"Ah... yes."
Cheon Areum muttered absentmindedly. The more work, the better.
"Then I'll come pick you up at 9 a.m. tomorrow?"
"I'll come to the location myself. Can you just send it to me?"
***
"....."
Cheon Areum stood outside the entrance of his apartment building with no particular expression. In front of him, Gunwoo rolled down the tinted passenger window, smiling gleefully. Cheon Areum had been frozen in place from the moment the sleek, midnight-blue Bentley Continental GT entered his field of vision.
He had practically begged the man to just send the location, but Gunwoo stubbornly insisted on picking him up himself. In the end, Cheon Areum had to send him the address. After that, he searched online for an Alpha suppressor—the cheapest one cost a million won. He quietly closed the site and went to bed. He hadn't slept a wink last night, wondering what Gunwoo was planning. But it turned out he just wanted to show off.
He might have thought Cheon Areum would be impressed by the Bentley—probably the first one he'd ever seen in person. That might have been true, if only he wasn't the one possessing this body. For him, he had seen the car so often he was sick of it. His parents' favorite car was also a midnight-blue Bentley Continental GT. The same car they took to the airport when leaving for their luxury vacation.
"Good morning."
As the door opened, the scent of expensive leather and overly sweet perfume drifted out. Cheon Areum held his breath and sat in the passenger seat, turning the scent diffuser on high. The overbearing fragrance was quickly suppressed by the faint scent of cedarwood. His mother's favorite—she used to say it was comforting.
Park Gunwoo stared at him in disbelief, disappointed. Without a greeting, he drove to the location. Cheon Areum didn't care if it hurt his feelings. He shouldn't have filled the car with his pheromones in the first place. His intentions were obvious—Gunwoo liked him. Whether it was genuine or just a fleeting attraction to his looks was unknown.
Sitting in the same car as an Alpha was risky enough for an Omega. Gunwoo knew that, yet still chose to act inappropriately. This would be the last time. After this gate was cleared, Cheon Areum would block his number and never see him again. That was for the best.
"We're here."
Park Gunwoo spoke without looking at him. Not waiting for him, he exited the car. Cheon Areum got out with a sigh and followed him. The location of the gate this time was a building under construction. The gate had opened yesterday on the ground floor.
"Do you only own a single outfit?"
"Well, surprise."
Cheon Areum replied, unperturbed. He really did have only one pair of blue jeans and a white shirt decent enough to wear out. What could he do? With limited funds, he had to bang his head against the wall a few times just to stop himself from ordering branded clothes for himself and Rian. It was the start of the month, and he didn't know if he'd get any more work. That million won couldn't be spent leisurely.
"Gunwoo, here!"
A redhead approached them, with a shimmering blue gate behind him. Cheon Areum recognized the man—he had last seen him as an ambassador for a popular clothing brand. An A-Class, he had a tall, fit figure perfect for modeling. While S-Classes were known for their rarity and being chosen personally by the system, A-Classes were seen as more friendly and approachable. They often appeared in advertisements.
Especially someone as handsome as this man—Kim Ryung. Just from a glance, Cheon Areum could tell that brands probably fought over him to make him their ambassador. S-Classes like Yoon Seoyul, the main character of the book, were definitely more popular, but they didn't have time to lollygag. Not that they needed to—a single cleared S-Class gate made them a fortune.
"And who's this?"
Kim Ryung's attention shifted to him. Cheon Areum averted his gaze.
"The F-Class healer."
Park Gunwoo kindly introduced him. Kim Ryung's eyes lit up. Walking over, he held out his hand.
"Kim Ryung. Nice to meet you."
Cheon Areum shyly accepted the handshake. His hand felt warm for some reason—it was like meeting a celebrity for the first time. His favorability shot up instantly.
Park Gunwoo walked past the two toward the others waiting by the gate. Kim Ryung scratched his head helplessly, watching him go.
"Shall we go too? Is this your first B-Class gate? You seem a bit nervous."
Is it Cheon Areum's first time entering a B-Class gate?
"Yes, actually."
"I thought so. But you don't have to worry about anything—we have a B-Class healer and five A-Class hunters including me."
Kim Ryung explained generously how unnecessary he was to the team. He was basically telling him to sit back and watch. Fine. That worked for him. With five A-Classes and a B-Class healer in a B-Class gate, they were clearly overqualified. Park Gunwoo must've paid to enter the gate. Awakeners could also buy entry for experience. They didn't need a C-Class damage dealer or an F-Class healer—they were just along for the ride. Yet Cheon Areum was getting paid a million won, straight from Gunwoo's pocket.
Totally not suspicious behavior.
"This is the other healer of the group—Shin Jia."
Shin Jia radiated angelic vibes. With curly brown hair and a white dress, she fit the healer image perfectly.
"Jia, this is Cheon Areum—also a healer," Kim Ryung introduced them.
"I hope we can get along, Cheon Areum."
"Yes..."
Shin Jia smiled benevolently at him. Cheon Areum was momentarily blinded.
"Everyone get ready to enter the gate."
Kim Ryung announced. Cheon Areum hadn't expected him to be the one leading the group. Leading that many A-Classes wasn't easy. Lower classes usually sucked up to the strongest, but these were peers—and yet, at his words, they all nodded obediently. The only one who didn't was Park Gunwoo, standing to the side, facing the gate, refusing to even look in his direction.
Why do I have to deal with a moping predator?
Cheon Areum decided to enter the gate with the healer. As a damage dealer, Gunwoo had no need to be at the back like them. He wanted to avoid him as much as possible.
Kim Ryung entered the gate first, followed by the others. The last ones were him and Jia. The blue gate stretched out beyond his vision, revealing a boundless sky on the other side. It was a small island surrounded by water.
This was going to be a tricky map.
"Hm?"
Cheon Areum turned around to look back at the gate. It seemed like someone had called his name.