Chapter 178

“Welcome home, Miss.”

As the door of Eclipse Mansion swung open, the handpicked cadre of supernatural butlers bowed in unison.

“May I take your bag, please?”

The first to step forward was Butler Captain Lucifer. He offered his hand gracefully and accepted the bag from the young lady.

“Thank you. Oh? But...why are you here? You used to serve at Kasumi Manor. Have you transferred?”

The lady, clearly a regular at Kasumi Manor, recognized him instantly. Lucifer merely smiled, unfazed.

“Transfer? No, Miss. This Eclipse Mansion was built by Your Lordship to commemorate your coming of age—a summer villa, if you will.”

He quipped that it made perfect sense for him, who had served her since childhood, to come here next.

“Ah—so that’s the concept?”

“Concept? I’m afraid I don’t quite follow. Perhaps...because I’m not human?”

“Ha ha!”

“Ha ha ha!”

They exchanged amused laughter. Then, as if nothing had happened, Lucifer indicated the butlers standing by the entrance.

“These are the butlers you have kindly taken in.”

“I took them in?”

The lady blinked at the lineup of butlers as though encountering some new concept. Lucifer, composed, began the introductions.

“This is Gumiho Butler Seolho.”

“I’ve waited every day to see you again, Miss. Didn’t you save me—the fox spirit whose bead shattered and who was dying?”

Seolho bowed deeply, pledging undying loyalty.

“And beside him, Cat Butler Nabi.”

“I’ve been waiting, Miss. Thank you for taking in someone like me, who lost family and had nowhere to go. Meow.”

Nabi lightly swept a fist across their face as if grooming fur.

Watching this with clenched teeth were two others...

“And this is Wolfman Butler Wolf.”

The first to be named by Lucifer was the wolfman, Taeeon.

“It’s my honor to meet you, Miss. I am Wolf, the wolfman butler.”

Among the five, his presence was the most striking: sun-kissed skin, broad shoulders, a muscular build barely concealed by an off-the-rack butler uniform. Taeeon shot Lucifer a pleading look—hoping this would pass quickly. But the lady spoke first.

“Oh my. Where did I find this one again?”

She was gently prompting him to reveal his backstory—something Taeeon was not yet accustomed to.

‘Do I really have to say that awful line...?’

He squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them, steadying his whirling thoughts. Sensing Taeeon’s discomfort, Lucifer offered an explanation.

“He’s the lonely wolf pup abandoned by his pack. You haven’t visited in so long that he thought you left him again.”

He filled in the setting for Taeeon, who was new to butler duties.

“Ah—so he’s sulking?”

“...Yes.”

Taeeon managed the word with difficulty, fearing he’d be dismissed on his first day for poor attitude. But the lady covered her mouth, tapping her feet in delight.

“How adorable.”

...Adorable?

Taeeon’s pupils dilated.

“Then I’ll visit often and shower you with love.”

“If you do, Wolf may open his heart again.”

“Perfect. I was getting tired of Kasumi Manor anyway. I think I’ll settle here at Eclipse.”

“???”

Normally a service customer left waiting would be displeased—but she was positively glowing. In truth, Taeeon was only undercover at the butler café on orders of his capable young team leader; he actually owned such a café. Yet here she was, praising the very thing that should earn him a scolding. His mind buzzed with confusion.

Her attention then shifted naturally to the next butler.

“Gasp. Oh my goodness...”

If Taeeon was a quiet spark, this one was like a fragile ice bloom in a snowy mountain. She turned to Lucifer as though asking his name.

“This is Vampire Butler Edward.”

At Lucifer’s cue, Edward pressed one hand to his chest and bowed politely.

“Miss, at last you’ve come to quench my thirst. I have waited.”

Unlike Taeeon, Shin Wonil—well, this Edward—appeared completely at ease. That made sense: he had fully immersed himself in the vampire role. Unable to deny the unbelievable reality, he’d hypnotized himself: “This is a film set, and I am a vampire.”

“Oh my. Edward?”

Hearts practically leapt from her eyes. And here’s a key feature of Eclipse Mansion—it’s an adult-only butler café, allowing patrons to choose their personal butler. The butler captain asked politely:

“Which butler may I assign to you?”

“Gasp. I can choose? This is crazy.”

She barely glanced at the first two; her eyes darted only between Taeeon and Edward. Then she made her selection.

“Then today...Edward.”

“Yes, Miss. I will guide you to your seat.”

Edward smiled cynically as he swept his hands inward. Taeeon, watching in stunned silence, was mentally aghast.

✧

While Edward and Taeeon attended the young lady, the other three were deep in Blood Fiend investigation. Their target was a suspicious club in Gangnam—rumored to be frequented by Han Gyeol.

“Are we really allowed to be out like this?”

“It’s fine. I told them we couldn’t get in today.”

“Are we going on a stakeout sleepover?”

At Kim Hojin’s cautious query, Roy lowered his binoculars and turned to them. The three had staked out a café opposite the club, observing guard placement and comings and goings—details no desk-bound investigation could reveal.

‘But what could I accomplish with these rookies...tsk.’

He clicked his tongue and continued, concern creasing his brow.

“Who are we?”

“Shooting—”

“Shh!”

When Yeonwoo nearly blurted out, Roy inhaled sharply to hush them.

“Stop, stop. If you’re going to blab everywhere, why even wear badges?”

“I was just answering when you asked—geez...”

Chastised by Roy, Yeonwoo pouted in displeasure.

“Whisper it—whisper.”

“All right, you tsk, you tsk,” Yeonwoo mimicked in a voice barely above a whisper. Roy couldn’t help but chuckle at how much they resembled their usual self.

“From today on, for any Detention Bureau mission, you can step away as needed. We got an official cooperation notice.”

This permission was a special exception for Team Shooting Star; they still needed to file a report. But since they would record their findings anyway, it posed no real issue.

Another problem remained.

“We need to get inside, but we’re underage... Think we’ll manage?”

“Go in there? That place?”

“Of course. Did you think we’d spend all day peering through binoculars?”

Roy’s confidence widened Hojin’s eyes.

“Roy, it’s a club.”

“I know.”

“Roy...clubs are for adults. We’re too young.”

Did they take him for fools?

“That’s why we dressed up. To pass as older.”

He gestured at his outfit: perfect club attire—well-fitted wide-leg pants, a slightly plunging tee, topped with a chic tweed jacket.

“Effortlessly casual yet attention-grabbing—”

“Cut the crap. Effortless my foot! You’re the most conspicuous here! Button up, will you?”

Yeonwoo snapped as they roughly fastened the top button of Roy’s jacket.

“Ugh, come on. Since when are you a fashion expert?”

“Roy, regardless how curious we are, this feels wrong.”

“Shh! You two really are hopeless.”

Roy inhaled sharply again, tapping the table with impatience.

“Do you think I want to go in?”

“Huh? You act like you’re dying to get in. Kid, you’ve barely grown hair on your head.”

Roy frowned at their inability to understand, then sighed.

“If it weren’t for the rumors about Han Gyeol, I’d focus on the mansion. But because I can’t stop thinking about him, I can’t concentrate.”

If he sent Hojin in alone, anyone recognizing them would confirm the rumors as truth. But sending Taeeon was impossible—he was already employed at Eclipse Mansion.

“So what do we do? Someone’s got to go in.”

“But we still have to write our report. What about that?”

“Oh—that. We’ll claim in the report that Taeeon and Edward went in. No problem.”

Yeonwoo knitted their brows.

“You’re insane. That’s a crime—lying about age, forging documents—”

“You’d really do that, Roy? What if someone figures it out?”

Such fearful types. Roy lifted his tee to point at the shield-shaped badge at his waist.

“With this badge, no one will recognize me.”

And he wasn’t sneaking in for personal thrills but for work. After all, he’d ventured into the depths of that dangerous cult’s basement. Why were they so reluctant?

“As long as you don’t call out my name, it’s fine. Now stop the whining and let’s settle this with rock-paper-scissors.”

“Rock-paper-scissors?”

“For what?”

“One of you will go in with me.”

They’d go inside, verify the source of the rumors, and the remaining member would stand guard outside.

“Okay? If you won’t cooperate, you two go back to the butler café—”

“Not on offer! Rock-paper-scissors!”

“Whoa!”

“Aah!”

And thus Roy’s very first club visit—and his first undercover stakeout partner—was decided.