Chapter 171: The Deal (1)
“Are you sure I really don’t have to go?”
I was supposed to head to the association or the Awakener Management Office today because of something related to Choi Seokwon. However, my younger brother firmly stated that it wasn’t necessary for me to go.
“Mister, officially, you’re known to have no combat-related abilities. You’re just a witness, so there’s no real reason for you to go. I’ll go with Hunter Kim Minui instead. Besides, didn’t MKC already start picking a fight?”
“Well, it’s a situation where they’re bound to be sensitive. If you run into them, just let it slide. There’s no point in making a bad impression since they’re likely to send several people to Haeyeon as well.”
The Hunters who came with Choi-whatever seemed tempted by my offer to transfer them to another guild, so the rest wouldn’t be an issue. Aside from Choi-whatever, I didn’t think anyone would cause major trouble, and Seong Hyunjae would take care of that guy anyway.
“Take good care of Kim Minui.”
Even though he was very satisfied with the contract terms, he was someone who had unintentionally gotten caught up in this mess. As I walked toward the entrance with Yuhyun, I called out toward the living room.
“Yerim, aren’t you coming?”
“I can leave a little later!”
“‘A little later,’ my foot. Don’t you have class at 10? You didn’t bring much with you, so you’ll need to stop by the dorm beforehand. Hurry up and get out here.”
She showed up with only dolls in hand and no school supplies. Yerim grumbled as she came out.
“I really can take my time. Unlike the former guild leader, I have a flight skill. I can just fly straight back while Han Yuhyun is walking.”
Yerim boasted as Yuhyun gave her a look of disapproval.
“Your memory is terrible.”
“What?”
“Yuhyun has a skill that substitutes for flight. Don’t start arguing.”
Last night, I had barely stopped the two from going at it. Even during breakfast, chopsticks had ended up stuck in the wall. It wasn’t a serious fight where they were out for blood, just a light scuffle. Still, I had to lecture them about not pushing F-rank stats to the limit during their squabbles before they finally calmed down.
The sight of them standing side by side, apologizing meekly, had been kind of cute. If I hadn’t had to pretend to be angry, I would’ve taken a picture.
“That’s not the same thing! Running and flying are completely different. Besides, scattering leaves outside a dungeon is a nuisance. Who’s supposed to clean it all up?”
The leaves weren’t real but a skill that disappeared after use. Still, they were so realistic that anyone not paying close attention could be fooled. Before Yuhyun could point this out and mock her, I quickly changed the subject.
“Yerim, here’s the key. I’ll be changing them all soon, but keep this for now.”
I handed her the keys I had received from Chief Song Taewon. With both Yuhyun and Yerim moving in, I couldn’t leave the doors as they were. I planned to replace everything, from the portal key to the front door lock. Other guilds might complain, but this was my house in the first place.
If they didn’t like it, they could break the contract. Not that Sesung or Breaker would actually do that.
“Can I really have this?”
“Of course. You live here, don’t you? It’d be stranger if you didn’t have a key.”
“That’s true!”
Yerim happily accepted the key. I saw them off at the entrance, checking their clothes for fur. Yuhyun was fine, but Yerim had red fur here and there, probably from hugging Peace. I used the tape roller by the door to clean her up.
“You’re not going anywhere today, right?”
“Yeah. I was thinking of stopping by Myungwoo’s.”
“If anything happens, call me immediately. Don’t wander around the building alone.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll stick close to Peace. Plus, Noah’s here.”
A kid five years younger than me looked at me like he was leaving a child home alone. If we’re talking about mental age, the gap is more like ten years, you punk. Yerim gave me a similar look as she spoke.
“Call me too, Mister. I’ll fly over right away.”
“Got it, got it. Study hard. Just because college will be easy for you doesn’t mean you can slack off.”
“Well, it’s technically vacation.”
“Middle school should be starting soon, shouldn’t it? Besides, these are supplementary classes. Yerim, I told them to notify me if you don’t take them seriously.”
“Alright, alright. We’re leaving now~”
“See you later.”
The two stepped out together. I watched them disappear into the mini-portal right outside the entrance before closing the door.
Back in the living room with Peace trailing close by, I saw the open curtains on the duplex floor. Yerim had jumped down from there in the morning. She’d insisted against installing dividers and left the curtains as they were, probably so she could do stunts like that. She flew up to open the curtains, jumped down for convenience—it did look efficient.
‘Still, she could at least close the curtains.’
It was practically like leaving a wall open. After hesitating briefly, I climbed the stairs. Yerim had said not to bother, but it still felt awkward to casually enter a girl’s room.
“Peace, you’re not allowed in. Your fur will get everywhere.”
— Kkiung.
Peace stopped in his tracks, reluctantly backing off. My room is already covered in your fur; I don’t need another one like that. It wasn’t as bad now, but when it first got hot, he’d been shedding like crazy.
The spacious duplex had no furniture aside from the bed and small drawer that had been moved in the middle of the night. I had suggested properly furnishing the room, but Yerim had insisted on barging in early. Claiming she liked the open space, Yerim had personally picked out the large bed, which now lay cluttered with oversized plush toys. Half of the blanket drooped down to the floor.
I tidied up the bed and drew the curtains. I would need to bring in more furniture, but what should I get? She’d need a wardrobe and a desk too. Technically, Yuhyun was also still at an age where he should have a study desk.
‘Maybe we should go furniture shopping together this evening.’
There might be something else Yuhyun needed. The budget was generous, so I could afford to buy the best. What brand of desks and chairs is the most popular with kids these days? I’d also need to buy more dishes and utensils. If we were going to keep living together…
…My mind suddenly went blank, like everything had stopped.
There was a time when I believed they would return. I don’t know when that belief faded. Maybe I never really gave up. Maybe I had been holding onto that hope all along.
And now they had returned. I wanted to feel pure happiness about it. But, but…
— Ppiyak.
Before I realized it, Chirp had flown over and was now hovering right in front of me. From below, I could hear Peace whining, unable to come upstairs. A glance at the clock on top of the drawer showed that more than thirty minutes had passed since the kids left. I had been standing there, lost in thought, for quite a while.
“Alright, let’s head down.”
As I descended the stairs, Peace quickly trotted over and stuck close to my feet. Just then, my phone buzzed. The caller ID showed Yerim’s tutor, who said Yerim hadn’t arrived yet. She had left a while ago, so I called her to check.
[Ah, Mister! Blue wanted to play, so… I’m flying over right now!]
As soon as she picked up, she started spouting excuses. This kid, seriously. Still, hearing her cheerful voice lifted my own spirits.
After hastily tidying up, I left the house as well. Peace, of course, followed, along with Chirp and even Belare. Thankfully, Comet was still asleep—it would’ve been exhausting to bring everyone along. Perhaps noticing my fatigue, Peace refrained from demanding to be carried and instead led the way.
‘Such a thoughtful little one.’
My kids are all so amazing, it’s almost a problem.
As I made my way toward the building, I heard the quiet flapping of wings. Looking up, I saw Noah descending gracefully, landing softly in front of me. He greeted me with a more bashful smile than usual.
“Hello, Yujin.”
After his greeting, he hesitated for a moment before continuing.
“So, uh… I heard that Guild Leader Han and Hunter Park Yerim have decided to live with you.”
“Seems like word has already spread.”
“Well, last night was… a bit eventful.”
True. Yerim had flown across the air with a massive bed, and Yuhyun had made it blatantly clear he wasn’t happy about it, almost setting the bed on fire under the guise of an accident. With all that commotion, it would’ve been strange if rumors hadn’t gotten out.
“Somehow, Yerim ended up moving in too. She’s still young, so living alone must’ve felt lonely for her.”
For Yuhyun, as my younger brother, it was nothing unusual.
“I see. Hunter Park Yerim is still quite young… whereas I’m not really that young anymore.”
“You’re older than Yerim, sure, but you’re still young yourself. Ah, I mean…”
I trailed off, realizing it might come off as patronizing. Noah probably wouldn’t appreciate being treated like a kid, especially since I sometimes unintentionally gave off that vibe. People his age usually wanted to be seen as mature. And as a former guild leader, I had to be careful not to come across as disrespectful.
“Noah, you’re a wonderful adult.”
“…Yes.”
Noah’s response sounded a bit deflated. For some reason, he looked disappointed.
“Noah?”
“No, it’s just… Before, when my sister was still around, I asked if I could stay at your house, didn’t I?”
“Oh, right, you did. With Liette in a dungeon, it should be fine for now.”
“…Yes, that’s true.”
“And if you beat Liette this time, a lot of your anxiety will probably disappear.”
He might even gain enough confidence that he wouldn’t feel the need to hide anymore. Hearing this, Noah seemed flustered, like he was on the verge of nervously pacing or stamping his feet. Was he worried about the fight with his sister? Understandable. It would be frightening.
She had been a looming presence of fear, constantly suppressing him since childhood. Breaking free of such a long-standing terror and rising above it wouldn’t be easy. Reaching out, I gently patted Noah’s shoulder.
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Whether you win or lose, the fact that you’re taking a step forward is what really matters.”
“…Yujin, I… Well, that is…”
Noah mumbled something so softly I couldn’t hear. “What?” I asked, tilting my head. His face flushed red.
“No, it’s just… I also…”
He muttered again, but before I could catch the words, he disappeared, activating his stealth skill. Even though he used it right in front of me, my low stats made it impossible to trace him.
“Noah?”
An invisible hand gently grabbed my arm, stopping me from walking further.
“I’ll just follow like this.”
Why, though? I had no idea. I told him to do whatever was comfortable for him and resumed walking. Unlike me, Peace seemed to know exactly where Noah was, gazing in that direction as he faithfully followed behind me.
As I entered the building, familiar faces greeted me from all directions. Thanks to Myungwoo, the number of Hunters still loitering in the first-floor lobby hadn’t decreased. Maybe I should open an actual café here. High-rank Hunters are loaded, so even if I overcharged, the business would likely thrive.
Myungwoo’s workshop was now even more heavily guarded. I heard that several Hunters had recently tried to sneak in without permission. With so many high-rank Hunters eager to curry favor with Myungwoo, the intruders were handled without much issue.
“There are always idiots who let their impulsiveness get the better of them.”
The Hunter stationed in front of the forge explained that all of the troublemakers had received heavy punishments from their respective guilds.
Inside the forge, new equipment had been added since my last visit. There were also a few unfamiliar faces. One familiar face, though, was Seo Dongbaek, who greeted me warmly as he approached.
“Welcome! You’re here to see the teacher, right?”
“The teacher?”
“I’ve started formally learning how to craft items, so I’m calling him teacher now.”
So, he’d begun teaching them skills. Now that I looked around, Lee Minseok, who I’d seen before, was also working on something—a piece that wasn’t yet fully formed, not just repairs.
“There’s a guest here right now, but if it’s you, Han Yujin, it shouldn’t be an issue. Please follow me.”
A guest? Following Seo Dongbaek, I soon spotted Myungwoo standing with someone else in front of the Mana Furnace. The other person was a woman with neatly braided hair and round glasses. It was Evelyn, the S-rank Hunter from Sesung. She was staring intently at an arrow Myungwoo was holding. She must’ve been the owner of the arrows he had mentioned making before.
“Yujin.”
Noticing my arrival, Myungwoo’s serious expression softened into a smile. It hadn’t been long since I’d last seen him, but he looked even healthier now. Despite being a woman and an S-rank Hunter, Evelyn’s tall stature and balanced physique didn’t overshadow him in the slightest.
…They actually looked good together. Could it be that he decided to make those arrows because he likes Evelyn?
“I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all. Come on over.”
As I approached, Evelyn turned her gaze toward me with visible curiosity.
“So, you’re the Candy Box I’ve heard so much about? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“…Excuse me?”
Candy Box? What was she talking about? At that moment, an arm suddenly appeared out of thin air, pulling me back protectively. It was Noah.
“Be careful. Hunter Evelyn has the Evil Eye.”
“Evil Eye?”
No sooner had Noah spoken than Evelyn’s brows furrowed. For someone whose presence was relatively mild for an S-rank, her aura darkened in an instant, becoming menacing. Her fierce eyes shifted from me to Noah, glaring sharply.
“Loose lips, aren’t we? No matter how loyal you are to a new master, you shouldn’t go around blabbing about the skills of your former comrades.”
Ah. She had a point. Revealing someone else’s skill without permission was a sensitive matter. However, Noah didn’t look like he was going to back down anytime soon.
“You’re too dangerous to be allowed near Yujin.”
“How loyal of you.”
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense, the air cutting sharper with every passing second.
Thud!
A heavy sound broke the standoff. The hammer strike that drew everyone’s attention belonged to Myungwoo, who was now coldly eyeing both Evelyn and Noah.
–TL Notes–
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