The next morning, when I opened my eyes, I was already back in my room.

As I sat up groggily in bed, Cha Sahyeon—who was naturally lying right next to me—blinked his eyes brightly.

“Hyung, did you sleep well?”

“...Do I look like I slept well?”

Even with my grumpy reply, Sahyeon just beamed, clearly pleased that we’d slept side by side.

“You didn’t toss and turn or have weird dreams last night. Was it because of the sleeping pill? Should I get some in advance too?”

“No need...”

I tugged on his cheek mid-babble, and he let out an exaggerated “ow” like a little brat.

Still half-asleep, I forced my brain to recall the last thing I remembered.

Right—I chugged the milk and passed out immediately.

‘So he drugged the milk? That lunatic actually planned it from the start.’

He really went out of # Nоvеlight # his way to pull crap like this.

“What happened after I passed out?”

“The guy who was fighting with you left first. The others were taken to different rooms. They told me this was your room, so I brought you here.”

Right, then the S-ranks were probably guided to suitable guest rooms by the staff.

No need to worry about that. First things first—I washed up. After me, Cha Sahyeon showered and came out, asking:

“Are we heading out right away?”

“No. I’m at least getting a meal before I go.”

Leaving without eating felt too unfair.

“I’m ordering something expensive.”

When I said that, Sahyeon gave me a strange look. What was that expression?

Knock knock.

Before I could ask, a knock came at the door.

A servant entered cautiously, bowed, and spoke.

“Breakfast is prepared in the downstairs dining hall.”

“...What?”

I never said I was going to eat before leaving.

As I stood there confused, Sahyeon spoke from behind me.

“Actually, before he left, the guy you fought with last night said something.”

[He’ll probably throw a fit when he wakes up and insist on eating something expensive, so make sure he eats before he goes.]

“...He really said that?”

“Yup.”

That bastard...

“Ugh. I’m not eating. Screw this.”

“Young master.”

The servant, bowing slightly with polite guilt, interjected.

“The guests who arrived at dawn have already gone to the dining room.”

“What?”

“If you do not join them, the meal will be cleared away. What would you like us to do?”

“......”

Annoyance bubbled in my gut.

Honestly, I wanted to march upstairs and grab that guy by the collar.

I clenched my fists, trembling, then forced out a response.

“...No, I’ll eat. Don’t clear it.”

I’m still Korean. Taking food away after offering it is unacceptable.

And besides, I should at least treat Sunghyun-hyung and the Guildmaster to a proper breakfast. They came all the way here because of me.

“Let’s go.”

With a deep sigh, I trudged out of the room.

***

When we arrived at the dining hall, we could see the four of them sitting at a wide table amidst the hustle and bustle of servants carrying out dishes.

“Hunter Cha Seohu!”

From across the room, Song Jiwoon stood up with a bright expression the moment he sensed my presence.

Smiling at his cute reaction, I walked over.

“Did you sleep well, mountain keeper?”

“Ah, yes. Thanks to you. Did you—ah.”

Song Jiwoon cut himself off, flustered. The other three, who had paused their meal to glance at me, subtly lowered their gazes.

“Ha, ha! I slept great~!”

“...Sure...”

After seating myself in an empty chair beside Sahyeon, Park Minhyuk cleared his throat.

“Are you feeling alright? Any pain or discomfort?”

“I’m fine.”

Now that I think about it, they only knew I was kidnapped—they didn’t know the details.

Good timing. I had some things I wanted to ask, and I could sort this out while we talked.

After taking a sip of the soup that had been placed in front of me, I spoke.

“I actually have a few questions. How did the four of you end up here together? Especially you, Team Leader...”

I trailed off. I couldn’t just snap “Why the hell did you get involved?” to someone who’d come to rescue me, no matter the circumstances.

Park Minhyuk, looking tired, began to explain.

“I summoned the three of them to the Association. I made the decision to request cooperation from the guilds.”

That kicked off his account of what happened after I was taken.

‘So that’s why all four of them showed up in that recording.’

The part about the Vice President was particularly interesting.

I’d figured the Association President would pretend not to know anything.

So I never expected any actual support from them.

‘But the Vice President personally reached out to the guilds? That’s surprising, given how standoffish the Association usually is with them.’

That wasn’t bad news. It meant there was at least one decent person left in the Association.

As Park Minhyuk finished, he looked at me with a slightly complicated expression.

“Hunter Cha Seohu, I came to assist in your rescue because I felt responsible for failing to protect you. I’m relieved nothing serious happened, but...”

He added reluctantly,

“This Representative Seo person... were you acquainted with him from the start? Did he really bring you here to protect you?”

“Hm.”

I cut my steak slowly, thinking about how to respond.

Minhyuk clearly doubted the guy’s claim that he kidnapped me for my own safety. Which made sense. An illegal group’s leader abducting a fragile Supporter wasn’t exactly a good look.

When I didn’t answer right away, Minhyuk asked again in a softer tone.

“Please be honest. From what I saw last night, you can’t even leave without his permission. And he said you’re under surveillance.”

“Well, yeah. I ran off because I didn’t like that and just got dragged back. But I’m okay now. It’s not something that can be fixed immediately anyway.”

I stabbed the perfectly cooked piece of steak with my fork.

“Then what was that about blackmail? You clearly said he blackmailed you.”

“Ah, I meant to explain that.”

There was no point hiding it since the eavesdropping device was already installed at the Association.

“You met my brother at the Great Dungeon, right? Like I said then, his skill lets him travel through shadows if they’re connected.”

I explained to the S-ranks how I’d planned to escape using Sahyeon, and how the guy had blackmailed me with a recording.

Back then, I’d lied and said the skill’s range was limited due to a downgraded rank—thanks to Chronos’ pearl. But it didn’t seem like anyone noticed, so I let that slide.

“A recording, you said?”

Park Minhyuk’s face went pale.

He looked like a ghost, while Song Jiwoon looked startled. Kwon Taehyuk and Ryu Sunghyun, on the other hand, just gave a knowing nod.

“You suspected it?”

“There’s no other reason he would’ve invited us so suddenly—unless he’d gotten wind of the plan.”

At Ryu’s words, Taehyuk nodded.

Yeah, it had been unnatural.

“Team Leader, I’d suggest scanning the entire Association building for planted devices.”

“...I’ll do that.”

Given the man’s skill, it wouldn’t be hard for him to install a bug.

He could’ve hypnotized an Association employee on the way in, had them place devices all over, and once the hypnosis wore off, they’d forget they ever did it.

“And Team Leader.”

“Yes?”

“Since you saw it yourself at dawn...”

I gave him a bright smile on purpose.

“I’ll be replacing the Association President now.”

“...!”

Minhyuk looked absolutely stunned by my sudden declaration.

“I never liked him, and now I’ve got a condition on me, so I have no choice.”

“W-What?”

“I was planning to take my time—had a lot on my plate—but now? He pissed me off. I’ll just deal with it now.”

“H-Hold on a minute.”

Minhyuk massaged his temples, already exhausted.

“You’re saying this in front of me...? How do you even plan to get rid of the Association President? He’s not just some staffer.”

“First, I’ll blow up the fact that I was kidnapped. Then... hmm...”

I turned to Kwon Taehyuk.

“Guildmaster, does Yesung have anything on the Association President? Weaknesses or scandals?”

“We’ve prepared one or two, just in case. But nothing that’d force a resignation or dismissal.”

He caught my meaning immediately and answered without flinching.

Park Minhyuk, on the other hand, looked horrified.

“Wait, weaknesses? You meant that’s how you’d remove him?!”

“Yup. He’s not going to step down on his own. Obviously we have to kick him out.”

“Kick him... What if you don’t find anything?”

“Do you seriously think he has nothing to hide?”

I chuckled and shrugged.

“Who’s ever been clean when you dig deep enough? Even if there are a few outliers, the Association President ain’t one of them. That guy reeked of greed the second I saw his face.”

Okay, some people are exceptions. Like the guy sitting right across from me—Kwon Taehyuk.

“Even if he does have skeletons in his closet, they won’t be easy to find. He would’ve hidden them well.”

“No problem. I know someone who’s freakishly good at digging up info.”

At that, Kwon Taehyuk shot me a wary look, clearly thinking, ‘Don’t tell me it’s him.’

He clearly didn’t like me dealing with that guy. But I didn’t have a choice. This job was perfect for him.

Yeah, it’s about time I got in touch with Eun Woojeong.

“Anyway, that’s the plan. So you should start distancing yourself from the President starting today.”

“You want me to avoid my own boss? How is that supposed to work?”

“You can shift your allegiance to someone else. What’s the term for it again? Faction hopping? Switching sides? I’m saying, maybe try leaning toward the Vice President instead of the President.”

“...Haa...”

Park Minhyuk let out a sigh so deep it could’ve cracked the floor, then rubbed his face in defeat.

pic_255 [https://webview-cache.ridibooks.com/3885037422/epub/images/Images/pic_255.png]