Chapter 47

Beneath the shadow of his cap, the corners of Kwon Jihan's lips curled up as if he had just heard an amusing and intriguing story. Ever since Yoon Seo read Heavenly Sea's real description window, he had been making that same expression, and now, as they talked, his eyes sparkled even more.

"You're worried about me?"

"…Not particularly."

"Don't worry, I get counseling every year. My therapist always says they wish they had my mental resilience. My mom had a really strong mind, I guess I take after her."

"Yes, that must be wonderful. Congratulations."

"Are you getting counseling?"

Yoon Seo had never received any counseling. Not even once since leaving the Great Dungeon… He was also buying sedatives with a forged prescription.

"I get it regularly."

"That sounds like a lie."

"Then why don't you try using some kind of detection skill?"

"That's just cruel. You're telling me to use something that wouldn't even work on you."

Yoon Seo gave no response and simply gazed back up at the clouds. He could feel eyes fixed on him from the side, but he ignored them.

***

A little while later, Soo Jaehee returned, and the three of them decided to head into the exhibition hall early.

Even on the way there, Soo Jaehee wouldn't stop talking about weapons.

"How am I supposed to wait until next week? I might just use my fruit at the training center."

"Having to hold back when you've got a new toy to play with is tough, isn't it?"

"See? Han hyung gets it."

"Oh, I understand perfectly."

"Hehe, I thought Han hyung was an adult, but you're still just a kid too."

Soo Jaehee laughed innocently, but Yoon Seo alone was struck by an unsettling feeling. He had a pretty good idea of what Kwon Jihan meant by 'new toy.'

The exhibition hall was already packed. On a massive advertisement screen outside the building, footage from the VVIP hall, where Seo Chaeyoon's weapon was being displayed, played in a loop. Soo Jaehee whistled in admiration.

"They're all crowding in just to watch a video. Seo Chaeyoon really is insanely popular. Might be the most popular person in world history."

"Do we have to stand in line too?"

"We have entry tickets, so we'll be fine. We just need to push through to the entrance."

"..."

Looking at the sea of people gathered at the entrance made Yoon Seo feel dizzy. The place was packed with high-ranking Awakened, most of whom had massive builds. For someone like him, who wasn't particularly big, it was clear he'd get shoved around. Of course, as an S-rank, he wouldn't actually be pushed aside, but if he didn't budge at all, it'd look suspicious, so he'd have to let himself get tossed around a bit.

"Is there another entrance? Or should I just climb the wall? I'm good at that too."

"Why would you climb the wall when there's a perfectly good door? Security's tight today, you wanna get arrested together?"

Soo Jaehee burst into laughter and turned to Kwon Jihan.

"Should we put Yoon Seo hyung in the middle? We can protect him while we go in."

"No, that won't be necessary."

"Yeah, no need."

Kwon Jihan firmly wrapped his arm around Yoon Seo's waist, effortlessly lifting him into his embrace. It happened so quickly that before Yoon Seo could even process the situation, Kwon Jihan was already striding into the crowd. Standing at 194 cm and weighing 85 kg, he might have looked slim, but underneath his clothes, his entire body was muscle. He pushed through the crowd without hesitation.

"Urk."

"Gah."

"Ugh."

Yoon Seo, wide-eyed, watched people tumble around them. In less than a minute, they reached the entrance, and Soo Jaehee, who had followed the path Kwon Jihan had cleared, quickly handed over the entrance tickets. They entered through the VVIP-only door next to the main entrance. The lobby, cooled by air conditioning and filled with soft music, greeted them.

Still resting a light hand on Kwon Jihan's solid shoulder, Yoon Seo had yet to fully return to reality. Soo Jaehee muttered bitterly.

"Hyungs… If you two don't separate within ten seconds, I swear I'm quitting Perfect…."

"…Ack!"

Yoon Seo, who had been staring blankly, let out a weird, strangled noise at Soo Jaehee's words and started flailing. Kwon Jihan chuckled lowly and set Yoon Seo down on the ground. The moment he landed, Yoon Seo immediately grabbed Kwon Jihan by the collar.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?"

"I just helped you get in properly."

"I could've come in just fine on my own!"

"If you were pretending not to be an S-rank, it would've taken you thirty minutes. It's hot outside, and I wanted to get inside quickly."

Kwon Jihan shrugged. Yoon Seo felt his insides boiling. Should I actually punch him? He's S-rank, so he won't get seriously hurt. Maybe just one hit? As his free hand clenched into a fist, murmurs from the lobby reached his ears.

"What's going on? A fight?"

"Dunno. That big guy was carrying the smaller guy earlier."

"Is this a lover's quarrel?"

"Wow, that guy's seriously beautiful."

"Ugh, boring. Just show us Seo Chaeyoon's weapon already."

Since multiple TVs in the lobby were broadcasting the live feed from the VVIP hall, there were a lot of people around.

Considering the growing attention and the age gap between them, Yoon Seo let go of Kwon Jihan's collar.

"Don't ever do that again."

"Keep talking like that. It's powerful and nice."

"Hunter Jaehee, let's go inside."

"But seriously, your ass is really firm. Super toned. No extra fat, just solid muscle. Do you work out?"

"...."

Yoon Seo looked up at the chandelier on the lobby ceiling and took a deep breath.

Stay calm… He's just trying to pick a fight with me….

"Jihan hyung, h-how could you say that…! How could you say something like that in front of people? Yoon Seo hyung, I heard nothing. Seriously. I don't know anything about whether your ass is firm and toned."

Soo Jaehee's face turned bright red as he waved his hands frantically, rambling at a rapid pace. His voice was so loud it felt like even the people outside could hear him. Yoon Seo seriously wondered if Soo Jaehee was also trying to pick a fight with him.

***

The VVIP hall had a display stand in the center, surrounded by chairs in a circular formation. Unlike the crowded outside, there were still plenty of empty seats here. Soo Jaehee suggested sitting in the front row, but Kwon Jihan said it was better to sit farther back to get a better view. So, the three of them chose seats somewhere in the middle.

'There are fewer spectators than I expected.'

Yoon Seo counted the chairs. Exactly 52. It was a much smaller number than he had anticipated, and being one of such a select few made him feel a little uneasy.

'The guild master hyung specifically told me to go with you.'

Soo Jaehee had definitely said that.

Was Yoo Juncheol suspecting me? Or am I just overthinking things?

Someday, if Yoo Juncheol and I meet, I think I'll have to use on him.

"The guards are all Awakened, but their skills are lacking. Even an A-rank could break through this."

Soo Jaehee clicked his tongue. His voice was loud enough that the exhibition staff, busy preparing the displays, flinched.

In reality, the exhibition organizers had hastily put together this event after receiving a request from the Seokyoung Guild a few days ago to display Seo Chaeyoon's weapon.

Typically, the items displayed at exhibitions are rare and extraordinary artifacts, special bound items that have lost their owners, or relics that saved the world and fulfilled their purpose during the era before explanation windows even existed. Usually, the process from appraisal to exhibition takes at least six months, but this time, they had been given only four days.

The mere fact that it was a weapon used by Seo Chaeyoon had completely disregarded all previous procedures.

'Existing Spirit' was a weapon that Seo Chaeyoon had mentioned before, and since it was one of the few weapon-type items at the time, many people knew about its existence. It was a historic weapon. An exhibition of that weapon, how Seokyoung had obtained it was unknown, but the organizers couldn't pass up the opportunity.

They had tried appealing to Seokyoung, saying that such a unique exhibit should have been prepared at least six months in advance. They had even threatened them, pointing out that holding the exhibition in the Yangpyeong item market, which was already swarming with thieves, with only four days of preparation, was practically an open invitation for it to be stolen. However, Seokyoung Guild had firmly insisted that they would handle security properly and that the exhibition had to go on.

For Seokyoung, the real reason for the rush was to draw out Seo Chaeyoon before the impending catastrophe, but the exhibition organizers had no way of knowing that.

Likewise, since it was a hastily arranged exhibition, the guards were naturally bound to be lacking. However, the visitors didn't know this, so they were openly criticizing the exhibition's security.

"Do they think that with so many high-ranking hunters here, no one would dare to steal something? They're being too complacent."

"If someone tries to steal it, you can guard it, Hunter Jaehee."

At Yoon Seo's words, Soo Jaehee shook his head.

"Hyungs should be the ones guarding me from the dagger. If I see Seo Chaeyoon's weapon in person, I don't know what I'll do. I might just lose my mind."

"Don't say scary things."

"I'm serious. When our team arrives tomorrow, it's going to be a mess, oh, over there."

Soo Jaehee suddenly stopped talking and pointed somewhere. Following his fingertip, Yoon Seo saw a red-haired man just entering the exhibition hall.

He wasn't even wearing a disguise item, standing there with a haughty expression while surrounded by people. It was Hong Euiyoon.

Upon noticing them, Hong Euiyoon's eyes briefly widened. He gave a small nod only to Kwon Jihan before turning his head away, only to glance back again, his gaze lingering on Yoon Seo.

"That's the temporary team's Hong Euiyoon, right? Looks like he came to see the weapon. It must've been hard to get a ticket… how did an A-rank hunter manage to get one?"

Soo Jaehee whispered quietly.

The moment Yoon Seo saw Hong Euiyoon's arrogant face, he felt relieved to know that he wasn't the only Seo Chaeyoon candidate here. Then, a good idea crossed his mind. With an enigmatic expression, he swiftly spoke up.

"Maybe he came because he's Seo Chaeyoon? Imagine knowing that a weapon you thought you left in a dungeon is suddenly on display, wouldn't you be curious?"

"Gasp, I never even considered that!"

Soo Jaehee stomped his feet.

"If that's really the case, what do we do? Ugh, I really don't want Hong Euiyoon to be Seo Chaeyoon. Can't it just be you instead, Yoon Seo hyung?"