EFME 6

Kwon Muyoung was the grandson of the chairman of TR Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates. Thanks to this, he grew up in an environment of not just abundance, but excess.

However, he didn’t rely on or benefit from TR Group in the process of creating and developing Cheongyeon Guild. Cheongyeon Guild had grown to its current position solely through Muyoung’s abilities.

Muyoung awakened in the year dungeons appeared. During the time when dungeons were first emerging, the world was truly plunged into chaos. Even TR Group was reeling at that time, and they didn’t have the capacity to properly support Muyoung.

In fact, Muyoung established himself firmly faster than TR Group could stabilize. Once society became more stable, Muyoung chose TR, his own blood relatives, as partners. Muyoung contributed to TR Group’s faster recovery compared to other conglomerates.

Thanks to this brilliant history, Kwon Muyoung held a unique position within the Kwon family, almost as prominent as the chairman.

TR Group wanted a closer relationship with Cheongyeon Guild, but Muyoung wanted to operate Cheongyeon Guild independently. According to Muyoung’s wishes, they currently cooperated as business partners.

One aspect of this cooperation was advertising. It was the most efficient way to publicly demonstrate the strong link between Kwon Muyoung and TR Group.

“I want to see other advertisements……”

“Search for them. On your smartphone.”

“Will they come up if I search?”

“Of course.”

Sunyul’s eyes lit up at Muyoung’s words. As soon as he said that, Sunyul immediately turned on his smartphone. After fumbling for a bit, he soon found the advertisements Muyoung had filmed.

“Wow, whoa……”

Sunyul kept expressing his admiration, even making sounds. It was a little funny how he was acting like a fan. After watching the advertisements for a while, Sunyul looked at Muyoung with bright eyes.

“Don’t you wear a coat, Guild Leader?”

“It’s not coat season yet.”

“Oh……”

“Why?”

“You look cool in a coat. It suits you.”

After saying that, Sunyul continued watching the other advertisements. Meanwhile, the car soon arrived at the guild building.

Located in the heart of the city, Cheongyeon Guild’s headquarters building was the final product of multiple expansions, starting from a single floor.

Designed with Muyoung’s direct involvement, the building was considered the most perfect guild headquarters in the world, and it was a source of pride for Cheongyeon Guild members.

Parking the car in the underground parking lot, Muyoung took Sunyul to the Guild Leader’s office.

The Guild Leader’s office was on the top floor of the headquarters. Muyoung and Sunyul took the private elevator and arrived directly on the 28th floor.

The secretary, who was the first person Muyoung encountered after getting off the elevator, smiled and greeted him.

“Good mornin… gasp!”

Or rather, she tried to greet him, but gasped before she could finish. Her wide eyes were fixed on Sunyul, who was behind Muyoung.

Muyoung’s cold gaze turned to the guild member. The secretary turned pale and apologized, but the atmosphere remained tense.

As a result, Sunyul was quite intimidated by the time they reached the Guild Leader’s office. Muyoung clicked his tongue at the sight of him.

“Don’t mind it. She was just surprised to see you for the first time.”

“……Yes.”

[‘Traveler of the Eternal Night’ says not to smile but to punch her.]

The constellation’s absurd message didn’t even register. Sunyul recalled the secretary’s horrified gaze, as if she were looking at a monster.

That reaction, which couldn’t be simply explained away as surprise… the fear and disgust…

It was all enough to make Sunyul shrink back.

Just then, the door opened.

“Hey, Kwon Muyo… Huh?!”

It was Kim Jaehoon who entered. Surprised to see Sunyul, Jaehoon immediately confronted Muyoung.

“Why did you bring that thing to the guild?!”

“I can’t leave him alone.”

“He’s not a child, just leave him alone!”

“The Ability Management Bureau requested that I don’t leave him unattended.”

Jaehoon immediately understood what that meant. It likely meant to manage the dangerous object properly and not leave it unattended.

But bringing it straight to the guild was a different matter. Jaehoon frowned deeply.

“Even so, everyone’s uneasy. Especially the non-hunter staff.”

“Right, I was just about to clarify that. Make an announcement that Lim Sunyul isn’t harmful, so they don’t need to be anxious.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant!”

Jaehoon pounded his chest in frustration. Muyoung stared at him with cold eyes.

“Kim Jaehoon.”

“……Ha.”

At the warning tone in his voice, Jaehoon suppressed his anger for the moment. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

Was he seriously pressuring his own guild’s Vice Guild Leader, his comrade who had shared life and death with him, and his friend of ten years, just to defend that thing?

But pointing that out wouldn’t get him anywhere. Muyoung wasn’t lenient with people who tried to oppose him. Jaehoon ruffled his hair roughly and sighed.

“Fine. Fine, but let’s at least keep him locked up somewhere safe. There are some empty monster cages in the lab, so in there…”

“I’m not locking him up.”

Muyoung said coldly. His demeanor was so icy that it seemed he wouldn’t forgive anyone, no matter who they were, if they said anything more.

Muyoung, who had been frowning, softened his expression. Then he spoke to Sunyul, who had started to look apprehensive.

“I’m not going to lock you up, so don’t be scared.”

“……Yes.”

Jaehoon couldn’t believe his ears. Someone who didn’t know Muyoung might think it was a rather emotionless voice, but the speaker was Kwon Muyoung. The cold-blooded Kwon Muyoung.

Considering it was Kwon Muyoung, that was an incredibly gentle voice. Almost dripping with honey. He wouldn’t even treat his family or lover like this.

Jaehoon unconsciously looked at Sunyul, whom Muyoung had addressed. And for a moment, he was speechless.

He’d vaguely known about the various discussions on the internet, about how I-21 was pretty, or how people shouldn’t praise an unknown thing for its appearance, or how appearance-based judgment, even towards items, should be abolished. He’d thought it was ridiculous that they were fighting over such things.

But seeing him up close like this… he understood the fight. The mugshot-like photos in the news articles didn’t capture even half of his real-life appearance. The word “pretty” certainly suited his delicate face.

But what truly struck Jaehoon speechless were his eyes.

Those slightly teary eyes looking up at him pitifully. It was hard to say harsh words like locking him in a monster cage after looking into those eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“…….”

“I’ll be good.”

Seeing him look so anxious and even say such things made Jaehoon’s conscience suddenly prick. He felt like he was bullying someone weaker than him. Jaehoon had no choice but to surrender.

“Uh, yeah. Okay, but at least don’t let him wander around outside on his own.”

“I won’t let him wander around alone.”

“…….”

So, did that mean they would wander around together? It was a statement that could be interpreted in many ways, but Jaehoon eventually had to agree.

“Come here, Lim Sunyul.”

Muyoung stood up and led Sunyul to a lounge attached to the Guild Leader’s office. It was a room designed to be as comfortable as possible for resting. It was also a space that Muyoung never allowed anyone else to enter.

“Rest here.”

“……Yes, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for things you didn’t do.”

“But……”

“Don’t apologize needlessly. Understand?”

“Yes.”

Overwhelmed by Muyoung’s aura, Sunyul replied. Muyoung took a remote control from a drawer and turned on the TV mounted on the wall. Flipping through the channels, he stopped at one showing anime.

“Watch TV for a bit. I’ll be back after I’m done working.”

Sunyul nodded and replied that he understood. Muyoung stared at Sunyul for a moment, then left the lounge and closed the door. Sunyul thought about what Muyoung had just said.

[‘Traveler of the Eternal Night’ is excited that Muyoung said the right thing.]

[‘Traveler of the Eternal Night’ tells him to stop being timid and push back.]

Don’t apologize for things you didn’t do. Those words were incredibly comforting to Sunyul.

Since waking up, Sunyul had been subjected to harsh treatment even though he hadn’t done anything, simply because his existence itself was deemed dangerous.

Sunyul understood why people were wary of him. Even Sunyul himself felt uneasy about his own identity, so it was natural for strangers to feel the same way. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt by people’s reactions.

Sunyul savored Muyoung’s words for a moment. They tasted sweet and kind.

Thanks to that, his intimidated feelings subsided considerably.

After basking in happiness for a while, Sunyul looked around the room. The thought that this was Muyoung’s space made him feel even better.

After looking around for a while, Sunyul fiddled with the TV. He flipped through the channels mindlessly, and then he saw a familiar face.

It was a video of Muyoung.