Chapter 85: Rumors and Reality

“What?”

Seong Jiwoo nearly shouted in disbelief. Chae Minjeong flinched slightly and muttered,
“…Never mind.”

“Here, drink this too.”

Ignoring Seong Jiwoo, who was still gaping, Yoo Heero quietly handed her his portion of Earl Grey. Chae Minjeong suddenly found herself with three cups of tea and popped all three straws into her mouth at once.

Yoo Heero wore a pleased expression. Son Jihwan still seemed indifferent, while Lee Wonjae fidgeted awkwardly as if sitting on a bed of nails.

“There are really a lot of people who say that. I’ve been running errands here and there, and I’ve heard it all.”

Chae Minjeong’s eyes sparkled with sincerity, making Seong Jiwoo even more flustered. But Yoo Heero pressed further.

“What do you want for lunch today?”

“Me… tteokbokki!”

“Then today’s guild lunch menu will be tteokbokki.”

“Why… would you decide that…?”

Lee Wonjae wanted to ask why Yoo Heero was deciding on his own, but one cold glance from the guild master shut him up immediately. It seemed best not to interfere.

“Specifically, where and from whom did you hear it?”

Without hesitation, Chae Minjeong answered,
“There were too many to remember exactly… Ah, when I used to work at Helios, some older sister told me.”

The moment she said “some older sister at Helios,” familiar faces flashed in Yoo Heero and Seong Jiwoo’s minds.

Seong Jiwoo, hoping against hope, asked,
“What did she say…?”

“That you two are married.”

It was almost as if Lee Hyerin’s hearty laugh echoed in his ears. Seong Jiwoo clutched his dizzying head. The strange rumor hadn’t leaked from outside—it had been exaggerated by his own close associates.

“This is insane.”

“She’s always talking about loyalty…”

“Exactly. And then this backstab…!”

“Truly someone whose loyalty is unmatched.”

“What?”

“…Huh?”

Yoo Heero and Seong Jiwoo reacted at the same time, surprised by each other’s words.

“…Is this the moment to laugh?”

Chae Minjeong muttered to herself before suddenly bursting into an awkward laugh. But the mood didn’t lighten, and she closed her mouth with an embarrassed expression.

“The greater Korea. The greater hunter. The greater guild. Fighting!”

She struck a cheer pose, dropped her bomb of a comment, and leaned back as if disappearing into the air.

She slouched on the sofa, gesturing for the two of them to talk while teasing Lee Wonjae, who was stiffly frozen, asking which bank he worked at.

Lee Wonjae cautiously told her, and Chae Minjeong added, “Oh! I was about to open an account there!”—completely unnecessary information.

“……”

“……”

Through all of this, Seong Jiwoo and Yoo Heero silently stared at each other. Son Jihwan quietly drifted over to examine the displayed weapons.

Seong Jiwoo narrowed his eyes at Yoo Heero, who shrugged and quickly avoided his gaze.

The conclusion was clear.

“We’re not married. I think she probably knows me personally and was just joking.”

Seong Jiwoo’s polite, social smile calmed Chae Minjeong, who hummed in acknowledgment. She glanced at the sulking guild master and then at the vice-guild master.

“By the way, you said the vice-guild master’s ability is light-based, right?”

“Yes.”

“Our guild’s name is Gwangmyeong.”

“…Yes. And?”

“Then I guess what the vice-guild master said must be right!”

Chae Minjeong, having completely understood the guild’s internal power dynamics, smiled knowingly.

“Ah, now I get why you two founded a guild together.”

“…Why do you think that?”

Seong Jiwoo asked nervously, wary that she might say something else absurd. Chae Minjeong stared openly at Yoo Heero and said,

“You two really suit each other.”

Seeing Yoo Heero twitch his mouth in response, she slowly turned her head toward Seong Jiwoo. He wore a slightly reluctant expression.

“Ah… thank you, I guess?”

He didn’t know what to be thankful for, but it was apparently a compliment.

“People can sometimes be surprisingly decent.”

“What is she talking about now?”

No matter how Seong Jiwoo looked at him, Yoo Heero seemed satisfied.

“I’m really sorry…”

At that moment, Lee Wonjae timidly spoke up.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I… I need to go to the bathroom…”

Seong Jiwoo quickly pointed him toward it. Lee Wonjae bowed and left.

Chae Minjeong was scrolling through her phone, picking tteokbokki for lunch, while Yoo Heero quietly approached and touched Seong Jiwoo’s hair.

Guild… will this really be okay?

Seong Jiwoo looked around in bewilderment.

“Just how strong are these people?”

The chairman of the Association spun around in his chair. The secretary standing before his desk bowed and said,

“The guild member Chae Minjeong has been confirmed as the younger sibling of Cha Jungwon, the guild master of Selene.”

“Hm… Selene. They’re tied to Helios as well. Could be tricky if things go wrong. Does she have any personal connection to Yoo Heero?”

“It doesn’t seem so. Strangely, Chae Minjeong seems somewhat famous in the hunter world, but no one seems to know about her family ties.”

“She’s hiding it by choice, then. Good to know. And the others?”

The chairman twirled his pen.

“Lee Wonjae, a rather unremarkable bank worker. He’s the only B-rank, so even the public doesn’t understand why he was recruited as a guild member.”

“Could be something about him we don’t know, so investigate carefully. And the last one?”

“Son Jihwan…” the secretary glanced nervously at the chairman. His eyebrows raised, signaling her to continue.

“The grandson of the head of S Corporation.”

“S Corporation, you say…”

“Famous for selling hunter-exclusive weapons. Both domestically and overseas…”

“I know. I knew the company was abroad, didn’t know the family bloodline was active in Korea.”

“It seems he chose to stay and operate here of his own will.”

“We need to know if he was brought in knowingly or not. He doesn’t seem incompetent.”

The chairman gave a dry laugh. The secretary, recognizing his displeasure, bowed even lower to avoid aggravating him further.

“And according to the informant we placed…”

“Informant? You could use a nicer word than that. Spy sounds better.”

Whether informant or spy, it was the same. Just a difference in tone. The secretary quickly corrected herself.

“According to our informant, there haven’t been any notable actions yet. Except for Seong Jiwoo visiting the training grounds with Son Jihwan, everything else has been normal.”

“And Yoo Heero? Using powers or not, he’s the key figure.”

Seong Jiwoo was bait; Yoo Heero was the core. Everything would start when he moved.

“It seems he’s resumed gate activities recently. No reports of him entering with other guild members yet, so he’s likely operating alone.”

“How long can he last?”

The chairman picked up the ink on his desk and poured it into a glass of water. The water turned jet black and started overflowing—symbolizing Yoo Heero’s current state. The water represented his controlled powers; the ink, the uncontrollable darkness within him.

“…His condition doesn’t seem good. When exiting gates, the tips of his hair reportedly turn black. It brightens again later, presumably hidden by dye.”

“A test subject with power beyond his control… how pitiful.”

The chairman’s tone was scornful, not sympathetic.

“This is why people need to know their limits.”

He recalled Yoo Heero arrogantly standing his ground, unaware of the danger he was in.

“One year left, was it? Why did he rush to shorten his lifespan with ambition…? What’s the point of clearing the X-Gate? He’s effectively become a human gate himself.”

Originally, this side effect would have taken decades; thanks to the X-Gate raid, it was compressed to about a year.

If he panicked, he’d come on his own. The chairman had never met anyone without regrets or desire for life.

Even those who initially stood proud would kneel like dogs when a knife was at their throat.

Thinking of that inevitable day, the chairman twisted the corner of his mouth. He pushed aside the ink-stained glass and asked,

“How’s that going? Is it coming along?”

“There are some trial and error issues, but results are slowly appearing. The head of the lab plans to visit next week to give a progress report.”

“No. Tell him I’ll visit. This time I want to see it with my own eyes.”

The chairman dropped the pen he’d been twirling onto the desk. The secretary bowed and left to convey the message.