Chapter 16: The Unspoken Words and the Unexpected Turn

‘Kill them and bury them in the hills outside Baekdam. Then no one will ever know—’

“Come on, let’s go! I’m the main character, after all. It wouldn’t do for me to arrive too late, would it? This way.”

Sagyeol abruptly pulled my arm.

An F-rank nobody shaking off an A-rank hunter’s grip and escaping? That would be news to shake the entire continent.

‘I’d rather not make things any more complicated than they already are.’

There was simply no answer to this predicament. Accepting my own helplessness, I was ultimately dragged along like a prisoner of war.

The dinner party was held at a Korean barbecue restaurant.

It was a place that exuded an air of expense from its very exterior, having been renovated from an old traditional house. The startled laborers hesitated, then followed behind the suited figures entering the establishment.

The waiting staff skillfully guided them inside. The group split into several private rooms, naturally separating from the Association’s suited employees.

“The staff here are really good at their jobs.”

I overheard the laborers whispering. Their chatter ceased completely as Sagyeol and I joined Park Myeong-seok’s room.

To be precise, I had sought out Park Myeong-seok first, and Sagyeol, who I assumed would go with the other staff, followed me all the way. Standing at the doorway, I turned to look at him, conveying with my gaze that he should be with the suited executives, not here.

The other laborers also offered strained smiles, filled with an unspoken plea. However, Sagyeol merely chuckled, then walked past me and entered the room first.

“Greetings. We met once before, didn’t we?”

“Uh… yes.”

Sagyeol greeted them all, and the laborers, including Park Myeong-seok, forced smiles.

‘They say you shouldn’t sit next to the person who’s buying you dinner. Damn it, of all the luck, to be in the same room! I won’t be able to eat freely; I’ll just be watching my manners the whole time. It would be better to eat a little, pretend to go home, and then hit up a second round among ourselves, hyung-nim.’

As these unspoken words passed between their busy glances, Sagyeol addressed the waiting staff member.

“Please bring us everything on the menu.”

“Certainly. And what about drinks?”

The staff member asked without a hint of surprise. Sagyeol turned to the laborers.

“What kind of alcohol do you prefer?”

“Uh… well, for us, it’s soju.”

“Ah, soju is excellent. I like it too.”

Sagyeol said this with a warm, friendly smile.

“However, they have some traditional liquor here that’s exclusively sold at this establishment, and the taste is absolutely incredible. You should try some of that as well.”

Then, before Park Myeong-seok could utter a word, he ordered several more types of hard-to-pronounce liquor, completing their order. After that, an awkward silence *should* have fallen until the food arrived, but it did not.

“Five years? That’s truly a long time to have worked. You must be quite the veteran in this field.”

“Oh, not a veteran, exactly.”

“Those who work directly in the field, putting their bodies to the test, are far more impressive than those who sit comfortably in an office, merely pushing pens. This is no empty flattery; my own mother once worked in post-processing.”

“Really? Your mother?”

“Yes. She’s truly remarkable, and the person I respect most in the world.”

Sagyeol’s demeanor remained consistently polite, continuously hitting all the right notes with the laborers. Once the alcohol began to flow, their initial shyness and discomfort vanished in an instant.

“Ugh, this liquor is so sweet, so sweet.”

“What kind of meat is this? It just melts in my mouth.”

“Can’t you tell just by eating it? It’s beef.”

“It’s different from the beef I usually eat, though?”

“Of course it is. Hey, did you see the price list?”

“Why would I look at it? I’m not the one paying.”

At his words, a man already flushed with drink grinned broadly and dramatically unfurled the thick, black menu.

A brief silence fell among the boisterous laborers. One man, who had been repeatedly counting the zeroes, quietly murmured.

“…Did they feed the cows gold?”

“Hahaha! You’re right. If they fed them gold, this price would make sense!”

“Ah, what are you doing? When else will we get a chance to eat something like this? Order more, more!”

Those who were relatively less intoxicated awkwardly joined in the laughter, stealing glances at Sagyeol. Normally, even when people feigned generosity out of pride and a desire to save face, their forced smiles or trembling cheeks would betray them. But Sagyeol simply smiled with gentle warmth.

“This is coming out of my own pocket, so you can thank me, not the Association.”

His voice exuded both leisure and wealth. Even the most timid laborer, the only one besides me who hadn’t fully dropped their guard, now wore an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Is this really okay?’

Meanwhile, Sagyeol leaned in close to Park Myeong-seok, pouring him a drink.

“I’m much younger, so please drop the formalities with me, hyung-nim.”

At the address of ‘hyung-nim,’ Park Myeong-seok’s shoulders subtly rose. They lifted even further as Sagyeol reiterated his respect for ‘field workers in post-processing.’

“Honestly, I don’t particularly like the Association. I work for them because they pay my salary, but wasn’t the Association originally founded for the hunters who fight in the field?”

He skillfully managed to win over even Park Myeong-seok. I instinctively closed my slightly agape mouth. Now, I was truly curious about what the hell that bastard was trying to achieve. Unlike my own complicated thoughts, the laborers were constantly exclaiming in admiration.

“That guy, I really like him.”

“Indeed. There aren’t many upright young men like him around Cheol-su’s age.”

“Look, he’s a capable young man with good character too.”

Praise for Sagyeol erupted from all sides. I felt an inexplicable discomfort, as if something was lodged in my chest. Even chugging down several drinks didn’t help.

Then, I made eye contact with Sagyeol, who had been jovially chatting with the laborers all evening. Despite accepting and drinking every glass offered, he showed no signs of intoxication. His cold gaze, as if assessing his prey, instantly sobered me.

“Cheol-su, why are you only drinking soda? Don’t you like alcohol?”

The heads of the drunken laborers swiveled sharply towards me. A prickle ran down my neck. They were no longer my allies.

“Yeah, Cheol-su, why aren’t you drinking?”

“Oh, come on, he hasn’t even been out of the hospital for long!”

“He had all his tests, and there was nothing wrong with him. You said he was just a bit startled.”

“That’s true, but…”

Flustered, I found myself muttering.

“I… I’ve never actually had alcohol before. So, it’s a bit…”

Silence fell. I realized, too late, that this was the wrong answer. It was too late to claim it was a joke. The excited laborers instantly pounced.

“You’ve never had alcohol? Not even at your age?!”

“How can that be?”

“No, I mean, you’d think you’d at least try a sip out of curiosity!”

“……”

I was bewildered. I couldn’t understand why this was such a cause for such excited uproar.

In the Demon Realm, there was no such thing as ‘alcohol.’ In a world where people fought if they ran into trouble on the street, killed others just because they didn’t like their appearance, and instantly retaliated with a thought like, ‘Oh, so you’re attacking me,’ if someone launched an unprovoked assault, a recreational substance that muddled the mind and body simply couldn’t exist.

“I’m not particularly curious.”

I thought saying this would deter them from pressing further. How naive I was. I hadn’t realized.

“Come on, that’s a boring thing to say.”

“Just try it first. Try it, then talk!”

“Hey, make him drink it!”

That there was no reasoning with drunkards.

Flustered, I was pushed and buried among the laborers. Through a gap, I caught sight of Sagyeol, standing a step back and observing the situation. The smile lingering on his lips was somehow viscous.

‘I’ve been had.’

“Wait, I—”

“Alright, just one sip, just one little sip!”

“Why are you resisting so much? Hey, hold him!”

“……!”

Sagyeol kept his eyes on Yeowon throughout the entire dinner party, as it grew livelier.

While tossing casual remarks to the increasingly inebriated laborers, his gaze remained fixed on Yeowon. He had expected it wouldn’t be easy from the start. Yeowon was like a fortress unto himself, one that allowed not the slightest breach to strangers.

With such an opponent, cheap tricks wouldn’t work, and the risk of being exposed was too great.

Sagyeol made a decision: he would go with a classic approach.

‘First, win his favor and earn his trust.’

He meticulously hid his dark intentions and sharp fangs. He visited the hospital room so often the door might as well have worn out, bringing various things and only showing his amiable side. Looking back, there was nothing that could have gone wrong.

Yet, the man vanished completely, almost as if mocking him.

Crack.

The glass cup he was holding cracked. The pupils of a laborer, who had been secretly watching him, trembled. Sagyeol pretended not to notice and lowered the cup beneath the table.

The memory made his stomach churn anew. With a gentle smile to mask his irritation, he once again turned his gaze to Yeowon.

“……”

‘What is that?’

Sagyeol, belatedly witnessing the scene, froze in bewilderment.

What on earth had happened while he was momentarily distracted?

“Oh, my, he looks so handsome with his hair up like this.”

“Before, that long, flowing hair was always bothering me. How about we just go and cut it short while we’re at it?”

“……”

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering?”

“He’s obviously drunk, why are you asking him anything?”

“Oh, really? Our Cheol-su is drunk!”

The man who said that was also drunk. A laborer next to him chuckled, as if it was a good thing.

“Then isn’t this our chance? While he’s not thinking straight, let’s drag him off and get it cut!”

“That’s a great idea!”

‘What’s so great about it?’

The man was nodding off, his bangs pulled up and tied in what was colloquially known as an ‘apple hair’ style. Anyone could see he was completely out of it. With his cheeks flushed, he truly looked like an apple. Sagyeol’s expression became peculiar.

When he set up this gathering, what he wanted was a certain atmosphere. He would have been satisfied with merely lowering Yeowon’s guard a little, with the help of Park Myeong-seok and the other laborers.

‘But a human with resistance to demonic energy has no resistance to alcohol? Does that even make sense?’

It was almost natural for the thought to cross his mind: ‘Is this bastard not a returnee after all?’