Chapter Text
A blond-haired man leaned over a table at a restaurant, facing a black-haired woman.
"Hm... Maybe some snow crab, or lobster..." Kim Kiryeo mused over the menu, struggling to choose between the tempting options. Across from him, Seonwoo Yeon shook her head. "I'll just have something simple," she said, dismissing the complexity of the menu. After placing his order, Kim Kiryeo shifted his attention to the B-Class hunter, tilting his head slightly.
Once he finally made his order, Kiryeo turned his attention back to Seonwoo, tilting his head slightly as curiosity filled his gaze. “So, what was it that you needed, Seon-ssi?” he asked, his voice carrying a mix of concern and confusion. It wasn’t often that Seonwoo called him this late, especially not for a casual dinner. Whatever brought her here was clearly serious.
Seonwoo Yeon leaned forward slightly. "We did a bit more investigation on the Raska Temple, and we managed to uncover some clues," she explained, her tone serious. At the mention of the Raska Temple, Kiryeo constantly focused on Seonwoo.
“One of the biggest leads we found was information on an undercover member who had infiltrated the Temple. Unfortunately, by the time we got to his location, it was too late—he was already dead. Someone got to him before we did.” Her voice carried a hint of frustration, the weight of a missed opportunity lingering between them.
”That's not all though,” Seonwoo paused for a moment, pondering on how to say the next thing. “On the desk in the building where the Raska Temple was found dead, there was also another thing that we had seen.” Seonwoo took a steadying breath.
As Seonwoo gathered her thoughts, Kim Kiryeo couldn’t help but grow more anxious. He had been unwittingly entangled in the affairs of the Raska Temple for a while now, and the idea that he could somehow be implicated in this chaos weighed heavily on him. With someone always coming to his rescue in past encounters, he worried that Seonwoo might view him as a potential suspect in the eyes of others, or worse, someone who might be connected to the unfolding danger.
Finally, Seonwoo spoke again, her voice steady yet somber. “The information that the cult member had was on you, Kim Kiryeo.” The gravity of her words hung in the air, and Kiryeo narrowed his eyes in shock.
”Hmm, the Raska Temple was gathering information about me?” Kiryeo questioned, his tone steady despite the slight, imperceptible frown pulling at the edges of his lips. While he continued to keep his calm facade, Kim Kiryeo was internally panicking wondering whether the Temple was coming for revenge due to the damage he had caused.
Unaware of his internal turmoil, Seonwoo nodded in confirmation. “Yes, thankfully it seems that the member had died before any information could be transferred. However, there was one thing that I found strange.” She suddenly leaned in closer, her voice lowering to a whisper as a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. “In the notes of the member, he described you as extremely dangerous. Care to explain why?”
Kim Kiryeo’s heart raced at her words. The sudden shift in the conversation sent his thoughts spiraling further into anxiety. “Dangerous?” he echoed, trying to maintain a calm facade despite the brewing storm inside. “What exactly did he mean by that? He must have misjudged me or got his information from an unreliable source.”
Seonwoo gazed down at him, wondering if she was perhaps wrong about her belief in Kim Kiryeo. He truly did not exude an ounce of power, and yet he continued to get into all sorts of trouble, making her wonder whether Kim Kiryeo was truly as weak as he claims to be, or rather he had manipulated his rankings to place him at a lower level.
Eventually, though, she simply sighed looking away. “Yeah, I guess you could be right. Tell me if you encounter anything suspicious.” Seonwoo spoke as she began to get up from the table, deciding that they had stayed here long enough. “Right now I'm going to have to continue investigating how exactly the Raska Temple member died. Stay safe and call if you need help.”
Kim Kiryeo silently watched her get up, pondering the information that he had just gained and worrying about his future on Earth. Then he offered Seonwoo a reassuring smile– one of those weird human expressions of care–in hopes that she would feel a bit less stressed. “Of course, if I ever just so happen to encounter any danger, I'll call for help, though I believe I can handle most things without someone like you needing to interfere.” To end it off Kim Kiryeo sent the brightest grin he could manage.
Kim Kiryeo had already turned his attention away from the now ended conversation and thus did not notice the strange expression on Seonwoo Yeon’s face.