"Did they buy it?"
The voice was almost a whisper, so quiet it was nearly ASMR. Even considering it was ventriloquism, it was very faint. Only someone like the S-grade guy right next to him could hear it. Lee Sa-young, who was sitting cross-legged next to Cha Eui-jae, answered just as quietly.
"Yes, well. I heard it happened while trying to save someone, so what can I say?"
"That's good."
"Well, there might be a fine to pay."
"…There's even a fine?"
"Hunters only listen when there's a punishment."
Well, Lee Sa-young was right. The only way to control powerful and capable hunters was through strong restraints and the law. On the surface, Lee Sa-young was at the center of this commotion, so he would be the one to be disciplined. Cha Eui-jae deliberately let out a groan.
"Hiding the fact that I'm registered is out the window now."
The best plan was to get through this without anyone discovering he was registered. But getting caught up in the sudden appearance of the rift had turned everything to dust. Cha Eui-jae muttered to himself.
"Is Seo Min-gi really capable of changing my grade?"
"If he couldn't do that… he wouldn't be worth the money."
Lee Sa-young's answer brought back the last image of Seo Min-gi in Eui-jae's mind.
Before the rift vanished, Seo Min-gi had been pacing nervously before jumping right into Cha Eui-jae's shadow. Before Cha Eui-jae could even ask what he was doing, Seo Min-gi's head popped out of the shadow to explain.
"I'm supposed to be in the Jongno 3-ga dungeon with the Vice-Guild Leader right now. If people see me, it'll be a disaster. I'll be mobbed. Getting cursed out might extend my lifespan by twenty years, don't you think?"
"Hey, I'm not supposed to be here either."
"It's okay, sir. You just awakened and came here for a bit. It'll be fine. By the way, what rank did you get?"
"It's a failure."
"I figured. The computer probably got caught up in this too. That makes things easier."
"Are you going to use that 'last resort' or whatever?"
"Exactly."
Seo Min-gi's head bobbed up and down.
"The computer being broken doesn't mean everything's okay. The records will still be online. They get transferred to the Awakened Management Bureau's data center as soon as they're measured. Since the rift happened at just the right time, no one would have thought to look at them. If we alter them quickly, it's solved."
"Is that alteration really a minor thing?"
"Don't worry too much. I'll make sure you're registered as a D-grade Awakened. Now, I must go!"
He boldly gave a thumbs up and slowly sank back into the shadow like a scene from a movie… Cha Eui-jae laughed at the memory.
'Is everyone in the Pado Guild a lunatic…'
Considering the Guild Leader Lee Sa-young was weird himself, it made sense. Cha Eui-jae couldn't tell how long he'd have to lie there. He planned to get up when the presence of Jung Bin and Yang Hye-jin disappeared, but more people kept arriving, indicating the situation had escalated. More ambulances arrived, their sirens blaring louder.
Several people approached, but seeing who was with him, they didn't come any closer. Cha Eui-jae realized even the presence of Lee Sa-young was effective.
"Hey."
"Lee Sa-young."
Instead of answering, Lee Sa-young randomly said his name. Was he asking to be called by name? Cha Eui-jae glanced at him, but the gas mask obscured his expression.
"…Alright, Lee Sa-young."
"Yeah."
Lee Sa-young responded absently, the sound of him tapping on his phone reaching Cha Eui-jae's ears. Cha Eui-jae, still with his eyes closed, muttered.
"Does it look like Jung Bin plans to leave yet?"
Lee Sa-young drew out his answer.
"He'll probably be here until dawn… It's a bigger deal than expected."
The worst news. Damn it. As Cha Eui-jae muttered a curse under his breath, something cold touched the back of his neck. He flinched more than he expected, blaming his heightened senses from the fight.
"Does it hurt?"
"What?"
Gloved fingers felt around his neck, then threaded through his hair. The unfamiliar sensation sent chills down his spine. Shaking it off would instantly draw attention from Jung Bin and Yang Hye-jin. Cha Eui-jae gritted his teeth and muttered.
"What are you doing?"
"You're sweating."
"Leave it. It'll be fine soon."
"…"
Something touched Cha Eui-jae's head. Lee Sa-young must have leaned his head against his. The fingers in his hair continued to move gently. Was he stroking it? Cha Eui-jae was bewildered. Why was this guy suddenly doing this?
He couldn't figure out Lee Sa-young's behavior. He acted shrewd and cunning one moment, then childishly the next, messing with people and then suddenly backing off…
"You really are a crazy bastard, you know that."
Forget it. There's no need to overthink it. This guy is just a jerk. Cha Eui-jae opened his eyes a sliver. He didn't want to hear such disgraceful words from the craziest of the crazy.
"Are you picking a fight?"
"You're a damn good liar too."
"In the service industry, you make a living by lying."
"What a lame excuse."
"Don't dig too deep. Knowing too much will hurt you."
Lee Sa-young chuckled lowly. The fingers in Cha Eui-jae's hair moved more gently. Maybe it was because he was so tense, but for the first time in a long while, he felt the onset of sleep.
"You're really suspicious."
"So what if I am… You've already made a contract with me."
"Yeah. Why did I sign a contract with someone as suspicious as you…"
The fingers tapped the back of his neck. Smelling Lee Sa-young's sweet scent, Cha Eui-jae almost closed his eyes when…
'Damn it.'
He thought of the hangover soup restaurant.
His hazy mind snapped to attention. Cha Eui-jae's body stiffened as he straightened up. Lee Sa-young, noticing the change, stopped moving his hand in Cha Eui-jae's hair. Cha Eui-jae muttered seriously.
"Lee Sa-young."
"Hmm? What is it?"
They were in the back seat of an ambulance. The paramedics were busy attending to other survivors, and no one approached the ambulance because of Lee Sa-young.
"Do you know how to drive?"
"…What?"
"I've been too busy to get a license. Do you have one?"
When Cha Eui-jae gestured to the steering wheel, Lee Sa-young blinked before letting out a laugh.
"See, you're definitely crazy."
***
What followed happened quickly. Well, not without some incidents, but they made it to the hangover soup restaurant on time, which was a success by Cha Eui-jae's standards.
Unfortunately, Lee Sa-young didn't have a license either, and it was too far to run from Gwangjin-gu center to the restaurant. Grabbing a taxi was out of the question since the roads were all blocked. Cha Eui-jae seriously considered hijacking the ambulance.
Lee Sa-young, who had been lying down until just before, was watching Cha Eui-jae's frantic planning with interest.
"Do we really have to go?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"That's an obsession."
"Shut up and think of a way."
"…Well, there is a way."
Propping his chin up, Lee Sa-young pulled something out of his inventory and handed it to Cha Eui-jae. It was a crumpled A4 paper.
"…Trash?"
"It's not trash. It's Hong Ye-seong's masterpiece. Read the description first."
[Artisan's Emergency Escape Button Prototype (S-)]
[Tear this to move to your desired location. However, it cannot be used in rifts or dungeons, and it's single-use.]
[Creator: Hong Ye-seong]
…What the hell. Why is something called a button shaped like an A4 sheet? When Cha Eui-jae asked, Lee Sa-young shrugged.
"He made it look like trash so Jung Bin wouldn't confiscate it."
Why would you make an item look like this for that reason? Cha Eui-jae's head filled with more questions, but the existence of this item was amazing news. Cha Eui-jae grabbed Lee Sa-young's arm with his right hand and held the escape button with his left. Then he bit into the paper and tore it in half.
The noisy surroundings faded as they were whisked away.
A moment later, before he even opened his eyes, Cha Eui-jae smelled a familiar scent and his eyes shot open. Hong Ye-seong's masterpiece was no joke.
"Who knew something like this existed."
"I told you it wasn't trash."
"Oh, the broth!"
Cha Eui-jae quickly set aside his gratitude for the paper button that had brought him to the restaurant in seconds and rushed to the kitchen.