24
‘If I tease him any more here, our hyung’s face is going to explode.’
Samin ghostly detected Doun’s condition and waved his hand. It was a signal to be quiet. He decided to call out all the guild members who had helped even slightly with the conquest, in case Doun would be embarrassed to receive praise alone.
“Now. Next, we would be grateful if you could cheer with applause for Guild Master Slope-nim who also worked hard.”
Since Doun’s next spot couldn’t be stolen, the second person Samin mentioned was himself. As soon as he finished asking for cheers, the other guild members poured out boos as if they had planned it.
“Woo woo! Evil guild master! Slope!”
“He says he worked hard second with his own mouth. How shameless! Woo woo woo!”
“Guild master bastard stop talking nonsense and order more alcohol!”
Doun’s eyes shook anxiously as he clapped hard alone while cheering “Waaa…” in a small but steadfast voice. This kind of chaotic atmosphere was a first for him.
“Yes! Thank you for your enthusiastic support. Everyone, but please don’t like me too much. If you like me, only you will get hurt. I already have someone.”
Doun’s head slowly lifted as he listened to Samin’s cheeky answer. He was more flustered by the mention of having someone than by the shamelessness of calling the nothing-but-boos “enthusiastic support.”
“…Huh?”
At Doun’s dazed muttering, Samin glanced down and grinned while fidgeting with the Kyung family heirloom ring on his left ring finger.
“I’m going to have a very good relationship with someone who covets this heirloom ring of the Cheongju Kyung family.”
“Huh? What? What’s with the showing off? Guild master-nim, are you dating?”
Kim Chansol, who had recently broken up with a lover, raised his eyes. Who would think of dating that crazy bastard? He’s destined to fail at meeting the parents.
‘Though you never know. He might be the type who’s only sweet to his woman…’
To guild members he had a playful and rough image, but his abilities were outstanding and his family had money. While stuck in the tower, he had bought a 9-story building located in Seoul’s station area with cash, combining magic stone sales proceeds and inherited family wealth.
Moreover, Samin promised generous and clean magic stone distribution to guild members. Since he found complex money calculations bothersome and believed everyone in the conquest team had suffered, so how could he make distinctions, he decided to divide magic stones fairly by headcount.
It was completely different from large guild masters who not only collected guild fees but also ranked guild members, caused hurt feelings with magic stone distribution, and made internal politics mandatory.
Enough to make A-rank hunter Kim Chansol reject all large guild proposals offering slightly higher percentages than other guild members and choose Yeoun.
‘Damn. Looking at it this way, he’s a pretty decent guy. But that’s still like chicken ribs.’
While Kim Chansol looked at the handsome chicken ribs while thinking of someone whose face he didn’t know, Doun’s gaze remained on Samin’s ring finger.
‘This is a ring that’s been passed down in our family.’
‘If I lose this, my parents said they’ll remove me from the family register, so without this ring I’d really be too anxious to breathe. I haven’t even inherited half the wealth yet.’
These were all things said while showing him the ring when he was anxious without his hat in the elevator. And after hearing such words, what had he answered when he recalled his not-wealthy family and couldn’t find anything particular to say?
‘The ring is pretty.’
When Doun’s thoughts reached there, Samin narrowed his eyes and began calling out the third guild member who had worked hard.
“Now. Next, our Bright Sol-nim who worked hard third, though there wasn’t much to do. Whether you cheer with applause or not…”
As the proceedings became increasingly half-hearted toward the end, Doun, who couldn’t quite focus on Samin’s words, thought.
‘Could the person who covets that ring be me?’
Doun, who had been alternately looking at Samin’s face and ring, quietly picked up the glass in front of him. His face reflected on the black cola instead of alcohol, and he had a strangely dazed expression.
“Um, guild master-nim. Are you going to keep standing until the chicken comes?”
Rain Work Do Hyeonwoo raised his hand and asked, getting tired of reacting.
“Why? Don’t you want to listen? Is it boring like a principal’s moral instruction, and do you want to sew up the mouth of this handsome and rich guild master bastard?”
While Samin answered with crossed arms, the bone-in seasoned chicken they had ordered was served to the table.
“Please enjoy. Since you’re regulars, I gave you extra salad.”
“Thank you!”
The guild members listening to Samin’s nonsense welcomed the chicken restaurant owner like meeting a savior.
“Where should I put the spicy seasoned chicken?”
The chicken that Samin had added, remembering Doun’s words about liking spicy food, was placed directly in front of Doun. Because Samin had quickly and politely pointed in front of Doun with both hands.
“Please enjoy!”
After the owner, who had been frantically frying chickens to bring out 8 at once, left, the table where Yeoun guild members sat showed tremendous dignity with one chicken per person.
“Now. Since the chicken’s here, let’s toast.”
To shut up Samin, who would chatter endlessly once his mouth opened, Kim Chansol raised his glass refilled with beer. Just as Doun, swept up in the heated atmosphere, awkwardly raised his glass, Samin quickly proposed a toast.
“Now. For the toast… when I shout ‘Magnetic,’ please shout ‘He’s the best.'”
“Hey…!”
Before Doun, holding cola, could be shocked, Samin raised his glass.
“Magnetic!”
“He’s the best!”
“…”
Doun squeezed his eyes shut and awkwardly clinked glasses.
‘I won’t come to company dinners next time.’
It was really too embarrassing and completely unadaptable warmth.
* * *
During the afternoon when Yeoun Guild’s company dinner reached its peak.
“…So, I actually wanted a cool nickname like hyung, hic! I worried about it for two days…”
Ppomi Kim Minhyeok, drunk, grabbed Doun sitting next to him and muttered.
“Our Ppomi… it became Ppomi’s name… I’ll really live hard so our Ppomi doesn’t get cursed at, okay? Hyung, are you listening?”
“Yeah. I see…”
Earlier he said he liked the name Ppomi. Honestly, for a grown adult man’s nickname, it did feel a bit cute. He seemed to become honest when drunk. Thinking so, Doun grabbed Minhyeok who was about to bury his head against him. Then Samin, sitting next to Doun with glaring eyes, quickly pulled Minhyeok away.
“I’ve really never seen this many likes in my life. Keuu…!”
Kim Chansol, who had been holding his phone and shaking his head in admiration across from them, suddenly jerked his head up and looked at Doun. When Doun turned his head feeling the intense gaze, their eyes met.
“Lee Doun is really the best.”
Kim Chansol suddenly gave a thumbs up. Though Doun didn’t understand why he was suddenly praising him like that, he bowed his head gratefully. It didn’t sound sarcastic, and he could feel it was truly sincere.
“Really, these people’s drunken behavior is too much. Don’t you think so, hyung?”
Samin spoke to Doun while pushing away drunk Minhyeok who kept trying to bury his head against Doun.
“I’m fine with it.”
Doun ate chicken in a much more comfortable posture than at the beginning of the dinner. The spicy seasoning that made his stomach burn was perfectly to his taste.
“Speaking of which, our guild master bastard… he’s a human who drinks alcohol by the crate, so why is he only drinking soft drinks today?”
Yeoun Guild’s main healer, Veritas nickname Detroit, Seong Suyeon, who was determined to drain Samin’s wallet by using detox skills on himself, muttered.
“Right? Why is he only drinking cola today? I’ll specially make just one drink for you, so don’t avoid it and drink it!”
When Kim Chansol chimed in while threateningly shaking a soju bottle, Samin raised his eyebrows disapprovingly.
“I have to escort our hyung home, so I won’t drink.”
“Mm. That’s also right. Of course. You have to escort him home. Guild master bastard actually had a thoughtful idea for once!”
Kim Chansol nodded while drunk. Even treating him preciously wouldn’t be enough. At this speed of conquest, exclusive unlock of the highest floors by the guild was just a matter of time.
Looking around at his guild members swaying drunkenly, Samin reached out and picked up the glass next to him. Black color. A glass with cola. Just as he was half-drinking it, thinking it was naturally his glass.
“Where did my glass go… Huh? Hey. That’s my glass.”
Doun, who had suddenly lost his glass, muttered. At that moment, Samin couldn’t swallow the cola in his mouth and his eyes widened.
‘What?’
Glancing down, his own glass was there separately. Goosebumps ran up Samin’s spine.
“Cough, sorry. I thought it was my glass.”
Fortunately, the words came out calmly, but he was on the verge of going crazy from being conscious of his lips that had touched the cup.
‘I just had an indirect kiss with hyung, right?’
Doun was right-handed, and he was right-handed too. The area where lips touch a glass is wider than expected, so it was definitely an indirect kiss. After finishing calculations in an instant, Samin’s large hands trembled slightly as he carefully put down the glass.
“It’s okay. Glasses can get confusing.”
Doun replied in a calm tone to Samin, who was startled and apologizing. The table was so messy it was understandable to get confused. He was just thinking about pouring more cola since it had decreased.
As he was pouring cola into the glass that had returned to him, Samin suddenly shot up from his seat.
“I’ll get some air for a moment. I was sitting for too long so I feel a bit stuffy. Hyung, keep eating chicken.”
“…Yeah.”
Doun stopped pouring cola into his glass and leaned back. Since Samin was so large, the space for him to pass looked narrow.
“Thank you. Hey, Kim Ppomi. Move aside!”
After grumbling briefly because drunk Kim Minhyeok was swaying, Samin ran out of the chicken restaurant without looking back, almost as if fleeing.
‘Is his stomach bothering him? He didn’t seem to eat much.’
Doun stared in the direction Samin had gone for a moment, then turned his head. He’d probably handle it himself. He wasn’t drunk, and Doun had a faint trust that Samin could at least take care of himself.
Looking down, the bright red seasoned chicken that was nearly half left despite eating quite a bit sparkled brilliantly under the lights. He often ate chicken alone at home, but today it looked particularly delicious.
‘Is it because I’m getting it for free?’
Doun bit into a chicken leg while listening to the noisy conversation of guild members. Honestly, the words praising him to the point where he couldn’t tell if they were teasing or sincere were very embarrassing and the atmosphere was hard to adapt to. But it was also enjoyable enough that he thought joining was a good decision.
‘Boneless would probably be easier to eat. Next time I should suggest we eat boneless.’
His resolve to never join company dinners again was nowhere to be found. While Samin was punching the air outside the chicken restaurant alley, Doun’s first company dinner since joining Yeoun Guild was coming to an end.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
