RG 66

The staffer, with a deeply uncomfortable expression, pulled out a document and handed it to Kwon Taehyeok. He said, “This is the identity verification guarantee form. Please fill in the highlighted sections.”

Kwon Taehyeok took the document and reviewed its contents. There was a section to fill out his personal information, followed by a statement certifying that the other party was a safe Awakened, and that he would take full responsibility for this.

Kwon Taehyeok carefully read every line, then calmly took a pen case from his inventory. Park Huiseok, who had been glaring at Kwon Taehyeok with his arms crossed, let out an annoyed sigh when he saw him checking all the boxes and signing the form.

“Ahem…” The staffer, who had retrieved the document, hesitated before speaking cautiously, glancing at Kwon Taehyeok, “Guildmaster of Yesung, as you know, by verifying this identity, you’ll be held accountable if this Hunter causes any problems…”

“I’m aware. I just read the document.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

The staffer wiped his sweat and nodded at the nonchalant reply. His rather foolish-looking actions made the atmosphere in the conference room even more awkward.

Among the awkwardly smiling Ryu Seonghyeon, the scowling Park Huiseok, and the staffer who seemed utterly lost, only Kwon Taehyeok, who had signed the document, remained composed. The staffer, fidgeting nervously with the document, cleared his throat.

“…Well then, let’s proceed with the adjustments.”

***

Once the rank adjustment was successfully completed, everything else fell into place. Ryu Seonghyeon, who managed to schedule the competitive battle after 8 p.m., as Cover had requested, left the conference room with Kwon Taehyeok. 

“…I didn’t really expect you to come.” Standing side by side in front of the elevator, Ryu Seonghyeon pressed the button as he spoke, “I didn’t think you were the type to handle things like this personally.”

That morning, Ryu Seonghyeon had received a message from Kwon Taehyeok. It wasn’t from the Yesung Guild’s secretary, but a short text message sent directly from Kwon Taehyeok’s personal phone.

— I’ll also attend the newly scheduled competitive battle coordination meeting. Please let me know the time.

Even without further explanation, Ryu Seonghyeon immediately understood why Kwon Taehyeok wanted to attend the meeting.

“I’ll contact you about that tomorrow.”

So, this was what Cover meant by “I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”

‘He must have planned everything in advance and then revealed it.’

If this was a secret he wanted to keep so badly, why did it matter whether his guild won or lost the competition? Ryu Seonghyeon couldn’t understand why Cover was going to such lengths. Feeling conflicted, he looked down, and Kwon Taehyeok responded, “I didn’t want to get involved in such a bothersome matter either.” He pulled out his phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and showed Ryu Seonghyeon the screen. “I’m in debt.”  The message he showed had been sent to someone.

— Hello, Guildmaster of Yesung! How have you been? This is Cover~ I just wanted to ask you for a little favor^^ As you know, there’s been a lot of buzz lately about the competition between Ronic and Circle, right? And you know me—I can’t ignore a call to justice! After all, it was my sense of justice that saved the Ui-dong rift, wasn’t it? Haha

So I want to help the Circle out, but there are so many pointless regulations that it’s frustrating~

It seems all I need is for someone to verify my identity! You could repay the favor you owe me and get rid of that uneasy feeling, and I could participate in the competition and help out the Circle! It’s a win-win for both of us~

So please, consider it? 🙂

Have a great day!

The message was much longer and more lively than the one Kwon Taehyeok had sent to Ryu Seonghyeon earlier that morning, even including emojis. With all the “haha” and “^^” scattered throughout, it almost felt like it was meant to provoke.

There weren’t many people who could send a message like that to someone as powerful as Kwon Taehyeok. As he read the message, Ryu Seonghyeon felt both amused and uneasy, and then he checked the number: 010-505. It was obviously a fake number. The “505” especially stood out since it was a code for SOS, making it clear that Cover had gone out of their way to prevent being tracked.

“I thought you were acquainted with Cover.”

“I’m not.”

“Now that you’ve even verified his identity, people will be even more mistaken.”

Ding—the elevator, which had been stopped on another floor, finally arrived. As they stepped into the empty elevator, Kwon Taehyeok replied slowly, “Well, now it’s his turn to repay the debt.”

As they entered the elevator together, Ryu Seonghyeon hesitated before speaking, “Thank you for supporting us with your Supports as well.”

“That was…” For the first time, Kwon Taehyeok’s expression changed. He narrowed his eyes with a complicated look, pausing before adding, “I was just fulfilling a request from Hunter Cha Seohu.”

“Are you repaying a debt to Hunter Cha Seohu as well?”

“…It was a promise.”

At that moment, the elevator reached the first floor. Kwon Taehyeok stepped out first, leaving Ryu Seonghyeon behind.

***

Through the window, I could see tree branches swaying in the wind. The yellow sunlight filtering through lit up my face as I lay back with my head resting on the sofa’s armrest.

As I blankly stared at the swaying trees, I muttered to myself in a low voice, “If what I’m trying to protect has changed, does it still hold the same meaning?”

I had long since learned the truth that life doesn’t go the way I want, but this time, the impact was unavoidable. 

To me, Song Ji-un was the Circle Guild itself, and I had never imagined the Circle Guild without him. I never once dreamed that some scoundrel would be running the Circle Guild, pretending to be Song Ji-un.

Who would have thought there could be something worse than facing Ryu Seonghyeon, who feels awkward and unfamiliar around me? Life sure has a way of surprising you.

― What the hell are you suddenly babbling about?

A sharp voice broke through my thoughts. I sighed and snapped back at the other person, “I was just trying to sound cool for once. Couldn’t you at least pretend to be serious and think it over with me?”

― Get a grip and listen up. I’m not going to explain this twice.

Clicking his tongue, Hyeon Dowun gave me the update.

― The rank adjustment went smoothly. The identity verification for Cover, which you were most concerned about, also passed.

“Good news.”

― I just don’t get it. Why would the guildmaster of Yesung even bother going there after reading that message? If it were me, I would have just cursed them out and ignored it.

“That’s harsh.”

― How could you call that a favor? It’s clearly picking a fight. And to top it off, he even got knocked down from first to second place in the rankings because of Cover.

“He’s the type of person who doesn’t get hung up on rankings.” Sitting up, I ran a hand through my messy hair and continued, “He also can’t stand owing people.”

Though I didn’t stop the second Ui-dong rift with this outcome in mind, I had predicted that Kwon Taehyeok would feel some sense of responsibility. Using the joker card that is Kwon Taehyeok for identity verification does feel like a waste. But it’s too late to regret it now.

“What time is the competition?”

— “8 p.m.. By the time the host makes introductions and participants are announced, it’ll be around 9 p.m..”

“Perfect.”

It seems that Ryu Seonghyeon managed to accommodate my request as well. Since the competition usually lasts two or three hours, as long as I’m careful, my identity should remain hidden.

― When are you going to tell me how you know this Cover guy?

“Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘Secrets make a man more attractive’? It’s a famous line from an anime.”

― I don’t know, you lunatic.

“Come on, you should enjoy some culture once in a while.”

As I playfully retorted, Hyeon Dowun, who had been swearing like a rapper, let out a deep sigh. This is usually when he hangs up. I was surprised that he held on, so I stayed quiet, waiting. After a long pause, he spoke up with some difficulty.

― This is about something else.

“Go on.”

― Are you planning to stop by here anytime soon?

I tilted my head at the somewhat random question, still holding the phone to my ear. “Not right now. I’m busy as hell, so how could I?”

― Yeah, I figured.

“Why do you ask?”

― …Never mind. I’m hanging up.

“What? Hyeon Dowun? Hello?” I called out his name, but the call had already ended. Chuckling to myself, I wondered why he had asked that.

‘Could it be…?’

Suddenly, a face flashed through my mind.

“Ha…”

Feeling a headache coming on, I leaned back against the sofa and exhaled slowly. If my hunch is right… Hyeon Dowun might have just given me the biggest hint he could.

I bitterly smiled as I recalled those cold, black eyes looking down at me.

‘I thought you’d abandoned me.’

You’re as unpredictable as ever.

I felt sorry for Hyeon Dowun, who had given me a hint, but I couldn’t go back now. If I did, I’d be stuck there for at least a few days, and I couldn’t leave Cha Sahyeon here alone during that time. Taking him with me was even more out of the question. For now, I might just have to pretend I didn’t understand and hold out as long as possible. When they inevitably send someone, I’ll try to have a proper conversation then…

“This is driving me crazy.”

It felt like every time I turned around, a new problem was cropping up, on top of the mountain of issues I already had to deal with.

Just then, as I pressed my throbbing forehead, someone gently took my hand. When I looked down, I saw that Cha Sahyeon had come close, his eyes filled with concern as he asked, “Are you okay?”

“…I’m always okay.”

No matter how things were going, the only one who cared about me in this moment was this small child in front of me. I pulled Cha Sahyeon into my arms and gently patted his back.

《Main Quest: Win the Competitive Battle against the Ronic Guild alongside the Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 9 days, 7 hours, 47 minutes)》