For a brief moment, Kim Sibaek flinched, suspecting Lord Biendeoé might have discovered the dream he’d had the night before, but her expression suggested otherwise.
“When did you hear about that? Or did you read my mind?”
[Death and Beauty says she doesn’t try to read you intentionally, but it keeps surfacing in her Apostle’s superficial thoughts.]
“Well, I’ve been dwelling on it quite a bit.”
After saying that, Kim Sibaek returned to grooming Biendeoé’s feathers, clearly signaling he didn’t want to discuss it further, and Lord Biendeoé let the matter rest.
Silence settled comfortably between them. It lingered so long that Biendeoé almost forgot she’d asked anything, until a quiet voice broke the stillness.
“A purely physical relationship is trivial compared to actual love.”
“……”
“I wish for that child to slowly forget the time we shared, until it fades into nothing more than a shadow of a distant memory.”
***
Around the same time, Kim Sibaek wasn’t the only one struggling with Tae Woon’s overwhelming cuteness.
“Holy shit! He’s like a doll, an actual doll! Aaaargh! I should’ve jumped into that portal myself to see it live! He’s too adorable!”
Lee Hangyeol was practically hysterical, watching footage captured by the action cameras attached to Kim Sibaek and Tae Woon during the Eid Portal raid.
“Hyung! Noona! Isn’t he unbelievably cute? It’s driving me crazy!”
“Um…yeah….”
“Seriously, how can my hyung be so handsome, cool, adorable, and perfect at once?! He’s hogging all the good qualities! Dammit, it’s driving me nuts that I was too young and distracted back then to clearly remember this side of him.”
Lee Hangyeol pawed desperately at the screen, practically ready to dive in. In stark contrast, the other Awakeners from the orphanage looked profoundly uncomfortable. And they weren’t alone—the raid division’s managers and other strike team leaders gathered for the video analysis felt the exact same way.
Objectively, Tae Woon was handsome—not just ordinarily handsome, but exceptionally, absurdly so. Yet his fierce personality and the grotesque scar covering half his face completely undermined his natural beauty.
Naturally, a handsome adult must’ve been beautiful as a child. With no scars yet, and none of his aggressive temperament visible at fourteen, Tae Woon appeared as a miraculously lovely and angelic boy.
However, there was one major problem.
He’s still a 35-year-old man inside!
Witnessing a fully grown, 35-year-old man acting cute, adorable, and childlike inflicted a soul-twisting torment on everyone present.
Even worse, Kim Sibaek—the super rookie (although, at 49, calling him a rookie felt absurd)—was doting on fourteen-year-old Tae Woon as if he were a four-year-old child. Everyone in the conference room silently agreed this man was the root cause of all their discomfort.
“Eunho-hyung! Can’t we edit and release this video? Everyone needs to see hyung’s cuteness! We should even make merchandise featuring fourteen-year-old Tae Woon! The year-end is coming; it’d be perfect for seasonal greetings! I definitely want one!”
“Shut your nonsense… Actually, releasing the video doesn’t sound that bad.”
“Right? Right?”
“Fine, but we’ll discuss the details later. Now please get out. We can’t focus with you here.”
Lee Hangyeol, who had burst into the meeting room at the mere mention of Tae Woon’s footage, was dragged out, shouting, “Make sure to email me a copy!”
Pi Minhyung rubbed his face wearily.
“What the fuck… Public release? Are you serious?”
“Not immediately. But if the guild ever faces controversy, dropping this video would divert public attention instantly.”
Pi Minhyung, already drained from Hangyeol’s antics, reluctantly saw the sense in it after imagining the explosive impact of ‘cute 14-year-old Tae Woon.’ Although, he couldn’t quite decide if it would boost their guild’s stocks or sink them entirely.
“Seo Gaeun, why are you so calm? Doesn’t seeing that brat acting cute bother you at all?”
“There’s a chant that helps protect my sanity.”
“What chant?”
“Tae Woon-oppa eats proper meals when he’s with his Mentor.”
Unconsciously, Pi Minhyung, Yang Eunho, and even the other team leaders murmured the chant under their breath. Tae Woon hyung… Guildmaster eats proper meals when he’s with his Mentor.
“……”
They recalled how Tae Woon—someone who would normally starve himself or nibble on energy bars forever—was now regularly eating three proper meals a day, all thanks to Kim Sibaek. If he managed to make Tae Woon eat, maybe spoiling him a bit could be overlooked…
Comforted by the shared Korean reverence for regular meals, the group finally managed to refocus on the meeting’s main topic.
Yang Eunho brought up Kim Daeho’s profile—the Eid Portal’s host—on a different screen.
“It was so long ago that his name and face didn’t immediately ring any bells. But after watching the portal raid footage, my memories started coming back.”
When the footage rewound rapidly to Dongdaemun Stadium, those who remembered the tragedy from 21 years ago let out quiet groans. Among them, the Fourth Strike Team Captain, who’d been part of the Dongdaemun attack back then, spoke up.
“If the host has no left arm, then maybe… isn’t he that young guy who irrationally lashed out at the Guildmaster back then?”
“Very likely.”
The Fifth Strike Team Captain scratched his head roughly, lost in thought.
“I think I remember him now. Wasn’t there one guy among the Dongdaemun Stadium shelter survivors who absolutely despised us? It’s him, isn’t it? The guy who kept causing trouble, always throwing tantrums, completely uncooperative but still stuck with us because everywhere else was even more dangerous.”
People murmured softly as they pieced together the hazy memories, gradually forming a clearer image of the man from their past.
Someone who likely held a grudge against Tae Woon—possibly extending to the entire 7777 Guild. Yang Eunho summarized calmly.
“Thankfully, there were no casualties, but this incident raises many concerning questions. One definite conclusion is that Demonic Terrorists can ally themselves with monsters. There could be others holding grudges, so everyone, please stay vigilant.”
“Did the Guildmaster say anything about this?”
“You’re worried about me? You? Worrying about me?”
Yang Eunho’s accurate imitation of Tae Woon’s dismissive response earned immediate understanding and a few nods from around the table. After all, this was a man who casually wandered through a nearly transformed Eid Portal—who exactly needed whose protection?
“He’s currently meeting with Section Chief Gwak Yoonsang from the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency. On another note, there’s something else regarding Mentor—Hunter Kim Sibaek, who appears in this footage.”
After providing his newly opened bank account to the HG Guildmaster, Kim Sibaek quickly received confirmation that the payment from the manastone sales had been deposited. HG Guildmaster mentioned checking it through the banking app, but Kim Sibaek gave up on that within ten seconds, resolving to use phone banking instead. The signed contract was enough assurance; he doubted anyone was trying to deceive him.
[Thank you ^^]
[I felt uneasy about owing you money, but now I’ve finally paid you back]
Kim Sibaek’s slow fingers barely began typing a long reply—”Sorry for letting you know so late ^^”—when another message arrived.
[Oh right, the Hunter who cleared the Eid Portal with the Seven Guildmaster yesterday—that was you, right?]
Slightly confused, Kim Sibaek carefully began typing, “Yes, that was me, but how did you find out? ^^”, only getting as far as “Yes, tha—” when yet another text arrived first.
[Here’s the video link!]
“……”
There were follow-up texts asking if he was okay, but Kim Sibaek’s attention was entirely fixed on the provided link.
He didn’t even need to click. The thumbnail alone showed Tae Woon held in his arms in a princess carry. Had this seriously aired? And live, at that?
He’d appeared on broadcasts many times before, but this kind of exposure was unprecedented in his ninety-seven years. Kim Sibaek descended into deep thought—for about two minutes, at least—before accepting his fate.
What was done was done. He couldn’t exactly wipe everyone’s memories clean.
Upon looking again at the footage, Kim Sibaek noticed something else he’d missed in yesterday’s chaos: because of how tightly he’d embraced Tae Woon, the younger man’s suit pants were pulled taut and the coat had shifted aside, clearly revealing the smooth, elegant line from his waist down to his thighs and knees. Truly stunning.
The kid really has an incredible figure. He’s tall enough to be a model… I wonder who he takes after. Could it be me?
As Kim Sibaek slowly typed a message asking the HG Guildmaster how to save a thumbnail image to his phone, his phone suddenly rang.
♥Woonie♥
Seeing the caller’s name appear on his screen, Kim Sibaek swallowed nervously, feeling an unfamiliar tension tighten his throat.
