By Zephyria 
Moon Gyeon-woo groaned. He had already expressed similar concerns at the research center. Because he was as sincere about his research as he was about his lover, he began clutching his head in frustration again. Listening to them, Yeon-rok found a part he didn’t quite understand, so he asked.
“The CEO is the leader of the Hwamyeong Cult, right?”
“For now, yes. Though the internal situation is a complete mess because both I and Yeom Cheon-ryul claim to be the leader.”
“Then why are you supporting research to erase names?”
If the Hwamyeong Cult valued flower names so dearly, shouldn’t Yeom Cheon-ho, as the leader, value them above all else? At least, that was how Yeon-rok thought of it. This time, Yeom Cheon-ho let out a truly low chuckle.
“Precisely because I don’t think flower names are precious at all. Right, I’ll tell you all this…”
Still wearing clothes stained with scattered droplets of blood, Yeom Cheon-ho leaned his massive frame forward. The corners of his mouth, which had been curled up, slowly slid down. A flash of undisguised disillusionment and hatred flickered in his eyes.
“In truth, my lifelong goal is to tear down this pseudo-religion. Therefore, I have no choice but to want to eliminate the mystery, sanctity, or taboos surrounding flower names—no, names—by any means necessary.”
The four of them shared a birthday cake in an awkward atmosphere. Moon Gyeon-woo looked as if he didn’t even want to touch it, but since it was Yeon-rok’s birthday cake, he took a bite out of politeness. Choi Hwan agonized over his diet for a while, but then his appetite broke and he ate two slices. Yeom Cheon-ho and Yeon-rok also had one slice each. It was quite delicious…
Choi Hwan, who had been sucking on a cream-covered fork with a face full of regret, finally snapped back to his senses. His face turned pale.
“Ah! What if an article comes out! It hasn’t even been that long since my last scandal! Those people earlier definitely saw my face, right?!”
Only then did Yeon-rok let out a gasp. In terms of severity, a pseudo-religion scandal could be even more serious than a dating scandal. Moon Gyeon-woo also showed concern for Choi Hwan.
“Then won’t Yeon-rok get dragged into it for no reason?”
…To be precise, he was worrying about Yeon-rok, not Choi Hwan.
His attitude of “I couldn’t care less” was so blatant that Choi Hwan looked at Moon Gyeon-woo in disbelief. While slicing the remaining cake, Yeom Cheon-ho answered brightly.
“Don’t worry. Nothing will be published.”
“How can you be sure? If even one person took a photo of me with their phone earlier…”
“No one there had a phone.”
Even the oblivious Choi Hwan sensed something unsettling in Yeom Cheon-ho’s words. There had been dozens of believers welcoming them. It was truly strange that not a single one of them possessed a phone. Revealing his side as a man of power, Yeom Cheon-ho spoke.
“Even if someone secretly took a photo, no article will be published, so don’t worry. There are many people involved in this who hate even being mentioned. Yeon-rok-ssi, would you like some more cake?”
“Yes, yes. Just one more slice, please.”
Without realizing it, Yeon-rok accepted a piece of cake from Yeom Cheon-ho with a polite gesture. Yeom Cheon-ho asked in a gentle voice.
“How about Mr. Gyeon-woo and Mr. Hwan?”
Since there was no answer, the remaining slices went onto Yeom Cheon-ho’s plate. While still feeling uneasy about Yeom Cheon-ho, Choi Hwan was relieved for the moment by the claim that no articles would be published. On the other hand, Moon Gyeon-woo’s vigilance spiked to the extreme, his face looking as if he wanted to grab Yeon-rok and run away right this second. However, Yeon-rok had more questions, so he pretended not to notice.
“Then is this name fake? You said it was artificially created because of that injection I got as a child.”
Four name manifestors created by piercing through an extremely slim probability.
Knowing that it wasn’t a natural coincidence but an artificially created name made his heart throb with anxiety. To Yeon-rok, the name was somewhat resentful, yet it was also a precious link that connected him to these people. Yeom Cheon-ho elegantly cut a piece of cake with his fork and asked.
“Mr. Gyeon-woo, you intentionally took Yeon-rok-ssi to the lab because he is an early manifestor. Was there anything strange during the sample testing?”
Moon Gyeon-woo, whose eyes met Yeon-rok’s, bit his lip. He looked anxious, unsure of how his past actions would be perceived by Yeon-rok.
It was just as Yeom Cheon-ho said. From the moment he first saw Yeon-rok, Moon Gyeon-woo had always been bothered by the fact that Yeon-rok was an early manifestor. Unwilling to accept the fact that he was a predetermined emotional underdog, he had intentionally been more abrasive. Now, sighing as he regretted a past that could not be undone, he answered.
“I examined you thoroughly, but there hasn’t been anything strange so far, Yeon-rok-ah. Who knows. Maybe the manifestation happened naturally, regardless of the drug injected when you were young.”
There was no conviction in Moon Gyeon-woo’s voice as he spoke. It was difficult to explain as mere coincidence that the four people who survived the injection happened to manifest the same name. Pushing the leftover cake away, Moon Gyeon-woo sank into thought with a researcher’s demeanor before speaking.
“The established theory is that the potential for a name to manifest exists in everyone. I don’t know exactly what the ingredients of that injection were, but it likely only increased the probability of manifestation slightly. In reality, it was just a poison with a 70% fatality rate.”
A flicker of sympathy for Yeom Cheon-ho briefly crossed his face. Soon, Moon Gyeon-woo frowned and shook his head.
“It was a nonsensical experiment from the start. There’s a reason naturally manifested names only appear in adult bodies. An immature body cannot withstand the load that comes with name manifestation, yet they did such a stupid thing. If they wanted to experiment, they should have targeted adults.”
“It was a place full of crazy people.”
Yeom Cheon-ho, who had to grow up among such crazy people, spoke as if it were nothing. Choi Hwan, who had been doing nothing but sighing, suddenly stood up and shouted.
“Ah, I don’t care! Regardless of what he was injected with in the past, I like Lee Yeon-rok. That’s enough, why think so complicatedly? He’s my name partner anyway.”
“Since when did you decide he’s your partner?”
Moon Gyeon-woo, who was already under extreme stress today, replied quite fiercely. Choi Hwan, crossing his arms, glared back without backing down.
“Hey, do you think I’m just listening because I think I can’t beat you? I’ve been putting up with you for Yeon-rok’s sake!”
“Is that so? Why, if it’s too hard to endure, why don’t you try hitting me?”
The atmosphere turned hostile in an instant. While the two looked ready to throw punches at any moment, Yeom Cheon-ho remained completely composed. Only Yeon-rok stood alone, fidgeting and anxious. To the point where he wondered how they had ever dated, these three people truly had completely clashing personalities…
“Now that you know everything, I have two pieces of advice. First, if someone uses the word ‘Hwamyeong,’ it’s best to be suspicious. There’s a high probability they are a cult member.”
What suddenly came to Yeon-rok’s mind was the banquet he had attended as Yeom Cheon-ho’s partner. Now that he thought about it, hadn’t people been using the term ‘flower name bearer’ everywhere? In a place filled with such famous and wealthy people. Which meant…
The color drained from Yeon-rok’s face as he realized anew how powerful this pseudo-religion’s influence was. Moreover, thinking carefully, the people at his orphanage and the staff at the name matching center had also used the term ‘flower name bearer’ instead of ‘name.’ They had all been members of the cult.
“Second, as long as Yeom Cheon-ryul is alive, there is no benefit in showing a friendly attitude toward me in public. Yes, acting like Mr. Gyeon-woo would be the exemplary approach.”
“Well, that’s not hard. That’ll be easy.”
Perhaps because he disliked the current situation as much as Moon Gyeon-woo did, Choi Hwan spoke with a rare sarcasm. Soon, Yeon-rok blushed as everyone’s gaze turned toward him. He was likely the only person present who held a favorable opinion of Yeom Cheon-ho. Yeom Cheon-ho gave a smile.
“Of course, I promise to treat everyone fairly without favoritism.”
“Uh, yes, I’ll do my best too…”
Feeling as if that was a way of saying he did have a favorite and that the favorite was him, Yeon-rok replied while blushing and clenching his fists. Moon Gyeon-woo’s eyes flickered, as if something else displeased him. Meanwhile, Yeom Cheon-ho, who had quickly finished the remaining cake, stood up from his seat.
“It is late at night, but if you are okay with it, I will show you around the Hwamyeong Cult.”