Yi Hyeon’s expression, filled with confusion, was met with Rude shaking his head as if to reassure that everything was truly fine.

“He was quite polite to me. Not many people like me, you know.”

Rude shrugged. It wasn’t as if he was physically or verbally abusive or trying to bury him completely. Just a bit of ‘annoyance’ level of interference was like chewing gum to him.

It was expected. The main character had been insulted for 10 years, and the secondary character had been tossed around by the media, toughening him up. It was a bittersweet gain.

Rude patted Yi Hyeon’s shoulder, looking worried in front of him, trying desperately to explain.

“I told you. You’re special. I’ve been through a lot like that. But you’re rather mild, so I don’t care much. So don’t worry about it…”

“How can I not worry! Don’t say that. I’ll make sure such words never come out again. Absolutely.”

“It’s okay! Look, you’re here, right! Eh! You’re here, right?! What’s there to worry about… Ah, isn’t that so?”

Rude awkwardly smiled and patted Yi Hyeon’s shoulder. Yi Hyeon’s eyes, which had been filled with utmost regret, narrowed into straight lines.

‘He’s not usually like this, why is he acting this way suddenly?’

Yi Hyeon felt something suspicious in Rude’s behavior.

Rude flinched at Yi Hyeon’s keen perception and slightly turned away to avoid eye contact. Yi Hyeon, catching on to something, tilted his head and asked.

“Is something wrong?”

“Eh? What, what do you mean?”

“Why do you trust me so much?”

“Eh? No? I’ve always trusted you, haven’t I?”

[The Lord of Chaos chuckles, asking where Rude’s conscience has gone.]

‘Be quiet… Tsksksk…’

Rude closed his eyes at the Lord of Chaos’s teasing laughter.

Just after learning about Yi Hyeon’s background and seeing him face to face, Rude felt more nervous than doubtful about his kindness.

The thought of Yi Hyeon, who was two years younger than him, hiding his parents’ story and enduring his misdeeds, made Rude’s face burn.

‘Does he actually hate me? Should I cut ties? No, I should observe a bit more… Damn, how do I discreetly act against someone who has a max level of social skills…’

Meanwhile, Yi Hyeon was still looking at him with straight eyes.

Yi Hyeon suddenly shifted his gaze to the monitor and, seeing his profile displayed, asked.
“Why did you search my profile?”

“Eeeh? Noooo, it’s nothing, just? Just suddenly got curious? Curious about my one and only partner?”

“Really?”

Kang Yi Hyeon glanced at Rude. Something was off. The person he knew wasn’t one to beat around the bush like this.

When Yi Hyeon made eye contact, Rude turned away. Moving to meet his eyes again, Rude turned his head again. There was definitely something up. Yi Hyeon narrowed his eyes and said,

“What’s really going on?!”

“No, really, it’s nothing! It’s just!”

Rude mumbled in a genuinely flustered tone. Just then, both their screens flashed with a red alert notification. It was a message from the national authority.

[National Hunter Management Agency, Gyeonggi Branch Urgent Alert – A Level 3 Corrosive Type Sudden Gate has appeared at OO High School near Seohyeon Station. All available hunters are requested to respond.]

“Ah, teacher~ Can’t we have a short day today? Really? Master~ Your grace is like the sky~ The more we look up, the higher it seems~”

“No.”

“Ahh, Master~ The entrance exams are over, shouldn’t we give our students some freedom? We should shorten the school day for all students. Today. Right?”

A few minutes before the Level 3 Gate emergency alert to Yi Hyeon and Rude. In the staff room of an old public high school near Seohyeon Station.

A high school student wearing glasses was cajoling a teacher who seemed to be the homeroom teacher. The teacher, seemingly used to this, shook his head and replied,

“Jaeyun, do you plan not to graduate? You know if you keep being absent or late after the entrance exams, you won’t graduate due to attendance issues. Today you were late again.”

When it became clear his request wouldn’t be granted, the boy ruffled his hair and sighed heavily.

“Ah… No, it won’t do, teacher! We’re in danger! We need to get out of the school now! Didn’t you hear the gate detector go off?”

The student’s voice changed from playful to urgent. The teacher, reading the anxiety behind his glasses, just smiled.

“That was a malfunction. Look, everything is fine now. It’s 11 o’clock now, just bear with it for an hour~”

“Ah, really, teach!”

With a sharp retort, he was almost pushed out of the staff room. The boy sighed deeply after closing the door, then looked towards the end of the hallway.

The eastern stone storage locker. He stood chewing on a lollipop, staring at it for a while, then lowered his head and sighed again.

“Ah, really, I don’t know anymore. Let it be what it will be. Ah!”

Crack!

With the sound of something hard being punched, the boy let out a shout and staggered. Rubbing the back of his head, he ground his teeth and looked up.

“Really, that’s too much. Hey you. Ah… Alright, alright! I’ll do it! Just words, you know, just words!”

The boy muttered to himself, sighed deeply, and dragged his slippers upstairs.