Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Night of the Welcome Party (6)
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Anyway, it was late, and he had to take Geon-ju out when the time came. Instead of bothering to return to his own room, Sa-yoon opted to sleep together in Geon-ju's room. When he opened his eyes again, it was just past 10 a.m.
Considering it had been 6:30 before he fell asleep, he'd gotten less sleep than usual. Even though he didn't need much sleep, on days he decided to rest, he at least got four hours.
Feeling a faint headache—not from a hangover, but from the aftereffects of Eye of the Prodigy—he sat up. On the opposite bed, Geon-ju was sleeping so soundly that someone could carry him off without him noticing.
His suspicions toward Geon-ju had thickened since dawn, so Sa-yoon approached closely and checked his breathing. Only then did he confirm the guy was truly asleep. That pretty face of his occasionally hid inscrutable thoughts, which was subtly exhausting.
"Come to think of it, I told him to drink in moderation, but I ended up making him drink."
He'd planned to feed him lunch and head to the gate, but after downing that much last night, he wondered if Geon-ju could really wake up fine. He worried for a moment, but given that he possessed the Supreme Under Heaven trait, he figured a mere hangover wouldn't be an issue. Shrugging, Sa-yoon headed to the bathroom.
After washing his face and showering, he realized he had no change of clothes. Wearing yesterday's outfit again felt gross, so he ended up putting on the robe hanging on the wall, tying the belt and shaking out his wet hair.
If I'd known it'd be like this, I should've just gone back to my room last night.
A brief regret hit him, but dwelling on it wouldn't change anything, so he vigorously toweled his hair. He wanted to use the hairdryer, but he couldn't wake Geon-ju, who had slept late.
He roughly dried it with the towel, left the room, and headed to the elevator. The hallway bustled with guild members waking up one by one to head to work, exuding a familiar atmosphere.
Or so he thought.
Until their eyes met, that is.
Guild members who would normally greet him immediately upon eye contact instead flinched in shock today and shot him strange looks. They whispered among themselves, then fell silent the moment Sa-yoon appeared at the end of the hall. The vibe was downright suspicious.
To gauge the situation, Sa-yoon asked a guild member whose eyes he'd met what was going on. The startled man insisted nothing was wrong, but the guild's atmosphere contradicted that.
Throwing suspicious glances, he boarded the elevator. If the others wouldn't spill, he could just shake it out of Jong-sik.
With that in mind, he returned to his room, changed clothes, fully dried his hair, and headed to Jong-sik's office. He flung open the unlocked door, and Jong-sik, who was reviewing documents, spotted him and paled as if he'd seen a ghost.
"I don't know anything!"
"I haven't even asked yet, Jong-sik."
"Ah."
"You too..."
Was he really thirty-two?
Sloppy, timid, naive. He seemed worldly-wise at times, but his occasional antics like this were unique to Jong-sik.
"So, what's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb. The guild's in an uproar."
As he approached, the startled Jong-sik flinched slightly. Anyone would think he'd seen a ghost.
"It's..."
"It's?"
"Th-there's this weird rumor going around. I have urgent business, so I'll head out first—find me later!"
Jong-sik yelped incoherently and bolted from his seat.
"...What's with him?"
Sa-yoon watched in bewilderment as the man fled down the stairs like he was escaping, then tilted his head and returned to the second floor.
A rumor, huh.
What kind of rumor could stir up the entire guild like this? As Night Rat's leader, failing to grasp even this irked his pride. He considered whistling for a crow, but voices drifted from around the corner.
Sensing something from their hushed whispers—like sharing ominous gossip—Sa-yoon concealed his presence and pressed against the wall to eavesdrop.
"...they say he did."
"Hey, even so, isn't that a bit weird?"
"Weird how? From what I see, the circumstances line up. It's got that air of mystery."
"Mystery my ass—credibility, you mean. And you actually believe that crap? What a load of bullshit. A guy liking guys is common? You've been here three years—don't you know Hyungnim?"
What did I do?
He itched to jump in. It seemed like they were talking about him, so he sharpened his senses. After some bickering, a low voice barked.
"Cut it out already! So what if Hyungnim's gay? Would we not follow him? Worst case, if Hyungnim's homo, what's the problem? Look at that kid he brought—pretty boy like that, think he'd even notice us?"
"...?"
Sa-yoon, listening intently, froze in uncharacteristic confusion as the conversation veered oddly.
"Besides, isn't assuming Hyungnim's gay too extreme?"
"But he slept in the same room—not enough? He even came out after showering!"
The outnumbered guild member snapped back. They'd started cautious but raised their voices, unable to hold back their tempers—classic Night Rat style.
Finally piecing it together, Sa-yoon let out a hollow chuckle.
To sum it up:
Couldn't find Hyungnim, so they looked for him—turns out he slept in the new guy's room.
Doesn't Hyungnim hate sharing rooms with guys?
Didn't come out till morning.
Heard he drank too—what, they slept together?
Slept? Is our Hyungnim gay?
Came out after washing up. Guess he really is gay.
"..."
Once neatly summarized, his head throbbed even more. He'd assembled guild members with decent brains, so why did their thought processes suck like this?
Guy-on-guy roommate sleepover equals gay rumor? Really?
He'd thought only Jong-sik was weird, but the guild was collectively off. Now knowing the rumor's source, Sa-yoon had no reason to hide. He rounded the corner and rapped the wall.
Bam! Bam!
It was just a knuckle-knock, but it boomed through the hall. Sa-yoon smirked at the guild members who whipped around in shock.
"What's this, hanging out here?"
"H-Hyungnim."
"Guild Leader..."
"Ah..."
Their words varied, but all wore stunned expressions. Sa-yoon slowly scanned their blood-drained faces and lazily drooped his eyes.
"Looks like you're all pretty free, huh?"
"It's not—"
"I'll let Kyung-jin know, so all three of you, get to the info management team. Listen to him good."
Jong-sik had mentioned rewarding Kyung-jin with manpower yesterday. This was punishment for them, bonus for Kyung-jin. They slunk off dejectedly. Eyes widening at the overtime guarantee, one even passed a "fighting!" message to Sa-yoon—only to get smacked upside the head.
Once they were gone, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue and pulled out his haphazardly pocketed phone to call Jong-sik.
He scolded him for not nipping the nonsense rumor sooner, and Jong-sik—claiming he'd thought it was real—promised quick action before hanging up. Lately full of complaints, now bold enough to cut the call first. Sa-yoon sneered, ruffled his hair roughly, and returned to Geon-ju's room.
"Why'd it have to spread like that?"
Geon-ju's name buzzing among guild members wasn't bad. It meant he'd solidly joined as one of them.
The problem was the rumor's flavor.
Of all things, gay? Hyungnim's this? Hyungnim's lover? Really?
"At least no one's showing hostility."
Whether because the rumor painted him as Sa-yoon's lover, none of the faces he'd seen yesterday or today harbored enmity toward Geon-ju.
Sa-yoon knew guild members sometimes held initiation hazing for standout talents or his slight favorites. No such vibes here was a relief.
In that sense, this absurd rumor proved lucky. Imagining Geon-ju's reaction upon hearing it—a baffled face—Sa-yoon chuckled. He'd surely panic and demand why such a rumor existed.
The voice effect made him huff with laughter a few times before opening the door to the sleeping Geon-ju.
With the welcome party done and hazing passed unscathed.
Now it was time to get rolling.