VSP 143

“Even if Sejun’s mana increases, he’s still just Sejun.”

Lee Dohun had just entered the main building lobby when he heard someone shouting. The artificial scent wafting in the air was an added bonus.

Faces familiar even to Dohun, likely high rank hunters, were excitedly chatting near the central staircase leading to the second floor.

“Getting trapped in an A-rank dungeon? Probably just a show. He was trying to get some attention.”

“Really? I thought it was real.”

“This guy’s so naive. Seriously, what kind of dungeon entrance is blocked by chains? Does that even make sense? It’s better for the Association and Sejun if he makes up some story that’s hard to verify, rather than admitting an S-rank hunter couldn’t even clear an A-rank dungeon and had to be rescued, right?”

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but the person listening was an S-rank hunter, so their chatter reached Dohun’s ears.

Despite being indoors, the men held e-cigarettes in their hands, and that was why the lobby was filled with the distinctive artificial scent of e-cigarettes.

Association employees working in the lobby frowned and kept glancing their way, but since the men were high-ranking hunters, they couldn’t confront them.

“But why would they need to make that up? If they get caught making something up, isn’t that a risk for the Association too?”

“They did it because they had a reason.”

“So what reason?”

“Hasn’t the Association President been ‘fond’ of Sejun Sejun for ages?”

The man chuckled, his words sounded familiar. Dohun, who had no energy to spare for gossip about anyone, was about to ignore it and move on when he found himself abruptly stopping near the entrance.

The man listening to the other’s claim exclaimed, “Oh!”

“Wow, so that rumor was true?”

“Everyone just keeps quiet about it, but those in the know are aware. The Association president favors Sejun. They’ve been spotted on dates more than once or twice.”

“Isn’t that just two close friends hanging out?”

“Everyone thought that at first. But it’s not like we’re blind… I don’t know about Sejun, but the Association President is definitely into him.”

“Ugh, disgusting.”

It was already annoying, but the more he heard, the more irritating it became.

What the hell are those bastards talking about?

It felt like he was being attacked personally, it made his stomach churn.

He knew it was contradictory to feel that way, since he himself had been one of the people tormenting Sejun for quite a long time, his conscience pricked him.

No, but I… it wasn’t entirely my own will.

Lee Dohun clutched his face as he felt a sudden wave of clarity. He muttered to himself without even knowing who the excuse was for.

Ha, you stupid bastard, Lee Dohun. That’s what you get for always picking fights with Seo Sejun.

Should I go over and stop them? Or just shout at them to shut the fuck up? But what right do I have? Is one apology enough? I can’t even do that properly… Fuck.

Even as Dohun thought this, the men didn’t stop chattering.

“Wow, but what’s the Association President lacking that he’d go for Sejun? I mean… honestly, Seo Sejun is good-looking, but he’s a fucking man through and through. He’s not even remotely pretty…”

In that moment, Dohun found himself mentally arguing back.

What do you mean why, fuck. That bastard isn’t just good-looking, there’s not a single unattractive feature on him if you look attentively. And these guys who’ve never even seen him up close have so much fucking to say…

“Why is that door-sized thing standing right there blocking the entrance?”

“Ah!”

Lee Dohun, who had been mentally spewing his thoughts about Sejun, gasped at the familiar voice coming from behind him.

Startled, he turned around to find the very person he’d been thinking about moments ago staring at him as if he were strange.

Mirroring Dohun’s thoughts, he stood there with a face that wasn’t just handsome, it was flawless, with not a single unattractive feature to be found.

But Dohun couldn’t muster a welcoming smile or even a lukewarm expression.

Just as he’d thought, “The timing sucks,”

The men continued speaking before he could stop them.

“Seo Sejun’s ass must be tight. Seeing how the Association President can’t even move because of him, it’s obvious.”

Ah.

The very situation he’d feared was unfolding. The vulgar words piercing Lee Dohun’s ears made him feel dizzy.

They seemed aware such talk wasn’t exactly pleasant for others to hear, as the volume dropped. Unfortunately, an S-class hunter’s hearing tended to ignore such niceties.

As expected, upon hearing that unusual remark, Seo Sejun turned his head toward that direction.

Now Sejun would put on that hurt expression. Just like he always did whenever Dohun said something mean, he’d get angry, but ultimately couldn’t hide his hurt.

Like right now, with one eyebrow raised and an annoyed face…

Hm?

“Seriously, it’s the same everywhere.”

With an unexpected expression, Seo Sejun mumbled something incomprehensible and raised his hand. The moment he waved his long, pretty fingers something happened.

“Ugh!”

“Ah!”

The two men who had been gossiping fell down spectacularly.

The gazes of those around them instantly turned that way. Confused murmurs could be heard, but the men couldn’t get up.

It wasn’t just a simple fall; their unsuspecting bodies had been lifted into the air before crashing headfirst onto the floor.

Dohun, who had unconsciously looked toward the men at Sejun’s gesture, witnessed it.

“…What was that?”

…A dragon?

He thought he’d just caught a glimpse of something like that. Something blue, dragon-like, had flashed into view, slammed the men’s bodies into the floor, then vanished without a trace.

But that couldn’t be true. Blue meant it was a summoned beast, and a summoned beast capable of exerting that much physical force against high-ranking hunters without being detected, then vanishing, would be at least an S-rank hunter’s summoned beast.

And Sejun, the only S-rank hunter in South Korea with summoning abilities, had no capacity left to contract a new summoned beast after his contract with Hoya.

Besides, was Sejun the type to immediately summon a beast to punish someone just because they had insulted him? Lee Dohun was confident he could answer with certainty: no, he wasn’t.

So, it was highly likely he had seen it wrong. Yet, the vivid blue afterimage still lingered in his eyes, too clear to dismiss as a mistake.

Dohun glanced briefly at the men before turning his gaze toward Sejun.

Seo Sejun.

Lee Dohun muttered the name of the man who made his thoughts so complicated, and took a step closer.

“Seo Sejun, did you do something just now?”

He asked just in case, but Sejun looked back at him with a neutral expression, as if he’d been never annoyed.

“Me? Do what?”

His eyes crinkled innocently, driving home the thought ‘Of course he wouldn’t’. Yet, for some reason, Dohun felt even more uneasy. It was because he felt unfamiliar.

It was a ridiculous thought, but the Seo Sejun standing before him didn’t feel like the Sejun he knew.

“Lee Dohun.”

“Huh?”

Dohun responded to the voice calling his name, he looked toward Sejun and flinched in surprise. Sejun’s face was suddenly too close.

Perhaps because he’d been picturing Sejun’s face just moments ago, seeing that handsome face looming closer than usual made Dohun involuntarily close his eyes and open them again.

Blinking didn’t make the handsome face in front of him disappear.

That face, the kind that, just by looking at it, made one think, Why bother being a hunter when you could be an actor or model? stared at Dohun before laughing.

“Hmm.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing much.”

Dohun frowned. Sejun, who had been calmly watching his face contort, added.

“Well, no matter how much the world changes, some things just stay the same.”

It made no sense. But Sejun wasn’t in the mood to explain his remark, he simply gestured toward the stairs where the men lay.

“Let’s go.”

“What? Where?”

Seo Sejun looked back at Dohun as if he were the strange one.

“To the meeting room, of course.”

Dohun had also come to the Association today for the meeting. And heading together to the same place wasn’t exactly strange either. But wasn’t that only the case in a normal relationship?

The relationship between Lee Dohun and Seo Sejun was awkward no matter how you looked at it. Even if they were heading to the same place, they were the kind of uncomfortable pair who should move at least ten meters apart.

“Seo Sejun, you…”

“If you don’t want to, go ahead.”

Seeing Dohun didn’t look like he wanted to move, Sejun abandoned him without hesitation and started walking. Before Dohun could even think, he panicked and shouted.

“I didn’t say I didn’t want to!”

He was aware he was being dragged along, but he couldn’t hold out without being swayed.

Near the central staircase, the two hunters who had been clutching their aching backs and groaning were startled the moment they saw Sejun, whom they had been mocking. Their faces turned pale, and they quickly scrambled away.

Sejun seemed completely oblivious to them, but Dohun glared their way several times.

I remember those bastards’ faces.

Yet, even as he thought that, he was overcome with self-loathing.

Lee Dohun, do you even have the right to act like this?