* * *
“Hyung?”
Doyoung snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of someone calling him.
He quickly composed himself and approached the sofa, feigning nonchalance while swiftly scanning the people present.
He hadn’t been mistaken.
From the moment he arrived, those gazing at him with fixed stares were faces Doyoung found all too familiar.
“Secretary Na, please, have a seat here.”
Unlike the familiar tone he had used moments ago, Beom Sinje now addressed Doyoung in a more formal manner, seemingly aware they weren’t alone.
“Did you have a good rest, Guild Master?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Did you sleep well too, Secretary Na?”
Hearing the soft question, Doyoung couldn’t help but recall Beom Sinje struggling to complete missions in the game using his character—a stubborn determination to keep playing despite frequent failures.
“Secretary Na?”
“Ah…”
Noticing Beom Sinje’s quizzical look, Doyoung realized he’d been staring silently instead of answering.
“Yes, I rested well.”
In truth, he had woken up frustrated, thumping his chest and shouting for Beom Sinje to stop wasting time and just call him instead.
Still, he had managed to rest on a soft bed.
Yet he couldn’t entirely shake off the lingering awkwardness.
“Was the bed uncomfortable?”
“No, not at all. It’s just jet lag. I kept waking up.”
Blaming his heaviness and stiffness on disrupted sleep, Doyoung tried to steer the conversation away, hoping to forget the absurdity of the dream.
“You’re not feeling well? Wait a moment. I’ll call a doctor—”
But his words only seemed to alarm Beom Sinje, who reached for his phone, ready to make a call.
Doyoung hurriedly stopped him.
“Guild Master, it’s nothing serious—just leftover fatigue.”
Doyoung shot him a stern look to avoid any unnecessary overreaction, then gestured subtly toward the other people in the room.
“By the way, who are these people?”
The two figures that had caught Doyoung’s attention earlier were present.
One, clad in combat gear, was clearly a hunter, while the other, dressed casually, seemed to be a local staff member for business purposes.
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? The intermediary arranged for a local guide and interpreter.”
Beom Sinje turned to Doyoung beside him and explained.
“So, these people were sent by the intermediary?”
“Yes, they arrived early this morning.”
The explanation made sense.
Finding suitable replacements overnight was fortunate, but Doyoung couldn’t hide his skepticism.
‘Didn’t I tell them to lay low and not cause trouble? And yet here they are?’
The individuals avoided his gaze, pretending to remain composed, but Doyoung recognized them.
They were employees from the multi-purpose service center he had personally called to halt operations temporarily.
“I see.”
“Yes, a local guide and a hunter, they said.”
“No interpreter?”
The guide, who had been sitting stiffly and watching the situation closely, finally answered Doyoung’s question.
“I’ve lived in South Africa for 30 years. My father is Korean, so I speak Korean fluently. Of course, I’m also well-versed in the local language, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Ah, you’re mixed-race?”
“Yes, yes!”
While her Korean had a slightly awkward touch, it was clear she was proficient.
Doyoung scrutinized the guide anew.
She had smooth brown skin and black hair.
How hadn’t he noticed before?
‘At the time, I didn’t care much due to the diverse crowd. There was no way to know.’
His quiet gaze made the guide nervous.
Though Doyoung was merely observing her closely, she misinterpreted his expression.
In the past, as their leader, Doyoung had a knack for instilling pressure without raising his voice—his gaze and demeanor alone were enough.
‘Please, don’t look at me like that. We didn’t come here on our own! The request came officially. If you doubt it, confirm it with them, not us!’
Her eyes pleaded silently, conveying what she couldn’t say aloud.
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been staying in Korea recently, but I returned a few days ago and received an urgent request for assistance.”
There was no deceit in her words.
It was true Doyoung had instructed them to pause their operations temporarily.
‘Let’s each figure out a way to get by for now. When I say it’s safe, we’ll regroup.’
And so, the service center staff had scattered, seeking temporary work.
With the shift from government-run hunter systems to private guild-centered operations, freelancing as mercenaries became a viable option.
The job request had come just a few days ago.
‘The leader who told us to blow up that hidden building in the grasslands was you, wasn’t it?’
Now, he was glaring at them as if he’d forgotten entirely.
“Hmm… Seems we’re quite lucky.”
As Doyoung seemed ready to let it slide, the guide visibly relaxed.
“It’s a great relief to be of help to you.”
Unfortunately, the service center staff failed to notice that the excessive intensity in their voices had caused Beom Sinje’s expression to turn subtly awkward.
“Ah, seriously. They should be more careful.”
Only Doyoung, quick to pick up on his surroundings, noticed the subtle confusion in the person sitting next to him.
“Then, I’ll be in your care. I’m Na Doyoung, the secretary assisting Beom Sinje, Guild Master of the Chunho Guild.”
“Pleased to meet you, Secretary Na. I’m Park Bora, your guide. This here is Lee Namsoo, my bodyguard. As you can see, he’s quite well-built and incredibly strong.”
At Bora’s introduction, Lee Namsoo, the Hunter who had been sitting silently until then, gave a slight nod.
While his expression didn’t change, Doyoung wasn’t unaware that Lee’s eyes frequently darted in his direction, sneaking glances.
“For now, let’s continue this discussion in an hour.”
Once the introductions were over, Beom Sinje naturally wrapped up the conversation.
“Huh? We’re not moving out right now?”
When Doyoung gave him a questioning look, Beom Sinje returned it with an equally puzzled gaze.
“You just woke up, didn’t you? You need to eat breakfast and prepare to head out.”
At some point, his tone had reverted to the casual one they usually used, but Doyoung hadn’t realized it.
“Ah…”
Now that he thought about it, Beom had a point.
He had been dragged into this conversation with strangers the moment he stepped out into the living room after waking up.
“The others are still getting ready, too. I figured it’d be better for us all to meet together later.”
“That makes sense. Why don’t we contact the intermediary we’ve been working with and then meet in the lobby?”
With both Beom Sinje and Bora suggesting the plan, Doyoung had no choice but to agree.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
After the service center staff, disguised as guides, left the room, Doyoung retreated to the bathroom under the pretense of washing up.
Once inside, he immediately contacted Sarah.
– I heard you needed some personnel locally, so I arranged it. Was that a problem?
“It’s not just about whether it’s possible. This might make the service center suspicious of us later.”
– Not at all. In fact, this gives us a valid reason to claim they were impersonating us! We can distance ourselves even further.
“That’s… bold.”
– Think about it. If the Dungeon Ecology Research Institute frames us for their actions, we can claim they committed such acts while pretending to be us. It’ll strengthen the case that we’re not connected.”
Her logic was sound, but to someone like Doyoung, who knew the situation’s intricacies, it felt like an impractical gamble.
* * *
