Chapter 127: The Association President (1)
Sssss!
An egg gently landed on the oiled pan.
“Soft-boiled? Or fully cooked?”
“Soft-boiled, please.”
I answered, feeling a bit dazed. Never in my life did I think I’d see Seong Hyunjae frying an egg for me. If a fortune teller had predicted this scene to me before the regression, I would’ve told them they were full of nonsense.
Soon, the smell of bacon sizzling filled the air.
“Would you like some coffee? Or maybe some juice?”
Noah held up a basket filled with mangoes, bananas, and oranges as he asked. I requested juice, and he skillfully began peeling the fruit. The blender whirred loudly as it worked.
Between Noah and Seong Hyunjae, both of them absurdly good-looking, I felt like I was watching a high-end 4D cooking commercial. If the two of them opened a café, it would probably do great business, even if the food tasted terrible.
Contrary to my expectations, this wasn’t a hotel, but a private villa. With the commotion the Kraken caused, they’d moved us to a privately owned villa to avoid drawing attention.
“…What do you want?”
I couldn’t help but keep glancing at the burn mark visible under Seong Hyunjae’s collar. As I poked the yolk of my soft-boiled egg with a fork, I asked him. Just say you protected Yerim because you had some other agenda.
“That’s a cold thing to say.”
“Helping us at the risk of injury just because you were worried about me… I don’t buy it. It’ll be keeping me up at night for at least a week, feeling uneasy and creeped out.”
“I won’t pretend to be a good person.”
“…I almost lost my appetite just now.”
Noah, seated next to me, also looked uncomfortable. Seong Hyunjae smiled faintly as he continued speaking.
“When it comes to things of sufficient value, I tend to be generous. Besides, failing to protect one’s own assets would be shameful.”
“I’m not your asset, Seong Hyunjae. It’s just a joke, after all.”
“I’ve always been serious, though.”
“Stop saying creepy things. If you’re serious, I’ll have to run.”
“I’ll give you about a day’s head start before I come find you.”
I have no intention of playing hide-and-seek with you, thank you very much. Even if we were speaking half-jokingly, hearing him say he was serious got under my skin.
“Anyway, thank you for protecting Yerim. I’ll make sure you’re compensated for your injuries.”
“Let’s forget that last part. There’s no need for thanks. I was simply doing what I should for Han Yujin.”
“What do you want, exactly?”
“For you to stay mentally sound for as long as possible, I suppose.”
“And you don’t care about my body?”
“If you get smaller, it’ll make you easier to carry.”
It took me a moment to process that, and then I frowned. I get that an F-rank body isn’t much use, but come on, that’s going a bit far.
“That’s a harsh way to put it.”
Noah, offended on my behalf, spoke up. But Seong Hyunjae didn’t even glance at him. That man seems to have a particular disregard for Noah.
“When someone’s talking to you, you could at least look at them.”
“No need to when the owner is right here.”
…What nonsense is this? I tried to tell him that Noah isn’t some pet or a servant—he’s an independent person—but it didn’t register at all. I felt a little embarrassed that I’d been even slightly moved by the fact that he’d taken care of Yerim, injuries and all. Typical Seong Hyunjae, always insufferable.
“Noah, could you give us a moment?”
After a simple breakfast, I spoke to Noah.
“Sure, I’ll go wait on the veranda.”
Once Noah had left, I brought up what happened last night.
“Did you manage to take care of everything?”
“Thanks to you. A few high-rank hunters tried to escape, but no one got away. With the hotel fully submerged, it won’t look suspicious if they can’t find any bodies.”
Seong Hyunjae replied, looking very pleased with himself.
Most of the people in the hotel ended up in his hands, whether dead or alive. Since he collected even the bodies, it seemed like Sesung had a hunter with a skill similar to Yerim’s White Corpse skill.
“Make sure to share any useful information.”
“Didn’t you make it clear you had no interest in overseas matters and wanted nothing to do with them? If you’ve changed your mind, I’d welcome it.”
“I’m still not interested. Just pass it along to Haeyeon.”
I have enough to deal with in Korea. The most I’ll bother with abroad is grabbing some stamina potions from Japan and maybe a few hunters from China.
“Send along any items they had on them as well.”
Items in someone’s inventory are hard to confiscate. If they die, both their inventory and items disappear. So, during the auction, I had them display their items on purpose. It’d be a waste to just let them vanish.
“You’re meticulous. Admirable.”
“Could you drop the possessive tone when you talk about me?”
If he insists on acting like he owns me, the least he could do is exchange some skills or resources. He’s practically trying to rob me blind.
As we were discussing the other matters that needed handling,
“Ugh! Han Yuhyun! Argh!”
Yerim’s voice rang out as if she’d just spotted a cockroach. She used to call him a handsome and capable guy; things have changed a lot.
“Mister! When did you wake up?”
Yerim came charging out of the bedroom, her footsteps heavy and loud.
“If you can’t sense an F-rank moving right next to you, you have a problem.”
“I was just really tired. Is there any bread?”
“Here. But you being that exhausted is the problem. It means your body’s under strain. If that builds up, even an S-rank could break down. Avoid overexertion if you can. You too, Yuhyun.”
I said this as I watched my brother walk into the kitchen, still looking a bit drowsy.
“And don’t go diving into S-rank dungeons alone, just the two of you.”
“Got it. But Hyung, you’re the one who pushes yourself the most.”
“He’s right. You faint all the time. And you’re F-rank, too.”
All the time? It wasn’t that often… maybe three times? That’s not much at all.
“It’s not like I’m out fighting in dungeons every day like you two.”
“You’ve been in a fair number of dungeons recently. If you’d actually stayed at home, we wouldn’t be worried.”
Well… things just sort of turned out that way. I didn’t plan on becoming this active in the first place. Life rarely goes as planned.
“Hey, I want eggs, too! Fully cooked!”
Yerim shouted at Yuhyun as he grabbed some eggs. Though he made a face, he picked up an extra egg for her.
“I’ll make it for you. Just sit down.”
“I’m fine.”
Iryn appeared on Yuhyun’s shoulder as he held the pan. I waved to it, but it didn’t react. I wondered if it couldn’t just speak but also had limited intelligence, acting more like a regular lizard.
“Thanks for lending me your coat yesterday, Guild Leader. But don’t forget to pay me!”
“Of course.”
“…What are you talking about?”
I asked, watching as Yerim tore off a piece of bread nonchalantly.
“I helped him move some bodies and stuff yesterday. It’s my pay for the job!”
“What? Why did you make a kid do that?!”
“It was just a simple transport task.”
“Simple, my ass!”
With a thunk, Seong Hyunjae caught the edge of a kitchen knife. Yuhyun placed the egg on the table in front of me. Both eggs were soft-boiled.
“I asked for fully cooked!”
“We only serve soft-boiled here.”
Yerim grumbled as she ate the soft-boiled egg anyway. Still, it seemed like she was getting along better with him than before. Maybe fights really do bring people closer.
Seong Hyunjae casually tossed the kitchen knife back to Yuhyun, who flicked it midair with his fork. The knife spun and embedded itself halfway into the marble table.
“Aren’t you a little too old to be playing with knives at the table?”
“It was the young master who started it.”
“Yuhyun, I get that you’re annoyed, but don’t throw knives in the kitchen.”
“Okay, sorry.”
Then, after a slight hesitation, Yuhyun looked up at me with eyes like a scolded puppy.
“…I was wrong yesterday. You kept your promise, but I just did whatever I wanted. I’m really sorry.”
My little brother is such a good kid. Look at him apologizing right away.
“It’s fine. No one got hurt, so it’s all good.”
Seong Hyunjae silently raised his hand. What is it now? Still, seeing the burn marks on him pricked at my conscience a bit, so I spoke up.
“No one died, so it’s fine. A little injury doesn’t matter. We have potions and healers.”
“Wow, what’s with that? Mister would probably just brush it off with an apology even if Han Yuhyun ended the world.”
Come on, I’m not that unreasonable… If the world ends, Yuhyun would have a hard time too, so I’d have to stop it.
“And it’s partly the spirit’s influence. Apparently, fire spirits are like that—makes you more impulsive and aggressive when using their power. Since you’re not fully accustomed to it yet, it’s even more pronounced.”
Um, should I say it? Iryn was staring at me as if urging me to continue. Or maybe it was just looking at me.
“Well… even if you mess up sometimes, I still love you, Yuhyun. So don’t worry too much…”
Iryn, this is hard for me. If I get embarrassed, I’m done for. Stay calm, act casual. Fortunately, Yuhyun just smiled bashfully without saying anything.
“Mister, what about me?”
“Of course, I love you too, Yerim. But my little brother is always number one.”
“Oh, obviously. I’d be more surprised if he wasn’t.”
So it’s that obvious, huh. At that moment, Seong Hyunjae glanced at his phone and then stood up.
“They’ve arrived. Come along, kids’ dad.”
He headed for the front door. Curious, I followed him, and as the door opened, I saw Kang Soyeong—and…
— Kkyah!
“Peace?”
Peace leapt into my arms.
— Kyuung.
“There, there. How’d you get all the way here?”
“I brought him.”
Kang Soyeong replied, looking exhausted.
“He… wasn’t in the best mood without you around, Mr. Han. But when I told him we were going to see you, he seemed to understand and cooperated… I couldn’t bring Blue, though.”
“Thank you. You’ve been a big help.”
She gave me a tired smile and said it was fine. I should work on leveling up Comet as soon as I get back. Poor Blue.
“Noah’s here too, right? Could I say hello?”
“Oh, sure. He was out on the veranda.”
“Thank you!”
With a sudden burst of energy, Kang Soyeong ran toward the veranda. I heard Noah’s surprised voice faintly from outside. Calm down, Soyeong. Meanwhile, Peace nestled in my arms, happily wagging his tail.
“I meant to get back sooner, but it took a while. Sorry, Peace.”
— Kkyang?
I petted Peace and looked over at Seong Hyunjae.
“Well, thank you for going out of your way.”
Even if his kindness made me uneasy, I was genuinely grateful he’d brought Peace over.
“I think I deserve three stars now.”
“Sure, I’ll give you that.”
“Hopefully, your allergy to seawater has cleared up. As you know, this is an island. Oh, and just to clarify, this trip comes with no extra options or tips.”
“Is it okay if I bring the kids and a pet along?”
“Of course.”
With terms that generous, how could I refuse? Honestly, it felt a bit of a waste to come all the way to Hong Kong and then just go straight back. Though I was a bit worried about drawing attention, our overly competent tour guide would probably handle that.
“Really? I thought we’d be heading back right away! Hang on, I need to look up some places! And I have to buy souvenirs!”
When I suggested a sightseeing trip around Hong Kong, Yerim jumped up and down excitedly. Yuhyun also looked pleased. We even woke up Chirp, who was still sleeping, and set out with Noah and Kang Soyeong joining us.
One day wasn’t enough, so we ended up extending our trip to the next day. A few minor incidents popped up here and there, but nothing serious happened. With so many kids around, a completely trouble-free trip would have been impossible.
And then, we boarded the plane back home.
News of my “rescue” by the Haeyeon Guild Leader had already spread in Korea, and the airport was packed with people waiting to see me. Way more than I expected.
‘Well, I brought this on myself…’
But all this attention was still overwhelming. I might just have to stay inside for a month to avoid showing my face. So embarrassing.
–TL Notes–
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