Before Cha Sahyeon could get angry, he coldly shoved Kwon Seoyul’s whining face away with the palm of his hand.
“We’re done here. Let’s go.”
“Go? Go where? Wait, before that...”
Hyun Dowoon sighed and began to say sothing, but then hesitated. He had spotted the group of people trailing behind .
“...Forget it. We’ll talk later.”
“Yeah.”
His expression seed to say Why do you keep dragging other people around?, and I couldn’t really argue—I just nodded.
It’s not like I could stop them from following around.
Still, now that we were heading out to the hotel, we could talk there properly.
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
As I was thinking about which hotels nearby would be decent, Ryu Sunghyun gently spoke up.
“Are you really okay with staying at a hotel? No matter how good the facility is, it’s still a hotel. There are bound to be so discomforts.”
The way Ryu Sunghyun kept worrying about until the very end made sothing stir in my chest.
For just a mont, I rembered the Ryu Sunghyun from before regression—the one who always looked out for . He really was kind and considerate in any situation.
“Even though you declined, Hunter Cha Seohu... Honestly, I still think staying in our guild’s room would be better than a hotel.”
He even had consideration. He really had everything—kindness, patience, sincerity.
I guess that trip to the mountain helped let my guard down.
Suffering together really is the fastest way to grow closer to soone.
In the past, even if he had worried, he wouldn’t have offered a room in the guild. Knowing his personality so well, I couldn’t help but feel proud of the change.
Of course, I couldn’t show it on my face. We’d just started getting close—if he thought I was weird, he might pull away.
I pressed down my rising excitent and gave a faint smile.
“I understand. It’s not like I plan to stay in a hotel forever—”
“What the fuck?”
A sharp voice suddenly cut into my reply.
Startled, I turned to see Kwon Seoyul glaring furiously at Ryu Sunghyun, his brow twisted in a scowl.
“Who the hell are you to tell him what to do? Why the fuck should Hyung stay in a place like this?”
His body tensed like he was ready to charge at any second, and my heart dropped in alarm.
“Kwon Seoyul, that’s enough.”
“But Hyung, this bastard’s acting like—”
“Shut your mouth.”
As the cold in my chest settled, my voice ca out equally frigid.
I was genuinely pissed at Kwon Seoyul, who was on the verge of destroying the relationship I’d finally managed to rebuild with Ryu Sunghyun.
I didn’t bother to hide my irritation.
“Who the hell do you think you are to butt in and throw a tantrum? You’re the only one here who can’t read the room, so shut the fuck up.”
“......”
Having finally been scolded by , Kwon Seoyul instantly deflated.
He pressed his lips tightly shut and looked at with wounded eyes, his gaze gradually reddening. His crimson pupils shimred with moisture, like he might start crying any second. Not that I gave a damn.
“Sorry, Vice-Guildmaster.”
“No, it’s alright.”
When I offered a stiff apology, Ryu Sunghyun gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
He clearly knew from experience what kind of lunatic Kwon Seoyul was and seed to understand.
At least it didn’t look like his mood was too ruined, thanks to the tily interruption. That was a relief.
“Are you heading straight to the hotel now?”
Kwon Taehyuk, who had been watching and Ryu Sunghyun with a complicated look, spoke up amidst the awkward silence.
“There is a decent hotel nearby, but... Hunter Cha Seohu, you still don’t have a phone, do you? You’ll need one to check the location or make a reservation.”
“Well, the other two here have phones, so...”
“...You’ll probably need to be contacted, too.”
Kwon Taehyuk reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled sothing out—a spotless, top-of-the-line smartphone.
“I even installed a new SIM card. All that’s left is to activate it.”
“Uh, um...”
Caught off guard, I accepted the phone. It was far better than the model I’d used before, and the battery was fully charged too.
“Is it really okay for to take ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ this?”
“I’d appreciate it if you did.”
Kwon Taehyuk asked weakly, like I’d begged him for it or sothing.
“I’d usually refuse out of guilt, but this ti I can’t. Honestly, not having a phone has been pretty inconvenient. Thank you.”
As I said, I actually did need a phone, and even if I refused, we’d just waste more ti arguing about it.
Guess this is one of those perks of having rich friends.
It’s not like Kwon Taehyuk would even notice the money was gone. Hell, maybe it was even a spare gift.
“I already saved my number. Just give a call once it’s activated.”
“Got it.”
After getting handed such an expensive phone, a quick call was the least I could do.
As I nodded, Kwon Taehyuk’s expression brightened a little. Behind him, Ryu Sunghyun opened his mouth slightly.
He stared at like he had sothing to say, but in the end, he stayed silent.
“Well then, I’ll really be going now.”
***
After leaving Circle Guild, I headed for the best hotel in the area with Cha Sahyeon, Kwon Seoyul, and Hyun Dowoon in tow.
Kwon Seoyul insisted we all share one room, but I ignored him and booked three. One for and Sahyeon, one for Seoyul, and one for Dowoon.
Of course, Seoyul ended up snarling at the poor hotel staff until he got the room next to mine.
To be precise, I had the middle room, with Seoyul and Dowoon on either side. Not ideal—I'd rather have had as much distance between and those two as possible.
We headed up, and I went into my room first. I’d specifically reserved a slightly larger one so I could stay with Sahyeon. Once we talked through the essentials, I could kick him out if needed.
“As we were waiting for you in the parlor earlier, a call ca in,” Hyun Dowoon said as soon as we entered, like he’d been holding it in for a while.
“It was Kang Haeil.”
“Hmm.”
The timing was unfortunate, but I wasn’t surprised. I had expected Kang Haeil to reach out eventually.
“What’d he say?”
“He asked if I had any intention of convincing you to co back to the district.”
Figures. I sat on the bed and curled one side of my lip into a smirk.
“Predictable. And I bet you told him no.”
“...I didn’t. What’s with the smug guess?”
“If you ca here planning to drag back, you would’ve done it already instead of following all the way to a hotel.”
I clicked my tongue at him like he was hopeless, and Hyun Dowoon’s face twisted in frustration.
“So then what else did he say?”
Before Dowoon could swallow down his irritation, Kwon Seoyul answered instead.
“He said he’s going to watch you. Just watch—no interference.”
“Also predictable.”
Most likely, Kang Haeil was watching us from sowhere nearby with a clear view of the hotel.
He must’ve already figured out we moved here from Circle Guild.
I hadn’t sensed any Hunter aura as strong as his on the way here, which ant he was keeping a good distance.
Leaning against the wall with arms crossed, Hyun Dowoon asked,
“So what are you going to do?”
“What do you an, what? Just let him be. It’s not like I can do anything when I don’t even know where he’s watching from.”
As long as he didn’t interfere, I had no reason to poke at that psycho. There was nothing to gain from picking a fight.
“Forget Kang Haeil for now—look at this.”
I handed him the phone Kwon Taehyuk had given earlier.
“I doubt it, but just in case, check if there’s a tracking app or chip installed. Also, I’m planning to sell the old office and move. Handle that too.”
“Why do you sound like you’re ordering around?”
“Please do it, babe.”
“Hah, fuck off...”
Dowoon grumbled but still took the phone.
There was no way he ca out here unprepared. He probably had his laptop and all kinds of equipnt tucked into his inventory. He could get everything done in a day or two.
“Until I find a new office, I’ll just be hopping around hotels. If you don’t like it, you can go back to the district.”
“Hyung, I was born for hotel life~ I’m good.”
“Where are you planning to get the new office?”
“I’ll give it a few more days.”
Leaving Seoul would be difficult. I still had to keep an eye on Circle Guild, and the cult bastards were most active in this city too.
I wasn’t sure whether to set up another office that looked like a guild or just rent a house. Maybe I should just suck it up and find a high-security villa, even if it’s expensive.
“First, sell the current one. Can’t look for a new place without the cash.”
As I asked again, I glanced at Cha Sahyeon.
He’d followed and was now sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, as expressionless as ever. Even though I said we were selling the office—our de facto ho—he didn’t react at all.
Maybe that was a good thing. Better this than throwing a fit and begging not to sell it.
***
After finishing the discussion, I kicked Kwon Seoyul and Hyun Dowoon out and finally let out the sigh I’d been holding in.
I stood by the window and pulled the curtain slightly aside to look outside. The street was full of people and traffic.
Tomorrow, I’d have to transform into Cover and participate in the ranking match.
Truthfully, I could’ve skipped it and nothing would’ve happened... but I’d taken first place based on my traits, not actual combat, so I wanted to own that. I felt responsible.
Kang Haeil won’t be able to see inside the hotel, so that part’s fine...
But the problem was Kwon Seoyul and Hyun Dowoon.
Their rooms were right next to mine. If I transford into an S-rank Hunter as Cover, they’d sense it imdiately. And if I tried to sneak out, they’d hear the door.
Even ordinary people could hear the door opening or closing in the neighboring room if they were paying attention.
Hyun Dowoon wore headphones most of the ti, so he probably wouldn’t notice—but Kwon Seoyul was hypersensitive to sound. No way he’d miss it.
So leaving the room and transforming outside was basically out of the question.
And if I go out in this form, Kang Haeil will recognize instantly...
There was an option: I could tell Seoyul and Dowoon that I had a skill that transford into an S-rank Hunter. But considering the tantrum Seoyul threw over the divine-type skill alone, he definitely wouldn’t take it well.
What do I do...?
As I gnawed on my lip, still staring out the window—
“Hyung.”
A soft voice broke through the silence.
Cha Sahyeon had moved from the bed to one of the chairs and was watching .
“Want to help?”
“...What?”
“You need to go sowhere tomorrow, right? Secretly, without anyone noticing.”
“....”
It was as if he had read my mind. He had pinpointed my exact concern.
Then again, he was the only one who knew all my secrets.
He must’ve overheard talking with Kwon Taehyuk about the ranking match and put the pieces together.
“How exactly are you planning to help?”
I asked cautiously. Sahyeon rested his chin in his hand and blinked his large eyes.
“Did you forget, Hyung? My skill.”
He flicked his hand, and a shadow rose from the floor. With a quiet rustle, it ford into a black bird that flapped its wings and landed on the table.
That’s when I realized what Sahyeon ant.
“You’re going to use your shadow to get outside?”
“The item’s suppressing the aura, so long distance is tough—but I can get you to the alley behind the building.”
If I used Sahyeon’s shadow to exit the room, I wouldn’t make a sound, and no one would sense transforming into an S-rank Hunter. And since it was a back alley, I’d be out of Kang Haeil’s line of sight too.
It was an incredibly tempting solution. And that made it even more uncomfortable.
After a mont’s hesitation, I asked reluctantly,
“If I accept... what do you want in return?”
“Nothing.”
“...What do you an?”
“I don’t want anything.”
Short, without a hint of hesitation.
I’d assud he’d demand sothing in return, but his answer left completely speechless.
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