He’s gone full thug!
As if the sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt weren’t enough, his face was loaded with piercings, and he flaunted chunky gold chains, glittering bracelets, and tattoos from head to toe. His whole look screamed chaos. Kim Sibaek could almost hallucinate a black loan shark bag swinging at his side.
All he had in his hand was a scrap of paper with a name on it. He was the one who had raised Pi Minhyung—the baby abandoned at the childcare center—as both an older brother and a guardian. And now, he was devastated.
I told him a hundred times never to become some thug or gangster!
Unlike Tae Woon—who may have half-killed some bullies but studied hard—Pi Minhyung didn’t even bother with school. When he started middle school, still looking like a grade-schooler, he’d charged straight at the top third-year delinquents. Kid fights came down to physical strength, but even though Tae Woon was smaller than average, Minhyung had taken him in a one-on-one fight.
He came dangerously close to turning full delinquent. It hadn’t just been Kim Sibaek—nuns and priests alike had nagged, pleaded, scolded, shielded, disciplined—doing everything they could to set him straight.
…No. Minhyung’s a good kid. That’s just… yeah. It’s just fashion. Just fashion. Woonie said he’s a Hunter, not a gangster, right…?
Honestly, if we’re judging by looks alone, Tae Woon’s was even more intimidating.
Thinking of Tae Woon, who looked like a gangster but ran a clean and reliable guild, helped ground him. Unaware of the inner storm he was causing, Pi Minhyung gently laid the unconscious person he’d been carrying next to the group, then darted over to Tae Woon, who was still completely ignoring him.
“Hey, hey. Tae, Tae. Taetaetae. Where’re you hiding your boyfriend?”
“I told you, he’s not Tae’s boyfriend!”
Seo Gaeun, who had arrived carrying two unconscious people on her back and side, smacked Minhyung hard across the back the second she put them down.
“You crazy bastard! If you hit someone, you’ll break their damn spine!”
“I have already told you—he’s not!”
“But he is, right? Come on, right? I heard it from Boss Choi!”
“And you believe that guy?!”
The two of them immediately started wasting energy bickering over nonsense. Meanwhile, the civilians they’d guided this far cautiously stepped closer.
Pi Minhyung didn’t even pretend to hear them. He kept bothering Tae Woon, who was scanning the area with a penlight. Still, whenever he spotted a survivor, he instantly rushed over to help. His fashion might scream thug, but his heart was still as kind as ever. That brought some peace of mind—though the group of delinquent third-years who once got into a gang brawl with him (and dragged Tae Woon into it) would probably disagree.
The survivors were either trembling alone or huddled in small groups. After sweeping the surrounding area, they found over thirty people. Not one of them was a Hunter.
“It’s rare to see this many people caught when an Eid Portal opens.”
“Damn, this guy’s seriously popular.”
As Pi Minhyung and Seo Gaeun chatted, Kim Sibaek found himself thinking, ‘What does he mean by “popular”…?’ Tae Woon, catching on quickly, explained.
“It means someone who’s outgoing and has lots of social ties. There’s some correlation between personality and who gets pulled into an Eid Portal.”
“So are we going in to clear it now?”
“The Agency might still send support, so let’s wait a bit longer. You can’t leave until it’s cleared, but you can enter. We just can’t take in too many. Right, Seo Gaeun?”
“Uh, yes. Waiting would be best. But… why are you suddenly asking me…?”
Tae Woon ignored her confusion, despite asking her in the first place.
“Let’s go with what Gaeun said.”
Kim Sibaek nodded along. Even if the portal was unfamiliar, he had no doubt they could clear it. But with only four combatants and dozens of civilians to protect, even the smallest opening could spell disaster. And Kim Sibaek had long been used to fighting not for himself, but for others.
The rest was just waiting. Monsters were scarce in the outskirts, and boredom started to set in. So Pi Minhyung brought up the boyfriend thing again.
“Hi, I’m Pi Minhyung. You’re with Tae Woon, right?”
“…Yes. Kim Sibaek.”
This was the third time the younger man had acted like he didn’t know him. By now, Kim Sibaek had mastered the art of responding calmly. Clenching his fist once to control the surge of emotion, he even managed a polite line.
“Woonie talks about you often.”
Pi Minhyung’s eyes practically popped out.
“Whoa, shit. I’ve never seen anyone call Tae Woon that sweetly—aside from the nuns. Are you really his boyfriend? I mean, I don’t care if he’s gay. You can be honest with me.”
“It’s not like that…”
Tae Woon, who should’ve stepped in to explain, just stood there a few paces away with his arms crossed, smiling like this was all someone else’s business. Why was he just standing there grinning?
The one who came to the rescue was Seo Gaeun, fresh from slicing a monster in half with her battle axe.
“He’s not Tae Woon’s boyfriend. He’s a respected elder who mentored him. So Minhyung oppa, don’t act up—be respectful and treat him with proper manners.”
“Wait, how old is he if he’s an ‘elder’? Honestly, he looks younger than us. Is he, like, insanely baby-faced or what?”
Seo Gaeun looked curious too, her gaze shifting toward Kim Sibaek. Even the nearby civilians, clustered together, couldn’t hide their curiosity and kept sneaking glances.
Feeling slightly awkward, Kim Sibaek turned around—only to see Tae Woon already waving his national ID card from his wallet like a flag, smug as ever.
“…”
Guess that’s the only way…
[Death and Beauty would rather cover her ears.]
Kim Sibaek took a deep breath, his face turning faintly red, and mumbled quietly:
“……nine years old.”
“Thirty-nine? What’s your skincare secret?!”
“No. Forty-nine. Born in ‘7X.”
It had been hard to get the words out, but once he said it, it felt like no big deal. Sure, it was embarrassing to lie about his age so brazenly—but who would believe he was nearly a hundred with this face? If anyone was strange, it was Tae Woon, for believing it without question from the beginning.
“…Yeah, you’re definitely an elder.”
Pi Minhyung, mouth agape moments ago, straightened up immediately and bowed at a crisp ninety degrees.
“Then I’ll address you as hyung-nim from now on, Elder. Hey, you—bow your head too.”
“I already did the last time we met.”
It felt more like being greeted by gangsters than by younger brothers. Kim Sibaek pretended not to hear the murmurs of surprise rippling through the others.
Not long after, the boundary of the instance dungeon shimmered. Hunters from the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency stepped through. Leading them was someone familiar—Gwak Yoonsang, someone Kim Sibaek recognized.
“I figured the Guildmaster might get swept in, but what are you two doing here?”
“We came to see Tae Woon and got caught up in it.”
“Well, that’s a bit of luck. No one hurt?”
No one needed treatment. As the Hunters began securing the civilians, Gwak Yoonsang turned to the Guildmaster before searching for the dungeon’s core.
“It looks like the Guildmaster and the two Hunters from the first wave could clear this on their own, but since there are a lot of civilians involved, would it be alright if I took command?”
Eid Portals weren’t known for being lucrative. They weren’t time-efficient, the monsters couldn’t be transported out due to entry limits, and the whole thing was a one-time field. Under pressure, there was often no time to harvest manastones.
To avoid wasting time arguing over command, it was standard practice for Agency Hunters to take charge. Gwak Yoonsang’s question was mostly a formality.
But Tae Woon’s response was ice cold.
“Section Chief Gwak, spreading fabricated nonsense right in front of me is incredibly disrespectful.”
Gwak Yoonsang’s heart skipped a beat. What did I say wrong?
“H-haha! I suppose that came out wrong. Of course, Guildmaster, you could clear this solo if you wanted…”
“That’s not the point. As if I could help with clearing the portal. What power would I possibly have? I’m so fainthearted, I feel like I’d pass out just watching a monster get hunted. Blood makes me queasy. It’s horrifying, really.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Minhyung and Seo Gaeun are doing the clearing. I was just carried in by them, remember? At best, I wasn’t dead weight. That’s always been the case—have you forgotten?”
“…”
A heavy silence fell. Not just over Gwak Yoonsang, but everyone present. People called him a mad dog, but maybe he’s finally actually lost it…
“Wait, but just last month, the Guildmaster was—mmph!”
Pi Minhyung quickly slapped a hand over Bae Ji-han’s mouth before he could finish.
“You two can back me up. Didn’t he tell you he only leads the charge because he’s the Guildmaster? That he’s never gotten used to it and that his legs shake from fear?”
“He di—he… he did…”
“Y-yeah… because you’re… um… a total wimp? Right. A weakling.”
Even while stumbling to agree, Pi Minhyung and Seo Gaeun kept glancing toward Kim Sibaek. Tae Woon had never spoken nonsense like this before. And the only new factor here… was him.
“So, hyung…”
At last, Tae Woon, who had stayed mostly passive ever since being pulled into the Eid Portal, spoke up. His voice was subdued, his expression sullen—as if this moment had been the whole reason he had come this far.
