84.
After confirming Alberg’s harmlessness, they returned to the headquarters — Leon called them.
“Welcome. I should have visited in person, but I’m sorry I couldn’t.”
“No. You must be busy.”
“Still, it doesn’t mean that people who have received grace could come and go.”
Leon said with a soft smile. It was great to see Bacardi running around and trying to make up for the missing spot. The justice he put forward in the guild he had built up, and the way he tried to protect people was admirable.
“It’s okay. But what’s going on?”
At Seon-woo’s question, Leon took out a tablet and held it.
“This is a video that’s circulating around on the Internet.”
The beginning begins between the broken buildings. The screen shook as if the owner holding the device was frightened. Then came the sound of whispering.
『We have arrived. There’s a Guardian Guild building around here, so it should be safe for now.』
Then thump! A sound was heard, and the screen spun.
『Did you see that? He just jumped off a tall building! Oh my god!』
After that, the screen remained still and began to show the two men jumping off the building.
One could definitely identify who it was.
『It’s the Bacardi of the Phoenix Guild.』
A mumbling voice is heard again.
『But who is the other person?』
The face was not clearly visible. However, one thing was certain. He was stronger than Bacardi. Because Bacardi was being beaten the whole time.
The video cut off there.
Seon-woo parted his lips, which had been tightly closed the entire time he watched the video.
“It’s Bacardi and Hyung.”
“Yes, the Phoenix Guild’s betrayal has not been officially announced yet. This is due to concerns that this situation could cause further confusion. But as this video was released, rumors are spreading.”
A bitterness crept across Leon’s lips.
“I wonder if there is something wrong with the Phoenix Guild. Besides, Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi’s face is blurry, but some people recognize him.”
It was a difficult story for Hyeon-woo in many ways.
“Ji Seon-woo. I don’t know why Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi tried to hide his power. But I know he’ll be in trouble if the information about that power is known.”
He went through tough times in both Korea and the United States. What was needed in the process was an Awakened with strong power. If Hyeon-woo’s powers were revealed, criticism could come out as to why he hadn’t put forth all his might in the meantime.
“Hyung always did his best to hunt monsters.”
Even when Seon-woo stopped him, he didn’t rest until the monster was defeated. But to think that he might be criticized for hiding his power.
“We also tried our best to retrieve the footage. Although the recovery was successful, it has already spread too much.”
No matter how great the Guardian Guild was, it was impossible to block all the videos that had already spread.
“For now, we plan to make an official announcement about Bacardi in a few days.”
“Is that so?”
“If we ever need help, we will always actively step forward. Ji Hyeon-woo-ssi is a hero in our country.”
“Thank you.”
That was how the conversation ended.
***
“Human beings are truly incomprehensible.”
Alberg, who had heard Seon-woo’s words, spoke.
“He was just hiding his power. What’s the problem with that? That doesn’t mean he neglected what he had to do. Isn’t he a strong person hiding in this world?”
“There’s nothing like that. But he doesn’t like outside attention, so he doesn’t show himself as much as he hides it. Things will be more different with Hyeon-woo.”
Ga-jun answered Alberg’s words.
“It’s complicated.”
“Anyway. So what are you going to do now?”
“We have to think about it from now on.”
Seon-woo, Do-jin, and Hyeon-woo put their heads together and exchanged opinions. But no matter how hard they tried; they couldn’t think of a good way. Time was just passing.
“How about this?”
Alberg, who had eaten all the cookies, intervened between them.
“What do you mean?”
Seon-woo looked at Alberg with a disapproving expression. He was no different from Do-jin.
“It happens occasionally in the Demon Realm. There are cases where those who originally had no power, or those who were sealed, awaken, and exert their power.”
“Aha! I think I know.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to say that Hyeon-woo is also in that situation?”
“That sounds plausible.”
In the meantime, Seon-woo wrapped around Hyeon-woo so that he could see it from outside. It was already a famous story among the people that escorts were attached whenever they went out.
“I think it’s okay to say that you awakened your strength in earnest, after coming to America.”
The heads gathered and the story began to form.
“Aren’t you so cool? It’s like a hero gimmick.”
Even Ga-jun stepped in and filled in the empty parts of the story with excitement.
It was really nice to see the problem being resolved, but a sudden awakening of power. Hyeon-woo dried his face with both hands.
“At the moment of crisis, the power obtained from the Demon Realm burst out again!”
“Alright. Not a bad option.”
“It certainly suits Hyeon-woo.”
He was so embarrassed. He was going crazy. As he twisted his body, not knowing what to do, Alberg, who had been sitting on the other side of the sofa, slipped into his seat next to Hyeon-woo.
“Hyeon-woo, I came up with all of this.”
Then he looked at Hyeon-woo with sparkling eyes. He had a face that wanted something.
“So what do you want?”
“How about a kiss?”
He didn’t think there would be any reluctance to kiss him because of his pretty face, but he didn’t like it.
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Am I not quite beautiful?”
In the Demon Realm, there were also demons who suffered from love sickness after seeing Alberg and died.
“You usually say that with your own mouth.”
“It’s to my own advantage. So, why can’t I tell you?”
Alberg pouted with his lips. Since he was young, it seemed that even his actions were following him.
And Seon-woo and Do-jin found them.
“What are you doing?”
“Hyeon-woo, come here.”
Do-jin approached Hyeon-woo, picked him up, and seated him somewhere else. Alberg also got up and followed Hyeon-woo.
“Didn’t Hyeon-woo hate it?”
“What Hyeon-woo said he didn’t like was a kiss. He never said no to anything else.”
Despite sharp words, Alberg answered calmly. He was really confident when he said nasty things.
“And aren’t you really crossing the line? You’re not Hyeon-woo’s partner. It’s too much.”
“What do you mean by crossing the line. As someone who likes Hyeon-woo, I just did what I had to do.”
The two shared a cold gaze for a while. The atmosphere became stern, as if they were going to strike at any moment.
“I didn’t like you from the first time I saw you.”
“I have the same opinion.”
“I wish I could kill him.”
“Can’t you just kill him?”
“Every time. But Hyeon-woo doesn’t like it, so I’m putting up with it.”
In this situation, Seon-woo supported Do-jin. He didn’t particularly like Do-jin either, but at least it was better than Alberg, who was completely out of control.
‘It would be nice if they both died in a fight.’
While he was thinking about it, Hyeon-woo intervened and stopped the two of them.
“Stop it!”
His face was red.
“Oh, come to think of it.”
Ga-jun slammed his palm with his fist. Now, Do-jin openly expressed his feelings for Hyeon-woo. That was why Hyeon-woo was like that too.
‘Somehow, he was very obsessed with Hyeon-woo.’
He roughly guessed it but hearing it himself was different again. And he felt weird.
Why were they so drawn to hang out by Hyeon-woo when they don’t lack anything?
Come to think of it, even Ga-jun had eyes for him from the beginning. It was fun when we were together, and when they couldn’t see each other, his body would get itchy so he would break through the overprotectiveness and chase after him. No one had ever put so much effort into this.
‘My taste was soft, voluptuous women.’
Ga-jun looked at Hyeon-woo with a new gaze. He was thin for his small stature. His face was quite pretty, but there were other women that were prettier than he knew too.
He couldn’t figure out why.
But that meant…
‘Isn’t it already too much to be picky about your taste?’
This was how he felt from the moment he fought Do-jin to stay attached to Hyeon-woo in the first place.
Ga-jun took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Me too, Hyeon-woo, I like you.”
He made up his mind and uttered the words, but what came back were several bloody glances.
“Haha, Do Ga-jun-ssi, are you crazy?”
He used honorifics, but his tone was brutal. And the temperature in the room was gradually dropping.
“It looks like he went crazy for a while.”
The shadows beneath his feet began to sway. No, everyone confessed all the same, but he didn’t know why Do-jin only did this to him.
“I’m fine!”
“No. I think I’m going crazy from overwork.”
Seon-woo said firmly.
Still, Hyeon-woo looked at him wondering if he would understand his feelings, but that expectation was soon broken.
“Stop joking.”
At the same time, he was looking at Ga-jun with pity, but it does not appear that he had taken what he just said seriously.
“Why, why don’t you believe me!”
“Think about your credibility.”
Do-jin stabbed him in the chest with a neat tone. Still, he was the guild leader of the Baekho Guild, which was quite well known in Korea, but he was being treated very poorly.
Ga-jun locked himself in a corner and put on a gloomy expression.
***
At that time, Bacardi was leaving the land under strict surveillance. To be imprisoned on a small island on the other side of the sea, a prison dedicated to the Awakened.
“Isn’t the weather unusual?”
“The weather forecast was good.”
A few sailors aboard the ship chatted and glanced under the signboard.
“By the way, I still can’t believe that Bacardi is in prison.”
“That’s right. Why did he betray the United States, refusing so much power and wealth?”
The answer came back quickly to the questionable words.
“Isn’t it power?”
“Isn’t he strong enough already?”
“Desire only grows, never diminishes, as you can see.”
“It’s a philosophical statement.”
Meanwhile, the ship was moving forward rapidly. Without knowing what the future held.
------
Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Davine, YaagRabRag
HM: I do have to say… I feel sad for Do Ga-jun to the point that I wished I could give him a pat on his head.
YRR: Is this boy Aphrodite? Dang.
Davine: What can we expect from a BL novel? MC needs to be shown as attractive.
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