The mood had become slightly awkward, so I resumed walking as if to say, “If the misunderstanding’s cleared up, shall we go now?”
Once we climbed to the second floor and reached the guildmaster’s office, I immediately sensed a familiar presence from inside.
After a light knock, I opened the door, and just as expected, three people were seated on the sofa—Ryu Sunghyun, Song Jiwoon, and the fake one, who was now acting as the current Circle Guildmaster.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, come in. The two with you may enter as well.”
The fake one—who had the exact same face as Song Jiwoon—greeted us with a smile.
Well, not exactly the same. More like a future version of Song Jiwoon. It suddenly hit me again why the fake had used the whole ‘twin brother’ backstory.
“Did you have a good conversation with our guests?”
The fake addressed me in a friendly tone as soon as I stepped into the office.
He’d spoken informally last time too, but I didn’t expect him to act this familiar. I raised an eyebrow and played along appropriately.
“Yes. Thank you for letting us use the reception room.”
Even without an explanation, I could tell.
The fake was being ostentatiously friendly for a reason. Likely because of Song Jiwoon.
After replying, I glanced subtly at Song Jiwoon. As expected, he was carefully observing the conversation between me and the fake.
Well, it wouldn’t have been easy to persuade him in one go anyway.
The only reason we were able to bring him here at all was because the Circle Guildmaster claimed to be his twin brother.
We’d heard that Jiwoon was open to the idea of taking over the guildmaster position, but he hadn’t made a decision. He still hadn’t.
He must have thought my relationship with him would be key to his decision.
Since I hadn’t been there to hear the three of them talk—what with dealing with Hyun Dowoon and Kwon Seoyul in the reception room—I decided to play along for now.
“Did you have a good conversation too, Guildmaster? You said you were long-lost brothers separated as kids, and that you really wanted to meet him.”
A simple thank you didn’t seem enough to play up the familiarity, so I added a touch of sweetness.
And immediately, everyone in the office turned to look at me.
“Ah, of course. I’m very grateful to Hunter Cha Seohu. I heard you were the one who first stepped forward to convince our Jiwoon?”
Our Jiwoon? Has he lost his damn mind?
I felt a chill run through my chest but forced a smile.
“Since Mountain Keeper-nim’s body was healed and I understood the situation, I carefully brought it up. You really wanted to meet him. So, how did it go?”
“Hm...”
At my question, the fake put on a bitter expression as if he’d been waiting for the opportunity. Honestly, if he’d gone into acting, he probably would’ve hit it big.
“We talked a bit about family. Cleared up some misunderstandings. There’s still a lot left unsaid, but we have time to get to it slowly. The real issue is the guildmaster seat...”
As the fake trailed off while glancing at Jiwoon, the latter hesitated before speaking.
“I just... I don’t know about becoming the guildmaster. I’ve lived in the mountains for so long that I barely know anything about the world. Guildmaster-nim, you...”
“Guildmaster? I told you to just call me hyung. If it’s awkward because we’re twins, you can just call me by name, Jiwoon.”
Oh, give me a break. This bastard’s really pulling out all the stops.
As I stared in disbelief at the fake’s wounded expression, Song Jiwoon, flustered, rushed to respond.
“N-no, Jiwoon hyung. I prefer calling you hyung too.”
“....”
I couldn’t take it anymore. Out of sheer conscience, I cut in.
“You two can discuss that separately. From a third party’s perspective, the position of guildmaster shouldn’t feel too burdensome. Haven’t you heard the explanation? That Circle Guild needs a strong dealer.”
“Ah... I did hear that.”
“You’re not parachuting into the seat. It’s a mutually beneficial setup between the guild and Mountain Keeper-nim. Even though he’d be guildmaster, he’ll mostly be away. Dungeons, mostly. He’s a rare dealer-class hunter, after all.”
I purposely laid out the hard reality for Jiwoon. My tone was soft as usual, but the content was sharp.
“Let’s think through this a bit more coldly. Mountain Keeper-nim, have you decided how you want to live from now on?”
“That’s...”
“You could go back to Taebaeksan and continue as a mountain keeper. But you came down here with resolve to walk a new path. And soon, you’ll see your grandmother too. That matters.”
“...”
“If you live as a mountain keeper again, the time between visits to your grandmother will naturally get longer. You can’t exactly bring her to Taebaeksan.”
At the mention of his grandmother, Song Jiwoon bit his lip and looked at me with trembling eyes.
“You need to apologize to your grandmother and stay by her side. That’s why I think the Guildmaster-nim’s proposal is ideal. He just reunited with his brother—he’ll take good care of you.”
If I pushed too hard, it could backfire. I offered a bitter smile.
“The final decision is yours, Mountain Keeper-nim, but I hope you’ll consider it positively. Besides, if you go back to the mountains, we won’t see each other for a while. That’d be a shame for me too.”
At my lighthearted remark, Jiwoon widened his eyes. Then, fidgeting with his fingers, he replied.
“I’d... be sad too. Like you said, I ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) came down with resolve, so I’m not planning on going back easily.”
“Good. Take your time to think about it. There’s no rush,” the fake added smoothly, shifting his gaze to Kwon Taehyuk.
“The role of guildmaster here won’t be as hard as you might worry. We’re not a huge guild. Of course, the Yesung Guildmaster here has much heavier responsibilities.”
Kwon Taehyuk, who had come along with me only to hear all the Circle Guild’s internal issues, cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I’m not so different. Most of the administrative work is handled by staff. I focus mainly on dungeon and rift management—it helps with overall safety.”
“You heard him, right? I only have a weak mental-type skill, but Jiwoon, you’re a strong dealer. Just having you with us will give everyone a great sense of security.”
With everyone pitching in their support, Jiwoon found it harder and harder to object.
“We’re not asking you to take on the guildmaster seat right away. You need time to understand the guild and learn the ropes. So how about starting out as a regular guild member? That way, you can get to know the members and ease into it.”
The fake took a step back first.
Not out of kindness—this was his real goal from the start.
Push the burden of a leadership role first, then offer a lighter alternative like, “Why not just be a regular member while you learn?” That would sway anyone.
Especially someone like Jiwoon, who didn’t have another plan.
“As a guild member... yeah, I think that’d be okay.”
As expected. Jiwoon’s expression, which had been stiff the whole time, finally softened.
I watched the moment with a pained heart. It hurt to see him being swayed by that sneaky bastard.
“I’m glad to hear that. You can think more about the guildmaster role as you go.”
Smiling with satisfaction, the fake poured Jiwoon a fresh cup of warm tea.
“Once you’ve sorted your thoughts, go to the address I gave you and meet your grandmother. I’ll lend you a car—and a guild member to drive you.”
“Address? Grandmother?”
I asked, confused, and Jiwoon answered in his place.
“Guildmaster-nim—uh, Jiwoon hyung said he’s been looking after my grandmother.”
Wait, the fake’s been taking care of Jiwoon’s grandmother?
“She’s staying in an apartment Jiwoon hyung got for her. I’m on my way to meet her now.”
That genuinely shocked me.
I turned to the fake in disbelief, and he shrugged like it was no big deal.
“I’ve been busy and can’t visit her often, but I make sure to see her once or twice a month.”
“Apartment? Are you saying you really got her a place to live?”
“Her old place wasn’t suitable for someone her age. Especially with her knees—she needed somewhere with an elevator.”
He answered matter-of-factly, but I was at a loss for words.
This ‘Song Jiwoon’ in front of me was definitely something beyond human. Everything I’d experienced with him so far proved that.
But he took care of Jiwoon’s grandmother? Got her a new home?
It was shocking—and explained why Jiwoon had calmed down.
He wasn’t the type to trust and rely on people easily. Definitely not naive enough to just accept a long-lost twin brother.
But if that ‘brother’ had looked after the grandmother Jiwoon had to neglect when he ran off to the mountains, even if all suspicion wasn’t gone, it would be enough to soften him.
Now, the fake was lending him a car to go see her. Making sure his doubts would fade even faster.
A terrifying bastard.
As nasty as he was, I didn’t bother arguing.
I didn’t want to rain on Jiwoon’s happiness at meeting his grandmother. And to be fair, the fake had done something good.
I was in the middle of cursing him silently when—
“Ah, Hunter Cha Seohu.”
What? Did he hear me?
“Yes?”
“Since we’re talking about living arrangements... have you decided where you’ll stay?”
“Not really.”
I answered indifferently, shooting him a sideways glance that said, ‘Why do you care?’
“I can’t go back to the office, so I planned to use a hotel for now.”
“Oh dear.”
The fake let out a theatrical sigh and smiled brightly at me.
“How about it?”
“How about what?”
“If you don’t have anywhere to go, why not stay at my place?”
“...What?”
“Guildmaster-nim!”
The shock hit me and Cha Sahyeon simultaneously—our faces twisted with horror.
Ryu Sunghyun jumped from his seat in alarm, Jiwoon almost dropped his teacup, and Kwon Taehyuk looked... betrayed. What’s his problem?
“Hold on. Just to be sure...”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“The ‘my place’ you mentioned—that’s not where Mountain Keeper-nim’s grandmother is staying, is it?”
“Of course not. My place is an apartment five minutes from the guild. Pretty spacious. It has three extra rooms.”
“...Is it leased?”
“Of course not. Two bathrooms, a walk-in closet, and a housekeeper comes once a week. Should be comfortable enough.”
The more I heard, the more my jaw dropped.
Two bathrooms? A walk-in closet? And three empty rooms? Plus a housekeeper?
I couldn’t not ask.
“Where the hell did you get the money for that kind of place?”
Without blinking, he replied—
“Stocks. And crypto.”
“....”
This bastard’s absolutely insane.

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