I looked around the room while floating in the air. It was difficult to properly understand the situation inside through the window that barely revealed half of the living room.
"It's weird that it's actually quiet."
I thought a lot about what to do on my way to the Requiem Guild, but I decided that it would be best to go back to my room first.
After all, there was no one other than Kim Woo-jin who had noticed that I was away. Min Ah-rin went on vacation, and I had promised to meet Park Geon-ho, so it was unlikely that he would come again.
'The problem is Cheon Sa-yeon, but it should be fine.'
Cheon Sa-yeon, who cleared the SS-grade gate for the first time, seemed busy, so there was a high probability that he would not be in the guild again this time.
After various calculations, I carefully opened the window. As expected, there was no one in the living room.
"Phew."
After closing the window as if nothing had happened, I put my backpack down on the sofa, took off my shoes, and picked it up.
That's a relief. As long as Kim Woo-jin calmed down, I think I could handle things without much fuss.
I walked to the shoe rack in relief and soon found expensive leather shoes neatly laid out.
'Whose shoes are these?'
In an instant, my body became cold. Staring blankly at the shoes, I heard a relaxed voice from behind me.
"You're back."
"..."
I turned my neck, stiff enough that it made a creaking sound, and looked back. The person who was leaning against the bedroom door made eye contact with me and smiled softly.
"Did you enjoy going out? Han Yi-gyeol."
"…Cheon Sa-yeon," I said with a deep sense of frustration.
'Why are you here, you idiot…'
* * *
Cheon Sa-yeon, wearing a cream shirt and black slacks, instead of a suit or the A-class jacket, tilted his coffee cup and said, "You've been walking around since dawn; you must be tired."
"What, do you have CCTV installed here?"
I clicked my tongue and looked around the room. There was nothing that stood out, so where did you install it?
"No way," Cheon Sa-yeon said in his unique relaxed tone. "I just knew you were living with Kim Woo-jin."
Clack. The coffee cup was placed on the table.
"Due to your personality, you probably wouldn't have explained it to Kim Woo-jin. Then there's only one thing. To sneak out at dawn when Kim Woo-jin was asleep and come back in the morning."
Cheon Sa-yeon, who spoke up to that point, gave a meaningful smile.
"Well… It doesn't look like it went as planned."
"You didn't do anything to Kim Woo-jin, did you?" I asked in a sharp voice. It was very suspicious that only Cheon Sa-yeon remained in the room where Kim Woo-jin was supposed to be.
"Don't get me wrong. I just told him to go home."
"Really?"
"Because unnecessary control is not my taste."
Cheon Sa-yeon looked at me with calm eyes.
"I agree with you that Kim Woo-jin and Min Ah-rin can't be your leash. Above all else, if I tied you up like that, it would only make you rebel."
You know it well. I smiled crookedly.
"There is no CCTV and there's no one watching you, so act comfortably. Just in case you're curious, the same goes for the cell phone."
"..."
"It means don't let me down for nothing."
"And what if I decide to run away?"
"That. Even though it'd be unfortunate, I'm not worried about that."
"I didn't expect you to trust me that much."
"I don't trust you."
Cheon Sa-yeon leaned his back on the sofa for a long time and playfully lifted his crossed legs. It was a cunning gesture as if he was seducing me.
"You trust me. You must be curious about everything I have. Aren't you?"
"..."
I frowned.
Sadly… I couldn't refute it. Because every piece of information I needed to know was related to Cheon Sa-yeon.
Cheon Sa-yeon smiled languidly at me who couldn't answer. …oh, shit.
The higher the rank, the better the appearance, but isn't that too much? Of course, Ha Tae-heon was also incredibly handsome, but Cheon Sa-yeon's behaviour…
"Hmm. I've been thinking about it since last time, Han Yi-gyeol."
"…what?"
"Every time you do this, you fail to manage your facial expressions. I didn't see you that way, but I guess you are surprisingly weak towards beautiful people?"
I felt the nape of my neck getting hot and lowered my head to cover my eyes.
"Are you calling yourself a beauty…?"
"So you think I'm wrong?"
"No, but I—"
Unable to bear the embarrassment, I choked up and opened my mouth to argue.
'Just how many times did I do that? Sure, this time…'
How many times was it? I slowly recalled.
When I first met Cheon Sa-yeon, I was dazzled by his face and he threatened to pluck out my eyes.
Then, when he was fighting the middle boss of the gate…
And again…
"..."
For some reason, I was embarrassed to the point of feeling anger, so I quickly turned my gaze away and coughed in vain.
"Why do you stop talking? Finish talking."
"That's enough."
That's why it's my loss if I talk to Cheon Sa-yeon for a long time. I brought up the next point to change the topic.
"So, why are you here? You probably didn't come here to chat about these meaningless things."
"How unfair. I'm having a lot of fun."
Cheon Sa-yeon shrugged his shoulders and tapped the centre part of the silver metal watch he was wearing. Then, a small square-shaped accessory box appeared in the air.
'Is the watch an inventory item?'
It was an inventory item that automatically spit out its contents in such a small size. It was a valuable inventory that couldn't be compared with Cha Soo-yeon's.
"Take it."
Cheon Sa-yeon held out an accessory box. Instead of taking it, I stared at it with sullen eyes.
"What is it?"
"A gift."
When I took it carefully and opened it, I saw a silver bracelet with red gems. Looking at the energy, it was not an ordinary accessory.
"It is an A-class item that doubles the energy recovery speed when worn. It arrived later than expected because it was crossing over from Russia."
"Why are you giving this to me?"
When I looked at him with suspicious eyes, Cheon Sa-yeon answered with a smile, "Why not? You should get something for the SS-grade gate."
Oh, that. My lips hardened as I remembered the painful mistake I had made at that time.
"You got the two low-level items yourself, so I prepared this separately. I hope you like it."
…if that's the case, maybe I should accept it. There was no excuse for refusing. I pondered for a moment then nodded.
"You're not going to take it back later, are you?"
"Your suspicion hurts my pride. Feel free to use it."
Since it was like that, I put a bracelet on my left wrist. I had a lot of energy right now, so I didn't feel any difference.
Knock, knock.
As I looked at the deep red glittering jewel, I heard a knock.
One of the attendants opened the door and stepped in.
"I'm sorry, Master. You must go right now."
"What is it?"
"It is said that a monster appeared in Area C13."
My eyes widened at the unexpected report. Like Cheon Sa-yeon, it was the first time I had heard it, and his expression suddenly became cold.
"What is the situation?"
"They are blocking monsters and evacuating civilians, but the situation is not good. The identified monsters are B- and A-grade."
"Which guild is in charge of Area C13?"
"The Blun Guild (블런)."
Hah. Cheon Yeon-yeon let out an annoyed breath and got up. I also stood up and said hurriedly, "Let's go together, Cheon Sa-yeon."
At my words, Cheon Sa-yeon's black eyes turned to me. More than ever, his eyes were cold and my mouth was dry.
"I need to check something."
"...."
"We need to clear up the monsters quickly so that the damage doesn't get worse. I'll help you."
Cheon Sa-yeon narrowed his eyes. Cheon Sa-yeon, who had been looking at me for a long time as if trying to gauge something, turned his back.
"Follow me."
Phew. I clenched and opened my fists, which were cold with tension, and followed Cheon Sa-yeon.
* * *
While driving the car, Cheon Sa-yeon didn't say a single word. He simply fixed his gaze outside the window with an expressionless face.
It was a serious situation for the monster to come out of the gate, but there seemed to be another reason.
'What is it?'
I pondered while touching the bracelet. It was a gift and it wasn't like this when I was handed the item.
Being next to Cheon Sa-yeon, who had become very sensitive, also did not relieve my tension.
"We've arrived."
As soon as I got out of the car at the attendant's words, I could hear a gurgling sound from afar.
As we passed over the control line by passing the common people gathered with anxious expressions, the ability users who were waiting looked shocked when they found Cheon Sa-yeon.
"Re-Requiem Master."
"So fast…"
"Darn it. Go ahead and contact the Master!"
Among them, a thin man with a nervous impression rushed to Cheon Sa-yeon. The man smiled uncomfortably as he brushed his waxed bangs.
"Oh, welcome, Requiem Master."
"Where is the Blun Master?"
"Th-that…"
At Cheon Sa-yeon's question, the man became covered in a cold sweat. My face frowned as I watched him open and close his mouth, unable to answer properly.
The monster burst out because the gate in your area wasn't managed properly, but the guild master wasn't here? Cheon Sa-yeon and I arrived late, didn't we?
Whoosh!
"Kyaaa!"
"Watch out!"
The flimsy barrier that seemed to have been built in haste in the Blun Guild shook violently as we heard a scream.
"Han Yi-gyeol."
Cheon Sa-yeon called me. As I approached him, Cheon Sa-yeon took out the A-class jacket and the S-grade sword from his inventory and handed the jacket to me.
Cheon Sa-yeon, holding the S-class sword with the bloodstains still intact, ordered the man.
"Remove the barrier."
"Pardon?"
The man who asked reflexively shook his head with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, no. The monsters are out of control right now, if you remove the barrier, they will jump out…"
"Vice Master Yoon Jae-min (윤재민)."
I flinched and looked at Cheon Sa-yeon. Yoon Jae-min, facing the chill emanating from him, trembled.
"Remove it. Why are you making me repeat myself?"
"Ghg, I-I apolog…"
"And—" Cheon Sa-yeon, who was next to me, wrapped one arm around my waist and pulled me over. "—I'll give you 20 minutes, so make sure you bring the Blun Master in front of me."
"P-pardon?"
"If the Blun Master isn't here even after I have dealt with all the monsters…"
Cheon Sa-yeon slashed his palm with a sword while holding me in his arms. A little bit of bright red blood splattered on my cheek, as I was held in his bloody arms.
"Well, that would be fun."
"I-I understand. I'll make sure the Master is here within 20 minutes…!"
Cheon Sa-yeon didn't even pretend to listen to Yoon Jae-min's desperate answer, and wiped the drops of blood from my cheeks with his finger. Looking at him up close, I could easily see Cheon Sa-yeon's visible displeasure.
Sighing, I put on the jacket Cheon Sa-yeon had handed over. Because of the difference in physique, it was very loose.
"Let's finish it quickly."
Since I felt like I could be heard by Yoon Jae-min, I urged him respectfully instead of half-heartedly, and Cheon Sa-yeon, who smiled with his wide eyes, grabbed me and hugged me like he did at the gate. Still, it felt much more comfortable than the first time since we had done it a couple of times.
My body and Cheon Sa-yeon's body came to mind. At the same time, perhaps Yoon Jae-min gave instructions, the cement-like barriers scattered like sand. Beyond the barrier, which was in full swing, the floor was covered with blood.
Kyeeeek!
Kyaaak! Kyaak!
Skeleton warriors emitting black ominous energy came out and screamed sharply at Cheon Sa-yeon.