The Saint Wants to Rest - Chapter 57.1
When I returned home and entered my room, a cluttered scene met my eyes. It was exactly as I had left it before going out. The closet was wide open, and the few clothes I owned were rolling around on the floor. Only then did it truly sink in that I had been quite excited about today’s date.
“Goodness.”
Ian let out a soft chuckle as he began to tidy the room. He straightened out the fallen clothes and put them back in the closet, then left the room to clean up the bathroom, which hadn’t been properly organized either. Though he had eaten a lot for dinner, the feeling of fullness didn’t fade even though quite some time had passed.
“What is this?”
They could have had this kind of relationship too. Was it that they had both been driven mad by the disastrous situation in Lancia, or had time finally softened their hearts? Ian sat down on a dining chair and slowly closed his eyes, reflecting on everything that had happened today.
‘By the way.’
Ian opened his eyes again and checked his phone. A message from Vermouth had arrived.
[Vermouth: Did you get in safely?]
He had sent a text even though he had personally escorted Ian right to the front gate.
[Yeah. I’m back.]
Ian replied to Vermouth’s text and looked toward the front door. Come to think of it, his older brother hadn’t come home yet.
“Is he very busy?”
It made sense, considering it hadn’t been long since the surprise Gate was closed and the Empire Guild had made a major announcement. Choi Jae-heon also ran one of the top guilds in Korea, so everyone was bound to be busy.
So, he decided not to worry.
***
Choi Jae-heon was staring blankly outside from his office at the Stigma Guild headquarters. The lights of Seoul, which never went out, stained the glass with a brilliant hue. Looking at it made his mind feel troubled.
He had planned to wait for Ian calmly. To do that, he needed to play the role of an older brother properly. However, he couldn’t even bring himself to go home right now. He was afraid he might say something resentful to Ian and hurt him. His own heart was so difficult to settle that he felt he might lose control of his reason.
For that reason, he had been staying at the guild for a while. Fortunately, the room attached to his office had a bed and a small bathroom. Since Ian hadn’t been home in the past, he would often stay here whenever work got busy.
Knock, knock.
Right then, he heard a knock. He looked back to see Hong Seo-yun standing at the door, which had been opened without permission.
“Hey there, friend!”
Hong Seo-yun gave a casual wave.
“What’s up with this office? This is no joke.”
The glass was cracked, and light ornaments were already shattered. Papers were scattered across the floor, and based on the contents, they appeared to be internal guild reports.
“Did something happen?”
Hong Seo-yun naturally picked up the papers, organized them, and placed them on the desk. Then, he went to the nearest sofa and plopped down.
“You look like a mess. If that’s the case, there’s only one thing I can assume. Did you get dumped?”
Choi Jae-heon’s head rose slowly. His eyes were bloodshot, and he radiated a bloodlust so savage it felt as if the temperature in the office had dropped. Any ordinary person would have run away with their knees shaking, but Hong Seo-yun was an exception.
“Hey, knock it off. You shouldn’t use your abilities recklessly.”
“…I know.”
“The guy who knows is doing this? Geez. What did I do to deserve this?”
Hong Seo-yun spoke as he placed the white bag he had been clutching carefully onto the table. From inside, he began to pull out and arrange dried snacks, soju, beer, and whiskey.
“Come sit.”
Choi Jae-heon moved obediently as Hong Seo-yun told him and sat across from him.
“Drink. Drink and talk to me. It’ll feel a bit better if someone listens.”
As he said that, he uncapped the whiskey and handed the whole bottle to Choi Jae-heon. Taking it and drinking it in large gulps, a burning sensation scorched his throat as it went down. It was so strong that for a moment, his head spun.
“I picked out the strong stuff on purpose.”
Hong Seo-yun grinned slyly and tore open the dried snacks. Choi Jae-heon emptied the entire whiskey bottle and moved on to the soju. After pouring several bottles into his stomach, his frayed nerves felt as though they were settling, if only a little. Only then was he able to speak.
“Ian says he wants us to remain family.”
“Uh, well.”
At Choi Jae-heon’s words, Hong Seo-yun rolled his eyes before suddenly grabbing a soju bottle himself. He downed half of it in one go. It seemed it was a difficult thing to listen to while sober.
“So? You agreed to do that?”
“Yeah.”
“Why! It’s not like your feelings were that light!”
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