“Distrust and wariness? Distrust?”
“…”
“He’s saying something about slight interest. Why is he so fussy?”
Is he kidding about the gates? Does he think it’s easy to provide full support and make him grind gates?
After Geon-joo left, Sa-yoon, who had been trying to hold back his anger, brushed his disheveled hair. The slightly curly hair fell apart at his fingertips.
As Sa-yoon was replaying the short conversation with Geon-joo like a strategy guide and inferring what about his words and actions had caused distrust, a persistent gaze followed the back of his head. Even when he tried to ignore it, the intensity grew thicker, getting on his nerves. Sa-yoon finally turned his head irritably at the increasingly relentless gaze.
“What’s wrong with you too?”
On top of being disturbed by Geon-joo, Jongsik was also getting on his nerves. When Sa-yoon asked the reason for the constant suspicious glances, the hulking man looked at Sa-yoon in a manner unfitting for his size. His attitude showed he had something to say but was hesitating.
“I’m asking what the problem is.”
Irritation mixed into his voice. Deciding to kick Jongsik out of the room if he kept quiet again, the man, who had been expressing his difficulty, let out a long sigh before bringing up his business.
“…I understand even if you’re like that, hyung-nim.”
“Like what?”
“It’s okay. I understand everything.”
The man, who had closed his eyes tightly before opening them, spoke in a serious tone. Sa-yoon, who couldn’t understand what he was talking about, plopped down on the sofa.
“What do you understand?”
“Your situation, hyung-nim.”
“And what situation is that?”
He felt like he would explode from waiting. When Sa-yoon snapped at him for beating around the bush instead of spitting it out at once, Jongsik, who had been interrogated, gulped.
“That… For you to gain Han Geon-joo’s favor, don’t you have to become gay or something similar, hyung-nim?”
“…?”
“…Am I wrong?”
Jongsik made a foolish expression as he asked again. Sa-yoon furrowed his nose bridge, revealing his bewilderment.
Did this bastard read gay novels during his free time or something?
He had no idea what made Jongsik misunderstand like that. What kind of thoughts did he normally have for his imagination to leap that far? When Sa-yoon contemptuously looked at Jongsik, who had jumped to conclusions correctly despite being wrong, the man scratched the back of his head.
“Am I really wrong?”
“Why did you think that?”
“Well, the atmosphere between you and Geon-joo seemed somehow peculiar…”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, unnecessarily suggestive and melancholic…”
Jongsik added, making a strange hand gesture of rubbing the air with his fingers. Sa-yoon, who frowned in disgust, threw a cushion that was beside him at Jongsik to help him escape from his delusions. When Sa-yoon warned him not to think nonsense, Jongsik, who seemed to judge that Sa-yoon was feeling embarrassed, patted his chest and inhaled.
“I’m fine even if you’re gay, hyung-nim. I’ll still serve you.”
“I told you, it’s not like that.”
Sa-yoon had only been slightly gentle with Geon-joo to make him feel more at ease. The fact that Jongsik was making such a fuss over that one thing made a firm suspicion bloom in Sa-yoon’s mind.
“Have you been reading gay novels or something behind my back?”
“What?”
“Or have you watched videos like that?”
“Excuse me?”
Jongsik jumped in surprise. When Sa-yoon gave him a look asking what kind of guy would do that, the man, who insisted he wasn’t that type of person, only broke out in a cold sweat without being able to answer. Sa-yoon clicked his tongue at the man who couldn’t say anything and just kept sweating profusely.
“Stop talking nonsense and sit properly. You’re so big that standing there is making me dizzy.”
“…Yes.”
“…”
“But hyung-nim, I’m really not like that…”
“Jongsik.”
And he calls himself an executive.
What does it matter if he’s gay? As long as he does his job well, that’s all that matters. Sa-yoon, who slightly curved his eyes, consoled Jongsik, saying, “Even if you’re gay, this hyung can understand you.” Jongsik, who received the exact words he had said, could only press his lips tightly with a look that showed he had a lot to say.
Even though he had a displeased expression, Jongsik persistently stared at Sa-yoon as if he wanted to explain himself. Reluctantly asking why his thoughts had leaped like that and taking the time to clear up his misunderstanding, it took a short while to drill into Jongsik’s head that favoritism and sexual orientation were different, like force-feeding education. Only after 10 minutes did Jongsik conclude that the conversation between Sa-yoon and Geon-joo was a normal one between a boss and a subordinate the boss favored. Jongsik, who had regained his senses, changed the topic of the conversation.
“So where are you planning to go for the gate? I’ll prepare it.”
“Where else? I have to take him to the field.”
“…Pardon?”
“What?”
“Are you referring to the field I know?”
“Then has a new gate appeared without me knowing?”
“No, but isn’t the field an S-rank gate?”
The S-rank gate, “The Ruined World.”
Also known as the field among hunters, it was a place where even skilled members of the Night Owl guild would spend at least two months to half a year once they entered. Those who entered the gate and returned always came out as if their souls had been drained, but it was certain that their skills improved significantly.
It was because Sa-yoon had such a hidden card that he thought he could make Geon-joo an A-rank within a month at the earliest. However, Jongsik, who heard his words, seemed to have a different opinion.
“Why an S-rank gate?”
When Sa-yoon asked Jongsik, who had a look of disbelief, he sighed deeply. Sa-yoon’s brows narrowed.
“Why are you sighing again?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? If you push him like that, Geon-joo will definitely run away.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why? Isn’t it an S-rank gate? That bastard Geon-joo is only a B-rank.”
“So what? I, an S-rank, will be going with him.”
What’s the big deal when I had entered there as a D-rank?
When Sa-yoon asked, genuinely unable to understand, Jongsik, who considered Sa-yoon half-crazy, gazed at his guild leader as if gauging how to explain, then opened his mouth.
“You said you died a few times in that gate, right?”
“412 times?”
“When did you say you came out?”
“After a year.”
“And you became an A-rank.”
“It was a vertical rank jump.”
From D-rank to A-rank. He had grown by a whopping 3 levels and cleared the gate. As Sa-yoon was recalling when the system suddenly threw him into the field, saying he was a D-rank and that the true evil of humanity must be strong until he became an A-rank, Jongsik straightened his posture, rested his elbows on his knees, and leaned towards Sa-yoon.
“And you still don’t know what the problem is?”
“…”
“Ordinary Awakened don’t come back to life like you even if they die. It’s natural to be terrified when facing the danger of death. Who would trust someone pushing them into a place where they could die? I guarantee that if you choose the field as the first gate, your relationship with Geon-joo will deteriorate.”
Jongsik declared in a low voice. With his serious demeanor, Sa-yoon had no choice but to listen to his opinion. In a place filled with half-crazy bastards, with even the leader Sa-yoon maintaining a facade of normalcy while being twisted inside, Jongsik was the only one with a properly functioning mind. There had never been a time when it was bad to listen to the advice he solemnly offered.
“…Won’t it be okay if I protect him?”
“If the Grim Reaper suddenly appeared one day and pushed me into hell, saying he would protect me from evil spirits, I would surely find that very trustworthy.”
Indeed, when Sa-yoon calmly thought about it, Jongsik’s words made quite a bit of sense. Until now, with only crazy bastards around, when thrown into the field, they would grumble a little but ultimately be happy, cheer, or get excited. However, Geon-joo could be different.
Recalling that Geon-joo was a new Awakened who had only been awakened for a week, Sa-yoon reluctantly took a step back.
“Then I guess we’ll have to start with a C-rank gate. Have a car ready and find a gate since we’ll be going tomorrow.”
“That’s a wise decision, hyung. Geon-joo has just finished the beginner’s gate, so it will be his first time tackling a gate above E-rank. Therefore, I guarantee that a C-rank gate will be sufficient to gauge that bastard Geon-joo’s skills.”
When Sa-yoon changed his mind, Jongsik visibly brightened and added an explanation. He immediately walked to the desk, took out six file folders, and flipped through the papers. They were all lists of domestic gates owned by Night Owl.
Since Jongsik had done this more than once or twice, Sa-yoon quietly waited, knowing that if left alone, he would choose a good gate. Sensing something, Jongsik emphasized to Sa-yoon again that he shouldn’t go back on his word after saying this much. Sa-yoon waved his hand in agreement as if it was bothersome, discreetly raising the corners of his mouth where Jongsik couldn’t see.
For now, he planned to proceed slowly as Jongsik had said.
Only until this gate, though.
The first gate was C-rank, but the second gate should also be a low rank?
That was out of the question.
Sa-yoon himself was a top-tier S-rank personnel. What could be the problem with him sticking close?
After confirming Geon-joo’s skills and sense to a certain extent, Sa-yoon planned to take him straight to an A-rank gate starting from the second one. He glanced at Jongsik, who was focused on the documents. Although Jongsik’s words made a lot of sense, Sa-yoon also had his own reasons for insisting on high-difficulty gates.
Originally, when people overcame life-threatening situations together a few times, they naturally came to trust each other. As they struggled together, something similar to camaraderie formed, and a bond was created. That was what Sa-yoon was aiming for.
Additionally, if they went to a high-rank gate, there was the advantage of Sa-yoon being able to save Geon-joo’s life multiple times.
People show goodwill to their savior. Even if he deliberately led Geon-joo into traps, after saving him three or four times, Geon-joo would naturally develop a favorable impression of him.
Isn’t it human nature to rely on someone stronger than oneself in dangerous situations?
Having lived a decade half-controlled by the system and witnessed various human specimens, Sa-yoon could write a philosophical book on what kind of beings humans were.
Muttering that the real start would be from the second gate, Sa-yoon chuckled, and Jongsik, sensing an ominous feeling, looked at the grinning Sa-yoon with unease before lowering his head again.
A small song flowed from Sa-yoon’s mouth.