* * *
“I don’t want the Antithesis to reemerge. We’ve already completed our role, and now I want everyone to live openly as Hunters in the light.”
– That’s what we want too. But if our past efforts are twisted into something malicious, how can we continue freely as you wish?
After a pause, her voice grew even more resolute.
– Remember when they staged that terrorist attack during the Hunter’s Night event, pretending to be us? This is our chance to settle that score.
That was a sharp reminder that left the former leader speechless.
Sarah, undeterred, continued pouring out her grievances.
– Do you know how worried everyone was about those who had been wandering, labeled as problematic Hunters, until they pulled themselves together thanks to you? And don’t forget how much they pestered me about where you were and how hard it was to manage the responsibilities you dumped on me.
Her rant spiraled into blaming him, making Doyoung feel cornered.
“I admit fault for that. I thought I’d explained sufficiently, but it seems I fell short. Becoming the Guild Master’s secretary wasn’t exactly my choice, either.”
– Fine. I’ll handle it. Just know that everything we did was in line with the original request.
“Request?”
Her response raised a new suspicion.
– You told us to ‘deal with’ certain research facilities, didn’t you?
“Deal with?” That wasn’t quite how he remembered phrasing it, though he did recall giving instructions.
“Wait. Did you involve the service center staff?”
– It was convenient. Besides, they were desperate for work and kept… no, they asked politely, so I obliged.
Sarah’s exasperation was audible in her sigh.
Doyoung suddenly recalled Bora’s face from earlier.
“So, those two were part of the team?”
– Out of six people we sent, only those two are left. Bora knows the local situation, and Namsoo’s x-ray vision is helpful for mapping out the lab’s interior.
“Your personnel choices are as sharp as ever.”
– Of course. While you left everything to us and holed up in training school, we had to handle things on our own. I’ve gotten quite good at it.”
Doyoung winced, catching the unspoken accusation in her words.
“What about anomalies in the lab?”
– Nothing noteworthy so far.
That didn’t add up.
According to Jinsoo’s intel, the lab conducting human experiments was located there.
Just as he was about to press further—
“Doyoung?”
A voice called for him from outside the bathroom.
“Huh?”
“You okay in there?”
Startled, Doyoung replied, “Uh, yeah?”
“You’ve been in there a while, so I got worried.”
“Ah…”
Only then did Doyoung realize how long he’d been talking.
No wonder Beom Sinje misunderstood.
“I’ll be right out. Just a minute.”
Ending the call, Doyoung quickly finished his shower and stepped out, only to freeze when he saw Beom standing right in front of the door.
“What are you doing here?”
Could he have overheard?
Doyoung had turned the water up high, but with Beom’s sharp hearing, it wasn’t impossible.
“You’re not unwell, are you?”
Beom’s concern, evident in his gaze, reassured Doyoung that he probably hadn’t heard anything.
“No, I’m fine.”
Drying his wet hair, Doyoung brushed past Beom Sinje.
Then, a thought struck him—this situation could easily be misconstrued.
“You can’t just barge in like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you realize…!”
His words trailed off as he met Beom’s unwavering stare.
“Of course I realize. I think about it all the time. But right now, I came in because I was worried about you.”
Beom ran a hand through his hair, and for reasons Doyoung couldn’t quite understand, the simple action caught his attention.
And why did this charged atmosphere between them leave him so tense?
“But it seems you’re bothered by it, too.”
“By what?”
“This situation.”
“That’s because…!”
Of course. After hearing something like that, how could I possibly act as if nothing happened?
“Then that’s fine.”
“Hey, what’s ‘fine’ supposed to mean!”
“It means you’re conscious of me. That leaves room for interpretation, doesn’t it? Or am I wrong?”
How could anyone twist their logic to end up thinking that way?
Doyoung was so taken aback that he couldn’t even respond properly, his mouth hanging open.
Was he always this shameless?
Doyoung knew the protagonist was made of sterner stuff, but how could someone who confessed and got rejected be more nonchalant than the person who turned them down?
“Well, that’s great.”
“What’s great about it!”
While Doyoung was fuming, Beom Sinje remained unruffled.
“Anyway, get dressed and come out. Breakfast is ready outside.”
Doyoung glared at Beom Sinje’s retreating figure, large and self-assured, as he left with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks.
“Gasp!”
He had completely forgotten—he’d just stepped out of the shower.
“That bastard! He knew exactly how I looked!”
Oblivious to Beom Sinje quietly chuckling to himself outside, Doyoung huffed and puffed for several minutes before finally calming down, putting on his clothes, and coming out to the living room, feigning nonchalance.
The table was already laden with food.
“Sit here,” Beom Sinje said, his tone casual, as though the earlier events were entirely forgotten.
This indifferent attitude only irked Doyoung further.
He frowned slightly, only to smooth his expression again, not wanting to betray his feelings.
“By the way, do you not like the guide and his team who came earlier?”
Doyoung paused mid-motion, a forkful of salad halfway to his mouth, and looked at Beom Sinje in surprise. As if anticipating his reaction, Beom Sinje added,
“I was also a bit uneasy since they were hired in a hurry, so I asked Hunter Park Chanoh to look into them. If you don’t like them, I’ll find replacements.”
Doyoung replied quickly, wary of the implications if their identities were discovered.
Not that they’d make such a rookie mistake, of course.
“Don’t bother. You said it was hard to hire them, right? Let’s not waste time. Besides, didn’t the broker vouch for their credentials?”
“That’s true.”
“If there’s a problem, we’ll handle it ourselves. It’s not like we lack the resources to deal with such things.”
Realizing Doyoung was essentially suggesting brute force as a fallback, Beom Sinje gave him a strange look.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing. I just think you have a tough side to you sometimes.”
“Only noticing that now?”
“No, I noticed it long ago—when you recklessly threw yourself into danger and jumped off that building, for instance.”
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
Why was everyone suddenly bringing up past incidents and pricking his conscience today?
Are they conspiring or something?
That seemed unlikely.
“That moment was so striking, it’s hard to forget,” Beom Sinje remarked, his tone almost admiring.
Doyoung sighed deeply, choosing to shovel salad into his mouth rather than argue further.
“Whatever. Just proceed as planned.”
“Understood.”
Doyoung gave Beom Sinje a long look, doubting whether it was okay to decide so easily based on his words alone.
“What is it?”
“Do you always handle things so carelessly? How can you just agree when I say something?”
“Should I not?”
“You’re treating something so obvious like it’s no big deal.”
“It’s fine.”
It’s not fine at all! Doyoung thought, exasperated.
He sighed again, shaking his head.
Why do I keep worrying about him and making sure everything’s okay?
Unbeknownst to him, that was precisely Beom Sinje’s intention.
* * *
…..