Yang Eunho had heard from Pi Minhyung and Seo Gaeun about The One Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken, but since he had never seen the man with his own eyes, he couldn’t fully grasp what this person meant to Tae Woon—at least, not until Tae Woon handed him a phone with an unfamiliar number and told him to investigate the message history.
The investigation—which involved some less-than-legal methods—uncovered a string of texts revealing that a high school student was arranging a blind date between his divorced mother and a middle-aged man. If the man had been making advances on the boy, it would’ve been a revolting crime worth reporting—but that wasn’t the situation here.
Eunho printed out the messages and handed them over without much thought. But when Tae Woon took the paper, his hands started to shake. Pi Minhyung, peeking over his shoulder, couldn’t hold back his laughter and clutched his stomach as he cracked up.
“Dude. I don’t think he’s even remotely into you.”
“Shut it.”
“He’s fourteen years older than you. You really think he sees you as a guy? I mean, a romantic option? And instead of asking him yourself, you’re sneaking around and pulling his text logs? Ugh, you’re so damn creepy.”
“Pi Minhyung. Die.”
Tae Woon, metaphorically tossing Pi Minhyung out the window, ripped the paper to shreds and canceled all his plans for the day—plans that happened to coincide with The One Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken’s blind date.
In the end, Yang Eunho got dragged along with Pi Minhyung to the café where the date was taking place. Tae Woon insisted that going alone would look suspicious.
Honestly, three big guys crouched together looks way more suspicious…
Still, Eunho followed orders and even brought a change of casual clothes. Tae Woon, ditching his usual suit and coat, had put on a new black baseball jacket and jeans just for today. He still wore the gloves he never took off, even during meals.
He’s decked out in all black like a wannabe spy—what a terrible look for a stakeout.
Their effort to blend in was quickly ruined by none other than Pi Minhyung.
“Uh, are you Hunter Pi Minhyung?”
He wasn’t wearing his usual glued-on T-shirt and neon shorts, but with his “local thug” or “jobless dude” fashion sense, Pi Minhyung stood out no matter where he went. Naturally, that blew Tae Woon’s cover too. A woman who had just gotten Pi Minhyung’s autograph looked like she was about to ask Tae Woon for one as well—until his cold stare made her freeze and quickly turn away, practically in tears.
Luckily—or maybe unluckily—the man across the café, The One Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken… Eunho, growing tired of repeating that name in his head, just decided to think of him as Kim Sibaek. In any case, Kim Sibaek didn’t seem aware of what was going on around him.
“Ooh, they look like they’re really hitting it off.”
Pi Minhyung sipped on a sweet café mocha, sneaking a glance toward the couple. The woman had her back to them, so only Kim Sibaek’s face was visible, but from the look of it, they seemed to be having a lively, cheerful conversation. Tae Woon’s glare grew darker and sharper.
“Who the hell goes on a blind date in the middle of a weekday afternoon? Not even in the evening?”
They were at a café in Dunsan New Town, once home to the old Daejeon Government Complex, now even busier with newer government offices moved in.
The woman, who was said to be raising two kids on her own, probably wasn’t a full-time homemaker. Dressed in office attire, she looked like a government worker from a nearby agency.
“Maybe she took the afternoon off. Sure, she’s got two kids, but no way is Hyung looking to date someone who’s never been married at his age. Plus, a government job’s not bad. And her oldest even likes Hyung enough to play matchmaker. Sounds like a perfect match—meant to be, honestly.”
“……”
Pi Minhyung was clearly trying to get under Tae Woon’s skin, but since they were supposed to be quietly stalking, all Tae Woon could do was clench his fists. His eyes, glinting with murderous intent, even sent chills down Yang Eunho’s spine—despite him being used to them. But Pi Minhyung, having seen Tae Woon make a fool of himself in front of Kim Sibaek, wasn’t even remotely intimidated.
“Things seem to be going well. You think they’re gonna grab dinner together later too? Tae, you planning to follow them to dinner?”
“……”
“Since they already know each other through the son, maybe she’ll invite him home for dinner. What’ll you do then? You can’t exactly follow him into the house. The kid’s name was Bae Ji-han, right? Makes sense, Hyung seemed awfully close to him during the portal incident.”
“……”
“Instead of being a creepy stalker, why not crash the date like in a K-drama? Oh, right. That only works if he sees you as a love interest. My bad. Sorry, man.”
“……”
Tae Woon’s grip on the coffee cup—still untouched—tightened until a crack ran through it. The killing intent radiating from him felt powerful enough to blast not just the table but the entire café (with Pi Minhyung in it) into the stratosphere.
Yang Eunho flinched, ready to bolt if needed, while Pi Minhyung nimbly ducked away.
“Guess I’ll do a little recon—see what they’re talking about.”
At those words, Tae Woon’s grip loosened slightly, sparing the cup—and Pi Minhyung’s skull. With a sharp glance urging him to hurry, Tae Woon silently gave the go-ahead. Pi Minhyung slurped the last of his coffee and leisurely stood up.
He wandered toward the display near the counter, bought a cookie as if he were leaving, then casually strolled toward the date table—pretending it was a chance encounter. They couldn’t hear the conversation, but Kim Sibaek looked pleasantly surprised, genuinely happy to see him.
But it didn’t stop there.
Not only did Pi Minhyung shamelessly greet the woman and shake her hand, he even had the audacity to plop himself down next to Kim Sibaek like he belonged there.
Even if it’s Minhyung-hyung… isn’t this going too far? What the hell is he doing at someone else’s blind date? …Wait—no way?!
And “no way” turned out to be spot on.
As Pi Minhyung whispered something to Kim Sibaek, the latter leaned far to the side, craning his neck to get a better look. When he seemed to be peering in the wrong direction, Pi Minhyung didn’t even try to be subtle—he pointed directly at their table.
You crazy bastard! Are you trying to get yourself killed by Tae Woon-hyung?!
Even knowing that Kim Sibaek wouldn’t recognize his face, Yang Eunho instinctively turned his head away. Tae Woon tried to do the same—but it was too late. As Kim Sibaek scanned the café, his eyes met Tae Woon’s head-on.
Whatever quests lay ahead, one thing was certain: they would still need to fight monsters here on Earth. And to do that, restoring Divine Power was absolutely essential.
That was why he had carried out what was essentially a missionary effort at the Eid Portal. If it laid the groundwork for later, all the better. And even if it didn’t, it would still be worth it if people gained faith and learned to defend themselves.
He didn’t intend to disclose everything—like how he had just returned from Mak Slechth or that he was nearly a hundred years old—but Kim Sibaek understood he needed to reveal at least part of his hand.
[Death and Beauty consents to revealing the source of the Apostle’s power.]
The woman he was meeting was Director Noh of the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency—who also happened to be Bae Ji-han’s mother. He had suggested a café as the meeting place to conveniently take care of a pending quest. Preparing a foothold for his life on Earth might turn out to be a surprisingly fulfilling task.
Director Noh gave a slightly awkward smile.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Chief Gwak. My son won’t stop talking about you either—always praising you.”
“He must’ve seen some terrifying things. Is Ji-han alright?”
“He bounced back strong. I know it’s a little late, but… thank you so much for saving him.”
“No need to thank me.”
When she bowed again, Kim Sibaek returned the gesture with equal formality.
“I only found out Ji-han’s mother was the Director after we were alone. I didn’t have a clue before that. I also heard you’re quite familiar with Chief Gwak?”
“When civilians get caught up in monster incidents like the Eid Portal, I’ve always warned my son: don’t mention me to the Agency’s Hunters. Don’t act like he knows me. Just because he’s my child doesn’t mean he should be treated better or protected ahead of other civilians.”
Her tone was calm, but the principle she described was no small thing. Many people lose sight of their duty when their family’s safety is on the line. That was why Kim Sibaek found her more trustworthy.
“I figured you might suspect something, so let me be upfront. We launched a background investigation on you, Mr. Kim—but we came up empty. Normally, someone with your abilities would’ve surfaced somewhere. A needle in a sack always pokes through eventually, but you? It’s like you never existed.”
Director Noh took a sip of her coffee and gave a quiet laugh.
“And honestly, you look far too young for your age. Some of our staff were joking that maybe you were frozen like a dinosaur from an old cartoon or got abducted by aliens and just came back.”
“Well… that’s not entirely wrong.”
Kim Sibaek chuckled softly. Even Lord Biendeoé, perched atop his head, shared the sentiment.
[Death and Beauty deems that replacing ‘alien’ with ‘Mak Slechth’ is close enough to the truth.]
“I can’t tell you everything, but you could say I disappeared from the world for the past 21 years. Completely off the grid.”
“I figured as much.”
Director Noh didn’t press further, simply nodding with a clear, steady gaze. She wasn’t like Tae Woon, who had admired him since childhood, yet she believed him without resistance. Kim Sibaek, always cautious, felt a twinge of suspicion—but she had her reasons.
“Your powers… they’re different, aren’t they? Not the same as a Hunter’s Awakening abilities.”
