*Hong Yeseong did something in his style, so the auction was interrupted.
During that time, 240 broke Gyu’s shoulder.  
240 got tied up by Jung Bin.  
My cousin said they got hit with a paddle by Honeybee and passed out.  
When they woke up, Honeybee was doing a headcount with a sword, and they almost fainted again.  
Mate Broccoli handed out roasted snacks and told everyone to go home.  
So, they went home.  
The end.  
Believe it or not, it’s your choice.*

**Comments (34)**  
— Is this an auction or the Colosseum?  
— Every single detail here seems too crazy to believe.  
— If you’re going to lie, at least put some effort into it…  
— Strangely, the details are so vivid….  
— If 240 broke a shoulder, why haven’t we heard anything? This is making me nervous…  
   └ Are you from the secretarial team? Has 240 not shown up for work yet? I have something to report.  
   └ Yesㅜㅜ We’ve been getting instructions by email, but no one has seen him come in.  

Despite reading the post carefully, Uijae’s anxiety only deepened. If Lee Sayoung wasn’t showing up to work but was still sending emails, it was entirely possible that Baewonwoo was handling things in Sayoung’s name.

As Uijae bit his lip and began searching for more posts, Choi Goyo, who had been whistling and drawing on his tablet, suddenly lifted his head, his gaze fixed on some point in the air. Uijae glanced up as well.

**+82 [CH.1] 《A megaphone has been used.》  
+82 [CH.1] 《Writing message with the megaphone…》**

A red megaphone icon appeared in Uijae’s peripheral vision. But he consciously kept his head down, staring at his phone. After all, the chat where the megaphone appeared was the Ranker Channel, which he had sealed off after the Artisan Exhibition. He sneaked a glance at Choi Goyo, who was also probably staring at the same thing, slack-jawed.

‘If I react or acknowledge it… I’m screwed.’

Moments later, bold red text with a crisp white border popped up in the corner of his vision.

**+82 [CH.1] 《Jung Bin has used a megaphone.》  
???? [4] Jung Bin: Please maintain channel security. Yesheng, I won’t hold you accountable for anything, but please just confirm you’re alive. A simple dot will suffice, thanks^^**

Uijae blinked, his mind racing. Using a precious megaphone for this—just to confirm if Hong Yeseong was alive? That man was supposed to have been rolled up like a kimbap and dragged away by the Awakened Management Bureau agents. He had even said he was going back to the mountains. Uijae might’ve been preoccupied with Lee Sayoung, but Hong Yeseong’s desperate wails had been burned into his memory. 

Choi Goyo muttered under his breath.

“Damn… Do you think he got kidnapped? If it’s a real kidnapping, the whole country’s going to flip. This is bad.”

Uijae had to fight the urge to clamp his hand over Goyo’s mouth. These kinds of comments were the kind of thing that triggered unavoidable flags. Before he could stop him, Goyo dropped another bomb.

“Or maybe he just ran away because he wanted some meat? Have they checked the chicken restaurants?”

Right then, three urgent notifications popped up on Choi Goyo’s phone. Uijae sneaked a peek at the contents, which were visible since Goyo was actively using his phone.

**Mingigeok: <Urgent> Hong Yeseong escaped during his transport to Bukhansan, whereabouts unknown.  
Mingigeok: <Urgent> Most personnel from the Awakened Bureau will be mobilized to search for and protect Hong Yeseong.  
Mingigeok: <Urgent> Romantic Opener, please contact us immediately.**

‘Oh, come on.’

**[Trait: Poker Face (B) has been activated.]**

Thanks to his ever-reliable Poker Face trait, Uijae maintained a calm expression and an even tone as he handed Goyo’s phone back as if he had seen nothing.

“Thanks for showing me. But you got a message, by the way.”

“A message? What is it?”

As Goyo read Mingigeok’s messages, his face went through a series of color changes—first white, then red, then blue. He shot to his feet and frantically began packing up his things.

“Sorry! I have to leave right away.”

“Already? At least have a bowl of hangover soup before you go.”

“No, no, something urgent just came up.”

“What’s going on?”

“I-I can’t tell you. It’s classified.”

“Classified?”

“…I really can’t say! I’ll bring the deputy guild leader next time!”

With a wince, Choi Goyo bolted out of the hangover soup restaurant like a bullet. Finally, peace and quiet returned to the restaurant. But Jung Bin’s megaphone message still loomed large in Uijae’s mind.

‘No way…’

The more Uijae thought about Hong Yeseong’s sudden escape, the more connections started forming in his head. However, Uijae…

‘...Let’s just focus on the restaurant for now.’

He decided to ignore it for the time being.

Fortunately, it seemed that the security of Channel 1 was holding up well. Most of the regular Hunters were still blissfully unaware of Hong Yeseong’s escape. They were more interested in who had won the auctioned weapons at the Artisan Exhibition. Neither Baewonwoo nor Honeybee showed up before Uijae closed up the restaurant for the day.

After finishing all the preparations for tomorrow’s service and closing the restaurant, it was already dawn. Uijae sighed briefly as he finished washing the dishes and peeled off his rubber gloves.

Just then—

“Cockoo.”

A strange, familiar-sounding chicken crow echoed. It was too clear to be a hallucination. The sound was coming from outside.

Uijae opened the door and looked around before his eyes landed on something below him. Next to the hangover soup restaurant's door, in a blue Bacchus box, sat a small, white, smooth object. It seemed to sense his gaze and looked up at him.

Round, soulless black eyes like beans. A smooth, porcelain-like white body. It was a slightly dumb-looking ceramic chicken.

It was Kokko.

“Cock?”

Uijae quietly stepped back and closed the door.

Screech. Click.

*Cock? Cockoo?* Faint clucking noises of confusion came from behind the door, but Uijae ignored them and went to the kitchen to grab a ladle. Gripping the ladle firmly, he stared into the air.

‘Let’s think this through.’

First, Hong Yeseong had disappeared while being transported to Bukhansan. Bukhansan was in Seoul, so it was physically close to the restaurant. It was entirely possible he could be found nearby. Second, Hong Yeseong was obsessed with magic stones. And those magic stones… Uijae glanced at his inventory.

‘They’re still in my inventory…’

He gritted his teeth, filled with regret. He should’ve just handed them over! He clearly remembered seeing Kim, the secretary, just before Hong Yeseong was dragged away. Even though the memory was fuzzy, he was sure their eyes had met.

Kokko was made by Hong Yeseong and followed his orders. So why was it sitting outside the hangover soup restaurant in a Bacchus box, rather than by its owner’s side?

“Cockoo, cockoo…”

The faint clucking sounded strange. It wasn’t a greeting, a call, or even a confused sound. It was more like someone clearing their throat before shouting….

‘Oh, come on!’

Uijae rushed to the door, grabbed the box, and brought Kokko inside. For a brief moment, Kokko seemed to wear an expression of mild disappointment. Uijae sighed and gently poked Kokko’s blunt beak with his finger.

“Hey, where’s your owner? Why are you here alone?”

“Cock.”

“…No, don’t answer. I feel like knowing would just make things worse.”

“Cockoo?”

Kokko tilted its head and looked out the door. Uijae followed its gaze.

In the dim light of the early morning, with faint streetlights barely cutting through the misty air… a figure stood in the middle of the street.

Dressed in a bright blue hiking outfit, with sunglasses, a hat, a black mask clinging tightly to their face, and a colorful scarf around their neck—everything about them screamed they were the star member of some hiking club.

‘Suspicious.’

It was 2:30 AM. Too late for a normal hiker to be out. Most people would’ve descended the mountain before sunset. And this wasn’t someone Uijae had ever seen before, certainly not a late-night customer.

Uijae glanced at Kokko, who was quietly nestled in the box. Kokko had suddenly appeared outside, and now this “hiker” was here. The timing seemed too coincidental.

“Cock.”

Kokko stretched its neck a little further. Uijae’s sharp instincts, which had saved his life numerous

 times, began to tingle. He swiftly put Kokko down on the table and locked the door.

*Click.* A strange standoff began, with only the door between them. The hiker adjusted their sunglasses with one hand holding a hiking stick.

“Excuse me.”

“...”

“Can I ask you something?”

Gripping his ladle tightly, Uijae quickly responded.

“I don’t believe in anything.”

“I’m not a cultist. I’m not here to preach. I’m an atheist.”

“I don’t need a water purifier, newspapers, or hexagonal water either.”

“I’m not a salesman, not part of a pyramid scheme. I just need to ask you something.”

“Sorry, we’re closed.”

“Please, just hear me out. I’m looking for something urgently. If I don’t find it, I’ll die.”

“….”

Flash! Lightning lit up the sky, making the hiker’s words seem all the more persuasive. The sunglasses glinted white. Moments later, a low rumble of thunder followed. A few raindrops began to fall.

And then Uijae saw it.

‘Oh, f*ck.’

“Have you seen by any chance…?”

The hiker drew out the last word as they pulled an egg from their pocket, peeled off the shell, and lowered their mask. The lower half of their face looked disturbingly familiar. They took a bite of the egg, neatly eating only the white, leaving the round yellow yolk exposed.

Another flash of lightning struck. Behind the sunglasses, a golden pattern spun in their eyes, glowing brightly.

“A magic stone as round and pretty as this yolk?”