* * *
Yeo Giwon, who had been about to rush in, stopped short at the sight of the guild member blocking his way.
Then his eyes darted to Doyoung and Beom Sinje standing together.
“Ah.”
A short exclamation escaped him.
“If it’s about that post spreading online, I know.”
“Yeah, figures. But why are you so calm? The whole internet is in chaos right now!”
Yeo Giwon strode inside, raising his voice.
“If you just leave it like this, people are seriously going to believe you’re Zero!”
“If that’s what you’re worried about, it’s fine.”
“No, it’s not fine! Can’t you at least act like this is a crisis? You’re on the verge of being framed as the final boss here! Do you not even realize that?”
At Doyoung’s composed response, Yeo Giwon smacked his own chest in frustration.
“Some crazy people are even claiming they saw you at Antithesis’ base back then! I mean, yeah, you were there, but for a completely different reason!”
“Hm… I don’t know.”
Maybe it was time to reveal the truth himself.
Doyoung glanced at Beom Sinje, who silently met his gaze.
That look… Was he leaving it up to him?
“There’s no need.”
“No need?! What the hell are you—”
“I am Zero.”
Yeo Giwon’s mouth fell open.
For a moment, he was utterly speechless. His gaze flickered between Doyoung and Beom Sinje.
But neither of them showed any reaction.
Which meant…
“Shit. Seriously? Since when? No, how? And you—did you know? Since when? Hey!”
His tongue finally loosened, but even then, his words came out in a messy jumble.
He flailed wildly, looking more like a frenzied beast than a person.
‘Well, considering his ability lets him transform into a werewolf, I guess that makes sense,’ Doyoung thought absently.
Now that he considered it, how had Yeo Giwon awakened that power?
The original story never explained it, which only made him more curious.
“Yeo Giwon.”
“How could you keep something like this from me?! How is it that only you two knew?!”
The way he stomped his feet like a sulking child was almost cute.
“Before you awakened, did you ever wish you could become a werewolf?”
“Yeah, I did. But why does that matter? Is that really what you’re curious about right now?!”
Yeo Giwon glared at him, unable to believe he was changing the subject at a time like this.
Doyoung just shrugged and turned to Beom Sinje.
“And you, Beom Sinje. You wished you were stronger so you could handle more work, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Despite the weight of the revelation, Beom Sinje remained just as unbothered as before.
Yeo Giwon, on the other hand, was starting to look downright exhausted.
He watched the two of them exchange knowing smiles and felt all his energy drain away.
Slumping onto the couch, he muttered, “So what? Just because you wish for something doesn’t mean it’ll come true.”
Doyoung chuckled.
“I just think it’s interesting. That we awakened with abilities based on what we wanted most.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you being Zero matters.”
“No reason, really.”
A small smile played on Doyoung’s lips.
He glanced at Beom Sinje again, a sudden thought crossing his mind.
This world had been built on the protagonist’s desires.
Maybe that was why everything had turned out this way.
“Suddenly, I feel like I should thank you.”
“Me?”
Beom Sinje tilted his head in confusion.
“Yeah. Because thanks to you, I got to meet you.”
Once, he had only been a distant supporter.
If Beom Sinje hadn’t called out to him, they would have never met like this.
“Ugh, what the hell are you saying all of a sudden?”
Yeo Giwon shuddered and rubbed his arms, unable to handle the sudden shift in atmosphere.
But Beom Sinje simply looked at Doyoung and replied sincerely, “Me too. If you hadn’t spoken to me that day, I would have just repeated the same foolish mistakes.”
Yeo Giwon groaned in frustration.
“Could you guys keep this sappy crap between yourselves?!”
He finally jumped to his feet, flailing his arms to put some distance between them.
Doyoung let out a laugh and took a step back.
“Anyway, I am Zero. So don’t worry about that part.”
“Ah, seriously. If it was something like that, you should’ve told me earlier.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary to say.”
“You can be so cold at times.”
Yeo Giwon grumbled at the firm line Doyoung had drawn.
“I genuinely didn’t think it needed to be revealed.”
“I know. Since it’s already over, you must’ve thought it was unnecessary. But still.”
Yeo Giwon scratched his chin with his index finger before glancing at Beom Sinje, who stood silently beside Doyoung.
Now that he thought about it, he was the same.
He barely talked about himself and always tried to handle things alone, no matter how difficult or exhausting they were.
“We’re close, aren’t we? So, say something next time. It’s kind of upsetting.”
“Hmm…”
Doyoung turned to look at Beom Sinje again, asking with his gaze.
You too?
“Yes. To be honest, I didn’t feel great about it either. I know you did it thinking of me, but do you realize how hard it was for me, knowing you were trying to sacrifice yourself all on your own?”
“…Sorry.”
It wasn’t hard to recall what he was talking about. It must’ve been that moment—right here, in the guild master’s office—when he pretended to fight Beom Sinje before throwing himself out of the building.
At Doyoung’s sincere apology, Beom Sinje shook his head.
Then, he placed a hand on his cheek.
As the warmth spread, Doyoung blinked slowly.
Being able to feel who was by his side at moments like this wasn’t so bad.
“I didn’t say that to get an apology. I just don’t want you trying to handle everything alone from now on.”
“Got it. I won’t.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Doyoung, who had just attempted to take care of things on his own earlier, felt a slight pang of guilt but chose to ignore it.
“Then let me handle this situation, too.”
“That’s not happening.”
Yet, he rejected Beom Sinje’s proposal without hesitation.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s something I have to reveal and resolve myself. So, let’s do it together. And tell me what you talked about with Sara.”
“Hmm…”
“I don’t know what kind of scheming you two did, but I should be aware of it too, don’t you think?”
“Scheming? That’s a bit much.”
Even though Beom Sinje acted like there was nothing to hide, Doyoung wasn’t fooled.
He gave him a pointed look before tapping his phone and pulling up a message he had received earlier.
[Oh, and can you tell Guild Master Beom Sinje that we should discuss how to handle this situation?]
It was from Sarah, sent ten minutes ago.
When he first read it, he had no idea what she meant.
But now, he understood.
She must have seen what was spreading online and contacted him about it.
She had likely tried reaching Beom Sinje first, but when she couldn’t get through, she sent the message to him as well.
“Still going to pretend you don’t know anything?”
“We were just discussing how to proceed. I suggested revealing what you intended to do from the start, and she readily agreed.”
“Wait, so is that why Sarah and the others swarmed the research lab earlier?”
“Well, yeah, probably.”
At Beom Sinje’s indifferent response, Doyoung let out a long sigh.
* * *
