I had a disturbing dream.
Lying under the blanket, staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, I eventually got up. Everything I touched felt unfamiliar. I was certain it had been something important, but I couldn’t remember. It felt like something was pressing down on that part of my memory, deliberately preventing me from recalling it.
‘Time…’
Just as I was checking the time on my phone, there was a knock, and Baek Tae-beom walked in.
“Wake up, Hyung. Time for breakfast.”
I tried to explain that I didn’t need to eat, but Baek Tae-beom wouldn’t budge. He seemed more obsessed with making sure I ate three meals a day than taking care of his own body. At this rate, it felt like he was more concerned about my meals than his own survival.
Still half-asleep, I forced myself to chew and swallow the food, and only then did I finally remember today’s plans.
“Today, with Gongmyeong…”
“Yup. You dropped this.”
Baek Tae-beom casually wiped my chin and added another side dish to my plate, telling me to eat more. Was it just my imagination, or was his cooking getting better by the day? Was he secretly taking classes or something?
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Wow, he’s seriously devoted.]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: At this rate, is he gonna chew the food for you too?]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: Are you… by chance… the God of Sarcasm?]
“What time do we need to be there?”
“Two o’clock. Try this too, Hyung. And tomorrow evening—how about we have some meat?”
“Oh? Meat… yeah, that sounds good.”
He really was trying to fatten me up. I already felt like my sides were getting softer. Was this bastard trying to eat me alive? There wasn’t even that much meat on me to begin with.
Lost in such pointless thoughts, we finished breakfast and headed out to Hansung. The weather was bitterly cold, and the roads were entirely frozen over. Driving seemed too dangerous, so we took the subway instead. Thanks to Baek Tae-beom being bundled up like a snowman, no one recognized him.
He looked down at me, wearing a hat and a scarf, his expression utterly dumbfounded. But I avoided his gaze. Honestly, it was more ridiculous that he didn’t seem to realize how famous he was and tried to walk around in public like this. The least he could do was wrap himself up like this.
And really, most people were so bundled up these days that it didn’t even look strange. With the ever-dropping temperatures, more and more people were raising their voices about climate change. Most outdoor events were being canceled, and companies were increasingly shifting to remote work.
As the subway rattled and stopped to pick up more passengers, Baek Tae-beom pulled me in closer, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: It’s like you’re squirrels, huddling together.]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: You two trying to hibernate or something?]
[CH. Private / Horseback Herald: Are you… jealous, perhaps?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: HUH? Jealous?? Me? Why would I, of all beings, be jealous of that pint-sized thing?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction: Pint-sized? Apollo, you’re barely taller than me!]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: That’s not the kind of “small” I meant!]
“Stand closer. Just stick to my side like glue.”
“Why are you saying stuff like that again?”
“We’ve figured out Gongmyeong’s identity and we’re about to mess with their operations. Who knows when some crazy Hunter might pop up and try to attack you. Worst-case scenario, someone could pull a knife in the middle of this subway car.”
“But do we really have to be this close?”
“Obviously. You know how easy it is for something to go wrong if you look away for even a second. Think about all the times you’ve been stabbed right in front of me. You expect me to stay sane after that?”
Hearing that left me with no comeback. But did we really have to be this close? I could hear Baek Tae-beom’s heartbeat. No—I was actually hearing it.
[CH. Private / One Who Weaves Euphoria: You’re really jealous, aren’t you…?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: I SAID I’M NOT!]
A fast, erratic rhythm.
I wondered if powerful Hunters had faster heartbeats, and stepped off the train as we reached our stop. The Hansung building was just a short walk away.
“You’re here. Let’s head out immediately. But Baek Tae-beom, that hat of yours…”
Lee Myung-won trailed off as he looked at the hat Baek Tae-beom was wearing. It was beige, embroidered with a cute cherry pattern. I’d bought it for him not long ago, thinking it would suit him.
“What? Got a problem?”
Baek Tae-beom looked down at Lee Myung-won with a threatening aura, as if daring him to say something.
“…Nothing.”
“Thought so. Lame.”
Maybe sky blue would’ve been better than beige after all.
We got into a large vehicle. I didn’t know much about cars, but it looked like the kind of oversized limo celebrities might ride in. Lee Myung-won gave a firm warning to Park Gil-seon and Baek Tae-beom.
“Do not, under any circumstances, rush in recklessly.”
“……”
“And don’t just start fighting out of nowhere. You do understand that, right? You do, right?”
“Why are you so damn chatty today, Myung-won?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The ones we’re dealing with today aren’t just some ordinary guild—they’re a shady, illicit organization probably plotting who knows what behind the scenes!”
Looking at Park Gil-seon, whose face clearly said she found this annoying, Lee Myung-won took a deep breath. It looked like he was trying hard to maintain his composure.
“Our task is to meet with Gongmyeong’s Guildmaster or their representative and figure out exactly what kind of schemes they’re up to. At this point, the Guildmaster’s—”
“You talk way too much.”
“Baek Tae-beom!”
The other guild members watched the exchange with eyes that said, Here we go again. This clearly wasn’t the first time.
“Can’t the old man just go in and stall while we poke around for anything suspicious in the back?”
“If you put it like that again…”
“I mean, it’s true.”
Baek Tae-beom shrugged nonchalantly and was about to say more when his eyes met mine. Then he clamped his mouth shut and gently rested his head on my shoulder.
Everyone stared at him in disbelief, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. I was dumbfounded too.
“What are you doing?”
“I figured you wouldn’t like rough guys, Hyung.”
“What?”
Park Gil-seon looked at him like she couldn’t believe how shameless he was.
“Didn’t you two say you weren’t like that?”
“It’s… a misunderstanding.”
“Then, Hunter Choi Ga-hyeon, are you saying you don’t like Hunter Baek Tae-beom?”
Song Min-ji, who had been covering her mouth trying not to laugh, asked the question carefully. At that, I opened my mouth, then looked down at Baek Tae-beom resting on my shoulder. He was staring up at me with this oddly hopeful glint in his eyes.
“It’s not that I don’t like him…”
“So you do like him?”
“A person’s… feelings… can’t really be divided so neatly into yes or no, can they? And this really isn’t the issue we should be focusing on right now, is it?”
“It is important. To me, Hyung.”
“Shut up and stop leaning. You’re heavy.”
I pushed Baek Tae-beom away while covering his mouth. It felt like everyone was desperate to tease me today. I kept waving my hands and insisting there was nothing between us, trying to fend off the amused looks from the other guild members—when we finally arrived at Gongmyeong.
The interior was far more luxurious and massive than expected. Most striking of all was the stark white color that dominated the entire space. Unsurprisingly, the one who greeted us wasn’t Kang Si-hoo.
“Welcome.”
A man with narrow eyes smiled at us. His jet-black hair was tied back in a single long braid, and his pale eyes left a strong impression. Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, he slowly looked us over before locking eyes with Park Gil-seon.
“As I mentioned yesterday, the Guildmaster is currently unavailable, so I’ll be your representative and guide today.”
“Pleasure to meet you. And your name?”
“Names aren’t really all that important, are they? Just call me the representative.”
“No, no. What’s more important than a name?”
“…Choi Chang-nyeong.”
“Very well. I’m Park Gil-seon. First, I want to apologize for contacting you in such a blunt manner yesterday.”
Choi Chang-nyeong smiled politely.
“Glad you’re aware of it.”
Park Gil-seon’s brow twitched.
“…There’ve been a lot of troubling rumors about your guild.”
“Troubling rumors, you say?”
“Maybe we should take this inside and talk there instead.”
Choi Chang-nyeong shrugged, utterly unbothered.
“It seems the Guildmaster of Hansung may have some misunderstandings about our guild. Then I suppose it’s only right to clear those up.”
“I hope they are misunderstandings.”
“Then, allow me to lead you this way—”
“Ah.”
Park Gil-seon slowly turned to look at us.
“I’d like to have a private conversation. Just the two of us.”
“Just the two of you?”
Choi Chang-nyeong’s narrow eyes landed on me. Those pale irises looked as though they could pierce right through me. This feeling was unmistakable…
‘Information Overview.’
[Accessing target information.]
[Choi Chang-nyeong, One Who Took Root With Wings]
[Title: One Who Took Root With Wings, One Whose Blood Runs Red…
Grade: A
Status: Cannot be verified.
Contracted Constellation: One Who Will Burn the World
Coin Balance: Cannot be verified.
Skills: [Will of the One Who Burns], [Destruction], [Heavy Strike], [Black Being], [Intuition]…
This is an Awakened individual contracted with a higher-grade Constellation. Proceed with caution.]
As expected—he had Intuition. But never mind that—the name of his Constellation…
One Who Will Burn the World?
What a lunatic.
The only conclusion I could draw was that they were gathering together to bring about the world’s destruction. My face instinctively turned pale. Seeing that, Choi Chang-nyeong gave a soft laugh and slightly bowed his head.
“Then, allow me to guide the others this way.”
