Unwanted Visitors

He had dozed off for a moment.

After blinking a few times and looking ahead, Jae-heon saw Garam asleep, hugging the flowerpot tightly.

Jae-heon raised a hand and rubbed his forehead.

He normally never fell asleep in front of other people. Had he really been that exhausted? He had pushed himself a little too hard trying to leave the tower early.

‘Even so.’

He had become too careless.

Of course, he knew Garam had no ability to harm him. Last time too, Garam had gotten injured trying to protect the flowerpot instead of throwing it away to save himself.

“What a strange guy.”

Even while thinking that, 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.

“Mmn…”

At some point, Garam—who had been sleeping peacefully—started trembling lightly as cold sweat formed across his body. It looked like he was having a nightmare.

Jae-heon reached out and placed his hand over Garam’s.

After a short while, the trembling gradually subsided.

Then suddenly, Garam’s eyes snapped open.

His pale-colored eyes met Jae-heon’s, and they shook violently.

“Sleep well?”

Jae-heon casually asked as he pulled his hand away.

“…Did I fall asleep?”

“You did.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Garam shot upright.

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

Jae-heon had no idea what he was being thanked for.

More importantly, Garam was still clutching the flowerpot in his arms. He clearly hadn’t fully woken up yet.

“The flowerpot.”

“Huh? Why is this in my hands?”

“How would I know?”

Garam obediently returned the flowerpot before staggering out of the room with awkward, creaking movements.

For some reason, the sight looked rather cute.

‘Now then.’

His conversation with Garam was over. It was time to speak with Jeong Jin-young.

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

“It seems Mayor Choi Geon-woo has figured out Mr. Park Garam’s occupation.”

“How?”

Jeong Jin-young calmly explained the sequence of events.

In the end, the problem had been caused by one of the people Garam brought in to make the work easier on himself.

“What is that person doing now?”

“He is assisting Mr. Park Garam.”

“He forgave him after what he did?”

“It seems there were certain circumstances. However, we still do not know the details. If you wish, I can investigate further.”

In other words, she was willing to torture the man for answers if necessary.

Ordinarily, Jae-heon would have given that order without hesitation.

But for some reason, he did not feel inclined to.

Over time, he had realized that Garam’s distrust toward people ran fairly deep. If someone like him had forgiven the man, then there was probably a reason for it. Dragging the person away under those circumstances would likely do more harm than good.

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

“Yes.”

“Then what about this Seo Tae-ju? Did you investigate him?”

“I gathered as much information as possible. His name is Seo Tae-ju, age thirty-two. He began serving as an aide to the mayor at twenty-eight and has been the mayor of Hyunmu for roughly four years. Even now, Hyunmu is called a city of outlaws, but apparently it was far worse four years ago.”

It had been called a living hell.

“There were many starving people, and terrible things happened constantly. They say Seo Tae-ju was the one who eased those conditions. Because of that, his reputation within the city is favorable. Of course, that evaluation only comes from within the city itself. He also has many enemies. Hyunmu has aggressively expanded and swallowed several cities over the years.”

“And before he worked there?”

“His past is unclear. Apparently the previous mayor brought him in one day without explanation. Judging from the little information available, he likely lived outside the city before that.”

“I see.”

Then it was entirely possible that he had crossed paths with Garam.

After all, Garam had also lived outside the city before Jae-heon found him. So calling himself an older brother might not have been a lie.

“Should I investigate further?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll assign more personnel to it.”

After sending Jeong Jin-young away, Jae-heon began handling the pile of delayed guild work alongside Kang Yu-jun.

Several peaceful days passed like that.

The newspaper soon reported that Hyunmu’s delegation, which had come for the alliance negotiations, would be departing.

[Successful Alliance!]

The bold headline painted an optimistic picture, but Jae-heon merely clicked his tongue and crushed the newspaper in his hand.

He had only met Seo Tae-ju once, yet the impression the man left behind was utterly terrible.

Still, once Seo Tae-ju returned to his city, they would likely never meet again.

At least, that was what he thought.

Things in life rarely went so smoothly.

On the very last day before Hyunmu’s people were scheduled to leave, Seo Tae-ju came to the Haechi Guild.

“I’d like to meet Park Garam.”

Seo Tae-ju entered the Haechi Guild lobby and made the request confidently.

“Welcome. Thank you for visiting Haechi Guild. What is your relationship with Mr. Park Garam?”

“I’m his older brother.”

“Do you have any proof of that?”

“If you simply pass along the message, Garam will understand.”

“Then please wait a moment.”

The news quickly reached Garam.

“Seo Tae-ju came here?”

“Yes. What should I tell him?”

That lunatic actually came all the way here again?

Garam tightened his grip on the hoe in his hand.

He wanted to refuse outright. But if he did that, the bastard might come back again later. It might be better to meet him once, curse him out thoroughly, and tell him never to show his face again.

“Tell him I’ll meet him.”

Garam steeled himself.

“Who are you going to meet with an expression like that?”

Park Deok-pal asked after noticing him.

“What kind of expression?”

“You look like you’re heading out to bury somebody.”

“…I’d like to.”

“Did someone you want to kill show up? Lee Jae-heon?”

The last part was whispered quietly.

“Why him?”

“Because he’s the reason you’re stuck here against your will?”

“No. I don’t want to kill him. Besides, I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Who could I kill with this body?”

“That’s true. Seriously, how are you this scrawny?”

“You picking a fight?”

Garam glared at him.

“Well, partly. But look.”

Park Deok-pal pointed at Garam’s hand.

“What about it?”

“Your hand was shaking like crazy a minute ago. I thought you had developed a tremor.”

“…Mine?”

“Yeah.”

Now that he looked, the trembling had already stopped.

Since when was Park Deok-pal this considerate?

Feeling awkward, Garam scratched his cheek lightly.

“Thanks.”

“What?”

“I said thanks!”

“Couldn’t hear you.”

“You little—!”

Garam attempted a flying kick, but Park Deok-pal dodged it effortlessly.

“Anyway, I’m heading out.”

“You sure you’ll be okay alone?”

“I’ll be fine.”

First, he changed clothes, stripping off his farmer outfit.

Then, after firming his resolve, Garam headed toward the reception room where Seo Tae-ju was waiting.

“Park Garam.”

“Mr. Jae-heon?”

On the way there, Jae-heon naturally fell into step beside him.

It seemed he intended to enter the reception room together with him.

Well, it made sense for him to be worried after seeing that incident last time.

Garam simply let him follow.

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

“Garam.”

His gentle smile and soft voice had not changed.

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

The man’s shamelessness was unbelievable.

“Sure. One last time sounds great. So after this, let’s never see each other again.”

“That’s harsh. Have you forgotten all the days we spent together?”

Have you forgotten selling me off?

Garam was dumbfounded.

“Yeah, I forgot. I forgot everything. So let’s live like strangers from now on.”

“I don’t want that.”

Seo Tae-ju tried to persuade him in a soft, soothing voice.

The naive Garam from the past might have fallen for that voice instantly, but things were different now.

Rather than being swayed, he wanted to slap him across the face.

“I don’t want that either.”

“Garam—”

This bastard was way too persistent.

Just as Garam seriously considered slapping him, a sudden weight settled over his shoulders.

Jae-heon had wrapped his arms around him from behind.

Garam froze in shock.

“Garam said he doesn’t want that.”

Jae-heon’s voice echoed beside his ear.

It was the kind of voice that made heat rise instinctively. If he looked in a mirror right now, his ears were probably bright red.

Garam placed his hands over Jae-heon’s arms in an attempt to pry them away, but they did not budge in the slightest.

“So why don’t you just leave.”

Was it his imagination, or did Jae-heon sound irritated?

“Mr. Lee Jae-heon, no matter how high-ranking you are, Mr. Seo Tae-ju is still the mayor of an entire city. Don’t you think you’re being rude?”

One of Seo Tae-ju’s followers spoke up sharply.

But Jae-heon was not the kind of person who changed his attitude because of someone’s status.

“So?”

Instead, he shot the man a fierce glare.

The protester immediately began shrinking back.

Seo Tae-ju stepped forward, blocking the way in front of him.