Crossing the Line

He soon pressed a hand to his forehead, looking utterly drained.

“Ha… it’s not like you can keep lifting someone up and dropping them like this….”

“…….”

“If no one told you to monitor me… then how did you move here?”

I understood immediately.

My moving here had fueled his suspicion.

‘Right. A broke guy suddenly moving into an expensive apartment.’

It was a reasonable suspicion.

Still, it stung.

No matter how I tried to hold it in, my lips jutted out on their own.

“…Whatever.”

“What did you say?”

“I won the lottery!”

I ended up shouting out of hurt.

Jiwan blinked, startled.

“Lottery?” he repeated dumbly.

Frowning, I nodded firmly.

“…You bought a place without paying off your debt?”

“I didn’t buy it. It’s monthly rent. The place is too expensive to purchase….”

“Monthly rent?”

He looked bewildered.

As if questioning whether this apartment was even worth renting at that price.

Objectively speaking, it did sound foolish.

I shrank a little and muttered defensively.

“…It’d be easier to monitor you from nearby.”

Jiwan’s expression shifted.

It wasn’t easy to name the emotion, but it leaned more toward amusement than displeasure.

The corner of his mouth twitched.

It looked less like anger and more like he was suppressing laughter.

“Ha….”

“So? Are you going? Or not?”

I pressed him for an answer.

He didn’t respond immediately.

After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head.

“Unfortunately, it’s not something I can cancel.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s my grandfather’s birthday.”

Apparently, it doubled as a formal gathering.

As a member of the Domun Group, he couldn’t skip it.

“Even if my standing has risen because of the guild, the head of the group is still my grandfather. If I miss something like this, I can name at least ten people who’d tear me apart.”

He added that by the next morning, rumors of conflict between him and the chairman would be splashed across business headlines.

“Then—I’ll go too!”

“…No.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t qualify. Do you have an invitation?”

Of course I didn’t.

I’d never even seen one in person.

He was right.

All I could do was pout.

“Well, that’s unfortunate. I’ll be meeting plenty of people, and you won’t be able to verify any of it.”

His voice was laced with unmistakable amusement.

The way he teased me made me frown—

Then something clicked.

“Why are you speaking casually again?”

He’d been using honorifics.

Why switch back?

Jiwan raised one eyebrow at the unexpected question.

But I didn’t get an answer.

He told me to stay put and that he’d talk to me when he returned.

But I had no intention of obeying.

‘If I don’t have an invitation… I’ll just sneak in.’

God Himself had warned me.

If I did nothing, I’d regret it.

Jiwan hadn’t told me the venue.

That didn’t worry me.

Nature knew everything.

The party was at a Domun Group hotel.

He’d even be arriving slightly late after picking up his reserved gift.

‘Now the problem is getting inside….’

Hovering near the reception hall, I saw elegantly dressed guests entering.

That’s when I realized.

‘Even if I sneak in, what about my clothes?’

Jeans.

T-shirt.

A field jacket.

Compared to the glittering gowns and tailored suits, I looked like I’d wandered in from a bus stop.

I smacked my forehead at my stupidity—

When someone grabbed my shoulder.

For a split second, I thought it was Jiwan and nearly jumped out of my skin.

Fortunately, it wasn’t him.

“Y-Yes?”

“You here for the part-time shift?”

“…What?”

“You’re the new hire, right?”

Judging by his tone, the correct answer was obvious.

I nodded.

He let out a dramatic sigh.

“Showing up now? Kids these days have no responsibility!”

“…….”

“If we weren’t short-staffed, I’d send you back. Come on, hurry up!”

“Yes!”

Following him led me through a staff-only corridor.

Soon we reached a door labeled Changing Room.

“Size 95 should fit. Change and get out.”

“…Okay.”

He handed me a uniform and left.

It was a waiter’s outfit.

After changing, I stepped out.

He inspected me quickly, then strode off.

He didn’t explicitly tell me to follow, but it was obvious.

“You won’t be doing anything complicated. Just collect empty glasses and serve finger food.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t mess up. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Yes.”

Though I answered obediently, his eyes were dripping with doubt.

I could only smile awkwardly.

We entered the reception hall through the staff entrance.

‘Lucky.’

Being mistaken for a part-timer had gotten me in.

The man who’d dragged me in seemed to hold some authority, as he kept assigning me tasks.

Carrying trays of glasses and small dishes wasn’t difficult at all.

In fact, he soon looked impressed.

“Oh? Not bad. I was worried since you look so scrawny.”

“Haha….”

Shin Jiho might look weak, but he was still a D-rank Hunter.

Compared to normal people, that meant above-average physical ability.

‘Balance and strength? Easy.’

I could probably balance trays on both hands and my head while riding a unicycle.

Of course, he didn’t know I was a Hunter.

From his perspective, it was surprising.

At least his attitude softened after that.

Then—

Across the hall, I saw Do Jiwan enter.

Leaving the department store with the gift he’d reserved for his grandfather, Jiwan let out a quiet chuckle.

He’d been thinking about his conversation with Jiho.

‘Lottery….’

It was absurdly lucky.

Winning something so rare, only to rent an apartment near him for surveillance?

Normally, wouldn’t you repay your debt first?

Jiwan didn’t actually think Jiho had lied.

If it were a lie, it’d be easily exposed.

After a moment of thought, he addressed his secretary.

“Secretary Bae.”

“Yes, sir.”

Normally Jiwan drove himself, but tonight his secretary handled both roles.

“About the investigation I requested. Any results?”

“Yes. Two agencies have sent their reports. The third promised theirs by today.”

“Send the two to my email first.”

“Understood.”

The investigation, of course, was into Shin Jiho.

To avoid interference, he’d hired three separate agencies.

If Jiho had truly won the lottery, it would appear in the records.

They arrived at the Domun-affiliated hotel.

Jiwan entered the reception hall, handed the gift to the chairman’s secretary, and scanned the room.

Familiar faces.

Some looked displeased—mostly relatives.

Others smiled warmly—business associates eager for profit.

“Guild Leader Do! Welcome!”

“Good evening.”

“I heard you cleared a dungeon producing Ananite ore?”

Their intentions were transparent.

They wanted dungeon byproducts.

Though most were secured by the Domun Group, even scraps were valuable.

“Yes. One of the dungeon passages turned out to be a mine.”

“A mine!”

“Then the output must be significant? Too much for Domun to absorb alone?”

Excitement spread.

Jiwan answered calmly—

Then froze.

Among the crowd was a familiar face.

One that absolutely should not have been there.

But when he looked again, the figure had already disappeared into the sea of guests.