Chapter 12

Paehyeok Guild, what kind of place was that guild? It was a place where you had to show a competition rate of one in a thousand to get in, making it the best guild in Korea in name and reality. Sometimes it was even higher, so you could tell how incredibly difficult it was to get in there. Even hunters from overseas flocked to join. That was the meaning of having the world’s number one hunter as the guild master. It was also famous for having one SS-Rank hunter and a total of three S-Ranks. There were only a handful of guilds overseas that had three S-Ranks. It was natural because an S-Rank could easily establish and grow a guild alone. An SS-Rank guild with three S-Ranks under its command. Every hunter considered Paehyeok Guild their first choice. Korea was thus divided into three factions: Paehyeok as the first, Geumsin Guild as the second, and Hwayeon as the third. And now, a woman who had no interest in any of these three guilds was eating pig’s trotters in a two-room apartment.

“Damn it, what kind of money was that?”

“Hey, I told you I’d give it back.”

“It’s the feeling, the feeling! In the end, money went out! Whether it’s your money or my money!”

“That’s why people who try to hit it big with gambling end up ruining themselves, you know?”

“You instigated it, you!”

Nara Shim, who had downed a bottle of soju, grabbed Cho-i Hyeon, who was wearing Nara’s clothes, by the collar and shook her. Haha, this kid who doesn’t get drunk easily because she’s a hunter keeps acting drunk and climbing all over me, she’s gonna die.

“Aack!”

“Our Nara, shall we stop now?”

Cho-i said, lightly bending one of Nara Shim’s fingers that was gripping her collar.

“It hurts, it hurts!”

“I meant for it to hurt.”

Cho-i easily let go of her finger and spoke. Then she picked up her smartphone while eating pig’s trotters. She then typed the name Dongju Kim into the search bar. If he was an S-Rank and not just an A-plus, his name would surely appear somewhere. And as she expected, an article immediately popped up.

[Paehyeok Guild! S-Rank Dungeon Conquered!]

And in that article, the names of the party members were listed, and there was Dongju Kim’s name. A photo was even taken, leaving no room for error; it was him. Cho-i showed the photo to Nara and said,

“Nara. The man we saw earlier today. He’s with Paehyeok.”

“Paehyeok or not, my two hundred… Wait, where?”

“Paehyeok.”

“Paehyeok? That Paehyeok?!”

Nara immediately snatched Cho-i’s smartphone. After confirming the photo, she almost fell backward.

“Ah! I should have asked to be accepted into the guild.”

“Why?”

“Why? Why, you ask? Because if you just join Paehyeok, you’ll never have to worry about making a living. The benefits here are so good!”

“Really?”

“Where did you two go? Did he say anything to you?”

“I went to the black market. Oh, and he asked me to join the guild.”

“What? So what did you say?”

“I said I wasn’t planning on joining a guild.”

“You crazy bitch!”

“Hahaha, did you just realize that, you crazy bitch?”

Nara Shim immediately knelt before her.

“Can’t you introduce Nara too? Tell him I can work myself to the bone.”

“I’ll mention it.”

“Yes, please, I’m begging you! Then I’ll forget all about the two hundred fifty!”

“Why do you keep blaming me for what you lost, you sly fox. Hahaha.”

“Paehyeok, Paehyeok, you say…”

Nara Shim kept muttering the name Paehyeok, as if she still couldn’t believe it. Cho-i lay on her side, munching on the pig’s trotters in her mouth. Is it really such a great place? Well, it is a great place. It’s just that she’s not interested.

“I’m going to be doing illegal dungeons for a while.”

“Why? Why, for goodness sake? Why, when there’s an easy path?”

“Because I want to find the hidden dungeon we entered again. A hidden dungeon eventually appears randomly regardless of its rank, you know. So I’m going to try grinding lower-rank dungeons.”

“Does that make sense? Do you know what the probability is? You won’t find it until you’re an old woman!”

“Curse me. Curse me.”

“No, I’m genuinely worried about you.”

Nara Shim said quite seriously.

“And now that I’m asking…”

“What?”

“Honestly, I didn’t want to hear it, and I was curious, but I thought it was better not to.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“What happened to you in there?”

“In that hidden dungeon?”

Nara nodded.

“I also thought it wasn’t my place to ask. But seeing you in this state, I thought I should probably hear it.”

“What’s wrong with my state?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“I’m serious.”

“They say those who don’t know are the real deals, so you must be a real deal.”

“Thanks, friend.”

“Since when was I your friend?”

“Since you ate the pig’s trotters I bought.”

Nara Shim made a retching gesture.

“Do you really want me to make you throw up?”

“Sorry.”

Cho-i put down her chopsticks, which she had been using to eat the pig’s trotters, and thought for a moment. Should I tell her this? We’re in the same boat anyway, so maybe I should tell her? If she told her, she might get a different perspective. So Cho-i spoke very concisely.

“Quite a few died inside.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Thousands of times. No, it might have been more. Tens of thousands of times? I don’t know how you’d count that.”

“…I don’t really understand what you’re talking about right now.”

“That’s all it is. I died many times, killing all those Mantises and then I came out. That’s it.”

Cho-i, who had been lying on her side, sat up properly. Then she looked into Nara Shim’s eyes.

“Does that make sense to you?”

“…”

“Why I’m in this state?”

Cho-i laughed. Nara Shim’s eyes were wide, and she had stopped using her chopsticks. A moment of silence fell between the two women. No one spoke. Cho-i had nothing more to say, and Nara was searching for words. So, it was Nara Shim, of course, who broke the silence.

“Honestly, I can’t believe it.”

“I’m not asking you to believe it. I just answered because you asked.”

“But, if that’s true, I understand why you did it. Killing all your party members.”

“Really?”

“And I don’t understand.”

“What?”

Nara Shim put down her chopsticks and said,

“Saving me.”

Cho-i burst out laughing and nodded.

“Of course, it’s hard to understand. But let’s not misunderstand. I didn’t save you because you deserved to be saved. It was just my whim.”

“I know.”

“No matter how much you kept your last bit of conscience, the fact that you abandoned me and ran away doesn’t change. As long as I’m alive.”

“…I know too.”

“So, let’s do well.”

Cho-i was still smiling with the same expression. But Nara couldn’t smile. She just nodded slightly. While she was lost in thought, Cho-i sent a text to Dongju Kim’s number.

[Are you free tomorrow?]

A reply came immediately.

[Tomorrow? Yes.]

“What’s with the fast reaction?”

Cho-i sent a reply with her chopsticks still in her mouth.

[Tomorrow at 2 PM, take me to an illegal dungeon.] [An illegal dungeon? Okay. Where should I go?] [You have to decide that. I don’t know where it is.] [Ah, The Entity also said that. Come to Dongwon-dong by 2 PM tomorrow.] [OK]

The message was concise. It somehow felt like a message that the man she had seen during the day wouldn’t send. Was his tone like this? Since he had shown her kindness in just one day, she didn’t have much information yet. Maybe he’s the type to be a bit more affectionate when texting. Cho-i thought lightly and continued to eat the pig’s trotters. Then she nudged Nara Shim’s shoulder, who was still frozen.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

Nara Shim also picked up her chopsticks again and started eating. Nara Shim then nibbled at the pig’s trotters, half-heartedly, until she finally spoke.

“…I’m sorry.”

Cho-i laughed, finding the situation amusing.

“Okay.”

***

And so, the next day, Cho-i left the sleeping Nara Shim behind and went out. She went to a nearby neighborhood that Dongju Kim had called her to and bought some clothes. Instead of the flowy dress she had, she bought tight pants, a white t-shirt with a rock band print, and a leather jacket. Cho-i was excited about the clothes she had never worn on Beondo Island. Haha, laughter escaped her. A store employee smiled as she watched Cho-i put on the clothes and spin around.

“You must have something good happening today.”

“Ah, something good happened a while ago, but I’m still in a good mood.”

“Those days happen. Here, the total is one hundred fifty-nine thousand won.”

Cho-i naturally paid with her card and walked out in her new clothes.

“Please throw away all the clothes I changed out of.”

“What? They’re all perfectly good clothes, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I can just put them in a nearby used clothing collection bin.”

“You’re so kind. I’ll come again next time.”

Cho-i walked with light steps. Changing into well-fitting black boots made walking comfortable. She had always worn shoes that squeezed her instep and toes. She walked like that towards Dongwon-dong.

[I’m in Dongwon-dong, where are you?] [There’s a Clock Tower Park. Come there.] [Got it.]

She asked people for directions and headed to Clock Tower Park. She looked around for Dongju Kim, but no red hair was in sight. Instead, she saw yellow hair.

“Is that you?”

“Excuse me? Who are you?”

Cho-i’s eyes widened as she looked at the person standing in front of her. A short-haired woman, similar in height to Dongju Kim, was looking down at her. Looking closer, her facial features were similar to Dongju Kim’s. The difference was that Dongju Kim’s eyes slanted upwards, while this person’s slanted downwards. Cho-i tilted her head and looked at her, and the woman, Yeonhan Kim, said defensively,

“That Dongju Kim’s holiday ended, so I came instead. Is that okay?”

“Hmm, it’s okay, but it’s a bit problematic that one more person knows my secret, isn’t it?”

“It’s fine. I won’t go around telling anyone.”

“Everyone says that.”

“But you’ll know it’s not true once you experience me.”

“Really?”

“For now, you can just think of us as people who will tell you what you need. Do you want to come this way?”