Jin Muhae doesn’t get close to mercenaries.Even though he himself had years of experience as a mercenary, he kept his distance. Precisely because he knew /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ them so well, he avoided unnecessary interaction.They were all problematic. Especially those who’d survived over five years in this line—strange quirks would pop up, making them downright unsettling.There was the guy who, at the sight of an unguarded facility or item, would drop his job and sprint over to wreck it barehanded; the one who delighted in the sensation of being chased by anomalies; another who’d wager all his money on illegal bloodsport for the show…Lately, he’d even seen one lunatic get so excited by wildflowers that he lay in Dr. Jeong’s clinic for five days, yammering about cutting out poison. Just thinking what he’d done made Muhae’s stomach churn.Not all mercenaries were like that, but most were low-grade scum, and Jin Muhae lived his life keeping a respectable distance.Because they were disgusting.But…“Sigh, damn it.”A wave of self-loathing washed over him. Muhae washed his wet hands under the faucet, muttering curses through clenched teeth.His arm veins still tingled—the reminder that his earlier overexcitement had been real.Was he crazy? To be so aroused by that deranged bastard as to want him for a side dish? His belated reason tugged at his skull.Even now, it was insane. He’d felt a pleasure he almost wanted to deny.In an instant he’d imagined red lips, smooth skin, even a sweet scent.What the hell was wrong with him?“Tch.”It was from all the pent-up stress. He hadn’t been able to release himself in a while.Under those circumstances, with no imagination, he’d have come twice. The madman’s visage had simply seeped in.As he rationalized this, another flash of that horrid excitement passed through his mind. He glanced up: his reflection in the mirror stared back—cold, murderous, and… aroused.His eyes rimmed red with blood, and a chill ran down his spine.So he really… needed someone, huh?‘Take care of your lower parts, Muhae. Don’t rot.’Dr. Jeong had long ago offered that unsettling advice with a smile.People like us get no support from the City. We have to manage ourselves, he’d murmured, always glancing toward Sakdal.By the time he suggested using proper devices for safety, Muhae, uncomfortable, had made excuses and left the clinic. The meaning was clear enough.In this rotten place where taboos hardly existed, everyone—regardless of age or gender—was infected with illness.There was no need to risk one’s life just to satisfy urges.For hours his mind boiled.When he’d sent Joo-o off alone, and Joo-o had returned with the right replacements, Muhae realized he’d been annoyed even to hear Joo-o call for him outside the bathroom.Truth be told, it was all Joo-o’s fault. A sane, quiet life had been interrupted by that lunatic—hence this nauseating discomfort.“Want me to go to my room?”But when Joo-o asked in a dejected voice, Muhae felt ashamed at his own sophistry.Joo-o had been thoughtless and strange as always. Taking it out on someone who didn’t even know what the problem was wasn’t like him.And besides, that was how lust worked—impulsive, contextless, and odd.Once he sorted his thoughts, he calmed down. He treated the day’s incident as a mere mishap and returned to his usual demeanor toward Joo-o.“This is good.”Right. How could he feel anything odd toward a person who could swallow ten servings of scrambled eggs without batting an eye?Relieved by the restored peace, Muhae skewered a limp thawed vegetable with his fork.He ignored Joo-o’s occasional glances in his direction.“Real Jin Muhae wouldn’t know.”He filtered out that nonsense as soon as it reached his ears.The confusion didn’t last long. Muhae was far too busy to indulge cheap thoughts.[Come by when you have something to say.]It was unusual to get a summons from Boss Gil so late in the evening.It probably wasn’t that urgent, but impatient to shake off the day’s frustration, Muhae set out.Joo-o, eyeing the situation, hastily pulled on his hood and tagged along. The night air was tense, but Muhae pretended not to notice him clinging to his arm.“I didn’t mean right now, ahem.”A hoarse voice drifted through the half-open shutter.Boss Gil looked unwell—his face paler than usual.“…You’ve caught a cold? Didn’t go to Dr. Jeong?”“Don’t know. It’s nothing. Don’t bring him up.”Boss Gil waved an irritated hand. Joo-o, rolling his eyes, piped up:“He says you have a fever.”“I was just holding back a cough.”“That’s what he says.”“Cough—what’s this bullshit, you two?”Boss Gil finally coughed and slumped onto the sofa, dizzy and blinking rapidly.“You think I called you to diagnose my health? It’s about the signal device.”He shook his head, voice deeper than before.“…Something’s missing.”“Is it expensive?”“Moderately. But price isn’t the issue.”Sensing the conversation dragging, Boss Gil sighed heavily, as if he might collapse then and there, before explaining:“You know I’m tagged as Central’s problem, right?”“Yes.”“Still, they let me repair weapons, since things eased up… but special parts require prior registration. Even harmless ones. It’s ridiculous.”“So it’s hard to buy through normal channels?”“Yeah. I have to list the intended use for each. For this part, excuses won’t fly.”In short, he needed to procure it off the books.As an electronics dealer, Boss Gil had his sources, but his health made it tough to handle.“It’ll take time to finish. If we miss this deal, we’ll wait another month at least.”“Then I’ll go.”“You can’t.”“I’ve done shady deals before. No big deal.”Boss Gil’s expression hardened. His relaxed hand curled into a fist.“Have you ever seen me enter the residential area?”“Can’t say I have.”“Exactly! I’m barred from there.”His shout cracked, followed by more dry coughs as he slumped.“Your father’s record’s my cross too, but it’s his, not yours.”“I understand your concern.”“If you do, just stay out of it. Remember it might be late; I’ll handle it.”He cut Muhae off and drew a ragged breath, as if ready to stagger out himself to make the deal.At that moment—“What are you going to ‘handle’? Like that?”Someone pushed the door open and strode in. Boss Gil’s eyes widened at the familiar voice.A scarred man, glasses in hand, smirked as he approached Muhae.“You called me. You were wheezing like a sick chicken.”“You bastard…”“You bastards both, get to your rooms. Spare me the spectacle.”Apparently, it wasn’t only Muhae who couldn’t refuse Dr. Jeong. Boss Gil looked flustered.He rose from the sofa and shuffled toward the bedroom. With no strength left to resist, he glanced back and caught Joo-o’s eyes, who’d been watching from the corner.“…Come to think of it, that guy—”“Hmm?”“Cough—he’ll say whatever you ask, right?”His raspy voice took on an ominous edge.

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