Free Web NovelJoo Seowon caught the twitch in my brow and raised both hands in an awkward gesture of surrender.
“You sold me out? Explain it so I can understand.”
“You gotta mix in some truth if you want people to trust you, right? Remember when I told you Haeseong stopped SH? I brought that up and mentioned you were in contact with Haeseong. Said it looked like you came to SH on purpose.”
“What?”
“Hey, I told the truth, so cut me some slack! Don’t hit me.”
“So you made me out to be a traitor to build trust?”
“...Man, you summarize things way too well.”
Is he insane? I released my grip on his collar and sat back down on the bed. Seowon stood there like a kid waiting to be scolded after breaking something.
I calmly organized my thoughts. Psychologically, it’s easier for one side to play the “traitor” while the other builds the trust.
And Seowon already knew I wasn’t interested in seriously sticking with SH. The situation made it inevitable for me to feed skewed information to Do Yehyun and him anyway.
'In short, he picked his spot to lie down.'
Seowon had seen I wasn’t attached to SH, so he stepped up and sided with them himself. Normally I would’ve ripped into him for acting alone instead of telling me first, but I didn’t feel like it.
Not because I was tired, but because the more I thought about it, the better the current situation seemed.
'If Im Haekyung went all the way to Sokcho just to save SH hunters, there’s gotta be more between them. Something beyond family matters....'
Song Hwayoung not telling me that part must’ve been for a reason. Seowon, uneasy at my silence, pressed me.
“...Say something, man. Keeping your mouth shut’s driving me fucking nuts.”
“I’m not thrilled you did that without checking with me, but as things stand, it’s not bad. Keep getting closer to them.”
“...That’s it?”
“If you want, I’ll yell at you right now.”
“Nope! No complaints. None at all.”
His panicked tone made me chuckle despite myself. Only then did Seowon relax and sit back down.
“Next time, discuss it first.”
“Of course. I was gonna tell you anyway.”
“Then why the hell did it take so long?”
“Because you’re never home!”
Hmm... true. I hadn’t been around much lately. Between meeting my old classmates without Seowon and digging into my parents, it all took time. I nodded, and he continued.
“I’ll try to bond more. It’s not like I can openly raid dungeons, you know that...”
“Because both Damyeon and Cape Prime are watching you?”
“...I’ve got my reasons.”
“Who’s arguing?”
“You! You’re always on my case about it! You!”
Every other sentence turns into a fight with him.
It’s not like I ever planned to throw him out on the front lines anyway. I need to use people when their safety’s secured. And besides, I’m the one responsible for keeping him safe.
'Please let Damyeon and Cape Prime be sane guilds, not kidnapping freaks like Infinite.'
After yelling, Seowon shut his own mouth when I didn’t respond.
The talk had gone on long enough that cold sweat started to bead on me. I could drink a high-grade recovery potion, but right now I just wanted sleep. Seowon noticed and spoke in a serious tone.
“If you’re not feeling well, push today’s plan back.”
“It’s too important.”
“Dragging Do Yehyun along will just be harder, right? Leave him behind, then.”
“No. He’s the reason I’m going.”
“...Who were those guys you grabbed today? Not just some random illegal guild. Infinite Guild, right?”
Sharp bastard. Already guessed and just wanted confirmation.
I met his eyes without answering. He lowered his voice.
“Look, it’s not like I want to see you get killed. Be cautious. I don’t know your real rank, but you’re not S, are you?”
“F, I told you.”
“Sure, I’ll believe that.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“...Just don’t end up as a corpse after a dungeon run today. Anyway, get some rest. I’m heading out.”
“You’re leaving?”
Still slouched over, I lifted just my gaze toward him. He stared back, then shook his head.
“No. I’ll stay here.”
“Then one hour... no, an hour and a half’s fine. Wake me up then. Or get Do Yehyun to do it.”
“You’re not setting an alarm?”
“My condition’s so bad I probably won’t hear it.”
“...Then at least stop by a hospital. Or chug potions.”
“I’ll check in tomorrow morning.”
“You mean that?”
“Yeah.”
Depends on my condition, but after another dungeon run I wasn’t going to feel any better, that’s for sure. Seowon sighed hard and nodded before standing. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
“Fine. Sleep, then.”
“Yeah.”
Ah, right. There was one more thing.
I stopped him just before he left the room.
“Seowon.”
“What?”
“Let’s just forget about Im Haekyung and Song Hwayoung’s family situation. You too.”
“...I was going to, but hearing you say something so normal feels weird.”
What the hell does ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ he take me for? I shot him a crooked glare. He flinched but held firm.
“You say not to dig into other people’s families, but you know mine.”
...What? I couldn’t hide my disbelief.
“You know mine too.”
No way Seowon hadn’t dug into my background. Sure enough, he flinched at my words. I waved him off.
“More than that—it’s weird there’s still no gossip online about someone like Im Haekyung.”
“......”
“Isn’t it? Even one rumor should’ve spread like wildfire. His old guardian’s a famous actor, his ‘sister’ Song Hwayoung is a famous A-rank guild master—every one of those is a landmine. How the hell is there no info?”
“He used a skill?”
“That’s what I think.”
Seowon nodded, convinced, and finally left the room. I collapsed into bed, didn’t even bother with the light or blanket, and passed out.
Calling it sleep would’ve been generous—it was a knockout.
***
“Hyung.”
“......”
“Hyung, wake up.”
Do Yehyun. So Seowon had him wake me? I didn’t even move, just ordered him around from bed.
“...Yehyun. What time is it?”
“Just past six.”
I told him to wake me in an hour and a half—it’d been two. I rubbed my face with my palm and sat up slowly. Maybe I should just go back to sleep.
“Where’s Seowon?”
“In the living room. He was going to wake you, but I said I’d do it.”
“‘Seowon-hyung’?”
Wait, what? I’m hyung and Seowon’s just plain Seowon-hyung? I didn’t comment, but it was absurd.
“I feel like death.”
At my mutter, Yehyun’s fingertips touched my cheek.
...Come to think of it, his physical contact had gone up a lot lately. Guess all that “healing” got him used to touching people. Easy way to get misunderstood, though.
I let it be. His hand slid up from my cheek to my forehead, covering it with his palm.
“You’ve got a fever.”
“Go run and get me something for it?”
“I’ve got a potion. ...From SH.”
“Then fetch me the potion.”
Without a word, he pulled one from his pocket and handed it over. He’d brought it from the start—so his sense wasn’t half bad. I took it, popped the lid, and brushed his hand away naturally.
SH Guild’s welfare potions were way better than the one Ryu Taeyoung gave me.
After draining it, I felt much better than when I’d woken up. I turned on the light, left the bed, and went into the bathroom. Quick face wash, check my reflection, then came back out. Yehyun was still standing there.
“You gonna watch me change too?”
“I’ve never spied on you, hyung.”
Right. I’m the one doing the spying.
I ignored him and changed clothes. Grabbed what I needed, then left the room with him. Pulled out my backup phone, since the other was trashed, and skimmed the news with today’s keywords.
News│ Illegal Gate Occupation by Unregistered Guilds – Is This Okay? Growing Concern over Rogue Guild Activity
ㅤ(Photo.jpg)
ㅤ△ An unregistered guild member being arrested for illegal Gate occupation.
ㅤAt around 9 a.m. today, numerous unregistered guild members were arrested near Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. It was revealed that this guild had been illegally occupying a Gate that appeared there days ago.
ㅤJung (26), a hunter involved in the raid, said the guild had also been running loan-sharking and illegal businesses targeting unawakened and low-rank hunters, prompting cooperation with the police. Locals’ anger has been rising. Lee (55), a nearby resident, called for tougher crackdowns and said he planned a one-man protest starting today.
ㅤRyu Taeyoung (27), captain of the Special Response Team, reported that the arrested guild was not only illegally occupying the Gate but also involved in civilian kidnappings. Police are now taking statements from the detained guild members.
ㅤHowever, the whereabouts of the guild master, Na (38), remain unknown.
Comments (9)
BEST These bastards can’t be left loose. Strengthen the hunter registration law!!!
👍 13 👎 5
― I’m too scared to go outside. Hope they catch them soon...
👍 3 👎 0
― Honestly, what good are the police against hunters? F-rank maybe, but the guild master’s a C, right?
👍 6 👎 5
― The Special Response Team really works their asses off.. ㅠㅠ They deserve more pay. Seriously.ㅠㅠ If they joined a guild, they’d make way more. Why stick it out as underpaid civil servants?
👍 7 👎 3
└ They get 4 million won a month.
└ Reply: lol and what’s your point?
└ Why are you even worrying about hunters? Do you make 4 million? lmao
└ This guy’s never been worried about in his life.
― Hunters get treated worse than anyone else. They’re people too. Sure, this time the illegal guild’s at fault, but this fear-mongering against hunters is bullshit.
👍 4 👎 4
I skimmed the comments, then quickly scrolled back up.
'Wait a sec—Na Seokgyung didn’t get caught?'
