I stared at the imposter in disbelief, then sighed and waved my hand dismissively.
"That's a bit much. I’ll accept the sentiment, though."
“What’s so much about it? I called it a home, but really, it’s more of a place to crash. If someone puts it to good use, I should be the one grateful.”
“Even so, I can’t shake the sense of pressure. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”
At my firm refusal, the imposter smiled ambiguously.
It looked suspicious enough that I narrowed my eyes—but then another voice suddenly cut in from the side.
"Then how about staying at the guild?"
The speaker, surprisingly, was Ryu Sunghyun.
It was surprising not only that he’d speak up in this context, but also what he was suggesting.
“Stay at the guild? You mean... Circle Guild?”
“Yes. As Hunter Cha Seohu may already know, our guild has a room available for comfortable rest. It’s fully furnished, with a bed and even a bathroom. It should be suitable for you and your sibling.”
I asked again because I couldn’t believe it, but Ryu Sunghyun doubled down and began trying to persuade me.
I already knew Circle Guild had such a room. I used to live in it before the regression.
“...That’s the room set aside for injured or exhausted guild members, isn’t it?”
Because Circle Guild didn’t own any dungeons and rarely participated in high-tier raids, they hardly ever had injured members needing to use it.
In my previous life, I’d been the one to benefit from it. But I didn’t want to do that again.
“What if someone gets injured while I’m using it? I don’t want to be a burden.”
“It’s not a burden. The room’s used maybe once or twice a year. Compared to the Guildmaster’s house, it’s much less pressure.”
“But I’m not even affiliated with Circle Guild. Strictly speaking, I’m an outsider. People will feel uncomfortable if I stay there.”
“Everyone’s already familiar with you, Hunter Cha Seohu, so it’s fine. You helped the Guildmaster out, and we’d like to support you in return.”
“Mm, that’s...”
It wasn’t helping. It was a trade.
I glanced at the imposter, but he only shrugged lightly. He didn’t look like he was going to take my side.
“Hunter Cha Seohu, I think staying here would be a good idea too.”
Even Song Jiwoon, who’d been watching the conversation, chimed in with support for Ryu Sunghyun’s suggestion.
His light green eyes sparkled—he clearly wanted me, someone he was close with, to stick around at the guild.
“No one knows how long it’ll take to find a new place. Hotels are expensive. And they’re dangerous with so many people around. You were almost attacked earlier—wouldn’t it be safer with someone nearby?”
“This place is going to be empty at night anyway.”
“T-then I’ll stay overnight too.”
What nonsense.
There was only one room with a bed. Where exactly did Song Jiwoon think he was going to sleep? And if anyone besides Cha Sahyeon was around me, it would complicate things when operating under Cover’s identity.
I shook my head again.
“You really don’t have to go that far. I’m not a child.”
The imposter, who’d been quietly listening, cut in with a chuckle.
“Sure, you’re technically an adult. Though from our perspective, Jiwoon and I both still think you’ve got a long way to go.”
I glared at him at the obvious teasing, but this time Kwon Taehyuk called out to me.
“Hunter Cha Seohu.”
His dark eyes, filled with firm resolve, looked directly at me. Something about that gaze made me uneasy.
“I have a proposal that addresses every issue raised earlier.”
“Excuse me?”
“You should come to Yesung Guild.”
“......”
Right. I was wondering why you’d been so quiet.
“The room for you and your sibling is already prepared. You just need to bring your things. Our guild has a full security system operating 24/7, and if needed, we can assign additional guards.”
“What? Wait, hold on...”
“Our guild has an internal healing system too, so you can meet a healer right away if injured. Hunter Cha Seohu, you said your healing skill ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) doesn’t work on yourself. That worry won’t be a problem with us.”
Almost like he’d been waiting for this moment, Kwon Taehyuk rolled out his explanation without a moment of hesitation.
“As for concerns about making others uncomfortable—don’t worry. Our guild is so large that most members don’t even know each other. And more importantly, even if it’s not publicly known, you’re considered a benefactor of Yesung Guild. You don’t need to feel any pressure.”
“...Too late for that. I already feel pressured.”
He was likely reminded again of the size difference between the massive Yesung Guild and the modest Circle Guild. Sunghyun-hyung had always quietly considered the small size of the guild a weakness.
'Really? You’re going to advertise your guild like that right in the middle of another one’s base?'
As someone whose heart was still with Circle, I found Kwon Taehyuk and all his resources irritating.
“I truly appreciate all the offers, but I think I’ll have to hold off for now. You saw them too, didn’t you? The two guys in the parlor.”
I forced a regretful expression as I swallowed my personal frustration.
“They came all this way to see me. It’d be heartless to just turn them away. I’ll only feel at ease once they’ve either returned to the district or found another path.”
I’d already told him Hyun Dowoon was a close friend, so he had every reason to understand.
“Honestly, Guildmaster, you were only thinking about my brother and me—not those two. So until things are settled, I’ll stay in a hotel.”
I could shove those two into whatever room I found.
I didn’t exactly want to spend money booking a room for Kwon Seoyul, a perfectly healthy S-rank dealer, but if I only looked out for Hyun Dowoon, he’d throw a damn tantrum, so there was no helping it.
“Well...”
Whatever the case, my lengthy explanation seemed to have worked—Kwon Taehyuk, who had been so confidently trying to win me over, now looked just as disappointed as Ryu Sunghyun.
“Then maybe those two can come too...”
“You don’t really mean that, right? Still, I appreciate the thought.”
Even if Kwon Taehyuk might seem easygoing to me, he was still the Guildmaster of Korea’s number one guild.
Letting my brother and me stay was one thing, a matter of personal trust and repayment—but taking in district members like Kwon Seoyul and Hyun Dowoon? That was asking too much.
There was also the security he’d just boasted about. If those two caused any trouble inside the guild, both he and I would be the ones held responsible.
Just muttering the offer like he did was generous enough.
After I turned down all the options and settled on staying at a hotel, Cha Sahyeon, who was still holding my hand, looked deeply satisfied.
'I thought maybe he’d change after regaining his memories.'
But his obsession with me hadn’t changed at all, whether before or after.
It was a good thing he was still a child—if he were in his true form, it would be disturbing.
“Oh, Guildmaster Kwon.”
With the housing issue settled, I brought up the topic I’d meant to discuss with Kwon Taehyuk all along.
“The ranking match is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
As he’d warned Cover, Kwon Taehyuk had gone so far as to rent out the official arena just for the ranking match. If I recalled correctly, it was scheduled for tomorrow or the day after.
“Actually, it’s set for tomorrow.”
Ah, so it was tomorrow.
“We were just waiting since we hadn’t heard anything from Hunter Cover’s side.”
Kwon Taehyuk’s eyebrow twitched as he looked at me. He looked like he was wondering could it be...? and I was happy to meet that expectation.
“She says she’ll participate in the ranking match. There was a delay because she had no way to contact you.”
“Sigh...”
Kwon Taehyuk let out a heavy breath.
“Hunter Cover still doesn’t have a phone, does she?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“First thing I’m doing when I meet her—ranking match or not—is getting her a damn phone.”
“Is that really necessary? I mean, there won’t be much reason to contact her after the match. Oh, and let me know what time the match starts.”
“It’s scheduled to start at 8 o’clock. So she should arrive by 7 at the latest.”
Eight was better than midday, but it was still cutting it close.
Even if I waited near the stadium and transformed immediately, 7 would be pushing it.
“Is there any way to delay it by an hour? I’m pretty sure we won’t make it in time.”
“...Thirty minutes, tops. An hour won’t be possible.”
I tried asking Kwon Taehyuk with a slightly playful tone, but it didn’t work. Tch. Guess thirty minutes really was the limit.
Makes sense—who’s going to agree to a schedule change the day before a match? The stadium likely had its own bookings too.
Thirty minutes was still doable if I optimized the timing.
As I mentally ran through possible routes and timing adjustments, Kwon Taehyuk asked with a complicated expression,
“It’s tomorrow. Will you even be able to inform Cover?”
“Mm. I’ll try. If not, she’ll probably find a payphone and make a call. Though, of course, the call charges will be on your end.”
“Even if it ends up costing a million won in call fees, I don’t care. Just get the message through.”
A million won?! Damn. Big spender, huh? Rich folks really are something.
“Hey, Kwon Seoyul.”
It had been about ten minutes since Cha Seohu had gone up to the office.
Kwon Seoyul, sprawled across the sofa with zero sense of propriety, looked up at Hyun Dowoon, who had called out to him.
“What?”
“You decided what you’re gonna do?”
Hyun Dowoon asked with a sour expression, and Kwon Seoyul grinned.
“What kind of dumb question is that~? Of course I’m sticking with Seohu-hyung. I didn’t go through all that trouble just to see his face for five seconds.”
“......”
“You’re the same, aren’t you?”
The teasing remark made Hyun Dowoon avert his gaze awkwardly instead of answering. But Kwon Seoyul, who had watched him as long as he’d watched Seohu, could easily read his silence.
“Bugs keep buzzing around Hyung lately. I’ve gotta swat them down~”
Maybe because he finally got to see Seohu again, Kwon Seoyul’s tone was playful and almost drawn out like taffy. His face was lit up with a big smile.
“Bugs? I thought you weren’t fuck buddies.”
“Come on, Hyung, don’t be so naive. Even if they weren’t actually fuck buddies, the way those bastards look at Seohu-hyung...”
Clicking his tongue at Hyun Dowoon like he couldn’t believe how clueless he was, Kwon Seoyul was just about to start a long-winded explanation—
When a vibration rang out from his pocket. Frowning, Kwon Seoyul pulled out his phone.
Haeil-hyung
The name on the screen made his eyes tighten even more.

Comments

Loading...