* * *
Later, in the hotel lobby, Doyoung spotted Park Bora chatting warmly with members of the Chunho Guild.
She really has a knack for socializing.
Perfect for a customer service role.
Thinking that Sarah was better at judging people than him, Doyoung approached them with Beom Sinje by his side.
“Good morning, Guild Master!”
“Did you rest well?”
“Secretary Na, you look better than yesterday.”
“Have you eaten?”
The flurry of greetings made the lobby a little noisier, but Doyoung responded politely, and Beom Sinje answered in his usual reserved manner.
As the jeep sped across the vast plains, wind rushed in through the open windows, stirring up dust.
The hunters inside wore annoyed expressions as dirt settled on them.
Doyoung covered his mouth with his palm, trying to shield himself.
“Here, use this,” Beom Sinje said, handing him a gray handkerchief.
Doyoung glanced at Beom Sinje, noting the dust coating him since he hadn’t bothered to cover himself.
“And you?”
“I’m fine.”
Doyoung accepted it and covered his mouth. It was definitely better than using his hand.
“How much longer?” he asked Bora, who was seated up front.
“Just an hour. Wild animals might start appearing more often now, so think of it as a safari tour and enjoy!” she replied cheerfully.
Just then, gazelles and antelopes darted across the golden grass.
“Wow!”
“Look! Deer!”
“Those aren’t deer, idiot!”
The jeep erupted in lively chatter as hunters squabbled over the animals’ identities.
Further ahead, a family of elephants and a herd of rhinos appeared, drawing more exclamations.
“This really does feel like a trip,” Doyoung said, his mood brightening.
Beom Sinje, however, remained stoic.
“No excitement from you?”
“Not at all.”
“Guess you’ve seen so much while traveling that this doesn’t seem impressive.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it’s because I’ve seen far too many bizarre things in dungeons.”
“Fair point.”
Dealing with monsters that seemed to be mutations of all kinds of life forms could indeed dull one’s interest in ordinary wildlife.
“Still, don’t you think keeping that uninterested expression even after coming all this way might ruin the mood for the person next to you?”
“Does it?”
“Yeah.”
Sure, it wasn’t exactly a leisure trip, but since they were here, couldn’t he at least try to enjoy it?
“You’re not like this everywhere else, right?”
“Everywhere else?”
“When you’re sent on overseas missions. You don’t just finish the job and come straight back, do you? At least take a day or half a day to look around. You didn’t deny the guild members that much consideration, did you?”
‘When I went as far as Ushuaia, Argentina, after finishing work, I even gave myself a week’s vacation.
That much of a break was the least anyone deserved’, thought Doyoung as he glared at Beom Sinje.
“Is that how it should be?”
“Of course! You went all the way there; it’s the least you could do.”
“Usually, when someone’s sent abroad for work, they take some time off on their own.”
“On their own? What about you?”
“I’ve never been sent abroad, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Not even once?”
Watching Beom Sinje nod, Doyoung tilted his head.
“Never been out of the country? Not even to a neighboring one?”
Didn’t he mention before, when talking about private jets, that outside requests do come occasionally but that he didn’t often leave because it wasn’t necessary?
“Oh, no way…”
Suddenly, Doyoung remembered that neither the guild’s official website nor any community forums had ever mentioned Beom Sinje being sent abroad.
“You’ve just been sending other guild members this whole time?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He asked the question but then figured it out himself.
“The government hasn’t approved it, have they?”
“Probably not. There aren’t many S-class hunters in the country, and since I’m also the guild master, they’ve been especially reluctant to allow it.”
“What the hell… Honestly, the way they handle things…”
What kind of grudge did government agencies have against Beom Sinje?
No, at this point, it wasn’t just about the agencies—he was beginning to suspect the author’s intentions.
‘Sure, it’s a story about the protagonist overcoming adversity and saving the world, but did it really have to go this far?’
Grumbling to himself about the writer, whom he had temporarily forgotten, Doyoung asked again.
“Does that mean you’ve never even been on a vacation abroad?”
Once again, no concrete answer came.
The silent, pointed gaze gave him the answer instead.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t traveled within the country either?”
“Not yet.”
The response to his skeptical question was even more absurd.
“Why not?”
“I never really had the time, and I didn’t see the point of going somewhere alone.”
“Why would you be alone?”
For a moment, Doyoung was overcome with emotion, recalling the image of Beom Sinje standing alone in a desolate city.
It pained him to think about how he never had the time for leisure—largely because, even before reaching adulthood, he had been caring for his sick mother and running the household.
‘His father disappeared ages ago, leaving behind only debts. His mother was sick…’
The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became at how pitiable this character’s life had been written.
Doyoung’s irritation at the author flared again.
“Want me to go with you?”
“Sure. Whenever you want, just say the word. I’ll take you anywhere.”
Why wouldn’t he?
He had plenty of time and money to spare.
If Sinje wanted, he was more than willing to arrange a private jet.
Nothing seemed too hard.
Feeling a vague sense of satisfaction as he unknowingly fell deeper into Sinje’s world, Doyoung gazed out at the vast African savannah.
The golden grasslands rippled in the wind, and the gentle slopes of dark hills loomed in the distance.
By a shimmering silver lake, giraffes, zebras, impalas, buffalo, lions, and cheetahs peacefully coexisted, creating a tranquil scene.
“Wow… being here really feels like traveling.”
“Right? I’ve never seen so many wild animals at once.”
The jeep was filled with the hunters’ chatter and exclamations, and Doyoung’s usually sharp eyes softened as he watched them.
Beom Sinje also silently observed him.
Doyoung likely didn’t realize the full weight of his own words.
‘How can I ever give up, hyung?’
Knowing how special he was to Doyoung, how could he maintain his distance?
How could he suppress his desires?
“Of course. With hyung, I’ll always come first.”
A faint smile crept onto Sinje’s lips as he let those words slip aloud.
By the time he realized, it was too late.
Doyoung’s sharp gaze was already fixed on him.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I just said it because you don’t have anyone else to go with.”
Sure, if that’s what he wanted to believe.
To Sinje, Doyoung looked like a wary cat, bristling defensively.
‘What would he do if I said something else?’
Would he get mad, or would his face flush red?
Either way, it’d be adorable.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just grateful.”
“Hmph.”
Doyoung scoffed and turned away, making Sinje laugh again.
His attention was drawn forward when he felt someone watching.
Through the rearview mirror, Sinje locked eyes with Park Bora, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
Her wide eyes and slightly parted lips made her look genuinely surprised.
‘Suspicious.’
From the moment the guide, introduced by the broker, had appeared, Sinje had kept a close eye on her and the Korean hunter she brought along.
The timing was too convenient—a half-Korean guide and a Korean hunter showing up just then?
‘The vibe earlier when they met hyung was odd, too.’
Not to mention how they seemed to watch each other’s reactions.
They tried to act casual, but anyone could tell they were tiptoeing around each other.
* * *
…