[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: “What the hell? Why do you keep pushing weird romance stories on me?”]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: “Are you insane?”]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Do I look crazy to you? Huh? Does this situation not feel real to you?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction: Please, just keep it down.]
[CH. Private / One Who Guides the Dead: This is absurd.]
I wanted nothing more than to bite my tongue and drop dead on the spot. But if I did that, Baek Tae-beom definitely wouldn’t let me off the hook, so all I could do was obediently keep changing clothes. Two hours had already passed. I’d been dressed and decorated like a doll the whole time.
If the other two Constellations hadn’t kept chatting with me, I really might’ve lost it. No one could endure this kind of fashion show in their right mind. The fact that I was the star of the damn show only made it all the more miserable.
Baek Tae-beom stared blankly at the outfit I’d just come out in, then gave a dazzling smile and said it looked great on me.
“Alright, next outfit—”
“Wait, wait, hold on, Beom. Tae-beom. Calm down and just hear me out for a second.”
I grabbed his hand in desperation, clinging to him. The pile of clothes I’d already tried on was overwhelming. Gloves, shoes, even hair accessories. I wanted to scream at the staff member pinning back my bangs, but unfortunately, I knew I didn’t have the right—I had messed up, after all.
“Tae-beom.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Are you buying all of this?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Is ‘yes, hyung’ the only thing you know how to say?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“You’re seriously gonna drive me insane.”
Did this bastard even realize how insanely expensive everything I’d been wearing and taking off was? Just the outfit I had on now had a ridiculous price tag—and special abilities, no less.
[Gloves of the Aquarius Star A]
[Gloves meant for the Guide of a New Star. Increases both defense and destructive power, and grants a new skill upon use. (Cannot be used more than once)]
[Formal Wear of the Black Troupe B]
[Do you remember the songs sung by the Black Troupe? This suit is crafted to replicate what they wore. Boosts defense and blocks one critical hit.]
[Black Shoes of the Singing One A]
[We often played the marching song, screaming our lungs out for those who listened. Wearing these shoes increases movement speed and evasion.]
At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.
“Tae-beom.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Did you kill someone?”
“…What?”
Baek Tae-beom blinked, clearly caught off guard. I asked again, seriously.
“Have you ever killed someone and dumped them in the ocean, or buried them in cement?”
“…What?”
“Or do you think it’s fine if non-Awakened people, or Hunters below C-rank, die because they’re useless?”
“What…?”
“Or maybe—”
“Hold on, hyung. What are you even thinking right now?”
I calmly buried my face in both hands. What was I thinking? That Tae-beom had gone full dark mode, wiped out people left and right, and made a fortune in the process. How else could he have made so much money?
“You’re not having some weird thoughts, right?”
“I am having weird thoughts.”
“Hyung!”
“I honestly thought I raised you well, okay? I mean, it’s only been a few months, but still. And now here you are, massacring people and buying all this stuff with blood-stained money…”
“Who said I killed anyone?!”
Baek Tae-beom roughly pulled down my hands. His face was flushed red, twisted with what looked like genuine frustration.
“I didn’t, hyung.”
“You really didn’t?”
“Of course not, hyung. I haven’t changed that much from two years ago. I mean, maybe I have a little, from your perspective…”
Baek Tae-beom looked down, blinking slowly. His long, thick eyelashes fluttered with the motion.
I almost found myself entranced by that face.
Why the hell was this bastard so damn good-looking?
If he was going to be a villain, couldn’t he at least have the decency to look the part? Why did he have to be so handsome—handsome enough to soften someone’s heart, make them want to give him everything?
“Still, I haven’t changed. How could I kill someone so easily?”
“Then… I’ll just buy this one. The rest feels like too much.”
I glanced down at the outfit I was wearing as I spoke. Baek Tae-beom’s brow twitched for a moment but quickly returned to his usual calm expression.
“If that’s what you want, hyung.”
It should’ve been the other way around—the Constellation showering the Contractor with gifts. But this was completely backwards. Just receiving all this already weighed heavily on my conscience. And when I saw the price at checkout—1.3 billion won—it hit even harder.
I knew Hunters could easily make that kind of money, but even so, it bothered me deeply.
I’ll work hard to make money and sponsor you instead, I thought.
But all I had to my name were 500 Coins.
Wasn’t that a real problem? Wasn’t this whole situation completely unbalanced?
“I’m assigning you a bodyguard.”
“A bodyguard?”
“You never know what might happen when you’re out on your own.”
“That’s a little excessive—”
I trailed off, catching the hardened look on Baek Tae-beom’s face.
“…Right? Yeah? Definitely necessary, right?”
“Exactly. Also, hyung, I wanted to ask you something.”
Baek Tae-beom smiled naturally as he posed the question.
“Where have you been living all this time?”
“Huh?”
“I couldn’t find your address listed anywhere.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you were homeless? No way, right?”
And for the next thirty minutes, I had to cling to Baek Tae-beom’s arm, vehemently insisting that no, I was not homeless, that it was all just a huge misunderstanding, and that I had other means of surviving.
He only seemed to accept it after watching me disappear and then pop back into midair with his own eyes.
“So basically, that means I can’t go to that place, right?”
“That’s… pretty much it.”
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Judging by your tone, he’s definitely gonna try to come anyway.]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Shouldn’t you clean your room ahead of time just in case?]
[CH. Private / One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction: Is Apollo my dad or something?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: What the hell kind of disgusting nonsense is that?!]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: I’ve never had a pathetic brat like you for a kid.]
After a short pause, Baek Tae-beom gave a clear and firm answer.
“Then live with me.”
“What?”
“My place is big. Of course, there’s a room for you. Since I didn’t know when you’d come back, I’ve been laundering the bedding every day, and I’ve prepared all your things. You just need to show up with your body.”
Did he even realize what the hell he was saying? For the last two years, I thought he’d turned to darkness, but apparently, he’d just become even more of a pushover.
How the hell was I supposed to put this feeling into words?
“What kind of ridiculous crap is that?”
“Huh?”
“How could I burden you like that? Didn’t I tell you not to say things like that to just anyone? Even if I look pitiful, I can still take care of myself, so don’t worry about me, Tae-beom.”
No matter how big and wild he’d grown, he was still my kid. The fact that he hadn’t turned into a complete devil while I was gone—that alone was something to be grateful for.
Yeah, this was who Baek Tae-beom was. The kind of person who always tried to share what he had, who sympathized with anyone suffering, and who wanted to help, no matter what.
I raised both arms and wrapped them around his waist, pulling him into a hug and gently patting his back.
He stiffened immediately, clearly not used to this kind of physical affection.
“Uh, wait, hyung… hold on—”
“You’re really something. Just look at you. It feels like just yesterday you were whining all the time, and now look how much you’ve grown.”
I stepped back and ran a hand naturally through his hair. His face was still bright red.
“Even just the thought means a lot to me, Tae-beom.”
“Ah… wait, hyung, that’s not it. Uh, here.”
Flustered, Baek Tae-beom reached into his inner pocket and pulled out his wallet, taking out a card.
“Use this.”
“A card? Why?”
“Use it if there’s anything you want to buy. Or, do you need Coins instead?”
“Why would I use your card?”
“Because you don’t have any money.”
“…”
I couldn’t bring myself to deny it. My eyes darted around nervously as he pressed the card into my hand.
“Take it for now. First, we need to get you registered as a Hunter.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, so we can keep being together. According to current laws, civilians can’t enter dungeons anymore. But we’re going to keep going in, right?”
“Hold on a second…”
“You promised you’d stay by my side, hyung.”
That’s what that promise meant?
I felt like I’d just been expertly baited by Baek Tae-beom.
No— I quickly pulled up his status again.
[Displaying Contractor Information.]
[Contractor – Baek Tae-beom of Dynamism]
[Title: One Who Cleaved the Mist, of Dynamism, One Who Holds Despair, Transcendent…
Rank: S
Status: Happy
Contracted Constellation: One Who Seeks to Escape Destruction
Owned Coins: 179,300
Skills: [Sword Aura] [Hermit (Unlocked)] [Guardian] [Madness] [King’s Sword Aura] [Pulsing Death]…
Conditions met for full awakening—skills and attributes fully unlocked.]
Just look at that glaring, flashy S-rank spelled out in bold.
How the hell was I supposed to enter the same dungeon as this guy? The thought alone made me grimace in disbelief— But then Baek Tae-beom gently grabbed my fingertip, pleading.
“Come on, hyung.”
