I stared at Hyun Dowoon, who looked appalled, and Kwon Seoyul, who was trembling violently, in sheer disbelief.

‘What the hell. When did they get here?’

Cha Sahyeon must have sensed their presence and aura—why didn’t he say anything?

Smooch. Smooch.

Meanwhile, Cha Sahyeon was too busy smothering my cheeks with kisses, completely ignoring whoever had entered.

“Ah, stop it.”

I pushed Cha Sahyeon’s face away, but a chilling murderous aura pricked against my skin.

“...!”

In the blink of an eye, Kwon Seoyul had closed the distance from the doorway and grabbed Cha Sahyeon’s wrist.

At the same time, Cha Sahyeon reached out with his other hand and seized Kwon Seoyul’s throat—then slammed him straight into the floor.

Thunk!

The hard tile cracked and shattered on impact.

The blow was so forceful, the entire floor shook.

Clenching his teeth, Kwon Seoyul barely suppressed a groan as he swung a leg at Sahyeon’s temple. But Cha Sahyeon dodged it easily and punched down without hesitation.

‘Damn.’

Brutal. Absolutely brutal.

Cha Sahyeon showed no hesitation, as if he’d been waiting for this very moment, completely dominating Kwon Seoyul.

His rank was higher, so even Kwon Seoyul’s S-rank physique should’ve felt that—but Seoyul didn’t back down, panting furiously and trying to strike back again.

As the two rolled and grappled violently, blood sprayed everywhere.

“Wh-What the fuck...?”

Hyun Dowoon, frozen by the door, cautiously crept closer.

“Hey! Stop them or something!”

“How the hell am I supposed to stop that?”

It looked just like that one video of two dogs going at it—only instead of fur, blood was flying.

Still, at least they were keeping their promise not to kill. I’d drilled that one in hard enough.

If Cha Sahyeon really intended to kill Kwon Seoyul, he wouldn’t be punching him—he’d have used a skill to finish it instantly.

As I chuckled and watched their brawl like it was entertainment, Hyun Dowoon gave me a look like, ‘Are you fucking serious?’

“Your attitude’s totally different from earlier.”

“The situation’s different.”

Earlier, I just wanted to get out of here quietly and quickly. That’s why I stopped Sahyeon from fighting.

Now? There’s no point. Everything’s blown anyway.

‘No warning window’s popped up, so his emotional state must be fine too.’

Might as well let Cha Sahyeon establish the pecking order.

“Fucking hell! You son of a bitch!”

“Did he bite a rag or something?”

Between the punches, their angry voices bled through.

Even after taking quite a beating, Kwon Seoyul wasn’t the least bit intimidated—he just got louder and more belligerent, and even Cha Sahyeon looked a bit put off.

‘What if Sahyeon picks up bad habits from him?’

Kwon Seoyul could live however recklessly he wanted, but if Cha Sahyeon went down that road, the world might literally split in half. I couldn’t help but worry.

‘Guess I should at least pretend to stop them.’

I looked between the emotionless Cha Sahyeon, throwing punches, and Kwon Seoyul, bleeding profusely but still getting in little counters. Then I grabbed my bandaged left hand and cried out:

“Agh! I think the painkiller wore off! It stings!”

“Hyung?”

Cha Sahyeon, who had been hammering Seoyul into the ground, jerked his head up at my scream.

“Are you okay? Want another painkiller?”

He immediately rushed to my side, looking panicked as he inspected my hand.

I appreciate the concern, but maybe wipe the blood off your cheek first.

Hyun Dowoon looked at him like, ‘What kind of lunatic is this?’

“Wait, what happened to your hand? I thought a Healer came by.”

“Beats me. Like I can read that guy’s mind.”

There were definitely Healers in the district. One of the high-ranking ones even lived in this building.

But they only moved on the Representative’s orders, so without his permission, no one could receive treatment.

I figured the guy didn’t send a Healer on purpose—as a petty little protest. You made the wound yourself, so suffer through the pain.

‘Seriously? A grown-ass man throwing a tantrum like this?’

The Healer was probably treating Kang Haeil right now.

During the earlier scuffle, the guy had absorbed the force of that energy-blocking smoke blast. He must be in bad shape.

‘Without a Healer, he’d be clutching his heart for a month straight.’

Shame I didn’t get to see it.

While inspecting my hand with a serious expression, Cha Sahyeon spoke.

“Hyung, let’s get out of here. I’ll grab any Healer and have them patch you up.”

“No. Calm down.”

We could leave later—but first, I needed to secure the four hostages.

Even if I explained it, Sahyeon would probably say, ‘Let’s just ditch them.’ So I just shook my head.

That’s when Kwon Seoyul suddenly screamed.

“Seohu-hyung, you’re the worst!”

His face a mess of blood, Seoyul shouted in pure indignation.

“Am I invisible to you? I’m this beat-up! I’m in pain! And you’re too busy swooning over that bastard with no past to even look at me!”

“Oh yeah? And did you help me when Kang Haeil was kicking the shit out of me?”

I scoffed and shot back, and Kwon Seoyul blinked in surprise before muttering sulkily.

“But I still looked out for you...”

“Hyung, can I just kill him?”

“No.”

Though... I was tempted just now.

Anyway, there’s no time to waste on stupid back-and-forth.

I’d been meaning to ask Hyun Dowoon and Kwon Seoyul something—and thanks to them barging in, things had sped up.

“Where are the guests?”

Hyun Dowoon immediately averted his eyes.

“Answer me. Where did they go?”

“H-Hell if I know. How would I know that?”

“Oh? That’s a lie. I know both of you escorted them to this building.”

“......”

“Hyun Dowoon, didn’t you just see him beat the crap out of Kwon Seoyul?”

“...Are you threatening me?”

“Where did they go?”

“...Haa.”

With an annoyed sigh, Hyun Dowoon hesitated—then reluctantly spoke.

“Tenth floor.”

Not even a large group. So why the biggest reception room?

Still, at least we had a destination. I shot to my feet.

“Let’s go, Cha Sahyeon.”

***

Without a sound, a servant approached and poured tea into the cup in front of Representative Seo.

The dried rose-colored tea filled the cup perfectly. As the servant withdrew with the teapot, Representative Seo took a leisurely sip before speaking.

“Funny. I’m the only one who’s introduced myself.”

Clink. He set the cup down and clasped his hands together, legs crossed.

“I’ll let that slide as a minor discourtesy. After all, I already know who all four of you are.”

Ryu Sunghyun almost reacted with disbelief but kept a composed expression.

“You know because of Hunter Cha Seohu, I presume?”

The corner of Representative Seo’s lips curved slightly.

“Of course.”

“......”

“That’s enough small talk. So, what brings the four of you here at this hour?”

Kwon Taehyuk silently suppressed a sigh.

‘I feel like an idiot.’

He knew it was best not to expose your cards to someone like Representative Seo—but this was about Cha Seohu, so it wasn’t that simple.

“You already know why we’re here, don’t you?”

“Knowing doesn’t mean I can’t ask, does it?”

His voice was cold to the core, yet every word was laced with mockery.

Kwon Taehyuk’s brow twitched.

‘This man...’

He didn’t look anything like him, but the way he spoke reminded him of Cha Seohu.

‘No—more accurately, Seohu must’ve learned it from this man.’

Whether it was intentional or not, even this short conversation made it clear how deeply the two were connected.

“You’re shameless.”

While Kwon Taehyuk was lost in thought, Park Minhyuk spoke up.

“You assaulted the Association, kidnapped Hunter Cha Seohu, attacked staff—and now you—!”

“Hm.”

Representative Seo looked unimpressed as he glanced at Park Minhyuk’s scowling face.

“Is this an official complaint?”

“...And what if it is?”

“In that case, I’ll gladly accept it. But before that—there’s something I’d like to clarify.”

He slowly tilted his head.

“To file a complaint, the Association would first have to admit it failed to protect its Supporter. Last I checked, there was no indication of that. So I wonder if a formal protest is even feasible.”

He smiled calmly, never once losing composure.

“Let me ask again, Team Leader Park Minhyuk. Has the Association President changed his mind?”

Under the table, Park Minhyuk’s hands clenched into ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) fists.

Representative Seo noticed his silence and continued indifferently.

“When a dog has an incompetent master, it suffers. I get that. But before you call others shameless, maybe clean up the mess in your own house first.”

Just then, a servant approached and handed Representative Seo a small slip of paper—silent, designed to go unnoticed even by someone with S-rank hearing.

He unfolded the neatly folded note and tapped the armrest of the sofa.

“No need to keep searching for Cha Seohu.”

He returned the note to the servant and rested his chin on his hand with a faint, tired chuckle.

“He’s on his way here now.”

BANG!

The very moment Representative Seo finished his sentence, the door to the reception hall burst open with a loud crash, followed by heavy, purposeful footsteps.