Sagong Arin started spilling all sorts of information I hadn’t known.
Thanks to her, I learned not only the full story of the S-Class Gate incident, but also that there were forces determined to uncover my true identity.
“At that time, I didn’t look into it this seriously. This time, I have to do it right. Otherwise, Director-nim’s hair will keep falling out.”
“Huh?”
“Lately, maybe because of stress, his crown’s gotten noticeably bare. Ever since Hasu awakened, I barely saw him, but it’s definitely gotten a lot emptier. On top.”
“Ahh…….”
A sigh of pity escaped me. But that didn’t mean I could reveal my identity, so all I could do was offer a silent apology to Director-nim’s scalp, which was bidding farewell to more hair every day.
I thought the hair talk was just a joke, but Sagong Arin’s expression was dead serious.
In the now quieter atmosphere, I glanced at the files and pointed to one.
It was a blue folder labeled ‘Phantom Thief Hunter.’
“But what’s this Phantom Thief Hunter? Are you looking into that separately?”
All the other terms were connected, but only Phantom Thief Hunter seemed unrelated.
It was already all over the internet that the top-ranked outsider was Nada, and that Nada was the Hooded Girl.
But there was no connection at all between Nada and Phantom Thief Hunter.
Sagong Arin followed my finger with her eyes and suddenly clapped her hands.
With a more excited face than before, she told me about her amazing discovery.
“Wow, really? You think Phantom Thief Hunter might be Nada?”
“Yeah! That’s why today, Team Leader Lee Hwan decided to have a separate talk with Do Ihyeon. Do Ihyeon kept saying he was busy and put it off, but apparently, they’re finally talking today.”
“Ah, I see…….”
The moment I heard Do Ihyeon’s name, it felt like my heart dropped to the floor.
He was the only one in this dimension who knew my identity.
Even though I’d denied being an outsider indirectly, and he said he believed me… whether he truly did was another matter.
‘I should’ve covered the CCTV better.’
If I’d summoned Saryeong and covered it, that would’ve helped, but I hadn’t thought that far.
So, when people started digging into my identity later, I tried to divert their attention.
Setting Saryeongs loose to scare the broadcasting staff and reporters turned out to be pointless.
Of course, they’d be interested in me, so I’d had Saryeongs on standby, but I never predicted Sagong Arin would dig into Phantom Thief Hunter’s identity.
I should’ve looked into it when she was investigating Nada. Regretting it now was useless.
“But didn’t you say you were going to sleep?”
“Huh? Oh, I woke up completely.”
My eyelids had felt heavy, but now they felt lighter than ever.
It was because I’d just heard things I couldn’t possibly sleep after.
‘So, the Dungeon Management Bureau is desperate to find out who I am, and now there’s even a theory that Phantom Thief Hunter and Nada are the same person, huh?’
Depending on what Do Ihyeon and Lee Hwan talked about, my identity could remain hidden or be exposed.
I felt cold sweat running down my back.
My whole attention was focused on the conference room upstairs; I couldn’t sit still.
I suddenly stood up and walked to the lounge door.
My hand, reaching for the doorknob, stopped in midair.
‘Do I look really anxious right now?’
If I acted obviously nervous after hearing about Phantom Thief Hunter and Nada, Sagong Arin might get suspicious.
I lowered my hand and tried to walk back to the beanbag as naturally as possible.
“Weren’t you going to the bathroom? Why’d you come back?”
Thankfully, it seemed she hadn’t noticed my anxiety.
Sagong Arin must’ve thought I was heading to the bathroom.
“Uh… my stomach hurt a bit, but I’m fine now.”
“Really? Hurry up and lie down, get some rest. Cover up with this so your stomach doesn’t hurt.”
I’d never been good at lying, but survival instinct was making all sorts of lies pop out.
Sagong Arin, surprised by my words, kindly brought a blanket and draped it over my stomach.
She patted my belly and told me to get some sleep.
I closed my eyes, pretending to sleep, and kept replaying what I’d just heard.
‘What if I get caught?’
I didn’t think Do Ihyeon would deliberately talk about me, but he might slip up under Lee Hwan’s pressure and reveal something about my identity.
I decided to imagine the worst-case scenario and agonized over how I’d respond if I was exposed.
The first thing that came to mind was the Four Heavenly Kings and Yeon Hayeon.
When we watched a hero movie at Ban Eunhyeol’s House, their reactions had been a bigger source of strength than I’d expected.
‘They might take my side… except Eunbada is a bit of a problem.’
Even if he didn’t mean it, he’d insisted on a different opinion, saying he still had some responsibility.
Remembering that made the little courage I’d had deflate like a popped balloon.
I was deep in thought when I heard voices outside.
The meeting must’ve ended, and everyone was coming down to the lounge.
I opened my eyes wide and looked over the people entering, searching for Do Ihyeon, but even when James came in last and closed the door, I didn’t see Do Ihyeon’s face.
“What are you looking for?”
Maybe because I barely greeted my friends and kept staring at the door, Ban Eunhyeol spoke curtly.
I took my eyes off the door, saying it was nothing.
‘Did he already go somewhere with Lee Hwan?’
I wanted to go hear their conversation right away.
Pretending I needed the bathroom, I quietly got up and opened the door.
And the moment I did, I saw Do Ihyeon and Lee Hwan standing face-to-face in the hallway.
I walked slower than ever, eavesdropping on their conversation.
I’d never been so grateful for my good hearing.
“…so, was there anyone else you saw inside at that time?”
I hadn’t heard the first part, but it sounded like Lee Hwan was explaining why he was asking Do Ihyeon that question.
After making my heart sink with his question, Lee Hwan glanced at me for a moment, then lost interest and turned back to Do Ihyeon.
Worried that my slow walking would look suspicious, I put both hands on my stomach, trying to look like I was in pain.
I had no idea if it worked.
“No. I just went in for a bit and came out.”
Do Ihyeon replied in a completely flat voice.
I’d expected he wouldn’t mention seeing me, but actually hearing him cover for me filled me with more emotion than I imagined.
“Hmm… What was the dungeon like?”
As expected, Lee Hwan didn’t back off after Do Ihyeon’s answer.
His eyes burned with determination to uncover every possible clue.
But Do Ihyeon kept the same expression, completely unbothered by the intense stare.
Just watching the two from afar, I felt they were anything but ordinary.
Was this what it felt like to witness a tiger and a lion facing off?
The tension was palpable.
“It was a school. I was in one of the many classrooms.”
“Ah, so there were a lot of classrooms.”
Lee Hwan looked like he was thinking for a moment, then asked another question.
“I thought I saw Phantom Thief Hunter before entering the gate. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
His immediate answer made me freeze in place.
If I stayed here any longer, I’d look too suspicious, so I was about to leave a Saryeong behind to listen and head back to the lounge.
Do Ihyeon glanced in my direction and continued.
“I only saw their back, though.”
He was saying he’d never seen my face.
Lee Hwan’s face showed a hint of disappointment at that.
“So you didn’t see anyone inside. About their build—what did they look like?”
“They were small.”
“Small… Could you describe it a bit more?”
“Um, they were small.”
Asked about my build, Do Ihyeon gave the same answer twice.
It was as if “small” was the most he was willing to say.
Lee Hwan seemed to understand his intention and gave up on further questions.
Thanking him for his cooperation, Lee Hwan went downstairs.
Most of the other top ten rankers usually relaxed in the lounge for a bit, but he’d never once rested there or socialized with other Awakened.
‘He really works hard.’
As I watched his back disappear downstairs, Do Ihyeon came closer to me.
Seeing me clutching my stomach, he asked in a voice that sounded strangely gentler than before.
“Are you sick?”
I must really look unwell.
Hearing Do Ihyeon talk to me in such a concerned tone felt odd.
He was always so even-toned, so this softness felt unfamiliar.
“No, I’m not sick.”
Now that I didn’t need to pretend anymore, I took my hands off my stomach.
Still, Do Ihyeon kept checking on me.
“You’re sweating.”
He reached out to touch my forehead.
“What are you two doing?”
Ban Eunhyeol, who I hadn’t noticed coming out, spoke in a disgruntled tone from the lounge door.
He uncrossed his arms and approached me, looking between me and Do Ihyeon with slightly surprised eyes.