Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Land of Distrust (3)
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Drying his hair and stepping out of the dorms toward the parking lot, Sa-yoon noticed the guild members they passed on the way glancing back and forth between him and Geon-ju before quickly averting their eyes. Some whistled, while others eyed Sa-yoon with the look of someone who'd been betrayed. Geon-ju, puzzled by their behavior, tilted his head.
One of the guild members they'd met coming down in the elevator waved and called out to Geon-ju.
"Hey, newbie! Got some skills, huh?"
"Skills?"
Geon-ju looked utterly baffled, prompting Sa-yoon to shoot a chilling glare at the guild member who'd summoned his pretty boy.
They had time for idle chit-chat and slacking off, which meant they were pretty free.
He debated warning them to shut up but decided to let it slide out of curiosity about Geon-ju's reaction now that he'd caught wind of the rumors. As the newbie just stood there with a confused expression, the guild member—who flinched upon seeing Sa-yoon—beckoned Geon-ju over with a hand gesture.
"Go on."
"I can?"
"Just hear what they want and come right back."
Sa-yoon readily sent off Geon-ju, who was checking his expression for approval. The man shot him a suspicious look, glancing back and forth between Sa-yoon and the guild member as if weighing something, before finally walking over.
The guild member who'd dared to call his pretty boy right in front of him squirmed under his guild leader's menacing gaze.
'Should I send him back?'
Sa-yoon read the man's mouthing and shook his head. The guild member sighed in relief, but Sa-yoon immediately contacted Kyung-jin, ordering him to give some work to Raid Team C since they seemed so idle. He could almost hear the team leader of C Team—who'd been saddled with joint responsibility—wailing in despair.
Sa-yoon watched quietly as Geon-ju trotted over to the guild member without so much as a backward glance and started talking. When Geon-ju asked what it was about, the guild member immediately leaned in to whisper. Sa-yoon's brow furrowed as Geon-ju obligingly tilted his head to listen.
Had they gotten close at the welcome party?
What had they done to get this chummy already? The memory of his own clumsy attempt to get closer to Geon-ju last night—ending in that anal show—made Sa-yoon feel a bit wronged.
"Lightweight punk."
As he muttered under his breath, the guild member's whisper carried over to Sa-yoon.
"Word's spreading that you're the guild leader's 'this,' newbie."
"'This'?"
"This. You know, this."
The guild member wiggled his pinky finger. Sa-yoon clicked his tongue at the crude gesture, while Geon-ju looked baffled. He stared curiously at the twitching pinky for a long moment before letting out a low sigh of realization.
"You mean like, boyfriend or something?"
"Yeah, that."
"...Why's that rumor going around?"
"You two... slept together?"
The guild member glanced nervously at Sa-yoon before continuing. He lowered his voice even more, but to Sa-yoon, it was as clear as if he'd whispered right into his ear. Amused that the rumor had spread that far, Sa-yoon watched with interest as Geon-ju blinked vacantly before suddenly twisting his face in disgust.
"Are you insane?"
Has that punk given up on image management altogether?
The way he flatly called it insane without a hint of hesitation suggested his guts had swelled up nicely. Sure, Sa-yoon was magnanimous enough to let it slide, but if he talked like that to other guild members, he'd get his nose broken someday.
As Sa-yoon inwardly downgraded him for his rashness, Geon-ju clapped a hand over his mouth. His face paled as if he felt sick, drawing a scoff from Sa-yoon.
Is this cute little pretty boy dry-heaving at the rumor that we're dating?
It was downright outrageous. Who was the one who'd feel sick? Who was the bigger loss?
Did he have more money? Better skills? A superior track record?
The only thing Geon-ju had over him was height—and even that wasn't by much. The sight irritated and amused Sa-yoon in equal measure. He strode over, grabbed Geon-ju by the collar, and dragged him along.
The guild member, sensing danger upon witnessing the scene, backed away quickly and bowed. Geon-ju nodded half-heartedly at the "come back soon" and shuffled off, still facing away from Sa-yoon as he was pulled along, wriggling like a rabbit caught by the scruff.
Suddenly, Geon-ju whipped his head around. His eyes narrowed into slits.
"What's your problem all of a sudden?"
"Oh? 'What's your problem?' You think everything that comes out of your mouth just flies free, pretty boy? I'd have to stitch it shut with a needle stitch by stitch to get it through your head."
"...Stitch what with a needle?"
"Curious? Keep talking and find out."
Geon-ju, who'd been glaring at Sa-yoon with eyes full of complaint, promptly shut his mouth at the menacing reply. The unspoken words swirled futilely inside.
Sa-yoon calmly dragged Geon-ju—all in plain view of the guild members—and shoved him into the black car before waiting for Jong-sik to arrive.
Jong-sik, who'd been busy with Sa-yoon the night before and thus had time to play chauffeur today, showed up soon after the call and slid into the driver's seat.
The natural ease of it all left Geon-ju with a sullen expression.
"Isn't he high up?"
"Who?"
"That guy."
"Jong-sik? Yeah, he's an executive. Basically vice-guild leader level."
"And you make him drive every time?"
Geon-ju had always seen Jong-sik in the driver's seat whenever he rode in the car, which piqued his curiosity. Sa-yoon checked Jong-sik's expression via the rearview mirror.
He wore a subtle look of being convinced by Geon-ju's words. It boiled down to something like this:
'It's true I should be the one chauffeuring hyungnim, but hearing that makes it feel off somehow. Still, I'm the one who drives when hyungnim rides. But now that I think about it, that does sound right... what to do?'
It was an adorably naive reaction. Sa-yoon raised his foot and lightly tapped the front seat.
"So what if he's an executive, pretty boy? If I say strip, they all strip."
It was an arrogant, domineering tone that bordered on excessive. Jong-sik and Geon-ju both sighed in unison at his matter-of-fact expression, but neither argued back.
In truth, it was closer to Sa-yoon's fidgeting foot serving as a gag.
"Then take care, hyungnim."
"What's there to be careful about? Just show up on time when I call later."
"Yes, sir."
After Sa-yoon, bored in the car, had teased him several times, Jong-sik finished the bumpy drive and shot Geon-ju a displeased glance before turning the car around. Geon-ju, standing by Sa-yoon's side and watching, let out a quiet sigh as the car drove off.
"He seems to hate me."
"He's jealous, so ignore him."
"Jealous?"
"He was in the same car but only got to bully Jong-sik and not you, so he must feel hard done by. If it was just me, it'd be different, but since I'm always dragging you along, he's got plenty of gripes."
Strictly speaking, it looked like an executive escorting a newbie around. Jong-sik's even-tempered nature was a blessing; any other executive would've thrown a fit, gotten smacked, lost a tooth, and quieted down by now.
It really highlighted how commendable he was. All expressions of affection, Sa-yoon thought, prompting another low sigh from Geon-ju.
Man, tough crowd.
Even after subtly revealing his favoritism by saying he hadn't bullied Geon-ju but only picked on Jong-sik, the response was utterly dry. Sa-yoon hadn't expected tears of gratitude, but a bit of smug satisfaction or a blush would've been nice.
It would've made sweet-talking him easier, but aside from when he poked at him to mess with him, there was zero reaction. If this were a favorability game, he'd mutter it was a hidden character for sure. Sa-yoon grabbed Geon-ju's shoulder.
"Alright, let's head in."
Geon-ju, who'd been puzzled by the "hidden character" remark, unwittingly followed along with a slight twist of Sa-yoon's lip.
A brilliant light greeted them as they entered the gate entrance.
Sa-yoon read the clear conditions that scrolled up and turned to Geon-ju. Unlike other gates where fulfilling one condition cleared it, this one required all conditions to be met—which was why the Land of Distrust was more difficult than other gates of the same rank.
Sa-yoon was curious how Geon-ju would take it.
And he had something to ask anyway.
"Read all the conditions?"
"Yes."
"What are they?"
Sa-yoon asked in a gentle tone. After a brief pause, Geon-ju recited the exact same lines from the window in front of Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon waited until his voice trailed off after mentioning the Palsilokus kills, then draped an arm over the man's shoulder as he turned to look.
"That's all?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
"Is there more?"
Geon-ju asked curiously. Not a shred of suspicion anywhere. With that level of poker face, Sa-yoon let out a hollow chuckle.
This cute little pretty boy.
Daring to fool me of all people.