The chamber emptied slowly, elders filing out with the shuffle of robes and the scrape of chairs. Their murmurs clung to the stone walls long after the last footstep faded.
Seo Haneul remained seated until silence had fully reclaimed the hall. Then he rose, coat brushing the floor, and strode into the corridor without a word.
The torches burned low, shadows stretching long across the vaulted ceiling. His boots echoed steadily, but another set of steps followed in quiet rhythm.
"Guildmaster."
Jung Minho's voice was calm, familiar. Broad-shouldered and steady-eyed, he had walked at Haneul's side for years now — a weight both grounding and reliable.
"You seemed distracted today," Jung Minho continued lightly. "That's unlike you."
Seo Haneul's golden eyes stayed fixed on the corridor ahead. "Nothing worth mentioning."
Jung Minho studied him in silence for a few beats. "That answer you gave earlier," he said finally. "About the Beta who caught your attention. You spoke like it mattered."
Seo Haneul stopped. His hand tightened faintly at his side.
After a long pause, he spoke, his voice low. "…Have you ever heard of a hunter named Yoon Sihyun?"
The name hung heavy in the air, as if pulled from somewhere deeper than memory.
Jung Minho blinked. "Yoon Sihyun?" He shook his head, brows furrowing. "No. Doesn't ring a bell. Should I know him?"
Seo Haneul turned his gaze on him, searching. But there was only confusion in Jung Minho's eyes, unfeigned.
"…Forget it," Seo Haneul muttered, resuming his stride.
But the ache beneath his ribs only sharpened.
The sharp rhythm of claws broke the silence.
From the far end of the corridor, a corgi barreled toward them at full speed, ears flopping, nails clicking against the stone.
"Pie," Jung Minho sighed, though a smile tugged at his mouth. "Escaped again."
The dog skidded to a halt at Seo Haneul's boots. Instead of his usual cheerful greeting, Pie pressed his nose insistently against Seo Haneul's coat, sniffing sharp and deep — collar, gloves, the folds of his sleeve. His tail wagged furiously, but his movements carried an edge of desperation.
Seo Haneul stilled.
Pie whined, circling once before nosing his hand again, inhaling as if dragging something invisible from the fabric. His ears twitched. His body quivered.
"What's gotten into him?" Jung Minho crouched, scratching behind the corgi's ears. "It's like you carried someone else's pheromones back."
Seo Haneul's jaw tightened.
Pie barked once, sharp and insistent, then padded a few steps toward Seo Haneul's office. He paused, looked back, barked again.
Jung Minho chuckled. "Looks like he wants you to follow him."
Seo Haneul said nothing. The ache in his chest flared sharper.
As he followed, Jung Minho shook his head with quiet amusement. "That little fluff of yours… sometimes he looks like he's searching for someone."
The words brushed something raw inside Seo Haneul, but he didn't answer.
Pie's nails clicked steadily against the stone as he trotted toward the office door, tail wagging like he already knew what waited inside.
The name still echoed in Seo Haneul's mind, relentless as a heartbeat.
Yoon Sihyun.