205 – HGL 205

205

Eui-jae looked back and forth between his two cell phones. Lee Sa-young’s call history, piled up with 12 missed calls, Jung-bin’s text. And he let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead against the steering wheel. He wanted to rush to the Seowon Guild. He wanted to meet Nam Woo-jin and ask if he knew anything. But….

‘You can do whatever you want. Because you’re hesitant.’

Lee Sa-young’s voice came to mind at moments like this. Cha Eui-jae’s one and only shackle.

Ah, right. Lee Sa-young, you win.

Eui-jae raised his head. Ga-eul was looking at him with anxious eyes. Eui-jae took off the hat that had been pushed up by his forehead against the steering wheel and said.

“Student Ga-eul, do you have anywhere to go?”

“Anywhere to go? …Well, home, I guess?”

“Won’t your parents think it’s weird?”

“Ah, they’ve both gone to work….”

“Then I’ll take you.”

“Yes? Um, uh, well, I don’t know very well, but…. Isn’t there anything else to find out?”

“There is….”

Eui-jae murmured, rubbing his thumb over the cell phone with Sa-young’s missed calls.

“There’s someone waiting for me.”

“……”

He held out the other cell phone.

“Can I get your number? I’ll contact you if anything else comes up.”

“Ah, yes.”

Ga-eul quickly typed in her number. Eui-jae saved the number and sighed briefly.

After dropping off Ga-eul, Eui-jae parked the truck in an alley a little away from the Wave Guild. To be exact, the Goldfish had parked it.

As soon as he put on his mask, changed his clothes, and got out, the Goldfish drove the truck away on their own. What a useful ability. Eui-jae clicked his tongue and walked towards the Wave Guild building.

The moment he entered the lobby. No one dared to approach him, but he could feel it. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him. It wasn’t unpleasant or malicious, mostly curiosity. He was the number one ranked Hunter, of course, and the main character in a deep scandal with the Guild leader.

‘Damn it.’

Eui-jae took out the card key from his jacket pocket and held it to the entrance. It was a temporary key. He felt like the murmurs of the people had gotten louder, but he tried to ignore it. He quickly disappeared.

When Lee Sa-young was asleep, he used the back door for Guild members only. Thanks to Bae Won-woo’s help. In fact, it wasn’t good to let people know that J was staying somewhere for a long time. But Lee Sa-young forbade using the back door. Instead, he held out the card key.

‘From now on, use the main entrance.’

‘…….’

‘Eung…. Why do you look like that?’

‘I’m fine with how it is now.’

‘Isn’t it better to walk around proudly? Not like a rat….’

‘What, you crazy brat?’

It would have remained a good memory if he hadn’t added that last part. Lee Sa-young always added one unnecessary word. To piss people off.

Eui-jae got in the elevator, inserted the card key, and pressed the top floor. The surrounding scenery quickly moved away. As soon as the door opened, he felt someone’s presence.

“Huh? It’s J!”

Kang Ji-soo waved her hand in greeting. Bae Won-woo and Kang Ji-soo were squatting side by side in front of the Guild leader’s office door. Eui-jae bowed his head and asked.

“What are you doing here?”

“The Guild leader kicked us out.”

“…….”

“It seems like he has something to be briefed on. Where have you been, J?”

“Ah…. Um, the Awakened Management Bureau.”

“Ew.”

Kang Ji-soo pretended to throw up. Bae Won-woo also looked at him with a pitiful face. Is the Awakened Management Bureau that bad? Eui-jae, who had spent most of his Hunter life at the Awakened Management Bureau, tilted his head.

“Why?”

“No, I just go there and get nagged. And I have to pay fines. Captain Jung-bin…. No, anyway. He’s scary when he’s angry.”

“Director is scary.”

“Um, I’m scared too.”

Ah, come to think of it. Eui-jae recalled the conversation he had with Ham Seok-jeong. Jung-bin and Bae Won-woo said they picked up Lee Sa-young. Then was Bae Won-woo also once affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau? He didn’t know, so he must have joined after the West Sea Rift. Eui-jae asked.

“I heard from the Director that you used to be affiliated with the Awakened Management Bureau? That you worked with Jung-bin.”

“Yes? Ah, did the Director say that? Haha…. Well, I wasn’t completely affiliated with the Bureau of Rift Management.”

Bae Won-woo scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.

“The West Sea Rift…. Ahem, anyway, manpower became a bit short because of that. The Bureau of Rift Management recruited Hunters. It was like a kind of mercenary.”

“Ah, I see….”

“I worked with the Captain for a while then. Then Sa-young brought that crazy brat, and he made a fuss about creating a Guild, so I followed him out.”

“Why?”

Bae Won-woo would have been treated quite well even within the Awakened Management Bureau. He could have used his experience working at the Bureau of Rift Management to join another good Guild. But why did he follow Lee Sa-young, who was just a fledgling and had just Awakened? Bae Won-woo looked around and smiled awkwardly.

“Well…. I was worried about his health, and he had big dreams.”

“Dreams?”

“He said he would open the closed Rift.”

“…….”

“Isn’t that a new idea? Opening a closed Rift. It’s something that adults with rigid brains can’t think of.”

Opening a closed Rift. Anyone who wasn’t an idiot could immediately understand what that meant.

‘I will open the West Sea Rift.’

And, what’s inside it….

At that moment, the door opened silently. And a head with black sunglasses popped out. It was Min-gi Seo. Min-gi Seo looked at the two people squatting in front of the door and J standing in front of them and said.

“The Guild leader says to tell the Vice Guild leader that he keeps telling old stories because he’s getting old. He says to stop it.”

“Hey! If you go anywhere and say I’m old based on my age, you’ll get beaten up!”

The black head disappeared into the crack of the door and popped out again.

“He says it’s none of your business.”

“Ugh, seriously.”

“Also, the Guild leader wants the Vice Guild leader and Hunter Song Ji-soo to return to their respective positions, and only J to come inside.”

“See? He’s trying to play with J all by himself again!”

“Guild leader! You have to finish all that today! Got it!”

“Ugh, he says to get out of here right now.”

“This guy, I think he’s saying what he wants to say, not conveying the Guild leader’s words?”

“I was thinking the same thing, Ji-soo.”

“Shut up, he says.”

“Hey, you come with me too. This won’t do.”

“I’m against violence… Ack!”

Min-gi Seo was dragged away by his tie. Even in the midst of that, his eyes met. The eyes behind the sunglasses winked. What, why are you winking? It’s unsettling. Eui-jae bowed his head awkwardly and carefully entered through the open door.

In the spacious Guild leader’s office, Lee Sa-young, sitting at his desk, was wearing a shirt without a tie, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He was flipping through files when he raised his head. Is it because his clothes are different from usual? He felt strangely nervous. Lee Sa-young’s gaze slowly scanned Eui-jae from head to toe. The purple eyes behind the glasses narrowed slightly.

“Did you have fun? You didn’t even answer your phone.”

He interlocked his fingers and rested his chin on them. Eui-jae answered more curtly than usual for no reason.

“Hey, how can I answer the phone when I’m talking to my elders?”

“I do.”

That’s because you’re rude. Eui-jae swallowed the words that were about to come out. Sa-young, who had pushed up his glasses that had slipped down, rested his chin on his hand. The pen hanging between his long fingers tapped.

“So?”

“So what?”

“What did you talk about?”

Is it because he felt guilty? It strangely felt like he was asking knowing everything. Eui-jae scratched his head and answered.

“Well… we just talked about old times. Why.”

“You should have told me too…. I’ve been stuck here all day.”

Sa-young gestured for him to come closer. Eui-jae clicked his tongue.

“You’re gesturing for your elders to come and go.”

“So, are you not coming?”

“…….”

As Eui-jae’s feet moved, a low laugh erupted. Eui-jae faced Sa-young across the desk. Was it his imagination that the way he looked up at him was unusually seductive today? Eui-jae secretly swallowed. A hand with black fingertips reached out, revealing his palm. A long, thin scar remained in the middle of his pale, pretty palm.

“…Why?”

“Hand.”

He wants my hand? Eui-jae placed his hand on top of his palm. Sa-young took off his glasses and put them down, then grabbed his hand and gently pulled him. And he put his cheek against his palm and closed his eyes. Eui-jae’s eyes widened. The cold, soft cheek that filled his palm and the eyelashes that brushed the tips of his fingers were ticklish. His lips parted.

“I feel a little better now….”

Looking at Lee Sa-young leaning his face on his hand made one corner of his heart tingle. It was warm and soft, like a spring breeze blowing. Eui-jae clenched his other hand, hidden behind his back. At that moment.

“…But.”

The teeth revealed through his lips gently bit the fleshy part of his palm. Eui-jae frowned. What is it now? Sa-young, who had been closing his eyes, slowly opened them.

“Did you eat tteokbokki with Ham Seok-jeong or something?”

Ah, damn it.

“It smells sweet….”

Well, of course, he stirred tteokbokki with this hand about a hundred times!

Eui-jae answered as if nothing was wrong.

“I ate at a snack bar nearby.”

“Ah, I’m sure you ate well. Someone wearing a mask.”

“…….”

As he subtly turned his head, Sa-young bit his wrist. It didn’t hurt. Sa-young looked at the bite mark left on his wrist with satisfaction, then sighed as if to show off.

“Anyway, you’re always lying…. Someone who can’t even lie.”

“What.”

“What… it’s okay. I’ll just let this lie slide. I won’t even ask what you did.”

What’s going on? What’s the scheme this time? Eui-jae looked at Sa-young with a suspicious face. Sa-young tickled Eui-jae’s hand and smiled.

“Instead.”

As expected, there’s something. There’s no way this crazy brat would just let this go. Eui-jae glared at Sa-young from behind his mask. He wanted to see what kind of unreasonable demands he would make. Sa-young interlocked his fingers and kissed the back of his hand.

“Enter the General Assembly with me.”

“…….”

“Wearing the clothes I prepared.”

He could feel the lips touching the back of his hand curving upwards.

“Not as my secretary, but as J.”