For a moment, it felt like his brain had stopped.

The characteristic ‘Sanctification’ is being cast.

He instinctively assumed a defensive posture and sprang up. Even as he stumbled on the finely crushed stone debris, Ryu Seo-ha managed not to fall and distanced himself from Choi Gang-hu.

“What did you just do?”

He rubbed his mouth vigorously with his reddened sleeve, as if trying to erase the sensation left like a branding iron on his dry lips.

The lip thief who had pushed Ryu Seo-ha into endless confusion was actually very nonchalant. He slightly raised his eyebrows as if displeased that Ryu Seo-ha had slipped out of his embrace like a drenched cat.

“…Why. Huff, why did you do that?”

Though he wanted to sharply ask if he was crazy, his mouth automatically softened the words. His fingertips were still trembling, showing how shocked he was.

“Because you’re pretty.”

For all the complex emotions he had suppressed while waiting for an answer, it was an absurdly simple reason. Suddenly? After seeing him covered in blood? Maybe this was the preference that got all the romance content deleted from the novel.

“You looked so pretty thinking for my sake. Enough to want to kiss you.”

Choi Gang-hu smiled languidly, leaning against the cracked rock. He was originally the type to just do whatever he wanted right away. The complete opposite of Ryu Seo-ha, who would ponder and ponder again.

Feeling dizzy, Ryu Seo-ha plopped down on the ground and repeatedly pressed his brow bone.

He could somewhat understand the rough embrace and ear nibbling before the fire was put out. Because he seemed out of his mind then. He must have still been in the excitement of battle. Maybe the headache mentioned in passing in the original work had worsened. He must have been confused after meeting the Apostle too.

No, honestly, he tried to rationalize and ignore it. Because he couldn’t accept the fact that he himself could be an object of desire for Choi Gang-hu. He was confused. What should I do, he suddenly felt scared too.

“Are you homophobic?”

As if reading his inner thoughts, Choi Gang-hu calmly asked back. In an even softer voice. Homophobic? It was a word he never imagined he’d hear from him.

He doesn’t hate homosexuality. To be precise, he never had the luxury to seriously consider delicate issues like sexual orientation. Neither in his past life nor his current one. It would be a completely different issue from his hatred of the thugs in the quarantine zone who only sought outlets for their sexual urges. Ryu Seo-ha shook his head slightly.

“…I’m not sure.”

What about you, Mr. Choi Gang-hu? Are you a sexual minority? He held back from asking in return. He wasn’t confident he wouldn’t be shocked if the answer was affirmative. All the events so far flashed through his mind.

Was that inexplicable kindness based on sexual attraction? He had only assumed there was some mutual benefit, but… No, he should also consider the possibility that this statement is a lie.

As far as he knew, Choi Gang-hu was heterosexual. Otherwise, how could there have been so many heroine candidates in “The Chaebol Hunter Who Returned from Hell”? …Though it did end with an open ending befitting a harem fantasy.

“That’s enough then.”

Choi Gang-hu stood up smoothly and approached in front of him in the blink of an eye, as if he had teleported.

“…?”

Choi Gang-hu knelt on one knee in front of him, who had [Sanctification] wrapped around like a shield, and held out his hand. As he quietly looked up wondering what he was doing, the inscrutable man gave an attractive smile.

“Well then, shall we go for the interview?”

It was a statement that cleanly emptied his mind, full of all sorts of thoughts, to focus on what needed to be done first.

❖ ❖ ❖

They contacted local media outlets to brief on the details of the kidnapping incident and formally went through the procedures to return home. After entering the country, they had to conduct another interview amidst a barrage of flashes comparable to a press conference.

Choi Gang-hu’s image, which had been plummeting terribly, was transformed into that of a hero in an instant. The stock price of the newly listed FromHell Guild drew a steep upward curve, and nationalist content poured out on every video site.

After the interview, they moved to a luxury house in Hannam-dong by a private helicopter prepared at the airport. One of the many houses that had remained in Choi Gang-hu’s name even after his disappearance.

In the living room softly illuminated by indirect lighting in gentle saturation. Ryu Seo-ha slowly crossed the space surrounded by all kinds of luxurious materials, including natural marble.

“Why aren’t you going straight to bed when you must be tired?”

Choi Gang-hu asked languidly, turning around while savoring the aroma of whiskey poured straight into a nosing glass. With the large glass window at his back, Choi Gang-hu looked like a painting.

Ryu Seo-ha stopped at a suitable distance from him. The view of the Han River waves seen from the high ground gave a sense of openness. The lights of the city spread out beyond the river displayed an amazing night view.

“Thank you. I was able to wash up comfortably thanks to you.”

Choi Gang-hu’s mouth loosened at the sight of Ryu Seo-ha bowing politely. It was because his sensitive nose detected the same shampoo scent as his own. A faint smile seeped out as if he had just had a satisfying meal.

“I’ll be going back now.”

At least until Ryu Seo-ha bluntly brought up the main point and turned around coldly.

The distance of at least 10m suddenly narrowed. He slightly twisted his body to escape Choi Gang-hu’s grasp on his shoulder.

“My sister has woken up too, so I think I should go see her.”

He never intended to sleep over in the first place. He had only come along because he thought the ajumma would faint if he returned to the bathhouse covered in blood. There was also the issue of transportation.

“You’re going to return alone at this late hour?”

Choi Gang-hu’s expression hardened coldly. The whole country had been in an uproar over Ryu Seo-ha’s kidnapping since yesterday. A full day had passed due to the return procedures, and despite it being the early hours of the morning, all attention was still focused on them.

“Are you trying to get kidnapped again without anyone knowing?”

Moreover, just yesterday, they had directly witnessed the suspicious nature of the group that attempted the kidnapping. How could he let him go alone when that unknown black hand could appear again anytime, anywhere?

“My mana has almost fully recovered…”

Ryu Seo-ha trailed off, looking down at his cleaned-up appearance. There probably isn’t a safer place in the whole world than by Choi Gang-hu’s side. But…

“Why. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Choi Gang-hu tilted his head crookedly and twisted the corner of his mouth. Ridiculously, he didn’t dare to look straight at those lips. It’s not like they had shared some passionate kiss.

“You must be very tired, so let’s talk after you’ve slept.”

“……”

“Don’t worry about anything, we’re protecting Ryu Seo-ha’s sister on our end.”

Ryu Seo-ha bit his lip hard, feeling unfamiliar with himself for being so quickly relieved by the kind words. Since when did he feel so at ease entrusting his and his family’s safety to someone else’s hands?

He nodded reluctantly. In fact, he was extremely tired. Though he pretended otherwise, he had been on edge continuously since yesterday. Even if he argued more, it didn’t seem like he would be allowed to leave willingly.

“Secretary Jang.”

At Choi Gang-hu’s low call, Secretary Jang, who had been waiting at a distance, hurriedly approached.

“I’ll guide you to the prepared room.”

After bowing politely, Ryu Seo-ha silently followed him. Why did the corridors inside the house look like hotel corridors? The place they arrived at after passing through a long hallway was a guest room with a quite spacious bathroom and dressing room attached. It was located quite far from the living room where they had been talking until just now, and even further from the master room where Choi Gang-hu would mainly stay. He felt a little more at ease.

“If you need anything, please press the call button anytime.”

Secretary Jang bowed to him before leaving. Almost too politely. Ryu Seo-ha bowed back and only drooped his shoulders after being left completely alone.

As he carefully lay down on the soft king-size bed, all sorts of thoughts became tangled complexly. Choi Gang-hu’s words and actions so far and their hidden meanings, the Cult and the Apostle, the upcoming global crisis…

Status: Remaining lifespan 26 days 4 hours 33 minutes / Waiting to receive reward

Disposing of the automatically looted Giant Iron Tree corpse and mana stone was also a concern. It would be better to trade directly with shipbuilding companies to get the right price, but using a brokerage service would be better to save time.

He also needed to go through the resignation process from YH Global before signing a contract with a new affiliation. However, Go Young-hoon, who had been involved in the kidnapping process, was currently in hiding. An arrest warrant had been issued, but it seemed it would take quite some time to catch his tail. He seemed to be connected to the Cult in some way. The YH Capital employees had also collectively lost their minds, they said. It was also a problem to find out about the new creditor who had taken over his debt.

“Haah.”

For some reason, the things to worry about keep increasing. The remaining lifespan issue alone was giving him a headache. Lifespan, mana, physical contact. These three words swirled in his mind.

What’s the reason only Choi Gang-hu is different from other people? Why does contact with him increase mana, while contact with others reduces lifespan?

Let’s pinpoint what’s unique about him. He’s the protagonist of the original work, he returned from the Abyss… Due to the difficulty in finding connections, his thoughts kept going in circles. It might be better to think about future matters instead.

‘I need to take the Hunter exam first…’

While checking his plans, he faintly felt something like a gentle breeze. His vision flickered on and off. As he willingly gave in to the drowsiness that came like waves, the muscles in his entire body relaxed loosely.

For a moment, he felt as if someone was caressing his cheek. However, before he could confirm who it was, he fell asleep without any resistance.

“─!”

How much time had passed? Ryu Seo-ha opened his eyes wide and quickly sat up, startled. It was because the feeling of the blanket touching his skin was unfamiliar.

After looking around warily out of habit, he slowly relaxed as he recalled last night’s events. Checking the digital clock placed like a decoration, it was already 7:12 AM.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept deeply for several hours without nightmares. He usually slept worse when changing beds. Was he in such a mentally exhausted state that he didn’t even dream?

Perhaps thanks to getting a good night’s sleep after a long time, his fever had almost completely subsided. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Ryu Seo-ha moved towards the room door. He was planning to go straight to take the Hunter exam. But,

“…!”

As soon as he opened the door, he met eyes with a stranger. Reflexively stepping back a couple of steps, he quickly scanned the other person’s appearance and expression. Light clothing, no visible weapons, no suspicious smile or hostile gaze.

“…Hello.”

As he greeted a beat late, the man leaning against the corridor wall in front of the door silently bowed his head. By the atmosphere, he seemed to be an employee hired for this mansion.

Still, just in case, he prepared himself mentally to deploy [Sanctification] at any moment. His nerves, which had been slightly relaxed, felt like they were standing on end down to the last neuron.

Hiding his sky-high wariness with practiced ease, he feigned an indifferent expression. As he was about to brush past, the other person blocked his way.

“You can’t leave.”

“Pardon?”

The man informed him in a blunt voice. What does he mean? Surely he’s not demanding a passage fee like the thugs in the quarantine zone did.

“I received orders from the Guild Master.”

Maybe it’s because his tone is too stiff. It felt strange. An inexplicable ominous feeling flashed by.

“To guard you so that you can’t take even one step out.”

Could it be, am I imprisoned here now?