I Picked Up the Greatest Villain in the Story

88.

For some people, it might be considered a lifetime of luck, but because higher ranks meant a higher possibility of facing danger, Hyunwoo was simply upset.

Of all times, Hyunsu and Sehun had awakened just when the mysterious Tower appeared.

With A-rank, he thought he could somehow prevent them from being drafted into the team entering the Tower, but as the difficulty level of conquering the Tower kept rising, he was at his limit now.

The only consolation was that Jian was S-rank. If Jian had been A-rank like himself, his worries would have been even greater.

“When Hyunsu goes in, I plan to go with him.”

“Will that be alright?”

“Even if he’s become stronger than me, he’s still a kid in my eyes. Besides, I’m A-rank too, so I should go in at least once. It wouldn’t be right to only send guild members into dangerous places.”

Hyunwoo had wanted to go in before, but with so much to do outside, Jihwan and Jungsu had taken his place.

“Then please add my name and Sehun’s to the 4th team roster for now. Hyunsu hasn’t completed his training yet.”

“I don’t know whether to be relieved or to knock some sense into his head…”

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Hyunwoo, who let out a deep sigh, Jian happily welcomed the guys who had bought lots of desserts.

Sehun showed no particular reaction when he heard he would be included in the 4th team. He only asked one thing: whether Jian was going too.

After separating from Hyunsu, who was wailing about possibly not making it into the 4th team due to his test scores, Jian headed to the officetel he had short-term leased with Sehun.

It was a place they had gotten near the Darknet Guild. Although it was a studio type, it was new with clean facilities, making it good for a temporary stay.

He opened the door and took off his shoes. The fact that they would be climbing the Tower again in a few days brought a sense of tension. He sat on the sofa with a complicated expression.

Sehun, who followed him in, naturally took a seat beside him.

Jian swallowed dryly for a moment, choosing his words to say to Sehun. While talking with Hyunwoo, he had realized that he couldn’t keep hiding information about the Jeongho Association from Sehun indefinitely.

Now that Sehun had become an adult, it was something he needed to know someday. Perhaps he already knew. Considering what Sehun had done without his knowledge, it was entirely possible.

“Sehun.”

At the soft voice, Sehun raised his head to meet his gaze. Perhaps disliking the attention he drew, he was still wearing his artifact, making his iris color the same as when he was young.

Jian’s somewhat anxious face was reflected in those eyes that resembled a black lake surface.

“About what happened when you were little. How much do you remember?”

Afraid of reopening barely healed wounds, he hadn’t been able to ask until now. After being kidnapped, Sehun had suffered from psychological trauma for a while.

He had received counseling therapy for over a year. Each time, the child would firmly shut his mouth and draw unrecognizable pictures.

Although he occasionally had nightmares, his condition gradually improved and counseling was discontinued, but neither of them had ever talked about the experiments or Header Researcher.

He suddenly regretted bringing it up too late. He should have had the courage to bring it up first, even if it was frightening.

The daily life they spent together was so precious that he had been afraid of reopening the child’s wounds.

There was also the fact that he couldn’t even catch a trail while chasing Header Researcher, which prevented him from bringing up the topic.

“…I remember everything.”

The many emotions contained in those short words weighed heavily on his chest. The bridge of his nose stung. Jian moved his trembling hand to grasp Sehun’s.

“…Even the experiments?”

“Yes.”

He had thought it would be an unforgettable memory. Sehun hadn’t suffered from amnesia, and hadn’t he witnessed the aftermath of trauma firsthand for a while?

That’s why back then, Jian never left the child’s side for a moment, as if something terrible would happen if Sehun’s feet touched the ground.

“After that incident, I’ve been trying to find out who those bastards were, investigating with Hyunwoo hyung.”

Jian paused for a moment to gather his breath. Sehun silently interlaced his fingers between Jian’s, locking them together.

“But there were no results. Whether they vanished into thin air or sank into the ground, we couldn’t find any traces.”

He didn’t know how much time he had spent beating his chest in frustration. He wanted to get revenge for Sehun, but there was no one to take revenge on.

The men they had captured with difficulty all committed suicide. The information they obtained was too insufficient, and although they searched the entire country afterward, they couldn’t find a place like the research facility in Gangwon-do.

They also investigated several potentially promising islands, but they lacked both manpower and time.

“Do you remember the day I talked with Director Shin Yoonjae alone?”

There was no answer, but he felt pressure on their joined hands.

“He told me. The organization we’re chasing has a name – ‘Jeongho Association.'”

A flash of light passed through Sehun’s eyes for a moment.

“It’s not certain yet… but it seems that even bigger figures than we thought are involved with that organization.”

Sehun already knew everything Jian was telling him. The only thing he learned today was that Shin Yoonjae had told Jian about the Jeongho Association.

What exactly was that guy plotting? Why did he tell Jian about the Jeongho Association when he himself was connected to it?

It was strange that he had been looking after Jian all this time, and above all, he didn’t like the way the guy looked at Jian.

When he noticed the fond emotions mixed in the gaze – emotions he himself didn’t understand – crimson feelings boiled inside him.

“I think they might approach you soon. I have a feeling that… they haven’t given up on you yet.”

His trembling voice showed how anxious Jian currently was. Sehun lifted their joined hands and rubbed his cheek against the back of Jian’s hand.

“Don’t worry, hyung. I’m no longer a ten-year-old kid.”

Back then, he was helplessly captured, but now he was confident no matter who came looking for him. He had clearly manipulated the mind of the one who came looking for him to send a warning to Header Researcher.

But there had been no response so far. It was as if they were waiting for something.

He secretly thought they might use someone precious to him. That’s why he had covertly installed a bugging device that could also track location on Jian’s watch.

Jian didn’t know, but he had also eavesdropped in real-time on the conversation Jian had alone with Hyunwoo after sending him and Hyunsu on errands.

The information gathering ability of the two was far behind, as they had only now discovered information about Geum Heonjung which he had known for a long time.

“But you’re still my little brother.”

Even knowing how strong he was, Jian still tried to protect him. That fact made him happy, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

“This time when we enter the Tower, it will be very different from before.”

That was something Sehun had anticipated as well. In fact, without Jian’s response, it would have been impossible to clear the 5th floor monsters without any damage.

“Hyung.”

Sehun cupped Jian’s face with his hands, gently stroking under his eyes with his thumbs. His deep gaze fell on Jian’s gradually reddening cheeks.

“You need to stay right by my side. No matter what happens.”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t do anything dangerous. I worry because you seem too fearless.”

The slightly frowning face was lovely. Sehun obediently agreed.

And Jian was wrong. It wasn’t that he was fearless; he was only fearful when it came to matters related to Jian.

Even the mere thought of Jian getting hurt or something happening to him felt like his heart was being crushed – how could he be fearless?

“I wish you would tell me everything too, hyung. Don’t suffer alone.”

The hesitating lips looked tempting. Unable to resist the impulse, Sehun lowered his head. Trembling breath spread over the lips.

He kissed him gently so he wouldn’t get scared and run away. He touched the shrinking tongue and swallowed the rising saliva.

While he disliked even the slightest touch from others, he wanted to stay with Jian all day.

When Jian’s breath had risen all the way to his chin, Sehun pulled his lips away. Caressing the cheeks that had become much redder than before, Sehun whispered.

“Everything will be alright.”

He would eliminate everything that threatened him and Jian without leaving a trace. Now he felt they needed to finish dealing with the Tower quickly too.

Jian’s concern and attention were constantly focused on the Tower. The unresolved heat that had been building up inside him was making him lose his rationality more frequently these days.

Even now, not satisfied with just a light kiss, his lower abdomen felt heavy. He wanted to return to normal life soon and date Jian with peace of mind.

He pulled Jian into his arms and stroked his round head several times. While listening to the gradually calming breathing, Sehun fell into contemplation about what exactly Jian was hiding from him.