RG 105

The unexpected offer caught me so off guard I couldn’t even manage my expression. Ryu Seonghyeon, who had been standing behind Kwon Taehyeok, blinked in surprise too—clearly, he hadn’t expected this conversation to take this turn either.

“…”

“…”

As I stood there blankly without giving much of a response, an awkward silence settled over the hospital room.

“…I’m not trying to pressure you. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m just… surprised.”

Did he really just say he’d lend me a room in the Yesung Guild? Of all people, to hear that from Kwon Taehyeok?

It’s not unusual for guilds to have living quarters. Most guilds—small ones like Circle too—keep rooms ready. Before my regression, I’d relied on rooms like that myself. Since Hunters frequently get injured and work at all hours, guilds have no choice but to provide that kind of accommodation.

A place like Yesung probably has tons of rooms and even dedicated medical facilities.

‘Staying inside Yesung’s building would definitely be much safer than where I am now.’

Right now, the main threats to me were the brothers who might come in Kwon Seoyul’s place and the people from the lab. It’s unlikely, but after the Gyeongbokgung incident, there’s a chance the lab caught on to Cha Sahyeon. He had to use a skill to protect me while I was unconscious. The fact that it happened right in front of Gyeongbokgung and involved capturing Kwak Seunggyu, a lab official, makes it perfectly plausible that Cha Sahyeon was exposed.

If I accept Kwon Taehyeok’s protection, I could avoid all those problems. But…

‘I have to sneak out at night as Cover… and the Yesung Guild building would have way more eyes on me than the office.’

Even if I wear a hat, mask, or some kind of disguise, I can’t completely become a different person. If there are multiple reports of seeing Cover near the guild, suspicion could easily start pointing at me.

With that thought, I glanced at Cha Sahyeon. He was still clinging to me, a deep scowl on his face. It was obvious he didn’t like Kwon Taehyeok’s suggestion one bit.

Well, of course. He doesn’t even like eating with Kwon Taehyeok, so there’s no way he’d be happy about living at Yesung Guild.

Can’t be helped. I looked up and gave Kwon Taehyeok a polite, slightly downturned smile. “Would it be alright if I took some time to think it over? It’s a big decision, moving where I live, so I can’t really decide right away.”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Kwon Taehyeok quickly agreed, clearly flustered. “I was too hasty. The… the offer stands anytime, so please feel free to reach out whenever you’d like.”

…What’s with this guy and his obsession with looking after me? It’s honestly kind of overwhelming.

I forced my tightening brow to relax and kept a polite smile on my face. “I will. Thank you.” Well, no harm in letting him think I’m just some pitiful, broke Support. It works in my favor.

Sensing that my conversation with Kwon Taehyeok had come to an end, Ryu Seonghyeon cautiously spoke up. “Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s alright… I’d like to have a word with you. Just the two of us.”

The hesitant look on his face made my heart lurch.

What’s with him talking to me all of a sudden? A mix of nervousness and anticipation washed over me. Still, I didn’t want to say no, so I swallowed dryly and quickly nodded. “Sure,” I answered with enthusiasm, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Cha Sahyeon, who was still nestled in my arms.

There was no way he’d willingly step aside. And it felt awkward to ask Kwon Taehyeok, who’d gone out of his way to accommodate us, to move him.

‘I really want to talk to him…’

If he was going so far as to make a request like that to someone he’s not even that close to, it had to be something important. I figured it’d be easier if Ryu Seonghyeon and I stepped outside instead. Just as I was about to sit Cha Sahyeon down on the bed—

“Haa.”

The kid, who had been looking up at my face, suddenly let out a deep sigh and lightly hopped off the bed. I froze in shock—I’d never seen Cha Sahyeon sigh before—and watched as he trudged toward the door and walked out of the room.

It was like he was silently saying, Just this once, I’ll let it slide. I stared at his back, baffled by the attitude, and at that moment, Kwon Taehyeok also turned away.

“I’ll bring the Support as soon as they arrive.”

Following behind Cha Sahyeon, he stepped out and even closed the door for us.

The two of them giving up their spots so easily was surprising… and kind of awkward. I brushed a hand against my cheek and looked back at Ryu Seonghyeon.

“Maybe we should’ve just gone out to talk instead.”

At my sheepish comment, Ryu Seonghyeon gave a faint smile and tapped his neck lightly with his fingers. “The mark on your neck is still really noticeable, Hunter Cha Seohu. Until it’s treated, I figured it might be better if you stayed inside. I think that’s why those two stepped out too.”

“Oh.”

Now that he mentioned it, my throat had been stinging whenever I spoke, but it wasn’t that bad, so I’d forgotten I still had marks.

‘Was I that nervous about being alone with him?’

If Ryu Seonghyeon realized how tense I was, he’d probably feel uncomfortable too, so I asked casually as if it were nothing, “What did you want to talk about?”

“Hmm…” He hesitated, like he was unsure where to begin, then met my eyes and started speaking. “The truth is… I’ve been waiting for you to wake up because I wanted to apologize, Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“Apologize?”

Did he have anything to apologize to me for? I looked at him, puzzled, and Ryu Seonghyeon lowered his head with a bitter expression, like he’d expected that reaction. “We met before the competition, remember? You offered to help me.”

“Oh, back then.”

“I think I… overreacted. I’ve been meaning to apologize ever since. You were just trying to help, but I was so mentally overwhelmed I ended up snapping at you.”

“It’s fine,” I answered right away without any hesitation. Ryu Seonghyeon paused, staring at me with a strange look. I caught on and continued, “I mean it. I had a rough idea of how tough things were for the Circle Guild back then. It’s totally understandable that you’d respond that way. If anything, I acted too rashly and probably made things harder for you, Vicemaster.”

“No, not at all. I know it might be hard to believe now, but… I was actually grateful when you offered to help. No one thought we stood a chance.” After saying that, he seemed to remember something, and he cautiously asked, “About Cover…”

“Huh?”

“Did he… join the competition at your request?”

Ryu Seonghyeon’s voice had dropped slightly—deeper and rougher than before. Seeing how conflicted he looked, I suddenly felt just as overwhelmed.

I had braced myself for this moment ever since it became known that Cover and I were acquainted. Even so, the answer didn’t come easily.

“…No.” I didn’t know what the right answer was, but since the person asking was Ryu Seonghyeon, there was only one thing I could say. “Cover acted based on his own judgment.” Because I didn’t want him to be hurt by this. “Cover also believed the Circle Guild would win. He wanted to help. I never asked him to.”

“…”

He looked at me quietly, slowly closing and opening his eyes, then lifted the corners of his mouth just slightly. “I see.”

“…”

I had once been closer to Ryu Seonghyeon than anyone else before the regression, so it wasn’t hard to read what that smile meant.

‘He doesn’t believe me.’

If I hadn’t known him well, I wouldn’t have noticed. That’s how perfect his smile was.

I understood why he might misunderstand. When I decided to join the competition, I never imagined my connection with Cover would be exposed like this.

From Ryu Seonghyeon’s perspective, Cover was a stranger who suddenly showed up to compete. He’d been suspicious for a while, so it made sense that Cover would look like someone moving at my request. I understood it all. But still, there was this throbbing ache in my chest. I forced myself to ignore the creeping sense of disappointment and repeated myself, “I really didn’t ask him.”

“Okay.”

“Cover and I… we’re not like that.”

“All right.” With a gentle smile, Ryu Seonghyeon reached out and lightly rested his hand on my shoulder. “I believe you.”

“…”

“Thanks for explaining. And… for accepting my apology.” The hand on my shoulder quickly withdrew. Without another word, he took a step back and turned away. “I’ve said what I came to say, so I’ll be going now. Hunter Kwon Taehyeok will look after you, but still, take care of yourself.”

“…Yeah.”

“Let’s meet again sometime, if we get the chance.”

Leaving behind that neat farewell, he left the hospital room without looking back. I couldn’t bring myself to call out to him—I just stood there and watched him walk out the door.

“…Ah.”

Click. The sound of the door closing broke whatever strength I had left, and a quiet groan slipped out of me.

Now alone in the room, the ache in my chest only worsened. I clutched at it and swallowed a sigh.

I knew it would be like this… I changed the past with that understanding, so why does it still hurt every time?

The people I once held dear are gone. I just want to accept that now. Because hoping and being let down again and again… even for me, that’s getting a little too hard.