Chapter 138

Roy’s expression went flat at such a transparent reaction.

With a displeased look, he half-turned and asked Han Gyeol

“Am I going back now?”

“What? No?!”

Han Gyeol hurriedly grabbed Roy’s wrist and pulled him inside.

“I was just so happy to see you. Come on in. And you too, sir behind you.”

“Excuse me.”

Hojin bowed politely, but Roy, hearing “come in,” simply walked past Han Gyeol and entered the house.

“You’ve got a lot of luggage? Someone might think you’ve moved in— haha!”

Han Gyeol, pleased with the big suitcase, joked teasingly, though Roy didn’t play along.

“That’s not a removal, is it?”

“? Roy brought it, didn’t you?”

“It belongs to Hojin.”

At that, Han Gyeol’s head snapped sideways. Hojin, catching his eye, gave an awkward smile.

“Oh... so your name is Hojin? And that suitcase is yours too...?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about Roy’s luggage? Did you ship it?”

“No? It’s right here.”

“...Where?”

“Here!”

Roy shrugged and pointed to the bag slung over his shoulder.

“...Is that it?”

“What else do you need?”

Han Gyeol froze for a moment, speechless. So the one who wooed him so hard had come with only a schoolbag, while the one he’d reluctantly agreed to let come had a 30-inch suitcase. Han Gyeol felt conflicted.

But who was he? He was a veteran with over fifteen years in the entertainment industry, where only the strong survived. His mental resilience could handle any awkward situation, and his method acting let him control every tiny muscle when needed. With that self-pep talk, Han Gyeol rode out the first crisis.

“No, you did fine. Actually, we have pretty much everything at home. Feel free to use anything you need.”

“Oh, you’re generous.”

“Of course— haha! We’re not strangers.”

“Aren’t we?”

Hojin grumbled under his breath at such blatant flattery. A vein pulsed and vanished on Han Gyeol’s forehead.

“Haha! Then I’ll show you the house first. The rooms you two will use are over there.”

And so the strange cohabitation of the three began.

✧

After a quick meal, Roy got down to the real project: “Awaken Han Gyeol within a week” and “Help the butler overcome separation anxiety”! Of course, neither of them knew the hell they were about to go through.

“Han Gyeol hyung. Can I speak informally?”

“Sure— just think of me as your older brother. So... can I drop formal speech too?”

“Yeah.”

No sooner said than done, Han Gyeol clung to Roy. Seeing that, Hojin frowned slightly—like a fox eyeing someone else’s cat. From that moment on, whenever Han Gyeol tried to act spoiled, Hojin muttered under his breath.

“Roy, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re here. I thought I might die these past few days, and I had no appetite~”

“You’ve been eating plenty.”

“Even living like this, I feel depressed~”

“Your smile’s about to touch your forehead.”

“And I can’t sleep well, my skin’s all rough~”

“It looks radiant.”

At that, Han Gyeol snapped around and shouted at Hojin.

“Hey, seriously! Mr. Hojin, you don’t like me, do you?”

The instant their eyes met, sparks flew in the air. A suffocating tension. Roy watched and thought, These two must be bored, always trying to pick a fight. He decided not to waste time and set the project in motion. He clapped his hands like a mediator and stood up.

“Cough. You two. If you fight from now on, I’ll just go home.”

“...!”

“...!”

Han Gyeol and Hojin flinched and shot each other accusing glances, like saying “It’s your fault.” Roy wondered if this was how Taeeon felt when watching him and Yeon-woo. He felt a twinge of remorse.

“From now on, I’m going to give you assignments.”

“Assignments?”

Hojin, who’d watched Yeon-woo and Taeeon struggle to re-awaken, wondered why Roy never told him the conditions, but he didn’t ask. Roy must be busy taking care of both of them. He only guessed that once they became A-rank, they’d train together. But assignments? Hojin’s heart started pounding, while Han Gyeol looked utterly clueless—he thought they were simply employer and employee.

“First, hyung, take this.”

Roy pulled a mango-shaped nose ball from his bag and handed it to Hojin. A soothing aroma wafted from it. Roy had Googled and found it to be the most effective, with plenty of reviews.

“What is this?”

“Go play with it in your room.”

“...Okay?”

“Let’s start with one hour and gradually increase. Now, go.”

Still baffled, Hojin headed to his room with it. That left Han Gyeol, who knew exactly what the mango-shaped object was.

“That’s for dogs—”

“Hyung.”

Roy cut him off with a solemn look.

“Tonight hyung will sleep outside.”

The sunset was just starting, meaning swarms of mosquitoes were coming. Han Gyeol blinked in confusion.

“Outside?”

Roy pointed at the green terrace beyond the window.

“Tonight you sleep out there.”

“????”

Seriously, guest, Han Gyeol thought. How has the situation reversed? He could only move his lips, too stunned to speak, his face frozen in embarrassment.

“I called you because I was scared of blood fiends, and this is my house, right?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“...What does that mean?”

Though flustered, Han Gyeol, trying to act like an older brother, calmly tried to talk. Roy had no intention of simply kicking him onto the terrace.

“Look. I can’t live with you forever.”

“You know that— I’ll find someone else soon enough.”

“That’s only a temporary fix.”

“True, but it’s all we’ve got for now. Otherwise I guess you’d have to marry an A-rank awakener? Haha!”

Han Gyeol joked, though his expression betrayed he didn’t mean it. Roy continued.

“You should protect yourself. Wouldn’t that be easier for you?”

“Me?”

Only an awakener could fend off blood fiends alone in the wilderness. If one were low-rank, even that was tough—at least B-rank was needed for bare survival.

“Haha! Roy, you sure know how to joke~”

At first Han Gyeol tried to laugh it off, but seeing Roy’s serious face, his smile faded. He realized Roy wasn’t kidding.

“...Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I know how. So just do what I say.”

Roy didn’t smile—he simply met Han Gyeol’s eyes. His reddish-brown eyes glowed mysteriously in the sunset, as if hypnotic.

“Will you do it? I won’t force you if you refuse.”

Roy said coolly, but he wasn’t joking. Han Gyeol had to awaken. Hesitant, Han Gyeol weighed the cost—once awakened, he couldn’t continue in showbiz, a pointless worry but natural. Roy understood and was about to give him time—yet Han Gyeol answered sooner than expected.

“Then can I ask just one thing? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to—”

“What, why I quit being a fan?”

To think that was his question. Just then Han Gyeol shook his head.

“No. That doesn’t matter anymore.”

He’d long ago concluded Roy had come back as a fan. What he truly wanted to know was:

“Can I ask your rank?”

He continued.

“To be honest, if anyone else said it I wouldn’t believe them. But I saw you on set yesterday—it didn’t look F-rank.”

“Of course not. Are you stupid?”

Roy snorted—what F-ranker could use such wide-area skills? He didn’t have to tell him, but Han Gyeol seemed committed to obeying. Opening up might motivate him, and besides, other seniors already knew.

“Wait a sec.”

Roy rummaged in his bag. Perhaps because of Hojin’s nose ball, the aroma hit him as soon as it opened. He pulled out a cute paper wallet in bright colors—a cat wallet Rose had made at kindergarten.

“Few people in this country know my rank, but since you’re hyung I’ll show you specially.”

From the paper wallet he produced a shiny gold card, nudged it forward as if slipping secret money, and looked away.

“Ahem. Does that answer your question?”

The license of a King-grade S-rank awakener.

“?!”

The letter “S” was embossed clearly. Han Gyeol’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared from the card to Roy. The genuine top awakener he’d been seeking was right in front of him. Pleased with the reaction, Roy rubbed his philtrum proudly.

“Don’t go around blabbing this. Right, Seo Han Gyeol?”

“Uh, o—kay?”

Frozen with mouth agape, Han Gyeol looked up. The moment their eyes met, Roy pointed at the terrace.

“Get out now.”

For a moment stunned, Han Gyeol leapt up and bolted onto the terrace.