Chapter 49

When compared to Sa-yoon, the only thing Geon-joo could push forward in this situation, being inferior in all aspects, was one thing.

That Sa-yoon quite cherished him. That he valued him for some unknown reason.

He had to use that as a weapon and secretly dig up Sa-yoon’s secret. To do that, he first needed to engage in conversation, build a rapport, and guide Sa-yoon to let his guard down around him. However, the problem was that after returning to the guild, Sa-yoon had put him in a room and hadn’t shown his face since.

He didn’t even attend Geon-joo’s welcome party, even though he had gone as far as kidnapping him to recruit him. As a result, Geon-joo had to glumly accept drinks in the guild’s basement, surrounded by nothing but unfamiliar faces.

Perhaps noticing his resentment or wanting to get close to him, the Night Rats Guild members clung to Geon-joo and shared various stories with him.

They told Geon-joo that he was the first guild member to be recruited at the villa and enter with all limbs intact, and that judging by the fact that he hadn’t broken a single bone yet, he was greatly favored by Sa-yoon.

Even while hearing all the praise and admiration, Geon-joo couldn’t take those words at face value.

More precisely, it was closer to not understanding Sa-yoon’s actions.

If he favors me, shouldn’t he come to the welcome party?

There was no time when people became more relaxed and let their guard down than at a place where they were encouraged to drink to their heart’s content. He had planned to have a conversation over a few drinks, but seeing that plan crumble before it even started was both bewildering and disappointing.

So he went to find him.

Directly, to a place where Sa-yoon might be.

He slipped away from the welcome party for a moment to search, but what he found was Jongsik, who had been by Sa-yoon’s side both at the center and the villa, and the guild leader who hadn’t even shown his face at Geon-joo’s welcome party.

Seeing Sa-yoon together with Jongsik, not even coming down to the basement to greet him, suspicion rose within Geon-joo. It was quite suspicious that they were together again like this, even after being attached all day.

Could they have some special relationship?

Although Sa-yoon seemed to cherish Geon-joo quite a bit, in his eyes, Sa-yoon appeared most at ease when Jongsik was by his side.

It was only natural, but Sa-yoon trusted Jongsik, who had been by his side for a long time, more than Geon-joo, and that man followed Sa-yoon loyally in equal measure. They seemed quite close to each other.

Then, did that man know Sa-yoon’s secret?

The narrowing of his eyes was irresistible. If the secret he thought he would be the first to uncover had already been snatched away by someone else, his interest waned. The train of thought that had continued up to that point soon shifted again.

Thanks to the expression Jongsik had made on the day Geon-joo was kidnapped to the villa.

At that time, Jongsik clearly had a bewildered face. He didn’t know what was going on, but his expression clearly showed that he would do whatever Sa-yoon told him to do anyway.

Recalling the expression and regaining his lost composure and interest, Geon-joo confirmed that Jongsik didn’t know.

Since it was confirmed that Jongsik didn’t know, all he had to do was do well himself. As their conversation at the villa hadn’t been very friendly, he showed a somewhat relaxed attitude here and initiated a conversation to build rapport. He thought Sa-yoon would accommodate him to some extent as he had become more compliant, but the answer he received was completely off the mark.

‘It’s good to have fun, but don’t drink so much that you can’t get up tomorrow.’

‘Are you worried about me?’

‘You have to run a few gates starting tomorrow.’

Couldn’t he have given a slightly affectionate answer when asked if he was worried? He had spat out the question, aiming to hear something like, ‘Yeah, I’m worried about you,’ but instead, he received a threat-like remark that he would be running gates to the point of vomiting.

He said that if he just diligently ran gates, he would become an A-rank within three months.

Is that important right now?

Whether running gates or killing monsters, the first thing to do was to become close, but Sa-yoon acted as if he had no interest in such things.

I really don’t know if a person like this can truly make me an S-rank in the end. It feels like I signed a fraudulent contract. In the end, Geon-joo returned empty-handed, despite going up to bring Sa-yoon down.

Although it was regrettable, opportunities didn’t end after just one attempt.

During the free time he finally obtained after the boisterous welcome party ended, Geon-joo dragged his tired body to the bedroom and drank the remaining alcohol. He preferred drinking alone, enjoying the solitude, rather than rubbing shoulders with people, so he felt the intoxication rising faster than before.

That’s when Sa-yoon entered.

How he found Geon-joo’s room was unknown.

Did he search every room?

Even Geon-joo himself hadn’t been assigned a room in advance. He had just scanned the rooms where the guild members who had come up were staying, and they told him he could rest here, so he entered. Thinking that even Sa-yoon couldn’t have known that in advance, he smiled amiably.

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like Sa-yoon had come to see him. This was a green light.

Since acting slightly submissive in the previous conversation hadn’t worked at all, this time, he decided to act thoroughly soft and pliant.

He smiled as if he was even being coquettish and asked if Sa-yoon had come to see him, but Sa-yoon didn’t answer. He muttered with a somewhat dumbfounded face that Geon-joo was dead drunk. For Geon-joo, it was an absurd statement.

I’m not that drunk yet.

It seemed that just because Geon-joo had been cold a few times before, Sa-yoon judged him to be dead drunk just from being this loosened up.

He should have responded better.

When was I ever cold from the beginning? I acted that way because he kept rejecting me, twisting my mood.

If Sa-yoon had just accommodated me well, I would have acted friendly and smooth, just like I did with others. Seeing him react with such doubt, it seemed that this approach was indeed more effective in drawing out Sa-yoon’s true intentions.

After all, soft speech and harmless smiles were perfect for making people let their guard down and captivating them.

Now seemed to be the opportunity.

He happened to have alcohol in his hand, and the night was deep, making for a nice atmosphere.

Nothing made people more honest than alcohol and darkness. It was the perfect atmosphere to confess hidden facts.

Thinking it would be easier to lead the conversation if he revealed his own weaknesses first, he deliberately pretended to complain. When he expressed his disappointment about Sa-yoon not attending the welcome party, Sa-yoon flinched and answered that he was busy.

Busy, he says.

It was a good sign that he made an excuse, but the Sa-yoon he saw with Jongsik didn’t look busy at all, so he craved a drink.

Is that what they call being busy these days? If he had said he was busy hanging out with Jongsik, it would have been a bit more understandable.

As he tilted the wine glass and sipped the remaining alcohol, the man refilled his glass. When asked if he was going to drink, Sa-yoon replied that he didn’t like alcohol. When Geon-joo inquired about the reason, Sa-yoon said he didn’t get drunk easily, making Geon-joo laugh.

Who doesn’t like alcohol just because they don’t get drunk?

It was amusing. No matter how friendly and relaxed Geon-joo acted towards him, trying to induce him to let his guard down, the fact that laughter came out so easily showed that the intoxication had indeed risen.

He felt a certain degree of heat in his throat as well. He thought he should make a move before getting more drunk, but unlike Geon-joo, who had asked various questions, Sa-yoon didn’t inquire about anything trivial. Rather than doing it on purpose, it seemed he didn’t have much to ask Geon-joo.

Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem to want to end the conversation either. He just didn’t feel the need to ask first or initiate a conversation.

He’s quite a selfish person.

But even so, what can be done about it?

It was natural for the one in need to act a little more passionate.

Since the only thing they had in common was a man Geon-joo knew only superficially, he brought up the topic of Jongsik again.

When asked about their relationship, Sa-yoon’s expression seemed quite comfortable as he answered that they were the guild leader and vice-guild leader. It was clear enough to know that Sa-yoon gained a sense of stability from him to some extent.

They must have a very solid relationship.

For some reason, it felt like his insides were twisting.

If Jongsik alone is enough, why did he bring me here?

‘Why did you bring me here?’

Half impulsively and half intentionally, he asked. When he asked, poking as if to provoke, Sa-yoon made an excuse that even a kindergartener wouldn’t believe, saying he brought Geon-joo because he looked interesting.

That’s not all.

There’s another reason.

There must be a reason why you showed impatience towards me.

They say that putting in effort, whether fishing or dining, yields better results, but he was slowly getting tired of it.

If it were other people, this would be about the right timing, but even when Geon-joo tried to steer the conversation, Sa-yoon dragged it out for a long time. Geon-joo had to suppress his urge to demand the other reason right away.

‘Not that. There’s a real reason, isn’t there? The real reason you had to bring me here.’

Instead, he only cast a small doubt, resembling a demand.

To check if he had misunderstood, if Sa-yoon was really hiding a secret, and if it was indeed related to him.

In response to the question meant to verify, Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes and looked at Geon-joo. He felt the question he had subtly raised evaporate in an instant.

If a person had nothing to be suspicious about, they wouldn’t react in this way.

If it was really nothing, they could just brush it off, but Sa-yoon pressed his lips together and scrutinized Geon-joo. As he furtively glanced away, he saw Sa-yoon’s fingertips fidgeting.

Geon-joo, who had been trying hard not to let his lips curve up following Sa-yoon’s reaction, swallowed his laughter.

See, I’m right, aren’t I?

It was the moment it became certain that Sa-yoon had some purpose he wanted to achieve through Geon-joo.

At least it seemed he hadn’t wasted time by making a wild guess.