* * *

I moved near the club when a message from Baek Gunho arrived.

Baek Gunho: Where are you going this time?
Me: Café.
Baek Gunho: Why go all the way there? Are you two on a date or something?
Me: It’s not like that.

Even though I said it was a café and not a club, his reaction wasn’t great.

If I’d said I was at a club, he would’ve gone ballistic.

Baek Gunho: Wait, I’m coming.

Me: What do you mean, you’re coming?

Baek Gunho: It’s dangerous.

Me: It’s not dangerous… I’ll ask someone to take me home.

Baek Gunho: Your virtue is what’s at risk.

Me: It’s not!

Me: That’s not what’s happening!

Me: Hey!

Baek Gunho didn’t respond.

A sinking feeling told me he was actually on his way.

He really shouldn’t be coming.

But knowing him, he probably was.

The only relief was that Baek Gunho was out of town.

It’d take him a while to get here.

I had to deal with this quickly and head back home.

For that to happen, Kim Inseok needed to wrap up his business with the dealer as soon as possible.

I glanced at Kim Inseok from a distance.

He was trying to keep his expression neutral, but he couldn’t fully hide his sadness.

He even trembled slightly, fidgeting restlessly.

Kim Inseok was cooperating now because of Kwon Sahyeok’s threats and offers.

Kwon Sahyeok had promised to inform the Hunter Management Bureau about Kim’s help with the drug investigation in exchange for reducing his sentence.

It was more a threat than a proposal.

I honestly thought Kwon Sahyeok was going to kill him.

Faced with such a terrifying threat, Kim Inseok had no choice but to comply.

“Heewon.”

Kwon Sahyeok suddenly wrapped an arm around my waist and called my name.

I glared at him and pushed him away, but he didn’t budge.

“Don’t be so stiff. Since you’re here, might as well enjoy it.”

“I don’t like ugly guys.”

“Harsh. I’m at least average, aren’t I?”

Kwon Sahyeok didn’t outright deny being ugly.

That’s because he was disguised, unable to show his real face since he was a well-known figure in the Baekmyeon Sect Syndicate and the Black Sea Guild.

I was in disguise too, for similar reasons.

Although his current look might be average, it was undeniably worse compared to his real face.

Not that it mattered to me—I didn’t really care.

“I just want to go home…”

I sighed, muttering under my breath.

The place was too chaotic and noisy for my liking.

“First time at a place like this?”

“So what if it is? Why?”

“No reason. Just makes me think your boyfriend keeps a close watch on you.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“I didn’t say he was.”

“…”

He kept calling Baek Gunho my boyfriend all the time, so obviously that’s who he meant.

…But admitting it out loud would’ve been way too embarrassing.

The more we talked, the more it felt like I was getting dragged into his pace, so I decided to just ignore him.

For some reason, Kwon Sahyeok grinned like he found being ignored amusing.

“And you? Been to places like this a lot?”

“Not really. A few times, out of curiosity.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Just… a feeling.”

“Do I seem like the type to sleep around?”

I didn’t respond, and Kwon Sahyeok smirked unpleasantly.

“Not anymore.”

So, he used to sleep around.

Gross.

I subtly edged away from him, thoroughly repulsed.

We wasted time talking about pointless things in the corner.

Just when I started doubting if Kim Inseok was really going to follow through, he finally got up.

“He’s here,” Kwon Sahyeok muttered in a low voice.

Kim Inseok glanced around cautiously before heading to a corner.

The spot he approached was a blind spot we had identified from the club’s CCTV.

Standing there was a figure wearing a baseball cap pulled low.

Even in the blind spot, they were being surprisingly obvious about the deal.

But I could see why—there was a reason for their boldness.

The items traded between Awakened individuals were often made of materials from dungeons, meaning they could be stored in the inventory system provided by the System.

The drugs being distributed among Awakened individuals were specifically designed to be storable in inventories.

The problem was, there was currently no way to check the contents of someone’s inventory.

Once the item was inside, they could simply deny its existence, making it difficult to secure evidence.

Thankfully, non-Awakened individuals couldn’t use inventories.

If they could, drug trafficking would have been far more common and insidious.

For now, the priority was catching Kim Inseok red-handed and securing the evidence.

If we could capture the drugs and the dealer, it’d be a win.

“That bastard.”

Kwon Sahyeok cursed under his breath.

No wonder—Kim Inseok had slipped the drugs into his inventory in an instant, making them vanish.

Kim Inseok then bolted, disappearing into a blind spot as if he’d anticipated Kwon Sahyeok’s attempt to stop him using his skills.

Instead of pushing through the crowded club, Kwon Sahyeok activated his skill.

Darkness rose around him, swallowing all light and plunging the area into shadow.

As people gasped and murmured in surprise, Kwon Sahyeok scooped me up and leapt over the crowd.

In a flash, he was in front of the dealer.

The dealer, quick to assess the situation, tried to flee but was pinned down by Kwon Sahyeok.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The dealer’s cap fell off, revealing a youthful face that struck me as vaguely familiar.

I stared at her intently. Suddenly, something appeared in her hand—a small, orb-like object.

Despite being restrained, she managed to drop the orb to the ground.

On instinct, I used my skill to snatch it mid-air.

I could feel the pulsing magic within. It was a magical bomb.

Even though I’d caught it, the energy within didn’t dissipate.

It was some kind of timed explosive.

“Damn it, this is insane…”

Kwon Sahyeok swore, realizing the gravity of the situation.

If the bomb went off here, it would be catastrophic.

Images of a man shielding a child with his body in a similar situation flashed through my mind.

But I didn’t have the courage to do that.

Instead, I looked up at the ceiling.

There was no time to hesitate or second-guess.

Focusing all my strength on a narrow point, I released my skill.

Boom!

With a heavy sound, a hole opened in the building.

From the underground club all the way to the roof, a straight path to the sky was revealed.

The hole was only the size of a palm, but it was enough.

I hurled the bomb through the hole as high as I could…

Boom!

A faint explosion echoed from above.

Even at that height, the sound reached us.

If it had gone off down here… it would’ve been a disaster.

“You…”

Kwon Sahyeok stared at me with wide eyes before quickly turning away.

He approached the unconscious dealer and placed a sealing cuff on her wrist.

“Crazy. Drugs and bombs? This is completely out of control.”

He slung the dealer over his shoulder.

“We still have to catch that bastard Kim Inseok.”

“Ah, right.”

The bomb had made me momentarily forget about Kim Inseok.

I followed Kwon Sahyeok in the direction Kim had disappeared.

The only places there were a storage room and a restroom.

Did he escape through the restroom’s ventilation system?

Thinking that, I opened the door—

“Hah… huff, huff…”

From one of the closed stalls came Kim Inseok’s gasping breaths.

So, instead of fleeing, he was in there using the drugs one last time.

Kwon Sahyeok clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“What a pathetic junkie.”

Kwon Sahyeok kicked the door open with his foot, then delivered another kick to Kim Inseok’s abdomen, leaving the latter dazed.

“Ugh… Hah, hah… haha…”

Kim Inseok winced in pain momentarily, but then something inexplicable must have clicked because he started laughing faintly.

Half-hard, he rubbed himself against the floor.

Witnessing this, Kwon Sahyeok grimaced in disgust.

“You sick bastard…”

For once, I sympathized with Kwon Sahyeok.

Was I like that back then?

Probably not… I hope not.

Kwon Sahyeok handed me the sealing device, and I placed it on Kim Inseok.

Almost immediately after reporting the situation, the Hunter Administration Bureau arrived.

It seemed that someone had already reported the explosion earlier.

Kwon Sahyeok handed over the broker and Kim Inseok to the Bureau, explaining that he had caused the explosion to save lives.

Despite some property damage, it was unlikely to be an issue given the circumstances.

After a lengthy conversation with a Bureau Hunter, Kwon Sahyeok approached me.

“I need to go. They want me to cooperate with their investigation.”

“Then go.”

He grinned and activated an item that muffled sound, ensuring no one could read his lips from afar.

With a sly smile, he mouthed silently, “You’re G.O., right?”*

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“It’s obvious you are. Wow, hiding an S-rank. Impressive.”

“Don’t say weird things.”

“Relax. I wasn’t planning to tell anyone. Honestly.”

“…”

“It’s our little secret. Promise.”

“I’m telling you, I’m not.”

“Sure, don’t worry. I won’t spill anything. Just pretend this never happened and move on.”

…Why did I even bother tagging along?

But my regret didn’t last long.

If I hadn’t intervened back there, many people would’ve died or been hurt.

* * *