Chapter 10: The Man Named Tae Seongyeon

As if possessed, I turned my head. The broad back of the person walking ahead came into view. Suddenly, their bored gaze, which had been cast downwards, flashed in my mind, followed by that meaningless smile. The dignified mouth and the thick-knuckled hands. The seasoned weariness they wore like a garment. And those silver eyes. A stinging sensation, as if I’d been struck in the back of the head, belatedly washed over me. The atmosphere I remembered was so drastically different that I hadn’t recognized them sooner, yet a figure flashed through a corner of my mind. It must have been ‘Taeseongyeon’.

“Taeseongyeon…. Ha, it’s Taeseongyeon.”

He was one of only three S-rank Hunters in Korea, and the Guild Master of the SaHyeon Guild—the very guild Dokyeom had directly submitted his resume to moments ago.

I wondered why I felt so wronged, but it was perfectly justifiable. Though no curses were uttered, it was practically a blatant slap to the face. ‘This is insane.’

In the original story’s progression, he was a secondary supporting character and an extra who died immediately after the initial episodes. Despite leaving a deep impression on readers, he was a tragic side character, manipulated by the author’s hand and consumed as a one-off.

Dokyeom watched Taeseongyeon’s receding back with a puzzled gaze.

‘Why?’

A clear vision. Words that had never surfaced before.

Oriax, who had gone as far as to reveal their true name to keep Geon Ita in check, remained silent and stood by now. The reason for this was unclear.

‘Even though I had touched the seal, why hadn’t this devilish bastard kept Taeseongyeon in check?’

Furthermore, unlike with Geon Ita or Yisaein, he wasn’t registered under . ‘Why? Taeseongyeon was also a character in the story, a supporting role whose name was even mentioned.’

‘Is it because he’s fated to die soon? Because his future is cut off?’

A storm of questions raged through his mind. However, as a headache began to throb, Dokyeom shook off his thoughts.

“He’s probably just a dead man walking, then.”

‘Well, that’s something to figure out later.’

Dokyeom subtly smiled, watching Taeseongyeon’s receding shadow. He had already secured Taeseongyeon’s email address, which he planned to exploit relentlessly, like simmering bone broth.

Dokyeom immediately pulled out his phone and resent the resume to the email address he’d used earlier. From a distance, he faintly saw Taeseongyeon, who was walking away, check his phone. Taeseongyeon didn’t linger on it, quickly putting his phone back.

‘Oh dear, what a shame.’

But it wouldn’t matter. From today onwards, Dokyeom intended to persistently harass him anyway. ‘Go on, suffer a little.’

****

Sizzling— Fluffy eggs cooked merrily in the frying pan. The pungent, oily aroma made his mouth water. Dokyeom carefully stir-fried minced onions, ham, and kimchi. Finally, he added rice and mixed it all, creating a mouth-watering kimchi fried rice.

He casually placed a pot holder on the low table, transferred the frying pan, and then neatly set out some pickled radish. Dokyeom began to eat, scooping up rice with his spoon, blowing on it to cool it, and taking a bite.

“Ah, I’m getting tired of this too.”

[The demon Oriax of ‘Lemegeton’ gulps audibly.]

‘This bastard, no matter how many times he sees it, he still acts like he wants to eat it.’

“If you want to eat, then cough up some good skills. Fill up my pathetic skill window, why don’t you?”

[The demon Oriax of ‘Lemegeton’ turns their back, declaring they wouldn’t even associate with a demon like you.]

“I need to eat quickly and leave, so go play by yourself.”

[The demon Oriax of ‘Lemegeton’ grumbles, licking their front paw.]

Several lines of complaints appeared. Dokyeom, feigning ignorance, lowered his gaze and diligently wielded his spoon.

It had been nearly a week since he had been stuck at home, practically wallpaper. Today, however, he was finally going to end his tiresome indoor life and step out of his front door for the first time in days.

This was because the reply regarding the document screening for the resumes he had so relentlessly submitted over the past week had arrived in Dokyeom’s email last night. Having sent ten resumes a day to Taeseongyeon’s email, it was high time for the other party to respond.

Amidst this, the reply he received was exactly that. Initially, he had checked his inbox, expecting a barrage of curses, but upon opening the email, he found a notification about a job interview.

Of course, what Dokyeom had written in his resume was merely a single line.

“What the Guild Master wants isn’t here~ (^▽^).”

The simple, insincere submission wasn’t for show, but for an excuse. He wanted to appear like a lunatic.

From the start, Dokyeom hadn’t even remotely considered that Taeseongyeon would play along with his antics. Thus, upon seeing the acceptance email, a sense of unease overshadowed any excitement.

“I was just trying to act like a madman….”

Although his approach had now changed, his original plan was a simple, one-dimensional intention: to create a ‘pretext’ for approaching the SaHyeon Guild and ‘make an impression’. He wanted excuses, like bringing packed lunches and bothering them.

If his resume was rejected, he planned to cause a scene in front of the guild like a madman, demanding to be let in. Once he obtained information about a team assigned to a sea gate, he would approach that group, acting like a stalker, and naturally follow them around.

All for the sake of a relationship where it wouldn’t be strange to encounter SaHyeon Guild Hunters anytime, anywhere.

Of course, broadly speaking, receiving the acceptance notification and getting an interview might actually be an even better outcome.

Taeseongyeon.

As a character who died early in the story, Dokyeom’s memory of him was hazy. However, he distinctly remembered the readers’ uproar when Taeseongyeon died, so vividly it was almost like a hallucination.

He distinctly recalled Taeseongyeon as a character who lived solely by his fiery spirit and daring. Yet, the Taeseongyeon he met a week ago was far from immature. This was precisely why he hadn’t recognized him.

Readers had talked about his ‘madman-like’ charisma, but the Taeseongyeon Dokyeom met in person was more of an enigma, someone whose true intentions were unfathomable.

His gaze was simply that of a viper. His seasoned demeanor, steeped in experience, and his secretly smiling face exuded a dangerous aura, making one wonder why such a man had died in the first place. He was, in essence, a thoroughly black-hearted bastard.

[The demon Oriax of ‘Lemegeton’ glares at you, as if asking why you’re not eating.]

Yes, whatever it was, what mattered now was that Taeseongyeon had played along with Dokyeom’s scheme. The meaning embedded in that single sentence on the resume.

Taeseongyeon was searching for ‘something,’ and Dokyeom possessed the ability to place it in his hands. However, for them to exchange anything, they first needed to establish an equitable partnership.

The interview was scheduled for two hours later, in the interview room within the SaHyeon Guild headquarters. Therefore, eating now and getting ready to leave would be just about right.

Ignoring whatever Oriax, who was sitting with their back turned, might be saying, Dokyeom once again scooped a generous spoonful of rice and ate. He then washed up, put on the cleanest clothes he owned, and left the house.

Yes, up until this point, life seemed to be unfolding smoothly. That is, until he arrived in front of a building so tall his neck had to crane backwards to see its top.

“…This building is absolutely intimidating, isn’t it?”

It was a towering 25-story high-rise, and its glass surface was as pristine as moonlight, suggesting it had only recently been built.

A colossal guild that boasted 150 hunters, with a Guild Master who was one of only three S-ranks in Korea. It was also the only guild in Korea to have an AA-rank hunter, and it commanded over 40 A-rank hunters.

The building before him was none other than the headquarters of the SaHyeon Guild, where Taeseongyeon sat as its representative.

Though the interview notice in his hand felt rather paltry, Dokyeom confidently strode towards the building. Upon entering, he presented the notice at the desk and was promptly directed to the interview location.

To the CEO’s office, no less.

“You may enter.”

“Why here, ha… Yes, thank you.”

Dokyeom, sighing mid-sentence, finally opened the door with a resigned expression and stepped into the CEO’s office. Inside the sparse room, only a desk backed by a panoramic window and a neatly arranged sofa solidly filled the space.

Taeseongyeon sat leisurely on the sofa alone, sipping tea. As if the setting elevated the person, unlike a week ago, he now looked quite befitting of a CEO.

Perhaps knowing Dokyeom would arrive, two teacups were prepared.

“Hmm, won’t you sit?”

The subtly curving corners of his eyes exuded a cunning, serpentine aura. Dokyeom, realizing the door was closed, found the empty seat where a teacup awaited and sat down.

Taeseongyeon’s faint profile flickered through his mind. Was he 29 or 30? Dokyeom recalled it being around that age. However, sitting opposite him, his aura seemed even more seasoned than that.

“They say even birds use polite language in their own way when they meet, so why do humans act like this, I wonder? Right, Mr. Taeseongyeon? Should I just drop the honorifics too?”

In response, the other person smirked slyly.

‘Is he crazy?’

“Have you been well, Mr. Han Dokyeom?”

“No, I haven’t. Because of what you did. If I had known that the false accusation of doing something I shouldn’t have would be so unfair, I would have used a different excuse.”

At the insincere reply, a low chuckle was heard this time. The prominent veins on the back of his hand, gripping the teacup, resembled the sinews of a beast. While his entire demeanor was composed, his smile alone exuded a precarious tension. It was clear he was an opponent not to be trifled with, and his true nature was undoubtedly dark.

“Am I really having an interview?”

“You can leave if you don’t want to.”

Taeseongyeon deliberately avoided mentioning the encounter with Han Dokyeom a week prior. The resume must have played a significant role in Taeseongyeon’s awareness of Dokyeom, especially since he had read it immediately after Dokyeom sent it that very day, and Dokyeom happened to be right there.