#112
Eunseok arrived at the guiding room and sat down with his first appointee, Kwon Eunchae.
“Hello! Guide Lee Eunseok!”
As soon as the guiding room door opened, Kwon Eunchae bowed energetically.
“Welcome. Please come in.”
Eunseok greeted her with a smile.
Entering the guiding room, she looked around curiously, her eyes scanning every detail.
“Is this your first time in the Baekho Guild’s guiding room?”
“Yes, yes. It’s much cleaner and nicer than the Management Bureau’s guiding room. It feels cozy too.”
Kwon Eunchae nodded as she replied.
Eunseok sat down at the desk first, and Kwon Eunchae quickly took her seat opposite him. Her eyes reflected joy and anticipation as she looked at Eunseok.
“Shall we check your numbers?”
When Eunseok spoke, Kwon Eunchae promptly showed her wrist. Her numbers were moderate, neither too high nor too low.
“May I hold your hand?”
Eunseok asked gently. Since joining the guild, he had mostly interacted with older individuals, so he was cautious about dealing with a younger woman.
“Absolutely!”
Kwon Eunchae beamed as she eagerly grasped Eunseok’s hand.
“Wow. Getting guided by an S-class guide…!”
Kwon Eunchae murmured, her eyes sparkling as if fascinated by the hand she was holding. Eunseok thought this must be what having a younger sister feels like. He slowly raised his guiding energy to allow Kwon Eunchae to get accustomed to it.
Wow. Oh. Wow. Amazing.
Kwon Eunchae kept expressing her amazement. She seemed unable to keep quiet even for a moment.
“The juniors at the Ability Management Bureau are so jealous of me. Everyone’s dream is to join Baekho Guild after their service and get guided by Guide Lee Eunseok.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course. Especially A-class ability users like me. With A-class, we can honestly try our luck with Baekho Guild, right?”
“That’s true.”
“An S-class guide with fantastic matching rates for most people, handsome, great body, and now I see you have a nice personality too, plus you’re a manly man from a special forces background…”
Kwon Eunchae’s mouth knew no rest. Eunseok was certain she was a member of either his personal fan cafe, the couple fan cafe, or both.
“Can I take a picture, by any chance?”
Kwon Eunchae asked after chattering for a while. Eunseok looked troubled.
“No, not of your face, just our hands joined for guiding. I want to show off to my friends.”
Kwon Eunchae looked at Eunseok with pleading eyes.
“Well, if it’s just the hands…”
Before Eunseok could finish speaking, Kwon Eunchae’s phone made a clicking sound. She didn’t stop at one, taking pictures of their joined hands from various angles.
After taking the pictures, Kwon Eunchae busily tapped on her phone with her free hand. It seemed she was immediately showing off to her friends. Eunseok looked with curiosity at Kwon Eunchae, who remained cheerful despite five years of mandatory service at the Management Bureau. Compared to her, Ji Taeuk had… well, he had many regrets about his mandatory service period.
“Wow!”
Kwon Eunchae exclaimed after checking her watch. She quickly took a picture of her watch.
“This is the first time I’ve seen zero on my watch since I started wearing it!”
Kwon Eunchae marveled as she looked at her watch. Eunseok used this moment to naturally let go of her hand.
“Then I’ll see you again at the welcome party this evening.”
“Yes!”
Kwon Eunchae bowed again and left the guiding room with excited steps. With her personality, she would probably get along well with Moon Bora. It was a good thing.
After finishing guiding the 2nd Combat Team members, it was finally time to leave work. Eunseok went down to the first floor as agreed. The 1st Combat Team members were already gathered near the main entrance.
“Let’s go quickly. Today, let’s drink till we drop!”
Moon Bora shouted with her arm around Kwon Eunchae’s shoulders, apparently having already bonded.
This was the first outing other than for gate conquests or gate breaks. The guild building was so spacious and fully equipped that there hadn’t been a need to go out. Eunseok hadn’t felt confined yet. However, the fact that he hadn’t left the guild except for missions in several months suddenly struck him.
They traveled in the 1st Combat Team’s exclusive limousine van.
Kwon Eunchae, boarding the van, made a fuss about never having ridden such a nice car before. A quick glance showed that all team members’ faces were bright. Eunseok was in a good mood too.
“Oh. It’s been a while since we’ve been here.”
The place they arrived at was an upscale barbecue restaurant located in a quiet outskirt. With spacious grounds and scattered large bungalows, it seemed perfect for a company dinner.
An employee guided the group to a bungalow. The interior was clean and spacious. The table was already set up.
As they sat around the table, Han Cheolyong and Moon Bora started grilling the meat. Everyone chose between soju and beer according to their preference.
It seemed that for everyone, it had been a long time since they had an official company dinner outside. After a few rounds of drinks, even the usually quiet Shin Jeongho started chatting with Han Cheolyong about various topics. The sociable Kwon Eunchae had already melted Oh Seongeun’s reserve. The three women sat together on one side, passing drinks back and forth and laughing loudly.
Eunseok wasn’t particularly weak with alcohol, but he wasn’t strong either. So he always had a habit of drinking in moderation. However, today that vigilance had loosened. Although they were out, being with all the team members meant there was no need to worry about safety.
The women whispered among themselves, and suddenly all three started taking turns offering drinks to Eunseok. Moon Bora insisted on bottoms up, Kwon Eunchae encouraged toasts saying she was counting on him, and the atmosphere made it impossible to refuse drinks offered by Oh Seongeun.
Eunseok knew clearly that the three were conspiring to get him drunk. But his mind was relaxed, and he wanted to enjoy the freedom of this rare outing. Above all, feeling safe here, he accepted and drank most of the offered drinks. And eventually, he became slightly drunk.
Just as he was thinking he should start restraining himself, the bungalow door opened, and a familiar scent wafted in on the breeze. It was Choi Hanseo.
“Oh, you’re late.”
“Welcome, Guild Leader!”
“You’ve arrived now.”
Everyone greeted him in turn. Eunseok slightly nodded his head to greet Hanseo.
Although he tried not to show it, he couldn’t escape Hanseo’s sharp eye. Hanseo’s eyebrow slightly raised as he noticed the intoxication in Eunseok’s eyes.
“We’ve saved a seat for Guild Leader next to Guide Lee Eunseok.”
Kwon Eunchae said with sparkling eyes. Hanseo silently took his seat next to Eunseok.
A glass was placed in front of Hanseo and filled.
“The day after tomorrow, we’ve got an A-class gate. Let’s drink our fill today and clear the next gate cleanly.”
Hanseo said, raising his glass. Everyone raised their glasses for a toast.
The drinks went around two more times. The alcohol now tasted sweet. As the intoxication started to fully set in, Eunseok’s vision began to tilt arbitrarily. As he slowly blinked, trying to regain his senses, suddenly a hand landed on his thigh.
“…”
Eunseok lowered his gaze under the table. Hanseo, sitting next to him, had placed his hand on Eunseok’s thigh. Looking up, he saw Hanseo casually conversing with Han Cheolyong while holding a drink. To put his hand on Eunseok’s thigh during a company dinner with everyone…
Eunseok glared at Hanseo for a moment with disapproving eyes. Feeling the gaze, Hanseo glanced at Eunseok and gave a faint eye-smile.
‘Remove your hand.’
Eunseok mouthed. In response, Hanseo’s hand, which had been still, now began to stroke Eunseok’s thigh meaningfully. Unable to bear it, Eunseok abruptly stood up.
All eyes turned to him.
“…I’m going to the restroom.”
Eunseok made up an excuse and left the bungalow. As he looked around, considering actually going to the restroom, he heard the door opening behind him again.
“The restroom is that way.”
Hanseo put his arm around Eunseok’s shoulder and started walking towards the restroom.
“Please remove your arm.”
Eunseok requested grumpily.
“It’s okay. We’ve rented this place out, so there’s no one else here to see.”
Hanseo whispered in Eunseok’s ear.
“What are you doing with all the team members here?”
“Everyone probably knows about our relationship already anyway, so what does it matter?”
Eunseok felt his throat tighten at Hanseo’s nonchalant words. He felt the urge to hit Hanseo.
“This isn’t the restroom.”
The place Hanseo had led him to was definitely not the restroom. It was the restaurant’s entrance.
A black sedan was waiting in front of the entrance.
“You seem a bit tipsy, so let’s slip away.”
Hanseo, as if he had been waiting for this opportunity, opened the car’s back door and pushed Eunseok in. They had finished eating anyway, and Eunseok had indeed drunk quite a bit. Eunseok glared at Hanseo once with disapproving eyes before getting into the car.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
