#135
“Oh, Eunseok.”
“Eunseok oppa.”
Moon Bora and Kwon Eunchae, who were waiting side by side at the entrance of the cafeteria, greeted him. Eunseok gave a slight smile and entered the cafeteria with them.
As always, the food at the Baekho Guild cafeteria was excellent. It was well-balanced nutritionally and delicious.
Moon Bora, who always ate a lot, and Kwon Eunchae, who also ate quite a bit, had similar portion sizes to Eunseok.
“How does all that fit in your small body?”
Moon Bora, sitting next to Eunchae at the table, asked in amazement while looking at Eunchae’s tray.
“Of course, unnie. Koreans live on rice power,” Eunchae said, scooping up a big spoonful of rice.
Eunseok took a spoonful of soup before starting his meal. But he couldn’t concentrate on eating. Instead, the brief scene he had witnessed earlier kept flashing before his eyes.
The woman leaning against the wall looked to be in her mid to late twenties and was strikingly beautiful. She was speaking to Choi Hanseo in front of her with a serious expression, her eyes filled with a strong appeal. As for Choi Hanseo… honestly, he couldn’t remember clearly. It was only a few seconds, and he had focused on observing the woman.
However, the atmosphere between the two didn’t seem unpleasant. There was no awkwardness or stiffness in the woman’s face as she spoke to Choi Hanseo. The fact that she could appeal to him so comfortably meant they were familiar with each other.
“…oppa. Eunseok oppa?”
Kwon Eunchae called out, waving her hand in front of Eunseok’s face.
“…Huh?”
Eunseok responded half a beat late.
“What are you thinking so deeply about while eating?”
Kwon Eunchae asked with a spoon in her mouth. Moon Bora was also looking at him as if something was odd.
“No, just something that came to mind suddenly.”
Eunseok brushed it off vaguely. Then he started moving his spoon again.
After finishing their meal, the three headed to the first-floor cafeteria as usual. They took turns buying coffee, and today was Eunseok’s turn.
“Two iced Americanos and one strawberry yogurt smoothie, please.”
After placing the order and paying, Eunseok turned around and paused. The woman he had seen earlier was standing right behind him with her wallet in hand.
“Ah…”
The woman who made eye contact also paused and stared at Eunseok.
A beautiful woman about 167cm tall looked at Eunseok for a moment, then her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. Eunseok checked the employee ID she was wearing.
Choi Seonhui (A-grade)
Guide
An A-grade guide.
The moment Eunseok confirmed this, his mood suddenly dropped. The woman finally tried to say something, but Eunseok pretended not to see and turned towards the table where Moon Bora and Kwon Eunchae were sitting. He could feel her gaze on his back, but Eunseok didn’t turn around.
A little later, the three received their drinks and passed the time with idle chatter. Most of it was cheerful conversation between Moon Bora and Kwon Eunchae.
With his senses highly developed from training, Eunseok could clearly feel the woman sitting across the cafeteria glancing at him occasionally. It wasn’t a particularly good feeling.
Right. Choi Hanseo needed guiding, and there were options besides Eunseok. She could be one of those options. Choi Hanseo might have received guiding from her before Eunseok joined the guild. And if Choi Hanseo was accustomed to her guiding now, there was a good chance he would seek her out again.
He felt terribly upset. He was also anxious. Although it wasn’t Choi Hanseo’s fault that he had lost his memories, Eunseok felt angry at him.
After lunch, Eunseok went to the guiding room and picked up his tablet. Reservation requests immediately popped up. Eunseok stared at one of them.
A guiding reservation request has arrived.
[Accept / Decline]
Choi Hanseo (S-grade) : Rating (5.0) | More
For the past few days, Eunseok had been declining because Choi Hanseo didn’t need guiding. But today, he deliberately entered a B-grade gate and destroyed the boss. It was practically a demonstration that he needed guiding.
‘No, really. They say the Guild Master lost about two years of memories, right? Then there must be a guide who was guiding him around that time. What if he and that guide… you know? What should we do then?’
Kwon Eunchae’s words came to mind. And he remembered the scene of Choi Hanseo talking with the A-grade guide earlier.
It was as Kwon Eunchae said. Eunseok might be the best option for Choi Hanseo, but he wasn’t the only option. There were several A-grade guides in the guild. Although the efficiency would be significantly lower, it would be easy for them to guide him. Moreover… for an A-grade guide to guide an S-grade hunter, simple contact guiding wouldn’t be enough. As much as he disliked getting close to the memory-lost Choi Hanseo, he had no desire whatsoever to send him to another guide.
Eunseok finally pressed the accept button and let out a heavy sigh.
Unlike his usual late arrivals after entering the guild, Choi Hanseo showed up right on time. Of course, he still moved with the leisure of a predator roaming its territory.
Eunseok quickly sat down at the desk before Choi Hanseo could walk to the sofa. Choi Hanseo raised an eyebrow slightly, looking between the inner sofa and the desk, then settled into the seat across from Eunseok.
Choi Hanseo naturally extended his hand across the desk. Eunseok stared at the hand for a moment before raising his own to grasp it.
“I was worried you might reject the guiding again today,” Choi Hanseo said, holding Eunseok’s hand firmly.
“You created a situation where I couldn’t refuse,” Eunseok replied.
“Well, I had to be able to see your face somehow.”
It was true that Eunseok had repeatedly rejected guiding requests. He chose to remain silent.
The feeling of their clasped hands was so familiar. The sensation of the hands that had touched, embraced, and caressed Eunseok remained the same, but the fact that it was a completely different person somehow made him feel melancholic.
Maybe I should really hit him on the head.
Eunseok had a momentary ridiculous thought.
“About us…” Choi Hanseo began, subtly increasing the pressure on their joined hands.
Did he figure out that we were dating?
Eunseok’s heart sank for no reason.
“Were we on bad terms?”
Eunseok felt both relief and anger at the question that followed.
“If they recruited an S-grade guide, I’m sure I must have done well. Looking at the contract, the treatment was top-notch…”
“…”
“But seeing how Guide Lee Eunseok treats me, it’s as if I’ve committed some kind of crime. Did I make any mistakes towards you? It seems unlikely, but did I act forcefully or something?”
For some reason, Eunseok’s insides were boiling. While Choi Hanseo was calmly making these irrelevant assumptions, Eunseok was seething alone, which irritated him.
“You did do something wrong,” Eunseok said impulsively.
“What’s that?” Choi Hanseo asked with a rather serious face.
“It’s about my missing lover. I can’t say you’re not responsible, Guild Master.”
‘Even if it’s you, Eunseok, I won’t give this back. I won’t take it off my body even if I die.’
Eunseok said, glaring at Choi Hanseo’s empty earlobe. A look of dismay spread across Choi Hanseo’s face upon hearing those words. It was the face of someone who had encountered a troublesome problem.
“…If that’s the case, it’s no wonder you’d find it uncomfortable to see my face.”
Choi Hanseo muttered, rubbing his temple with his finger.
A heavy silence fell between the two. It was truly an awkward atmosphere.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
