilting my head and staring at him, which made the guy smile awkwardly.
Maybe it was just me, but he looked slightly annoyed.
“You probably haven’t heard of us—we’re not a very famous guild.”
“So what do you want?”
That came not from me, but from Cha Rui.
He’d been silently surveying the banquet hall until now, but now he turned slowly, sounding thoroughly annoyed.
Knowing his temper, I tensed up, worried he might start something.
He’s not seriously going to beat this guy up for being annoying… right?
But the man, even when faced with Cha Rui’s cold eyes, didn’t back down.
His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t retreat.
Even other S-Ranks avoided Cha Rui’s gaze, so it wouldn’t be weird if he bolted.
But this guy just stood there, clearly scared but determined.
There was real conviction in his stance.
“It’s just that… someone would like to speak with you, Hunter Seo Inho. Would you mind coming with me?”
“With me?”
I thought he’d just come over to say hello, but apparently not.
Then again, it made sense.
It wasn’t surprising that someone would want to connect with me—‘Seo Inho’ wasn’t exactly a nobody.
Like back at the airport, some people were definitely interested.
Even now, I spotted a few people sneaking glances my way, pretending not to be interested because Cha Rui was by my side.
It did bother me a little that they were having me come to them, but I couldn’t just turn down the opportunity.
Besides, Cha Rui was with me.
After a short pause, I nodded and started walking.
As if it were obvious, Cha Rui began following right behind me.
The man, who had been about to lead the way in a hurry, stopped short when he saw that.
“Sorry, but… they only asked to see Hunter Seo Inho.”
Clearly flustered, he turned to Cha Rui with an apologetic look.
It was essentially a polite way of saying, “Don’t follow.”
Cha Rui, already in a bad mood, furrowed his brows and lifted one corner of his mouth in a crooked smirk.
Anyone could tell he was pissed.
“Cut the crap and tell them to come here themselves.”
“W-Wait, please don’t be like that…”
A man named Ilya had to act clueless at a time like this.
I don’t know if he thought the situation was urgent enough to drag me along, but pulling my arm like that was definitely not a smart move.
Of course, given the rank difference, it’s not like he could actually drag me anywhere.
But Cha Rui’s expression had hardened so menacingly, I thought he might reach out and snap the guy’s neck right then and there.
He was the kind of person who once turned an S-rank from a foreign country into a bloodied mess in front of a crowd.
Just because someone was lower-ranked didn’t mean he’d ever go easy on them.
Damn it.
I roughly twisted Ilya’s arm and shoved him forward before kicking him hard in the back.
I moved first, before Cha Rui could.
If I wanted this episode to go smoothly, I couldn’t let any more chaos break out.
“Urk!”
Ilya let out a sharp cry, clutching his shoulder like it had popped out of place.
It wasn’t that loud, but for an S-rank’s ears—sensitive enough to catch a whisper—it rang clear as day.
Every S-rank nearby, including Do Soohyuk and Woo Jaehyun, turned to look at Ilya, now sprawled face-down on the floor.
“What the hell? What’s wrong with him?”
Clicking his tongue.
Tch.
Way to embarrass the entire country all by yourself.”
Some openly clicked their tongues and turned away in disgust.
Most people shot him disapproving glances before quickly losing interest.
Even if he wasn’t an S-rank, he had to be one of the invited guests to be here.
Yet he was being completely disregarded.
A mediocre rank from a run-of-the-mill guild.
One look and you could guess ten things—that’s probably how they treated him back in Russia too.
All I was trying to do was save him from getting beaten to a pulp by Cha Rui, but somehow I’d ended up making things worse.
…Now I felt kind of bad.
Ilya stayed down, fists clenched tightly.
The redness creeping up the back of his neck made it clear how humiliated he felt.
Even I had to admit, the punishment didn’t quite fit the crime.
All he’d done was grab my arm. Judging by his grip strength, maybe A-rank—or at the very least B-rank.
Definitely good enough to walk around with some confidence.
But not in this place.
Not in this situation.
Maybe he was still in denial.
Especially in a place like this, surrounded only by S-ranks, the gap in ability was painfully obvious.
Ilya trembled for a bit, shoulders shaking, before slowly lifting himself off the ground, head bowed low. His jaw muscles twitched ever so slightly.
“…Then, I’ll take my leave for now.”
He whispered it, barely audible, and then slipped out of sight.
Even though it wasn’t intentional, the fact that he’d been hurt because of me left a sour taste in my mouth.
Should I at least apologize before I leave…?
I was chewing my lip in frustration when I heard a low curse beside me.
I glanced over to see Cha Rui still glaring coldly in the direction Ilya had gone.
* * *
