Chapter 125

Stepping outside the gate, Shin-hoo found Kwon Haeju, who had exited just moments before him, already waiting. Leaning heavily against a wall with his arms crossed, Haeju leveled a fierce, narrow-eyed scowl at him.

He was radiating pure, unmistakable displeasure. Flashing a bright, disarming smile, Shin-hoo approached him and gently smoothed out the deep creases between the man’s brows.

“Have you been waiting long?” Shin-hoo asked.

“Yes.”

Haeju didn’t even bother pretending to be fine. Closing the distance instantly, he leaned in and whispered directly into Shin-hoo’s ear, “Did Yoo Da-on disrespect you?”

“Nothing of the sort happened. Anyway, what about the stone slab you brought out?”

“Choi Kanghyun was waiting outside, so I handed it over to him for analysis. He is… far more proficient in those matters than I am.”

It was a wise tactical decision. The Saint Guild maintained extensive collaborative ties with numerous overseas intelligence agencies, and internally, Seon Chanjae firmly anchored a dedicated, highly advanced research division.

“You did well. Did you already handle the crowd control when you came out?”

“Yes. I gave the press a brief interview and dismissed them. We can pull out immediately.”

As Shin-hoo patted his shoulder in fond approval, the rigid tension finally melted from Haeju’s face. True to his word, the previously chaotic street was entirely deserted, save for a handful of Hyeonjeol Guild members milling about, waiting for Da-on.

“Let’s go grab something to eat, then.”

“Shinju has already made reservations at a nearby restaurant,” Haeju replied, his expression brightening considerably.

The man who used to actively avoid the topic of food and found eating to be a repulsive chore was completely gone. As expected, a healthy appetite and an active lifestyle were the best medicine.

“Are we heading over right now? Come to think of it, it’s getting close to dinner—”

“Ahjussi.”

Da-on’s voice cut through the air as she marched toward them from a distance.

Having evidently reached a profound internal conclusion in that short span of time, the dark, vulnerable gloom that had clouded her face inside the dungeon was entirely gone. Instead, she wore a look of solemn, almost tragic resolve.

“Honestly, our guild’s headquarters is rented,” Da-on confessed abruptly.

“What?”

“We didn’t have the capital to purchase a building outright, but I absolutely refused to look inferior to the other guilds. Even now, thirty percent of our entire operating budget goes straight to rent. It’s an incredibly suffocating financial burden.”

“…”

“Don’t you think I’m still severely lacking to be praised for raising a ‘wonderful’ guild?”

Shin-hoo realized belatedly that Da-on was speaking to him with strict, formal politeness. The transition had been so seamless he hadn’t even noticed it at first.

Before Shin-hoo could properly process this jarring shift in demeanor, she took a deep, fortifying breath and continued, speaking like a soldier marching into battle.

“You told me I could use whatever titles made me comfortable, so from now on, I’m going to call you oppa. That’s okay, right? I heard you gave Yeonho permission to call you hyung, too. I’ve always wanted a proper older brother—someone completely unlike Yoo Yeonho. Also, if the Saint Guild ever requires our assistance, please contact me directly.”

“…Pardon?”

“I look forward to working with you!”

Taking a deliberate step back, Da-on bowed vigorously, folding perfectly at a ninety-degree angle. Simultaneously, she pulled out a business card, presenting it to him with both hands. The thin card vibrated visibly, betrayed by the nervous trembling of her fingertips.

“R… right. I look forward to it as well,” Shin-hoo replied.

The moment a thoroughly bewildered Shin-hoo accepted the card, Da-on spun on her heel without an ounce of hesitation. True to her combat specialty, her retreat was as swift as an arrow.

“Alright, everyone! We’re pulling out! Hurry up! Let’s go home and rest!” she barked at her subordinates.

Watching her briskly herd her guild members away, Shin-hoo caught a fleeting glimpse of her ears through her swishing black hair. They were burning a brilliant, agonizing crimson.

It was an infinitely more natural, fitting look for her than the abrasive, fiercely arrogant persona she usually wore like armor.

“…”

Staring silently at the business card in his hand, Shin-hoo carefully tucked it into his inner jacket pocket.

It was undoubtedly a positive development that Da-on had unburdened her heart. It would foster her personal growth and guarantee the Hyeonjeol Guild’s amicable cooperation with his own faction in the future. However…

Shin-hoo tightly clamped his left hand over his right. He was genuinely terrified to look down at his ring finger, absolutely certain the artifact would be swirling with a violent, pulsing violet hue.

“…Hmm.”

A low, extremely displeased hum vibrated from Haeju’s chest. Shin-hoo didn’t even need to look at him to know exactly what the man was thinking.

‘Do you really like that brat that much?’ The jealous, exasperated accusation he had heard just days prior automatically replayed in Shin-hoo’s ears.

But honestly, Da-on’s sudden display of reverence was entirely outside the realm of Shin-hoo’s expectations. Therefore, being subjected to this silent condemnation felt incredibly unfair.

“Kwon Haeju. It is a misunderstanding.”

“What exactly is a misunderstanding?”

The response was frigid. It was exceedingly rare for Haeju to direct such a glacial tone at him nowadays; it was a relic from the era when they constantly stood at each other’s throats.

“Da-on’s specific ‘type’ is cute men,” Shin-hoo clarified desperately. “She exclusively likes men who are incredibly cute, highly obedient, and generally adorable.”

This was the precise reason the romantic rumors surrounding Da-on and Haeju had died so rapidly. Her personal tastes were vastly different from those of other women her age.

Throughout his life, Shin-hoo had been showered with an endless array of flattering adjectives: handsome, awe-inspiring, charismatic, breathtaking, and so forth. Yet, not once had a single soul ever dared to call him ‘cute’. Both he and Haeju were fundamentally, genetically incompatible with that specific descriptor.

“She really just came over to express her gratitude. That’s all.”

“Haa…” Letting out a cavernous sigh, Haeju dragged a hand down his face. “I am not laboring under such a ridiculous misconception. Furthermore…”

Still scowling darkly in the direction Da-on had vanished, Haeju delivered a bombshell. “The person Yoo Da-on actually fancies is Kwon Shinju.”

“What?”

“She claimed she prefers cute, naive men whose flustered reactions are entertaining to tease,” Haeju scoffed. “It’s an absolutely atrocious taste in men, so I completely ignored her.”

Utterly blindsided by the revelation, Shin-hoo turned to stare in the same direction. He pictured the now-absent Da-on and cross-referenced her with the criteria. A cute man. Highly obedient and adorable. In a horrifyingly accurate way… Kwon Shinju perfectly encapsulated that exact archetype.

The mystery of why Haeju harbored such intense animosity toward Da-on was instantly solved. From Haeju’s overprotective perspective, Da-on was essentially a predatory hooligan relentlessly targeting his innocent younger brother.

“And I was not jealous. I was simply worried about you,” Haeju stated firmly.

Closing the distance between them, Haeju snatched Shin-hoo’s arm, meticulously inspecting his wrist and palm. Sensing the minute, involuntary tremors racking Shin-hoo’s muscles, Haeju’s scowl deepened severely.

“You severely overexerted yourself at the end just to protect her, didn’t you?” Haeju demanded softly.

“…”

“You can barely even stand right now.”

“It’s not that bad,” Shin-hoo lied weakly.

In truth, simply keeping his head upright was a monumental struggle. He was desperately feigning composure, but he was so utterly drained that he would instantly black out the second his back hit a mattress. But it couldn’t be helped.

Da-on was not Kwon Haeju. She had never witnessed Shin-hoo’s attacks, let alone synchronized with them. To violently pry open and sustain a safe corridor for her within that catastrophic sandstorm, Shin-hoo had been forced to expend a terrifyingly massive amount of raw ether. Having scraped the absolute bottom of his mana reserves for the first time in years, his body felt as heavy as lead.

“I’ll recover soon,” Shin-hoo assured him.

“I know. That is the only reason I am letting this go,” Haeju grumbled.

Checking his wristwatch, Haeju quickly calculated the distance and their reservation time. “It will take us approximately an hour to reach the restaurant. Should I cancel the reservation and take you straight home?”

“No. I feel like eating something delicious will speed up my recovery. I’ll just take a short nap during the drive. I actually want to eat out for once.”

Without warning, Haeju effortlessly scooped Shin-hoo into his arms. Lifted securely off the ground, Shin-hoo naturally leaned his weight against Haeju’s broad chest. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since he carried me like this, Shin-hoo thought dimly.

“Go to sleep,” Haeju murmured gently. “I will handle the transit.”

“…Alright.”

The moment Shin-hoo finally relinquished his ironclad tension, a crushing wave of exhaustion crashed over him. Desperate to replenish his depleted energy, his body eagerly succumbed to the heavy, dark pull of sleep.

Through the hazy fog of his fading consciousness, a soft whisper drifted down from above.

“I am well aware that you are not Yoo Da-on’s preferred type, hyung.”

“…”

“But I was still bothered by it. You possess the kind of absolute beauty that effortlessly transcends trivial preferences. Therefore… I was, indeed, jealous.”

Forcing his heavy eyelids open, Shin-hoo gazed up at Haeju’s face. The dying embers of the sunset warmly embraced his broad back, casting a brilliant, fiery halo around his pitch-black hair. Haeju had just called him beautiful, but the man confessing those words was so breathtakingly, radiantly gorgeous it was almost blinding.

Shin-hoo desperately wanted to tell him that. He wanted to tell Haeju that he was the most beautiful existence in the world. Far more beautiful than Shin-hoo, far more dazzling than the sun painting the sky. But hijacked by sheer exhaustion, his lips refused to part.

Naturally, the dinner reservation Shinju had painstakingly secured was promptly canceled. Instead of enjoying a luxurious meal, Shin-hoo fell into a comatose sleep within that broad, comforting embrace, only awakening a full two days later.

Forced to placate a violently furious Haeju—who was practically glowing with murderous intent, swearing to march over and assassinate Da-on for pushing his hyung to collapse—Shin-hoo was confined to bed rest for an extra day. Yet, in its own way, it was a remarkably peaceful, domestic interlude.

***

The surroundings were cloaked in suffocating darkness. Huddled stealthily in a desolate, secluded space, Gwan Seungya furiously scratched his head as he scanned the freshly acquired intel into his portable terminal.

“Is this the right data?”

“This is going to be a problem…”

Crouched opposite him was his infiltration partner, Bale Taylor. He glared at the terminal screen, his face set in a grim, deeply troubled scowl. The scanned text was actively running through a real-time translation matrix. However, the cypher—a chaotic, encrypted amalgamation of traditional Hanja and utterly unrecognizable symbols—remained practically incomprehensible even post-translation.

Despite the digital garbage fire, Bale’s eyes darted rapidly across the encrypted text.

“Can you decode it?” Seungya asked anxiously.

“Roughly? Cryptography is exactly my specialty, but this is a colossal mess…”

Contracts, ciphers, and highly classified intelligence. These were the exact domains where Bale Taylor’s genius truly shined. A ‘contract’ was, at its core, a labyrinth of binding legal promises; if the clauses overlapped or maliciously tangled, it could trigger catastrophic backlash. For that precise reason, it was a discipline Bale had obsessively, ruthlessly mastered ever since acquiring his unique weapon.

However…