“Eui-sung, you go say hello too.”
Just in time, Kim Jeong-baek stepped back, nudging him to the front. As he felt the glances drifting his way, Cha Eui-sung briefly recalled his Hunter Association days.
When someone said “party,” he used to imagine birthday hats, blowing out candles, and sharing cake—not wandering through wine-and-suit affairs straight out of a movie.
Whether it was an opening ceremony or a commemorative event, he was constantly shuffled around parties under various pretenses, tasked with upholding the Association’s public image.
Originally, that kind of work had belonged to Oh Se-dan. Honestly, it was still surprising how readily he’d handed it over.
Looking back, I guess he didn’t really have a choice.
The Hunter Association had always drawn attention for housing three S-rank Awakened. The public’s curiosity and gossip inevitably centered around rank.
Of course, plenty of people wanted a clean-cut, presentable S-rank to be the Association’s poster child. Unfortunately, the only S-ranks before Cha Eui-sung—Go Yeong-won and Ji Ha-yul—were far from presentable. On a bad day, they could even be dangerous.
Then, out of nowhere, a picture-perfect poster boy had popped up.
Oh Se-dan realized early that resisting would only make him look petty, so he switched positions. Instead of being the Association’s PR face, he became the one pulling the strings behind it.
A bear that learns tricks becomes a zoo mascot—but it’s the people who make the money. Oh Se-dan micromanaged everything from Eui-sung’s outfits and hairstyle to how he smiled, building a flawless image. With this pin-up boy, he won the favor of the Association’s old guard.
He probably lowkey hoped I’d crash and burn.
Contrary to expectations, Cha Eui-sung managed to survive in circles filled with people who spoke like they had knives in their mouths. The curiosity and malice that had flooded in when he first appeared without Oh Se-dan had quietly turned into fondness and familiarity over time.
After making it through that hellhole, no way he’d be intimidated by a few parents staring at him.
And really, the scene wasn’t all that different. People clustering into little groups, chatting here and there—it was practically déjà vu.
“Uh, um. Hello.”
Cha Eui-sung followed behind Kim Jeong-baek, hesitantly greeting each person they passed. His voice was a pleasant baritone, though still tinged with youthful nervousness.
His bangs brushed over his forehead, making his face look even younger. He tried to act casual, but his clenched fists betrayed the tension.
Despite his height, he didn’t come off as imposing. If anything, his look felt… fresh.
And unlike the rumors that painted him as some slouchy delinquent leaning on one leg, his posture was immaculate. He looked like the poster child for a spinal alignment program—shoulders squared, back straight, not a single curve out of place.
Funny how little things like this can really hit home.
Individually, none of it was much. But altogether, every detail had been chosen with care. These subtle cues shaped people’s first impressions.
It was just good posture, but it made him look upright. And that slightly youthful aura? It made people subconsciously drop their guard and even feel a touch of sympathy.
A figure that completely clashed with the vicious rumors surrounding him. And with Kim Jeong-baek standing beside him, people were likely more than a little thrown off.
“Well, well, a celebrity’s graced us with his presence.”
Someone finally broke the silence with a greeting. He stood out among the other parents—most in their forties or fifties—with hair nearly gray and a pronounced hooked nose that gave off a strange sense of déjà vu.
There’s always someone who approaches first. Usually the host of the party—or someone with enough clout to get away with being a bit pushy.
Kim Jeong-baek brought me over here. This guy jumped on the intro first.
Whatever personal feelings he might’ve had, the man seemed to fall on the “friendly” side of the spectrum.
Cha Eui-sung offered a stiff smile and took the man’s outstretched hand.
“Ah, hello.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you through your hyung, you know.”
“Really? About me?”
“Said you’re such a pretty boy, always walking around with your face covered. Hahaha!”
It sounded like teasing, but the intent behind it felt more like tossing him a lifeline. All the time he’d spent avoiding the villagers was now being written off as just a vain habit of hiding his looks.
“He actually said that…”
Eui-sung muttered, face slightly scrunched, and Kim Jeong-baek slipped away like a guilty cat.
And just like that, he found himself alone among the crowd.
“Heard you only ever had meals with Chansol’s family. I scolded him and told him to bring you over to me too.”
“Me?”
“Said you weren’t clicking with folks around here and asked for help! That’s kinda my specialty.”
“Huh? Wait, he said that here…?”
Cha Eui-sung glanced around in alarm. His cheeks flushed a soft pink, as if someone had just spilled a secret only a few people were supposed to know.
Definitely on the friendly side.
It’s rare to find someone this perfectly in sync in conversation without being a planted hype man.
Looked like Kim Jeong-baek hadn’t fully trusted the client and made his own arrangements in advance.
“Well actually, I—”
With that loud, theatrical greeting, the real conversation finally kicked off. No lofty subjects—just the everyday talk of regular people.
As more parents arrived, they filtered in and out of the discussion. Before long, Cha Eui-sung found himself chatting with others like it was nothing.
“I’m just a freelancer. I do some consulting and stuff on the computer.”
“Yeah, these days everyone works from home on the computer.”
“Right, and since we’re a bit far out, commuting to the city is tough.”
Of course, all of this was basically a background check and soft interrogation—just as he’d expected.
But since they didn’t stray from the script, answering was a breeze.
“I’m just grateful to my hyung, really. I’d been planning to move somewhere quiet for a while anyway, and he came with me out here.”
“Oh, that’s right. Your mom was from around here, wasn’t she?”
“Yeah, yeah. She moved away when she was young, but… still, there’s a connection, and I just felt drawn here.”
Total lie. He was dragged here because of the Demon King. Still, Cha Eui-sung kept his sweet, virtuous smile on for a solid fifteen minutes.
People still looked at him with curiosity, but the stiff awkwardness from earlier had finally started to lift.
“The kids are coming out.”
“Oh!”
A few moments later, a group of children in gym clothes came trotting out through the front gate.
Everyone’s attention naturally shifted, and Cha Eui-sung turned his head along with them.
He thought he spotted Seo-ryong in the middle of the group—but his gaze didn’t stop there. It scanned persistently over the wide-open front gate.
Soon, a tall man stepped out, walking at an unhurried pace. Under the sunlight, his black hair gleamed with a healthy sheen.
Moon Tae-young.
Cha Eui-sung muttered the name to himself without realizing it. The faintly smiling man somehow looked unfamiliar.
What was this? Time felt like it was stretching. The sunlight pouring down was too bright, kids were laughing and chattering in a cheerful mess, and a cool breeze brushed past.
Right in the center of it all, Moon Tae-young’s every movement—guiding the children toward the field—played out like a slow-motion reel.
It hit him like getting smacked with a heavy pillow: a muffled, soft impact that still left him stunned.
Just like the very first time he’d seen him in Cheongseri.
“Dear students of Cheongse Elementary, and our respected parents—good morning. On this bright and blue-skied day, we sincerely thank you for attending our school’s Sports Day.”
As expected of a small-scale event, the opening ceremony moved along quickly. Once the ten or so children lined up neatly on the field, Moon Tae-young wasted no time and dove straight into the opening address.
Maybe it was because the field was small, or maybe the mic volume was just right, but his voice carried pleasantly through the air.
Dear dear dear students students dents of Cheongse Cheongse Elementary mentary tary…
Trying to erase the strange sensations creeping over him, Cha Eui-sung started mentally adding echo effects to the speech, like a bad PA system.
Then, suddenly—whip—Moon Tae-young’s gaze flicked in his direction. Their eyes met, and the polite, mask-like smile on his face wavered just slightly.
Odd. The moment he saw that, the odd tension inside him faded.
Relieved, almost involuntarily, Cha Eui-sung silently held his gaze.
Trying so, so hard not to stare at him like he was licking him with his eyes.
“…with those words of welcome, I hereby declare the 55th Cheongse Elementary Sports Day officially open, wishing everyone a day full of laughter and joy.”
With that, the brief, perfectly formal address wrapped up, and his calm, steady voice marked the beginning of the event.
***
“Pffft! Did you see that? No, seriously—did you see it? Seo-ryong’s quick on her feet, huh!”
“She really is.”
“Ugh, at least pretend you’re excited!”
Seo-ryong beamed brightly, having claimed the final chair in the game, and shot him a triumphant grin.
Cha Eui-sung responded with a gentle smile, but his eyes kept drifting back toward Moon Tae-young.
Watching him from afar, Eui-sung couldn’t shake the odd feeling that the man had somehow become public property. It was such a strange, ridiculous thought—but funny enough, that’s what popped into his head.
“Anyway, it’s kinda wild. Let’s be honest, you never see someone that young posted out here.”
“Yeah, usually people get assigned here when they’re close to retirement. We lucked out.”
Even while zoning out with those random musings, Cha Eui-sung kept an ear tuned to the conversations buzzing around him.
Thanks to some near-clairvoyant instinct, he sensed the perfect moment to join the conversation and slid subtly toward the center of the group.
“He doesn’t act like a typical twenty-something, though. Honestly, he’s young enough to be my nephew, but if I compare him to my nephew… they’re not even the same species.”
“Seriously—makes you feel old all over again.”
“Oh right, aren’t you close with Mr. Moon?”
Just as expected, the moment he stepped in, someone casually broke the flow of conversation and popped the question.
They’d obviously been dying to ask this the whole time, and yet they acted completely nonchalant.
“Me? Ah… yeah. Um, Moon Tae… I mean, Mr. Moon and I are around the same age.”
And yet, when he should have been cautious and reserved in his expression…
“We hang out sometimes.”
He answered with a sudden flush of warmth in his voice, completely unintentional. The second he realized it, Cha Eui-sung felt his forehead grow uncomfortably hot.
