CH 16

“…Hello.”

“Ah. Yes. Hello.”

Once I focused on his clumsy Korean, Michael gave a shy smile and spoke, “Thanks for a while ago, I was having a tough time.”

Even though the man’s Korean was awkward in the novel, I didn’t feel it was awkward because it was written in characters, but hearing it directly, the pronunciation and intonation were definitely foreign.

“But how did you do it?”

“What?”

“Water suddenly gushed out. Was it a skill?”

“No—”

“Then something else? An item? Or a scroll?”

“Well—”

“Are you a hunter? What kind of ability do you have? Ah, what’s your name?”

Michael asked a series of questions without giving me a chance to answer.

‘Hey, you. Give me time to answer.’

“Why? Is it difficult to answer? Is it a secret? My name is Michael Bernard. My Korean name is Kim Michael. I’m the guild leader of the Holy Spirit Guild.”

‘I also know that you’re the guild leader. Don’t think that’s all I know, I know how you become naturalized and how you formed a guild. So please give me some time to answer.’

“So, what’s your name?”

After finishing all the questions he wanted to ask, Michael’s eyes shone expectantly for the answer.

‘Huh? Does he not know who I am?’

Michael is a naturalized individual, so he doesn’t have many acquaintances and the news is slow, but not knowing who I am is too slow, isn’t it?

“I am—”

“Huh? Your hand…?”

‘Let me answer. Why do you keep asking questions and not listen to the answers?’

If Salt, who had been making noises all day, were to be made human, it would be Michael.

“Isn’t this a burn? Ouch, there’s a blister. There’s blood here. Are you okay? But is this your pet? Why is it sitting on your head?” Michael pointed to the top of my head with his finger.

Usually, my curly hair would have covered it, but now it had soaked up the water and sunk down, revealing the white Salt. When did it sit there?

“Ppi-ppi.”

“Wow, it’s really cute when it chirps. Can I touch it?”

“No. You can’t.” I hastily shielded Salt with my hand. My palm felt hot and painful, but it was more important to prevent Michael and Salt from touching.

With the topic changing rapidly like Michael, I told him about Salt in case he touched Salt in the meantime.

“It’s shy around strangers and doesn’t like touching unfamiliar hands. Salt, don’t stay there, fly up.”

“Ppi.”

“Quickly.”

“Ppi-ppi—”

Although it chirped in displeasure, Salt flew back into the sky.

“I see, it’s shy, sorry.”

‘Phew, that was a close call.’

Michael’s contamination level was safe. There was no need to purify him, and I didn’t want to reveal Salt’s identity for no reason. Especially with a talkative type like Michael, it would have been only a matter of time before Salt’s identity got out.

“I see. But doesn’t your hand hurt?”

“Oh, it’s okay.”

Although it hurts, the wound would heal once I go home and apply or drink a potion.

But whether he didn’t believe my words or not, Michael was about to grab my hand.

“Seo Go-woon!”

From a distance, a completely soaked Seo Taeju was running toward us.

‘Why is he wet? Did he get swept up by the water I summoned?’

As I tilted my head and looked at Michael, his pupils were trembling uncontrollably as he looked at me.

“You’re… Seo Go-woon?”

When I nodded to his finger pointing at me, Michael’s face turned pale.

‘Ah, I see. He knew the name but not the face.’

Now I understand why Michael’s reaction was friendly unlike others. He really didn’t know I was Seo Go-woon.

“What are you doing here?!” Seo Taeju, who roared loudly, blocked my path and bowed to Michael, “I apologize. If there’s any damage to be compensated or any problem, please contact the Noir Guild-“

‘What? He thinks I caused an accident now?!’

Unlike me, who was incredulous, Michael seemed quite surprised, his eyes wide open and his hands fervently waving.

“Ah, no! There’s nothing like that!”

“Do you think of me as a child who only causes accidents? I haven’t done anything…”

Just as I was about to protest that I hadn’t done anything, Seo Taeju’s hair, soaked to the core, caught my eye. ‘Hmm. Well, I did do something, but still…’

“You idiot, the water was to eliminate the fire golem!”

“I’m really sorry. I’m very busy. If you have any complaints, please contact the Sunset[1] Guild.”

“Bullshit. Why would he complain? What did I do wrong? Hey, Michael, tell me. Did I do anything wrong?”

Michael, who had previously been chatting away happily, now started to hiccup, his eyes wide in surprise. The timing was such that it looked like he was hiccupping in fright because of me.

Seo Taeju, who had just raised his head, grabbed my wrist. Because he was pulling so hard, my palm was scraping against the ground, and I yelled out in pain.

“Hey, let go. It hurts.”

“Follow me!”

“Let me go. I can walk on my own.”

Although our conversation was becoming aggressive, and everyone around us was watching, this guy didn’t seem to care. I tried putting more strength into my legs and struggled to free myself, but there was no way a D-class could overpower an SS-class hunter.

In the end, I was dragged all the way to the underground parking lot of the Sunset Guild.

Upon reaching his car, he flung my hand away as if it was trash and snapped.

“Why did you go there! What makes you think you can handle it? Are you tired of the world? Are you so disgusted with me that you want to see your parents again?”

‘Arguing with an angry person only escalates the situation.’

I tried to explain the situation calmly. Our relationship was already strained, but I couldn’t make it worse.

“Why are you overreacting? I just thought I could handle the situation.”

“Ha, and what exactly can you do? Disassembly? Or making a knife out of handcuffs?”

‘Ah, Seo Go-woon.

Did you make a knife out of a guard’s handcuffs? I knew from reading that you were wasting your energy on useless things, but with alchemy, the possibilities are endless, and you wasted it on that?!’

“Get a grip! What gives you the right to act this way!”

Sure, Seo Go-woon was a useless piece of trash who couldn’t grasp the situation, but I wasn’t. It wasn’t pride in Seo Go-woon’s abilities, or confidence that I could solve everything. It was simply that I stepped forward because I knew I could handle it if Blue Cloud was with me.

“Hey. I’m not like that—”

People began to gather in the underground parking lot, one by one.

“Fine. I might look like a piece of shit to you. After all, I’m the enemy who killed your parents. But if you really cared about your parents, you wouldn’t act like this! Aren’t you sorry for your parents who worried about someone like you and died?”

I hardened my expression. I knew that the parents Seo Taeju was talking about weren’t my parents because in reality, I don’t have parents. But even if I didn’t have parents, mentioning them was crossing the line.

Even if Seo Go-woon is a piece of trash, isn’t this a bit too much?

“You seem to be crossing a line.”

“Crossing a line? Damn it, I give you money, tolerate your trouble-making, even clean up your messes, and you’re saying I crossed a line? You’re the one who disgraced our parents, not me!”

“Hey, I was really trying to do something. If you would just look—”

The slightest movement of my hand into my pocket caused a pain akin to being stabbed by a knife. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead and down my back, but I didn’t stop moving my hand.

“No need, I don’t need to hear it.”

“What?”

“You’re just going to justify yourself again. Have I not seen enough of your accidents and excuses?”

“Hey, I get what you’re trying to say, but at least hear me out—”

“I’m sorry to our parents, but I think I’ve done enough. I’m going to give up on you. Go to the dungeon and die, or get swept away by a monster wave, do whatever you want. At this point, even our parents wouldn’t blame me for giving up on you.”

“Seo Taeju.”

“I guess I had hopes without even realizing it. That you’d change now. But you didn’t. You’re still trash.”

Ever since Seo Taeju threw away the toast I made, I had given up on the Sunshine Policy.

But seeing him struggle because of the deadline was too pitiful. Reminded of the sorrow I felt when reading about Seo Taeju’s life in a novel, I hoped to wrap things up nicely and return to before the toast incident.

That would make us merely lukewarm colleagues.

But this is not it.

‘Why should I listen to this jerk who doesn’t listen to me and only says what he wants?’

“Hey. Didn’t I say it’s not me? Can’t you listen to what people say? I’m not a kid, why are you judging on your own terms without listening to me?”

“Because I don’t feel the need to listen. Do I need to hear you when you’re just going to spout nonsense? Let’s live like strangers from now on. No, actually, you always said we’re not family but strangers. Yeah. We’re strangers.”

“…What?”

“The guild? If you want to leave, then leave. Support? I’m going to cut everything off. Whether you enter a dungeon or get caught in a monster wave, don’t contact me. I’m not going to come to rescue you. You say you’ll die? Then just…,” Seo Taeju’s face, as he dropped his hand, was cold, “…drop dead.”

Despite having been subjected to numerous harsh words and contemptuous gazes, I had never seen a face like today’s, looking at me as if I were something worthless.

Facing that gaze, I felt no need to make excuses anymore. ‘If that bastard isn’t joining the Cradle Party because of me, we can just replace him with someone else.’ On top of that, pretending to be a family when we aren’t even real family was a joke in itself.

“Damn it… Fine, I got it. I don’t know anymore, so just do whatever you want.”

Hearing my response, Seo Taeju climbed into his car. With the vroom of the engine, I watched as Seo Taeju’s car drove off.

‘To drop dead? Such an impudent jerk…’

I felt a sense of relief, but also a slight hint of regret.

※※※

“Dungeon?”

At my question, the dungeon access officer nodded his head while shaking uncontrollably.

‘If he’s in charge of dungeon access, he shouldn’t have run into Seo Go-woon, so why is he so terrified?’

I cocked my head, looking at the documents the officer presented to me.

A D-rank crystal dungeon.

Given that it didn’t appear in the novel, it seemed like it wasn’t a particularly unique dungeon.

After looking over the documents detailing the monsters, map of the dungeon, and the estimated time to conquer it, I placed it back on the desk.

“But why do I have to go to a dungeon?”

Although I had joined the Sunset Guild using Seo Taeju’s power, Seo Go-woon had never set foot in a dungeon before. The guild had only included Seo Go-woon as a condition of inducting Seo Taeju, never intending to send Go-woon himself into a dungeon.

‘Is this Seo Taeju’s doing?’

A few days ago, that jerk had said he would cut off all support. If that support was to prevent me from going into a dungeon, it made sense that the guild was now suddenly forcing me to enter one.

“It’s…it’s stated in the, the contract, uh…,” the officer started crying mid-sentence.

‘What’s with these guys? They cry the moment they see my face.It’s not like I’m eating them alive, swearing, or threatening them. I’m just innocently asking, so why all the tears?’

Suddenly, the previous interaction with that rude guy came to mind and I felt my anger surging. But I couldn’t afford to lose my temper. ‘Seo Go-woon’s reputation was even worse than I thought.’

Psycho, social disaster, freak Seo Go-woon.

With such a reputation, it was no surprise that I was chased away and denied even being near Cradle, let alone joining Cradle’s party.

After mulling it over for a few days, the first thing I needed to do wasn’t to save hunters, but to improve the tarnished reputation that Seo Go-woon had left me with.

‘Ugh, of all the people to possess, it had to be Seo Go-woon.’

No matter how much I lamented or resented it, nothing changed. I let out a sigh internally, then mustered the softest smile I could. I figured they might spit at a smiling face, but they wouldn’t be scared of it.

However.

“Heeek!”

The officer was even more terrified.

Even though Seo Go-woon’s features were slightly cat-like and harmless when smiling…

‘Just what kind of outrageous things did this guy do?’

As I sighed softly, a now-familiar voice drifted over.

“Hey. Are you threatening the officer again?”

Red hair that you’d remember even after just one glance.

It was Chihuahua.

Footnote(s)