“Excuse me, Alexander-nim.”
Ian cut off Alexander’s words cleanly like slicing a radish. His languid eyes sank coldly in an instant.
“Whether it’s demonic energy or demons, I understand well that your situation is urgent. If those demon-like bastards later fall in the middle of Seoul and innocent people get hurt, naturally I’ll step forward and treat them. I’m a healer, after all.”
Ian slowly rose from his seat. Then he looked down at Alexander and spoke clearly, word by word.
“However, I will never work under you. I also have absolutely no intention of going to America.”
“No! Look here. This isn’t simply a matter of personal profit or national interest!”
“You really don’t understand words well. And you’re supposed to be a genius?”
Ian shook his head.
“I’ll protect the people I care about at Stigma, under my hyung. So I have no thoughts of going anywhere else. And demonic energy, divine power—we already know about this information too. Don’t think you can grab me by the leash with this. Understood?”
“You already know?”
“There’s no way the new monsters only appeared in America, right? Don’t you know about the sudden gate incident that occurred recently too?”
“I know. But!”
“Then today’s conversation ends here. Get home safely.”
Ian turned his back without lingering attachment. As he left, Choi Jaeheon and Vermouth immediately followed behind him. Thus the only ones remaining in the room were Alexander and Yoon Taegyeom. Thanks to that, he could appreciate Alexander’s distorted expression as the trump card he’d confidently pulled out was treated like scrap paper.
“Well then, now let’s talk with me. There are still matters to discuss between nations, aren’t there? Since we’re allied countries.”
Yoon Taegyeom smiled while pushing up his glasses with his middle finger.
‘Ah, that hateful face.’
Alexander clicked his tongue internally while facing Yoon Taegyeom. He was the most troublesome person in Korea’s Management Bureau. Especially because he himself was an S-rank Awakener.
“Fine, then shall we start talking?”
It seemed it would be a tedious and long fight.
***
After firmly rejecting Alexander’s proposal, Ian predicted things would be peaceful for a while. If the Guild Master of America’s top guild had been rejected that definitively, it would be normal for him to clutch his wounded pride and board a plane to America immediately.
However, Ian knew nothing about the essential nature of the human called Alexander Gray. He was the incarnation of capitalism and an arrogant power holder, but beneath that, he possessed an extraordinarily peculiar disposition.
“What is that?”
Ian, who had come out to take a brief walk around the area at his hyung’s words that staying home all the time wasn’t good for his health, discovered something bizarre.
“Ah.”
At Ian’s words, Choi Jaeheon groaned while pressing his forehead.
“It’s an eyesore. Shall I get rid of it?”
Vermouth, standing precisely opposite Choi Jaeheon, bowed his head to Ian and asked. It really was an eyesore.
In front of the main gate leading outside, a bright red convertible was blocking the road. When a flustered security guard approached it, the door opened and a familiar man revealed himself.
Alexander Gray. He was holding a flashy bouquet of flowers, but no one there knew the name of those flowers. Juliet roses—he’d bothered to make a bouquet out of flowers that cost hundreds of thousands of won per stem.
“Good day to you.”
Alexander, who’d spoken in fluent Korean, passed the dazed security guard and approached Ian. Then, like a knight in a fairy tale, he knelt on one knee and held out the bouquet. The flowers were pretty, but the giver was like that, so Ian involuntarily distorted his expression.
Meanwhile, Vermouth stepped forward and took the bouquet instead, throwing it behind him. It was rude behavior, but having been staring blankly at what Alexander was doing, he hadn’t been able to stop him.
“Hey, do you know how much those flowers cost?”
Alexander grumbled while carefully picking up the fallen bouquet again. Vermouth’s gaze toward him was as cold as looking at an insect. And Choi Jaeheon wasn’t much different.
“Ian-nim, please accept it!”
The bouquet was held out before Ian again. Ian opened and closed his mouth several times before obediently accepting the bouquet. Because if he didn’t accept it, this time Vermouth seemed likely to crush the bouquet.
‘The flowers are innocent.’
But Alexander was undoubtedly guilty.
‘What’s with this guy?’
Perfect proportions and a sculptural appearance, refined clothing, and fluent Seoul standard Korean. Conditions that could bewitch people, but not Ian. Because standing beside him was someone whose beauty alone wouldn’t lose to anyone in this world.
Incidentally, Vermouth also won overwhelmingly in being crazy.
“I’ll gratefully accept the flowers.”
“Haha, not at all. If you wish, I can offer you Juliet roses every day!”
“That’s not necessary.”
Ian said firmly.
“Ah, you don’t seem to prefer flowers. Then how about this?”
Alexander pulled out a small box decorated with purple velvet from his breast.
“Ta-da!”
Making the sound with his mouth, he flung open the box to reveal a beautiful bluish gem.
“It’s the Spirit’s Protection. It comes from the A-rank dungeon Water Temple, and just by having it, you can protect your body from external attacks. There is a limit on uses, but look at this beauty. How!”
Before Alexander could say anything more, Choi Jaeheon snatched the box and handed it to Ian.
“Thank you. Now please return. Aren’t you very busy?”
“No matter how busy I am, I have time to devote to Ian-nim. After all, aren’t you an S-rank healer? Plus you use special abilities too?”
Ah, that person. I wish he’d get lost. People began gathering one by one around the car parked at the villa entrance. It seemed Alexander had noticed too.
“Everyone seems to think my cutie looks cool.”
“…Cutie?”
“Rosso Corsa. It’s my cutie’s name. It came from Ferrari, and unless you’re a VIP, you can’t just purchase it.”
“Ah, yes.”
He didn’t particularly want to know. Ian grimaced and slowly backed away step by step. If he withdrew slowly like this and just ran home and hid, it would work out. Even when he was young, Alexander had been a great Awakener. But when watching him on video, he hadn’t known he was this ridiculous. It seemed he’d been doing image management all along. When they’d met before, he hadn’t known he’d be this ridiculous to this extent.
“Alexander-nim!”
As if to prove that, people poured out from a black car that had rushed over quickly, looking for Alexander.
“I’m here!”
“Why are you here?!”
A woman who appeared to be Alexander’s secretary asked while grinding her teeth.
“Well, my castle—”
The moment Alexander tried to say something, the woman threw what she was holding straight at his face. She also seemed to be an Awakener. Her throwing skills were formidable. But Alexander easily caught it.
“Hey, Sarah. Do you have money to spare? What if the phone breaks?”
“Even if it breaks, it’s better than shutting your mouth. Please return now. Korea’s Management Bureau will protest.”
“This time I came personally.”
“Other people don’t think so!”
The woman called Sarah dragged Alexander away by force. Alexander tried not to be dragged, but when she whispered a few words, he became docile and got back in the car.
“See you again next time!”
Leaving those words, the red convertible quickly left the spot. It was like a storm had passed through.
“What a strange person.”
At Ian’s words, Choi Jaeheon nodded.
“Really an annoyingly persistent person. Should I get rid of him if he comes next time too?”
“Might not be bad.”
For once, Vermouth and Choi Jaeheon’s opinions matched. Ian was too exhausted to even have the energy to stop the two. Well, Alexander was also a famous Awakener in his own right, so he’d survive on his own.
“I’ll end today’s walk here.”
Saying that, Ian went back inside the house. He thought the brief commotion had ended like that. But the human called Alexander was more persistent than expected.
When someone rang the bell from morning, he went out to find several people standing in a line. And they were all holding gift boxes, all sent by Alexander.
Ian rubbed his eyes for a moment, suspecting whether what was piled in front was an illusion. But no matter how much he tried to escape reality, nothing changed. Choi Jaeheon, who’d been cooking in the kitchen, and Vermouth, who’d been obediently setting down plates at Ian’s words, also came out and looked at it.
“He sent all of that?”
Respect for Alexander was gradually disappearing from Choi Jaeheon’s words.
“He’s a crazy bastard.”
Vermouth had no respect to begin with.
