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Instead of an answer, a low chuckle came through. As I looked up at the window with eyes heavy from fatigue, the blazing sun struck my nose bridge. When the sunlight grazed my forehead, Dokyeom ended the call.
Beep beep-
As he put down the phone, he could read the subtly changed atmosphere. They had good ears, and their expressions showed they had overheard the entire conversation with Taeseongyeon.
Beom Yeonhu and Baek Jiwun still didn’t know about the future plans.
Because Dokyeom had kept his mouth shut in case the deal fell through.
“Hyung, you’re not… about to cause another incident, are you?”
“Correct?”
As he grinned, showing his teeth, Baek Jiwun shot him a look of disgust and then slumped his shoulders. Dokyeom looked at Beom Yeonhu with a smile. Yeonhu just stared back with a firm gaze.
Agon and Dali were the same. Since there had never been a smoothly flowing day, now everyone seemed to be mentally preparing.
“Should we take a short trip somewhere else?”
“Phew, where is it this time?”
Baek Jiwun sighed, scratched his head, and asked. Dokyeom just smiled quietly.
“Abroad.”
“Abroad again? Wow, we’re really global. I’m getting excited wondering what we’ll get entangled with this time.”
“There is a tiger cub.”
“What tiger?”
Baek Jiwun raised his eyebrows in curiosity, but then a thunderous growl from his stomach made him sink weakly onto the sofa.
“Can’t we cure my hangover first? I’m starving.”
Only then did Beom Yeonhu remember the soup he had put down and hurriedly moved. Baek Jiwun, clutching his hungry stomach, headed to the kitchen to help Yeonhu.
Watching them bustle about, Dokyeom also belatedly moved to help.
“Hey, don’t get in the way, go away! Go feed Agon hyung or something!”
Of course, he was scolded and chased away.
It was a lazy noon, just like any other time.
***
The ‘meeting’ was arranged about a week after Dokyeom encountered Taeseongyeon.
The sky was deep blue, and the weather was scorching hot. In that kind of weather where everyone was struggling to avoid the heat, only Dokyeom was walking around wearing a fall windbreaker.
He couldn’t roll up his sleeves because of the black scars, so he mentally persuaded himself that he could endure the heat. He managed to push through.
In the distance, across the crosswalk in front of the guild building, he saw Baek Jiwun waving his hand vigorously.
“Hyung! Hyung, over here!”
He had called just ten minutes ago saying they should meet in front of the guild, but here he was, already out and hopping around. That was so like Baek Jiwun.
Why is that guy so lively? I’m dying from the pain all over my body.
Watching Baek Jiwun run around excitedly like a dog, Dokyeom looked up with a sour expression at the sun-dazzled guild building. His gaze traced up to the 25th floor where Taeseongyeon’s office was.
‘The other side wanted to include Uwha Guild’s hunters in the deal too, but if I have to bear that part, it’s not really advantageous for me. What do you think, Han Dokyeom-ssi?’
A few days ago, Taeseongyeon had suddenly asked that question during their meeting. As he said, this deal was nothing but a huge loss for Taeseongyeon with no immediate gain.
For example, the other party wanted Taeseongyeon’s ‘Power of Mercy’, but the deal conditions also included the attendance of Geon Ita, the guild master of Uwha Guild.
It was to conduct a ‘test’ to gain an ally.
‘He’ was the one gathering the powers of angels, and for that reason, he had been traveling the world looking for a helper who would separately collect the powers of demons. The hunters considered as candidates for this helper were mostly those who possessed at least one power.
In other words, Geon Ita, who held the ‘Power of Wrath’, was also a candidate in his eyes.
And the place where the ‘test’ to select this helper would take place was the ‘gate’ he would offer in the deal, the one where the ‘Power of Greed’ lay dormant.
“Hyung, what are you doing?! The light changed!”
The crisp shout from afar made Dokyeom realize the traffic light had changed and lowered his head. As he unconsciously stepped forward, his arm was grabbed. Just as he turned around, Beom Yeonhu’s voice rang out.
“…Wait, Dokyeom. Wait…”
“What? Is there…”
He was about to ask ‘Is there something?’ But when he turned around, Dokyeom had to shut his mouth at the unusual sight of the three of them.
All three were staring at something. No, not at a specific point, they were scanning the air, constantly checking for something elusive. Their eyes were full of vigilance, and their expressions were terrifyingly focused.
“There is… something. There is, but…”
Frowning slightly, Beom Yeonhu had an ambiguous expression as if he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Even Agon and Dali, who were sensitive to presences and signs, merely tilted their heads occasionally, unable to grasp it.
Then, after a while, their expressions changed as if they had lost the faint trace of something.
“What is it, hyung?”
“Ah… sorry, Dokyeom. There was something nearby, but I couldn’t identify it exactly. It seemed to be watching us… but it wasn’t a human presence. The presence itself was faint.”
If both Agon and Dali had felt the same thing, then whatever it was, it wasn’t an illusion. Dokyeom looked at Agon and Dali, who were glancing around, then focused on the surrounding buildings. Just as he frowned at the dazzling sunlight reflecting like a stab.
Something pitch-black seemed to have brushed past a corner of a building. When he looked again, there was nothing, making him wonder if it was an illusion.
Still, Dokyeom couldn’t take his eyes off the spot where that shape had passed. It wasn’t a human shape. If anything, it was several times larger, like the form of a beast.
……
Meanwhile, the signal must have changed again, because from across the street, Baek Jiwun was shouting why he wasn’t coming. Dokyeom stepped back and stood in front of the crosswalk again, deep in thought.
***
“No, I mean, the Uwha Guild people are being all cozy inside, but why are we stuck out here? Just now, when those Uwha hunters went in, their heads were so stiff, it felt like our guild was being looked down upon. I know the Sahyun Guild’s reputation has dropped a bit, but that’s not right.”
Baek Jiwun’s grumbling voice echoed through the empty hallway. Still, he must have lowered his voice in his own way, because his tone was lower than usual.
“Even without that, because of that drunken video, I’ve become a total traitor. Fans of Ju Uiryeong come to my channel and curse me out. I’m scared I might get stabbed or something.”
“Who told you to film and upload that? Did you delete it or not?”
“I deleted it ages ago… Ah, the day you said you’d kill me, I deleted it for sure. But that video was really popular. The views… Okay, okay, I know. Don’t make that face.”
Baek Jiwun smacked his lips and leaned his back against the wall with a sigh.
Currently, Dokyeom, Beom Yeonhu, and Baek Jiwun were sitting side by side on chairs placed in front of the president’s office, waiting for Taeseongyeon’s call. They hadn’t been long in coming up to the president’s office.
They had already learned that Uwha Guild hunters had arrived an hour ago and were chatting in the president’s office, and even before that, the chief secretary had informed them that guests from afar had arrived.
What they were discussing was unknown. Of course, there were plenty of ways to find out.
“Hyung, what are they saying? Can you hear?”
“It sounds like they’re preparing a contract or something. I can hear tablet tapping sounds and scribbling on paper.”
“What are they talking about?”
“A lot about security. They’re emphasizing thorough security but solid cooperation between both sides. Also, not to mention the power trade to outsiders… Ah, they seem to want to bind it with a contract. With penalties for violating the stated terms…”
“How many people do you think are inside?”
Beom Yeonhu blinked slowly, looking at the air. His expression was calm, as if detecting presences or sounds.
“The Uwha side seems to be three, and the other outsiders seem to be two.”
So only two guests from abroad. If it’s about security, maybe they haven’t talked about the gate yet.
After coordinating the issue of external leaks, Taeseongyeon would have to hand over the ‘Power of Mercy’ in exchange, and in return, he would receive the location of the gate with the ‘Power of Greed’. At that point, ‘Han Dokyeom’ had to be recommended unconditionally.
If this guy suddenly changed his mind and recommended Yisaein… Well, it would be good if Yisaein went, but Dokyeom should be included in that group.
“Just try saying something stupid.”
“But Dokyeom.”
“Yeah?”
“They say to come in.”
When he blinked at Beom Yeonhu, the door to the president’s office suddenly swung open without warning, and the chief secretary appeared.
“Han Dokyeom-ssi, you’ll need to come in for a moment.”
“Ah, just me?”
“You can all come in.”
The chief secretary, more neatly dressed than any other day, had a more courteous and solemn expression and tone than usual. Dokyeom immediately got up and followed him into the president’s office.
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