Under Creature Chapter 13.4

“Not yet. I’m too busy adjusting right now.”

“I see.”

Yigeom had requested two pieces of information from Jin Geonwoo. A’s ability and its rank.

He had already guessed that A’s ability was healing-related. When A had grabbed him at the previous shelter, he had felt a healing aura flow into him.

Nevertheless, the reason he told Jin Geonwoo to find out A’s ability was a minimum of courtesy. A had revealed his ability while healing him, and he decided not to reveal that part to everyone with his own mouth.

Though it was a short-lived courtesy that would all be revealed anyway once Jin Geonwoo found out.

And after Jin Geonwoo had spilled everything, Yigeom had met A.

Without mentioning anything about Jin Geonwoo, he had casually asked if his ability was really healing and that he was curious about the rank, but A avoided answering.

That made him even more furious. He had said he would keep A’s ability a secret, yet A himself was digging into his ability behind his back.

It was a hard blow to the back of the head.

From both A and Jin Geonwoo.

In truth, he didn’t care about things like A’s ability rank. It was just a spiteful wish for A to get stabbed in the back by Jin Geonwoo, whom he had also believed to be on his side, and he hoped that Jin Geonwoo would also use this opportunity to regret more deeply the things he had started so easily without much thought.

“Ah, but there was something strange.”

Jin Geonwoo continued.

“Just as you said, I told A about your ability. That you see visions through water… But he kept asking strange things.”

“Strange things?”

“Yeah. He kept asking if I had any other abilities. So I said I didn’t know.”

“……”

Yigeom was lost in thought. Another ability? Isn’t that the information A wanted? Then what information did he want? Could it be…

The suspicion that A might have wanted the information about being able to breathe in water arose. But that was an ability he had only realized most recently after Jin Geonwoo had infiltrated Latter.

There was no way A could know about it.

“Seo Dohyun, do you have any idea?”

“I know A is a healer.”

“…!”

At the blunt confession, Yigeom’s eyes widened as he turned to his side.

“You… You knew!?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t? So you knew too.”

Seo Dohyun’s calm remark as he rested his chin on his hand left Yigeom dumbfounded. Since when did he know? It seemed like it had been a while, maybe since his vigilante days? Was A’s ability a town secret that only I didn’t know about?

Judging by Jin Geonwoo’s bewildered expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.

‘Right. A person who won’t even reveal his face, his voice, or even his handwriting is not likely to reveal his ability.’

He nodded obediently, but then a question came to mind. Then how did Seo Dohyun know?

“…Since when did you know? No, how did you know?”

“I can’t say it here.”

Seo Dohyun smiled faintly and gestured toward Jin Geonwoo with his eyes. As if it was something he couldn’t say in front of him.

‘Does he mean it’s about the simulation.’

He had no choice but to promise himself to ask later.

Jin Geonwoo slurped up the rest of his drink and set the cup down on the table.

“Then I guess we’re done talking for today, right? I’ll contact you again in two weeks.”

“Yes, and if you don’t find anything in particular, there’s no need to meet. Just send me a text.”

“Got it. I’ll get going then. You two get home safe.”

Jin Geonwoo gathered his things and left. It seemed he planned to meet every two weeks and restore his relationship with them.

But Yigeom wondered if that would be possible. Seo Doa, Cha Jewoo, and Namgoong Sanha also felt betrayed by him and didn’t want to meet him.

It was understandable. Yigeom was the one whose privacy had been most violated by A through Jin Geonwoo; the others were only mentioned in passing, like “so-and-so caught a creature in the CA Area.”

It could be seen as the same logic as, “I don’t care if people curse at me, but I’ll be damned if my family gets cursed at.”

Everyone had flown into a rage, and there was even talk of cutting ties with the vigilantes altogether. Although he had stayed quiet, Yigeom was inwardly in favor. They had caught Kwon Sanghyuk, and there were no more lingering attachments.

It was only out of affection for Bae Sangwoo that they were barely holding on.

“Gyeom-ah, have you had dinner?”

“Not yet.”

He hadn’t had time to eat, having gone to his studio apartment to shower right after soccer practice and then coming straight here.

“Anything you want to eat?”

“Anything?”

Yigeom ruffled his now-dry hair and stood up from his seat.

Returning their drinks to the counter and getting into Seo Dohyun’s car had become a natural routine.

As he fastened his seatbelt, he muttered quietly.

“Maybe I should get my license too.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Not all of a sudden. I’ve been thinking about it.”

He had saved most of the allowance his uncle sent him and covered his living expenses by working various part-time jobs. He had thought buying a car was a luxury, but after becoming a hunter, he earned a lot of money catching creatures and had more free time, so the desire slowly crept up on him.

Whenever all of Latter went out to have fun, it was always Seo Dohyun or Namgoong Sanha who did the driving. So he figured if he got a license, he could put it to use somewhere.

“Then I guess I’ll have to teach you how to drive.”

“…You?”

He glanced at Seo Dohyun with eyes of disbelief. Wouldn’t they just get mad at each other during the lesson?

“I’d rather have Sanha hyung or…”

Kang Taeha also had a car, so learning from either of them was much better.

“But Gyeom-ah.”

“…?”

“Do you really need a license? You have me.”

“What…”

Yigeom was momentarily at a loss for words.

While he didn’t get a ride to school, Seo Dohyun picked him up most of the time on the way back. He always gave him a ride home from work too.

Since he hung out with Seo Dohyun so often, it wasn’t efficient to drive two separate cars unnecessarily.

“Still, I…”

As Yigeom struggled to find the right words, his eyes rolling around in the air, Seo Dohyun’s eyes crinkled into a smile.

“I’m just saying you should think about it carefully. It’s not a demand.”

“……”

With those words, the car radio turned on. Not always, but Seo Dohyun would turn it on for white noise whenever something good happened to him. It was a kind of habit.

When there was something tricky to handle, when he was in trouble, or when his mood was low, he would often rub the piercing on his earlobe.

It was as if he were praying for a solution to appear, just like rubbing a magic lamp to make a wish come true.

Though it was a subtle change in expression, on days like today when he seemed excited, he smiled more and became more gentle.

‘Something good must have happened.’

Yigeom glanced at Seo Dohyun out of the corner of his eye and then asked the question he couldn’t finish earlier.

“Right, how did you know A was a healer? Oh, and did you also have a hunch that Geonwoo hyung was a vigilante? Since when?”

“Haha, one question at a time.”

“Then let’s start with Geonwoo hyung.”

Seo Dohyun answered calmly.

“It was nothing special. I sometimes saw uncle giving those kinds of orders in the past.”

“Sangwoo uncle?”

“Yeah.”

I see… Yigeom understood readily. This probably wasn’t the first time the vigilantes had planted a spy in another guild. Besides, what was the reason Latter was suffering from a personnel shortage? It was because no one was coming. Of course, it was also because they didn’t post job openings, but in the first place, no one wanted to join.

It seemed Seo Dohyun had found that suspicious from the start.

“Then how did you know about A’s ability?”

“Hmm.”

Seo Dohyun paused for a moment to think, then stopped talking.

“Actually, I’d rather not say.”

“What?”

Yigeom looked at him with an incredulous expression. Why start talking like you’re going to tell me and then just stop?

“I think you’ll hate it if I tell you.”

“Who? A?”

“No, me.”

Even if he didn’t hate him, his image of Dohyun had already hit rock bottom. It wasn’t the first or second time Dohyun had done things he shouldn’t to others… Yigeom decided not to mention it.

“Fine, then don’t tell me.”

“Are you mad?”

“What are you talking about.”

“Aren’t you mad because I won’t tell you?”

“Do you see me as that petty? If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t.”

While grumbling, he was still curious deep down and glanced at Seo Dohyun, but Dohyun just gave a slight smile and left it at that.

“…Is this the place you meant for dinner?”

“You said anything would be fine.”

“I did say that, but…”

“Let’s go up. Doa is waiting.”

Yigeom stared at the back of Seo Dohyun, who was walking ahead. He thought they would go to a nearby restaurant at most, but after saying they were going a bit far, the place they arrived at was Seo Dohyun’s home.

To think that the meal was a home-cooked one.

Soon, he thought, what’s the point of arguing? Since I’m here, I might as well eat well before I go. He got on the elevator. Yigeom watched the red numbers climb and then casually brought it up.

“Hey.”

“Yeah.”

“…You’re really not going to tell me, are you?”

Seo Dohyun said with a small laugh.

“You mean about A?”

“No… If you really don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. I’m not going to pry. We’re here. Let’s get off.”

Seo Dohyun gazed at Yigeom, who was rushing off as soon as they reached their destination. He’d be surprised if I told him.

It was something neither A nor anyone else remembered, an incident that had happened entirely in his own timeline, in a past where Yigeom had not yet awakened.

A custom-made mask that fit his face perfectly.

‘Hey, you dropped this.’

To describe Seo Dohyun’s first impression of A, he was a belligerent person.

He had first worked the field with him during the kidnapping of his beloved younger sister.

It was the day that A, whom he had only heard about by name since joining the vigilantes, had resumed his activities after more than a decade.

A had a merciless nature, was easily agitated, and violent. He had too many shortcomings to be a leader of a group.

‘So A is no big deal either.’

And here I was wondering what kind of person he was. Seo Dohyun quickly lost interest. Because rescuing his sister was a higher priority than his curiosity about A.

However, A, who had been cutting down enemies without hesitation, seemed to have his vision narrowed by his excitement, and he ended up revealing his secret to the enemies.

His mask had fallen off.

A did not have a forgettable face. Moreover, he was young. At most, around his own age.

His height seemed to be around the mid-170s, and since he was practically the head of the vigilantes, he had naturally assumed he would be an adult like Sangwoo uncle, but the face he saw was extremely youthful.

Like a fool, A was too busy fighting the enemies to even notice his mask had fallen off. The other members were also fighting frantically, and with the surroundings in a chaotic mess of blood, swords, and corpses, it seemed difficult for them to look after A. Seo Dohyun silently approached and picked up the mask.

“Hey, you dropped this.”

“…!”

Only then did A feel his face and hastily cover it. At that moment, through the gaps between his fingers, he could see a small scratch on his face slowly healing.

‘A healer?’

It seemed he hadn’t noticed it himself, so he decided not to mention it. Instead, he readily handed over the mask and spoke.

“You’re young.”

“…Please give it here.”

“Here, but I’ve already seen everything.”

He could sense A’s feeling of dismay.

“The people who saw, shall I kill them all for you?”

“…What!”

Seo Dohyun chuckled at A, who couldn’t close his mouth in astonishment.

“Kidding. I’m not a god, how could I do something like that.”

“……”

“Instead, I’ll erase their memories.”

It was a moment’s kindness. He looked to be his age, and although he had participated to catch Blood Hunters, he was at least someone who had helped in rescuing his sister. So it was a kindness he could offer.

He happened to be using his ability at that moment anyway, and since it hadn’t been five minutes yet, there was enough time to turn it back.

And in the timeline he returned to.

Seo Dohyun snatched the mask before it could fall and covered A’s face. A was taken aback for a moment, then bowed his head in gratitude before fixing the mask back on.

The position of A is said to be hereditary, so did he inherit it at a young age? From his parents?

‘Whatever it is, it’s none of my business.’

Seo Dohyun turned away without any lingering attachment.

🦅࿐

‘Who?’

‘Gyeom’s friend.’

Not even Seo Dohyun could have imagined that he would meet A’s true self again years later, and as a guildmate’s friend at that.

A sense of displeasure dominated his entire mind.

When Yoon Yigeom was struggling with the fact that his friend was a Blood Hunter, that so-called venerable childhood friend knew everything and pretended not to. He wondered what his real motive was.

‘Yoon Yigeom, do you want to join the vigilantes?’

He was even thick-skinned. A knew that Yoon Yigeom had become a hunter, yet he didn’t reveal his identity and nonchalantly had Bae Sangwoo make a scouting offer to Yoon Yigeom to join the vigilantes.

The him that Seo Dohyun had observed was a very gloomy guy whose true intentions were unknowable, only pretending to be noble and good on the surface.

At first, he considered using his ability, Simulation, to have a conversation with A.

‘I’m just planning on starting an internal sweep this time around. Dohyun is a master at finding spies.’

Just in time, a suitable request came from Bae Sangwoo, and he considered it an opportunity. He had planned to try it if A was also at the vigilante base at that time.

‘About rooting out the spy. How do you do it?’

‘When it’s time to die, there’s no god or anything. At that point, a hundred out of a hundred confess everything.’

However, after hearing the method for rooting out the spy, Yoon Yigeom got thoroughly angry, so that method was anticlimactically decided against. He thought about just having a conversation with A, but if he used his ability, Yoon Yigeom would surely notice and become suspicious.

What could he do? If you make a promise, you have to keep it.

That was how much effort Seo Dohyun put into advancing his relationship with Yoon Yigeom.

And yet, ignorant of his feelings, Yoon Yigeom would run to that guy whenever something happened.

‘You go to him whenever anything happens. Don’t go. Stay with me.’

‘Let me make it clear. I said I would try to get close to you, not that you would become my number one.’

For Yoon Yigeom, that guy was always number one.

Words he wanted to say rose to his throat every time Yoon Yigeom hung out with that guy.

He’s not a guy you can trust, not a guy you can lean on when you’re having a hard time. He’s sticking by your side hiding his identity for some ulterior motive. Don’t go.

But he had already been disliked by Yoon Yigeom as much as one could be, and their relationship wasn’t one where they would readily listen to each other. Above all, he was already struggling with the Jooseungtae incident. He didn’t want to be hated again by blabbing that he knew the identity of the friend he cherished the most.

The vigilantes weren’t originally a group that did bad things, and the same went for A, so for the time being, he watched his movements with caution.

Truth be told, he had thought thousands of times whether to tell him that the friend he held so dear was A.

Still, Kang Taeha, that guy, was also particularly protective of Yoon Yigeom, and even if Seo Dohyun were to tell him the truth, it seemed likely that Yoon Yigeom would instead question him about why he said it.

He had forgiven a friend who was a Blood Hunter and had put him in danger; would he get angry just because his cherished childhood friend had hidden the fact that he was A?

Normally, Yoon Yigeom had a righteous personality and cared more about his childhood friend than himself.

If he could just use Simulation to check Yoon Yigeom’s reaction beforehand, he would honestly do something, whether it was telling him or hiding it, but he couldn’t even do that to Yoon Yigeom, which made things even more difficult.

It was truly a difficult task. The existence that was Yoon Yigeom to Seo Dohyun.

He tried to treat him well, but it didn’t work out.

Since the title of A was said to be hereditary, he had once investigated whether one of Kang Taeha’s parents was the previous A. But his parents were clearly ordinary people. Then who passed down the position of A to him?

The question remained unresolved, and he still hadn’t found the answer.

That’s why he always kept a watchful and concerned eye on Yoon Yigeom whenever he went to meet Kang Taeha. Because even if he didn’t have bad intentions towards Yoon Yigeom, it was certain that he was hiding something.

He was worried that it might burst later, like a “BOOM-!”.

Although Yoon Yigeom, unaware of his feelings, would meet A alone in the vigilante archives or even go as far as to study sign language for him.

To be honest, it was annoying.

Both Yoon Yigeom and A.

He had thought more than once or twice about just blurting it all out.

However, there are no eternal secrets in the world. After all, even his ability, which had been entirely his own time, his own world, had been discovered by Yoon Yigeom.

He held it in, thinking that even if he didn’t say anything, the day would come when Yoon Yigeom would find out his identity.

And as they say, a long tail is bound to be stepped on.

A’s tail was getting longer and longer. It meant the end of the seemingly eternal secret was approaching.

When A had infiltrated Latter with Jin Geonwoo to secretly investigate Yoon Yigeom from behind, a hollow laugh escaped him.

He was almost at the point of fainting.

Yoon Yigeom always called Seo Dohyun a psycho and a freak, but from his perspective, the psycho and freak was none other than A.

‘Why is he going this far.’

In the texts Jin Geonwoo showed him, the intention behind questioning only Yoon Yigeom while setting the others aside was so transparently clear it was absurd.

For a moment, he even considered contacting him right away to say he knew his identity, or dropping the bomb on Yoon Yigeom that he would reveal his identity.

The reason why Seo Dohyun still kept his mouth shut was.

“Hey-. Seo Dohyun. You’re really not going to tell me, are you? This is your only chance if you don’t say it now? I’m really not asking a second time. Since when did you know A’s ability? Don’t you know his identity too? No, well, if you don’t want to answer, you really don’t have to.”

There was only one reason he didn’t answer Yoon Yigeom, who was naggingly asking how and since when he knew about A’s ability.

It wasn’t for the sense of superiority that came from holding A’s weakness and letting him off the hook, nor was it to wait with amusement for the day the fuse would be lit on an explosive that could go off at any moment.

A, contrary to his first impression, was not belligerent, easily agitated, or violent. He knew now. That at that time, he was simply angry at the enemies who had murdered Yoon Yigeom’s parents.

That was why he gave A a short period of time to confess his identity himself.

As Seo Dohyun also cherished Yoon Yigeom no less than A did, it was the greatest courtesy he could offer him.

🦅࿐

“…What is all this?”

Yigeom muttered blankly as he looked at the kitchen, which was a mess from cooking. Of course, it was Seo Dohyun’s house, not his own studio, and he had no right to say anything. But he had never dreamed that Cha Jewoo and Namgoong Sanha would also be in the house, where he thought only Seo Doa would be.

“Suh… Surprise! You’re surprised, right, hyung?”

Cha Jewoo smiled awkwardly, making a flower cup shape under his chin.

“Oh, welcome! We’re not done preparing yet. Please wait a moment. Ah, Doa. That sauce needs to be poured into this small bowl here.”

“Okay. What are you staring at blankly? Now that you’re here, hurry up and wash your hands. So we can eat dinner.”

Yigeom shot a glare at Seo Dohyun. His face was demanding an immediate explanation of what was going on.

Seo Dohyun shrugged his shoulders and said it was beyond his control.

“They said we eat out too often and wanted to have a company dinner at home. I just provided the venue.”

“Why was I the only one who didn’t…!”

“Hey, we thought you hyungs had a lot on your minds lately, so we wanted to surprise you. Don’t lift a finger and just sit down! We’ll serve you everything.”

Wouldn’t it save manpower, money, and ingredients to just eat out rather than burning expensive beef to a crisp at home? Considering their efforts, Yigeom couldn’t bring himself to say that and sat down on a chair with a deep sigh.

He then questioned Seo Dohyun, who had sat down next to him.

“You knew?”

“It’s my house, how could I not know.”

So that’s why he brought me to his house for dinner. He was dumbfounded by his actions, which now made sense. What would have happened if he hadn’t answered “anything” to the question of what he wanted for dinner?

Watching the three of them bustling in the kitchen, Yigeom felt he should do something and grabbed five sets of spoons and chopsticks from the utensil holder to set them out. As he did, he muttered.

“Jewoo, the meat is burning, flip it over. Doa, you have to stir the pasta noodles once in the middle. Otherwise, they’ll stick together later.”

“Okay! I just flipped it!”

“Huh? Got it. But can you see this?”

There’s water everywhere. Yigeom felt a sense of relief seeing them take his words to heart.

‘Sanha hyung is doing well.’

More than that, he couldn’t understand why Cha Jewoo, who also lived alone, was so clumsy at cooking. He was even worried that the kid, who ate the most, might be eating convenience store lunch boxes at home all the time.

“Cha Jewoo, don’t put too much butter.”

Yigeom pointed out once more. It was admirable that they were trying to prepare a grand steak dinner among themselves, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch the main dish, the meat, get ruined.

“Hmph, I’m the one eating it!”

Jewoo grumbled but dutifully removed the butter he had been using to practically coat the frying pan. Then he cleared away all the water around him.

“I can see everything you’re doing even without water.”

“What… Do you have eyes on the back of your head now?”

“The back of my head…”

It was just the layout of the house where the kitchen was clearly visible if he just turned his head. Cha Jewoo, realizing this as well, cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ahem! Anyway, I told you to just sit still. We’ll take care of everything, geez.”

“I am sitting still. Just like you said, I haven’t lifted a finger.”

Yigeom held up both hands to declare his innocence.

“Then…! Don’t open your mouth either. Good grief. You keep nagging, so I can’t concentrate on cooking. Hey, Seo Doa. Where’s the salt!?”

“It’s right there, there!”

“Where, here?”

“Why are you digging through the cupboard! It’s right in front of you! I’m busy with the pasta, so don’t talk to me.”

“Ah, yeah, yeah. I knew that too!?”

“Then why did you ask?”

“……”

Jewoo pouted and focused on his cooking. Jewoo was in charge of the steak, Doa was in charge of the pasta, and Namgoong Sanha, who seemed to be the best cook, was unfortunately the assistant.

‘…Can this really work out?’

Wouldn’t it be better to order delivery even now?

He glanced at Seo Dohyun, but he seemed to have no thoughts on the matter.

Soon, thinking it might be easier on his mind not to watch, he turned his gaze to his phone.

Choi Haneul

Soccer was fun today! It’s a shame we couldn’t eat dinner together ㅜㅜ Let’s eat together next time I’ll treat you!! hehe

He had exchanged numbers with Choi Haneul when they parted ways earlier.

As he was sending a short reply, Seo Dohyun suddenly asked.

“Who?”

“A younger guy I know.”

“What’s his name?”

“Choi Ha…”

Yigeom, who had been answering obediently without realizing it, turned off his phone and stopped talking. Why am I answering this.

“Choi Ha? Never heard of him.”

“Not Choi Ha, Choi Haneul.”

“Never heard of Choi Haneul either.”

“You can’t know all my personal connections.”

And it was even more so since he had just gotten to know Choi Haneul today.

“How did you get close?”

Seo Dohyun asked, his eyes crinkling. There was no need to answer, but there was also no reason not to.

“The school sports festival is coming up, and we met while practicing soccer.”

“Looks like he’s in a different department?”

“Pretty much.”

As he was talking with Seo Dohyun, Cha Jewoo and Seo Doa began bringing the finished dishes to the table one by one.

‘It’s a new experience to have a spread like this at home.’

Soon, everyone was seated and picked up their utensils.

“Alright! Let’s eat!”

Cha Jewoo, who had shouted boldly, began to chew on his steak, which was twice the size of everyone else’s, without even cutting it.

Yigeom also took a bite. In the first place, meat was an ingredient that couldn’t taste bad no matter how you cooked it.

It seemed a little salty, and it would definitely be much tastier to eat at a restaurant, but he thought that something like this wasn’t bad once in a while.

🦅࿐

Yigeom stood behind Choi Haneul, who was handing his card to the employee, hesitating with his wallet in hand.

“…You don’t have to buy it for me.”

“It’s okay, hyung! I was the one who suggested we eat.”

After finishing a liberal arts class they took together, Choi Haneul had offered to buy him lunch.

‘This is awkward.’

It was baffling to have someone he didn’t consider himself close to approach him so energetically, but it was also hard to push him away outright. It would have been less awkward if Kang Taeha had been there, but for some reason, he had skipped class today and wasn’t answering his calls.

“By the way, that person who’s always with you, I don’t see him today.”

“Taeha?”

“Ah, yes. Kang Taeha hyung.”

“I know. He must be busy.”

After paying, as Yigeom pulled out a chair with a screech and sat down, Choi Haneul muttered as if puzzled.

“Aren’t you two close?”

“We are.”

“Since when have you been close?”

To Choi Haneul, who asked with sparkling eyes, Yigeom answered awkwardly.

“We’ve been close since we were young. Since kindergarten, I think.”

“Wow, so you’re childhood friends. Did you by any chance go to elementary, middle, and high school together too?”

“It just happened that way.”

After that, Choi Haneul kept asking about Yigeom and Kang Taeha’s relationship. Since there wasn’t much else to talk about, Yigeom answered faithfully, but a suspicion suddenly bloomed.

‘Why is he asking these things?’

Is Choi Haneul interested in Kang Taeha? Did he ask me to eat with him to meet Kang Taeha, who comes as a 1+1 package deal if I’m there?

He felt a sense of déjà vu. Jooseungtae, who had befriended him to get close to Kang Taeha. And now, Choi Haneul.

Yigeom sharply put down his utensils and put his guard up.

“Haneul, why are you asking things like that?”

“…Huh? Ah, that’s…”

“I don’t know why we keep bringing up someone who isn’t even here right now.”

As Choi Haneul broke into a sweat, Yigeom’s suspicion deepened.

‘Could he also be…’

Just then.

“I’m sorry!! The truth is… my friend wants to be set up with Kang Taeha hyung… You’re upset, aren’t you. I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

As Yigeom made a dumbfounded face, Choi Haneul began to ramble on with an explanation.

“Last time at the soccer match, when I said I got close to you, hyung, my friend asked if I could be a bridge to that Kang Taeha person who’s always with you…”

“……”

“It’s not like I intentionally approached you or anything, the situation just happened to be… I’m sorry. I… I was being a bit unpleasant, wasn’t I.”

“No, not that much…”

Yigeom shook his head back and forth. Rather, with the other person acting so humble, he felt flustered, wondering if he had gotten angry over nothing.

Still, just in case, he had to confirm what needed to be confirmed.

“But, who is this friend who wants to be introduced to Kang Taeha?”

“Huh? Ah! She’s a classmate in the same major as me!”

“Hotel Culinary Arts? What’s her name?”

“Her name… why?”

Choi Haneul hesitated, avoiding the answer. He was likely worried that if he revealed the other person’s identity when he wasn’t even going to be introduced, it would just lead to an awkward situation for both of them.

Yigeom, realizing this, added.

“I need to know who it is so I can at least mention it to Kang Taeha.”

“Oh, you’ll help?”

“I’m not helping, just bringing it up.”

“Then I’ll ask if it’s okay to tell you.”

Choi Haneul’s face lit up as he contacted his friend. Then, as if he got an immediate reply, he told him her real name.

“Her name is Kim Eunjoo, and she just sent me a selfie of herself. She said it doesn’t matter if it’s a rejection or acceptance, just to pass the word along to him.”

Yigeom carefully examined the photo he was shown. She was unmistakably a woman in her 20s. Since the Hotel Culinary Arts department and the Business Administration department buildings were close, he had seen her face coming and going.

“Alright, I’ll pass it on.”

“Thank you. She said she fell for him at first sight… He is… kind of handsome, right? She said whether it works out or not, she’d treat me to a meal just for bringing it up… haha. Ah! We’re supposed to get that treat next week, would you like to come too, hyung? She would like that too.”

“I’m good. Kang Taeha is pretty popular.”

He did get asked for his number sometimes on the street. Only then did Yigeom completely drop his suspicion towards Choi Haneul.

He didn’t approach me intentionally like Jooseungtae.

Just as he was relieved, the thought of for what purpose the Blood Hunter group that Jooseungtae belonged to had ordered him to approach Kang Taeha crossed his mind.

‘Do you even know what Kang Taeha is up to?’

Why did Jooseungtae say that to him? Now, he was curious.

🦅࿐

Today was the day of the sports festival. Yigeom diligently followed the back of Kang Taeha, who was busily moving around here and there.

‘There’s definitely something.’

There was the matter of Jooseungtae, and there were some suspicious points. He had intended to wait until Kang Taeha told him himself, but he showed no signs of telling him at all.

“Why?”

“…Huh? What?”

“You kept staring.”

As Kang Taeha sat next to him and asked, Yigeom played innocent as if nothing was wrong.

“No… it’s just, well… It’s nothing.”

Kang Taeha found the stuttering Yigeom amusing and let a slight smile grace his lips. Yigeom avoided his gaze and casually changed the subject.

“Right. Do you want to be set up with a girl? Hotel Culinary Arts.”