Under Creature Chapter 10.2

‘Right. What’s the point of staying in the office anyway? Just gonna smell more dust?’

He promptly zipped up his jacket and followed Seo Dohyun out.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

Jin Geonwoo watched intently as Yigeom and Dohyun went outside and disappeared. Sanha, noticing his gaze, quickly explained.

“The guy who just left, Dohyun, is the master here….”

“I see. But are those two close? Do they always go for walks together, just the two of them?”

“They’re in the same guild, so they’re close. They call it a walk, but it’s probably mostly work talk.”

“Work talk? They could just do it here.”

“Ah, well….”

Sanha hesitated, wondering if he should tell him this. He guessed that they slipped out to talk because they couldn’t have a meeting about the weekly vigilante matters in front of everyone.

However, the fact that Yigeom and Dohyun go to the vigilante group wasn’t a secret itself, and other hunters knew about it through the grapevine. Figuring there was no need to hide something that would be found out anyway, he told Jin Geonwoo that the two of them were merging guild and vigilante work, and that’s why they often went out together. He carefully hid the facts about Seo Dohyun’s ability and that Jewoo was a Blood Hunter.

Then Jin Geonwoo asked with a puzzled look.

“But why are only those two in the vigilante group?”

“Huh?”

“Can’t we join too?”

“That’s because it would be dangerous if we joined….”

“So you’re saying it’s okay for those two to be in danger?”

A sudden silence fell at Jin Geonwoo’s words.

🦅࿐

“Gyeom-ah, wanna go see the sea?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Contrary to Latter’s assumption that they had gone outside separately to discuss vigilante matters, Yigeom and Dohyun had actually diligently ditched work and come out for some fresh air.

Occasionally, when they didn’t feel like working, the two of them would escape from Latter. Whenever that happened, Yigeom would feel a sense of wonder.

‘Why don’t they stop us?’

Yigeom was puzzled that the others, who would normally cling to his clothes and ask why they were going for a walk without them, let them go so obediently, but he just figured it was some unspoken consideration and left.

He had no idea that the remaining people were letting them go without a word thanks to the misunderstanding that ‘they must be going to do vigilante work.’

Well, what’s good is good, right?

Thanks to this mutual misunderstanding, they were able to slip out smoothly.

“Right. But aren’t you going to properly introduce yourself to that hyung?”

“Sanha hyung?”

“No. Geonwoo-hyung.”

“We did earlier.”

‘You call that doing it?’

He didn’t expect any social skills from Seo Dohyun, but they were people they would be seeing often from now on, yet he ended it with a simple nod as if they’d only see each other once.

He tried to let it go, thinking, He’ll handle it on his own, but it still bothered him, so he asked.

“You don’t like having a new member?”

“Why? Is my opinion important?”

Yigeom actively suppressed the urge to frown.

How is he so good at saying things that are so irritating? When have we ever not listened to your opinion?

However, having dealt with Seo Dohyun for a while, Yigeom had developed some immunity and knew. He knew that he wasn’t intentionally trying to get under his skin with malice. Because of that, he didn’t get angry right away and spoke in a roundabout way.

“You think it wouldn’t be important?”

Seo Dohyun also quickly realized that Yoon Yigeom had swallowed his anger and quickly offered an explanation.

“It’s not that. I’m saying I don’t mind whatever you do. If you want to do it, then do it.”

In the past, the two of them would bicker every time they had a conversation, but now that they knew each other’s personalities deeply, they avoided potential problems and didn’t lead the conversation in a direction that would cause trouble in the first place.

It was a change that had occurred over time.

“Still, there must be something that makes you uncomfortable.”

At Yigeom’s questioning, Seo Dohyun paused for a moment before opening his lips.

“There is.”

“What is it?”

He was curious what could possibly make Seo Dohyun—a leaky bucket outside, but one that strangely didn’t leak inside, who would dote on and praise whatever Latter did—uncomfortable.

Then the car stopped at a red light, and Seo Dohyun turned to face Yigeom and asked.

“Why are you in charge of the new guy?”

“…That’s.”

“If you play with him, who do I play with?”

He looked a little sulky.

Yigeom’s expression hardened in an instant. It was a look that said if only Seo Dohyun wasn’t driving, he would have surely hit him.

“It’s Geonwoo-hyung.”

“Ah… sorry. How old did you say he was?”

“28. Same age as Sanha hyung.”

This guy, if he doesn’t like something, he pretends not to know even when he does. He heard it last time…. Yigeom, not wanting to start a fight for no reason, let it slide by telling him again.

If there was one fortunate thing to point out, it was that he listened well to his words.

‘Should I consider this fortunate?’

No matter how he thought about it, Seo Dohyun was a truly difficult type of person to handle.

In the meantime, Seo Dohyun rolled down the window and showed a refreshing smile.

“Gyeom-ah, I can smell the sea.”

His effort to soothe his mood in the midst of all that was commendable.

“It’s humid. Close it.”

At Yigeom’s prickly words, he rolled the window back up without exchanging more than a few words.

“Yoon Yigeom has no romance.”

“That’s not something you should be saying, is it?”

Look who’s talking…. Yigeom muttered as he gazed out at the blue scenery outside the window.

“The weather’s nice, though.”

🦅࿐

“Oh, Yigeom, you’re here.”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Seo Dohyun?”

“Our CA times overlapped, so it’s just me today.”

Today was the day for the weekly vigilante meeting. Yigeom greeted the vigilante members he had become familiar with over the past six months and found his seat.

Time was a scary thing.

Just six months ago, they were glaring at each other as if they would kill one another, but now their relationship had developed to the point of exchanging casual greetings.

The same went for him and Seo Dohyun getting close. At first, he thought he could never become close with a guy like this, but how on earth did it end up like this?

Lee Juyeong, sitting next to Yigeom, poked him and whispered.

“Good morning. You’re not going to a CA?”

“Why? Are you going to call me a bat and curse me out if I go?”

At Yigeom’s playful retort, Lee Juyeong looked rather guilty.

“I-I don’t do that anymore!?”

Lee Juyeong was the one who had given Yigeom and Dohyun the hardest time with hazing when they first joined the vigilante meeting.

He had disliked the fact that Yigeom practically lived in the archives and would constantly go find him to pick a fight, but as time went on, they ended up reading through the materials together.

It was only natural, because whenever he had a hundred questions and answers session with Yigeom about the literature, it was always Lee Juyeong who was left speechless first.

And so, he gradually started rummaging through documents next to Yigeom, sitting together at the table A had prepared, and occasionally chatting about the materials, slowly becoming close enough to call each other hyung and dongsaeng.

Ignoring Lee Juyeong, who was turning red and shouting about his past mistakes, Yigeom looked at him as a thought suddenly occurred.

Then he cut off Lee Juyeong’s rambling excuses and asked a question.

“Hyung, you were a healer type, right?”

“If this is about what happened in the archives…. Huh? Yeah. I’m a healer.”

Perfect.

“Hyung, what did you learn after joining the vigilante group?”

“…Are you getting revenge for the hazing?”

“No, that’s not it….”

Yigeom calmly explained the situation. That an intern had joined his guild, that the intern was a healer, and that he had no idea what to teach him.

After hearing the whole story, Lee Juyeong blinked and asked.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Believe it or not, I’m the Vice Master.”

“What’s the Master doing?”

“He’s… not very keen on it, I think.”

From the start, most of Latter had a welcoming atmosphere for the intern, so Seo Dohyun was just going along with it, but he didn’t seem to particularly like it.

Especially when he said things like, Aren’t you not going to play with me because you’re too busy having fun with the intern?

“But why are you thinking about that? You’re busy enough as it is. Shouldn’t you leave that to your subordinates?”

“Subordinates….”

He means Seo Doa and Cha Jewoo? I should wish for something that’s actually possible. I’d be lucky if they don’t grab the intern’s hand and go on a food tour….

Besides, as always, the work was piled up, but since there were few members, everyone had been handling more than their fair share.

My work is my work, and other people’s work is also my work. In Latter, that was possible.

In the meantime, Kim Hyungkyu came in and the meeting began. There were many people absent from the meeting today for some reason. And that person too. Yigeom whispered to Lee Juyeong.

“Hyung, what about A?”

“He’s out on business.”

“Business? Didn’t he miss last week’s meeting because of business too?”

“I’ll tell you after.”

A hadn’t been seen at all lately, and the attendance rate of the vigilante members at meetings was low.

After nodding blankly, he focused on Kim Hyungkyu’s words announcing the meeting’s topic.

“Regarding the transport next month….”

Yigeom and Dohyun had helped with prisoner transport a few times. It was a surprisingly simple job. All they had to do was transfer the prisoner to another prison.

Today’s meeting covered points to be careful of during transport and how to deal with incidents if they occurred.

However, the name of the prisoner to be transferred couldn’t be known until the day of.

For security reasons, only A and Kim Hyungkyu knew, and the remaining members just had to proceed with the transport smoothly on the day.

The meeting ended with the conclusion that Yigeom and Dohyun would also participate in this transport operation.

Yigeom immediately stopped Lee Juyeong.

“Hyung, what you were about to say earlier….”

“Ah, that….”

“Mr. Yoon Yigeom, do you have a moment?”

Just then, Kim Hyungkyu approached and cut off their conversation. Lee Juyeong also stopped what he was about to say and discreetly read the room before stepping aside, gesturing for him to listen to Kim Hyungkyu.

‘What on earth is it?’

Putting his curiosity aside, he obediently followed Kim Hyungkyu.

“Please sit.”

They arrived at what was once Bae Sangu’s office, and was now Kim Hyungkyu’s.

At Kim Hyungkyu’s suggestion, Yigeom sat down comfortably.

“What did you want to talk to me about?”

Kim Hyungkyu rarely hesitated to answer. After a short wait, he began.

“Mr. Yigeom, you must be aware that the attendance rate of the members at meetings has been low recently.”

“Yes. Are they very busy?”

Although he was swamped with Latter’s work, the vigilante group was an organization cherished by his benefactor, Bae Sangu. Having been a member for half a year and grown close to the vigilante members, he couldn’t turn a blind eye to their difficulties.

That’s why he attended the meetings every week, and he was always ready to lend a hand.

He looked firmly at Kim Hyungkyu, as if to say, Just say the word.

“Mr. Yigeom, who do you think is the enemy of the Blood Hunters?”

“What?”

But he brought up something completely different. Yigeom thought for a moment before answering.

“Wouldn’t it be the vigilante group?”

“That’s right. Conversely, it also means it’s ‘only’ the vigilante group.”

“…I guess you could put it that way.”

In reality, regular hunters were not accustomed to fighting Blood Hunters, nor did they have resistance to their blood, which caused hallucinations. So the chances of winning a fight were bleak.

Yigeom, too, was building up resistance to the blood with the Association’s permission, under the condition that he would help with the vigilante group’s work.

‘My current level is probably around 17.’

But this was a race against time, so it was important to build resistance slowly.

Seo Dohyun’s was 87 half a year ago, and now it had risen to 90.

It was nigh impossible from the start to catch up to the level of Seo Dohyun, who had been in the hunter world for almost 10 years.

“In such a situation, what do you think would happen if we were to disappear?”

“…Is the vigilante group going to be disbanded?”

Realizing that Kim Hyungkyu’s question was not lighthearted, Yigeom immediately became serious.

“We could be annihilated by the hands of the Blood Hunters someday.”

Currently, the structure is clearly that regular hunters deal with creatures, and the vigilante group confronts Blood Hunters.

Even if the regular hunters were to disappear, it would be tough, but the vigilante group could fill the void by hunting creatures.

But what if, conversely, the vigilante group disappeared?

The Blood Hunters and creatures could team up to drive the regular hunters into a corner. If that happened, the regular hunters, who are no match for the Blood Hunters, would be smoothly annihilated.

After that, the world would fall into the clutches of the Blood Hunters.

Kim Hyungkyu was worried about that point.

“Then A is also….”

“Yes. Our members have been visiting various guilds lately.”

To find hunters who would help if the vigilante group was in danger.

They had been thinking about it for a while, but it was only in the last six months that A and Kim Hyungkyu had started to put it into action in earnest.

Until then, no matter how much they tried to persuade them, the majority of guilds were too busy looking out for their own safety. In fact, it wasn’t just the majority; all their proposals had been rejected. Every single one of them said they were too overwhelmed with CA hunting.

Their excuse was that while you guys catch Blood Hunters, we hunt creatures, and that they each had their own designated roles.

The fact that the vigilante group could now ask guilds for help was largely due to Latter’s role.

Although it was only Yigeom and Dohyun, they represented Latter as its Master and Vice Master, and their steps were a new wind.

Because thanks to Latter, they could no longer make the excuse of sticking to their respective roles.

That’s why, in the beginning, they were often badmouthed everywhere for acting like bats between the vigilante group and the guilds.

But was Latter a place that cared about what others thought?

They simply ignored it with a ‘screw you all’ attitude. And that path is now bringing about a change in the hunter world.

Yigeom, who was listening to Kim Hyungkyu’s explanation, narrowed his brow.

“Then the guilds that have agreed to help the vigilante group now….”

“Yes, there are a few.”

The vigilante group made a few conditions when making treaties with the guilds. One of them was that if a guild member was endangered by a Blood Hunter, they would, without question, help the guild they had a treaty with first.

As expected, the large, big-bodied guilds maintained their silence, but the newly established guilds expressed their willingness to cooperate with the vigilante group.

“And the reason I called you today, Mr. Yigeom, is also related to that. I should have proposed it to you first, but I’m late.”

Kim Hyungkyu clasped his hands together and looked at Yigeom with serious eyes.

“Mr. Yigeom. Not just to Seo Dohyun and Mr. Yoon Yigeom, but I am formally proposing this to Latter.”

“……”

“Will you join hands with us?”

After leaving the vigilante group, Yigeom had a consistently dazed look on his face.

‘No, why would they make such a major proposal when Seo Dohyun isn’t even here….’

Until now, only he and Seo Dohyun had attended the meetings, but things were different if this involved all of Latter.

If Seo Dohyun had been here today, he would have undoubtedly refused without a moment’s hesitation.

Though he might not seem like it, he cherished Seo Doa, Cha Jewoo, and Namgoong Sanha so much, as if they would break if touched, or fly away in the wind.

He was the type to fiercely look after his own people. So how could he accept a dangerous proposal where they might run into Blood Hunters?

Yigeom was certain he would never do that. Especially now that they had a new member, even if he was still an intern.

According to Kim Hyungkyu, the proposal made to Latter seemed to be a little different from the ones made to other guilds.

For other guilds, the request was simply to lend a hand if the Vigilante Corps seemed to be in real danger while they were hunting creatures as usual, but for Latter, they asked if all members could help with the Vigilante Corps’ work.

Perhaps they were planning to gradually increase the number of such guilds, starting with Latter.

‘Latter is already busy as it is….’

Of course, there was the special privilege of being granted access to the Vigilante Corps’ internal archives, but it was too much for Yigeom to decide on such a momentous matter alone.

First, he had to ask for everyone in Latter’s opinion.

Just as he was sighing heavily, at a loss for what to do, someone grabbed his shoulder.

“…Ah.”

Yigeom, who had immediately twisted his body to shake off the hand and was about to subdue the person, recognized who it was and withdrew his hand.

“Hello.”

Having spotted Yigeom while returning to the Vigilante Corps after finishing his work, A greeted him back in sign language.

[Hello.]

“Yes…. Hello. My meeting just ended, so I was about to leave.”

[Where are you going? Shall I give you a ride?]

“No, you must be busy, so it’s alright. And Seo Dohyun….”

Honk—. Just then, a car arrived with good timing and honked its horn.

“Seo Dohyun came to pick me up. I’ll be on my way now.”

Yigeom quickly said his goodbyes and got into the car. Cha Jewoo, who had gone creature hunting with them, was in the passenger seat.

“Hyung, did the meeting go well? What did you talk about?”

“Same as always.”

Cha Jewoo was always curious about what exactly Yigeom and Dohyun did at the Vigilante Corps. Even if he wanted to tell him, there were too many confidential matters, so the secrets just kept piling up.

Come to think of it, if they accepted the Vigilante Corps’ proposal, Cha Jewoo would also be doing their work. But since Cha Jewoo was a former Blood Hunter, wouldn’t that be a little awkward?

‘I’ll have to consider that point as well.’

🦅࿐

After arriving at the office, Yigeom told Jewoo to go inside first and called Seo Dohyun over separately.

“Is something wrong?”

Seo Dohyun slowly massaged the frown between Yigeom’s eyebrows. Yigeom pulled his face back, avoiding the touch, and told him everything about the proposal he received from the Vigilante Corps.

“So what did you say?”

“That I’d think about it more.”

“You should have just refused right away.”

Yigeom avoided answering. His thoughts hadn’t changed from what he’d thought while looking at Seo Doa during the Iryeon incident. Even though there had been an unforgettable major incident, he couldn’t just keep her cooped up in his arms forever.

“To be precise, the proposal was made to the kids too, so how can we refuse it at our level? We have to ask for their opinions.”

“There’s nothing to ask. The answer is no.”

Seo Dohyun declared he was done talking and turned to storm into the office.

“Seo Dohyun.”

“……”

Seo Dohyun stopped in his tracks at the sound of his name. Yigeom said firmly.

“Just talk to them.”

The reason he was persuading Seo Dohyun like this was because he was confident. Even if their ways of thinking were different, Seo Dohyun would at least try to listen to what he had to say.

‘Am I getting special treatment?’

Yigeom let out a faint, wry smile. Seo Dohyun had softened a lot compared to before, and he himself had changed a lot too.

In the past, he had been busy avoiding him, thinking, What’s the point of talking when I can’t even get through to that guy? But now, they could have debates like this and tried to accommodate each other.

He knew well that Seo Dohyun would try to listen to his words one way or another.

Eventually, Seo Dohyun gave a hollow laugh and said.

“You know I can’t win against you, don’t you?”

Yigeom smiled back at him and replied.

“I know. That’s why I’m doing this.”

After finishing their conversation, Yigeom returned to the office with Seo Dohyun and got straight to the point.

As expected, everyone was baffled. Among them, Jewoo asked with wide eyes.

“The Vigilante Corps?”

“Yeah. It’s not mandatory.”

This was a considerate remark, just in case Jewoo felt awkward about the Vigilante Corps.

He was most worried about Jin Geonwoo, who was listening quietly next to Doa, as he probably didn’t even know that Jewoo had been a Blood Hunter.

“The vote will be anonymous, and if even one person votes against it, we’ll turn it down.”

“Are you two voting too, hyungs?”

“Seo Dohyun and I aren’t.”

They already worked with the Vigilante Corps anyway, and if Seo Dohyun participated in the vote, one ‘no’ vote would unconditionally be his.

This vote was created for the remaining members of Latter: Seo Doa, Cha Jewoo, Namgoong Sanha, and Jin Geonwoo.

“I’m sorry, Geonwoo-hyung. This wasn’t why we brought you to Latter….”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like this happened because you guys intended it to.”

As Yigeom offered a brief apology, he waved his hands dismissively.

He probably hadn’t even adjusted to Latter yet, and now the Vigilante Corps. Even if he said that, it was bound to be overwhelming.

‘Later, if we go on a creature hunt together and our bond deepens….’

Then, Yigeom stopped the thought that had flashed through his mind.

He wasn’t Seo Dohyun, so he must have been crazy for a moment to think of building a relationship through creature hunting. Or maybe Seo Dohyun had possessed him in that brief instant.

After shivering to cast out the evil spirit, he handed out the ballots he had prepared.

“Write your vote here and give it to me.”

“Okay!”

While the others were voting, Seo Dohyun approached and leaned his head on Yigeom’s shoulder.

“Get off. You’re heavy.”

“Is this better now?”

Seo Dohyun tensed his neck and pretended to lean on an invisible shoulder, much like a student being punished with an invisible chair back in school.

‘What on earth is the reason for going that far.’

“Haa. If you’re going to do it, lean properly. You’ll get a crick in your neck.”

“Okay.”

Once Yigeom’s permission was finally granted, Seo Dohyun’s eyes crinkled as he gently leaned on him.

At this point, it seemed Seo Dohyun had also realized that if he acted pitiful, Yigeom would give in to almost anything.

After they had been like that for a while, people began to hand in their folded ballots one by one.

‘That took quite a while.’

It seems they were all thinking hard about the Vigilante Corps’ proposal, even if they pretended not to. Yigeom thought as he lightly shook the box containing the ballots.

There were four ballots in total.

“Alright, I’m pulling out the first one.”

“This feels like a class president election.”

Ignoring Doa’s mumble, he unfolded the crumpled paper and checked it. There was a circle on ‘agree.’

“The first vote is agree… Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Gyeom hyung?”

“……”

There was tiny handwriting at the bottom of the ballot.

Gyeom-ah, is the sword I made for you last time comfortable in your hand? How’s the blade? If the grip is uncomfortable, I can refine it a bit more for you. Oh, but the handle is made of leather, so it’ll eventually mold to the shape of your hand….

‘It’s Sanha hyung.’

He had trusted Namgoong Sanha, but he never expected him to so brazenly reveal his identity on an anonymous ballot.

Yigeom glanced at Namgoong Sanha before speaking again.

“I’ll say it one more time, this is an anonymous vote, so please make sure not to reveal your identity.”

They had already written and cast their votes, so they couldn’t be fixed. Still, he must have realized his mistake by now. But….

Flinch.

‘Why are you two startled?’

He let out a faint sigh as he watched Cha Jewoo and Seo Doa flinch as if by reflex, then took out and read the next ballot.

“It’s an agree.”

Gyeom oppa, if Geonwoo oppa is a healer, our compatibility might be surprisingly good. Since I need to see blood to use my abilities, wouldn’t it be good if Geonwoo oppa healed me? In the next CA, could you pair me and Geonwoo oppa….

Is there even a point to this being anonymous? It’s turned into something akin to a suggestion box or a “voice of the heart” box you’d find at school.

It was obvious Yigeom would read the papers and then dispose of them, so it seemed like everyone just added a message they wanted to tell him….

‘You could just send this stuff by text.’

Yigeom crumpled the paper.

“Gyeom-ah, the next one.”

After calming his anger for a moment, he checked the contents of the paper Seo Dohyun unfolded and held out.

“This one’s an agree, too.”

I’m for it! 🙂 I’ll just be supporting from the back with healing anyway, so you don’t have to feel too sorry for me.

‘…Yes, I will. Geonwoo-hyung.’

Yigeom pulled out the last paper from the ballot box that had lost all meaning of anonymity.

‘This is definitely Jewoo’s.’

Instead of a circle, the paper cheerfully read, ‘I agree!’ Next time there’s a vote, he’d have to lay down the law and say that any antics like this would be considered an invalid vote.

As expected, a short message was written below it.

Hyung, by the way. Do I not have to tell Geonwoo-hyung that I was a Blood Hunter? My conscience is pricking me because it feels like I’m hiding it>×<;;;

Of course, if Jewoo wanted to, it would be fine to tell him, but Yigeom’s judgment was that it would be better to be careful for now.

It hadn’t been long since Jin Geonwoo came to Latter, so he wanted to observe the situation a little longer to see if he was truly a trustworthy person who could keep a secret.

‘Is this a form of hazing, too?’

That wasn’t his intention, but he had unintentionally ended up hazing him.

Still, to Yigeom, Cha Jewoo’s safety was more important than Jin Geonwoo.

“Hyung, hyung. Is it agree or disagree?”

Jewoo asked, his eyes colored with curiosity.

‘This is your vote, you punk.’

Of course, Jewoo probably didn’t know it was his.

Yigeom muttered as he folded the ballot again.

“The last vote is also agree. With this, the Vigilante Corps’ proposal is accepted.”

Everyone nodded vigorously with confident eyes, as if to say that was their intention. It seemed they had felt a mix of apology and alienation about only Yigeom and Dohyun doing the Vigilante Corps’ work all this time.

Everyone looked happy. Except for one person.

“I had no idea. That everyone was so vastly interested in the Vigilante Corps.”

“Hey, Seo Dohyun….”

Yigeom tried to stop him quickly, but he glanced over the four ballots and muttered coolly.

“It will be dangerous.”

Gulp. The sound of someone swallowing could be heard.

Soon, Seo Doa spoke forcefully.

“So you want us to live in our oppas’ shadows forever?”

“Yes. If possible.”

“Who does he think he is, treating us like dolls. Hey, Seo Dohyun!!”

Doa shouted suddenly. She, who always made sure to call him ‘oppa’ even when she was angry, had lost her temper.

Yigeom, too, blinked blankly at the unprecedented situation.

“And you call yourself my brother? Even the child-rearing expert on TV says the ultimate goal of parenting is independence, what do you mean by keeping us cooped up in your arms!?”

To others, it might look like Doa suddenly got angry, but from what Yigeom had observed until now, Seo Doa had been holding back quite a lot in her own way.

There isn’t a single sibling in the world who would be proud of growing up on their older brother’s sacrifice.

However, Seo Dohyun looked surprised, as if he hadn’t expected it.

‘This is all your karma.’

Yigeom thought this was a good opportunity and didn’t stop Seo Doa. It was something Seo Dohyun needed to hear at least once in his life.

He couldn’t raise Latter like a pearl in a shell forever.

“I….”

“‘I’ nothing! You call yourself an oppa after doing that?”

“Do-Doa. Let’s calm down first. Dohyun is just thinking of us….”

“Sanha-oppa! If that man was really thinking of us, he shouldn’t be doing that. Our oppa’s way is wrong.”

Seo Doa was probably the only one who could say ‘You’re wrong’ to Seo Dohyun. It seemed even Seo Dohyun couldn’t win against his little sister.

And just as Seo Doa said, a hothouse flower raised delicately is more fragile in the wild.

Unlike Seo Dohyun, who would think, Then I’ll just raise them in the greenhouse forever, it seemed Doa wanted to go outside. Also, just as the ultimate goal of parenting is independence, she had to leave someday.

“Doa has a point.”

Yigeom’s lips curled into a faint smile as he muttered, as if for Seo Dohyun to hear.

“Gyeom-oppa, you’re the same! Always whispering amongst yourselves when something comes up!”

“That’s right! That was a bit too much! We’re part of Latter too, but you always leave us out, saying it’s dangerous!”

Jewoo, who had been quiet, turned the arrow on Yigeom, saying he agreed with that.

Hit by the stray spark, Yigeom’s mouth gaped open.

“Me… Why me?”

“Well…. Gyeom, you too, when something happens, you consult with Dohyun first and we’re second.”

Amid the chaos, Namgoong Sanha also spoke a long string of truths, as if he had things he’d been secretly piling up.

“…I do? I’ve never done that.”

“Wow, look how shameless this hyung is! Just a moment ago, you told me to go into the office first and then went to talk with Dohyun-hyung!”

“That was….”

Yigeom’s lips moved as he tried to make an excuse against Jewoo’s counterargument.

“That was to persuade him first.”

Soon, that excuse was also shot down by Namgoong Sanha’s scolding.

“…Gyeom-ah. If you hadn’t been able to persuade him, you wouldn’t have even mentioned it to us, would you? Even though our opinions are important enough to hold a vote?”

“……”

That was true too. Yigeom quickly conceded. Have I been acting like that without even realizing it? The biggest hurdle was Seo Dohyun, and it was true that he had approached him first thinking that if he could just persuade him, everything would work out.

He’d also had a lot of time alone with Seo Dohyun, so there were many opportunities to talk, and now, he tried to listen to his words in his own way.

Even if he tried to say, I persuaded Seo Dohyun for all of you, it was, as Doa said, the same as taking away their chance to persuade Seo Dohyun themselves.

He had done it out of a mindset of, It’s more convenient if I do it, and, I can handle this much.

‘They could do it if they tried.’

Seo Dohyun’s contribution to raising Latter as hothouse flowers was significant, but Yigeom had helped a lot too.

Only then did Yigeom realize his mistake and mumble awkwardly.

“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to, but it just happened. I’ll be careful from now on.”

After receiving the apology, Doa let out a sharp huff of breath and calmed down.

“Hmph, as long as you understand. You did it by mistake, oppa. But please be careful next time.”

“R-Right. Thanks.”

Having been absolved anyway, Yigeom glanced at Seo Dohyun. He looked unabashed, with no intention of apologizing.

‘This is going to take a few days to persuade him again.’

Seo Dohyun was secretly stubborn as a mule. What he believed to be right was right, and in reality, it was usually efficient.

That’s why he never easily bent his own arguments. But the same would be true for Seo Doa, who shared his blood.

Yigeom watched the situation with a soulless smile. They were siblings living under one roof, after all, so it was obvious that they would fight and then make up quickly.

Little did he know that the fight would drag on for an unexpectedly long time.

🦅࿐

Yigeom trudged along, an umbrella in one hand. The Seo siblings’ fight, which he thought would end quickly, had dragged on tenaciously.

It was, in a word, a cold war.

Both had personalities that didn’t know how to lose, so they kept their mouths firmly shut and never apologized first, causing the people around them to suffer all the collateral damage.

They felt sorry about that, but they didn’t end the fight.

It had reached a point where he had the reasonable suspicion that they might have forgotten what they were even fighting about.

‘If you’re going to fight, do it at home.’

What was the point of coming all the way to the office to have a cold war?

Haa, he let out a deep sigh and headed for the restaurant they had agreed on.

Today, he wasn’t meeting Latter, but had a drinking session with his university friends.

Of course, Kang Taeha was there too.

He was already 30 minutes late, saying he had to handle a CA Area.

He quickly arrived at the restaurant and was about to open the door and go in when he saw Kang Taeha at what appeared to be the back door of the restaurant.

‘It’s been raining a lot, probably because of the monsoon season.’

He used to dislike rainy days because they felt clammy, but it was different now.

When it rained, his field of vision widened, and now it wasn’t a strain to see beyond 50 meters, so he rather liked it. The limit of his ability had expanded.

‘That aside, what’s Kang Taeha doing at the back door?’

His thumb was moving quickly, as if he were texting, but no notification went off on his phone.

‘Who is he sending it to?’