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At Kang Taesan’s story, Dokyeom, leaning against the window and facing the wind, stiffened his cheek. Come to think of it, after the Snow Mountain incident where the grand history occurred, there had been no news of Kang Taesan, let alone Ju Uiryeong and Geon Ita.
Of course, part of it was because he hadn’t bothered to look, but even if he entered the news board, 90% of the articles were speculative reports focusing on the movements of the Sahyeon Guild.
That made sense.
Even now, two days after Ju Nohaan’s article broke, the Chinese side had remained silent throughout. The wolf-like baring of teeth and barking had suddenly changed, and they hadn’t even explained the accumulating doubts.
Under the premise that Taeseongyeon and the high-ranking officials had exchanged private talks, from China’s perspective, that would have been the best response. If they kept their mouths shut and endured, most of the speculative reports pouring out of Korea would be accepted as ‘admissions.’
Naturally, China would remain silent on this as well. That was probably the minimal self-protection they had gained from their deal with Taeseongyeon. That meant Taeseongyeon also received something in return.
Of course, that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Why, what happened to Kang Taesan?”
“Oh my? Why is the Hunter curious? That guy Kang Taesan used to sing the praises of the Sahyeon Guild all day long, but last time I saw him, he had already joined the ‘Uhwa Guild’? I tell you, when I told him to just go, he wouldn’t, but now he suddenly goes? And you know what he said with an ominous smile?”
Attention focused. Even Beom Yeonhu was listening to Kim Seongyun’s story now.
“He said he had something to do, he said! Once that’s done, he’ll come back, or something. When I asked what it was, the bastard wouldn’t open his mouth even if he died. Ha… Do I want to enjoy wealth and glory by being friends with these people…”
What started as a lament ended as a lament. Kim Seongyun might find it odd, but just hearing that wasn’t too strange. The problem was that in the future Dokyeom had seen of Kang Taesan, there was no development where he went to the Uhwa Guild.
‘So the future changed.’
That meant there must have been a turning point for Kang Taesan. Perhaps the trigger for Kang Taesan’s change of heart was the awakening of ‘Beom Yeonhu’ that he had witnessed before his eyes.
When Kang Taesan saw Beom Yeonhu’s awakening while killing the witch, his expression was too fierce to be dismissed as simply ‘surprised.’ The envy and intimidation that filled his turmoil-filled eyes.
The anger of someone who stumbled from a sense of superiority was more terrifying than expected.
“These days, everyone only talks about you. Those bastards who used to call me every day to pick a fight are now asking me to call you so they can treat you to a big meal. Am I your servant? So, for the sake of my position, buy them a drink. That way I can get a free meal too. It’s not like it’s a bad thing; we’re meeting for a good reason, so why not make a show of it, huh?”
Beom Yeonhu just smiled faintly. Perhaps feeling uneasy about that smile, Kim Seongyun grumbled but managed to get a promise. Just as he was setting the time and place and nailing down the date like a notification.
“This building looks familiar? Wait… That’s right, the address.”
The car stopped in front of a white mansion with an impressive silver iron gate. Naturally, the first person to jump out when the car stopped was Baek Jiwoon.
“Ugh, ugh… No, what’s with the car… Damn, is it a steam room…!”
With the heat and car sickness, his face was not just red but practically cooked. Since he had insisted on coming along, Baek Jiwoon couldn’t complain and just fumed alone.
Around then, Dokyeom also put Dali down from his lap and stepped out of the car. In front of him, a house rose above the high wall, casting a shadow over his head.
Dali twitched his nose as if smelling the grass. Agon, who had smelled the fishy water scent, narrowed his eyes.
“Look at Dali, his eyes are round because he wants to play. We’re going there anyway, so run around in the yard for a bit with Yeonhu hyung. They say there’s an outdoor pool, so you go in there too, Agon.”
Vines sticking out above the wall swayed in the wind. Next to them, the tops of trees were visible. When he breathed in, a faint grassy scent reached him.
This was definitely the first time he had been here. Yet Dokyeom felt a strange familiarity, as if he had come here countless times. Where this was…
“Wow, I was curious how great a place it was, and it’s just… awesome. Hyung, can I go inside and look around the house too?”
“Ho… You said he was a guild leader, and sure enough, the house is…”
It was Taeseongyeon’s house.
***
Even the front door was the kind that perfectly captured Taeseongyeon’s atmosphere. Stepping onto the gleaming marble floor and passing through the wide open door, the bright interior flooded with sunlight came into view.
Dokyeom entered alone, passing through the entrance. He had briefly struggled to fend off Baek Jiwoon, who wanted to come inside to see the house, but everyone nodded without complaint when Dokyeom asked them to wait outside.
The yard was spacious and full of shade, perfect for cooling off, so Dokyeom felt relieved as he entered to find the owner of the house.
Dali was already busy running around with Beom Yeonhu, while Agon had immersed himself in the pool but kept his head out, constantly watching for where Dokyeom might be.
“They’re playing well.”
Dokyeom approached the window and waved once at Agon, then climbed the stairs to the second floor to find the place Taeseongyeon had told him about. Even the stairs were elegant and spotless, just like someone.
“He calls me over and then doesn’t come out to greet me. Just because the house is big, huh.”
Muttering complaints, he walked along the wall past the second-floor railing, and a door at the end of the hallway came into view. Dokyeom moved toward it.
The reason he had come today was because of Han Yuseong. That night at the hospital, Dokyeom had clearly told him to hand over Han Yuseong’s ‘body,’ and Taeseongyeon had agreed without much said.
After being discharged, he had even given a two-day grace period to quickly resolve the Chinese issue. Then, waiting silently, he contacted him just last night.
“Hey, Taeseongyeon-ssi? Before it gets too late, I want to deal with Han Yuseong-ssi’s matter. When are you free?”
Taeseongyeon had simply told Dokyeom to come to his house, mentioning that Han Yuseong was there.
Knock knock-
“Taeseongyeon-ssi, I’m here. My arm hurts, so please open the door.”
Having reached the door, Dokyeom tapped the bottom of the door with his toe. Since his arm hurt and he couldn’t use his hand, this was his attempt at being polite.
Through the large window on one wall of the hallway, a terrace connected to the room was visible. Standing in front of the door bathed in sunlight, Dokyeom checked for any signs of life inside. After a moment.
Click-
The door opened, and Taeseongyeon appeared with his hair down, unlike other days. His silver eyes, visible through his black hair, seemed to slant. No, it was his head that tilted.
“Hmm, you came on time.”
On time, my foot.
“Who told me to come today because there was no time, and now…”
“I heard that Han Dokyeom-ssi refused the chief secretary’s offer to pick you up?”
Dokyeom opened his mouth slightly and stopped. Well, I mean… that was true.
As he said, this morning the chief secretary had called him out of the blue. It was a call asking when it would be convenient to pick him up and take him to the guild leader’s house.
Of course, by then Beom Yeonhu had already made a promise with Kim Seongyun, so Dokyeom flatly refused the chief secretary’s offer. He had begged him not to tell, but he had ratted him out already.
“The chief secretary seemed quite sad about how heartless you were.”
“I had a prior engagement, so why go that far? Who told you to send someone on the same day.”
As Dokyeom spoke sulkily, he noticed that Taeseongyeon’s eyes were faintly curved. It was only then that he felt it.
He was back to his usual self.
Since today was the first time meeting Taeseongyeon after that night at the hospital, Dokyeom hadn’t known whether Taeseongyeon had calmed down. He had just vaguely assumed he had.
But looking at him now,
“From next time, please come however the chief secretary sends you, so he won’t feel let down. He sent it because he was worried about Han Dokyeom-ssi, so if you refuse, he gets hurt.”
Taeseongyeon was no different from before. Calm and composed.
“…Yeah, we’ll see. Contact me two days in advance, not on the same day. Two days in advance.”
As Dokyeom answered vaguely, a hand suddenly tapped his cheek. The hand that touched his cheek slowly brushed over it as if taking his temperature, then lightly grazed his chin. Dokyeom silently met that touch with his eyes.
“If you thought about taking care of yourself, you would at least eat properly. You’ve lost weight compared to two days ago, yet you go around pretending to be fine, Han Dokyeom-ssi.”
“I’ve been eating well and even taking my medicine. I even have bread in my pocket?”
He put his hand in his pocket and shook it, making a rustling sound. Taeseongyeon let out a small breathy laugh.
“Dokyeom, so when are you going to show me the unfinished sincerity?”
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read Can Love Be Styled Too?! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : Can Love Be Styled Too?
