It wasn’t something he wanted to bring up. Talking about it wouldn’t change anything, and it felt like it would only reveal how pathetic he’d become. If he tried to change the subject now, his avoidance would be obvious, but there wasn’t much else he could do.

“Why did you lie?”

“What?”

“You said you’d be discharged soon.”

Just as Myung-hwon had noticed Ju-eon was upset without him saying anything, Ju-eon knew that if he diverted the conversation, Myung-hwon would let it slide.

‘The moment I said “you,” I basically admitted that I lied too.’

“That’s…”

“Don’t lie about being sick.”

Ju-eon turned around and lightly hit Myung-hwon’s chest. Despite the lightness of the gesture, his words carried weight, and Myung-hwon quickly nodded in response.

“Okay. Sorry.”

“……”

“I won’t do it again.”

Myung-hwon pressed a brief kiss to the back of Ju-eon’s hand, silently urging him to forgive him. The man who seemed to lack nothing always showed a vulnerable side only in front of Ju-eon. It might be a twisted thought, but every time moments like this became tangible, it felt like his love took on a definite form. The pieces of his troubled heart seemed to dissipate, thanks to Myung-hwon chasing after him.

Alright, this was enough. Now he could go back to the dorm, clear his mind, get some rest, and come up with some excuse to explain things at the training center tomorrow.

Tap, tap.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet hallway. By the time Ju-eon registered the sound, Myung-hwon had already identified the person at the end of the corridor.

“And the reason I said that was because I really have to go… Ugh, what is this—!”

Bang.

As Ju-eon tried to continue the conversation, Myung-hwon opened the emergency exit door beside them and pushed him inside. Before Ju-eon could process the sudden action, a sharp voice rang out from the end of the hallway.

“Hey. Yeo Myung-hwon.”

The hand that had been about to open the door froze. It was a voice he couldn’t forget, no matter how much he wanted to. Lee Ho-yun. He still hadn’t heard the full story of how their engagement had come to be.

Thump. Thump.

His heart pounded heavily. Being shoved into the emergency stairwell like he had something to hide suddenly hit him hard. Why was he being hidden? Why? If Myung-hwon thought it was crucial that Lee Ho-yun didn’t see him alive, he would have acted differently in front of Kang No-hun and Seo Yun-jin as well. Why was it only Lee Ho-yun?

A disquieting wind blew through his mind. Once it started, it quickly escalated into a storm.

‘Still, it’s better not to act impulsively.’

There was no need to burst out of the door and create chaos. Despite the rising tide of anxiety and suspicion, these weren’t feelings he should direct at Myung-hwon. They were issues he needed to deal with himself.

Leaning against the cold metal door, Ju-eon eventually straightened up. There was no reason to stay here either. The thought of eavesdropping on their conversation and then confronting them afterward made him shudder.

Shaking his head, Ju-eon descended the stairs. He figured he might as well grab something to eat while he was down there.

**

Feeling Ju-eon’s presence grow distant, Myung-hwon swallowed hard and clenched his fists. Lee Ho-yun was connected to Yeo Ji-woong, and Ju-eon’s existence couldn’t be revealed to Yeo Ji-woong yet. It would come out eventually, but there was no need to confirm Ju-eon’s survival prematurely.

‘D*mn it.’

Come to think of it, he hadn’t explained the engagement either. He didn’t want Ju-eon to misunderstand things like this.

“We got caught in a dungeon during our engagement ceremony, and now you look like you think I shouldn’t be here.”

“Ha. Cut the crap. Just tell me what you want.”

“I heard you passed out… Never mind. The International Allied Conference will proceed without delays.”

Lee Ho-yun let out a bitter laugh at Myung-hwon’s cold demeanor. He wasn’t sure what he had expected, but he felt embarrassed for rushing here as soon as he regained consciousness. He claimed to have no feelings about the engagement, but seeing Myung-hwon’s blatant hostility toward someone visiting him in the hospital stung. And the fact that Myung-hwon’s suspicion—that Yeo Ji-woong had sent him—wasn’t entirely off the mark only added to his frustration. He had received a call from Yeo Ji-woong on his way here, but he hadn’t come because of it.

Running a hand through his disheveled hair, Lee Ho-yun tried to collect himself. While there had been no fatalities, many were injured due to the ground shaking when the dungeon appeared, and he was among the injured.

“What’s the situation?”

Even a stranger wouldn’t be this indifferent. If the engagement ceremony had gone smoothly, he wouldn’t feel this uneasy.

“They want you to prepare for the criticism about the poor initial response to the incident.”

Myung-hwon hadn’t been part of the first attack team; he had been one of the people caught up in the incident. The response from the first attack team had been excellent. Dungeons were essentially natural disasters, and there was nothing they could have prepared for earlier.

Still, it seemed there were individuals who couldn’t accept the fact that the dungeon had occurred at all. For Yeo Ji-woong, who wanted to maintain control over guilds even after their privatization, this was bad news. What if those in the same boat as him abandoned ship to form private guilds? Once the power structure at the top began to crumble, it would disperse, and ordinary ability users might seize the opportunity to establish their own guilds.

They needed to solidify the idea that privatized guilds were a meaningless endeavor.

“They’re playing such an obvious game.”

“Because it’s effective.”

“If not me, they’ll just find someone else to pin it on.”

“Are you saying it’s not true?”

“There wasn’t a single other Esper there.”

“…True. Who else but you could have cleared it?”

It was a cunning statement. While it sounded like a response to Lee Ho-yun’s question, Myung-hwon was merely stating the facts. After all, there was no rule that only Espers could handle dungeons.

Lee Ho-yun interpreted it the way Myung-hwon intended and nodded, resting his chin on his hand. Only Kang No-hun and Seo Yun-jin, who had spoken with Myung-hwon earlier, knew the details of the incident. The fact that such instructions had already been issued suggested they intended to frame Myung-hwon as a hero, regardless of the truth, and fully exploit the resulting halo effect.

“The announcement about the guild transfer has been postponed.”

“……”

“And since the engagement ceremony was ruined, the wedding will be moved up.”

Lee Ho-yun added the last part. It was clear that Yeo Ji-woong intended to wash away the disgrace of the government guild’s poor response before guild privatization was legalized.

“If you’re going to say things like that, you could’ve just called.”

“I’m talking about our marriage.”

“……”

“You know that once you imprint on me, you won’t be able to live without me, right?”

“If you’re done, get out.”

Running his hand through his hair, Myung-hwon curtly dismissed him. It was a ridiculous thought, but the fact that such an improbable event occurred during the engagement ceremony felt like a sign that the two of them were never meant to be. It made him angry. By now, the media should have been buzzing about their engagement, not the dungeon that appeared in the middle of the city. Biting his lower lip, Lee Ho-yun thought, ‘Not you too.’ He had spent his entire life preparing to be Yeo Myung-hwon’s partner.

‘I can’t end up like Yeo Han-ol.’

Though they were in similar positions, Yeo Han-ol had failed to reach S-class and ended up as nothing more than a petty criminal. Judging by the current detailed grading system, he was likely a high A-class. Even as an AGT, capable of holding his own against regular S-classes, and with the intelligence to use his abilities effectively, he was still just an A-class. That wasn’t enough for Yeo Ji-woong, and he had been forced to flee.

“You’ll regret sending me away like this.”

There was something he had been meaning to say. He recalled some information he had glimpsed in Yeo Ji-woong’s office. It seemed like something Myung-hwon would desperately need, and he had even risked Yeo Ji-woong’s wrath to skim through it. But Lee Ho-yun decided to keep it to himself. If only Myung-hwon hadn’t trampled on his goodwill, he might have said it.

“I won’t.”

Once, he had extended kindness out of pity, and it had hurt Woo Ju-eon. Even now, his thoughts kept drifting to the emergency stairwell where Ju-eon was.

Clang.

As soon as he opened the stairwell door, he locked eyes with Ju-eon, who was sitting on the floor hugging a paper bag.

“I’ll explain everything.”

“The sandwiches here seemed like the best option. You’re busy, so take these.”

Ju-eon didn’t ask anything. Not why he had been hidden, not what was going on with Lee Ho-yun and the engagement. That made Myung-hwon even more uneasy. The detached attitude, seeming like he didn’t expect anything from him, made him anxious. Unable to suppress his nerves, he grabbed Ju-eon’s arm.

“I’ll explain everything.”

“Now?”

“…If you want me to.”

“Let me talk first.”

“…Okay.”

“Earlier, I wasn’t mad because of you… I just felt like I was the only one falling behind, and it upset me.”

Blushing, Ju-eon revealed his vulnerable feelings.

He knew there would be a gap between their experiences during the years he was gone, but feeling like he was the only one left behind wasn’t a pleasant experience. Still, he spoke up because he didn’t want to hide anymore.