EVS Chapter 28

As they left the dormitory after drying their hair and headed towards the parking lot, the guild members they encountered on the way alternately looked at Sa-yoon and Geon-joo before subtly averting their eyes. A few whistled, and some examined Sa-yoon with eyes that seemed as if they had been betrayed. Geon-joo, who was puzzled by their behavior, tilted his head. One of the guild members they met after getting off the elevator waved and called out to Geon-joo.

“Hey, newcomer! Is your ability good?”

“My ability?”

While Geon-joo acted as if he had no clue what was going on, Sa-yoon gazed at the guild member who had called his pretty boy with cold eyes.

Judging by the fact that he had time to chit-chat and slack off, he seemed to be idle.

Sa-yoon briefly contemplated whether to warn him to be quiet, but he held back, curious about Geon-joo’s reaction upon realizing the rumor. As the newcomer only had a perplexed expression, the guild member, who flinched upon seeing Sa-yoon, beckoned Geon-joo with a gesture.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Can I go?”

“Just hear what he wants and return.”

When Sa-yoon readily sent Geon-joo, who was gauging his mood, to the guild member’s call, Geon-joo, with a somewhat suspicious face, seemed to assess something between Sa-yoon and the guild member a few times before eventually moving his steps.

The guild member who dared to call his pretty boy in front of Sa-yoon moved his lips under his guild leader’s ominous gaze.

‘I’ll send him right back to you.’

Reading the lip movements that asked that question, Sa-yoon shook his head. The guild member was relieved, but Sa-yoon immediately contacted Gyeongjin and ordered him to give some work to the C-team conquest team, saying they seemed to be idle. It seemed like he could hear the wailing of the C-team leader who had to take responsibility for the unit.

Sa-yoon quietly observed Geon-joo, who had really walked away to the guild member without looking back, despite being told to go. When Geon-joo asked about the matter, the guild member immediately started whispering. Sa-yoon’s brows furrowed at the sight of Geon-joo readily tilting his head slightly and lending his ear.

Did they become close during the welcome party?

What did they do to become that close already? Recalling the embarrassing attempts he had made the previous night to get closer to Geon-joo, Sa-yoon felt a bit resentful.

“That fickle bastard.”

As he muttered softly, the whispering sound of the guild member reached Sa-yoon as well.

“The rumor about you being the Guild Leader’s thing has spread, newcomer.”

“His thing?”

“This thing, I mean. This.”

The guild member waggled his pinky finger. Sa-yoon clicked his tongue at the crude expression, and Geon-joo made a face of not understanding. He stared at the swaying pinky finger with puzzled eyes for a while before finally letting out a low sigh of realization.

“Don’t tell me, like a lover or something?”

“Yeah, that.”

“…Why did such a rumor start?”

“You two… slept together?”

The guild member continued, glancing at Sa-yoon. Although he lowered his voice even more, it was as clear to Sa-yoon as if he were whispering directly into his ear. Thinking that he had finally talked about that rumor, Sa-yoon made an intrigued expression. Geon-joo, who had been blankly blinking his eyes, soon crumpled his face.

“Are you crazy?”

Has that bastard given up on image management?

Judging by the way he asked if the other person was crazy without a moment’s hesitation, it seemed he had really grown bold. Sa-yoon had let it slide because he was kind-hearted and generous, but if Geon-joo acted like that to other guild members, he would eventually get into big trouble someday.

As Sa-yoon was internally giving a minus evaluation, thinking that Geon-joo’s actions were reckless, Geon-joo covered his mouth with his hand. His face turned pale as if he felt sick, and Sa-yoon let out a chuckle.

Is that cute pretty boy now dry heaving upon hearing the rumor that he’s dating me?

It was infuriatingly annoying. Who should be feeling sick, and who should be feeling more regretful?

It wasn’t like Geon-joo was richer than him, more skilled than him, or had a better career than him.

The only thing Geon-joo was better at than Sa-yoon was his height. Even that wasn’t a significant difference, but seeing him act like that, Sa-yoon found it ridiculous and unpleasant. He walked over to Geon-joo, grabbed the back of his collar, and dragged him away. The guild member who witnessed that scene sensed the danger and quickly stepped back, bowing his waist. At Sa-yoon’s words to go, he nodded his head nonchalantly and moved his steps. Geon-joo was still showing his back to Sa-yoon, struggling as he was being dragged.

Geon-joo, who was thrashing about like a rabbit suddenly grabbed by the neck, abruptly turned his head. His eyes narrowed into slits.

“Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”

“Oh, why am I doing this all of a sudden? You think everything you spit out with that loose mouth of yours is words, pretty boy. I need to sew it shut stitch by stitch for you to come to your senses.”

“…What are you going to do with a needle?”

“If you’re curious about what I’ll do, keep blabbering on.”

At the fierce answer, Geon-joo, who had been looking at Sa-yoon with eyes full of dissatisfaction, soon closed his mouth. The words he couldn’t spit out were lingering pitifully inside his mouth.

Sa-yoon, who casually dragged Geon-joo in front of all the guild members, shoved him into a black car and waited for Jongsik to come down soon.

Thanks to being busy handling work with Sa-yoon last night, Jongsik, who had time to be a chauffeur today, came down not long after Sa-yoon contacted him and took his seat in the driver’s seat.

His appearance was so natural that Geon-joo made a displeased expression.

“Isn’t he in a high position?”

“Who?”

“That person.”

“Jongsik? He’s an executive. Almost deputy guild leader level.”

“And yet you make him drive every time?”

Whenever Geon-joo rode in the car, it was always Jongsik sitting in the driver’s seat. Finding that point strange, he asked, and Sa-yoon observed Jongsik’s expression through the rearview mirror.

He had a subtle face as if he had been persuaded by Geon-joo’s words. Interpreting it, it was roughly like this:

‘It’s true that I should serve hyung, but hearing those words, it also feels like something is wrong. But I’m the one who should drive the car hyung rides in. However, now that I think about it, those words are also correct, so I don’t know what to do.’

It was an innocently naïve reaction. Thinking ‘what do you mean you don’t know what to do,’ Sa-yoon raised his foot and lightly tapped the front seat with a thud. Jongsik, who had been kicked by Sa-yoon’s foot more than once or twice, tensed up and straightened his back stiffly.

“What does it matter if he’s an executive, pretty boy? If I tell him to do something, he has to do it all.”

It was an incredibly self-centered and high-handed tone, as if stating a very obvious fact. Both Jongsik and Geon-joo sighed at the same time at the expression that seemed to say it was a matter of course, but no one objected.

In fact, it was close to Sa-yoon silencing them with his fidgeting foot.

***

“Then, have a safe trip, hyung-nim.”

“What’s there to be careful about? Come on time when I contact you later.”

“Yes.”

Jongsik, who had finished a bumpy drive after being tormented a few times by Sa-yoon, who was bored while riding in the car, glared at Geon-joo with displeased eyes and turned the car around. Geon-joo, who had been standing next to Sa-yoon and watching that scene, exhaled a soft sigh as he looked at the car driving away.

“That person seems to dislike me.”

“He’s just jealous, so leave him be.”

“Jealous?”

“He must have felt resentful that I only bothered him and not you when we were in the same car. He would have a lot of complaints since I keep bringing you along even though I should only take him.”

Come to think of it, it was a sight of an executive escorting a newcomer. It was fortunate that Jongsik had a docile personality; if it were other executives, they would have already thrown a fit, gotten hit, and had their teeth knocked out, becoming quiet.

At times like this, he was remarkably commendable. As Sa-yoon was saying it was all an expression of affection, Geon-joo let out a low sigh.

It’s really difficult.

Even though Sa-yoon had subtly revealed that he favored Geon-joo by not tormenting him and only making Jongsik’s life miserable, Geon-joo’s reaction was merely bland. It wasn’t that he had hoped for a level of being moved to tears, but it would have been nice if he had at least looked a bit elated or blushed.

Then it would have been easier to win him over, but what’s this? There was no reaction except when he was being harshly poked. Muttering that if this were a favorability game, Geon-joo would definitely be a hidden character, Sa-yoon grabbed his shoulder.

“Then, shall we go in?”

At those words, spoken while slightly twisting one corner of his mouth, Geon-joo, who had been puzzled upon hearing the term ‘hidden character,’ inadvertently moved his feet.

As they entered the gate entrance, a bright light greeted the two.

<To clear, you must achieve all of the following conditions.>

[Kill 300 flying-type monsters 0/300]

[Kill 100 Crazier Worms 0/100]

[Kill 100 Palsillocus 0/100]

Sa-yoon, who read the clearing conditions that appeared in a list, turned to look at Geon-joo. Unlike other gates where clearing was achieved by fulfilling one condition, the fact that all conditions had to be met was the reason why the Grounds of Distrust had a higher difficulty compared to other gates of the same rank.

He was curious about how Geon-joo would accept that.

And there was also something he wanted to ask.

“Did you read all the conditions?”

“Yes.”

“What are the conditions?”

Sa-yoon asked in a gentle voice. After a brief pause, Geon-joo recited the exact same words that had appeared in the window in front of Sa-yoon. Sa-yoon, who had been waiting for his voice to stop for a moment, put his arm around the shoulder of the person who turned to look at him after mentioning the Palsillocus kill condition.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

“What else is there?”

Geon-joo asked as if he was curious. There wasn’t a single suspicious aspect to be seen. Sa-yoon let out a hollow laugh at the high-level expression management.

This cute pretty boy.

How dare he try to deceive someone?