Chapter 26: Unexpected Calls and Lingering Hatred

Though it was only his voice, I could almost see his smiling face right before me.

I remained silent.

Like an antidote, his voice instantly pushed away the nightmare.

My mind and heart had grown quiet, a strange sensation.

No, while my mind was calm, my heart still thumped loudly.

However, the reason for its clamor was entirely different from moments ago.

[Given that you answered my call, I suppose that’s not the case. Is it that you still don’t know how to send text messages?]

“I know how to send them. Text messages.”

[…That’s surprising. Really?]

I sensed a subtle delay in their response, as if they hadn’t expected me to answer.

I let out a soft huff.

[Did you just laugh?]

“……”

[You did laugh, didn’t you?]

“For a moment.”

Through the open bathroom door, I gazed at the mirror hanging inside.

There, I saw the same impassive face I always did.

“No. I didn’t laugh.”

[…Did you just check in the mirror before saying that?]

“Yes.”

Silence briefly fell on the other end of the line.

Then, a voice murmured something like, “Truly adorable…”

‘I must have misheard.’

Even after that, Sagyeol continued to chatter for a long time.

Once again, the conversation revolved entirely around desserts and pets.

While noting his obvious fondness for these topics, I found it wasn’t unpleasant to listen, as they were subjects I also found interesting.

Perhaps that was why, when he asked, “Then, will you reply to my texts from now on?” I found myself answering, “I will.”

Sagyeol’s surprise was palpable, even through the device.

Yet, how could his astonishment compare to my own?

I refrained from looking towards the mirror.

Undoubtedly, a foolishly bewildered expression would be staring back.

[You mean—]

“So, unless it’s something urgent, calls—”

We both started speaking almost simultaneously, then fell silent.

It was clear who would break the silence first.

[Ah, so you’ll reply to texts, but you’d prefer I refrain from calling like this?]

“……”

[Understood. We’ll do that. It’s late, and I’ve imposed enough. Then, next time—]

The man prolonged his words, and as soon as I sensed he was about to end the call, my own words tumbled out.

“Text messages—”

Even as I spoke, I couldn’t comprehend why I was saying such a thing.

“Are fine.”

In the distance, a car honked its horn as it passed.

The prolonged sound pierced the night air, penetrating the darkness and silence that enveloped my small room.

It was an intense sound, heard unexpectedly, a sound that imprinted itself on my mind the moment I thought I shouldn’t hear it.

[Yes. I’ll text you next time.]

The call ended.

My small room returned to its quiet state.

Turning off the light, I lay down.

Unable to fall asleep immediately, I fiddled with my device.

My heart wasn’t uneasy or afraid as it had been earlier; instead, I felt comfortable and languid, as if the man’s easygoing nature had rubbed off on me.

Unlike my perpetually tense self, he always seemed appropriately relaxed.

He was an intriguing man, always revealing something new with each encounter.

Hadn’t I learned something new about him even today?

My thoughts, which had been swaying and wandering like reeds, circled back and settled on his confession.

‘I wish you would look at me. I wish you would like me.’

It was an inexpressible feeling.

With my meager vocabulary, I couldn’t even conjure a suitable analogy.

It was simply that feeling.

The feeling of being told, ‘I wish you would like me.’

Though I had just drunk water, my throat inexplicably felt parched.

‘Sleep. Stop thinking and sleep.’

Just as I closed my eyes, then—

Beep, beep.

‘Was it Sagyeol?’

I checked the screen with lightning speed.

My head cooled instantly.

The familiar number yanked me from my floating thoughts, grounding me in an instant.

[Hey, if you picked up, at least answer.]

“…Yes.”

I answered as instructed, only to be met with a sigh.

[Right. The one who pays is always the boss.]

The man immediately cut to the chase.

[Three bodyguards are dead. One from a heart attack, one from a fatal fall, and one from illness.]

[More precisely, there are signs that someone deliberately killed them, but I couldn’t find anything beyond that.]

[It’s too clean. Impossibly clean.]

Though his distinctive swagger remained in his accent, his voice was serious.

He was an information broker from the back alleys, a place teeming with trash, drunks, and rats, and he took pride in his work.

Despite his higher fees, I specifically entrusted this man with the task.

“The two children?”

[I was just about to tell you. First, regarding the son—]

The information broker’s words, which had just begun to flow, were abruptly cut off.

The sound of something shattering was followed by a gunshot.

The surroundings instantly erupted into chaos.

[Goddamn it! Hey, are you listening? I’ll call you back later. You son of a—!]

With a crash and a bang, the call disconnected.

“……”

Perhaps because of the recent uproar, the quietness of my small room felt even more profound.

With piercing eyes, I stared into the darkness of the space.

One thought consumed my mind.

‘He’s alive.’

That man’s son is alive.

A black flame surged within my chest.

It was a hatred that had festered for a very long time, stretching back to the prison below.

[What in the world are you doing?]

“Ah, what is it now?”

[A drone in the heart of the city, and in someone else’s city, no less! Are you insane? Have you lost your mind? To use something meant for a one-in-a-million emergency like that—do you think it’s a scooter?]

[And assaulting a low-rank hunter on top of it all! Ha, do you have any idea how shocked I was when I saw the news? As if I don’t have enough work already, I can’t even go home!]

“So why did you call?”

Sagyeol paid no mind to Lee Hyun-su’s words.

Lee Hyun-su, who was working late at the Credit Guild headquarters, alternated his gaze between the ceiling and the floor.

Then, he unleashed his ability, and all sorts of objects began to float around him.

His team members, also working overtime nearby, shrieked in alarm.

[Agh! Vice Guild Master!]

[Calm down!]

[Team Leader, please stop the Vice Guild Master!]

Lee Hyun-su’s official position within the guild, despite accompanying Sagyeol as his secretary and bodyguard, was ‘Vice Guild Master’.

In other words, in Sagyeol’s absence, he held the highest authority in both administrative and field operations.

Team Leader Yoon Hye-ri crossed her arms, a stern expression on her face.

[How am I, the Team Leader, supposed to stop the Vice Guild Master? That’s insubordination.]

[Since when did you care about such things?!]

[You’re just making excuses because you’re lazy!]

Stung by the retort, Yoon Hye-ri flared up in anger instead.

[You bastards—!]

A louder crackle filled the air than before, making it seem as if the guild building itself might collapse.

Sagyeol pulled the device away from his ear, then brought it back.

[Ugh, my new iPhon—the device I bought yesterday!]

[No, we told you to stop the Vice Guild Master, not to destroy us!]

“Haha. What a mess.”

Sagyeol chuckled softly.

The reaction was immediate.

[G-Guild Master—]

[We’re sorry! We’re so sorry!]

“Deduct the cost of the broken items from Lee Hyun-su and Yoon Hye-ri’s salaries.”

[Y-You crazy—Agh!]

Without listening further, he abruptly ended the call.

About five minutes later, the device rang again; it was Lee Hyun-su.

Sagyeol answered with a cheerful smile.

“So, what’s the main point?”

Lee Hyun-su pondered for a moment.

‘Should I just kill this bastard and go to heaven?’

‘If I killed him, surely the gates of heaven, not hell, would open for me.’

“It’s urgent enough to call at this hour, I presume?”

Sagyeol’s voice had subtly shifted.

Though others might only perceive its gentle, spring-like softness, Lee Hyun-su, who had spent half his life with him, recognized the sharpness secretly woven beneath the warmth of spring.

[It is indeed a matter I believe you’d want to hear, even at this hour.]

“The results are in, then.”

[Yes, I’ve confirmed them.]

Lee Hyun-su uncharacteristically hesitated.

From the reluctance in his tone, a clear sign that he was forcing himself to speak, Sagyeol already guessed the outcome.

[His real name is Seo Yeowon. He’s twenty-eight this year, born in Baekdam, and is indeed a Returnee.]

“Pretty.”

[Excuse me?]

“His name. It suits him much better than something like Cheol-su.”

[Yes, well… I suppose so.]

‘He’s a Returnee.’

‘He would have called the name pretty even if it had been Kim Gaedong.’

[Besides that, there are further details to convey.]

Further details.

That was precisely why he, the Vice Guild Master, was engrossed in overtime with several teams.

And it wasn’t just here; most floors of the Credit Guild building were brightly lit.

A team member, returning with snacks, handed out coffee with hollow eyes and remarked,

“It feels like the entire city is working overtime.”

‘It might not be a metaphor; it might truly be the case,’ Lee Hyun-su thought.

[A problem has arisen. It seems you’ll need to come here in person.]

“This isn’t welcome news. Can’t you handle it yourself?”

[No. I cannot.]

“Ah, what is it now?”

[You know that place designated as a capture point, don’t you?]

At the mention of a ‘capture point,’ Sagyeol paused.

A sense of foreboding coiled around his ankles.

[One of Hestia’s teams entered without authorization and was completely annihilated.]

“And?”

[Well… all the team members were A-rank, and the leader was Shin Se-yeong.]