VSP 23

Of course, Ryu Sehyun didn’t care in the slightest. Even though Seo Sejun was there, being with the Association President and famous Hunter Ryu Sehyun seemed to dilute his presence a little, so people blushed and shyly raised their cameras toward them.

It was completely different from when Sejun walked around alone.

Since they both had cars, going far was a hassle, so they came to the restaurant street near the Association, which had plenty of options.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Anything.”

“You’re picky about a lot of things.”

His ultimate ‘anything’ technique didn’t work on Ryu Sehyun.

[Sejun-nim is a severe picky eater. I worry a lot about it.]

The system chimed in unnecessarily.

“You want Western food? You like pasta.”

“How do you know that?”

“I saw you eating it last time.”

When was that? Sejun tilted his head. But he had eaten with Ryu Sehyun more than a few times, so he nodded, thinking he must have noticed then. He did like Western food.

They weren’t out to find some amazing restaurant, and since they were both men, they didn’t need to pick a place with a nice atmosphere. So they just walked into a pasta place that caught their eye.

But for a place they picked at random, the menu prices on the wall were not ordinary, and the atmosphere inside looked like a fairly high-end restaurant.

Neither of them had money problems, so they walked in. But right at the entrance, Sejun’s eyes caught someone who stood out enormously.

The lemon guy who had made him tear his hair out for days, Cha Dogyeong.

“Ah.”

“Ah.”

The moment their eyes met, both of them scowled at once. Faces that clearly said they hated each other.

Across from Cha Dogyeong sat a pretty young woman. A face Sejun had never seen before, she didn’t look like a hunter, but no fool could fail to recognize what kind of atmosphere the two of them had.

He wasn’t in a suit like that day, but even with just a shirt and slacks, the guy looked handsome. The woman across from him was also dressed with care.

It was an arranged meeting. That was certain.

“What’s this, you two?”

Surprisingly, it was Cha Dogyeong who spoke first. He looked back and forth between Sejun and Ryu Sehyun, raising his eyebrows as if the pairing was unexpected.

“And you?”

Ryu Sehyun asked as he approached, and Cha Dogyeong shrugged.

“Me, as you can see.”

Their exchange was dry.

There was an eight-year age gap between them. Twenty-four, reckless and uncontrollable, and thirty-two, calm by nature, could never be a match.

One was the strongest hunter, the other the leader of hunters. That combination itself wasn’t unfamiliar, but nobody thought they matched well.

Both had presence that stood out but in different ways. Oil and water personalities, with an age gap that made them impossible to tie together, created a chaotic mix.

While the two exchanged words, Sejun, who stood behind them, looked at the woman across from Cha Dogyeong.

She was pretty.

The young woman, startled by the sudden appearance of celebrities, had wide rabbit eyes. Even to Sejun, who was picky, she was quite beautiful. But even if Sejun had interest in women, she was out of reach. Because her partner was Cha Dogyeong.

That bastard kissed me and now he’s meeting a woman.

“Ah.”

Lost in such thoughts, Sejun slapped his own cheek without thinking. The sharp sting snapped him awake. Crazy bastard, crazy idiot, Seo Sejun what are you even thinking?

The smack sound made all three of them turn to look at him at once.

[You always manage to stand out all by yourself.]

The system nagged, but with everyone’s eyes on him, Sejun couldn’t even tell it to shut up. He turned his head away. For some reason, it felt unpleasant.

“Seo Sejun.”

Cha Dogyeong called him. Sejun turned his head back toward him as if he had never turned away.

“How many times have I told you to call me hyung?”

“Where’s my coffee?”

But the guy ignored Sejun’s words and only said what he wanted. At his sudden demand for coffee, Sejun blinked. Coffee? At this moment?

“Didn’t I tell you to buy it for me?”

“How am I supposed to buy it when I don’t know where you are, you crazy bastard!? And how the hell am I supposed to get coffee here?”

“Don’t make excuses. Back then you begged like that, and once it passed you just shut your mouth?”

Sejun’s jaw dropped. It was true the guy had saved him before, and true he had asked Sejun to buy coffee, but wasn’t this ridiculous timing to bring it up?

Besides, Sejun had bought lemonade today! The bastard just hadn’t been around!

“I actually bought it today, but you weren’t there!”

“You did? What did you buy?”

At Sejun’s indignant shout, Cha Dogyeong looked interested. Still pouting, Sejun answered honestly.

“Lemonade and vanilla latte… but I gave the lemonade to Siwoo.”

“Who’s Siwoo?”

“Jeong Siwoo, you crazy bastard.”

“Ah.”

The guy let out an “ah” as if he had only just remembered who Jeong Siwoo was.

This crazy bastard didn’t even immediately recall Jeong Siwoo, another S-rank Hunter he saw fairly often. Typical of someone who cared about nothing but himself.

Probably the only people he really registered were Ryu Sehyun and Seo Sejun. For Sehyun, because he acknowledged him. For Sejun, because he hated him.

“Why did you give him the lemonade?”

At the guy’s genuinely puzzled question, Sejun felt his words catch in his throat. If asked why, he honestly had nothing to say. He would have to admit he just handed it over because it felt like he should in the moment, but saying that was hard, so he mumbled.

“He asked for it…”

“Are you a pushover?”

Sejun scowled again. He had to admit even to himself that in that moment he had looked a bit like one. The guy let out a sigh openly.

“What about the vanilla latte?”

“I bought that for Sehyun-hyung, so I gave it to him.”

At those words, Cha Dogyeong made a strange face.

“That hyung drinks vanilla latte?”

His tone sounded like he had just heard something unexpected and bizarre.

That was when Sehyun, who had been watching their back-and-forth quietly, stepped in.

“You two seem to have gotten a bit closer.”

“No.”

“We didn’t.”

Both denied at the same time, but Ryu Sehyun ignored their reactions and asked,

“Did something happen?”

At those words, Sejun felt his whole body tense up with nerves. Reflexively he looked at Cha Dogyeong. The guy’s face had been indifferent, but when he saw Sejun’s face stiff with tension, it shifted to an “ah” expression.

It couldn’t be. No matter how crazy Cha Dogyeong was, there was no way he would bring up that day here.

But Cha Dogyeong was no ordinary crazy bastard.

“Ah~ that day, Seo Sejun was hanging upside down and underneath..”

“Yaaah!”

Sejun panicked, rushed forward, and slapped his palm over Cha Dogyeong’s hateful mouth. Even as he did it, he thought the guy would immediately shove his hand away in annoyance.

But surprisingly, Cha Dogyeong didn’t. He did look irritated at the hand covering his mouth, but instead of coldly pushing it off, he did something else.

He licked the palm that was blocking his mouth.

“Ugh!”

Of course, Sejun was even more shocked than if he had pushed him away, and he pulled his hand back right away. His palm was wet with saliva.

Isn’t he insane?

Sejun looked at him like he was truly a lunatic, but Cha Dogyeong only twitched his eyebrows.

“Who told you to cover someone’s mouth?”

“You’re seriously crazy!”

The two stopped speaking and glared at each other.

Then Sejun suddenly realized how quiet it had gotten around them.

Looking around, he saw that the nearby customers had become front-row spectators, watching with eager eyes as two famous people bickered childishly in public.

When his eyes happened to meet those of the woman sitting across from Cha Dogyeong, watching this scene from the best seat, Sejun’s face turned red with embarrassment.

“Take care of your company!”

Sejun got annoyed.

“Mind your own business.”

Cha Dogyeong replied irritably.

The conversation died down after that, leaving Sejun breathing hard in agitation and Cha Dogyeong looking annoyed.

That was when Ryu Sehyun, who had been quietly watching, stepped in to tidy up the situation.

“Well then, enjoy your meal, Dogyeong.”

With words that perfectly cut off the exchange, he grabbed Sejun’s arm and led him inside.

As Sejun was pulled away, he couldn’t help but glance back. His eyes met Cha Dogyeong’s fixed stare, and the two scowled at each other before both turned their heads away at the same time.

Once Sejun and Ryu Sehyun were gone, the woman who had been smiling while enjoying the unexpected quarrel opened her mouth.

“Seo Sejun-ssi is cute.”

At her words, Cha Dogyeong silently drank the sparkling tea in front of him. Even as the sweet taste spread through his mouth, the sensation of impulsively licking Sejun’s hand lingered on his tongue for quite a while.