IRNH C76

Chapter 76

“I was wrong….”

Sihyeon had been about to scold him firmly and move on, but when Taewoon tugged lightly at the hem of his sleeve like a puppy caught in the rain, he let out a long, defeated sigh.
With him acting like that, could Sihyeon ever truly stay angry?
Impossible.

“Taewoon.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. I acknowledge that your feelings are what they are.
But Taewoon… I don’t feel the same.”

The answer he had repeated in his head all night finally escaped his lips.
Yes—he had to cut things cleanly here.
A small crack had formed, but it would heal.

“Truly?”

Sihyeon froze for a moment at Taewoon’s repeated question, but shut his eyes tightly and answered with firm resolve.

“Yeah.”

“I understand.”

…Huh?

Sihyeon blinked, stunned.
Taewoon accepted it instantly, almost obediently, and took a step back.
It was exactly the reaction Sihyeon had wanted, yet it left a strange emptiness in its wake.

No. What’s strange?
This is good. This is fine.

He stood frozen for several seconds before grabbing his own head and aggressively knocking some sense back into it.
It hurt—a lot—but if he didn’t force his brain to behave, it would wander straight into dangerous territory.

What is this? Why’d he kiss me then?! Why does it end like this? And why is this kid acting so shameless? He wasn’t like this! Did he watch something weird after we got here?!

But the more he tried to stop it, the more his brain sprinted in the worst possible direction.

D-don’t tell me he’s… experienced— No! Absolutely not!! Stop thinking about it!! It was just impulse!!

From the stairs above, Taewoon watched Sihyeon spiraling into meltdown, quickly slipped into his room, and bit down on his hand to keep from laughing out loud.

Truly consistent, as always.

He had been furious.
Really, genuinely furious.

But the moment their lips touched—
that fury melted away like snow under sunlight.

Sihyeon’s lips were softer than he imagined.
Warmer too.

And the reactions—
those unexpected, delicious reactions—
had driven every inch of fear and hesitation straight out of his body.

“Haa…”

A soft breath escaped him.
How unfair that he had only now learned this side of Sihyeon.

With a smile curving his eyes, Taewoon ran a gentle hand through his own hair—the hair Sihyeon often praised.

“So… what should I do next?”

He was already anticipating the next step.
Waiting obediently?
That idea had been discarded long ago.

Pretend to be a good kid, and you’ll be treated like one forever—
he finally understood that.

Taewoon, live kindly.

The words Sihyeon had repeated to him so many times were fading.
Taewoon touched his trembling eyes, remembering Sihyeon’s expression as he ran away—
and smiled in pure satisfaction.

“Whoa—holy shit. What’s this corpse doing here?”

Around noon, Hajung dragged himself out of bed and sluggishly made his way downstairs.
He stopped midway when he spotted a figure sprawled across the sofa.

Huge dark circles, bloodshot eyes—
Sihyeon hadn’t entered his room all night and had remained collapsed in the living room.

His mind had been plagued by relentless thoughts that refused to let go.

“My skull’s ringing… Don’t yell…”

“Is this thing alive?”

“Unfortunately, yeah. Still alive.”

Sihyeon answered vaguely, rolling his eyes upward to check if Taewoon was coming downstairs.
Thankfully, they hadn’t crossed paths since morning—
but Taewoon’s presence lingered sharply in Sihyeon’s awareness, enough to trigger a migraine.

“Hey, wake up. The schedule changed.”

“What? What schedule?”

“That meeting with Black Butterfly.”

In an instant, Sihyeon bolted upright, focusing entirely on Hajung’s words.

“Liang contacted me. Something urgent came up for them tomorrow, so they want to move the meeting to today. Asked if it was okay.”

Sihyeon frowned.
He didn’t have anything planned today, but the sudden shift meant his research and preparation weren’t fully organized.

“What can we do? We’re the ones asking for help.”

“Right? And the time’s already been set. Asking for our opinion was just a formality.”

“Pissing me off.”

Sure, he needed their cooperation—but this condescending treatment made Sihyeon grit his teeth.
He had tried not to judge beforehand, but he mentally knocked several points off Black Butterfly’s reputation.

“Anyway, because of that, only the three of us are going. We have two hours left—go get ready.”

His expression souring, Sihyeon forced his mind back into work mode and stood up.
They were finally about to tackle the main purpose of coming to Las Vegas.

They were now riding in the car sent by the other party.
The interior was luxurious, the scent refined—
yet Hajung had a twitching vein in his forehead.

What the hell are these two doing?

He wished he could hurl a fireball between them, just to break the suffocating tension.
But after witnessing Sihyeon’s true strength, he begrudgingly withheld the impulse.

Maybe if Yujun and Gyumin were here, it’d be less awkward…
No—those kids would be useless.
The man sitting beside Sihyeon wasn’t the type to care about others’ presence anyway.

“Taewoon, move away a little.”

“No.”

“Haa…”

They had been like this for an hour.
Before the car ride, they circled around Sihyeon like opposing magnets.
Once seated, they just… stared and breathed near him.

Hajung was seconds away from losing it.

Something definitely happened. These idiots…

They were almost at the meeting point, yet the strange tension continued.
Sihyeon was usually an airhead in some ways, but when work was involved, he was frighteningly sharp.
So why… why was he acting like this?

He shook his head—
only to meet Taewoon’s gaze.

And immediately, he looked back out the window.

The cheerful eyes Taewoon had earlier vanished, replaced by a blank, unreadable expression.
Something about him was… unsettling.
Deeply.

Yeah, Jeong Sihyeon—
you take responsibility for that weirdo and leash him for life.
I refuse to be anywhere near that ominous vibe.

If let loose outside, that guy would cause catastrophic problems.
Hajung could feel it in his bones.

Shaking off the thought, he looked out toward the elaborate casino that came into view.

Gaudy as hell.

The building’s extravagance bordered on tacky.
Every inch screamed excess.

The car slowed as it reached a quiet, isolated parking structure.
Liang—who arranged the meeting—couldn’t accompany them due to the schedule change, which only heightened Hajung’s nerves.

But it was just a meeting—nothing more.

“Hey.”

He called sharply.

The bickering pair froze and slowly turned their heads.
Not only because he called them—
but because—

{Shh. Someone’s coming. Hunter.}

Sihyeon projected his voice telepathically, maintaining a casual expression.
Whoever approached had substantial inner energy—clearly a martial-type Hunter.

Knock, knock.

“May I?”

“Greetings. I’m here on behalf of the individual who invited you.
Please follow me.”

A man in a pristine suit tapped the window and opened the door.
Sihyeon bowed lightly, muscles coiled and ready to break free at a moment’s notice.

They weren’t here for a fight—
but habits were habits.

The room they were led into was luxurious but underground—
not ideal for retreat.
Sihyeon scanned the space, mapping exits and blind spots out of instinct.

“It’s been twenty minutes. Where the hell are they?”

Hajung twisted his stiff shoulders and complained.

The hosts set the time, sent the car, yet kept them waiting.
A power play.
A message: we’re the ones in control.

“Typical. Info brokers always pull this crap.”

Sihyeon shoved Taewoon away again and answered flatly.

“Oh? You talk like you’ve met them before.”

“Uh? Ah… online. Psychology videos and stuff.”

“Right.”

Actually, he had learned it by experience, not the internet—
but he wasn’t about to elaborate.

As expected, about five minutes later, he felt several presences approaching—over a dozen.

Martial artists, mages…
and that man with the mental-wave aura must be a psychic.

Fifteen strong Hunter-types.
He was glad Yujun and Gyumin weren’t here.

He played out possible combat outcomes in his mind—
then forced himself to stop.

You’re not here to fight, Jeong Sihyeon.
Just finish the deal and leave.

The door clicked open with immaculate silence.

“Good evening. My apologies for being late.”

A man dressed in an expensive suit strode in front of the group, smiling broadly.
Sihyeon clasped his hand and bowed politely.

But he knew instantly—

This isn’t the real boss.

A cliché tactic:
Present a subordinate as the leader while the actual boss watches from behind.

Sihyeon’s eyes drifted past the faux leader to the aide behind him—
and he almost let out a laugh.

“Blood-Heaven Demon Blade…?”

His body stiffened.

That name—
his old title—
had no business being spoken here.

A storm of killing intent exploded.

WHOOSH—

Crimson qi erupted from him, violently whipping across the room.
Decorations tore off the walls and shot forward like bullets.

Thunk. Thud. Thud.

“Hi—!”

The flying objects struck precisely at lethal or paralyzing pressure points.
Within seconds, everyone except the false leader collapsed.

They weren’t knocked out by Sihyeon.

That was Taewoon—acting before Sihyeon even moved.

Silence swallowed the vast underground space.
Only Sihyeon, Taewoon, Hajung, and one terrified man remained standing.

“…What are you?
How do you know my title?”

“Sihyeon!!”

Hajung shot up from his seat in panic—
but Sihyeon’s eyes, glowing with bleeding crimson, were ice-cold.