Weapon seller in the world of magic

Hye-rin sighed. ”Yeah. I was too focused on the shoot and didn’t realize I was hungry until now.”

Tianzhu nodded. ”Same here.”

Hye-rin hesitated for a moment before glancing at him. ”Wanna grab something to eat?”

Tianzhu considered it. ”I don’t have any commitments right now, but if I were you, I wouldn’t eat around this area.”

Hye-rin frowned. ”Why not?”

Instead of answering, Tianzhu tapped on the car’s infotainment screen, switching it to the rear camera feed. The display flickered before revealing the street behind them—and one particular car that had been following them at a steady distance.

Tianzhu pointed at it. ”That car’s been tailing us since we left the studio.”

Hye-rin’s eyes widened. ”Are you sure?”

”That car’s been tailing us since we left the studio.”

Hye-rin’s eyes widened. ”Are you sure?”

Tianzhu smirked. ”Test it yourself. Change lanes and speed up.”

Hye-rin blinked. ”What?”

”Trust me. Just do it.”

Biting her lip, Hye-rin did as he said. She flicked her turn signal, smoothly switching to the next lane before pressing down on the accelerator.

A second later, the car behind them did the same.

Hye-rin’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. ”Shit.”

”Faster,” Tianzhu instructed calmly, his eyes locked on the rearview mirror.

Hye-rin hesitated for a second before pressing down on the accelerator. The engine growled as the car surged forward. The vehicle behind them matched their speed, refusing to lose sight of them.

”Still there,” Hye-rin muttered, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Tianzhu remained unbothered. ”Good. Now, keep going. Don’t slow down.”

The road ahead was clear. No traffic, no obstacles. Just open the highway.

Hye-rin’s heart pounded in her chest as the speedometer climbed higher and higher. ”Okay, now what?”

The moment they reached the edge of Exit 4, Tianzhu suddenly reached over and grabbed the wheel.

”What the—?!” Hye-rin barely had time to react before the car lurched sideways.

With expert precision, Tianzhu yanked the wheel, sending the vehicle into a sudden drift. The tires screeched against the asphalt, the car sliding into the exit lane at a sharp angle. Hye-rin instinctively slammed on the brakes, gripping the wheel for dear life.

The paparazzi car shot forward, unable to turn in time.

Hye-rin gasped as she watched them zoom past, missing the exit completely. The road ahead of them was empty. They were free.

Tianzhu leaned back with a small, satisfied smirk. ”See? Told you.”

Hye-rin sat frozen in her seat, her mouth slightly agape. ”That… That was insane.”

Tianzhu chuckled. ”It’s not that hard. You see these kinds of maneuvers in dramas all the time.”

”Yeah, but I didn’t think they actually worked in real life!”

”They do,” Tianzhu said with a shrug. ”Especially when you’ve had experience.”

Hye-rin turned to him, eyes narrowing. ”Experience? Are you saying you’ve been in car chases before?”

Tianzhu nodded, his expression unreadable. ”A few.”

Hye-rin blinked. ”Wait—what?”

Tianzhu exhaled as if reminiscing. ”Organized crime is pretty common in Siberia. If you know how to drive like this, people think twice before chasing you. They don’t know if you’re a criminal yourself or just someone they shouldn’t mess with.”

Hye-rin stared at him. ”That’s actually kind of badass.”

Tianzhu gave a small smirk but said nothing.

As they drove forward, Hye-rin glanced at the rearview mirror. ”Well, looks like we really lost them. No U-turns for at least three miles. They’re stuck going forward.”

Tianzhu nodded. ”And we’ll have to drive at least ten miles before we can find another exit.”

Hye-rin sighed. ”That’s a huge detour.”

Tianzhu chuckled. ”Neither of us had urgent plans, did we?”

Hye-rin thought about it and realized he was right. They had time.

Tianzhu continued, ”Besides, after all that running around at the photoshoot, you looked exhausted. Now, you seem pretty awake.”

Hye-rin smiled at that. ”You’re right. I guess that little adrenaline rush woke me up.”

For a moment, the tension eased, replaced by a quiet sense of amusement.

Hye-rin studied him from the corner of her eye. Tianzhu was definitely different from the usual road managers. Most people in his position were either nervous or overly respectful around celebrities, afraid of saying the wrong thing. But Tianzhu? He acted as if he belonged in this world. As if none of it fazed him.

Maybe it was because he had been around someone like Xueli.

Or maybe it was because he had lived in a foreign country.

Whatever the reason, there was a confidence in him that felt… intriguing.

And, to her own surprise, Hye-rin found that confidence a little bit charming.

They finally found a quiet restaurant on the outskirts of the city—one of those cozy, family-run places where the late afternoon hours left most tables empty. It was the perfect place to avoid prying eyes.

Hye-rin sat across from Tianzhu, stretching her arms. ”I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now,” she admitted with a small laugh.

Tianzhu smiled slightly as he picked up the menu. ”Stress does that to you.”

As they waited for their food, their conversation flowed naturally.

Tianzhu shared pieces of his life in Novarusk—the challenges of working as a security chief for an Oligarch, the complex scandals he had handled for the family, and the near-death experiences he faced while protecting them.

Of course, none of it was true.

These were just carefully crafted stories designed to protect his real past. But Hye-rin listened with genuine interest, her eyes widening at certain points.

”That sounds intense,” she remarked. ”You must be missing action a lot.”

Tianzhu shrugged, ”Not really, I wasn’t the man I was two decades ago. Back then, I was young and full of vigor and ambition. I lived recklessly. Now, I’m already 39 and just only had my kids’ future in my head.”

Hye-rin leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. ”But you don’t really look 39. You look like you are in your late twenties… And your stamina is just as high as other high-ranking Hunters…”

”Hmm? How do you…” Tianzhu blinked in surprise but then remembered their first encounter, ”Oh, I forgot that you saw me at the gym…”

”Not just the gym…” She replied almost instinctively, but then murmured, ”Anyway… my film has finished post-production and is going to premiere very soon. I’m not a lead role, but they promised me 10 tickets. If you are interested, I’ll send a ticket to you.”

That piqued Tianzhu’s interest. ”Really? What’s it about?”

Hye-rin brightened at the chance to talk about her work. ”It’s basically a courtroom drama. I play a civil servant, working for the male lead. Can’t give any spoilers, but I have almost a combined screen time of about 32 minutes, although I stay with the male lead most of the time. So, you can just see me in almost the entire movie. And if this works, they planned on the sequel, too, where I was promised a second lead…”

Tianzhu nodded. ”Sounds interesting. So, when does it come out?”

Hye-rin sighed. ”Next week.”

Tianzhu gave a nod with a smile, ”You can bet that I will be there…”

”Thanks…”

After a while, their food arrived, and they ate while exchanging more stories. The conversation was easy, unforced. By the time they were done, the earlier tension from the paparazzi chase had completely disappeared from her mind.

After finishing their meal, Hye-rin drove Tianzhu to the bus stop.

As the car slowed to a stop, Tianzhu unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to her, ”Thanks for the meal. And for the ride.”

Hye-rin smiled. ”No problem. You kind of saved my life back there, so I guess we’re even.”

Tianzhu chuckled. ”Not exactly life and death, but I’ll take it.”

He stepped out of the car, closing the door behind him. Before walking away, he leaned down slightly and said, ”See you around, Miss Lee. It’s nice knowing you.”

Hye-rin watched him go to the bus stop and stood there before driving off.

It wasn’t until she got home, kicked off her heels, and sank into her couch that a thought struck her. ”Oh, shit… I didn’t get his number.”

For a second, she debated messaging Xueli to ask, but then she shook her head.

”That’s fine. We are in the same field. We will bound to run into each other again…” she muttered to herself.

Two months later;

Krasinostok City, Drakamir Republic, Eastern Siberia;

In the living room that was usually filled with the noise from the television now filled with the shuffle of papers as reports were laid out across the table.

Sungjun sat at the head, sleeves rolled up, and collar loose. His eyes scanned the files one by one — casualty counts, territory gains, reconstruction plans. Every so often, he’d tap the table with his pen, and he wasn’t satisfied at the moment.

Seongha entered the mansion alone. Sungjun gave a brief glance at her, but continued to read the reports and spoke, ”Hey there…”

”Oppa, you seemed busy?” She asked.