Chapter 30: He’s Thirty?! And a Genius Developer?!

[Guild] Yaongi: Our sub-guild master got tricked.

And the Guild Master, Gong Daenam, started laughing uncontrollably.

[Guild] LA Gong Daenam: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] Odin88: Ha… this isn’t funny, Guild Master. Do you realize the sub-guild master got tricked?

[Guild] Odin88: A ranked player is wandering around being played for a fool.

[Guild] Odin88: This tarnishes the reputation of our guild.

[Guild] LA Gong Daenam: ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Guild] Odin88: I said it’s not funny!

[Guild] Yaongi: Fool…

Watching the various reactions from guild members, all unique, Kyunghun suddenly remembered something he had forgotten. He called out to Seohyun because it had been too quiet.

[“Damn it, hyung.”]

“Huh?”

Flustered, Kyunghun hesitated as Seohyun’s voice poured out without pause.

[“Why are you a net-kama? You’re so obviously a guy. I’ve never seen anyone like you.”]

Seohyun, more flustered than the person being misunderstood, argued passionately about Kyunghun’s XY chromosomes. Kyunghun felt the weight of guilt—after all, he was the one getting tricked while protecting Machoking, leading to this misunderstanding.

Just as a strange sense of guilt began to creep in:

[“Don’t worry, hyung, you’re the ultimate macho.”]

“…I’m the macho you chose.”

Muttering Seohyun’s words, Kyunghun unconsciously asked:

“…Of all the machos in the world, why me?”

[“Because you’re the best macho I know.”]

Perhaps, this guy likes machos. With a faint glimmer of hope, Kyunghun cautiously spoke:

“Do you want me to introduce some of the other machos I know?”

[…Is that something you say to me right now?]

It didn’t faze him at all.

“Yeah, thanks. Let’s stop here for today.”

After running so much, Kyunghun felt thirsty. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank a few gulps. Drinking too quickly made the sound louder than expected.

Seohyun’s reaction seemed a bit strange.

[…Hyung, just now, what did you do?]

“Huh, what do you mean?”

When Kyunghun answered, Seohyun’s voice asked faster than before.

[“No, what did you just do?”]

“Drink water?”

He said he drank water. Why was he like this?

But a moment later, Seohyun spoke in a more intense, low voice:

[“Just once.”]

“…Can’t I drink more?”

“You bastard.”

**

After that, Kyunghun continued his hectic daily life. Even though teams recently received new members, his team, Violent 7, didn’t get a single new person. Days off at home were rare, and that guy was constantly following him, smiling brightly wherever he went.

Moreover, every time they contacted him, Seohyun acted cute and insisted he could do everything, adding to Kyunghun’s exhaustion.

“Hey, Yoon. Team Leader is here.”

Kyunghun, immersed in writing reports, turned his head when called. Team Leader Choi patted Kyunghun’s shoulder and pointed to the front seat with his chin.

“Since your mood seems low, try to adjust accordingly.”

“Not feeling any better?”

“If he felt good, would I quietly come to your desk like this?”

“Damn it, I didn’t go hiking this weekend.”

Eventually, Kyunghun, who had sent Jongun to Suksan Mountain, scratched the back of his head and awkwardly stood up. He was already cautious about the sensitive team leader’s mood, so being singled out made him even more uneasy.

He slowly walked to where Team Leader Kim was, bowing lightly. Kim Cheol-deuk, meticulously cleaning the orchid leaves by the window, didn’t look up but spoke.

“Are your legs usable now?”

“…Yes, they’re fine now.”

“Were you startled when I suddenly called you? Your voice sounds weak.”

“No, sir.”

After answering awkwardly, Kyunghun sat down with two glasses of cold water, preparing himself mentally.

“Good, if they’re usable, that’s fine.”

Team Leader Kim, carrying a thick envelope, started speaking with a hint of irritation.

“Kyunghun, we have some work for you.”

“…I’m already working.”

“Not that kind. We’re assigning you something else.”

Kyunghun feigned ignorance.

“Sir… our team has no one.”

He was worried that this would be impossible given the lack of staff.

“Exactly, and that’s why we need you.”

The envelope slid across the table to Kyunghun. He looked at the yellow envelope, its thickness filling his hand. As he dug through it, he began pulling out documents and photos. Kim Cheol-deuk spoke in a dissatisfied tone.

“This person will be deployed as a program developer at our agency.”

A photo caught Kyunghun’s attention. He squinted at the familiar figure in the dark indoor photo, holding a microphone and explaining something.

Kim Cheol-deuk, noticing Kyunghun staring at the photo, spoke without waiting for a reply.

“He’s thirty this year. Only a year older than you. He seemed like he wasn’t coming, but changed his mind in the end.”

“…Thirty, huh?”

Kyunghun slowly swallowed, his nervous habit.

He traced the photo with his fingertips, while Kim Cheol-deuk added:

“His name is Han Seohyun. During college, he made a fortune developing smartphone apps. He spent a few years doing nothing but enjoying life, but restarted development work in conferences the year before last.”

Seeing the documents and photo, Kyunghun felt nauseous even though he hadn’t eaten.

Kim Cheol-deuk added decisively:

“You’ll keep an eye on him.”

A photo slipped from Kyunghun’s hand, but he still held the documents.

“Sir, I still have a lot of work to do.”

“Why are you acting like this, Yoon Kyunghun?”

“You know my mother is alone. You know that.”

Kim Cheol-deuk’s gaze softened slightly.

“Yes. You’ve got a lot of work, but take care of your mother. That’s why I want you to do this.”

Then he continued:

“Kyunghun, after graduating from the police university and serving in the investigative department, the norm is to become team leader. But there’s a backlog, so you won’t be team leader until next year.”

“…I have no complaints about that, sir.”

Kim Cheol-deuk stressed that this was a good chance to show himself to higher-ups, including the commissioner.

However, Kyunghun begged to be excused.

“…Sir, I really can’t do this.”

“Kyunghun.”

Normally obedient, Kyunghun suddenly resisted, leaving Kim Cheol-deuk bewildered.

“Look, my leg bones haven’t fully healed. I limp when I walk. Do you want me to show you?”

Kyunghun staggered toward Kim Cheol-deuk, who then patted his back a few times with the rolled-up documents, calming the chaos.