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Yoojin is at a party—one of those fancy government gatherings to keep up appearances and reassure the public that relationships between the governing officials and the hunter guilds are going great. It is usually the S-ranked hunters and those holding high positions in the major guilds that are invited to the event.
A year or two prior, not once would anyone have imagined that an F-ranked hunter would be one of the most distinguished guests at such an event.
And yet, here we are.
The hall is incredibly crowded, teeming with reporters, officials, hunters, and such.
As Korea's most sought after beast-tamer, Yoojin is being practically hounded every second of the party, whether it be from fellow hunters trying to get in his good graces or reporters trying to squeeze out gossip, strategies, and potential scandals alike.
He receives every compliment with a smile and laughs even though nothing anyone says is even remotely funny. Exhaustion has begun to wear down his filter. Slowly, Yoojin's polite and cheerful front begins to crack. He is well aware of how these people treated him just a year prior, when he hadn't awakened his caretaker abilities.
Their two-faced behaviour grates on his nerves, until eventually, by the end of the night, he manages to subtly shoo away everyone who tries approaching him.
He is speaking with Yerim and Soyoung when a reporter approaches him. It's one of the more persistent reporters whom Yoojin had shooed away previously.
"Sir, I had a few questions—"
"Sorry, I'm not willing to answer any more of them."
"Just a few—"
"No."
"Are you available for an interview later?"
"No."
Yerim sighs irritably. Yoojin's discomfort is obvious, yet this reporter won't leave him alone for whatever reason. "Excuse me, can't you hear? He asked you to leave."
The reporter frowns, as if Yoojin is the one being unreasonable, and asks one last question. "Well, can we schedule a dinner this week? Or a tour of your new breeding facility?"
Yoojin sighs heavily, barely listening. His attention is fixed on Soyoung's description of a recent dungeon she had completed. Another one where the loot had changed from his previous life. At the reporter's question, he halfheartedly waves a hand towards the other side of the hall.
"Ask my husband."
"…"
Soyoung stops talking. Yerim turns towards Yoojin with thinly veiled horror. The reporter inhales sharply, eyes already glinting.
Yoojin doesn't seem to realise what he'd just said. "Hm? Why'd you stop—"
Yerim's voice is a mix of disbelief and utter shock. "…Husband? Ajhussi… when did you get married?"
It's Yoojin's turn to stare.
"I— huh? Husband? Did I.. say that?"
The reporter coughs. He doesn't even bother hiding the amused 'I just caught this month's most viral scoop on camera' smirk plastered on his face. "Sir, did you mean Guildmaster Sung Hyunjae? You pointed at him…"
Yoojin turns to stare towards the direction he pointed, heat beginning to crawl up his neck. Hyunjae is already looking at him, his expression carefully neutral, not a single smug smile in view. He probably heard everything Yoojin had just said. Curse those S-ranker ears.
And yet… Yoojin can tell that the neutrality isn't due to a lack of reaction. Rather, Hyunjae is desperately concealing whatever reaction the word has pulled from him.
"…"
With a deliberate cough, Yoojin hurriedly averts his gaze, ears beginning to flush red. "Anyway, Soyoung-ssi, please continue."
Soyoung does not, in fact, continue. Instead, her gaze repeatedly darts between the recently declared 'married' couple. "So… do you want to explain why your first instinct to deal with a journalist is to send them to Guildmaster Sung?"
Yoojin frowns, fidgeting with the cuff of his suit. "Well, isn't it obvious? He's more experienced. And he is just better at dealing with people."
That's when Yerim chimes in, expression absolutely floored. "But why— why husband?"
Yoojin merely flushes again. "It was a slip of the tongue. I meant to say Hyunjae."
"Hyunjae. And your brain supplied.. husband."
"…"
"…"
"Look, he's reliable, and he helps me take care of you kids, and he's basically the only person I trust to watch your backs when I'm not there, and he keeps me safe during dungeons. So, y'know, it really is very reasonable—"
"…"
Yerim stares. And then, she turns to glance at Hyunjae. Yoojin follows her gaze, only to find him still staring straight at Yoojin, a certain stiffness to his expression. That is perhaps the only real indication that Yoojin's words have gotten past his usual unshakeable composure.
"…Fuck."
"…"
"…"
"You're digging so enthusiastically, Ajhussi. Should I just throw you a shovel now?"
"Please stop."
Yoojin eventually slips away after enduring fifteen more minutes of absolute mortification. He makes some excuse about fresh air, but honestly, he just wants to escape the constant staring. It's embarrassing enough, calling a man like Hyunjae his husband, but even more so because he'd actually explained himself.
You know, like an absolute moron.
"Yoojin-gun."
Yoojin stiffens. He hadn't even heard the balcony door creak open. "What do you want?"
"A reporter is asking if you'd like to attend a follow-up interview on our secret marriage."
Yoojin inhales, tone sharp. "Sung Hyunjae."
"…Hm, I assumed so."
A pause. "Go away. Shoo."
"But you called for me earlier, did you not?"
"That was.. different. I made a verbal error."
"Yes, of course."
They stand there in silence. It isn't as oppressive as Yoojin had expected it to be. He subtly glances towards Hyunjae, noting how his ears are still a little flushed. No one would notice, unless they actively knew what they were looking for… or knew Sung Hyunjae as well as Yoojin had come to know him.
There is also a barely noticeable furrow to his brows. He doesn't look at Yoojin when he speaks. "You were uncomfortable earlier."
Yoojin blinks, not having expected that. Sung Hyunjae? Giving up ammunition to tease Yoojin with? "Huh?"
"The reporters. They were making you uncomfortable, weren't they?"
"Well, I suppose they were, sort of. I still can't get used to all the attention. It's.. suffocating."
"You could have come to me."
Yoojin huffs out a wry laugh. "What would you have done? Chased them away?"
"I would have, yes."
Yoojin's mouth goes dry. He doesn't respond for several seconds, unable to formulate a valid response to that statement. Eventually, he tries to laugh it off. "..You sound like my actual husband now, y'know that?"
Hyunjae finally turns to look at Yoojin, expression calm. There is a subtle softness behind his gaze, one wildly different from his usual smug or calculative grin. Yoojin feels like a fish out of water. "That is the title you gave me, my dear Yoojin. I'm simply fulfilling the duties that come with it."
"…"
Yoojin very pointedly ignores how his entire face is on fire.
"Sung Hyunjae."
"Yes?"
"Please shut up."
"As you wish, my dear."
Yoojin simply buries his face in his hands in response, regretting everything that has led to this point.