RG 79

“Why are you here?”

Kwon Seoyul. Like me and Hyeon Dowun, he grew up in Zone C-281. He rarely ever leaves the area unless something unusual happens. Lowering Cha Sahyeon from my arms, I stepped toward Kwon Seoyul.

“Try greeting me with some warmth, will you?”

“Cut the crap.”

I pressed down on Kwon Seoyul’s shoulder with my foot as he lay sprawled on the floor. Grinning mischievously, he grabbed my ankle.

“Ow, that hurts.”

“Do you really expect a warm greeting after smashing through the window like that?”

Kwon Seoyul was an S-class Hunter whose skills activated when he played musical instruments. It was a rare ability that simultaneously triggered attacks and debuffs. Since he wasn’t registered with the government, very few people even knew he existed.

His skill allowed him to materialize sound waves or transform them into shockwaves to attack. The shattered window? Probably the result of him blowing his harmonica, his most frequently used instrument.

‘So that’s why Cha Sahyeon suddenly used his skill…’

Thanks to that, I managed to block the attack, but looking at the mess in my office only made me feel more drained. I pressed down harder on Kwon Seoyul’s shoulder in annoyance, and he groaned theatrically, claiming it really hurt.

As if. He’s S-class; no matter how hard I step on him, he’d barely feel it.

“I was planning to knock on the door like a normal person.”

“And?”

“There’s an Awakened I’ve never seen before, so I thought I’d test my skill.” Kwon Seoyul pointed at Cha Sahyeon, who was standing behind me. The boy was still glaring at Kwon Seoyul with a murderous expression, shadows extending behind him like octopus tentacles.

“What’s his deal? Is he your child or something?”

His tone sounded like he was talking about an animal, not a person. With a sigh, I pressed Kwon Seoyul’s shoulder back down as he tried to lift himself up. “Why should it matter to you who I hang out with? Mind your business and just tell me why you’re here.”

“Obviously, I’m here on orders.”

I didn’t need to ask whose orders. There was only one person who could give commands to someone as unpredictable as Kwon Seoyul. As I narrowed my eyes silently, he slowly moved his hand up from my ankle.

“Father’s been really worried about you. He said you didn’t even stop by to see him last time you visited the zone. You know that kind of thing just makes him upset. Why do you keep acting like you don’t know?”

“…So he ordered you to drag me back?”

“No. Unfortunately, it’s just surveillance.”

“Surveillance?”

My displeasure must have shown on my face because Kwon Seoyul quickly defended himself. “I’m serious! He told me only to watch you, not to interfere. He even said not to touch you since you’re injured.”

“What?” I shoved away Kwon Seoyul’s hand, which had somehow made its way to my calf, and leaned down to grab him by the collar. His eyes, meeting mine up close, showed not a hint of deceit. “He… said that?”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m staying out of your way and being nice, isn’t it?”

Kwon Seoyul always followed orders to the letter. Besides, he had no reason to lie about something like this.

So that means… that man really gave such an order. Because he thought I might be injured?

‘…He figured it out.’

A heavy weight sank in my chest.

I don’t know when exactly I was found out, but I had expected that he would eventually figure out about “Cover.” From the moment I held that longsword, I knew it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.

‘If he watched the competition broadcasts, he must’ve known even before then.’

I had braced for this, yet hearing it confirmed still left my mind tangled in chaos. Releasing Kwon Seoyul’s shirt, I asked, “Why did it have to be you?”

“You’re unhappy that I’m here? If one of the other brothers had come, it would’ve been worse.”

By “brothers,” Kwon Seoyul didn’t mean biological siblings but rather the group he had formed. A group that followed his every command, no matter what it was. There were six members in total, including me, Hyeon Dowun, and Kwon Seoyul. Well, five now, since I had left.

Like most people in the zone, none of the “brothers” were registered as Hunters. Hyeon Dowun, for instance, was an information-based S-class Hunter, but the government had no knowledge of his existence. Whenever someone from the group needed to operate outside, they used fake identities.

That’s why the first thing I did after leaving the zone was to take a rank assessment and officially register as a Hunter. Though, that got me kidnapped to a lab almost immediately.

Ignoring him, I walked over to Cha Sahyeon, patted his head, and pulled him into my arms. “Alright, kid. Turn off your skill. We’re fine now.”

The boy finally relaxed, dispelling the last of the shadows writhing behind him. After settling him on the sofa with a lollipop in his hand, I picked up my phone from where it had fallen during the scuffle. The screen was cracked, but it still worked. 

As I searched for Hyeon Dowun’s number, Kwon Seoyul got up and whined, “Come on, big bro. We haven’t seen each other in ages, and you’re acting like this? I’m sorry about the window, but you could’ve warned me about a kid like that!”

“Why would I bother telling you?”

“Because… we’re brothers?”

“Shut it. I’m done with that cursed ‘brothers’ nonsense.”

My sharp retort made Kwon Seoyul’s eyes widen slightly in surprise, but I ignored him and called Hyeon Dowun. The dial tone barely lasted before he picked up, which was unusual.

― Every time you call, I get a bad feeling.

His exasperated tone made me chuckle. “Were you expecting something? Sorry to disappoint; it’s nothing like that this time.”

― What’s it about, then?

“Well, I’m here with—”

Before I could finish, my phone was suddenly snatched from my hand. Startled, I turned to see Kwon Seoyul frowning, his expression icy as he growled, “You said you’re done with the brothers, so why are you still in contact with Big Bro Dowun?”

― Wait, is that… Kwon Seoyul?!

Hyeon Dowun’s voice, tinged with alarm, came through the speaker.

“Who else do you talk to? Big Bro Jeongho? Big Bro Hae-il?”

― Hey, put Seohu back on.

Kwon Seoyul’s crimson eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he continued his rant, voice rising. “Are you guys all keeping in touch without me?! Just me?! Am I the only one left out?!”

“…”

A cold silence filled the office.

I stared at him, unsure what to even address first, my expression turning bitter. Meanwhile, Dowun’s muttered words crackled faintly through the phone.

― Ah, this brat’s losing it again…

***

Where did it all go wrong? Holding my throbbing head in frustration, I heard Dowun’s voice on the line, laced with sympathy.

― You knew he’d send someone, right?

“Yeah, but why him of all people?”

Clicking my tongue, I glared at the shattered remains of my office window. At the sound, Kwon Seoyul slumped further, looking even more dejected as he begrudgingly began cleaning up the mess.

― I did tell you to greet him before leaving.

“…So this is your way of screwing me over because I didn’t?”

― Who knows what’s going on in his head? But honestly, even if you had gone to greet him, do you really think you’d have made it out of the zone?

“Fair point.”

No doubt, I would’ve ended up locked away. So this is the best-case scenario after all, huh? I suppose if the goal had been to drag me back by force, someone like Muk Jeongho or Kang Hae-il would’ve been a better fit than Kwon Seoyul.

― Still, sending someone just to monitor you? It’s strange. Why bother sending a ‘brother’ for something like that?

“Hmm…”

― What exactly have you been up to lately?

I clamped my mouth shut at Hyeon Dowun’s sharp question. It was likely because I’d been poking around everywhere as Cover, but there had to be more to it than that. Trying to fully understand his motives was never easy.

“Cough… Anyway, so you didn’t know about this either?”

Changing the topic as conspicuously as possible, I heard Dowun sigh in resignation, then respond with mild exasperation.

― Yeah, I told him where your office was. But I didn’t expect him to send Kwon Seoyul, of all people.

After hesitating for a moment, he added,

― Honestly, I thought if he was going to send someone, it would’ve been Big Bro Jeongho. Even if it meant you’d get hurt, I figured he’d just drag you back.

That’s why Dowun had given me a heads-up in his own way earlier. It was the best he could do, still living inside the zone.

Monitoring me instead of dragging me back—it was puzzling that Kwon Seoyul was sent. But at least now I understood why he’d left me alone until now. In the two weeks leading up to the competition, I had expected someone from the zone to come, thanks to Dowun’s hints. The worst-case scenario, of course, was one of the “brothers.”

Every single one of them was a top-tier S-class Hunter, and even with my hidden skill, I’d stand no chance. Against anyone else, I was confident I could handle them—or, if push came to shove, rely on Cha Sahyeon’s help to fend them off. But now, after weeks of silence, he’d sent Kwon Seoyul to monitor me just after the competition.

‘That means he’s known all along that I was entering.’

Even though it’s been a long time since I escaped the zone—counting both this life and the one before—I still feel like I’m trapped in his palm. As I stayed silent, overwhelmed by the realization, Dowun let out a complex sigh before speaking again.

― There’s no point overthinking it now. Focus on figuring out how to handle Kwon Seoyul. If it’s an order from him, he won’t leave you alone.

“Hey, I’m still here, you know. Could you be any more obvious?” Kwon Seoyul grumbled, having finished tidying up, clearly hearing Dowun’s blunt words.

He had a point—I didn’t have time to waste on casual phone calls. If Dowun didn’t have any more information, I might as well hang up and focus on kicking Seoyul out.

“Oh, right.” Just as I was about to end the call, a question I’d been meaning to ask Dowun popped into my head. “Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you something.”

― What now?

“This thing, about searching on SNS.”

― SNS search?

“Yeah, I tried it the way you told me, but no new posts showed up. Which doesn’t make sense. There should be new posts—engagement was good and all…”

After listening to my explanation in silence, Dowun finally spoke, sounding skeptical.

― What exactly were you searching?

“…”

― …?

“…You don’t need to know.”

― What?