Kim Sibaek raised an eyebrow as he looked at the young man greeting them with a bright, open smile.
He looks familiar somehow… Have we met before?
Noticing his expression, Tae Woon leaned in and tilted his head slightly.
“What’s up?”
“Hmm, nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
Now wasn’t the time to get distracted. They needed to focus on the briefing. Kim Sibaek reached out to lightly pat Tae Woon’s thigh—only to suddenly remember what was stashed in that area. He quickly switched his touch to the back of his hand instead.
Tae Woon’s lips curved into a playful smile. Without warning, he grabbed Sibaek’s hand and placed it right back on his thigh.
“…!”
If they hadn’t been in a conference room, Sibaek would’ve screamed. He yanked his hand away immediately, but the sensation—thick, heavy, and way too noticeable for an ordinary day—lingered in his palm.
What the hell… wasn’t that sexual harassment?!
He turned to glare at Tae Woon in shock, but the guy just sat there, cool as ever, eyes fixed on the data screen Gu Yeongmin had pulled up.
“Hyung. You okay?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
Even Pi Minhyung looked over, puzzled by the minor commotion. Kim Sibaek had no choice but to collect himself and turn his attention back to the briefing. I didn’t raise him to be some sleazy little pervert…!
[Death and Beauty doesn’t know what just happened, but recalls that her Apostle’s younger brother was already doing a fine job of sexual harassment back at the Management Center.]
“….”
Suppressing a groan, Kim Sibaek forced himself to focus.
The Dragon Eel—an S-rank monster found in the Gae-seong Field—had the body of a horse covered in fish-like scales and fins.
“The mythical creature that inspired the name ‘Dragon Eel’ was said to live in underwater caves and control storms and thunder. But the one we’re raiding lives on flatlands and doesn’t have any water-based abilities.”
Gu Yeongmin explained the creature’s traits, habitat, and terrain before stepping down from the podium. Then Pi Minhyung took his place.
“I’m Pi Minhyung of the 7777 Guild. I’ll be presenting the strategy our guild developed in cooperation with the Tobazishu Hussars and the Gabyeolcho Guild’s raid division. First, the Dragon Eel’s attack patterns are…”
Each of the three guilds had contributed two strike teams. Naturally, the 7777 Guild and the Tobazishu Hussars would lead the charge. Gabyeolcho Guild, joining through the government’s mid-tier guild support program, had accepted a backup role without complaint.
Most of the information and strategies had already been shared beforehand, so today’s meeting was just the final coordination check. It wrapped up just before lunchtime, and Gwak Yoonsang was relieved there hadn’t been any reason for Tae Woon to use his leash.
Even after the meeting adjourned, the Hunters lingered, chatting and tidying up. Pi Minhyung and Seo Gaeun were about to invite the two to lunch—but as usual, Tae Woon stuck to Sibaek like glue. The two quietly backed off. No doubt whatever happened during lunch would be another meal-ruining spectacle.
“Sibaek! Wanna grab lunch with your noona—mmph!”
They even managed to drag away Justyna Nowacka, who had tried to wedge herself between the two.
After Tae Woon gave Pi Minhyung a sweet smile of approval—which gave the poor guy goosebumps—he turned back and spoke as if nothing had happened.
“Hyung, aren’t you hungry?”
“….”
“Hmm?”
That innocent, smiling face—like he hadn’t just groped someone mid-meeting—was downright shameless. As Kim Sibaek glared at him, someone approached.
“Um, Hunter Kim Sibaek? Hello.”
It was Gu Yeongmin. Sibaek was about to ask if they’d met before, but Yeongmin beat him to it, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
“You saved me last time, but everything was so chaotic that I didn’t get to thank you properly.”
“I did?”
“Yeah, it was that amusement park incident—I was there with my girlfriend…”
Right. Now he remembered. One of the people he rescued from the Ferris wheel was this guy.
“How’s your girlfriend doing?”
“She’s great! Thanks to your healing, she made a full recovery with no lasting effects. I’m really happy I get to help with your raid this time. She kept telling me to make sure I thanked you properly.”
Gu Yeongmin beamed as he spoke, then pressed his hands together in prayer toward Biendeoé, perched atop Kim Sibaek’s head.
“I saw in the Seven Guild videos that you guys greet crows like this. Is that right?”
[Death and Beauty is pleased. Definitely worth saving that one.]
He was sociable and warm—clearly someone good at connecting with people. Sibaek responded with a friendly smile of his own.
As they exited the conference room and headed down to the cafeteria, Tae Woon leaned in close and whispered,
“There’s something off about that guy, huh?”
“Was it that obvious?”
Feeling a little self-conscious, Sibaek rubbed his face. He’d thought he was pretty good at keeping a poker face.
Tae Woon grinned.
“I only noticed because it’s me. Pi Minhyung, Seo Gaeun… even the Tobazishu Guildmaster probably wouldn’t have caught on.”
Kim Sibaek glanced around, confused.
Sure, Pi Minhyung and Seo Gaeun made sense—but why mention Justyna?
A few people were sneaking glances their way as they passed, but no one was close enough to overhear. Still, just in case, he dropped his voice to a whisper. He could’ve texted Tae Woon, but trying to explain it through messages would take forever—they’d still be on the first sentence by the time lunch started.
“I remembered where I’ve seen Gu Yeongmin before.”
“Huh? Didn’t you say it was at the amusement park when you saved him?”
“No, I mean after that.”
Kim Sibaek opened his photo album and pulled up a picture he’d downloaded earlier. It was a shot from the time he’d encountered Edokers—a man wearing a cap, face hidden.
He tapped the figure with a long finger.
“Here. It’s hard to tell because of the bulky winter coat, but doesn’t the height and build look kind of similar?”
[Death and Beauty’s eyes widen in shock.]
Even Tae Woon frowned, staring at the screen in silence for a long moment.
“Hard to say. That slim, average height build is pretty common… But damn, hyung, your eye for detail is insane.”
“Well… maybe I’m just overthinking it. Could be I just mixed him up with someone else.”
“Still, no harm in checking. I’ll let Yang Eunho know to run a background check.”
Even if he was wrong about Gu Yeongmin, the odds of Edokers making a move in Gae-seong Field were high. Honestly, that was more worrying than the Dragon Eel raid.
As he mulled it over, Sibaek’s brows furrowed without him realizing. Tae Woon reached up and playfully poked the crease between them.
“You’re gonna get wrinkles, hyung. Come on—it’s all part of the job. Let’s eat first.”
“…Yeah. Let’s go grab lunch.”
Funny enough, hearing that did help lift his mood. Kim Sibaek relaxed a little and smiled.
From a purely objective standpoint, Gu Yeongmin thought Kim Sibaek was a good man.
He’d approached him on purpose, half expecting to get brushed off, but instead, Sibaek had responded with a calm smile—no irritation, no coldness. Still, there was a certain edge in his gaze that said he wasn’t someone you could just push around.
But when you’re carrying out a sacred mission, personal feelings didn’t matter.
No matter how much he respected Kim Sibaek, it wouldn’t affect his decisions in the slightest.
After finishing lunch with the others, Gu Yeongmin returned to his room without hesitation and placed a call to Edokers, who had already made it into Gae-seong Field.
“Mr. Edokers. You’re still laying low, right?”
—Yeah. But my legs are killing me… Feels like my muscles are tearing every time I move.
Having spent days among uncommunicative monsters, Edokers finally had someone to talk to—and immediately started venting.
He had no way to prove his identity in South Korea. And Gu Yeongmin, just a mid-level bureaucrat, didn’t have the resources to forge documents or work through the black market. That left Edokers with no choice but to do everything the hard way.
Pretending to be on field research, Gu Yeongmin had crossed the Second Gyeongin Expressway’s defense line and dropped Edokers off—hidden in the trunk.
Before the Cataclysm, the DMZ had separated North and South Korea. But now, the entire area from Seoul to southern Gae-seong had long since become monster-infested territory.
If someone could avoid or slip past the monsters—like Gon of the Han River—they could technically make the journey on foot. And Edokers, who didn’t trigger aggression from monsters, had done just that.
He walked. He swam across the Han and Imjin Rivers. Then he walked some more.
While others flew that route in hours, Edokers, cursed with terrible stamina, had spent several grueling days pushing through the ruined DMZ to finally reach Gae-seong Field.
“Good thing you didn’t have to carry any food. That helped, right?”
—If I’d had a pack on top of everything else, I probably wouldn’t have made it…
“Oh, right. During lunch, a new quest popped up—related to you.”
—You should’ve started with that!!
