EFME 126

Taking photos at the end, the atmosphere was wrapping up. Sunyul parted ways with the four and headed back to the guild.

Cho Seokwon

Mr. Sunyul, this is Cho Seokwon ^^

I’ll say hello from time to time, please look after me~^^

Getting into the car parked in the guild’s parking lot, a message from Cho Seokwon arrived. Sunyul stared fixedly at that message.

What on earth is his purpose?

Just in case, Sunyul passed on the story he heard today to Yoonjae first.

─Lim Youngwoon’s parents have power and a lot of wealth. Since he has a lot of his own assets, acting is just a hobby for him. He’s the financial backer who provides money when Yoo Sunghyun plays.

“Really?”

Yoonjae threw out information that Sunyul hadn’t even thought of.

─Cho Seokwon… after he became close with Yoo Sunghyun, a lot of Cho Seokwon’s other human relationships were cut off.

“That’s a bit strange.”

Considering Cho Seokwon’s attitude, where he couldn’t even budge before Yoo Sunghyun… didn’t it seem like, exactly, Yoo Sunghyun had cut off Cho Seokwon’s human relationships?

─Right. Hearing the story today makes it even stranger. I’ll keep investigating this side too.

Ending the call with Yoonjae, Sunyul looked over the list of B-rank or higher hunters and continued to search for them.

So far, he had found two hunters with the [Magician’s Hand] skill. The personal information of those two was passed to Yoonjae, and the Supernatural Affairs Bureau was currently tracking them.

He heard that one of them had an extremely low probability of having used the skill on Sunyul, and the other had some suspicious points, so they were conducting a slightly more intensive investigation.

However, since it wasn’t certain whether that person was also connected to the person who kidnapped Sunyul, Sunyul went around looking at people’s status windows with the determination to completely shake down the list.

Even so, there was a limit to the number he could go around and look at.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Sunyul returned home.

There are no particular gains today. It wasn’t always that there were gains, so Sunyul didn’t mind it much.

Most days were so-called wild-goose-chase days, but Sunyul didn’t think that that was meaningless either. Anyway, he was narrowing down the list.

“I’m home.”

“Yeah, welcome back.”

Sunyul flinched in surprise. He had greeted Juyoung out of habit, so he hadn’t thought at all that Muyoung would answer.

Come to think of it, nine o’clock was not an unusual time for Muyoung to be around. Sunyul rolled his eyes and then avoided his gaze.

“…Yes.”

Last night, though he had fallen asleep exhausted from crying his eyes out in Muyoung’s arms… that didn’t mean he had completely resolved his grievance regarding Muyoung entering an S-rank dungeon alone as he pleased.

He wasn’t as angry as when Muyoung had just come out of the dungeon, but even so, he was still sulking. He had no intention of letting go of his anger either. Because Muyoung would only come to his senses after being scolded a bit.

As if protesting, Sunyul avoided Muyoung, walking in a wide circle to go up the stairs. Seeing that, Muyoung let out a hollow laugh.

When Sunyul came out after washing up, Muyoung had entered the room and was waiting for Sunyul. Sunyul stepped back in surprise.

“What is it?”

“I wondered if you were still angry.”

Muyoung’s voice as he said that was so perfectly calm, making Sunyul bite his lip out of a somehow wronged feeling. He used to think Muyoung’s relaxed attitude all by himself was cool, but not right now. He was truly, utterly hateful.

“Of course I am….”

“Of course?”

“Of course I’m angry!”

Sunyul shouted in a low voice. Muyoung approached close to that Sunyul. Sunyul backed away a step without realizing it and fled. Instead of following closely, Muyoung gazed at Sunyul with a gentle look.

“Don’t be angry.”

“Why? I never once said I’d let go of my anger. You’re not going to tell me anything, yet you just tell me to let go of my anger. You do whatever you want. You’re really mean….”

“What should I do to make you let go of your anger.”

“It won’t be let go.”

“Sunyul-ah.”

At the affectionately whispering voice, Sunyul opened his eyes wide.

“…Yes?”

“Don’t be angry, Sunyul-ah.”

“Uh, uh-uh….”

Sunyul froze in surprise.

Every time, Muyoung had called him ‘Lim Sunyul’, even attaching the last name, but calling him by just his name, ‘Sunyul-ah’… it was the first time.

As if this were any big deal, Sunyul’s face turned bright red.

No, it was a big deal. It was a single blow with considerable destructive power.

Did he leave ‘dropping the last name and calling just the name’ as a trump card in preparation for a time like this? This was a destructive power almost on the level of using a skill. Sunyul’s head couldn’t work properly and spun around and around.

“There will never be an occasion to make you worry a second time.”

“….”

Sunyul’s eyes, which had been triangle-shaped, had turned round and round before he knew it.

Because his anger had absurdly dissolved completely, yet the sulking feelings still remained in his heart, Sunyul grumbled for the last time.

“You’re unfair.”

“I have to use all the moves I can use.”

“…Did you really leave it as a trump card?”

“What?”

“Calling just my name. I wondered if you didn’t call it in preparation for a time like this.”

Muyoung let out a hollow laugh as if he thought it was quite a wild imagination.

“It’s not like that….”

“Then why didn’t you call it?”

Muyoung didn’t answer right away. He just looked at Sunyul as if he wanted to gloss over it. Sunyul met his gaze while waiting for Muyoung’s answer. In the end, Muyoung gave up and opened his mouth.

“Because it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Since he had said Lim Sunyul, Lim Sunyul every time, when it came to actually calling Sunyul-ah, it just felt too ticklish. Though once he called it, it stuck to his mouth better than expected.

Sunyul opened his eyes wide into circles.

“Even the Guild Leader has things like that?”

“I do. Why wouldn’t I.”

“…It’s fascinating.”

“I find myself fascinating too.”

“What is?”

“When it involves you, I act unlike myself. That’s fascinating.”

What would it mean to be unlike Muyoung? Sunyul tilted his head. The Muyoung Sunyul knew was a person who was always consistent.

“In what way?”

“Everything.”

“…The Guild Leader I know is a kind, affectionate, and capable person.”

At Sunyul’s unsuspecting words, Muyoung laughed shortly.

“Probably only you say that.”

“What?”

“That I’m kind and affectionate, there’s no one else but you who says that.”

Sunyul blinked his eyes. Instead of explaining further, Muyoung kissed him lightly. Mwah, mwah, the lips that were pressed together moved to his cheek and the nape of his neck. Before being swept away just like that, Sunyul pushed Muyoung away.

“Wait a minute.”

“Why.”

“I have something to give you.”

Sunyul pulled a box out of his inventory. It was a small box wrapped in black velvet material that Haemin had handed to Sunyul during the day. Sunyul handed that box to Muyoung.

“Are you giving it to me?”

At Muyoung’s question, Sunyul nodded his head. Opening the box right away, a wristwatch was inside.

At a glance, it looks like a regular watch, but when an awakened person touches it, it responds. In fact, when Muyoung tapped it lightly, a translucent window floated up over the surface of the watch.

“That, it’s a hunter watch. I thought a practical gift would be better… so I prepared it, yet the Guild Leader goes and enters an S-rank dungeon.”

Whether grievance still remained, Sunyul pouted his lips.

“…Anyway, that, I gathered all the materials. To be precise, the me who lost his memories gathered them, though. Anyway, it’s because I gathered them.”

“Right.”

“Since I commissioned Haemin hyung, it will be sturdy. It might be cheaper than what the Guild Leader usually uses, but, um… please use it occasionally.”

“From now on, I’m only going to use this.”

“You don’t have to go that far….”

“It’s true.”

Muyoung immediately wore the watch on his wrist. Whether it was thanks to Haemin making it to fit after anticipating exactly who Sunyul was going to present it to… despite his comfortable attire, it really suited Muyoung well.

“I’ll use it starting tomorrow.”

“…Yes.”

Although Muyoung is someone without large changes in expression, it could be felt that he was sufficiently happy from his expression which seemed more elated than usual. Sunyul was sufficiently satisfied with just that. Even if Muyoung didn’t use it.

Of course, Muyoung would use it well. Because he was a person who didn’t violate the words he spoke. As for entering an S-rank dungeon… well, it was a matter about which he had never said he wouldn’t enter in the first place.

“But what’s with the gift? Is it some special day?”

“I’m not giving it because it’s some special day…. Just, since you treat me well usually, it’s a gift given as a meaning of gratitude. Though I didn’t know it would be completed at this exact timing.”

Sunyul spoke in a small voice, perhaps a bit embarrassed. Muyoung found that Sunyul quite cute, so he kissed his cheek.

“Thank you.”

“Th-that, I also wanted to give you something better than the scarf…. Please throw away the scarf I gave you at first.”

“I don’t want to.”

“….”

Sunyul, who regarded that clumsy scarf as something like a dark history, made displeased eyes. Muyoung soothed that Sunyul.

“If you really hate it, I won’t wear it around. But I won’t throw it away. How could I throw away what you knit yourself and gave to me.”

“Yes. If it’s to that extent, well….”

Sunyul spoke like that with a face that couldn’t hide the signs of liking it.

Muyoung kissed him again. Sunyul hung his arms around Muyoung’s neck. A fairly passionate kiss followed, and Muyoung lifted Sunyul up in his arms and headed toward the bed.