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Join the ServerIt seemed the stress had gotten to him. Beom Yeonhu let out a heavy sigh first.
Then, declaring he would handle it himself, he stood up. Judging by how naturally he pulled his mask over his face, it was a habit born of frequent necessity.
Dokyeom watched his retreating back for a moment before calling out to him.
“Forget it. Just let him in.”
*Click—*
He pulled a pistol from his inventory and racked the slide back.
*A black muzzle gleamed.*
As he examined the weapon, silence fell instead of an answer. Dokyeom flashed a grin at the startled Yeonhu and then subtly gestured toward the door with his eyes.
*Bang bang bang!*
[Hyung-nim, are you really not going to open up? Do I look like I have all day? I’ll leave as soon as I see that Dokyeom hyung is okay! Ah, fine, I’ll be honest! To be honest, I have something to show him!]
In the end, Beom Yeonhu had no choice but to close his eyes in exasperation and open the door.
The door slid open. On the other side stood Baek Jiun, fist raised mid-knock as if he had been frozen in place.
The moment he saw the open door, Baek Jiun’s face lit up.
“I knew you’d understand my heart, hehe. See, I even brought fruit.”
He thrust out the fruit basket hanging on his arm, gave a youthful smile, and stepped inside. But it was only one step.
*Oh.*
As his eyes swept the room and landed on the bed, Baek Jiun stopped and instinctively leaned back.
An awkward smile clung to his lips, while confusion and something unreadable swam in his eyes.
“…Uh, why is the patient holding a gun…?”
“Never mind that. Come over here and kneel.”
“Me? Why would I kneel…?”
“From what I heard, you’ve been tormenting hyung for two days straight. Did you think a gift would cover it? You little punk.”
“…Wait, I’m already kneeling, okay.”
*This gun was useless outside a gate, but as a threat, nothing worked better.*
Case in point: Baek Jiun, after setting the basket respectfully on the table, dropped to his knees without another word.
Dokyeom twirled the pistol, pondering how to kill this guy. Just as Jiun seemed to be cautiously gauging the situation, he let out a forced laugh and opened his mouth.
Dokyeom grabbed the pistol by the grip, stopping its spin.
“Come on, I came because I heard hyung hadn’t woken up and I was worried. Why would I come here for fame or fortune, huh? So how about you ease up on the glare…?”
“Hyung is tired right now, so just get to the point. Did you get your footage confiscated or what?”
“How did you know?!”
*Just as I thought.* Dokyeom clicked his tongue briefly at Jiun’s bug-eyed reaction. He had already suspected as much from the moment Taeseongyeon smashed Jiun’s camera.
This whole incident had too many questionable aspects to be exposed to the public. First, there was Dokyeom’s existence, and then Ju Uiryeong’s behavior.
The controversy was packed with fuel. There was no way Taeseongyeon or Geon Ita would have let that footage slip through their fingers. Moreover, with Ju Uiryeong’s actions so thoroughly recorded, the ‘Wuhwa Guild’ wouldn’t stay quiet. Yeah, they’d be having a fit, if not more.
It would be a mercy if they didn’t try to harm Dokyeom.
After all, Ju Uiryeong was a hunter affiliated with Wuhwa, an irreplaceable A-rank with years left on his contract—a real cash cow. They’d be working hard to whitewash this as much as possible.
“Ah, of course I didn’t come here just for that. Well… it’s a bit of a shame about the footage I risked my life for… but the Association said they’d release it as a one-time thing and even pay me for all the views, so I’m not losing anything.”
“Then why are you whining in my face, you bastard?”
“Whining… I’m not a dog. Anyway, I just wanted to thank hyung. I really didn’t expect those views. I owe you a lot. And when I heard you were sick, I got worried. People do that, you know? You’re so harsh. Do you really think I came here to interview a guy who still looks like a patient?!”
*Ah, so that’s his real motive.*
Baek Jiun, who had been blathering enthusiastically while shifting his weight, suddenly realized what he’d said. He grinned awkwardly and scratched his eyebrow.
“Well… I wouldn’t say I’m not interested in an interview… but, hyung, if by any chance—”
“What.”
“I was just thinking, maybe you might be considering it. If you ever film anything, please talk to me first, okay? I mean, we’ve been through thick and thin together. Surely you wouldn’t ask someone else.”
“Ah, enough of this nonsense. If you have no business, get lost. An E-rank like you, throwing your weight around.”
At that, both Baek Jiun and even Beom Yeonhu flinched their shoulders. Jiun turned to look at Yeonhu with a blank face, as if to say, *‘You haven’t told him yet?’*
Reading the situation from Yeonhu’s expression, Jiun shook his whole body in disbelief.
“Hyung, don’t you even use the internet? Why are you the only one who doesn’t know? Quick, turn on your phone and check the net. What kind of times are these?”
Pressed by Jiun, Dokyeom picked up his phone from the table, unlocked it, and went online. As soon as he connected, he scrolled around before stopping at the news section.
The first thing he saw was a photo of someone whose face was partially blurred. It was a man in a dark, fiery cave, ducking as if he had just evaded an attack.
His hair was light in contrast to the background. His posture was a dead ringer for Agon’s movements.
It was Dokyeom.
He clicked on one of the photos. The article itself was a few half-hearted lines, but the comments section was on fire.
[rlwjwjr: Don’t you know that’s fake? People are so naive lol]
[tapbam: Yep, edited~]
[errr2: You really think an E-rank can take down a boss? lol Don’t let your wishful thinking run wild lol]
[bongppal: Someone investigate this. Everyone’s saying different things, it’s ridiculous.]
[meh~: Why do people keep spouting nonsense from their frontal lobes as if it’s fact? How is this different from saying an E-rank is above S-rank?]
[sesangen: Why is this trending? lol Isn’t this the guy who picked a fight with Geon Ita? lol]
└ Why rank?
└ He’s mocking E-ranks
└ Ah, you didn’t get it lol]
[gotongryeong: Fake? lol If this is fabricated, then who the hell saved the world? lol That Ju Uiryeong who ran first? lol Try saying that to my face.]
[Egeup Association: Leave E-ranks alone, phew… I’m the E-rank Association from today.]
└ Does being E-rank boost IQ? lol]
[3da Hunter: So where’s the video of Geon Ita getting owned? lol]
└ Didn’t you see it? lol You missed it lol]
└ Having fun fishing? Where does it look like he got owned? lol]
└ Hey, why was the video blocked?
└ I dunno? Heard one of the top three guilds put pressure on them]
└ We already watched it anyway lol]
“Hyung, why are you reading that? You’re not supposed to read article comments. I have some good ones saved here; look at these.”
Dokyeom’s phone was snatched from his hands with alarming speed. In its place, Baek Jiun’s phone was pressed into his palm. The screen displayed what looked like a screenshot collection, with specific comments highlighted.
[daengmom: Does anyone know where to adopt a chimera?…. I really want one. Why are they so gentle and pretty?]
└ Wake up lol that’s a monster lol]
└ I mean, I thought the same, but this person seems serious lol]
[agonll: I love you, Agon!!!!!!!!]
[bon: E-rank? Actually, I’m fine with it. I’m a B-rank (glowstick emoji)]
“…You bastard, come here for a second.”
As soon as Dokyeom reached out, Baek Jiun yelped and scrambled backward.
“Hyung…? Why are you glaring like that? I only captured the good comments for you!”
“I distinctly told you not to film me clearly, right? Then what the hell is this? Aren’t these screenshots from your video?”
“…Say that properly. It’s a miracle I even managed to shoot without showing your face straight on. I risked my life to get that footage, and now you’re harassing me to hand it over.”
“Wow, our Jiun is really living without tomorrow?”
“Hyung only calls me ‘our Jiun’ at times like this.”
“So come here, you bastard. Hyung will show you some love.”
Dokyeom hurled the phone in his hand toward Baek Jiun. Jiun caught it deftly, scrambled to his feet, and hid behind Beom Yeonhu.
“Dokyeom hyung is lively, lively! I guess I don’t need to worry anymore. Seeing you healthy puts my mind at ease! Well, I’ll be going now! Oh, by the way, I submitted my resume to your guild, so I’ll see you there soon! Bye, Dali! Bye, Agon hyung! Take care!”
Before anyone could say a word, Baek Jiun bolted back the way he came. He yanked the door open and fled as if escaping.
Silence descended on the hospital room in an instant. As Beom Yeonhu looked around, searching for something to say, Dokyeom was calmly fluffing his pillow and settling down to lie. When their eyes met, he spoke nonchalantly.
“That should keep him away for a while, hyung. He won’t come back anytime soon after that.”
Then he flopped onto the pillows he had been pounding. Dali, sitting close by Dokyeom’s side, munched on bread, while Agon sniffed the blanket, then pulled it up to carefully cover Dokyeom.
Only Beom Yeonhu rubbed the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.
The excitement doesn't stop here! If you enjoyed this, you’ll adore Crow's Golden Fragment. Start reading now!
Read : Crow's Golden Fragment
