“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah, it’s just...”

No one else could hear this. I leaned close and whispered in Seunghyuk’s ear.

“Shouldn’t we warn David that he’s in danger?”

“You’re worried about that bastard?”

“No. That’s not it. It’s just... if something happens to him, it’ll feel like it’s my fault...”

I didn’t like David. But that didn’t mean I wanted him to become the target of a crime.

Besides, I didn’t want someone else to be sacrificed because the future had changed because of me.

“Don’t worry. That bastard’s safe.”

Seunghyuk’s voice held absolute confidence.

“You warned him in advance?”

“Nope. But there’s no need to worry.”

Seunghyuk pulled up a PDF file on his phone and showed it to me. It was a proposal for a new reality show David was going to be on.

The title read: “David, Heir of the Nemershield – Successor to Jameson Foster (working title)”

“What the hell...? The auction just ended—how is there already a production outline?”

“That came out a month ago.”

“A month ago?”

“Yeah.”

Seunghyuk explained David’s situation.

Because of the Aaron incident, the popular reality show Royal Family was wrecked. Not just the new season—reruns and all related business ventures took a massive hit.

The Han family, in a scramble to recover, decided to launch a solo program starring David.

Back when Royal Family first began, Aaron was the more popular one. But as they got older, David’s looks improved dramatically, and he proved himself a capable Esper.

Unlike Aaron, now seen as a washed-up star, David had become a hot celebrity.

So the family decided to at least protect his popularity. David had founded a guild, but it was still in its early stages, and reality TV was still their primary income stream.

But no matter how popular he was, just doing his first solo reality show wasn’t enough to capture attention.

That’s where the idea of the Nemershield Necklace came in.

David was planning to use every bit of available capital—his entire fortune, investments, even bank loans—to win the necklace.

The show would feature him acquiring the necklace, clearing a Gate using its power, and increasing his matching rate with multiple Guides—then “flirting” with them on screen.

The Nemershield Necklace was already famous, but once it aired on TV, its notoriety would skyrocket. After the show ended, David planned to auction it again at an even higher price.

That way, the reality show would find success, and he’d sell the necklace for a profit.

So that’s why he came up to me...? He must’ve been trying to secure a Guide to complete his “charming Casanova” image on the show.

If it wasn’t genuine, then thank God. I nearly got bitten by the mad dog from the original story...

“Cameras and crew will be following that bastard David 24/7. There’ll be reporters too.”

“But the perpetrators might target the people around him.”

“No way. They wouldn’t dare go after someone as high-profile as David.”

Seunghyuk spoke with certainty. It almost sounded like he knew who the culprit was.

In the original story, the scammers were caught. But their leader had claimed he was just following someone else’s orders. The story framed it as a desperate lie to avoid punishment, suggesting he really was the mastermind—but something about it never sat right.

Later on, the story hinted at something deeper, but the novel wrapped up abruptly, and the true culprit was quietly forgotten.

But Seunghyuk right now—he looked like someone who knew something.

“Seunghyuk, is the real perpetrator—”

“We’ve been here a while. Should we order?”

He cut me off before I could finish. That meant he couldn’t tell me. Or wouldn’t.

But if he already knew who it was, then it probably wouldn’t play out like in the original. And David, who was being filmed constantly, wouldn’t be involved in some shadowy crime behind the scenes.

I decided to trust Seunghyuk and let it go.

“Yeah. Let’s order. But what about drinks?”

Looking over all the fancy liquor bottles lining the bar, I fell into indecision—when Seunghyuk spoke firmly.

“Hyung, don’t drink.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t drink in front of others.”

...Fair enough. Every time I drank, I made a mess in front of Seunghyuk.

Alcohol was my mortal enemy.

I almost forgot that, hypnotized by the gleaming, foreign liquor bottles.

“I-I wasn’t planning to. I’ll just have cola.”

Seunghyuk smiled gently and rubbed my cheek.

“You weren’t planning to?”

“Yeah. I quit drinking.”

“You can drink around me.”

“No. I want to quit, for real...”

At least in front of Seunghyuk, I never wanted to drink again. I muttered glumly, and he let out a soft chuckle as he ruffled my hair.

After placing our order, we returned to our seats.

“Our Yeonsu got even prettier while I wasn’t looking.”

Hyeokjin joked playfully, and Seunghyuk’s face instantly turned grim again.

That’s not a joke anymore. He’s seriously pissed...

Seunghyuk looked about ready to hurl mana at Hyeokjin, so I hurriedly grabbed his hand.

“Seunghyuk, sit down. Hyeokjin-hyung, stop teasing me.”

“But I mean it...”

“Hyung!”

“Fine, fine.”

I mediated between them and sat back down.

Not long after, the food arrived. Seunghyuk and Hyeokjin had ordered beer but barely touched it.

Every word between them was edged with tension. The reporters across the street watched eagerly, hoping for a scandalous fight—but nothing juicy ever happened.

Eventually, I gave up trying to break up their bickering and just let it play out. After a while, I realized they were just sniping at each other, not actually going to throw punches.

“This punk used to be this big when he was little. He was cute back then. But the taller he got, the worse his manners became.”

“Who are you calling this big?”

Well, he was that small once. I secretly nodded along with Hyeokjin’s comment.

A cool breeze brushed past us. The food was delicious, and their back-and-forth was surprisingly entertaining.

In the original timeline, this would’ve been a nightmarish day. But right now, it was peaceful.

I sipped my cola and watched the two of them when murmurs broke out among the reporters across the street.

“What? The Nemershield’s a fake?”

“David’s throwing a fit at the Association headquarters!”

Just as Seunghyuk said—the perpetrators hadn’t been able to touch David. The necklace had landed in his hands, and the truth had been revealed.

With everything out in the open, there was no reason for anyone to go after him now.

The original story had been completely derailed. The future had changed. The Nemershield Necklace incident ended with no one hurt.

The reporters rushed off to the World Ability User Association HQ, hungry for a scoop.

“Should we head there too?”

I asked. Hyeokjin downed the beer he’d barely touched in one shot and nodded.

So he hadn’t been drinking—just in case something happened.

“Yeah, let’s go. But first, one last hug with our Yeonsu—”

Bang!

A burst of black mana flew toward Hyeokjin.

“Hey, Joo Seunghyuk, you crazy bastard!!”

Hyeokjin cursed as he narrowly dodged. Seunghyuk ignored him completely and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Let’s go, Hyung.”

“Y-Yeah...”

...Maybe they weren’t pretending to be enemies for the reporters after all. Maybe, in front of people, they were holding back.

Still a little uncertain about their dynamic, I returned to the hotel with Seunghyuk.

***

The Nemershield Necklace was revealed to be a fake.

The world was thrown into chaos over the massive scam. The scammers who claimed ownership of the necklace vanished without a trace.

David reportedly planned to sue the auction host—the World Ability User Association—for the hammer price, service fees, the interest on his loans, damages from broadcast delays, and emotional distress.

But the Association claimed they were victims too, and would only refund the price and fees.

None of this had anything to do with us. No one tried to drag me, Seunghyuk, or Do Hyeokjin into this fake auction mess.

I’d worried up to the very last second that the original plot’s momentum would pull us in somehow—but nothing happened.

[Main Couple’s Sweet Date at Aquilus]

[Guide Lee Yeonsu: The Bridge Between Joo Seunghyuk and Do Hyeokjin’s Reconciliation?]

[No Trouble in Paradise: Joo Seunghyuk ♥ Lee Yeonsu, the Couple Who Lit Up Aquilus]

A bunch of articles came out about our date. But considering the marriage rumors were already circulating, news of us traveling abroad together wouldn’t change much.

And today, Seunghyuk and I were returning to Korea.

As ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) we arrived at Aquilus Airport, my heart began to race. The excitement of going home quickly vanished, replaced by dread at the idea of getting on a plane.

“If it’s that scary, should we take a boat? There’s a cruise to Korea, you know.”

Seunghyuk held my icy-cold hand tightly.

“If we do that, we won’t make it before classes start.”

“That’s fine. I wouldn’t mind drifting across the open sea with you.”

He might not care, but I do. Especially when the class is pass/fail and missing it would mean another semester tacked on—I’m not about that life.

“No, it’s fine. We’ve come this far. I’ll fly.”

“Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Seunghyuk, listen... can you knock me out?”

“Anything’s fine. I won’t blame you even if I get hurt! Just make me lose consciousness!”

I begged him, but instead of hitting me, Seunghyuk just gently caressed my face.

“How could I hit you, Hyung?”

“You can do it, Seunghyuk!”

This guy’s whole lifestyle is violence and his hobby is confinement—and now he’s suddenly too soft?!