"So, about that..."

Baewonwoo, who had been about to say something, clamped his mouth shut when he noticed Kang Jisoo standing next to him.

The state before awakening... Uijae looked down at Sayoung, who was cradled in his arms. Sayoung’s once irregular breathing began to slowly stabilize the moment the chains were removed. His face, which had been unusually pale, was now gradually regaining its color.

Only then did Uijae feel like he could finally breathe again. He lowered his head slightly and took a silent, deep breath to calm himself.

"For now, Lee Sayoung's condition is the priority. I'll personally visit the Wave Guild later to formally apologize."

Jung Bin retrieved a bottle of purple liquid from his inventory and opened it. Uijae, seeing this, quickly propped up Sayoung's head by holding the back of his neck. Exchanging a silent nod, Jung Bin began pouring the liquid into Sayoung’s mouth and then asked,

"I was away handling another matter, so I haven’t fully grasped what happened in the hall yet. Can you explain?"

"The auction just ended. The Hunters started fighting over the huge spear, which led to this mess... What else am I supposed to say?"

Baewonwoo, looking awkward, glanced sideways, prompting Kang Jisoo to jump in with an eager reply.

"The spear was won by our guild leader!"

"Do we really need to mention that?"

"Well, he’s passed out now, and if we’re not careful, he might not get it. We need to make sure it’s noted."

"...I see. That’s enough for now. Thank you."

Whether it was because the chains were removed or thanks to the liquid Jung Bin had administered, Sayoung’s condition improved rapidly. From the outside, it looked like he was just sleeping. As soon as his condition stabilized, Jung Bin quickly took stock of the situation in the hall and began issuing orders.

Meanwhile, Hong Yeseong, who had originally planned to enjoy some time in the city before getting back to work, was being escorted to a mountain retreat for his safety by the guild’s management bureau. As the security forces swarmed him, Hong Yeseong jumped down from the platform in a panic.

"Hey! Who gave this order?"

"It’s the Director’s command."

"Wait, wait, my business isn’t finished yet..."

Before Hong Yeseong could call out to Uijae, the security guards had already wrapped him up like a burrito in a yellow checkered blanket.

"Hey! Let me go! I can’t work without this thing! Hold on a minute!"

"Proceed with the escort."

"Yes, sir."

Crying out pitifully, Hong Yeseong was whisked away. Meanwhile, the Super Hamsters, who had been knocked out during the brawl, were to be handled by Matthew’s HB Guild. Honeybee grumbled as he carried off the unconscious Hunters, while Jung Bin bowed respectfully toward Matthew.

"Thank you for your assistance."

"Oh, don’t mention it. You all work so hard. Here, have some of this."

Matthew offered Jung Bin a warm squid leg before heading off to assist Honeybee with the collapsed Hunters. Jung Bin then turned to Baewonwoo, who stood awkwardly nearby, and bowed deeply.

"I sincerely apologize. This was entirely my fault. I’ll take full responsibility."

Baewonwoo scratched his head sheepishly.

"Well, it’s already happened, so what can we do? I know you didn’t mean for this to happen... Still, make sure to stop by the Wave Guild sometime. That’s all I ask. Now, are you heading to the Seowon Guild?"

"Yes, I believe Nam Woojin will be best suited to handle Lee Sayoung’s condition."

"Please take good care of him."

"Of course."

After Jung Bin left with Sayoung, only Baewonwoo, Kang Jisoo, and Uijae remained in the hall. Kang Jisoo, who had been watching quietly with her arms crossed, suddenly spoke up in a disgruntled tone.

"...Are we really just going to leave it at that? The guild leader collapsed! We almost lost our heads!"

"It’s fine, Jisoo. It was an accident. If there’s anything to extract from the management bureau, Sayoung will take care of it. Let’s go."

"Yes, sir."

As Baewonwoo started to walk toward the exit, he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening. He turned back and called out.

"Secretary, why aren’t you coming?"

"...Me? Are you talking to me?"

Uijae, who had been standing there frozen, looked up in surprise. Baewonwoo smiled warmly, the same smile Uijae had seen many times at the hangover soup restaurant, and gestured toward the door with his thumb.

"Come with us! We drove here, so we’ll drop you off at the guild."

"Oh, no, I’m fine..."

"Hey now."

Kang Jisoo, who had quietly moved behind Uijae, gave him a firm push on the back. His feet finally lifted off the ground. Baewonwoo wrapped an arm around Uijae’s shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Come on, let’s get going!"

---

A short time later, in the car.

They drove in silence for most of the journey until they reached a familiar road near the convention center. Raindrops started to splatter against the car windows. Baewonwoo clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Damn, it’s raining."

In the backseat, the secretary finally spoke up.

"Um, can you drop me off here?"

"Vice Leader, do you have an umbrella? I’m sure the secretary doesn’t have one."

"Oh, no, really, I’m fine—"

"What are you talking about? There’s an umbrella right here. Take it."

Baewonwoo shoved a large black umbrella into his hands. Uijae, caught off guard, hesitated for a moment before bowing his head slightly.

"...Thank you."

"Take care, and good job today. Thanks for looking after Sayoung."

With a soft *pop*, Uijae opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain. As he walked a few steps down the wet street, he turned back for a moment. Through the open window, Baewonwoo and Kang Jisoo waved at him in unison, as if by some unspoken agreement.

*Sshhh—* The rain fell harder now. Even though it had been a while since Uijae had gotten out of the car, Baewonwoo showed no intention of driving away. He rested his elbows on the steering wheel and played with his phone. Kang Jisoo, who was chewing on a piece of dried taffy, finally broke the silence.

"Hey, Vice Leader."

"Yeah?"

"Who is that guy?"

"......"

The figure in the suit had already disappeared into the rain, as if he had melted into it. Kang Jisoo craned her neck, trying to peer into the dark alleyway as she mumbled.

"I stayed quiet because both you and the Guild Leader didn’t say anything, but I’ve never seen someone like him in the secretary team, or even in the guild. Shouldn’t we have brought him back?"

"Jisoo."

"Yes?"

Baewonwoo spoke solemnly, holding out his hand. Kang Jisoo placed another piece of taffy in it, and he brought it to his mouth.

"Sayoung always has a reason for what he does."

"......"

"...Probably."

Kang Jisoo glanced at him with suspicion, but Baewonwoo finally started the car, the wipers working furiously to clear the rain.

"If we needed to hold him, Sayoung would’ve told us. He didn’t say anything."

"Maybe he was too out of it to say anything?"

"No, don’t underestimate that guy’s determination. He probably timed when he’d collapse."

Well, knowing Lee Sayoung, that wasn’t out of the question. Even while he was on the verge of passing out, he had still given orders before finally letting go. It was hard to tell if he was truly sick or just putting on an act. Kang Jisoo asked cautiously.

"But the Guild Leader—he’s really sick, isn’t he?"

"Yeah, that’s true."

"Was he really sick before he awakened?"

"Well… from what I heard, yeah."

Baewonwoo, nonchalantly steering with one hand, added,

"And as for that secretary, I don’t know who he is. He could be a new member of the combat support team... or maybe he’s someone from another guild that we’re working with."

"Right, right. I get it. Don’t ask too many questions. Got it."

"No, seriously, I don’t know!"

Kang Jisoo shrugged dismissively and reached over to turn on the radio. Just in time, a familiar commercial jingle started to play. *Hunter One! The place to pass your hunter exams!* She hummed along quietly and then spoke.

"Well, he didn’t seem like a bad person."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Didn’t you see it, Vice Leader?"

"See what?"

"...Never mind."

Kang Jisoo sighed softly and leaned her head against the window. Baewonwoo muttered something under his breath, but she didn’t bother responding. After running around all day at the Artisan Exhibition, she was too tired to engage. Besides, if Baewonwoo wasn’t going to share everything, she didn’t feel the need to either.

Despite his calm voice and quick actions, the veins in his hands had bulged, and his fingers had trembled uncontroll

ably as he held onto Sayoung. The moment Sayoung’s condition stabilized, that so-called secretary had visibly relaxed, never taking his eyes off him until Jung Bin and Sayoung left.

Though his face had been hidden behind a gas mask, Kang Jisoo was sure of it. He’d likely been just as pale as Sayoung—or maybe even paler. Kang Jisoo smirked to herself.

‘He seemed more worried than I was.’

"Shall we grab dinner?"

"The soup restaurant’s closed today."

"...Oh, right."

"Vice Leader, you really should cut back on the soup. Soon, soup broth will be running through your veins instead of blood."

"You just don’t understand the true taste of hangover soup..."

Their idle chatter soon faded beneath the sound of the rain.

---

At long last, Uijae was finally alone.

The wind felt especially cold today.

As he wandered through a deserted alleyway, he removed the stifling gas mask. The street was littered with soggy flyers and business cards, but despite the dirty ground, his shoes remained perfectly clean. He kicked at a puddle, sending water splashing.

After taking several turns through the empty streets, he eventually spotted the faint glow of a familiar red sign in the distance. The hangover soup restaurant—the place he was supposed to return to. Closing the umbrella, Uijae made his way toward it, his footsteps slow and heavy.

Standing in front of the door, he looked up and saw the paper he had taped to it earlier. The rain had soaked through, smudging the ink, but it was clear that something had been written all over it.

Uijae squinted at the smeared writing. When he had last seen it, there had only been one response. Now, the entire sheet was filled with messages, leaving no blank space.

---

*Closed for the Artisan Exhibition.*

*Reason: Taking my grandmother to the hospital.*

└ Hope your grandmother stays healthy!!  
└ I wondered why the restaurant was closed. Hope you had a safe trip back.  
└ Let us know if you need help with the hospital bills...  
└ Here’s to many more years of business! Please!!  
└ Don’t forget to take care of your health, too!  
└ Will you be open tomorrow?

---

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a short vibration—likely a text from Haeun. Slowly, Uijae pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen.

---

**Sayoung:** *I’m fine.*

---

Uijae swallowed a long breath. The damp air filled his lungs. Leaning his head against the glass door, he closed his eyes, listening as the sound of rain slowly faded into the distance. The knot of tension that had been tightly wound inside him began to unravel, bit by bit.

When he finally opened his eyes again, they shone with renewed determination.

 

 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!