The moment Po, Jinwoo, and the survivors stepped out of the Red Gate, Baek Yoonho was already there.
His sharp tiger-like eyes swept over the scene, taking in the exhausted hunters, the missing numbers, and—most importantly—the two unfazed young men standing in front of him.
Baek placed a firm hand on Jinwoo's shoulder.
"What happened in there?" His tone was neutral, but the weight behind his words was undeniable. "Why are only six of my guild members still standing?"
Jinwoo—never one to waste an opportunity to Aura-farm—slowly removed Baek's hand from his shoulder, his expression unreadable.
Then, in a voice cold enough to freeze the very air between them, he replied:
"Because of us."
Baek's brows furrowed.
Jinwoo continued, his words slow, deliberate:
"We're the only reason anyone survived. So, as the Guildmaster… shouldn't you be showing us some proper gratitude?"
Silence.
For a moment, Baek simply stared.
Then—he chuckled.
It wasn't often that someone stood their ground against him, let alone two people at once.
He backed off, nodding. "Fair enough."
As Po, Jinwoo, and Song-Yi drove off, Baek Yoonho crossed his arms, watching their car disappear into the distance.
"Two kids," he muttered, half to himself, half to Mr. Ahn. "Two incredibly powerful kids who have the guts to talk to me like that."
Mr. Ahn, standing beside him, adjusted his glasses.
Baek smirked.
"They're invaluable assets. If we want them, we better be prepared to offer an arm and a leg."
Mr. Ahn sighed. "I'll do my best to recruit Hunters Po and Sung… but something tells me they won't be easy to convince."
Baek laughed.
"Yeah. No kidding."
The ride was mostly quiet—until Po broke the silence.
"Well, wasn't that fun?"
Jinwoo smirked. "If by 'fun' you mean 'murder and mayhem,' then yeah, loads of fun."
Song-Yi sighed. "I don't know how you guys can be so relaxed after all that…"
Jinwoo pulled up to her house and gave a nod of farewell.
"Good night."
Po, of course, had to be Po.
Before she could step out, he reached out and gave her a 'good girl' headpat.
Normally, this kind of gesture would be creepy, awkward, or even outright harassment.
But Song-Yi?
She melted.
Like a cat receiving the world's greatest ear scratch, she leaned into it before catching herself and quickly scurrying off inside.
Po smirked.
Jinwoo sighed.
"…Your charm is actually terrifying."
Po simply laughed.
Bright and early, Jinho pulled up to pick them up.
And when Jinwoo and Po got in the car, they were greeted with—
"…Jinho." Jinwoo's voice was flat. "What the hell are you wearing?"
Jinho, decked out in some weird, medieval knight-like armor, huffed proudly.
"This?" He gestured at himself. "This is protection."
Po blinked.
"…From what?"
Jinho crossed his arms. "Everything."
Jinwoo sighed, rubbing his temples.
"I don't know if I should be impressed or embarrassed."
Jinho ignored him and started driving.
Next stop? Song-Yi's place.
Song-Yi's Sleep Deprivation and Jinho's Breakdown
When Song-Yi got in the car, she looked pretty as usual—but also dead tired.
Po immediately noticed.
"You good? Get any sleep?"
She let out a cute little yawn, rubbing her eyes.
"…Nope."
Jinwoo nodded. "Yeah, same. We got a nap in, though."
Jinho—innocent, pure-hearted, and completely unaware of how bad his thoughts were about to betray him—was piecing together the wrong puzzle.
The way Song-Yi yawned.
The way Jinwoo spoke so casually about sleeping.
And then Po, with his usual devilish grin, suggested:
"Well, you should get a nap in now while we drive."
Jinho's brain short-circuited.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
The car suddenly felt a lot smaller.
And then—he spoke.
"As… as calmly as I can say this…"
Jinwoo and Po turned to him.
Jinho inhaled deeply.
"…Miss Song-Yi isn't of legal age yet."
Jinwoo tilted his head.
"…And?"
Jinho nearly crashed the car.
His entire soul left his body.
Every muscle in his face screamed 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, 'AND'?!'
Po, being the absolute menace that he was, decided to double down.
He leaned over, placing a casual hand on Song-Yi's thigh—
Jinho's soul left for a second time.
And then Po burst out laughing.
"Relax, dude! She just didn't get enough sleep because of yesterday's mission!"
Jinho, realizing his horrific misunderstanding, exhaled in relief.
Then—Po grinned.
"…Or is that what we want you to think?"
Jinho screamed internally.
Song-Yi, meanwhile, had already fallen asleep, completely oblivious to the mental breakdown happening in the driver's seat.
Jinwoo?
Jinwoo just smirked.
This was going to be a long drive.