Chapter 69: A Hidden Past and an Unspoken Debt

Dongjun’s reaction went beyond mere gladness; it was intensely fervent. Even someone returning from the dead wouldn’t elicit such a response. For Lee Hyun-su, the thought of facing Sagyeol’s impending wrath made the entire world seem distorted.Immediately, Yeowon, surprisingly, remained composed. After exchanging a few conventional pleasantries about their well-being, he meticulously scanned the cafe, his gaze briefly lingering on the teacups arranged along the counter bar.

“What can I get you? What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have milk tea…” Yeowon said, turning to Lee Hyun-su. It was an unspoken question, asking what he would like. Lee Hyun-su scanned the menu before replying.

“An iced Americano, please.”

Dongjun smiled brightly and extended his hand to Lee Hyun-su.

“Jin gets it for free, but not the Vice President.”

“…….”

Lee Hyun-su grumbled, yet he produced his card. Dongjun firmly grasped his hand.

“I was grateful back then.”

He was referring to the time Dongjun had announced his resignation. Lee Hyun-su, using his own authority, had handled all the procedures to allow Dongjun to quit, an act virtually unheard of in a major guild like Credit.

“And yet, you can’t even buy me a cup of coffee?”

“Instead, I’ll treat you to dessert.”

Faced with Dongjun’s amiable smile, Lee Hyun-su finally lowered his shoulders and chuckled along. While the wounds of their tumultuous past hadn’t fully healed, at least Dongjun seemed alright now. Wasn’t that enough?

As it was an awkward hour, the cafe emptied after the last takeout customer, and Dongjun hung the ‘closed’ sign despite Lee Hyun-su’s protests.

“I had to close temporarily anyway to buy some missing ingredients. Please look after the cafe for me.”

With another amiable smile, Dongjun grabbed his wallet and stepped outside.

Only Yeowon and Lee Hyun-su remained in the cafe. Yeowon hummed softly, merely sipping his milk tea.

This was their first time alone together in such a manner, creating a subtly awkward atmosphere. It seemed Lee Hyun-su felt it too, as he kept glancing at his documents distractedly, continuously drinking his coffee.

“Perhaps.”

“Y-yes?!”

“…….”

While it was awkward, was it truly cause for such tension? Yeowon found Lee Hyun-su’s squeaky response absurd, but then continued with what he intended to say.

“I was curious how you came to know Sagyeol.”

Yeowon wondered if he had made a mistake, given Lee Hyun-su’s rapidly darkening expression. Soon after, Lee Hyun-su sighed and neatly set aside his report.

“I had intended to tell you someday anyway. It’s probably not a bad time to do so now.”

Lee Hyun-su finished the last sip of coffee and set down his cup. The slightly melted ice clinked softly, leaning against each other.

Lee Hyun-su began, “I am the sole survivor of the Lee family.”

Though distantly related and almost a branch family, he was nonetheless Lee Myeong-hwan’s relative and bloodline. Initially, he served as Sagyeol’s friend and monitor within the family, appointed by Lee Myeong-hwan. After the Great Calamity, he became Sagyeol’s most significant collaborator and assistant.

However, there was a deeper truth concealed beneath the surface.

Lee Hyun-su had known Sagyeol even before Lee Myeong-hwan became aware of the mother and son’s existence. Among the children they met at the playground, they were the two who stayed to play the latest.

Sagyeol’s mother worked alone, striving to live a normal human life. Around that time, Lee Hyun-su’s family was in turmoil, his father having ruined his business and often resorting to violence. Lee Hyun-su’s mother would send him to play at a playground four blocks from their home, only coming to pick him up once his father had left or fallen asleep.

The incident began with an Irregular Gate. A gate opened next to the playground, and fortunately, Sagyeol’s mother, who had come to pick him up, managed to defeat the monster.

Lee Hyun-su couldn’t sleep. When they met again a few days later, he excitedly asked if Sagyeol’s mother was a Hunter.

Sagyeol puffed out his chest, then glanced around. Only after confirming they were alone and receiving a promise of secrecy did he finally speak.

‘She said she’s not a Hunter. But she’s definitely more amazing than one.’

‘Wow.’

For a while, the two boys were engrossed in her identity. Eventually, this fascination turned into a game.

Sagyeol would observe his mother and write entries in a journal, then the two would meet later to discuss their findings. Of course, the journal was more akin to a picture diary.

The two were incredibly serious about it. What they thought would be a fleeting game continued for quite some time.

Then, one day, Lee Hyun-su fell ill with the flu. When they met again a week later, Sagyeol’s records had grown so extensive they couldn’t possibly be read entirely at the playground.

Lee Hyun-su hesitated before speaking.

‘I won’t be able to come for a few more days. There’s a regular family gathering at my main residence. So, could you lend me your journal? I’ll read it there and give it back.’

‘Alright. But no one else must see it, ever.’

Sagyeol readily agreed. Neither of them could have guessed the repercussions that journal, filled with clumsy handwriting, would unleash.

‘The children told me this was yours.’

Standing before the window, Lee Myeong-hwan held up the journal with its torn cover. Lee Hyun-su had brought Sagyeol’s journal as a diversion during the tedious family gathering, and it was the children of the main family seeing it that caused all the trouble.

Lee Hyun-su, a bruise blooming on his cheek, nodded fearfully. He had been hit many times, but he had also hit back plenty.

He worried if he would be severely scolded for making the main family children cry. Such anxieties consumed his mind.

‘Why are you not answering?’

Lee Myeong-hwan’s face was devoid of expression, yet he continuously exuded an overwhelming pressure difficult for a child to bear. Crushed by it, Lee Hyun-su ultimately struggled even to breathe properly.

‘I-I borrowed it… I borrowed it.’

‘Is that so? From whom?’

For the first time, the man’s eyes gleamed. The tattered journal was a mess of writing and drawings.

Its content was no different. It appeared to be nothing more than a child’s heroic fantasies about his mother. Most adults would have simply dismissed it as insignificant.

But Lee Myeong-hwan did not.

‘A friend. They live near my house—’

Lee Hyun-su squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them again. Lee Myeong-hwan, who had been standing backlit, vanished, replaced by his lover, who sat opposite him, hiding his agitation behind an impassive expression.

Thus, Sagyeol and his mother became unfortunate.

Lee Hyun-su’s family received so much money that his father’s business failure became a non-issue, and he was then assigned to Sagyeol’s side.

When they met again, Sagyeol’s eyes were lifeless. The one who had once screamed for Lee Hyun-su to repay him, even if it cost his life, no longer blamed or resented him. That, more than anything, drove a person mad.

“And so, I…”

Sagyeol called himself the betrayer and Lee Hyun-su the informant. Those words were wrong. From the very beginning, he alone was the true betrayer.

“…I am trying to repay a debt to him that can never truly be settled.”

“…….”

Crash!

A loud crash echoed from outside. Startled passersby screamed, but neither Lee Hyun-su nor Yeowon reacted much. They had a general idea of what was happening.

Only Yeowon turned his head toward the front window. Sagyeol, having reverted his drone to a cube, was striding purposefully towards them.

Yeowon understood how Sagyeol had managed to appear so perfectly timed whenever they faced trouble in the past.

‘It was a drone.’

Sagyeol burst in, filled with fury, and the cafe door shattered like a wafer. Dongjun’s distant scream seemed to echo. Lee Hyun-su sighed, muttering that it was starting again. Yeowon, observing the entire scene, inexplicably found himself smiling.

Sagyeol, who had been growling as he entered, stopped abruptly upon seeing that smile.

The current situation, much like the tragedies of the past, could hardly be called peaceful in any sense. Yet, that didn’t necessarily mean it was unhappy.

‘This feels quite good.’

Yeowon wanted to share what he was feeling with Sagyeol. It was less a wish and more a sense of obligation. He felt he absolutely had to.

“This isn’t bad either.”

“…….”

“I’ve been waiting for you. Welcome.”

“……!!”

Lee Hyun-su shot up from his seat and, without a word, brushed past Sagyeol and exited the cafe. He looked as if he were half-fleeing, shuddering as if goosebumps covered his entire body. The crowd that had gathered due to the commotion widened their distance, wondering if he was a mad Hunter.

Regardless, Sagyeol and Yeowon looked at each other as if they were the only two left in the world. Sagyeol instantly closed the distance to Yeowon, bending at the waist. Yeowon, accustomed to his touch, accepted the kiss.

The subjugation of the water forest proceeded smoothly. The Hunters pushed forward as if fearless, and each time, monsters precisely matching Yeowon’s descriptions emerged.

Sagyeol kept Yeowon’s ‘Water Forest Map’ a complete secret. Instead, he chose to subtly offer advice or provide support whenever he anticipated the Hunters would struggle against a particular monster.

Days passed. The mapping work entered its final stages. They also discovered the location of the Three Crescent Moons Guild’s main building: none other than Yeowon’s own territory.

Was it a coincidence? No, it must have been a coincidence, yet he couldn’t help but feel strange. Yeowon gazed intently at the red circle he had drawn on the map for a long time.

“Why that expression?”

Smack. Smack.

As soon as he looked even slightly downcast, lips eagerly pecked at his cheek and then his neck. Yeowon was taken aback, but soon gave up.

Sagyeol had now abandoned even the slightest pretense of dignity, clinging to Yeowon without restraint. His actions were bold and uninhibited. At night, if Yeowon stirred and opened his eyes, he would see Sagyeol’s face beside him, just like now.

“…….”

“Why?”

He was even shameless about it. Yeowon merely sighed, saying nothing further. Despite his composed exterior, his inner thoughts were more complex than ever.

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