Chapter 11

“Is Dasol… siding with the bodyguard?” Rina exclaimed, her mouth agape. Everyone else was also looking at Dasol with surprised expressions. The one who seemed most shocked was Heero. His long eyelashes trembled pitifully.

“As long as no one got hurt and everyone did their part well, that’s what matters. So don’t act territorial for no reason,” Dasol said bluntly before putting on his noise-canceling headphones. It was a silent expression of his desire not to talk any further.

Heero, regaining his composure, scolded Kyungjin. “Dasol is right, Kyungjin. I provided the items, and I was the one who persuaded those who didn’t want to join to come to our team. So don’t say anything to Kim Yibak.”

“…”

Kyungjin still looked dissatisfied, but seeing the negative reactions from everyone, he fell silent. However, he didn’t forget to glare at Jeongeun until the very end.

As for Jeongeun, who had been at the center of that brief commotion… he had no thoughts at all. Because he truly had no thoughts.

It was entirely natural for someone to hate and avoid Jeongeun. Even Kyungjin wasn’t unjustified in picking on him. From Kyungjin’s perspective as the vice guild leader, hiring Jeongeun would be a waste of labor costs and resources. Most importantly, Jeongeun had just witnessed something he shouldn’t have.

He had seen the small keychain attached to the zipper of the briefcase resting on Kyungjin’s lap. It was a character keychain of “Heero,” an unofficial merchandise created by a Heero fan. Jeongeun had one too. Of course, it was back at his old home, and he didn’t have it with him now, but he vividly remembered setting an alarm and clicking like crazy to purchase that keychain.

‘So Kyungjin is also a Heero-in…!’

To be working as Heero’s right-hand man was a dream scenario that countless Heero fans wished for.

‘So that’s why he was so hostile toward me from the beginning.’

There was a long history of Word Sorcerers being treated as ominous classes among hunters. Jeongeun felt sorrowful and wronged by this perception, but he had known about it since he was young. His parents were also Word Sorcerers, and it had been a part of his daily life to be dominated by their spells when he was a child. If someone like his parents suddenly appeared next to Heero, he would have been wary and suspicious of them too.

As a fan who loved Heero, a Heero-in, he should have felt that way.

Thinking about it that way, there was really nothing to feel upset or angry about. Jeongeun quietly nodded to himself. In doing so, he failed to notice that Heero was watching him intently.

**

The team members got off one by one at their respective destinations, leaving only Heero, Jeongeun, and Kyungjin at the end. The three of them took the elevator to the guild building together. Kyungjin was completely ignoring Jeongeun now. Since Team 1 members were stepping forward to defend him, it seemed Kyungjin had decided to not argue but also not engage in conversation. Jeongeun felt grateful for that alone. Kyungjin, being cautious by nature, was someone he could feel satisfied with as a fellow Heero-in.

“I’ll wash up at the accommodation and come right up. You go ahead, Kyungjin.”

At Heero’s words, Kyungjin seemed like he wanted to protest, asking, "Are you really going to stay in the same space as that person?" but he held back and just nodded shortly, signaling that he understood, then shot a glare at Jeongeun when Heero wasn’t looking. Jeongeun felt a sense of satisfaction at Kyungjin’s behavior and gave a stoic nod in response. It was a gesture that meant, ‘I won’t do anything foolish.’ Sadly, Kyungjin seemed not to understand that meaning and irritably turned his head away.

However, whether Kyungjin understood Jeongeun’s inner thoughts or not, the elevator arrived at the 7th floor, and Heero and Jeongeun got off together. To calm his nervous heart, Jeongeun bit his tongue gently. Perhaps because he had gotten used to the pressure of the gag while pressing his tongue against it, applying pressure to his tongue now helped him settle his mind.

Jeongeun waited quietly until Heero opened the door to the room and then hurriedly followed him inside.

“Jeongeun.”

“...Yes.” Jeongeun, who had been biting his tongue, responded late.

“I have something I want to ask you. It might sound a bit strange, but…” Heero rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. He seemed hesitant about whether to say it or not after bringing it up.

“Please go ahead.” Jeongeun thought he could listen to anything Heero says, even if it's swearing.

“Jeongeun, did something happen between you and Hunter Dasol?”

“Ah... Are you talking about Hunter Seo Dasol?”

"No, Dasol is not usually the type to be friendly with bodyguards. If he’s going to hate them, he will, but he’s not the type to defend anyone, really."

Heero described Dasol’s history, which was quite colorful. One had kicked a man in the groin and burst one of his testicles just ten minutes after meeting him, and another was left untreated until they were on the brink of death, requiring emergency transport to a hospital for awakened individuals. The last one, he would hurl insults and curses as soon as he opened his mouth, leading Heero to intervene and ultimately fire that bodyguard.

The way Heero described Dasol made him seem like Minseong, the wall guard who used to torment Jeongeun. However, Dasol didn’t seem like that much of a scoundrel…

“There was nothing between us. We hardly talked.” Jeongeun answered truthfully.

“Really… that’s quite strange. Dasol usually dislikes almost all men.” The expression ‘dislike’ was even a cute understatement, Heero added.

“He didn’t even make eye contact with me for the first month. Even now, he doesn’t seem to want to talk for long.” Heero said gloomily. Sadness clouded his well-chiseled, crystal-like face. He looked like a tormented actor or a young man grieving a lost love.

“Dasol is a difficult person. Is there something you have that I don't? Why does he only like you…?” Jeongeun thought that there could be no greater tragedy in this world than that beautiful face sinking into melancholy. Of course, he knew this was just a fan’s infatuation, but he hated to see Heero sad more than anything.

“Heero.” Without realizing it, Jeongeun called him ‘Heero’ instead of ‘Guild Leader’ and said resolutely, “I’m sure Hunter Seo Dasol will come to like you.”

Jeongeun spoke clearly, putting strength into each word. “He doesn’t like me either.” Jeongeun, accustomed to malice, was sensitive to kindness. Having seen very few people approach him with affection throughout his life, he had developed a keen sense for it. Therefore, he was certain. Dasol did not like Jeongeun. He didn’t dislike him either, but he certainly didn’t like him. It was probably more like, ‘He’s not bothersome.’

“Thank you. But I’m a bit skeptical about your statement that he will come to like me. I’ve been working… no, trying for five months, and there hasn’t been any progress.” Heero smiled bitterly.

“Seeing that he opened his heart to Jeongeun, whom you met for the first time today, I guess I have no hope.” He casually brushed his hair back. His beautifully cut black hair flowed down smoothly.

Jeongeun, who was staring blankly at the angel ring wrapped around Heero’s hair, impulsively spoke up. “I will….”

“Yes?”

“I will help you with your unrequited love for Dasol.”

It was an unexpected bombshell statement, but both Jeongeun and Heero knew that what Jeongeun had just said was sincere and contained truth.

Heero looked at Jeongeun silently for a moment. He then asked slowly, “Is it obvious that I like Dasol?”

Jeongeun quickly shook his head. Probably no one else, not even Dasol, would have noticed. The reason Jeongeun realized Heero’s unrequited love was that, first, he was sensitive to kindness and affection, and second… he had liked Heero in a special way for a long time.

“No one else will know.” Jeongeun said firmly. Heero was a well-known womanizer. He easily seduced others and easily accepted their advances. It was probably the first time Heero had secretly liked someone for so long (though it had only been five months). He was a novice when it came to unrequited love. Heero needed a supporter. A supporter who genuinely wished for Heero to be happy. And Jeongeun thought he would be incredibly happy if that supporter turned out to be him.

“Thank you for the suggestion, Jeongeun. That’s really kind of you.” Heero smiled beautifully.

“But I’m worried that you might get tired because of me. You don’t have to help. I’ll manage somehow on my own.”

Indeed, Heero was clearly an angel without wings. There was a reason why Heero’s followers called him ‘Michael,’ ‘Raphael,’ and ‘Gabriel.’ He was truly a person of great goodness and virtue, akin to a great archangel.

“Yes. But I will always support you, Guild Leader.” Jeongeun said with emotion. If he could, he wanted to pound his chest with his fist and shout ‘I will obey your commands!’

On the other hand… Heero was smiling sweetly at Jeongeun and thinking, ‘What the hell is this guy? He’s really… excessive?’