# Chapter 169
In most cases, since Sano had taken charge of wrapping things up, Iyeon naturally assumed he had reported it under his own name, but it seemed he had included Iyeon’s name as well. With so many people working at the Superpower Management Office, rumors seemed to have spread gradually as they went through the reporting procedures. He never thought he would gain fame in this way.
…No, that wasn’t the issue. Je Sano actually responding? Iyeon blinked in bewilderment. Though his voice was still surly, this was the first reply he’d heard today. Should I answer? …I’m still angry though. While he was deliberating, Sano added, as if finding him pathetic:
“You don’t need to steal my glory; my achievements are already overflowing.”
“…Must be nice to be so great.”
The words flowed out before he realized. That confident face, seen anywhere and everywhere, was so familiar that if Sano were to show humility now, it would probably give him goosebumps.
“Don’t worry, though.”
Hyeseong’s voice dropped significantly. His hushed tone, as if sharing a secret, seemed quite aware of the glances being cast in their direction—it was harder not to attract attention with faces like theirs.
“I’ll make sure to tell everyone so you don’t have to worry.”
“…Tell them what?”
“What do you mean? Of course, that you two are dating—”
“We broke up.”
“What?”
At Iyeon’s abrupt statement, Hyeseong’s eyes widened. Yes, it was time to put this lie to rest. Before Iyeon could repeat his serious statement, a large hand covered his lower face.
“My heart aches to hear you say such things just because we had a small fight.”
Muttering dryly, like an actor who couldn’t act, Sano immediately clarified the situation.
“Jung Iyeon said he doesn’t want a public relationship, so keep your mouth shut.”
“Ahh…”
What kind of ‘ahh’ is that? Iyeon struggled to proclaim the truth—though strictly speaking, that wasn’t the truth either—but it was impossible to overcome Sano’s strength. Meanwhile, Hyeseong nodded benevolently as if he understood everything.
“Trust me. I’ll definitely keep your relationship secret.”
With that assurance, Iyeon’s mouth was also freed. He glared at Sano with displeasure.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you? By now, it should be okay to say we broke up.”
It had only been a temporary excuse, so he felt more comfortable gradually returning things to normal. Continuing to lie not only to Hyeseong but also to Sua, a longtime regular customer, made him quite uncomfortable… When he whispered, lowering his voice as much as possible, Sano snorted.
“Do I look free enough to follow my ex-lover around?”
“…”
It didn’t make sense to stick together so closely if they had broken up. But since he had no intention of deliberately driving Sano away, Iyeon, still with a disgruntled look, ultimately kept his mouth shut.
However, even though he had accepted it, his dissatisfaction hadn’t disappeared. While Sano, who had no feelings for him, might not care, Iyeon himself liked Je Sano. Having to pretend to date when he actually did like him…
“…”
Wait, hold on. Is this… quite a good situation? Iyeon paused.
Come to think of it, isn’t this a golden opportunity to experience dating Je Sano without actually dating him? Since Sano had proactively lied about them being in a relationship, he had some responsibility to play along. So I can… act like someone in a relationship… Iyeon’s ears heated up slightly as his eyes wavered and he quickly buried his face in his soup.
It’s just a smoke screen anyway. Plus, Je Sano started it first. You clearly tried to correct it. This is unavoidable, right? A sweet voice whispered somewhere in his heart.
…Why not just close your eyes and go for it?
Iyeon glanced at Sano, then hurriedly lowered his gaze, afraid someone might see. Seeing this, Hyeseong, perhaps thinking Iyeon was feeling shy, playfully smiled and changed the subject.
“Well, anyway. Your ranking probably went up too, Iyeon-ssi. Check it later.”
The dinner was satisfying. Not only was the food delicious, but Hyeseong was also quite a good conversationalist. He was exceptionally sensible when Hyegang wasn’t around, and thanks to his frequent external business trips, he was well-informed about the industry atmosphere and knew a lot of miscellaneous information.
“Oh, by the way, I heard the Cho-Jeonryeok might be delayed.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know exactly, but it seems there’s some internal problem. I briefly stopped by the Superpower Management Office recently, and the person in charge looked like they were dying.”
“I see…”
“It’s a shame. I was planning to participate in this Cho-Jeonryeok and then leave again. If things go wrong, the timing might not work out and I might have to miss it again. Are you going, Iyeon-ssi?”
“Well, I have a company, so I don’t have a choice.”
“Ah, that’s right. You mentioned Je Sano-ssi isn’t formally affiliated.”
Hyeseong quickly understood and nodded. It was convenient not having to provide additional explanations since they were in the same field.
“Then is Je Sano-ssi not participating in the Cho-Jeonryeok? Did he participate last time?”
Since Mugunghwa Tier 5 competitions were held privately, one couldn’t know who participated unless they were involved or were also Tier 5. Living together, Iyeon guessed Sano hadn’t participated, but… Sure enough, Sano lightly shook his head.
“I don’t participate in Cho-Jeonryeok.”
“Oh, why? Such opportunities are rare.”
Hyeseong asked curiously. Iyeon agreed. Sano’s ability boasted power that was flawless not only in variant combat but also in interpersonal battles. A competition where monsters like those in Mugunghwa Tier 5 compete against each other—doesn’t it sound fun just hearing about it?
However, Sano indifferently stated with a face showing no interest:
“I’ll consider it when Jung Iyeon gets promoted.”
“Oh, if the Lee Taejin trial wraps up this time, Iyeon-ssi might get offered a Tier 3 promotion assessment? That’s great!”
“Not Tier 3.”
“What?”
“I might not be interested in the others, but I’d at least like to beat Jung Iyeon.”
The meaning was clear. He would participate in a Cho-Jeonryeok if it involved Iyeon. Hyeseong looked at Sano with surprised eyes and then laughed.
“Wow, Je Sano-ssi must really hate Cho-Jeonryeok.”
“Hey, what… For me to get promoted to Tier 5…”
Iyeon mumbled, watching Hyeseong’s reaction. Fortunately, Hyeseong didn’t seem to find it suspicious, playfully winking and saying it seemed Je Sano-ssi had high expectations for Iyeon-ssi. Sano occasionally said things to Iyeon that were hard to distinguish between sincerity and jest.
Hyeseong also wanted to have a drink, but as dinner was ending, he received an urgent call from the Superpower Management Office. That was the daily life of a skilled high-ranking hunter. After parting with Hyeseong at the restaurant entrance, who waved with a regretful face saying they should hang out again, Sano and Iyeon, now alone, headed home quietly.
Thanks to Hyeseong’s presence, which had inadvertently opened up the conversation, the cold war that had persisted for two whole days had been resolved long ago. Trudging along, Iyeon aimlessly fiddled with his phone, and then, suddenly remembering Hyeseong’s words, opened the ranking page.
“It’s true.”
Iyeon blankly murmured while holding his phone screen. Originally, he hadn’t even been searchable as he didn’t make it into the rankings, which displayed up to 100,000 positions, but now “Jung Iyeon” appeared when searched on the ranking page. He was at an impressive 23,035th place.
For his ranking to jump tens of thousands of steps over something like this. He had never paid attention to such figures before, but somehow it was fascinating.
“Thanks to you, my ranking has gone way up.”
Iyeon chuckled. Sano’s gaze briefly touched the screen of Iyeon’s phone.
“It was your doing.”
“What are you talking about? We did it together.”
“No, you did it.”
The tone was peculiarly resolute, causing Iyeon to look up at Sano questioningly. Sano continued with an expressionless face.
“When Kim Cheoljae tried to stab you with a knife and run away, I was going to kill him.”
“…”
“If you hadn’t told me not to kill him, I can’t guarantee what would have happened.”
His voice was so flat that it sounded rather chilling.
But.
“You’ve never killed anyone before.”
Iyeon replied calmly.
Walking together, he had vaguely realized something. Sano often acted ruthlessly as if he would kill anyone who got in his way without hesitation, but in reality, he had never inflicted fatal wounds on a human. Not to Dr. Kim, not to Lee Seeun and Lee Semi, and not to Lee Taejin either. Despite having the ability to instantly end their lives, he deliberately chose to disarm and subdue them instead.
Not committing murder is a given in modern civilized society. Even in a world overrun by variants, this ethics remained unchanged.
Nevertheless, Sano somehow gave off the impression of a raw beast, which made it quite unexpected.
“You too.”
“Huh?”
Iyeon blinked and asked again at the low voice. Sano quietly murmured.
“You don’t kill either.”
