* * *

“Do you have any idea what kind of place this is? And you followed these scumbags here?”

“That’s—”

I had followed the man who seemed to be distributing drugs to confirm what was happening.

But if I said that, Baek Gunho would just blow up even more, yelling about how reckless I was.

“…Don’t worry about it,” I muttered instead.

That was all I could say.

But Baek Gunho wasn’t having it.

He stormed toward me and grabbed me, his grip unyielding.

I couldn’t break free; his strength was overwhelming.

My breath hitched.

It felt like he might drag me off to some dark, inescapable place where no light could reach.

Sweat poured down my back.

Seeing my reaction, Baek Gunho’s expression twisted in pain.

“Let go,” I murmured, barely able to speak.

His grip loosened, and I seized the chance to shove him away.

But the motion made my head spin—probably the alcohol and drugs catching up with me.

I’d figured out why, of course.

After inheriting Seo Heewon’s memories, I’d also gained some of his abilities and traits.

Most were useless, but this one was particularly so:

[Addiction State (A): Perpetually in a state of addiction. Resistance to drugs is weakened. The effects of ingested substances are doubled or halved.]

Seo Heewon had been subjected to countless experiments, always laced with drugs.

This trait was likely a result of that.

Under normal circumstances, excessive drug use builds tolerance.

But in his case, it seemed they had deliberately lowered his resistance to make him easier to experiment on.

And alcohol counts as a drug.

So here I was, effectively drunk out of my mind.

Sure, Yeon’s S-rank detox skill could fix me in an instant, but that would mean summoning her in front of Baek Gunho and exposing my state.

The thought of him finding out made my stomach churn.

Thinking back to Seo Heewon’s blood-soaked past only made it worse.

As I rose to my feet, my clothes slipped down of their own accord.

Seeing me like that, Baek Gunho reached out instinctively, only to pause midway.

Quickly avoiding his touch, I hastily adjusted my clothes.

I tried to leave as if fleeing the scene, but Baek Gunho blocked my path.

I glared at him.

“Move.”

“…We need to talk.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“I have something to say.”

As always, Baek Gunho was unyielding. And, as usual, he didn’t really listen to me.

Resigned, I stopped resisting and stared at him, curious about what he wanted to say.

“I won’t ask you to trust me immediately.”

“…”

“So stop doing things like this.”

Things like what?

I let out a dry laugh.

“What? Are you worried I’ll conspire with Woo Hoyeon to do something shady?”

“Heewon.”

“Can’t you just trust me? I’m done with all that now.”

At my words, Baek Gunho let out a deep sigh.

“I know. I know you won’t do anything bad anymore.”

“What do you know? You’re still keeping tabs on me…”

“It’s because I’m afraid you’ll get hurt. You know that.”

What was I supposed to know?

I didn’t understand any of it.

Ignoring Baek Gunho standing in my way, I reached for the door handle.

But he was quicker, blocking it with his hand.

I should’ve stayed still.

Moving only made the dizziness worse.

My lack of tolerance for substances meant I was hopelessly weak to alcohol.

As I stumbled, Baek Gunho caught me again.

Fear surged, instinctual and familiar, but my intoxicated, foggy mind dulled it.

“Are you… under the influence of something?” he asked, alarmed.

I didn’t bother denying it.

Let him think I’d taken something—it was better than admitting I’d just had too much to drink.

“These bastards… I’ll kill them,” he muttered, his tone seething.

He looked like he was ready to charge out and punch someone, but he reined in his temper as he checked on me.

“Sit down for a moment.”

“No. I can go by myself…”

“Should I call your uncle to pick you up?”

This bastard… playing dirty.

My uncle was the ultimate cheat code.

Our relationship had become far more affectionate after recent revelations about our shared past.

Well, the way things were going, my uncle would find out eventually, but I didn’t want him to see me in this drunken, pathetic state.

In the end, I sat down obediently.

Baek Gunho contacted his assistant and the Hunter Administration Bureau in quick succession.

Before long, Ahn Sangwook arrived, as if he’d been nearby.

“Guild Master.”

“Stay here and keep an eye on things. The Hunter Administration Bureau will be here soon, so explain everything to them.”

“Yes, but… explain what exactly?”

True to form, Baek Gunho hadn’t bothered to explain anything to Ahn Sangwook.

As always, he was selfish and shameless.

I stepped in instead.

Pulling out the packet of Woo Hoyeon’s drugs from my pocket, I handed it to Ahn Sangwook.

“They were using this. But it doesn’t seem like an ordinary drug. This is it. Use it as evidence.”

The explanation wasn’t perfect, but it would suffice for now.

With this much proof, Woo Hoyeon wouldn’t be able to weasel out of it.

“Handle it so Heewon’s name doesn’t come up,” Baek Gunho added, glancing at me.

“I’ll take you home,” he said.

“…”

“I won’t do anything. Just come with me.”

His voice was softer than usual.

Reluctantly, I followed him into the car.

Without a word, he started the engine and drove.

The silence was oddly peaceful.

Sitting in the passenger seat beside him felt almost like nothing had happened, as if everything were normal.

Strangely enough, I found myself missing those times.

The truth was painful.

It would’ve been better to remain ignorant.

It wasn’t impossible to pretend like nothing had happened.

Baek Gunho wouldn’t hurt me, not like he had with Seo Heewon.

He’d keep doing what he always did—watching over me to make sure I didn’t stray, playing the role of a friend.

If only I could act like I used to, everything could stay the same.

“…”

But no matter how foolish it was, I couldn’t go back to how things were.

Even if I tried, it would only result in a fragile, patchwork version of the past—broken glass glued together.

There was no going back.

The best thing for both of us was to go our separate ways.

“Heewon,” he said suddenly.

“What?”

“Are you not going to see me anymore?”

Did he think we could go back to the way things were?

Laughing, chatting, pretending nothing had changed?

It was absurd.

His attachment to a broken relationship seemed foolish.

Instead of answering, I stared silently out the window.

After a long pause, he sighed.

“If I’d known it would turn out like this, I should’ve made it clear back then.”

“Made what clear?”

“I should’ve gotten a proper answer from you. I should’ve made us official.”

His uncharacteristically innocent words made me laugh.

A trivial thing like that—what did it matter in the face of our long, complicated history?

“If we were dating, I’d have broken up with you by now.”

“…”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Not now.”

Baek Gunho glanced at me.

I wished he’d focus on driving.

Thankfully, he soon turned his eyes back to the road.

After tapping the steering wheel a few times, he spoke carefully.

“You’re right. I hated the old Seo Heewon. I killed him over and over. When I couldn’t, I let him live. I’ve done things that would terrify you.”

“…”

“But you’re not the same person. You’re completely different now.”

“Just because you see me that way, does that mean I have to feel the same?”

“Heewon.”

“You’re still the same Baek Gunho, then and now.”

The man beside me was just Baek Gunho—someone who had hated, killed, and let Seo Heewon live out of necessity.

“No. I’m not the same,” he denied firmly.

“How could I be? Now, you’re…”

“…”

“…more precious to me than anyone else.”

His words, chosen with such care, hung in the air.

I didn’t respond.

Silence filled the space between us.

The car reached my house before long.

As I got out, Baek Gunho followed, catching me before I could go inside.

“Heewon.”

Instinctively, I smacked his hand away. His face twisted, pained.

“Please… don’t be afraid of me.”

“…”

It was an impossible request.

Without answering, I fled into my house.

Pathetic as it was, it was all I could do.

* * *