The place we arrived at in Baek Tae-beom’s car was in front of a university.
I tugged my cap down low and gave Baek Tae-beom a stern warning.
“Whatever you do, don’t come out.”
The moment he stepped outside, all attention would turn to him. It was better for me to move alone, since I was relatively less known. Ignoring the pitiful look on his face, I got out of the car and slowly scanned the students exiting the campus.
Gray hair, gray hair…
It hadn’t been listed in his personal information, but his hair likely turned gray after Awakening. Ignoring the glances directed at me, I strode forward—until I spotted a particular man.
He had his shoulders hunched as low as they could go, cap pulled down just like me, sluggishly moving while casting furtive glances around. Unlike Kang Si-hoo, who had mimicked a pitiful personality, this guy looked genuinely anxious.
Beneath the cap, flashes of gray hair peeked through. I walked straight up to him and grabbed his wrist without warning.
“……!”
“You’re Ahn Ki-yoon, right? Do you remember me?”
The man flinched violently, as if trying to yank himself free, and stared at me with dilated pupils. He had the startled look of a frightened rabbit. For a moment, I felt a twinge of guilt, like I was tricking an innocent person—but I kept my face blank. Hesitation flickered across his features.
“S-sorry, who are you…?”
“I’m in the same class as you. I used to sit diagonally across from you.”
I lied shamelessly, watching his reaction.
“Ah, uh… I, I’m not sure…”
“Then you don’t remember helping me either?”
“You’re saying… I helped you?”
[CH. Private / Free Wind: By any chance, are you interested in teaming up to prank Apollo?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: You’re really good at lying with a straight face, huh?]
[CH. Private / One More Dazzling Than the Sun: Every time I blink, you’re up to something suspicious, aren’t you?]
[CH. Private / Free Wind: Oh, Apollo. When’d you get here?]
I ignored the chaos in the chat and pressed on.
“Come on, you don’t remember the other day?”
Ahn Ki-yoon looked flustered, his lips twitching like a scared little animal.
“S-sorry. I… I haven’t been myself lately…”
“It’s fine.”
I continued, calm and composed.
“You just recently became an Awakened, didn’t you?”
“……!”
Ahn Ki-yoon visibly trembled in shock.
“H-how did you…?”
“Doesn’t look like you dyed it just for the hell of it. Your hair changed color, right? That’s what it means, yeah?”
He hastily tugged his cap down lower. I let go of his wrist.
“You helped me before, so now I’ll help you.”
“H-help me…?”
“You’re in trouble right now, aren’t you?”
He took a deep breath at my words.
“What do you… mean by that…?”
“This is my ability.”
I looked him straight in the eyes, which kept trying to dart away.
“I’m an Awakened too—a Hunter. I can help you. If it’s alright with you, why don’t we talk more in the car?”
“C-car…?”
I motioned with my hand for him to come along. It was getting harder to ignore the people staring. Hesitantly, Ahn Ki-yoon followed behind me.
“Here, get in.”
As soon as he got in the car and lifted his head to look at the man in the driver’s seat, he gasped silently.
“……!”
His expression said it all—he clearly recognized who Baek Tae-beom was. Baek Tae-beom, who had been staring blankly at me as I entered, locked the car doors the moment I signaled him.
“W-what is this…?”
“My name’s Choi Ga-hyeon. Ahn Ki-yoon. I just want to talk to you for a bit—to help you.”
“T-this is k-kidnapping!”
He trembled, fumbling with the door handle, but the locked door wouldn’t budge. Cornered, he looked visibly shaken. Baek Tae-beom watched and said to me,
“Should I knock him out?”
“Hiiik…!”
“Don’t scare him like that. Ahn Ki-yoon, I meant what I said. I’m here to help you.”
“H-help…?”
I tried my best to smile kindly. Judging from the increasingly suspicious looks I was getting, it clearly wasn’t working, but at least I made the effort.
“You’ve been getting threats lately, haven’t you?”
“H-how… how did you know that?”
“And the one threatening you… must be Red Apple.”
I spoke calmly, recalling the contents of The Apocalypse Chronicles of Another World.
Ahn Ki-yoon. A young student, just twenty-two, who suddenly became an Awakened—something that caught the attention of the Red Apple Guild. He was coerced into joining and forced to work for them, primarily producing defensive gear under Baek Tae-beom’s command.
That was how special Ahn Ki-yoon’s skill was. Even without a contracted Constellation, his rank fell somewhere between A and B. For a Hunter with no combat skills, his ability was exceptionally rare.
“I saw the video of you on YouTube. Someone uploaded it.”
The timing of Ahn Ki-yoon’s Awakening had been just a few days ago, right in the middle of class.
His major was fashion design. During a basic sketching session, his skill suddenly activated, and the clothes he had drawn came to life—physically manifesting right there, even though he hadn’t done any sewing or construction work.
The video of Ahn Ki-yoon went viral and had around two million views. That’s when the Red Apple Guild recognized the value of his ability.
In the original story, this whole operation was orchestrated by Baek Tae-beom. I wasn’t sure who was handling it now… but that didn’t change what needed to be done.
“We want to help you.”
Ahn Ki-yoon tightly shut his eyes, then spoke with force.
“H-how do I know you actually mean that? That you’re not just saying it… planning to use me or s-something…”
“Think about it. If that’s what I was after, don’t you think I would’ve actually kidnapped you?”
I pointed to Baek Tae-beom in the driver’s seat. The moment our eyes met, he gave a soft smile.
“There’s an S-rank Hunter sitting right here. If we wanted to kidnap or threaten you like Red Apple did, it’d be way too easy. But we didn’t. Doesn’t that tell you something? We really do want to help you.”
“……”
Ahn Ki-yoon’s face shifted slightly, as if realizing that did make sense. I didn’t stop there.
“First, we’ll protect you from the other major guilds. If you want, we can move your family to a different location. We’ll also provide financial support.”
“F-for me?”
“On the condition that you join the Hansung Guild.”
“Me?!”
Ahn Ki-yoon shouted in disbelief.
“You’re telling me to j-join a huge guild like that?”
I had already discussed this with Lee Myung-won. After hearing from me about Ahn Ki-yoon’s ability, he’d decided that Ki-yoon was exactly the kind of talent Hansung needed and asked me to bring him in. Personally, I felt much more at ease knowing Ahn Ki-yoon would be affiliated with Hansung, so naturally, that’s what I was pushing for.
“Of course, I’ll respect your decision. Even if you say no, I promise nothing bad will happen.”
“……”
“So what do you want to do?”
“…I… uh…”
Ahn Ki-yoon hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied.
“What… would I need to do?”
Got him.
I gestured, and Baek Tae-beom started the car. Our destination was the Hansung Guild headquarters.
***
“Welcome, Mr. Ahn Ki-yoon. Please, have a seat.”
“Ah, y-yes, okay…”
Clearly flustered, Ahn Ki-yoon awkwardly sat down on the sofa. Lee Myung-won calmly looked over some documents as he continued speaking.
“All you need to do is sign here, or stamp your seal. Would you like a pen?”
“Uh? Yes! Thank you…”
Even though his hands were shaking, Ahn Ki-yoon diligently signed the documents. I watched the scene with my arms crossed, elbowing Baek Tae-beom in the ribs as he kept resting his chin on my shoulder.
Baek Tae-beom flinched slightly, then whispered in my ear.
“How did you end up picking up someone like that?”
“Use nicer words.”
“How did you end up bringing someone like that?”
“Why are you so negative?”
“Because you’re too positive.”
“I brought him because we need him, so don’t worry.”
Lee Myung-won patiently explained the contents of the documents to Ahn Ki-yoon.
“…We’ll assign two security staff to you, and we’ve also drafted a separate exclusive contract so that you can work with our guild after graduation. You can decide on that later.”
“Ah, o-okay…”
Ahn Ki-yoon’s expression was hard to read. It was the face of someone who didn’t know whether to be happy or suspicious over such a good offer.
“Would you like us to bring in the person you live with as well?”
“Ah, yes! I mean—no! I-I’ll bring her. I live with my grandmother, and she doesn’t really like strangers…”
“Understood.”
As Lee Myung-won backed off, Ahn Ki-yoon finally exhaled and buried his face in his hands. Just before stepping out to give us some privacy, Lee Myung-won said to me,
“Call me when you’re done.”
His tone made it clear he already knew I had more to talk about with Ahn Ki-yoon. I gave him a small nod, and as I shifted my gaze from the retreating figure, I could feel the two remaining people in the room staring straight at me.
I smiled effortlessly and took a seat across from Ahn Ki-yoon.
“My name’s Choi Ga-hyeon. Truth is, I don’t go to your university. Sorry for lying.”
“I… figured as much… Then why… did you help me?”
Ahn Ki-yoon asked with a wary look. Sensing Baek Tae-beom standing behind me, I took out my phone.
“Because actually, I need your help.”
“M-my help?”
“First, can you give me your phone number? I’ll explain afterward.”
“W-wait a second…”
Ahn Ki-yoon fumbled with his phone, hastily pulling it out. Once we exchanged numbers, I got straight to the point. There wasn’t much to explain anyway. I had only one request.
“I want you to make some armor. Specifically—clothing.”
