Chapter 39: The Uninvited Escort

“You’re… going out? Today? On the very first day?”

A pang of guilt struck Ji-ho, seeing Joo Yi-won practically spitting out his words, but what choice did he have? The move had been decided suddenly, irrespective of Ji-ho’s wishes, and his appointment had been made long before that.

As Ji-ho nodded repeatedly, Yi-won’s previously buoyant expression instantly plummeted.

When Joo Yi-won smiled, his features softened considerably. This meant that when he wasn’t smiling, his demeanor was quite stern.

His deeply set, sharp eyes were neither cold nor kind. Devoid of warmth, his gaze appeared overbearingly arrogant, almost inhuman.

They said that since his awakening, many found themselves wary of his distinctive aura and overwhelming magical energy.

“I’ll be back quickly, okay?”

The intimidating aura emanating from Joo Yi-won? To Ji-ho, it was entirely irrelevant. Ji-ho tried to coax him, much like one would a pet dog.

Yet, unlike a well-behaved dog, Yi-won was unyielding.

“Don’t wander around; just play quietly here. Don’t go roaming and get attacked for no reason.”

“We agreed to meet at Gangnam Station, so it’s not far from here.”

“Who are you meeting?”

“A friend.”

“Which friend?”

‘Even my parents don’t grill me like this.’

‘Would it matter if I told you?’ Ji-ho wanted to snap back, but he knew Yi-won would know. After all, it was someone from the same school, same class, and even pictured in the photo he’d seen in ‘Bluebeard’s Chamber.’ Ji-ho reluctantly answered.

“Kyung-hyun.”

“I don’t like that bastard.”

Yi-won declared it without a flicker of hesitation. Ji-ho was utterly dumbfounded.

“But you two used to be close…”

“Not really.”

‘For someone he supposedly disliked, Kyung-hyun was in every single photo. Compared to the other friends he’d cut ties with, wasn’t Kyung-hyun much better…?’

‘Then again, that was Ji-ho’s perspective, and Yi-won’s situation might be different. Having protected Earth for three years, Yi-won seemed to have fallen into a deep distrust of humanity.’

‘It wasn’t just Kyung-hyun; Yi-won simply didn’t trust people at all.’

He couldn’t exactly snap, ‘What concern is my outing to you?’, given he had been rescued by Yi-won just a few days prior. Ultimately, Ji-ho pleaded with him.

“I’m sorry, but I already made this promise, so I can’t back out. Kyung-hyun went through a lot of trouble to make time, and we haven’t seen each other in ages; I can’t just cancel on him now. Until they catch the monster that attacked before, I promise I’ll tell you first next time I make plans. Okay?”

Gazing intently at Ji-ho, Yi-won then frantically raked a hand through his bangs, as if immensely irritated.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“What are you talking about…? I was just looking.”

Instead of answering, Yi-won merely gnawed on his lips.

‘He’s going to make himself bleed.’

Without thinking, Ji-ho reached out and gently took Yi-won’s wrist, pulling his hand away. Yi-won’s eyes widened in profound surprise.

Ji-ho wondered if he had overstepped, considering Yi-won, an SS-rank, would heal quickly even if he bled a little. He instinctively lowered his hand, but Yi-won’s intense gaze remained fixed on him.

Yi-won glanced from his own wrist, where Ji-ho had touched him, to Ji-ho’s face, then back to his wrist, then back to Ji-ho’s face, before finally letting out a sigh.

“Fine.”

“Oh, thank you…”

“Instead, take me with you.”

“What?”

At such absurd stubbornness, Ji-ho’s gratitude vanished instantly.

“I said, let’s go together.”

“Are you… a child? To tag along like that?”

“You’re the child. I’m going as your guardian.”

Ji-ho smacked Yi-won. Of course, Yi-won remained completely unfazed.

“Go? What are you talking about? You’re busy!”

“I’m not busy.”

“Not busy? You’re going on a business trip tomorrow. You should get to bed early.”

Instead of answering, Yi-won stared intently at Ji-ho. The prolonged, silent stare felt burdensome, so Ji-ho instinctively averted his gaze from Yi-won.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just thinking you always know so much.”

“Well, your news is pretty famous…”

“Yes. That’s true.”

Yi-won replied in a distinctly improved mood. Hoping Yi-won might relent, Ji-ho gently pressed.

“You have to travel far; get some rest early.”

“It doesn’t matter; I’m going with Hwang Hye-rim.”

“Ah…”

‘Again?’

‘Now that he thought about it, they had gone together last time too. Hwang Hye-rim and Joo Yi-won’s travel routes overlapped quite frequently.’

Ji-ho recalled the day he had seen Hye-rim.

Despite their considerable age gap, her voice had been quite familiar, calling him ‘Yi-won-ssi’. Hye-rim, who was known for being particular, seemed to share an unreserved rapport with Yi-won.

‘Are they dating?’

The question, which he had long suppressed, bubbled back to the surface.

“We’re not dating.”

“Huh?”

“I said we’re not dating.”

“Oh, right.”

‘But I hadn’t even said a word.’

‘Yi-won’s defensive protestations only fueled Ji-ho’s suspicions. They always said a strong denial was often a strong affirmation.’

‘They must really be dating. He’s getting defensive without even being asked…’

“I said no!”

Yi-won snapped.

Ji-ho, half-believing him, but too weary to argue, simply nodded.

“Fine, I get it. I’ll keep your secret.”

“It’s really not true. Even if you brought me a hundred Hwang Hye-rims, I wouldn’t be interested.”

“That sounds incredibly rude to Hunter Hwang Hye-rim.”

‘If he was going to deny it, couldn’t he do so politely? There was no need to disparage someone else.’ As Ji-ho frowned, Yi-won frowned back, looking genuinely aggrieved.

“Hwang Hye-rim said first that she wouldn’t want a hundred guys like me.”

“To you?”

“Yeah, she told me directly.”

“Really?”

“Really. If you think I’m lying, ask her yourself next time you see her.”

“…”

‘Ji-ho had thought Hwang Hye-rim was a good person, but she was surprisingly rude. Ji-ho subtly downgraded his mental evaluation of Hwang Hye-rim. Competent, yes, but with a rather poor choice of words when addressing colleagues.’

“Alright, alright, just don’t follow me, okay? I’m not going far. I’ll just be playing around this neighborhood.”

“Why? Just come with me. It’s good for old classmates to meet, isn’t it?”

“But you said you don’t like Kyung-hyun…”

He had said it just minutes ago, yet his words changed so quickly. Yi-won, however, didn’t bat an eye, remaining utterly shameless.

“I’ll try my best to like him.”

“It’s not that kind of meeting. It’s just a casual get-together with Kyung-hyun…”

“Even so, you need an escort. You know perfectly well you have little to no combat ability on your own, don’t you?”

“Of course I know that. That’s why I’ve bought defensive items and weapons. I even have a one-time use item that can block an S-rank attack—you gave it to me, so you’d know. Besides, you’re resting today, aren’t you? If anything happens to me around here, you’re close enough to teleport to me. I have the emergency beacon you gave me right here. If you don’t trust me, I’ll carry it in my hand the whole time.”

“…”

Faced with such flawless logic, Yi-won finally fell silent.

Of course, Ji-ho wasn’t recklessly planning to go out without a thought. If a monster attacked, not only would Ji-ho be in danger, but everyone around him would be too. Did they really think he’d wander around carelessly? He had made thorough preparations.

“You understand, right? So…”

“Alright, fine. I suppose I’ll stay here alone and have a chat with the Chairman for the first time in a while. I should probably tell him what happened to his youngest son.”

“…”

‘That manipulative bastard.’

Ji-ho’s tightly clenched fist trembled. He had forgotten there was a magic spell that could easily override reason and logic.

****

Shin Ji-ho’s logic was no match for Joo Yi-won’s bottomless stubbornness and sheer cunning.

This, of course, meant he had ended up bringing Joo Yi-won to the meeting spot with Son Kyung-hyun.

Fortunately, when he messaged Kyung-hyun beforehand, he received a cheerful reply telling him to do as he pleased.

The place Kyung-hyun had chosen was a traditional Korean restaurant with private rooms.

Ji-ho had initially worried it might be a bit self-indulgent to choose such a place, given how many eyes would be on them. However, with Joo Yi-won now accompanying him, it proved to be an excellent choice. If he’d dropped Joo Yi-won in the middle of Gangnam, cars would have stopped, and the entire crowd would have swarmed him.

Kyung-hyun, who seemed to have come straight from work, was dressed in a suit, having only removed his jacket. He wore a shirt, tie, and trousers. Seeing Ji-ho after a long time, Kyung-hyun smiled brightly. A smile naturally bloomed on Ji-ho’s face too.

“Kyung-hyun.”

“Hi, Ji-ho. And Yi-won.”

Contrary to their supposed animosity, Son Kyung-hyun smiled brightly the moment he saw Joo Yi-won. Joo Yi-won, however, scowled deeply.

“You obnoxious bastard.”

“Hey. Are you insane?”

Ji-ho poked the side of the crazy man who was spewing insults the first time they’d seen each other in ages. Even though Kyung-hyun was treating Yi-won normally, Yi-won alone was sharpening his claws at Kyung-hyun.

Ji-ho left Yi-won to his own devices and quickly approached Kyung-hyun to apologize.

“Kyung-hyun, I’m sorry. I think he’s lost his mind.”

“Stop calling out my boyfriend.”

“Are you going to spout nonsense even here?”

Ji-ho turned to Yi-won in horror, but Yi-won merely wore a sullen expression, as if wondering what he had done wrong.

‘I really shouldn’t have brought him.’ He regretted it, but it was too late. If he hadn’t brought him, Yi-won would have surely tattled to his father, so he probably had no choice anyway…

Ji-ho suppressed his anger and waved a hand at Yi-won.

“If you’re just going to pick fights, then get out.”

“It’s dangerous, I told you.”

“I’m not telling you to go home. You can just stand guard by the door here, can’t you?”

Yi-won’s sullen expression truly hardened into a cold mask. Even his suppressed magical energy began to subtly seep out, threateningly, causing Kyung-hyun, an F-rank Awakened, to freeze completely.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Listening to Yi-won’s low voice, Ji-ho felt his anger surge even more.

Ji-ho truly detested Awakened individuals who carelessly flaunted their power. Yet, it was Yi-won, of all people, doing something so similar.

Deciding he would kick him out, regardless of whether he tattled to his parents, Ji-ho pointed resolutely at the door.

“Choose. Either sit quietly and behave, or do as you please and stand outside the door.”