RG 134

The shift in emotion was bewildering, even to himself. Not even during the peak of adolescence had he felt like this. Suppressing a sigh at his own pitiful state, Kwon Taehyeok carefully examined Cha Seohu’s face.

‘At least on the surface, there don’t appear to be any injuries.’

Even so, he couldn’t relax.

Didn’t Ryu Seonghyeon personally ask to bring in a Healer? He couldn’t feel at ease until he checked the condition of the body hidden beneath the clothes.

“While looking for Hunter Cha Seohu’s whereabouts, I took a look around the office. The traces of battle were clearly evident, so it’s obvious a fight broke out there. What exactly happened?”

“Hmm…”

Seeing Cha Seohu hesitate to answer, Kwon Taehyeok recalled what had happened at the hospital. “Was it perhaps those Hunters from the district mentioned at the hospital? Did they come after you, and you ran away to hide here?”

That scumbag who barged in and threatened Cha Seohu while he had stepped out for a moment. That lunatic who acted violently and then cried as if he were the most wronged person in the world. The “Father” ordered those so-called “brothers” to go after Cha Seohu. Perhaps, Cha Seohu had tried to enter the inner rooms of the guild to avoid the Hunters affiliated with the district.

‘Their faces and surnames are different, so they can’t be biological brothers…’

Still, being tormented by people he once knew well—how painful must that be? He must be trying so hard to smile like it’s nothing.

Kwon Taehyeok’s gaze toward Cha Seohu held a trace of pity. If only this wasn’t the Circle Guild’s office. If only Ryu Seonghyeon and the Circle’s guildmaster weren’t here. He would’ve told Cha Seohu it was okay not to force himself to smile.

While Kwon Taehyeok was swallowing his bitter emotions, Ryu Seonghyeon spoke beside him. “If you’re talking about those district-related Hunters… do you mean the one called Kwon Seoyul? Did that person come back?” He had waited on purpose so he could hear it together with Kwon Taehyeok, and asked while recalling how Kwon Seoyul had once strangled Cha Seohu.

Before they knew it, Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon had stepped close to Cha Seohu. With the two large men standing and looking down at Cha Seohu, who was sitting on the sofa, it almost looked like thugs bullying someone.

‘What the heck is this?’

Facing the two, who were looking at him with such sympathetic eyes, Cha Seohu was dumbfounded. He had only delayed answering to think of an excuse, but they were jumping to conclusions all on their own.

He could understand why the two misunderstood. In fact, Cha Seohu had even considered using the district excuse for a moment himself. But he changed his mind and decided to reveal at least part of the truth.

“No. It wasn’t the brothers from the district who attacked the office.”

“Huh? Then who was it…?”

“It was people sent from the lab.”

At those words, Kwon Taehyeok’s face twisted in shock, and he hurriedly asked back, “The lab? Don’t tell me you mean that place—the one that conducted human experiments?”

“Yes.” Cha Seohu nodded and calmly explained.

After returning from the amusement park, he had been resting with his little brother when suddenly the front door was broken down and unfamiliar Hunters stormed in. Thanks to Cover, who sensed the threat, they barely managed to escape.

‘I can’t reveal everything, so I’ll need to mix in a bit of falsehood.’

To the two men, he said “lab,” but in reality, it was a deranged cult dreaming of world destruction. But explaining that would reveal far too much, and there was too high a risk of leaking information about Cha Sahyeon. So Cha Seohu, aiming to raise awareness of the threat, admitted the connection to the lab, but covered up the most crucial parts with lies.

“I left my brother in Hunter Cover’s care and took shelter here with help from the Circle’s guildmaster.”

Cha Seohu shamelessly spun his tale, selling out another version of himself with ease. Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon, fully absorbed in the conversation, showed visible relief.

“Hunter Cover…”

“Ahem, in a critical situation, he did a good job protecting the Support.”

Cha Seohu continued, “The Hunters who attacked said this: the Healer who treated the victims in Gwanghwamun was here. I couldn’t hear anything after that because I was running away, but I clearly heard that part.”

“Th-that’s…!”

Both men were shocked at what followed. It meant that despite their efforts to conceal Cha Seohu’s identity, information had still leaked to the lab. Having fallen completely for the made up story, Kwon Taehyeok and Ryu Seonghyeon were deep in thought.

“How did they find out?”

“At the time, Hunter Cha Seohu even had a coat pulled over his head. They shouldn’t have been able to recognize him easily.”

‘Tsk, tsk. He trusts people more easily than I expected.’

Cha Seohu, clicking his tongue inwardly at how completely Kwon Taehyeok believed him without a shred of doubt, turned to Ryu Seonghyeon and gave him a wistful look.

‘Big bro, I’m sorry. This is all for your and the Circle Guild’s safety.’

Unaware of how Cha Seohu was looking at him, Ryu Seonghyeon cautiously spoke up. “Hunter Cha Seohu, where is Hunter Cover?”

“Well, he took my brother and left for somewhere far away, and there’s no way to contact him. I don’t know either. I’m sure he’ll come back when things settle down.”

“In that case—” Kwon Taehyeok suddenly cut in. Not stopping there, he placed his large hand firmly on Cha Seohu’s shoulder. “Come to my guild.”

“What?”

“You no longer have Cover to protect you, and it’ll be hard to stay in the Circle Guild forever. Come to my guild. The room you’ll use is already prepared.”

“W-wait…”

Kwon Taehyeok’s dark eyes flared with determination. Caught off guard by how forcefully he was being invited, Cha Seohu unconsciously leaned back against the sofa in surprise.

“I’m sorry, Guildmaster of Yesung,” a gentle but firm voice echoed through the office. “Hunter Cha Seohu has somewhere to be starting tomorrow, with Seonghyeon. He has already agreed to it, so going to the Yesung Guild isn’t an option.”

“…Somewhere to be?” Kwon Taehyeok turned to Song Ji-un, who was calmly sipping his tea, and furrowed his brow slightly. “Where exactly are they going?”

“That’s a matter of our guild’s internal business, so I can’t tell you.”

“Hunter Cha Seohu is being pursued. He must’ve been injured in the attack, too. Where could he possibly go in that condition?”

“That’s why I asked Seonghyeon to bring in a Healer. Once he gets treatment, he’ll be in better shape. And the place they’re going is a restricted, desolate area—no one will be able to follow them there.”

“Wait a minute. Did you just say a restricted, desolate area? You’re going to send Hunter Cha Seohu somewhere that dangerous?” Kwon Taehyeok’s expression hardened as a chilling energy emanated from him.

Any ordinary person would’ve been frightened long ago, but Song Ji-un was unbothered and calmly took another sip from his teacup. “As I just said, he agreed to it himself. In fact, I’m the one who’s curious. What exactly is the relationship between the guildmaster of Yesung and Hunter Cha Seohu, for you to be this involved?”

“…”

Left speechless, Kwon Taehyeok hesitated for a long moment, his expression complex, before finally answering, “…Hunter Cha Seohu is a benefactor to both me and the Yesung Guild. Thanks to him, there are dozens of guild members who are still alive.”

Caught off guard by Kwon Taehyeok’s sudden confession, Cha Seohu scratched his forehead with a puzzled expression.

‘Was it really that many?’

Let’s see. He used his Heal skill during the Ui-dong incident and the Gwanghwamun incident. The number of Hunters injured in both cases easily exceeded a hundred. Even just counting the Yesung Guild members alone, there would be several dozen. Kwon Taehyeok’s estimate wasn’t far off.

‘Healers really are the best.’

And it was an AoE Heal, too. The skill’s effective area was vast, making it truly one of a kind.

“Hunter Cha Seohu is a very important person to our guild. He’s a benefactor, and now that he’s headed somewhere dangerous, of course I’m worried.”

“Hmm, I see.” Song Ji-un, nodding leisurely, gave a small smile. “But what now? Guildmaster of Yesung, if Hunter Cha Seohu is a benefactor to you, then I am a benefactor to Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“Even if Hunter Cha Seohu owes a debt to the Circle Guild, pushing him to go somewhere dangerous seems excessive, doesn’t it?”

“As I said, this is excessive interference. Regardless of whether my request is too much, Hunter Cha Seohu accepted it. Whatever happens there is his responsibility.” Song Ji-un’s light green eyes turned icy cold as they fixed on Kwon Taehyeok. Though his lips curved into a soft arc, the discomfort in his tone was unmistakable.

Seeing the two guildmasters locked in a fierce stare-down without yielding an inch, Cha Seohu was genuinely perplexed.

‘What’s up with them?’

As the tension mounted, Ryu Seonghyeon, clearly flustered, eventually stepped in. “Let’s all calm down. And it’s not just Hunter Cha Seohu going—I’m going with him…”

Cha Seohu, who was practically the root of the argument, made no move to stop them. He just watched with an intrigued look on his face.

“I don’t intend to interfere in Hunter Cha Seohu’s personal matters, of course. But sending a Support to a dangerous location isn’t just a matter of debts or favors. You’re a Support too, Guildmaster—you must understand my concern.”

“Supports have their own roles. They’re not just beings to be protected.”

“Enough, both of you.”

The office was thrown into chaos as the two guildmasters growled at each other and Ryu Seonghyeon tried to mediate with a troubled look.

Amid the confusion, Cha Seohu remained silent, smiling contentedly.

‘Watching people fight really is the most entertaining thing in the world.’

***

Mount Taebaek National Park parking lot. In this desolate, empty space, a single car came to a stop.

Cha Seohu got out of the car and looked up at the vast mountain ridge. Though spring had long since arrived, the view before him was a blanket of snow-covered Mount Taebaek.

“Are you sure about this?” Kwon Taehyeok walked up behind Cha Seohu, who was gazing up at the mountain, and asked. Standing beside him, Ryu Seonghyeon still looked uneasy about Cha Seohu climbing the mountain.

Kwon Taehyeok had insisted on coming all the way here under the pretense of lending them a car and offering to drive. Of course, Song Ji-un had firmly refused to let him go any further.

‘Seriously, why did he even come…’

Cha Seohu was baffled by Kwon Taehyeok, but thanks to him, he’d received treatment from a Healer yesterday and arrived here comfortably by car, so he didn’t have many complaints.

“Yes. The vicemaster is coming with me, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

And he believed that the fake wouldn’t drive him to his death. If Cha Seohu were to die, the fake would have to save the world alone.

‘And Ryu Seonghyeon is the “main character” designated by the system—he wouldn’t die so easily in a place like this.’

The system had always provided quests to help the main characters in times of crisis. It would probably do so again this time. And if Ryu Seonghyeon were truly in danger, Cha Seohu would be the first to act to protect him.

“…Understood. Please be careful. I’ll have bodyguards stationed at the parking lot. If anything happens, use the emergency signal flare.”

“Okay.”

Still uneasy, Kwon Taehyeok handed over a flare with a warning. Since Cha Seohu wasn’t going alone and Ryu Seonghyeon would be with him, he accepted it gratefully.

‘I’m on my way to bring back the real Song Ji-un. I can’t give up easily.’

Resolved, Cha Seohu said with a solemn tone, “Nothing’s going to happen. It’s a classic cliché for the main character to visit the northern wilderness or some frozen palace in the north. Let’s go.”

“…?”

As Cha Seohu walked away mumbling something incomprehensible, the “main character” Ryu Seonghyeon, looking confused, followed behind.