#134
Ahem.
Eunseok cleared his throat lightly and shot a look that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?” But despite his gaze, Kwon Eunchae continued speaking while chewing on bread.
“No way. No. It would be terrible. If the Guild Master’s memories return later, he might get rid of that man. You absolutely can’t cheat.”
Moon Bora didn’t speak, but she nodded slightly as if agreeing. Eunseok let out a laugh at how ridiculous their imagination about Seo Beomgyu was.
“But, unnie.”
Kwon Eunchae, who had just swallowed her bread, suddenly called out to Moon Bora.
“What if… what if the Guild Master cheats first?”
At Eunchae’s question, Bora’s hand, which was about to bring bread to her mouth, paused.
“I mean, they say the Guild Master lost about two years of memories, right? Then there must have been a guide he was receiving guiding from around that time. What if he… with that guide… what then?”
Eunchae muttered with a rather serious face.
“As if he’d go to an A-rank guide when there’s an S-rank guide right here.”
Bora chided, lightly hitting Eunchae’s arm as if she was worrying unnecessarily.
“So there was an A-rank guide he used to go to before?”
Eunchae skillfully latched onto Bora’s words. Eunseok pretended not to hear the conversation, but his keen senses caught Bora’s slight hesitation.
“…What hunter doesn’t receive guiding? Everyone gets guiding, that’s how it is.”
Bora mumbled, poking Eunchae’s thigh under the table. Eunseok pretended not to see this and continued sipping his coffee through a straw.
Come to think of it… He had been rejecting Choi Hanseo’s guiding appointments for several days now. Of course, due to the memory loss, Hanseo wasn’t doing any outside activities, so his stats weren’t likely to spike significantly… But if he kept refusing when guiding was needed, there was a possibility he might seek out another guide. No, it wasn’t just a possibility, it would certainly happen.
In the end, he couldn’t avoid it forever.
Eunseok lowered his eyes to hide his troubled feelings.
***
As Eunseok got out of the limousine van, he paused at the sight of the car parked directly opposite. It was Choi Hanseo’s sedan.
“Oh? Looks like the Guild Master is coming with us today.”
Eunchae said as she saw Hanseo getting out of the sedan.
Eunseok casually opened his duffel bag and started putting on his equipment. But his mind was quickly becoming troubled. It seemed Lee Eunju, the chief secretary, had obtained permission too easily, and Hanseo was set to accompany them.
By the time he finished putting on his equipment and looked up, Hanseo was standing right in front of him.
“Are you going to fight rather than guide?”
Hanseo asked, scanning Eunseok’s body from head to toe.
“It’s just for self-defense.”
Eunseok replied calmly, slightly averting his gaze to avoid eye contact.
Hmm.
Hanseo let out a shallow breath. It was clear he wasn’t pleased.
“Eunseok oppa. Can I fire just one shot today?”
Eunchae quickly interjected, seemingly trying to break the awkward atmosphere between the two.
“Not yet.”
Eunseok cut her off. Eunchae pouted, but didn’t protest.
Usually, once you start handling weapons, your hands itch to use them. Especially in a situation where you’re clearly carrying your own weapon, it’s not easy to refrain from using it. Despite this, Eunchae was controlling that urge very well. Impressed, Eunseok lightly patted her head. Recognizing the praise, Eunchae immediately brightened up and scurried off towards Moon Bora.
“You seem quite close with Hunter Kwon Eunchae?”
Hanseo asked out of the blue.
“We’re fairly close.”
“I thought you said you don’t date hunters.”
At this unexpected remark, Eunseok finally turned to look at Hanseo’s face.
“Why is that coming up now?”
“You patted Hunter Kwon Eunchae’s head. It wasn’t a situation that required guiding, and you’re not dating. Do you just casually touch hunters’ bodies like that? Is that appropriate for a guide?”
This is really…
Eunseok felt the urge to punch Hanseo.
“Whether my hands are loose or not is none of your business, Guild Master.”
Eunseok snapped at Hanseo and turned away abruptly. The Hanseo who had lost his memories was… truly a man without a single likeable trait.
For the Baekho Guild’s First Combat Team, a B-rank gate was nothing more than a light warm-up picnic. Their teamwork was still excellent, as were their individual skills. Eunseok focused solely on maintaining wide-area guiding without touching any weapons. He stayed close to Eunchae throughout, teaching her how to use firearms in different situations, and conversely, when not to use them.
There was no team member clumsy enough to get injured in a B-rank gate anyway. Eunchae was a good student and full of willingness to learn. She focused on Eunseok’s words throughout the raid.
As he taught Eunchae, Eunseok felt a burning gaze on his back. The owner of that gaze was, of course, Choi Hanseo. Instead of participating in the battle as he used to, he just quietly followed behind. Unlike before, however, he was watching Eunseok very openly without concealing his presence. It was so irritating that it was hard to bear.
“Me! Me!”
“No, it’s my turn this time.”
“I thought it was my turn.”
The team members started bickering again as they approached the boss. They were deciding who would land the final blow. These days, Han Cheolyong and the dealers considered it their life’s joy to use their abilities freely and land the final blow with the weapons Eunseok had brought from America.
Just as they were about to decide by rock-paper-scissors, Hanseo, who had been following behind, suddenly strode forward. As the team members’ attention turned to him, Hanseo’s body vanished with a whoosh.
Bang-!
The sound of Hanseo colliding with the boss echoed from up ahead.
“Ah! That’s cheating!”
Moon Bora swung her greatsword in the air and stamped her feet. But it was already too late. Hanseo was gleefully pummeling the B-rank boss as if he was finally stretching his muscles.
Moving like that, he’ll need guiding.
Eunseok thought to himself, biting the soft flesh inside his mouth. Truly, there wasn’t a single thing about Hanseo’s behavior that he liked.
Having effortlessly decapitated the boss, Hanseo walked towards Eunseok, looking no different than before. Eunchae, who had been standing right next to Eunseok, quietly moved aside.
“I think I need some guiding. Are you going to refuse again?”
Hanseo asked, standing in front of Eunseok with a languid posture. Eunseok imagined punching him in the face.
“…If you need it, you should get it. Make an appointment.”
Eunseok said quietly, suppressing the urge to throw a punch, then turned away abruptly.
The B-rank gate raid that started in the morning ended before lunchtime. Back at the guild, Eunseok showered and changed clothes.
As usual, lunch was scheduled with Moon Bora and Kwon Eunchae.
He was in the elevator, heading down to the basement where the cafeteria was located. Perhaps because it was lunchtime, the elevator stopped at each floor and one or two people got on. Eunseok returned greetings when people greeted him, and exchanged light greetings with familiar faces. As they were descending, the elevator dinged and stopped at the second floor, and the doors opened.
The person standing in front of the door squeezed into the almost full elevator. Eunseok, who was about to press the close button, paused as he looked through the open doors.
Choi Hanseo was standing at the far end of the corridor. He was facing the wall, and a woman was leaning against the wall, engaged in a serious conversation with him.
When Eunseok didn’t press the close button, people glanced at him. He quickly pressed the button. The elevator doors closed, cutting off the view of Hanseo and the woman. Soon after, the elevator arrived at the basement floor.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
