#16
Kang Won-hyeok. A 7th-ranked hunter who mainly uses telekinetic skills. A man popular with everyone for his excellent abilities and ‘self-proclaimed’ gentle personality. A hunter who ranked 10th in hunter appearance rankings, barely making it into the rankings. For Kang Won-hyeok, who lacked nothing, the person who gave him the most stress was undoubtedly one individual.
“We’re going to recruit more purifiers.”
Won-hyeok had just entered the office with his favorite udon takeout and was about to take his first bite. This shop’s udon had chewy noodles and clean, light broth, making it one of the foods that Won-hyeok, a noodle dish enthusiast, considered absolutely the best. He had even waited an hour to buy that udon after such a long time and was excited to eat it. He had even gotten it as takeout on purpose so he could savor it alone without interruption.
“Why do you say things like that when I’m eating udon?”
Won-hyeok looked at Do-hyeok, who was strolling in, with resentful eyes.
“Keep eating what you were eating. Why?”
“No… hah.”
Won-hyeok put down his chopsticks for now. He absolutely couldn’t eat udon with a comfortable mind in Do-hyeok’s presence.
“What do you mean recruit more purifiers? The current number of people is enough.”
Won-hyeok shook his head and looked pitifully at the lonely, abandoned udon, wondering whether this guild leader knew or didn’t know the circumstances of how the guild operated.
“…”
Do-hyeok narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin. Won-hyeok knew what he was thinking right now. He was probably looking for a way to overcome Won-hyeok’s words. What the hell is he up to again? He thought he had gotten sick and tired of adapting to that bastard’s sudden actions, but apparently not. What wind is blowing through that guy who usually had no interest in even the letter ‘P’ of purifier, what reason is making him act like this? Really.
“Hey, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the number of purifiers is just right now. If we increase it more from here, it’ll be overstaffing, overstaffing.”
“Isn’t there anyone mediocre among the current purifiers? Like lacking in ability.”
Do-hyeok frowned as if displeased.
“Uh… it’s not that there aren’t any…”
Won-hyeok trailed off and naturally thought of a certain person. It was Park Hyeon-jin.
He was the one with the most experience and highest grade among the purifiers working at Nameless. The period he had worked under contract with Nameless was by no means short either. But as they say, position makes the person – there had been occasional reports that Park Hyeon-jin was becoming more arrogant by the day. There were also rumors that he bullied purifiers who joined later than him and even took away their work by using his experience and grade as leverage.
How bad must it have been for Park Hyeon-jin’s junior purifiers to even complain to the hunters? And those stories went up and up, eventually reaching Won-hyeok, who was the vice guild leader. He had been worrying about what to do with Park Hyeon-jin.
“There’s a purifier whose skills are good but whose attitude is getting worse and worse, causing problems.”
Before he knew it, Won-hyeok was getting caught up in Do-hyeok’s pace. He nodded while fiddling with his wooden chopsticks.
“Then kick him out.”
“Ah shit. I got played.”
Won-hyeok finally realized he had said exactly what Do-hyeok wanted him to say and grabbed his head.
“I’ll find the new person who’ll come in myself, so keep that in mind.”
“No, hey, wait a minute. Fine, do everything your way. But at least tell me what you’re trying to do. So I can at least prepare myself mentally.”
Won-hyeok finally raised the white flag. He realized once again today that when Do-hyeok came out so unreasonably like this, he could never win. Rather, at times like this, he should step back and at least find out what the hell he was thinking. That way, even if that famous Nameless guild leader caused trouble or made a mess, Won-hyeok could clean it up.
“What are you talking about? I’m bringing a purifier to purify, what else would I bring them for?”
“Uh… that’s true but…”
That was the problem – because it was true. There’s no way Cha Do-hyeok would start something with such normal thinking. What is it? Did he discover a really skilled purifier and want to help the guild even a little? Right, no matter how much of a crazy bastard he is, he’s still the guild leader of this Nameless Guild.
Won-hyeok was a little moved. So that bastard does think about his guild after all.
“Right. You bastard. I knew it all along. That deep down you really care about the guild.”
Won-hyeok put down his wooden chopsticks and even made a gesture of wiping away tears.
“What are you talking about? I’m leaving.”
Do-hyeok, who frowned deeply at Won-hyeok’s overacting, left the room just like that. Leaving behind Won-hyeok’s shouts from behind telling him to have at least one bite of udon before going, that it was really delicious.
* * *
[Ha-seong-nim.]
“What.”
[Have you ever heard of ‘janatgoe’?]
While he was getting ready to leave the house, the pig suddenly asked if he knew some strange alien language.
“What’s that?”
Janatgoe? Is it some trending item these days? Ha-seong just showed an indifferent reaction to a word he had never heard in his life.
[It’s short for ‘monster born from capitalism.’]
Geez, these days they abbreviate everything. One of the things that was hard to adapt to after coming to this world was exactly those kinds of abbreviations. In the beginning, when he took the subway, he couldn’t understand half of what a group of high school students standing next to Ha-seong were saying. For a moment, he even had serious concerns like whether this was a completely different world from the South Korea he knew, or whether they used a different language system.
“Why would you abbreviate something like that?”
But something was strange. What the pig said was oddly grating on his ears. Monster born from capitalism? It somehow seemed like words targeting someone.
“Hey.”
[Yes.]
“Are you saying that to me?”
The pig flinched and avoided his gaze. Look at that. It was obviously words mocking Ha-seong. He was definitely calling him janatgoe for accepting the Nameless guild leader’s proposal that he had desperately avoided, just looking at the salary.
“Right?”
[It’s a misunderstanding. I just saw it on TV and thought it was interesting, so I told you…]
That pig only pretended to be serious when it was disadvantageous to him. It was the first time he learned that pigs were such intelligent creatures.
“Sure. Then you stay home watching that fun TV to your heart’s content and guard the house.”
[Ah, please take me with you too!]
Ha-seong left the house leaving behind the pig’s pitiful crying. I wonder if that guy will sulk and eat all the cabbage I bought. Maybe I should have said one more thing before leaving. Ha-seong looked up once at the house where the pig would be crying pitifully, then slowly headed to the bus stop.
Honestly, there was nothing wrong with what the pig said. The current Ha-seong could be considered a monster born from capitalism. His dream was no less than being a rich unemployed person. But what’s wrong with that? He almost died just working without being able to spend the money he earned, getting pushed around without receiving any respect or gratitude from people – isn’t it natural to have such dreams?
When he earns money, when he becomes a rich unemployed person, he’ll definitely just play around. He’ll go abroad or go down to the countryside with good air and build a house to live in. Quietly and leisurely. So while accepting Cha Do-hyeok’s proposal was partly about the salary, it was also to find out what that bastard was really thinking, what he was trying to use him for. If he stuck around a little, he’d be able to figure out that guy’s thoughts soon.
Ha-seong got on the bus to Jongno 3-ga while thinking such thoughts. There was only one reason for taking this bus. To go to Boss Kim’s shop.
“Ha-seong came!”
When he entered the shop, Boss Kim, who had just finished organizing inside, greeted Ha-seong warmly.
“I was very rude last time. Boss.”
Because Cha Do-hyeok and Ha-seong had an unnecessary power struggle in someone else’s shop, the boss had to stay inside the shop the entire time they were talking, unable to come out in consideration of the two.
“What’s the big deal about that? I was happy to see that famous 1st-ranked face too. But what brings you here today? Did you already bring items?”
“Ah, I didn’t bring items today. I have something to tell you.”
The first person who came to mind when he made the contract with Cha Do-hyeok was Boss Kim. When they finalized the contract, Cha Do-hyeok had said “Now fold up that suspicious business or whatever it is.” Something about being sick of anything that could be caught as evidence, though it seemed like he was the one doing the most things that could be caught as evidence, but anyway he said he understood.
Honestly, farming inside conquered dungeons was all for earning money efficiently. But now that Nameless said they’d give him that money, there was no more reason to do it. But that’s that, and the relationship with Boss Kim is a relationship. When he first fell into this world and had no money to make a living, trying to sell items, Boss Kim was the only one who extended a hand to him.
Of course, it was true that Boss Kim also prospered thanks to Ha-seong, but still, to Ha-seong he was an incredibly grateful person. So since Boss Kim would have no main trading partner other than Ha-seong, if he said it would be hard to trade like now anymore, the boss would obviously be disappointed. Maybe even the shop operation could become difficult. So while Ha-seong said he would do as Do-hyeok wanted, he was actually planning to secretly farm good items while active at Nameless and bring them to the boss.
“I don’t know where to start explaining, but the hunter who gives me items says it seems difficult to supply items anymore. And I’m entering a good guild too…”
Ha-seong continued speaking without being able to look directly at Boss Kim’s face. He would definitely be disappointed.
“Great! I heard. You’re entering Nameless, right?”
But Boss Kim’s voice, which he expected to be dejected, was lively. No, it seemed more excited than that.
“Yes, yes… well. But how did you know?”
“How would I know? That hunter Cha Do-hyeok came again and told me.”
Why did that guy come here again? No, then did he come specifically to tell him that Ha-seong wouldn’t be able to work with this place anymore? That was something he should have said directly to Boss Kim himself.
“No, why did Cha Do-hyeok come here again…”
“He came to make an official trading contract with our shop a while ago. That’s when I heard that you, Ha-seong, were entering Nameless.”
“What? Boss, you made a deal with Nameless?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, Ha-seong, I became so famous. My eye for quality must be quite exceptional.”
Of course that was true. Boss Kim was the only one who recognized the value of items that other people dismissed as rocks. But why would a major guild specifically make a deal with such a small shop…
‘Could it be what he said then…’
Ha-seong naturally recalled the conversation when he signed the contract.
‘Well, as you said, I’ll stop officially working with the boss now. But it’s hard to cut off the relationship all at once. After all, he was someone who mainly did business with the items I brought. I don’t want him to be in trouble.’
‘Don’t worry about that.’
He thought the words “don’t worry” just meant he wouldn’t unnecessarily block the relationship with the boss…
“Wow, living my life, I never thought such a day would come. Things worked out well for you too, Ha-seong. Entering the 1st-ranked guild. See, what did I tell you? I said if you endure, things would work out well.”
“Yes. That’s fortunate.”
“Right. That hunter Cha Do-hyeok is also more personable and generous than he looks. As expected, you can’t believe everything they chatter about on television.”
Boss Kim continued to praise Do-hyeok endlessly after that. Ha-seong didn’t interrupt the boss and silently listened to everything on the spot.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
