RG 107

I got out of the taxi and headed straight for the Circle Guild building entrance without hesitation. It wasn’t like I had made an appointment, but what did it matter? He’s the one who showed up in my dream and urged me to come quickly. Isn’t this his fault? What is he, a ghost or something?

‘If he has any conscience, he won’t throw me out. But more importantly…’

I paused for a moment in front of the closed door. Currently transformed as Cover, my senses were more sensitive than when I was Cha Seohu, so I could feel the energy of the other Hunters inside the building more clearly.

‘Brother Seonghyeon.’

Among them was an unmistakable S-class energy, clearly belonging to Ryu Seonghyeon. He must’ve noticed my presence approaching the building as well. After what happened just a few hours ago with him, I wondered if this was okay. Well, of course Ryu Seonghyeon would be fine. I was the one feeling uneasy.

‘Still, I can’t afford to miss this opportunity.’

There won’t be many situations where I can move alone like this after placing Cha Sahyeon somewhere safe. Especially now that there’s even a security team assigned—we should take full advantage of that.

Kwon Taehyeok had offered to lend me a room inside the guild building anytime I needed, but… it wasn’t an easy offer to accept. It’s difficult to be indebted to someone you’re not particularly close to. Tomorrow I’ll be discharged and return to the office with the kid. For a while, I plan to stay by Cha Sahyeon’s side and refrain from acting as Cover. If I still get a bad feeling, then I’ll ask Kwon Taehyeok for help.

Which means right now is the only time I can come here alone as Cover. It would be a shame to let it slip away just because it’s a bit awkward or uncomfortable. Besides, my face is completely covered—they can’t even see me.

“Hoo.”

I steadied myself and lightly knocked on the closed front door with my fist. The metal door echoed with a thud, and soon enough, it opened.

“Who… h-huh? Oh?”

The one who opened the door was a familiar face. Yu Harin, wearing a confused expression, opened the door and widened his eyes when he saw me.

Yu Harin had been a guild member I often hung out with before the regression, along with Kim Suho and Go Taeseong. I’d also run into him last time when I went into the B-class dungeon as Cha Seohu. Of course, now I’m Cover, so Yu Harin would be recalling memories from the competitive match.

“W-wait, are you Hunter Cover?”

“It’s been a while.”

We had exchanged a light greeting during the competition, so this much should be fine. I gave a slight nod, and a startled Yu Harin quickly bowed his head in return and swung the door wide open.

“Wow, that scared me. Please, come in!”

“Who’s that? Whoa, it’s Sir Hunter Cover!”

“Did you say Sir Cover is here?”

“Sir Hunter Cover!”

“…?”

As soon as I stepped inside, a guild member behind Yu Harin saw me and cried out in surprise, and other guild members started appearing from all directions after hearing him.

Sure, I came in response to the pushy dream message—but that was only from the fake Song Ji-un. To the Circle Guild members, I was just a random outsider. So why were they all reacting so cheerfully?

Also, what’s with that “Sir Hunter Cover” title? Why are they calling me that?

“Wow, what brings you here?”

“Well…”

“Whoa, whoa!”

“Did you come to see the vicemaster?”

“Oh, that makes sense. You’re close with Seonghyeon, right?”

“No, I…”

“Hunter Cover, sir! Can I shake your hand, just once?”

“Hey, stop being weird.”

“But this is my first time seeing him in person!”

“Sir Hunter, Brother Seonghyeon’s upstairs—should I call him?”

“…”

I had no idea where to even start explaining.

Being called “Sir Hunter” was already bothering me, and I was also worried I might be making Ryu Seonghyeon uncomfortable. Doing my best to remain calm, I opened my mouth to speak. “No, I didn’t come to see the vicemaster…”

“Hunter Cover!”

Before I could finish, I heard Ryu Seonghyeon’s voice from the direction of the stairs. Having sensed the S-class energy and the commotion, he rushed over to take control of the situation.

“You can’t just leave a guest standing like this. This way, Hunter Cover.”

“S-sorry!”

“Told you. He really did come to see big bro.”

“So the rumors about them being close weren’t just rumors.”

“There was that photo of Sir Hunter Cover from the Gwanghwamun incident. The vicemaster was there too.”

“Please come by more often, sir!”

“Haha…”

Seeing the guild members looking at me with sparkling eyes and cheering me on left me both dazed and amused. I didn’t expect this kind of image-building as Cover to have such an effect.

Even if the whole world hated me, I’d hoped at least the Circle Guild members would like me. I don’t know about Cha Seohu, but it seems Cover has made a pretty good impression.

Before I knew it, the uneasiness in my chest had quieted. The guild members, who welcomed me so warmly despite the sudden visit, gave me more comfort than I expected.

Thanks to that, even as I left the gathered guild members behind and followed Ryu Seonghyeon up to the second floor, I remained composed without any emotional turbulence.

Just then, Ryu Seonghyeon, walking ahead of me, spoke up. “Um… Hunter Cover.”

“Yes?”

“Are you here to meet the guildmaster?”

He was implying that since I hadn’t arranged anything with him, I must be here to see Song Ji-un, the other person in charge.

“That’s true, but I also planned to meet you if possible.”

“Huh?” He looked back at me, clearly puzzled.

“You said you wanted to talk. Back in Gwanghwamun.”

“Ah…” It seemed he finally remembered the moment when he’d asked, ‘If you don’t mind, could we talk for a moment…’, and with a slight blush creeping up to his ears, he nodded. “R-right. So you remembered.”

“Of course. But I don’t have much time, to be honest.”

“That’s okay. Shall we move somewhere quieter?”

Looking around, Ryu Seonghyeon led me into an empty meeting room.

In less than half a day, I was facing Ryu Seonghyeon again. Since he had asked to talk specifically with Cover, not Cha Seohu, it was probably a different matter from before.

Inside the now-quiet meeting room, he hesitated for a moment as he looked at me, then finally spoke. “…First, may I ask why you’re here to see the guildmaster?”

“No. I’m sorry, but it’s a personal matter. It’s not related to the guild, so there’s no need for concern.”

When I declined clearly, he accepted it with a hint of resignation. Still, he couldn’t completely hide his discomfort. Considering I’d previously told him I didn’t know the guildmaster, his reaction was understandable. But since Ryu Seonghyeon wasn’t the kind to press the issue, he let it go.

“Actually… there’s something I wanted to ask you.” Carefully beginning a second time, he spoke even more cautiously than before. “You may already know this, but earlier at the hospital, I spoke with Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“I heard.”

In moments like this, the rumor that Cha Seohu and Cover knew each other actually came in handy. With just that one line, Ryu Seonghyeon gave a bitter smile, as if he’d expected as much. “Then I suppose you already know what we talked about.”

“…”

“I originally meant to ask you, but I ended up asking Hunter Cha Seohu instead, and got a proper answer. Still… I wanted to ask you directly, too.”

I swallowed dryly. I had a hunch about what Ryu Seonghyeon was trying to confirm. He probably wanted to double-check whether Cover participated in the competitive match because he was asked by Cha Seohu. I’d denied it earlier in the hospital room, but he hadn’t believed me.

‘Would he believe it if Cover says it?’

After everything that’s happened, Cover is probably more trusted than Cha Seohu. If Cover says it wasn’t true… maybe this time he’d believe it. Or, he might think Cover and Cha Seohu coordinated their stories ahead of time. If it came to that, there wasn’t much else I could do. I’d just have to let him keep misunderstanding. Even if it left a bad taste in my mouth.

But then, completely catching me off guard, Ryu Seonghyeon’s next words were nothing like what I had anticipated.

“Because… Hunter Cha Seohu is just too nice of a person.”

Thinking I must’ve misheard, I reflexively asked again, “…Sorry?”

Ryu Seonghyeon, looking a bit sheepish, repeated himself, “He’s just such a good person. Even while answering my question, he was being considerate of my feelings.”

“…”

“I think he figured I’d be disappointed if I heard that Hunter Cover participated in the match because he asked you to.”

Even with that explanation, I still couldn’t fully understand. As I blinked blankly, Ryu Seonghyeon continued, “Hunter Cha Seohu has always worried about our guild—and paid close attention to how I might feel.”

“That’s…”

“I think the reason he’s so cautious around me is because I got angry at him before… and, well, there’s no excuse for that.” Ryu Seonghyeon let out a hollow laugh and glanced at me. “That’s why I wanted to ask you again. Did you really join the match because Hunter Cha Seohu asked you to? You can tell me honestly—I won’t be hurt by something like that. It’s not that big a deal, really.”

“…”

“If it’s true, then I’ll just have one more reason to be thankful to Hunter Cha Seohu. And of course, I’d be grateful to you as well.”

My fingertips twitched. My whole body flushed with heat, and I lowered my head as if trying to hide in a mouse hole.

So… the reason he didn’t believe me was because he thought I was being considerate of his feelings? It wasn’t that he distrusted me—but that he thought I was hiding the truth to avoid hurting him?

‘God, seriously.’

I felt like a tiny rowboat caught in a storm, tossed around by my emotions. I was so embarrassed, but my lips kept twitching upward into a smile I couldn’t suppress. I knew I had to answer, but something hot clogged my throat like a lump, and my voice just wouldn’t come out. I opened and closed my mouth several times before finally managing to speak.

Trying to calm the storm inside me, I joked, “I guess I come off as someone who’d answer bluntly without much consideration.”

“Haha. Maybe a little?” Ryu Seonghyeon played along with a laugh, which helped me steady myself enough to answer properly.

“It was my decision.”

“…”

“I told you—I thought I could win. Cha Seohu and I aren’t close enough to be asking each other for favors like that.”

I thought about adding that Cha Seohu was genuinely happy when we won the match—but it felt unnecessary, so I held it back.

After hearing my answer, Ryu Seonghyeon fiddled with his piercing, looking a little flustered, then finally spoke. “That’s a little different than I expected. Since Hunter Cha Seohu was our only real connection to you, I just assumed he asked you to do it.”

“I do keep up with the news, you know. Ronic has been making a lot of noise lately.”

As I sighed while mentioning the Ronic Guild, Ryu Seonghyeon narrowed his eyes with amusement. This time, his reaction told me he really believed me.

‘It’s trust, I guess… though a little awkwardly placed.’

And with that, I was reminded just how drastically different Cha Seohu and Cover’s images were in Ryu Seonghyeon’s eyes.