As Uijae absentmindedly stroked Sayoung’s hair, staring at the white wall, he suddenly glanced down at the black hair resting against him.

‘…Huh?’

The skin-to-skin contact felt strangely cold, and something seemed off. While Uijae had seen plenty of people bound by Jung Bin’s chains in the past, this was the first time he’d seen it affect someone so physically.

When he gently pushed Sayoung aside to get a better look at his face, a slow-moving hand grabbed his arm. However, the grip lacked strength, more like it was placed there than anything.

Sayoung slowly lifted his head and moved his lips.

“…Where.”

“Huh?”

“Where are you going now?”

Uijae could feel the grip on his arm tightening. Was this guy about to break his fingers? Even though he knew that wasn’t likely, a wave of unease welled up within him. He quickly patted the hand that clung to him, trying to reassure him.

“I’m not going anywhere, you idiot. Where would I even go?”

“……”

Uijae met Sayoung’s eyes, which were filled with a lack of trust so severe it was as if there wasn’t a grain of belief in him. Uijae’s lips twisted in frustration.

“Hey, seriously, I’m not going anywhere. I don’t even have anywhere to go.”

“Then what?”

“I’m just trying to check on your face. Stay still for a moment.”

“……”

Sayoung clamped his mouth shut. Uijae turned his body toward him, cupping his face with both hands and examining him closely. Sayoung’s already pale complexion had turned even whiter, and he was sweating. His violet eyes were slightly dazed and unfocused.

He didn’t even have the energy to keep up his usual shameless bravado, which meant something was definitely wrong. Was there a medical team stationed around the exhibition? Uijae furrowed his brows and asked.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“……”

“If you’re sick, you need to say something. Staying quiet won’t make you better.”

“……”

Uijae had seen countless Hunters try to hide their injuries, acting like everything was fine only to collapse later. In dungeons, in rifts—it was always the same story. There was always someone who thought they could just tough it out, without any regard for those who would have to carry their body out later.

His mouth went dry, and his fingers began to tremble. Uijae pulled his hands away from Sayoung’s face and leaned back.

‘Damn it.’

The last thing he wanted was for Sayoung to notice his shaking hands. Sayoung raised his head slowly, his expression confused.

“…Why.”

“It’s nothing. You should lie down. You’ll feel better if you rest.”

Uijae tried to gently push Sayoung back and stand up, but once again, Sayoung grabbed his arm, pulling him closer. The gap between them narrowed as Sayoung’s gaze grew sharper.

“Damn it, you said you weren’t leaving.”

“I’m not, I’m just giving you some space.”

Uijae snapped back, trying to pry Sayoung’s hand off, but Sayoung wasn’t having any of it. Uijae needed time to calm the nausea rising in his stomach, but Sayoung wasn’t giving him even a moment to breathe.

“I’ll just sit over there.”

“Another lie…”

Did this guy trust anyone? Who had shattered all of Lee Sayoung’s trust in people?

Just as Uijae was about to snap back, Sayoung suddenly leaned his entire body weight against him, slamming his head into Uijae’s shoulder.

Where this surge of strength came from, Uijae didn’t know, but it didn’t hurt much. His body rocked slightly, but that was it. Uijae looked down at the black head resting on his shoulder with a bewildered expression.

“What are you doing?”

“…I’m sick.”

“What?”

“I said I’m sick.”

“……”

The words ‘so what’ were on the tip of Uijae’s tongue, but he swallowed them. The body leaning against him was unnervingly cold, and Sayoung was still sweating. Uijae could hear his irregular heartbeat, thumping loudly.

‘Ah.’

Uijae glanced up at the ceiling, biting his lip.

‘This is so annoying…’

Was this the kind of frustration Sayoung had been talking about earlier? Uijae stared blankly at the heavy body leaning against him, then let out a deep sigh, letting his own body relax. The weight of Sayoung’s body pushed him backward, and soon he found himself lying against the soft cushions, with Sayoung sprawled over him. Or rather, it was more like Sayoung had collapsed on top of him.

Uijae muttered under his breath, pinned beneath Sayoung’s heavy body.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“……”

“I’m tired too, so let’s not make a big deal out of this, okay?”

“Cha Uijae.”

After a long silence, Sayoung finally spoke Uijae’s name, his voice as blunt as ever. Uijae absentmindedly patted his back and responded in a dull tone.

“You’ve been dropping the formalities, huh?”

“……”

“I’m only letting it slide because you’re sick.”

Uijae rolled his eyes. While they wrestled with each other, the auction’s resumption was drawing near.

‘I just need to stay like this until the auction starts.’

He listened to the breathing close by, closing his eyes for a moment. But then, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he opened his eyes again.

‘What am I going to do when this guy’s hands are freed?’

At that moment, the rapidly decreasing countdown hit zero, and a loud alarm sounded. It was similar to the siren Uijae had heard early that morning when he went to the bathroom. Sayoung, who had been rubbing his forehead against Uijae’s shoulder, cursed quietly.

“Ah… damn it.”

Uijae patted his back.

“It’s time. Get up.”

“……”

“Are you not going to participate in the auction?”

After hesitating for a long time, Sayoung finally sat up, leaning heavily against the sofa’s backrest. As his weight lifted off Uijae, he could finally breathe again. Uijae sat up, straightening his rumpled clothes and putting his gas mask back on. Meanwhile, Sayoung remained slumped back with his eyes closed, his face scrunched up in discomfort.

‘He looks like a pile of laundry.’

After Uijae finished getting ready, he pointed toward the door.

“Let’s go.”

“……”

Sayoung let out a long sigh, got up, and slowly began walking. As they stepped outside, the presence of others immediately became apparent. It seemed like they were the last ones to arrive. No wonder, considering the auction had been interrupted with an S+ grade weapon about to go on sale—everyone must have been anxious to continue.

Sayoung sank deep into the sofa at his seat, leaning back and rubbing his forehead as if he had a headache, his eyes tightly shut. Uijae quietly took a spot behind him.

The auctioneer they had seen earlier climbed back onto the platform. He bowed his head.

“Thank you so much for your patience. We will now resume the auction!”

With effort, the event staff placed a massive spear onto the table set up on the stage.

“This is the first S+ grade weapon crafted by Hong Yeseong, ‘The Titan’s Spear’! The starting bid is…”

Suddenly, Sayoung spoke up.

“Hold up the paddle for me.”

“Huh? The auction hasn’t started yet.”

“Just hold it up. Now.”

As soon as Uijae grabbed the paddle from the table and raised it, the hall went silent as everyone’s attention turned toward him. Sayoung slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“Whatever the price, I’m buying it… so back off.”

His low, clear voice swept through the hall. For a moment, silence reigned, but it was quickly broken by the angry shouts of the super-powered hamsters nearby. Meanwhile, Sayoung closed his eyes again, unfazed by the chaos he had caused.

Just then, the commotion was interrupted by a loud “pop,” and the walls surrounding the hall suddenly crumbled into sand. Someone had dismantled the walls. The hall, which had momentarily fallen silent again, grew even more chaotic.

Still holding the paddle, Uijae glanced to his left. Honeybee, sitting next to a large man in a gray suit, had turned his entire body around to glare at Uijae. When Uijae looked to his right, Baewonwoo was staring at him with his mouth hanging open.

Uijae couldn’t help but shift his gaze toward the stage. There, Hong Yeseong sat with his neck stretched out like a turtle, his eyes gleaming with amusement as he glanced back and forth between Uijae and Sayoung.

Uijae instinctively realized what had just happened. Sayoung had declared war on the super hamsters, and in that moment, Cha Uijae…

…had become their flag-bearer.

‘Ah, crap.’

In other words, he was now Sayoung’s pawn, the first target the super hamsters would aim for.

The auctioneer’s trembling voice broke through the chaos.

“W-W-We will begin the auction!”

---

The faint sound of cheers from the chaotic auction seemed to reach Jung Bin’s ears, but he simply raised his head slightly, then shrugged and focused forward. After all, this space was completely separated from the rest of the venue, so there was no way he could hear what was going on outside.

 He walked over to the metal desk in the center of the room.

“Now then…”

Jung Bin placed a file down on the desk with a sharp slap and pulled out a chair, sitting down with a squeak. The dark room, reminiscent of an interrogation room at the Awakener Administration Bureau, was his personal waiting area. He clasped his hands together and looked across the table at the man sitting opposite him. Under the soft lighting, the man’s yellow hair seemed almost white.

“Hasn’t the auction started? Shouldn’t you be watching it?”

“Well, nothing serious should happen. This matter takes precedence.”

“Oh… are you going to let me go, then?”

“No.”

Seated across from him was Ban Gyumin—also known as Gyu-Gyu—his shoulder wrapped tightly in bandages. Although he was bound to the chair with black chains, he still wore a relaxed smile.

“I think we have a lot to discuss, Gyu-Gyu.”

Hearing his name, Gyu-Gyu grinned.

“Well, that’s true. Have you released Lee Sayoung?”

“No, we plan to release him right after the auction, just before he leaves.”

“Ah, come on, you should just haul him off to the Awakener Administration Bureau.”

Gyu-Gyu wiggled his bound body in the chair, grumbling.

“Isn’t it a little too lenient? You’ve got me all tied up in here, but you’re being way too easy on him.”

“Well, you did start the fight. And besides…”

Jung Bin’s eyes turned cold as he stared at Gyu-Gyu.

“Even though you were assigned to track down J… you’ve been very quiet on that front.”

“Oh… that?”

“Yes. The director has insisted that I get an answer from you today.”

“So boring.”

“I’ve given you plenty of time. Now it’s time for your answer.”

Jung Bin tapped his fingers on the desk and spoke.

“Who is J?”