#138
The finger movement of turning the guild app on and off was extremely nervous.
Choi Hanseo had already repeated several times the action of opening the guild app to send a guiding request to Lee Eunseok, only to close it again.
The scene he had witnessed when he went down for the First Combat Team’s photo shoot kept flashing before his eyes. Kwon Eunchae placing her hands on Eunseok’s shoulder and whispering in his ear, and Eunseok looking at Eunchae as if she was adorable. Their intimate appearance had momentarily made him lose his mind.
He quickly realized it wasn’t rational behavior. But Hanseo couldn’t stop there. He dragged Eunseok out, forcibly kissed him, and even spouted irrational words. Even while doing so, he was aware that something was wrong, but he just couldn’t stop.
Was this the manifestation of an abnormal obsession and possessiveness towards an S-rank guide?
Hanseo thought, furrowing his brow.
If this abnormal obsession and possessiveness towards Eunseok had existed before… Perhaps the disappearance of Eunseok’s lover was indeed related to Hanseo himself. He might have wanted to get rid of Eunseok’s lover, who was an obstacle. And in that context, Eunseok’s strangely intense hostility towards Hanseo made sense. It was natural to be hostile towards the person who had done that to one’s lover.
But Eunseok’s attitude was a bit odd to think of it that way entirely. While showing hostility towards Hanseo, he didn’t neglect the guiding. Even on the day Hanseo woke up with memory loss, although not enthusiastic about insertion guiding, hadn’t Eunseok maintained a relatively cooperative attitude?
There seemed to be… something more.
Hanseo closed the contacts screen and started browsing through his phone. Perhaps because he had bulk downloaded the apps that were originally on his phone, he saw a few newly installed apps. Among them, Hanseo found one app that he thought he would never use.
Without much thought, Hanseo tapped on the app. He logged in using his usual ID and password. The name of a cafe he had joined popped up.
[Zero Point]
It was a fan cafe with an unknown name.
What on earth had happened in those two years for him to install such an app?
For the first time since waking up after the accident, Hanseo felt the urge to explore his lost past.
Upon accessing the fan cafe, the latest posts filled the screen.
[Chat/Misc] Hope the First Combat Team’s photo shoot comes out soon. [523]
[Chat/Misc] Any new news on the Choi-Lee couple? Life is boring. [364]
[Chat/Misc] Seeing them clear without the A-rank Choi-Lee couple, Choi must still be recovering? [587]
[Chat/Misc] Hurry up and release the First Combat Team group shot delayed by the helicopter accident! [734]
There was a series of chat posts without much content. Hanseo was about to close the app when he paused.
[Chat/Misc] Revisiting the Choi-Lee couple’s Las Vegas kiss scene [2,964]
Hanseo clicked on that post almost instinctively. After a moment, high-quality photos filled his phone screen. Hanseo held his breath looking at the photos on his phone. In the photos, Eunseok and himself were sharing a passionate kiss, oblivious to the people passing by.
Hanseo scrolled down the screen with a stiff face. More photos followed. In the photos, Eunseok was comfortably nestled in Hanseo’s arms, wearing a comfortable and happy expression.
Choi-Lee couple.
Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunseok couple?
His head felt numb as if he had been struck.
“Past tense, is it? So you broke up?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then?”
“They went missing.”
Missing. Eunseok had clearly said that.
The lover of Eunseok, who was neither dead nor found, was none other than Choi Hanseo himself!
Hanseo, who had forgotten to breathe for a moment, rubbed his face several times. He was perplexed and bewildered. It was absurd and incredulous.
Me, Eunseok’s lover? That hunter lover he said was missing was me?
His mind tangled and untangled like a knotted thread.
After being dazed for a while, Hanseo scoured the cafe posts as if looking for remaining clues.
[News] Choi-Lee couple got couple piercings in Las Vegas!! [14,852]
Piercings.
Hanseo clicked on that post as a thought crossed his mind.
The first photo showed Eunseok and Hanseo looking at something in a luxury shopping mall. In the next photo, the two were leaving the mall’s VIP room side by side. And the next photo was a close-up of the two’s earlobes as they left the VIP room. Black jeweled piercings sparkled in both of their ears.
Piercings!
Hanseo jumped up from his seat.
As he left the office, Secretary Lee stood up in surprise.
“Guild Master?”
Secretary Lee called, but Hanseo had no time to answer her. He went straight up to the penthouse and entered the bathroom. He had checked the piercing in the bathroom mirror and removed it then, so surely it must be somewhere here…
With an anxious mind, Hanseo opened the drawer under the sink and started rummaging through it roughly. But being such a small object, it was nowhere to be seen. Hanseo eventually pulled out two drawers entirely, placed them on the sink, and started throwing the contents onto the floor one by one. After emptying almost everything from the drawers, the black piercing finally revealed itself.
Hanseo stared at the piercing tucked away in the corner of the drawer like useless trash. Somehow, he couldn’t easily reach for the piercing.
An indescribable emotion surged.
“Sorry for the abruptness, but I’m in a hurry.”
“Don’t tell me we’ve never had proper guiding yet?”
“Why are you being so formal when we’ve already seen everything? Ah, do you prefer it gentler and kinder? I’m sorry. Was I too rough?”
“Thank you, Guide Lee Eunseok. You saved my life.”
The image of Eunseok, who never looked at Hanseo with his eyes tightly shut, and the words Hanseo had said to him flashed through his mind.
“They went missing.”
The image of Eunseok speaking calmly came to mind. He certainly had a calm and composed face, but his eyes were flowing with deep loss. And to think that the subject was none other than Choi Hanseo himself…
Hanseo roughly ran his hand through his hair. Even when he squeezed his eyes shut, his lost memories remained empty. For the first time, Hanseo felt frustrated about losing his memories.
Hanseo took out his phone and was about to dial Eunseok’s number, but changed his mind and called Secretary Lee Eunju.
– Yes, Guild Master.
“Was I the hunter that Guide Lee Eunseok was dating?”
Hanseo asked abruptly.
– …That’s correct.
Secretary Lee answered with a slightly awkward voice.
“It’s been days since I lost my memory, why didn’t you tell me something so important?”
– At first, the timing wasn’t right, and later, Guide Lee didn’t want it.
“You should have told me anyway.”
– I’m sorry. It was such a personal matter that it was difficult to mention carelessly. And Guide Lee… didn’t want it either.
Secretary Lee wasn’t the type to repeat unnecessary words. Yet she repeated twice that Eunseok didn’t want it. It meant that Eunseok’s wishes were as important to her as Hanseo’s. Or Eunseok had asked very strongly. Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant thing.
– Guild Master.
“Speak.”
– When dealing with Guide Lee, I think it would be best to be as careful as possible. You may not remember now, but you considered Guide Lee very important.
“You’re telling me not to do anything I’ll regret.”
– …
Secretary Lee affirmed with silence.
“I’ll handle that myself.”
Hanseo ended the call and stared at the piercing for a moment before abruptly standing up. He needed to see Eunseok right now.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
