Unwanted Visitors

He had dozed off for a moment.

Blinking a few times, he looked forward—and saw Garam sleeping while hugging the flowerpot.

Jae-heon rubbed his forehead.

He usually never fell asleep around others.

Perhaps he had been more exhausted than he thought.

Coming out early from the tower had pushed him too hard.

‘Still…’

He was getting too careless.

Of course, he knew Garam had no ability to harm him.

Last time, she had even gotten hurt trying to protect the flowerpot when she could’ve just thrown it away to save herself.

“What a strange kid.”

Even so, the feeling wasn’t unpleasant.

Jae-heon quietly watched the sleeping Garam.

It had been a long time since he had looked at someone this closely.

“Mmm…”

While she had been sleeping soundly, Garam suddenly began sweating coldly and trembling faintly.

She must have been having a nightmare.

Jae-heon reached out and placed his hand over hers.

After a moment, her trembling gradually eased.

Then suddenly, she opened her eyes wide.

Her pale irises met his—and trembled violently.

“Did you sleep well?”

He removed his hand and asked casually.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“You did.”

The moment he said it, Garam shot upright.

“I’ll go sleep in my room! Thank you!”

He had no idea what she was thanking him for.

And she was still hugging the flowerpot.

She clearly wasn’t fully awake yet.

“The flowerpot.”

“Ah—why is this in my hands!?”

“You tell me.”

Garam quietly returned the flowerpot and staggered out.

The sight was oddly cute.

‘Now then.’

His conversation with Garam was done.

It was time to speak with Jeong Jin-young.

He needed to know what had happened while he was inside the tower.

“Mayor Choi seems to have figured out Miss Park Garam’s job.”

“How.”

Calmly, Jeong Jin-young explained the situation.

In the end, it had been caused by one of the people Garam had brought in to make her work easier.

“What is he doing now?”

“He is assisting Miss Garam.”

“She forgave him after what he did?”

“It seems there were circumstances. But the details are unclear. If you wish, I’ll investigate further.”

She meant she’d extract the truth—by force if necessary.

Normally, Jae-heon would’ve ordered exactly that.

But something felt off.

He had learned over time that Garam’s distrust of people ran deep.

If she had forgiven someone like that, then she must have had a reason.

Dragging that person away wouldn’t be good for her.

“We’ll leave that to Garam’s judgment.”

“Yes.”

“What about this Seo Tae-ju fellow? Have you looked into him?”

“I’ve gathered everything available. Name: Seo Tae-ju. Age: 32. He served as an assistant to the previous mayor at 28 and has been Hyunmu’s mayor for about four years. Hyunmu is still called a city of outlaws, but it was far worse four years ago.”

A hell on earth.

“There were many starving citizens and countless atrocities. Seo Tae-ju is credited with easing those conditions. So his reputation inside the city is positive. But he also has many enemies—Hyunmu has swallowed several smaller cities in the past.”

“And before he worked in the city?”

“Unclear. The previous mayor apparently brought him one day. From what little we could gather, he likely lived outside the city.”

“I see.”

That meant it was entirely possible he had crossed paths with Garam.

Garam had also lived outside until Jae-heon found her.

So calling him an “older brother” wasn’t a lie.

“Should I dig deeper?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll allocate more personnel.”

After dismissing Jeong Jin-young, Jae-heon began catching up on guild work with Kang Yujun.

A few peaceful days passed.

The newspaper reported that Hyunmu’s delegation would soon depart.

[Successful Alliance!]

The bold headline was optimistic, but Jae-heon crushed the paper with a grim expression.

He had seen Seo Tae-ju only once, yet the impression left behind was abysmal.

But once Seo Tae-ju left this city, there would be no reason to ever meet again.

Or so he thought.

Life, however, wasn’t that simple.

On the final day before Hyunmu was set to leave—Seo Tae-ju visited the Haechi Guild.

“I’d like to meet Park Garam.”

Seo Tae-ju strode into Haechi Guild’s lobby with confidence.

“Welcome. Thank you for visiting Haechi Guild. What is your relation to Miss Park Garam?”

“I’m her older brother.”

“Do you have anything to verify that?”

“If you simply let her know I’m here, she’ll understand.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The message reached Garam quickly.

“Seo Tae-ju… came here?”

“Yes. What should I tell him?”

That crazy bastard actually came?

Garam tightened her grip on her hoe.

She wanted to refuse.

But rejecting him now might make him return again later.

It might be better to meet once, curse him thoroughly, and tell him never to appear again.

“Tell him I’ll meet him.”

She steeled herself.

“Why do you look like that when you’re going to meet someone?”

Park Deokpal asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You look like you’re going to bury someone.”

“I’d like to.”

“Who do you want to kill? Lee Jae-heon?”

He whispered the last part.

“Why him?”

“Because he dragged you here?”

“No. I don’t want to kill him. And besides, how could I kill anyone with this body?”

“True. You’re built like a damp noodle.”

“You’re looking for a beating, aren’t you?!”

Garam glared.

“Well, that too. But look at your hand.”

“My hand?”

“You were trembling like crazy a moment ago. I thought you had a seizure.”

“…Me?”

“Yes.”

Her hand was steady now.

Since when was Deokpal this… considerate?

Feeling embarrassed, Garam scratched her cheek.

“Thanks.”

“What?”

“I said thanks!”

“Didn’t hear you.”

“You—!”

She tried to kick him, but he dodged gracefully.

“I’ll go now.”

“You sure you’ll be okay alone?”

“Yes.”

She changed her clothes first.

Then she marched to the reception room where Seo Tae-ju waited.

“Park Garam.”

“Jae-heon…?”

Jae-heon joined her naturally, walking at her side.

He seemed intent on going with her.

Well, considering what happened last time, he had every reason to worry.

Garam let him follow.

When they entered, Seo Tae-ju looked exactly the same as before.

“Garam.”

His gentle smile and soft tone hadn’t changed.

“I’m leaving today. I wanted to see you one last time.”

The audacity was unbelievable.

“Great. One last time. Perfect. After this, let’s never meet again.”

“That’s harsh. Did you forget all the days we spent together?”

Did he forget selling her?

Garam was appalled.

“Yes. I forgot. I forgot everything. So let’s live as strangers.”

“But I don’t want to.”

Seo Tae-ju tried to coax her with that smooth, sweet voice.

The old her might have fallen for it, but not anymore.

Now she just wanted to slap him.

“I don’t want to either.”

“Garam—”

He was too persistent.

She was seriously considering hitting him when suddenly something heavy wrapped around her shoulders.

Jae-heon had pulled her into his arms from behind.

Garam froze.

“Garam said she doesn’t want it.”

His voice vibrated right next to her ear—deep, low, warming and infuriating at the same time.

Her ears must have turned bright red.

She placed her hands on his arms to pull away, but he didn’t budge.

“Why don’t you just leave.”

Was it her imagination, or did he sound irritated?

A Hyunmu subordinate stepped forward.

“Mr. Lee Jae-heon, even if you are a high-ranking awakener, Mayor Seo is also the mayor of a city. Aren’t you being rude?”

But Jae-heon was not someone who adjusted himself because of a title.

“And so?”

He glared sharply, and the man shrank back immediately.

Seo Tae-ju stepped forward to block him.