Chapter 63

Taehyeok Sa laughed, “Haha.” The other person also laughed, but the feeling of forced laughter was undeniable. The secretary stood quietly beside him, listening to the conversation and thinking, ‘The Shire Guild Master is going to have a rough time this time.’ After a few more useless exchanges, their call ended. The secretary asked,

“Are you sending Dongju Kim, Yeonhan Kim, and Cho-i Hyeon as hunters?”

“Yes, and also…”

“Yes.”

“Send Suui Kim along too.”

“What?”

“An A+ Rank will do their part there. They just became A+ Rank, so they need to get a feel for it.”

“But SS-Rank might be a bit dangerous.”

“I know.”

Taehyeok Sa rested his elbows on the table and propped his chin on his hands.

“Cho-i Hyeon needs someone to properly guard and fight with, and he’s the only one.”

“Ah…”

Taehyeok Sa thought of Cho-i Hyeon. A leaky bucket leaks both inside and out. Cho-i Hyeon needed a leash to keep him in line outside. It would have been great if Nara Shim was an A-Rank, but she was only a B-rank.

“Send Suui Kim up. Is he at the guild now?”

“Yes, I believe he’s in the underground training room.”

“Good.”

The secretary bowed to him and headed straight for the elevator. A few minutes later, Suui Kim came up to the top floor, guided by the secretary. Suui Kim stood in front of the mahogany desk where the Guild Master sat, his face a little stiff, unsure why he had been called.

“I heard you called for me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing major. Make yourself comfortable.”

“I’m fine.”

“Oh dear, well, is this personality suitable for the task at hand?”

“What do you mean?”

“I need you to be Cho-i Hyeon’s leash.”

“…Huh?”

Suui Kim looked at Taehyeok Sa with a face that wanted to ask, ‘Why me?’, but he smiled quite cheerfully and neatly ignored him.

“If Cho-i Hyeon causes trouble, it’ll be perceived as you causing trouble, so go with that in mind. The secretary will explain the rest.”

“Huh? No? Guild Master? Wait a minute!”

Taehyeok Sa turned away sharply, and the secretary, with his usual expression, called Suui Kim.

“If you come this way, I’ll explain as we go down.”

“No, why are you making me do something you can’t even do yourself…?”

Suui Kim was so flustered that he blurted out whatever came to mind.

Taehyeok Sa gestured to the secretary as if to say, ‘Get him out quickly,’ and the diligent secretary, following his gesture, put his arms under Suui Kim’s armpits from behind and began to drag him out.

“Wait a minute. Guild Master? Guild Master?! Honestly, you can’t even do it yourself!”

His sorrowful echo filled the Guild Master’s Office for a moment before the elevator chimed and descended. Taehyeok Sa chuckled lightly, continuing his monologue.

“I’m making someone else do it because I can’t.”

Hahaha, it was a natural remark.

***

Whoosh- Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport was bustling with people. It wasn’t just busy because it was an airport, but it was packed with reporters eager to photograph Shire’s Guild Master Kevin Max, who had personally come to greet the Hunters arriving from Korea. How were Hunters treated in the USA? The higher their rank, the more they were treated like top Hollywood actors, with countless paparazzi following them. Look now. Reporters holding their cameras high, pressing the shutter without even trying to hide themselves.

“He’ll be here soon.”

“Paehyeok Guild Master. Dongju Kim, Yeonhan Kim, Cho-i Hyeon, is that correct?”

“And even A+ Rank Suui Kim.”

Kevin Max said to Jane Wood, the S-Rank healer who had accompanied him. Jane nodded, looking around at the reporters.

“It seems unusually crowded today.”

“Of course, it’s the day the SS-Rank Hunter from Korea is arriving.”

“So, we finally get to see that famous SS-Rank.”

“Now that I think about it, Jane, you haven’t seen him, have you?”

“No, this is my first time.”

“He’s not a rigid man. Well, his personality seems to have changed a bit…”

“Changed? How so?”

“He used to be quite gentle, but when I contacted him recently, he seemed a bit tougher.”

“Tougher?”

“He’s become a bad boy, you know. He was supposedly dumped hard by Cho-i Hyeon, who’s coming with him this time. Could that have had an effect?”

“Paehyeok Guild Master was dumped? Someone dumped an SS-Rank?”

Jane’s eyes widened. An SS-Rank Hunter was practically a walking nation. And someone dumped such a man? As an S-Rank herself, Jane couldn’t even imagine it and just blinked. Kevin then smiled, looking towards the arrival gate where people were just starting to come out.

“Haha, you can’t imagine it, can you?”

“I’m curious what kind of woman she is.”

“Me too. She’s a Hunter whose stock is rising, so I’m tempted.”

“Paehyeok Guild Master won’t stand by idly.”

“When did I say I’d take her right away? The contract will end eventually, and whatever choice the Hunter makes then is her legacy.”

Just as Jane was glaring at her Guild Master, four noticeable figures were walking out of the arrival gate. Seeing them, Kevin raised his hand. His voice was very loud.

“Over here! Here!”

Taehyeok Sa, Dongju Kim, Yeonhan Kim, Cho-i Hyeon, and accompanying them, Suui Kim, came out one by one. I wondered why they hadn’t taken a private jet, but Cho-i Hyeon’s appearance was a sight to behold. Sunglasses she’d picked up from who knows where, casual clothes, and a deeply pulled-down straw hat. She looked exactly like a tourist. Kevin chuckled merrily, greeting the five people. Taehyeok Sa was the first to stand before Kevin.

“Thank you for welcoming us.”

“Not at all, I’m just sorry there are so many reporters.”

Indeed, as soon as they met, a barrage of camera shutters continued. It wasn’t just sparkling, but flashing, so much so that it was dazzling. Cho-i looked around, smiling brightly. And she waved. It was her first time experiencing something like this. Then, Kevin warmly extended his hand to Cho-i Hyeon.

“Oh, this must be the famous Cho-i Hyeon. Nice to meet you!”

Cho-i understood it as an offer for a handshake, took his hand, shook it, and said,

“What the hell is he saying? Korean…”

Suui Kim covered her mouth, Yeonhan Kim and Dongju Kim smiled desperately as if it were a good remark, and Taehyeok Sa naturally brought the handshake he was sharing with Cho-i towards himself, shaking it instead and saying,

“Our child doesn’t speak English.”

“It’s fine. I can speak Korean.”

“You can speak Korean?”

“I know you just said something very rude to me. I also know what to say in such a situation.”

He chuckled as if very proud, then immediately shouted.

“How dare you!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Hey, what’s wrong with her?”

Cho-i pointed a finger at Kevin, and Suui Kim lowered that finger. Taehyeok Sa smiled faintly and shook his head. Then he asked Jane,

“What is your guild master watching these days?”

Then Jane said,

“Historical dramas.”

“Ah, historical dramas…”

“So…”

Dongju Kim and Yeonhan Kim’s smiling faces changed to the same faint expression as Taehyeok Sa. Suui Kim was holding Cho-i’s finger tightly, and Cho-i giggled, pointing at Kevin with her other hand. Fortunately, Kevin wasn’t the authoritarian type, so he laughed along with them. It was a huge relief. Next to her, Suui Kim warned Cho-i.

“That’s not a fellow guild member, that’s their guild master. You should be polite.”

“Oh, really? I thought since he just started speaking English.”

“You can’t speak English?”

“No?”

“What?”

Cho-i blinked shyly as if asking what the problem was.

“Since Koreans are here, we should speak Korean.”

“Isn’t it usually the opposite? Don’t you think you should speak English because you’re on American soil?”

“I don’t.”

“What are you two discussing so intently!”

“Ahahahah!”

At Kevin’s question, Suui Kim covered her eyes. Cho-i laughed so hard she almost fell to the floor, rolling around. Dongju Kim, Yeonhan Kim, and Taehyeok Sa distanced themselves a few steps as if they didn’t want to be involved. Jane, who came with Kevin, did the same. In the midst of that chaos, Suui Kim, who couldn’t back away because of Cho-i, muttered as if her soul had left her body.

“I’m going crazy.”

No one comforted Suui Kim. After some time, the atmosphere finally calmed down. The seven people decided to travel in the large van prepared by Shire. Cho-i was the first to jump in, and Jane got into the driver’s seat with Kevin in the passenger seat. After confirming that everyone else was seated, Jane started the car. As soon as Jane got in, she took out the earrings that were prepared in the car. And she handed them to everyone.

“I prepared these just in case. These magic-stone earrings will immediately translate everything you hear and say.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As Taehyeok Sa took the earrings and handed them over, Cho-i leaned to the side as if annoyed. Taehyeok Sa chuckled, took off Cho-i’s original earrings, and began to put on the translating earrings instead. Watching this, Kevin turned around and asked,

“Has there been any progress between the two of you?”

“Progress, my foot.”

Cho-i answered immediately. Taehyeok Sa was still putting on the earrings. He gestured for her to turn her head so he could put on the other one, and Cho-i turned her head and said,

“Hey, Guild Master. If you say something boring, I won’t work hard.”

“…You won’t work hard? You’re saying that while you’re doing this, it doesn’t seem like something you should say.”

“This bas-, ah. No. It’s only natural for the Guild Master to serve me!”

“Serve, natural… Why…?”

Kevin asked with a face that showed he couldn’t understand at all.

“Because he likes me!”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

“Look at this, he’s shy. That’s why he got dumped. When you confess to a girl you like, don’t hold back, go straight for it. And then get lost.”

“…I see. I didn’t know Taehyeok Sa had such a shy side.”

Taehyeok Sa, as if he didn’t even want to reply, finished putting on all the earrings with a faint smile and leaned back in his seat. Cho-i also leaned back without a word of thanks, and merely played finger games with Dongju Kim, who was sitting behind her. While Dongju Kim was playing with Cho-i’s fingers, Taehyeok Sa asked,

“So, what are the dungeon conditions?”

“It’s about to burst. So we plan to enter immediately tomorrow.”

“That’s fast.”

“I’m sorry. Without even time to adjust to jet lag.”

“It’s fine. Given the circumstances, it can’t be helped.”