Chapter 80: The Weight of Silence

Acknowledging the emotions I had only vaguely grasped changed the atmosphere around me and within me.

It became softer. More tranquil.

“Are you feeling unwell? Your steps keep faltering.”

A perceptive individual like Sagyeol might notice such abstract changes.

Yet, before I could even fully process the thought, words tumbled out of my mouth.

“…You make me uncomfortable.”

“What did you just say?”

“No. That’s not it.”

I stammered in my embarrassment.

“I… didn’t mean it like that.”

Ultimately, my voice trailed off, and I fell silent.

It was like when I first fell into the Middle World.

During that period, silence was always preferable to stitching words together like rags.

Unlike the easy comfort of that time, the silence now felt heavy and uncomfortable.

The arm around my waist tightened, a subtle pressure I couldn’t ignore. Sagyeol, however, remained utterly silent.

As we exited the association building, reporters, drawn by rumors, had already set up a perimeter.

Feeling a surge of unease, I subtly glanced at Sagyeol.

Looking up at him diagonally, I saw him offering a languid smile.

Previously, I would have found it simply elegant and sweet, but now I understood its true nature.

This was dangerous.

“They’re out!”

“Gah. Th-that’s a real monster… a beast!”

“This is ‘Today’s Hunter’! Is it true there was a major battle?!”

“Is the person next to you truly the Returnee from Credit?”

Even in broad daylight, the constant flashes from all directions made my eyes ache.

Sagyeol, however, didn’t blink once, his gaze unwavering.

Tightening his grip on my waist, he began to stride forward purposefully.

When people tried to block him, he pushed through with sheer force.

No, “pushed through” isn’t quite right; that implies effort.

Sagyeol simply walked, a towering presence. He was like a massive humpback whale swimming effortlessly through a countless school of anchovies.

“Ugh!”

“Ack!”

He paid no mind as the displaced people fell backward, creating a domino effect.

The reporters, sensing something profoundly amiss, began to hesitate.

I, too, was utterly bewildered by his behavior.

During my two years as an Ifrit employee, I hadn’t lived blindly, oblivious to the world.

Sagyeol was frequently exposed to the media—advertisements, programs, news—and in all these appearances, he had consistently left a positive impression.

The reporters knew this, which was precisely why they dared to thrust cameras at an S-rank hunter.

However, Sagyeol’s recent demeanor had been subtly different, almost imperceptible.

Should I call it indifferent, or perhaps simply detached?

The gap felt as vast as an idol full of easy charm suddenly becoming a disgraced politician.

As soon as I realized when this profound shift had begun, my feelings grew even stranger.

‘Perhaps… ever since I sought refuge with Credit.’

The reporters, having likely reached the same conclusion, turned their gazes toward me.

Sagyeol offered a faint smile and naturally stepped in front of me, effectively shielding me from their view.

“It’s dangerous, so please step back.

The beasts are not fully tamed and might rampage without warning.

We will not be responsible for any damages incurred by reckless actions.”

Sagyeol spoke, his voice quiet yet imbued with undeniable power.

The reporters, who had been loudly chattering and thrusting microphones forward, instantly faltered, their momentum broken.

One cameraman, bolder than the rest, mustered his courage.

He reasoned that a Guild Master, despite such stern warnings, would inevitably bear some responsibility for any incident.

With this thought, he cautiously began to move toward Rephtha.

He desired a clean, breathtaking shot, something more artful than a mere on-the-scene photograph.

He was burning with the ambition to capture “Sagyeol and the Returnee, with the beasts standing guard as if protecting them.”

Reph did not tolerate annoying insects.

“Aargh!”

The result was an injury.

His expensive, heavy camera clattered to the ground.

Blood gushed from his arm.

Shutters clicked frantically, a cacophony of urgent captures.

Video camera lenses focused intently on the cameraman, who was now half-crawling through the surging crowd, and the vivid trail of blood he left behind.

Yeowon was once again struck by the unique, almost absurd, peace of the Middle World.

Humans who weren’t even hunters, facing monstrous beasts, and even after witnessing blood, instead of fleeing, they merely thrust cameras forward.

Aside from being foolish, did they truly lack even basic survival instincts?

Growl!

Excited by the pungent scent of blood, the Rephtha collectively snorted, unleashing fierce, guttural roars.

“Huh…?”

Only then did some of the crowd slowly begin to realize that what stood before them was an A-rank beast.

“Ugh.”

“Aargh!”

“This is driving me crazy. Seriously.”

Sagyeol, as if annoyed by the commotion, stomped his foot on the ground.

CRACK!

Ice, extending from his foot, encircled the rampaging Rephtha pack, forming a massive, impassable wall.

Any of the creatures still agitated enough to ram their foreheads into the solid ice were promptly dealt with by Reph.

I rubbed the neck of the creature that returned proudly, as if expecting praise.

Sagyeol, however, gave me a sharp, disapproving look.

“What did it do to deserve petting? I saw everything.”

“It was that bastard who bit first.”

Reph stared back at him defiantly, then turned an aggrieved expression toward me.

‘…I only intended to give a light bite and then let go,’ Reph seemed to convey, ‘but it seems I was too weak.’

‘Surely he won’t tell me I can’t keep it now, will he?’ I thought, a sudden pang of worry.

‘Or order me to return it to where it belongs?’ I flinched preemptively, glancing at him nervously.

Sagyeol’s expression, however, softened instantly.

“Since no one was seriously injured, I’ll let it slide this time.”

The reporter, who had been lying on his side, staunching the blood with his jacket, snapped his head up.

His mouth hung agape in sheer disbelief, utterly dumbfounded.

I, for my part, pretended not to notice.

Sagyeol, his arm still around my waist, subtly tightened his grip.

I offered no resistance, allowing him to lead me as we resumed walking towards the guild building, which was right next door.

Many people filmed from afar, their lenses trained on us, but no one dared to approach.

“Did you let it happen on purpose?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

He let them rampage. On purpose.

The hand that had been on my waist all this time subtly slid lower.

A cold hand unexpectedly cupped my rear, a startling touch.

My body jolted violently in response.

“I distinctly said I wouldn’t let things slide today.”

“Is that more concerning to you than my words?”

No. I had simply forgotten.

It would have been far better to have kept forgetting.

Fumbling, I grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away.

When I glared at him, Sagyeol raised both hands in a gesture of feigned innocence.

It was utterly detestable.

After returning to the Credit Guild, Reph and I parted ways.

After I repeatedly urged him to behave, he reluctantly followed Lee Hyun-su quietly.

As Reph led the way, the other creatures naturally followed behind him.

Back at home, Sagyeol kicked off his shoes.

He immediately scooped me up, then headed straight for the sofa.

My half-abducted body stiffened instantly. ‘Surely, not now!’

Thud.

Sagyeol settled onto the sofa, placing me on his lap.

I tried to get down in my embarrassment, but his interlocked hands firmly held my waist.

I subtly sensed that this was an attempt to prevent me from escaping.

As soon as I wondered why, I understood. Sitting face-to-face, our faces were intimately close.

Involuntarily, I pushed against his shoulders, a futile attempt to create distance.

His arms, as if they had been waiting for this very moment, pulled me even closer.

His chin prodded my chest, a light, insistent pressure.

Sagyeol and I were quite similar in height.

Standing close, he was perhaps only a finger-joint taller than me.

While I often looked up at him, I rarely found myself looking down at him from such intimate proximity.

Heat, starting from my earlobes, rapidly spread across my entire face.

In the mirror behind him, my reflection showed me astride a giant beast, my face an undeniable crimson.

“Now, tell me.”

“What do you mean, ‘I make you uncomfortable’?”

Each time he spoke, his chin prodded my chest.

Though it wasn’t painful, merely a slightly ticklish sensation, I flinched and startled every time.

“Yeowon.”

It was the name I always heard, yet it felt entirely different now.

I couldn’t tell if this shift was due to our compromising position, or Sagyeol’s eyes, which gazed at me with the intensity of burning stars.

“You have to answer.”

Yes. I had to answer him.

Even as I thought this, my lips refused to move.

My heart felt as if it would leap from my mouth at any moment.

I wanted to instinctively clutch my chest, but I couldn’t release my grip on his firm shoulders, which I held like a lifeline.

Hesitating, I redirected the question back to him.

“Your back.”

It had been bothering me continuously.

“Is your back alright?”

The first thing I checked upon returning to him was his back.

Reph’s treatment had only been a temporary measure; it hadn’t healed enough for him to stand normally.

Yet, when I saw his back again, it was completely filled with flesh and muscle, not just on the surface but deep within.

Sagyeol simply watched me, his eyes unreadable, as I meticulously rubbed his now-healed back.

“It’s fine, I told you. Hyun-su always carries potions.”

“Right.”

That’s good then. As I nodded, Sagyeol grinned and tightened his arms around me once more.

“Now, stop changing the subject and answer me. Why did you say that?”

I should have just said it was a mistake.

Sagyeol ducked his head, bit the lower edge of my outer garment, and swiftly pulled it up.

Then, his face disappeared beneath the fabric.

“Sagyeol!”

He was acting like a dog. I was dumbfounded, yet I couldn’t even laugh.

He licked a rough scar on my skin with a long sweep of his tongue.

Hmph.

My body instinctively recoiled.

Then, his lips pressed against my taut, trembling abdomen.

Not content with just licking, he began to suck and nibble, making soft smacking sounds.

“W-wait.”

Realizing this couldn’t continue, I pushed firmly against his shoulders.

Sagyeol feigned compliance, but instead, he simply stripped off my shirt.

Despite both of us being men and only my upper garment being removed, I felt an unbearable sense of shame.

As I thrashed, trying desperately to break free, Sagyeol, as if he had been waiting, took my nipple into his mouth.

“…!”

My flailing limbs froze, as if broken. The wet sucking sound echoed in my ears like thunder.

“Answer me first.”

“D-don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Alright. I’ll just suck you well without talking.”

“That’s not what I— Ugh!”

Slurp. Smooch.

I could no longer resist.

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