RG 106

About ten minutes later, Cha Sahyeon and Kwon Taehyeok returned to the hospital room. Kwon Taehyeok, who had followed the child in, made a puzzled expression when he saw me sitting alone on the bed.

“Where did Hunter Ryu Seonghyeon go?”

“Oh, he went back to the guild.”

Having somewhat calmed my emotions in the meantime, I spoke as I hugged the approaching Cha Sahyeon. Kwon Taehyeok, who was looking at me at my nonchalant answer, slightly furrowed his brow. “…Did something happen?”

“No?” I widened my eyes and tilted my head, feigning ignorance. At that, he seemed unsure about pressing further and chose to change the subject first.

“If nothing happened, then that’s fine. The Support is waiting, so let’s get you treated right away.”

“Okay.”

The Support he brought was a B-class Healer.

It wasn’t a serious wound, and since I wasn’t a DPS, a C-class would’ve been enough. But I could feel Kwon Taehyeok being considerate, which left me with mixed feelings during the treatment.

‘Even for a Healer, isn’t a B-class kind of expensive?’

Not that it matters since it’s not my money. I guess this is the kind of perk you get when you get close to someone rich. It was a bit burdensome, but I didn’t particularly feel guilty or sorry. I wasn’t the type to be so delicate, and I was doing my part looking out for Kwon Taehyeok, the main character, in my own way.

The treatment didn’t even take two minutes and ended quickly. Kwon Taehyeok, who left the Support’s send-off to a bodyguard, checked my now-clean neck and spoke up. “The meal will be here soon. Since you’ll be discharged tomorrow, it’d be good to wash up and change after eating.”

Geez, it’s like having a parent.

Since it was the same outfit I’d been wearing since the Gwanghwamun incident, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable anyway, so I accepted without protest.

‘…But how long is he planning to stay here?’

Now that Ryu Seonghyeon had left, I wished he would go too. Surely he wasn’t planning to stick around the whole time? I was starting to feel uneasy.

“When are you planning to leave, Guildmaster? You must be very busy, and I feel like I’m unnecessarily holding you up.”

“I was just planning to check if your meal gets delivered properly and then head out.”

Oh, nice.

“I’ll also have security personnel stationed in the hallway just in case.”

Not so nice.

“That’s really not necessary, though?”

“It’s a minimal precaution.” At my open discomfort, he paused for a moment before continuing his explanation, “It’s not to keep watch on you. I’ve already given orders not to interfere, so there won’t be any situations that could make you uncomfortable. It’s simply in case of another incident like earlier, so we can respond quickly.”

“Then can I go for a walk with my brother, or have dinner at the restaurant in the evening? You’re saying the bodyguards won’t follow us, right?”

“Of course.”

Hmm, in that case. As I reluctantly accepted the security arrangement, Kwon Taehyeok let out a short sigh. Seeing that, I was a bit dumbfounded. Anyone would think I was tormenting him. I quietly glared at him, and just then, the hospital room door opened and a staff member brought in the meal.

After carefully inspecting the food on the tray, Kwon Taehyeok fastened the buttons of his suit jacket as soon as the staff member left and spoke. “I’ll be going now. Please enjoy your meal.”

Finally, he’s leaving. I kept up a warm smile, managing my image to the very end. “Thanks for everything. Get home safe.”

Kwon Taehyeok, who looked at my face for a moment with an unreadable expression, gave a short nod and left the hospital room.

***

After Kwon Taehyeok left, I was finally able to properly relax. After washing up with Cha Sahyeon, I leisurely rested for a while, then, noticing the sky outside had darkened a bit, I slipped out of bed.

“Hey, kid.”

Cha Sahyeon, who had been playing a mobile game on my phone in place of the gaming console left at home, blinked at the call.

“I’m going to step out for a bit. Don’t wander around by yourself and just wait here quietly.”

“…Again?” The kid scrunched his face in displeasure and set the phone down. Even though the character he’d been raising had just died in vain, he didn’t take his eyes off me. His glare was sharp enough to make me awkwardly laugh as I reached out and patted his head.

“Sorry. But I really won’t be long this time. We’ve still got to have dinner too, right?”

“…”

But even this kind of persuasion didn’t seem to work anymore. The kid pouted, his lips trembling in a deeply hurt expression. “I want to go too.”

“Mm, that’s a bit…”

To begin with, the reason I was forcing myself to go out now was for his sake. Unlike at the office, here there were security personnel that Kwon Taehyeok had assigned, so it was safe even if I stepped away for a moment. I figured it was going to be even harder to leave Cha Sahyeon alone in the room in the future, so now was my chance.

“I’ll bring you a present, okay? Is there anything you want?” I gently stroked the cheek of the thoroughly sulking kid and tried my best to coax him.

Time was tight, but if I ignored him while he was this upset and left, it’d be a huge problem if it affected the seed’s condition later. Yet despite my efforts, Cha Sahyeon’s mood didn’t improve.

“Nothing.”

“Aww, don’t be like that. Think about it.”

“Nothing.”

Especially stubborn today.

Well, I guess it made sense. I’d been using the same old lines to appease him, and I hadn’t even kept my promise to take him to the amusement park yet. From his point of view, it was only natural to be annoyed.

Groaning, I asked, “What do I have to do for you to let me go?” and the kid, who’d been glancing at me, hesitated, unable to answer easily. The fact that he wasn’t flatly saying ‘nothing’ this time meant there was at least something he wanted. Relieved at that much, I flicked the earring dangling from his ear with my finger. “What is it? You have to say it so I’ll know.”

“…”

After hesitating with his head lowered for quite a while, Cha Sahyeon finally mumbled, “…ss.”

Then, suddenly, his cheeks turned bright red at an alarming speed. The heat that started at his cheeks quickly spread across his entire face.

“A… a kiss……”

“What?”

“Give me a kiss.”

“Heh…?”

Caught off guard by the completely unexpected word, I let out a dry laugh, and the kid’s face turned even redder. It seemed like he’d decided there was no turning back now, because he spoke again with a stubborn, forceful voice, “If you kiss me, I’ll let you go.”

Well, I’ll be.

“A kiss out of nowhere? What the heck have you been watching behind my back?”

“Ah, I didn’t watch anything! I’ve always known about kisses…!”

“Really?” I replied half-heartedly while turning things over in my head.

A kiss, huh. Why would he suddenly want something like that? I had no clue what could’ve triggered this.

‘Maybe there was a kissing scene in that drama I left on the other day? Or did he watch some weird video on my phone? People have been saying lately there’s a lot of harmful content for kids online.’

I should probably set up a kids’ restriction on Cha Sahyeon’s phone when he gets one later. Phew… at this rate, I might end up joining some parenting forum too.

While I was lost in my own thoughts for a moment, Cha Sahyeon, who’d been nibbling on his lip while waiting for my answer, asked in a deeply sullen voice, “…You’re not going to?” His round eyes shimmered with a hint of tears. If I turned him down now, I was definitely going to get tears, and there’d be no leaving the room.

“No, I will.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal anyway.”

I still had no idea what was going through the kid’s head, suddenly begging for a kiss, but if something as simple as this could resolve the situation, I didn’t mind one bit. I planted one hand on the bed and leaned in low. The faint scent of fresh soap brushed past my nose as his flushed cheek came into view.

I looked down at him, who tensed up and drew his shoulders in tight, then pressed my lips to his soft cheek.

On purpose, I made a loud mwah sound before pulling back. Immediately, the flush spread from the kid’s face down to his neck. The sight of it made me let out a dry laugh—it was ridiculous and kind of hilarious at the same time.

“I’m heading out now, so you have to keep your promise. Stay in the room and wait quietly, okay?”

“Mm-hm!” His mood must’ve lifted completely with just that kiss because Cha Sahyeon quickly swallowed and nodded in a hurry.

He better not secretly tail me after that, right? A little uneasy, but I didn’t have the option of not leaving either. I grabbed my coat and opened the hospital room door.

Throwing my coat over the hospital-issued patient clothes, I stepped into the hallway, where one of the guards stationed just outside immediately approached.

“Are you heading out?”

“Yes. I’m just going for a walk nearby and meeting a friend. My brother is in the room—could you keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn’t go out alone?”

“Don’t worry.”

The guard, neatly dressed in a black suit, gave off the presence of an A-class Hunter. He was probably the leader of the security team. Honestly, having someone like him standing guard outside a room with just a B-class Support inside was a little overkill—but it worked in my favor, since it meant Cha Sahyeon wouldn’t be able to sneak after me.

Leaving the guard behind, I headed down to the hospital’s first floor, slipped into a restroom, locked the door, and used a skill.

Bzzt!

“Ugh…!”

《Hidden Skill: Silver Protection (Class S) [Activated]》

After confirming the transformation went off without a hitch, I quickly changed clothes without wasting a second. Good thing I’d stashed a few outfits in my inventory just in case.

I stuffed the patient clothes into my inventory, then threw on a gray hoodie and a pair of jeans. I pulled a cap over my head, added a mask, and checked in the mirror to make sure my face was well covered.

Satisfied everything was in place, I casually crossed the hospital lobby and slipped out of the building.

It was a bit of a hassle, but with the hospital room windows too small to open, there was no other way. Pulling the hood of my zip-up jacket over my cap, I flagged down a taxi.

***

Through the thick darkness, the glow of monitor screens spilled out brightly. Dozens of large screens filled the entire wall. Each one displayed scenes from all over Gangnam—from streets to building interiors, leaving no place unobserved.

“Lord.”

At the low voice calling out, the man sitting in front of the monitors turned around. His face, revealed beneath shimmering silver-white hair, was concealed by a mask.

“Cover’s location has been detected. Seoul Hospital.”

“I see.”

Of course—since Cha Seohu was there, it made sense that he would show up too.

A faint smile played under the mask as Eun Woojeong turned to a fellow organization member, who was also masked. “Was it the same as before?”

“Yes. He wasn’t seen entering the hospital, but he was definitely spotted coming out.”

Eun Woojeong rested his chin in his hand and murmured, “Really… what an odd one.”

A few months ago, by pure chance, Eun Woojeong had spotted Cover slipping into a building like he was running away. It could only be described as sheer luck. After all, the Spider’s Web had been monitoring not Cover, but Cha Seohu, a man who wasn’t even part of a proper guild.

Cha Seohu was only a B-rank Support, but far from ordinary. He belonged to Zone C-281, a place even the surveillance network couldn’t penetrate, and he was also a survivor of illegal human experimentation. Since there were so many reasons to keep an eye on him, Eun Woojeong had originally planned to observe for just about half a year. Who would’ve thought Cover would be tangled up with him?

From Sipder’s Web’s perspective, it was an unexpected windfall. They’d even managed to use that information to meet with Cover and steer a deal in their favor.

“He’s currently moving by taxi. Shall we continue following?”

“Keep tailing him. Find out his destination.”

“Yes, sir. Also, there’s another report.” The organization member handed over a file and continued, “A list of Hunters who’ve gone missing in China over the past three months.”

“…400, huh. Even accounting for those killed by monsters or other Hunters, that’s a hefty number.”

“It seems you’ll need to visit China soon.”

“I have been away too long.” With an indifferent look, Eun Woojeong flipped through a few pages of the file, then waved a hand dismissively. “That’ll be all.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the organization member left, Eun Woojeong tossed the file onto the desk and stood up. Crossing the barren hallway, he reached the room at the very end and picked up a remote control sitting on a table, pressing a button.

Zzzzzing!

The room gave a small vibration as another black wall rose up, sealing off the room on all sides. Once the specially designed walls isolated the space, Eun Woojeong even ran a scan to check for any hidden cameras before finally removing his mask.

Clatter.

After setting down the mask, he peeled off his black gloves. As the gloves covering his wrists came off, pale skin was revealed—along with scattered scars. The marks that began on his hands stretched all across his body. The more layers of clothing he removed, the more scars appeared—far worse than what had been visible on his hands. Every time he moved, his muscles tensed and flexed, causing the scars to twist and stretch along with them.

Stripping off the clothing that had completely concealed him, Eun Woojeong changed into a clean shirt and pulled a ring from his inventory.

The moment he slipped the ring, inlaid with a green gemstone, onto his left index finger, his hair turned pitch black, and the scars vanished without a trace. Even the powerful aura that had clung to him disappeared completely.

Using a mirror, he checked his appearance—now perfectly transformed into ‘actor Eun Woojeong.’ Satisfied, he pressed another button on the remote. The room vibrated again as a new door appeared in the opposite wall.

As he stepped through it, he thought of Cover.

‘I should meet him at least once before heading to China.’

Recalling Cover’s face twisted in disgust whenever they crossed paths, he let out a faint smile.

It didn’t matter if Cover hated meeting him. As long as he needed something, in the end, Cover would have no choice but to come find him.