Where Beans Are Planted, Beans Grow

"Have you finished preparing yourself, Secretary?"

"…"

The blaring alarm seemed to herald Lee Sa-young's entrance, such was his overwhelming presence. His self-proclaimed secretary, crawling out of the bathroom wearing a gas mask, was instantly overshadowed!

Cha Eui-jae, who had his head bowed, quietly sighed in relief when he saw the shiny tip of Lee Sa-young's boots.

'There's no way he wouldn't come with this much noise.'

It was a gamble, expecting Lee Sa-young to come to the bathroom. He now had that much faith. If something happened on his side, Lee Sa-young would at least make an appearance. Of course, even if he hadn't come, Cha Eui-jae would have managed with his acting skills.

Positioning himself so that his body was hidden by Lee Sa-young, Cha Eui-jae spoke with a still trembling voice.

"I-I'm sorry, Guild Leader."

"…"

Lee Sa-young blinked. He still seemed a bit puzzled, as if he hadn't grasped the full situation yet. Cha Eui-jae, discreetly poked Sa-young's stomach with his finger, signaling that Lee Sa-young should play along.

However, the sensation at his fingertips was more of a thud than a poke.

'Why is it so firm? Is it a rock?'

The two stared at each other with wide eyes for different reasons. One was questioning why a person's stomach was so hard, and the other was noting that no one but a monster had ever dared poke his stomach.

Just before Lee Sa-young could shift his stance, Cha Eui-jae, regaining his senses, added quickly with a glance.

"I-I took a calming pill. I'm okay now! I was just nervous because it's my first time…"

"…Ha."

Lee Sa-young let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. His narrowed eyes scanned Cha Eui-jae from head to toe. They lingered on his loosely tied necktie for a moment before shifting away.

"Alright…"

Drawing out his words, Lee Sa-young leisurely crossed his arms.

"I hope you prove that bringing you on wasn't a mistake."

'Nice.'

Fortunately, Lee Sa-young had a knack for acting. He perfectly embodied the role of a tyrannical boss! Cha Eui-jae bowed his head, taking the cue from Lee Sa-young's assist.

"Yes, sir! I will do my best!"

"Doing your best isn't enough; you have to do it well."

It was an unexpected remark. But Cha Eui-jae responded without missing a beat, though his voice still trembled.

"I will do my best and do it well!"

The hunters, seemingly unsure when to interject, remained silent. But the glances peeking out from behind broad shoulders appear fascinated, as if watching a drama. Lee Sa-young, tapping his arm with his fingers, asked leisurely.

"Secretary, how long has it been since you joined?"

"One month."

"Ah, one month."

"Yes, that's right."

"One month and not much has changed… You'd better do well today."

"Yes, sir."

"If you're in the secretary team, you should focus on me. Just because you're not feeling well…"

This bastard… Cha Eui-jae felt a surge of anger and glared. Lee Sa-young was performing an unsolicited, fiery method acting session.

Thanks to him, anyone would think Cha Eui-jae was 'a poor rookie who managed to get into the Pado Guild's secretary team but ended up throwing up in the bathroom out of nerves after coming out alone with the Guild Leader Lee Sa-young'…

This guy always had a knack for getting under people's skin. Now, with his deliberate delivery, every word felt like art. Even though Cha Eui-jae wasn't really a secretary, his insides were getting scratched up!

'Maybe it's not method acting.'

Perhaps he's just naturally like this? Gritting his teeth, Cha Eui-jae replied.

"I'll… do my best. I'm really sorry."

"Yes. Make sure you're ready in the future. Otherwise, I'll end up waiting for you forever."

'What a grudge-holder.'

Their eyes met again. Lee Sa-young squinted, smiling. But soon, like a wave, the smile vanished. He uncrossed his arms and nodded toward the bathroom entrance.

"Let's go."

"Ah, yes. Understood."

When Lee Sa-young turned, the faces of the hunters, who had been watching their conversation with interest, grew tense again. Only Hong Ye-seong raised both hands energetically.

"Lee Sa-young! Can I say hello now?"

In person, Hong Ye-seong was quite a handsome young man. Except for the unsettling glint in his round eyes, he could be mistaken for a lunatic. Lee Sa-young, seemingly on good terms, nodded in greeting.

"So this is what all the noise was about…"

His gaze turned to the device in Hong Ye-seong's hands. The bathroom, still alternately red and white like a butcher shop, was noisy.

"It's loud. Can't you turn it off?"

"Dunno. I barely got it working, but it keeps going off, malfunction or something."

"What is it?"

"An unregistered ticket detector!"

Hong Ye-seong proudly pushed his belly out.

"This top-tier item detects even unregistered tickets hidden in inventories. My masterpiece."

"Hmm…"

Lee Sa-young, staring at the device, murmured.

"If it's beeping like that… doesn't that mean someone has an unregistered ticket?"

"It's supposed to, but…"

Hong Ye-seong quickly grew dejected.

"I made it in three hours, so I'm not sure if it's detecting a real unregistered ticket or just malfunctioning. Everyone here registered their tickets, right? You and your secretary included."

"We did."

A bodyguard listening to their conversation cautiously asked.

"Could you show us your tickets, please?"

"…"

"I'm sorry, but just once more…"

Without a word, Lee Sa-young took out two tickets from his inventory and showed them. Blue letters glowed on the ticket surface. The hunters, confirming the letters, nodded.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"Damn, maybe I set it up wrong. It must be reacting to registered tickets too…"

"…"

Cha Eui-jae, who had been quietly observing, bit his lip. If Lee Sa-young hadn't shown up just in time, this could have gotten really troublesome. They might have had to perform physical memory erasure on all the hunters here…

Thankfully, it wasn't necessary. Lee Sa-young's zone was winning everywhere except for the hangover soup restaurant. Lee Sa-young, putting the tickets back into his inventory, muttered.

"If you apply the technology used there… you could scan someone's entire inventory."

It was a villainous idea, ignoring others' privacy. Hong Ye-seong also muttered, covering his mouth.

"What a villainous thought…"

"I'll take it as a compliment."

"Well… it's an interesting idea, but impossible. The mechanism of this machine… how should I explain it? Ah, it tracks the chip embedded in items I made."

"You can only use it on items you made?"

"Exactly."

Hong Ye-seong, nodding, separated a red magic stone from the detector with a curved knife. The blaring alarm and flashing red light finally ceased. Sighing briefly, Hong Ye-seong put the tool in his pocket and scratched his fluffy head.

"I'll have to fix it and test it properly if I want to use it on everyone entering the hall."

'What?'

One problem after another. Hong Ye-seong, fiddling with the magic stone, waved his hand with clear eyes.

"I'll fix this and see you inside. Don't be too hard on your subordinate!"

"Hard on him?"

Lee Sa-young replied with a laughing tone.

"I'm just taking care of him…"

***

The hunters, seeing the big gas mask followed by the small one, didn't suspect anything but rather looked sympathetic. Some even made small fighting gestures to cheer Cha Eui-jae up. It seemed that Cha Eui-jae's acting and Lee Sa-young's slightly genuine method acting worked well.

As they walked away from the bathroom, leaving the crowd behind, Lee Sa-young muttered in discontent.

"Why do so many people flock around…"

Cha Eui-jae wholeheartedly agreed. He cleared his throat unnecessarily and poked Lee Sa-young's back.

"…Lee Sa-young, Guild Leader?"

"…"

"Can we talk for a moment?"

Of course, he didn't wait for Lee Sa-young's answer. Time was of the essence. Quickly scanning around to ensure no one was nearby, Cha Eui-jae grabbed Lee Sa-young's arm and started dragging him somewhere.

Lee Sa-young followed obediently as Cha Eui-jae pulled him along. They arrived at a quiet place, devoid of people, filled only with piled-up luggage.

"Phew…"

Taking a long breath, Cha Eui-jae removed his gas mask, revealing slightly flushed cheeks and messy hair. He didn't bother fixing his disheveled appearance and pushed Lee Sa-young against the wall, placing his hands on the sides of his gas mask.

"Lee Sa-young, Guild Leader."

"Hmm."

"We need to be honest with each other, right? Because, well, we're in a contract relationship."

"You're being long-winded."

Despite being pinned, Lee Sa-young remained relaxed. He looked at Cha Eui-jae quietly, then reached out. His careful touch played with the ends of Cha Eui-jae's messy hair. Lee Sa-young murmured as he fiddled with it.

"I don't remember us ever being that straightforward and unreserved…"

"Well, starting now."

"Ah, starting now?"

"Yes. Before things get out of hand, I'll be honest."

"…"

Lee Sa-young tilted his head, indicating he should go on. Taking a short deep breath, Cha Eui-jae met Lee Sa-young's eyes and spoke.

"I have… an unregistered black ticket."

"…"

"…Two of them."

The heavy silence filled the narrow space between them. Cha Eui-jae didn't avoid Lee Sa-young's sly purple eyes. After a long pause, Lee Sa-young finally spoke.

"I see. I'm starting to get it."

"…"

"If you're calling my name first without me asking for it…"

The black leather glove that had been playing with Cha Eui-jae's hair touched the back of his neck. The hand moved down, exploring the straight neck as if trying to sneak inside his shirt collar. It then wrapped around the loosely tied necktie like a snake and gently pulled it. Cha Eui-jae could have resisted or pushed the hand away, but…

'Tch.'

I'll let it slide. Cha Eui-jae, complying with the pull, subtly lifted his gaze. Lee Sa-young's nape still carried a sweet scent.

"It means something's gone wrong."

The glove slowly pulled the necktie loose. Holding the fully untied necktie, Lee Sa-young lowered his head slightly. The filter part of the gas mask touched Cha Eui-jae's forehead. Lee Sa-young growled softly.

"And who… gave you that ticket?"