“Oh. Hello! Pl, please have a seat here.”

Kang Ihyeon tried to hide his flustered tone as he seated Jung Suho in front of him.

Kang Ihyeon made a surprised expression as Jung Suho was not on the list of hunters who had made reservations for today.

As Jung Suho sat down with a dumbfounded look, Kang Ihyeon smiled again.

“Ah, ah! That… I’m sorry. You weren’t on the list of people who made reservations for today.”

Jung Suho’s eyes widened and he soon took out a bulky smartphone. Come to think of it, they said ghost agents have their own dedicated communicators, and this must be it.

Tapping away at the phone, Jung Suho held out the screen to Kang Ihyeon.

[The Constellation told me that since I’m already here, I should get an examination, so I took the liberty of coming despite the rudeness. I apologize. I will make sure to make a reservation in advance next time.]

“No, no, not at all! I was just momentarily surprised, that’s all. It’s alright. Please have a seat.”

[Constellation, the Staff of Purification is now shaking its head, saying that you seem to be the one who’s uncomfortable.]

‘Well, of course…!’

Kang Ihyeon put aside his burning insides after seeing the golden indirect message.

‘I mean, no matter how you look at it, this person clearly has some kind of relationship with Lady Nari, maybe even a romantic rival, so to smile brightly while facing him feels like…’

[Constellation, the Staff of Purification is telling you to have good thoughts. Good thoughts! as it tries to calm you down.]

“Ah.”

“…?”

“Ah, it’s nothing! So. What’s bothering you?”

As the Constellation blocked the thoughts that could have turned ominous, Kang Ihyeon faced Jung Suho again with a refreshing smile.

When Jung Suho showed a slightly hesitant expression, Kang Ihyeon waved his hands.

“Ah, if you’re worried about your physical condition being revealed, it’s alright! I took a confidentiality oath, and I’ll be punished if I spread it to just anyone.”

Before Rude and Kang Ihyeon came up north, the very first thing they signed was a ‘confidentiality oath’. It stated that since there may be parts closely related to national security, they must keep silent about what happens in the North, or face punishment for not doing so.

After showing the oath, Jung Suho made a slightly hesitant expression again before starting to type something on his device.

[My body is fine. The problem is more on the status effects side, so I was wondering if you could examine me just once…]

“Status effects? Hmm, but that’s not something I can really do much about.”

“…”

“St, still, I’ll take a look for you first! Just a moment!”

As Jung Suho made a hurt expression, Kang Ihyeon hurriedly grabbed his hand.

Kang Ihyeon, getting the impression that Jung Suho was someone hard to refuse, flowed holy power through the hand he grabbed.

“Tree of Sephiroth, connect.”

[Incarnation-exclusive trait :: God’s Holy Medicine] [Constellation, using the authority of the Staff of Purification.]

A golden aura emanated from behind Kang Ihyeon. To find out status effects and not just a simple examination required the power of the Constellation.

[Connecting to the Tree of Sephiroth.] [Guardian of the Tree of Life confirmed. Please wait a moment.] [Permitting the connection of Raphael’s incarnation, Tiphareth.]

“The center of the scale, to balance.”

Whoosh, the golden holy fire slowly began to permeate into Jung Suho. Since it was Raphael’s authority, permission from other angels was not needed.

Raphael’s energy thoroughly scanned Jung Suho and finally returned to Kang Ihyeon.

Analyzing the information the holy fire brought back one by one, Kang Ihyeon gradually widened his eyes and stared at Jung Suho.

“…The status effects.”

Jung Suho avoided Kang Ihyeon’s gaze. Kang Ihyeon calmly analyzed the information again.

It was natural for modern hunters to each have a status effect. However, Jung Suho…

‘There are too many.’

Kang Ihyeon, who had just dismissed the story involving Jung Suho as a lie, unconsciously grasped his hand tightly.

Those words might have actually been true.

“…Mr. Suho, are you okay? Are you really in a state to work right now? Going down and getting proper treatment would be…”

At Kang Ihyeon’s words, Jung Suho was startled and avoided his eyes again.

He seemed tense, trembling his legs, and simply shook his head. Hesitating, he wrote on his device again and held up the phone.

[Is there no way to cure it then.]

“This is something I can’t do for you. What I can do is only temporary surgical treatment, and you should go down and get counseling…”

Jung Suho, who had been biting his nails, abruptly stood up from his seat.

Kang Ihyeon looked at him in surprise as he typed on his device again.

[Then it’s alright. Thank you for telling me.]

“No, wait. I can’t let you go like this. Not because I’m a Priest or anything, but just hunter to hunter. You’ll go down and get treatment, right?!”

Jung Suho pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin, then slowly typed on his device. And held it out.

[I can’t leave the ghost agents because of the status effects. Thank you for telling me. I will discuss it with my partner.]

And after bowing in thanks, he left the office. Kang Ihyeon blankly stared at the closed door, unable to respond.

“He can’t leave the ghost agents because of the status effects…?”

In the midst of his mind working feverishly, beep- an alarm clock rang. It meant today’s work was over.

Kang Ihyeon turned off the alarm clock on the desk.

For now, it was time to meet up with Mr. Rude.

[This is the timeline separator]

“You’re here. Dinner.”

“I already ate. Today must have been tiring for you.”

“It was a mess.”

After having dinner at the ghost agents’ underground cafeteria, which was remodeled from a school cafeteria, the two went up to Kang Ihyeon’s personal room.

Rude, who had been stretching his legs out on the sofa, temporarily released the ‘Sense Transfer’ skill.

Kang Ihyeon held his head as the two views he had just adapted to returned to one. Rude closed his eyes tightly on the sofa and spoke.

“Is it true?”

“Yes?”

“I saw. You examined Jung Suho, is what Lee Jisung said true?”

“Ah, that. Well.”

Kang Ihyeon rolled his eyes.

Even with Sense Transfer, the senses shared are only sight and hearing; emotions or information gained through skills used are not shared.

‘It’s just a complete lie.
Lee Jisung just wanted to send you into the gate alone, Mr. Rude. He was perfectly fine.’ He just had to say that.

And Kang Ihyeon was someone who was skilled at lying, so even if Rude became suspicious later, he had enough capacity to deceive him.

“Ah, that? I examined him, and it’s just a comp-”

“That son of a bitch.”

Rude’s stifled voice was heard before Kang Ihyeon could finish his sentence.

Rude was frowning heavily, gripping the sofa’s armrest.

“That son of a bitch… Is it really true that he didn’t come because he hated me, but because something happened there and he couldn’t come?”

Kang Ihyeon thought this voice sounded similar to Nari’s when she talked about her father. A pained voice.

Someone you still have affection for but hate to death, but still can’t purely hate. That kind of person.

Calculations quickly turned in Kang Ihyeon’s mind for a moment. Rude slowly got up from the sofa.

When their eyes met, Kang Ihyeon involuntarily spat out the truth. It was irresistible.

“It’s true.”

In an instant, Rude’s expression widened greatly. Kang Ihyeon swallowed his startled feelings and looked at Rude as if it were nothing.
Thinking to himself that he could never lie to him for a lifetime.

“…From what I saw, yes. What Lee Jisung said is correct. There were too many status effects. More than five or six…”

“Haha, ha…”

Rude held his forehead as if dumbfounded. Absurdity, anger, questioning why he didn’t tell him that fact, disappointment stemming from that question.

“So what are you going to do?”

Kang Ihyeon bit his lip and turned to look at Rude again.

Jealousy rose up at the realization that there was a point he couldn’t see through no matter what he did.

“I don’t know, we should remove the status effects, right?”

“Ah, so you’re going to ignore my advice and go to that gate alone now?”

As much jealousy as had risen, sarcasm unintentionally mixed into his tone. He thought ‘oops’, but fortunately, Rude seemed to not have noticed as he was immersed in his own thoughts.

Kang Ihyeon gathered his words again and spoke in a docile manner.

“If your mood is going to swing back and forth so much because of Jung Suho, wouldn’t it be better to not do it at all? It would be big trouble if your willpower gets eaten into.”

“Ah, this isn’t because of him, my mood swings are because of the birth control pill.”

“Right, birth contr- What?!”

“To delay my period. Don’t be surprised even if you can’t take care of me. This is no big deal.”

At Rude’s dry attitude, Kang Ihyeon came back to his senses.

Come to think of it, when they came in, Lee Jisung suddenly mentioned a pill bottle, so that’s what it was. Kang Ihyeon meekly nodded his head.

“The hormones are making me very sensitive right now. For me to not get eaten by willpower like last time, you need to calm me down a lot. Got it?”

“Yes! I will.”

Rude, who had been nodding, took the opportunity to pour the bottled water on the table and swallowed a pill from inside his coat.

Kang Ihyeon, seeing Rude taking deep breaths as if to offset his mood swings, held out his hand.

“Then give me your hand for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Kang Ihyeon gently flowed holy power into the lightly grasped hand.

Rude blinked, feeling his sensitive mind easing a little.

‘This kid seriously… Could be used as a human PMS treatment.’

[Nari. Are you thinking of using Kang Ihyeon as a menstrual cycle app while already using me…? The ruler of chaos narrows her eyes.]

Rude let out a deep sigh, feeling the anger raging inside him subside. Now his emotions were a little sorted out.

“…I don’t know, honestly I want to refuse.”

I want to refuse, I hate him to death. But hope slightly raises its head.
The desire to forgive suddenly pops up. After thinking for a while, Kang Ihyeon spoke up in front of Rude.

“Th, then can you let me know too? About your relationship with Jung Suho.”

“What?”

“I’m concerned. I have to act together with you too.

But I think it will be hard for me to keep assisting you without knowing why you care so much.”

“Ah…”

Come to think of it, he had never told Kang Ihyeon. Rude blinked and crossed his arms.

He realized he had been wielding Kang Ihyeon this way and that according to his circumstances without any explanation.

“Why, you know how after the Break 20 years ago, a lot of orphanages popped up, right?”

“That’s right.”

In the few years until the social system fully regained its function after the gates appeared. During that time, an enormous number of orphans were created.

While there were many private orphanages that sincerely cared for them, things related to children tended to devolve into a mess without a thorough monitoring system and abundant support, so in many places, abuse similar to early 1900s orphanages took place.

“So people whose situations stabilized first began taking their relatives’ children out of trashy orphanages.”

“And that was Jung Suho?”

“Yeah, I think he was the grandson of my maternal grandmother’s friend. Anyway, that’s what it was.”

And in the case of Nari’s family, it was Jung Suho. So they stayed together. Played together as kids, went to school together.

“But 2 years after mom died, he left too, saying what? That he was going to earn money? I believed that was true. But it was a lie. I found out later on the internet that he was S-rank 6th. He’s just a typical jerk.”