Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: My Childhood Friend is a Ranker Tomboy!
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We hugged for a moment.
Song Seong-yeon, the 【Saint】, kept up her barrage of questions.
- Were you a hunter?
- Why'd you come here?
- What have you been up to all this time?
- Why are you looking at me like that?
- It's me! We used to hang out all the time!
- You didn't forget about me, did you?
- I'd be really upset if you did!
That was the gist of it—typical stuff you'd say to a friend you hadn't seen in ages.
But she was clinging so tightly that it was hard to react, especially with her androgynous looks.
- Look at me! You remember my face, right? You're not pretending not to know on purpose, are you?
- Uh, Guild Master.
- Why call me like that? Work stuff? We'll talk later! I'm gonna grab a drink with him now, so you all have fun without me~!
- No, it's not that.
- Then what?
I glanced around at the tense atmosphere.
My openly sullen expression. The guild members looking awkward. And one guild member trembling from the hangover.
Finally, someone explained that the story ruining our reunion had slipped in, and Seong-yeon's face flushed red-hot, like freshly forged steel.
"—Hey, you fucking bastard!!!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Even if you were drunk, that's no excuse! There's shit you say to people and shit you don't! Are you insane? You wanna get kicked out of the guild, asshole!?"
"It was the alcohol! I'm truly sorry!"
"Alcohol my ass—you've been treating lower hunters like dogs for ages, haven't you? And you pull that crap on our own people! Hell, on a guest who brought back our kid's body, our benefactor? 'The fox borrows the tiger's might'—that's you to a T! A disgrace anywhere you go, you piece of shit! You call yourself human after that!?"
Slap!
"Urk!"
"Could you say that crap in front of the dead kid's parents!? Yeah, this guy brought the body, but what if he killed him? What if he stole your son's stuff? You gonna yap without proof in front of parents who just lost their child!!"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"No my ass! You're done. Don't show your face at the guild home 'til I say so. Suspension! You hear me!?"
"Yes, ma'am. I'm truly, truly sorry! It was just the booze..."
"Save your excuses! I don't wanna see your ugly mug—get out!!"
Wham!
"Guh-!"
The moment he turned, that hunter's ass got kicked.
But he couldn't even complain and slunk away like a dog with its tail between its legs.
I was the one pissed, but that felt kinda refreshing.
"Sorry about that. Don't get the wrong idea, though. Our guild isn't like that. Guess everyone got too hyped from the drinks."
"I could tell."
"'I could tell'? Come on, we're past that. Just talk casual with me."
Poke, poke.
She jabbed my chest with her elbow and grinned wide.
"...Still, you're a proper guild master."
"What's that supposed to mean? You're hilarious."
That smile felt awkward.
Our reunion after so long left me tongue-tied. Maybe sensing that, Seong-yeon waved to the others and shouted.
"I'll handle this myself, so you all get back to what you were doing. I'm gonna catch up with my childhood friend over drinks, so tell the vice guild master not to look for me."
"Got it. Um... sorry for the trouble."
"We could've stopped him sooner, but a few idiots egged him on..."
"Nah, it's my fault for not managing the guild better. More than me, though, Ceres is gonna blow a fuse, so brace yourselves. I'm not stepping in, fair warning."
"Ugh..."
She laughed and teased them good-naturedly—they clearly got along well—and they all looked miserable.
The festive vibe flipped to funeral parlor gloom in seconds.
"Ceres?"
"Our vice guild master. Rank 12, has an epithet. She's in magazines, super famous?"
Sounds familiar.
Her rank was kinda middling, so details were fuzzy, but I remembered she was a beauty.
"C'mon. Let's grab a drink."
Clink.
She mimed pouring a shot and smiled.
Fine by me, but...
"What about work? Saw reporters sneaking in the back—aren't you busy?"
"They're here for some hunter docu; let 'em do their thing. Cleared my whole schedule to party hard with the crew today. So this timing? Perfect. Fate says I'm lucky, right?"
Hehe!
She grinned like a rascal and pounded my shoulder.
"Oof!"
Strong as hell. Slender arms, but top-tier hunter for sure.
Seong-yeon latched onto my right arm to keep me from bolting, and something oddly feminine about it threw me off.
'What the hell is going on?'
I still couldn't wrap my head around it.
I pick up one dead famous guild member's body, and turns out their guild master is my childhood friend?
Fuck. There's a limit to plot contrivances.
No wonder I dreamed about the old days—precog or something?
If you're gonna give visions, cough up a future-sight skill at least.
"Why so fidgety? I get it's been forever, but you're making it awkward for me too. Smile a bit~!"
"Just... rusty. It's been ages since we hung out."
"Yeah. Sorry I lost touch. I should've hit you up more, but I got swamped and—"
"No need to apologize. Anyway, how many years has it been?"
"Split after elementary, so like... 19 years?? Whoa, that's forever. Right?"
19 years.
Way too long.
Even by middle school, elementary memories fade fast. I barely recall my old school's name, yet she remembers my face?
"You spotted me after all that time?"
"Full-body burns and that name? How many people in the world? Hong Chang-gi. Unique ring to it, huh?"
"Guess so. Never thought of it that way."
"Yeah? My parents bring you up sometimes, so no forgetting~!"
"Your parents talked about me?"
"Yup! Whenever I rush into shit, it's 'If not for that kid back then, what would've happened? You think your life's worth one person's? Be careful!!' Same pattern every time."
I could picture it perfectly and narrowed my eyes.
'Mine never mentioned you once.'
My parents never brought it up.
Obvious why. No parent pokes at their kid's scars. My burns were badges to me, but nails in their hearts.
If they'd talked more, would I have recognized her...?
...Hm.
"Why the sigh all of a sudden? Oh, right—eaten yet? You like meat?"
"What hunter hates meat...?"
"Then let's drink over there. Looks empty—perfect, right?"
"Works for me, but you sure you're good with it?"
"With what?"
"What do you mean, what."
Seong-yeon pointed to a BBQ joint.
The kind where day laborers wrap up work, sit on plastic chairs in a circle, and knock back casual drinks.
Neighborhood grill house incarnate.
"You're a ranker."
"So? Rankers can't hit spots like this?"
"Don't you usually go somewhere fancier?"
"Pfft, don't be dumb. Reserving fancy places every time? Hassle city. Sure, I hit upscale spots for the image sometimes, but not always. Makes my skin crawl. See? This vibe fits me~!"
Heeheehee. She showed off her outfit.
Light coat, jeans. Tiny earring. Totally normal person.
No tower-floor armor or cosplay getup. Plenty of high-rankers flaunt weird looks for fame, but not her. Just natural smile as she hooked her arm in mine.
Why's she so arm-link happy?
"See? Aged like fine wine—same as ever, right?"
Sly, fox-like grin.
Made me doubt if she was really a guy, so I eyed her chest—no curves.
'Was she always this clingy?'
Arm-in-arm with a dude feels weird.
She was a rascal, sure, but not like this...
"Auntie~! Two bottles here~! Samgyeopsal... how much you eat?"
"Average five servings for me."
About 750g. Decent portion.
"Big guy, big appetite! Auntie, make it seven—two for me!"
- Coming up! Seven samgyeopsal!
Hehe.
Seong-yeon was a light eater by comparison. Surprising for someone so active.
Some aura-slinging coworkers downed 15 servings solo; she was efficient.
Talent, maybe?
Hehe. First soju in ages. Here, gimme your glass."
"Nah, I'll pour."
"Noo~! Come on! Don't make my hand hurt!"
"Stubborn in the weirdest ways."
Pour, pour, pour.
Tiny glass fit perfectly in her palm, filled with clear liquor. She poured mine; I poured hers. This morning I planned solo beer at home—how'd I end up with a drinking buddy?
"Cheers~!"
"Yeah, yeah. Cheers."
"Cheeeers~!"
Her energy was off the charts—we clinked and gulped like pals.
—Paha!
Auntie-style thigh-slap and holler.
"Kuh~! Hits the spot! Soju after forever—sweet!"
"What? You said you come here often—lying?"
"Mm, no lie. Love it, drink plenty, but Ceres nags it's 'not my image.' So sneaking out solo on days off for food hunts? My secret hobby."
"Your vice guild master meddles that much?"
"Yup. Schedules to outsiders—she handles most. Makes guild ops smooth; I owe her big."
"Like a chief of staff?"
"Kinda. Bossy for a manager, annoying sometimes, but not bad."
One round down, meat setup arrived; we grilled and poured next.
Just the second, but buzz hit fast. Meeting a friend? Felt good, tipsy bliss incoming.
Gulp gulp! Paha!
"You drink heavy."
Perfect timing. Booze loosened my tongue for chit-chat on earlier drama.
- So, the guild? You're the star today, no?
- Eh, not urgent. Party tomorrow.
- That cool? Still gotta reschedule.
- Nope. Ceres'll flip.
- Then head back now.
- Nah, she's madder at them today.
- Sorry for the noise.
- Told you, it's fine. Our bad. I should apologize.
- Not that—to Ceres, seems like we bothered her.
- She's always pissed anyway.
- She like that?
- Kinda? Cool exterior, fiery inside.
Hm.
Guild talk first.
She brushed off my worries, detailed Ceres, then stopped abruptly.
"What?"
"Enough guild or Ceres. Not why we're here. Let's unwind first."
Fair enough.
"Okay. Where from?"
"You've been dying to know what I've been up to, right? Hit me with those questions first."
"Dumbass. Overthinking much? This morning's news spilled your life story—who needs to ask?"
"Ah! Celebrities are such a pain~! Never thought my privacy leaked to my childhood friend. Early debut days, I wondered if you were watching—didn't dream you'd be a fellow hunter?"
"Pot calling kettle. Who'd guess a ranker namesake was my old pal."
"Heehee. I did good, huh."
Tsk.
Rascal grin; clink, another round.
Smile same as ever, but pouty now.
"But still, not recognizing me from videos? Kinda hurts. Why no visit sooner? Same name—worth a peek, no?"
"19 years—hard to remember. Even up close before you spoke, no clue, jerk."
"Still, same name. No 'maybe' moments?"
"Nope. Even if, what face to show up with? 'Remember your friend from 19 years ago?' Lame."
"Yup. I'd have clocked you~?"
"Bull. Takes thick skin. Even if I remembered, it'd look like mooching off ties."
"Nah. To my lifelong savior? No way."
"From outside, it does. Honestly, even this feels heavy."
"Hehe~! Awkward over that between us? World be damned—we're friends!"
"Friends? Lucky for hellos after this long."
Another round.
Munching undercooked pepper from banchan, she reached over suddenly.
"True... we drifted. But my memories of back then? Crystal clear. Then or now, I still like you."
"What the fu—"
"For real. Like you. A ton."
She stroked my hand on the table.
………….
'Like'? Hit different.
"Fuck. Gay much? Hands off, dude."
"Hey, gay? Rude! Unwavering friendship's epic!"
"Friendship why phrase it like that? Better words exist."
Heeheehee... "Nerves from reunion? Hilarious."
"Hilarious? Gave me chills."
"Slip of the tongue happens. Let it slide."
- Come on, drink up.
She took the shot; I poured, downed mine.
Seong-yeon loved soju—husky laugh every round.
"On the gay thing—Chang-gi, you got a girl?"
"Nah. Who'd want bottom-feeder trash."
"Really? Surprised. Figured you'd grown fine, dated a couple."
- Not really.
Burned-up guy? Pass.
"You? Famous now. Lines forming, no good ones?"
"Naaah~? Not feeling it~!"
"Then why ask, fucker."
"Friends! You were awkward, so girl talk to loosen up~! Guys chatting chicks—fun, right? Tension gone? Not still seeing me as heavenly ranker?"
"Not middle school. Romance talk? Sigh, fine, idiot. Dumb of me to tense up."
"Heeheehee~♪"
Grinning happily again.
What a clown.
Meat not done, but another round—bottle empty fast.
Booze flowing, girl talk thawed me out; forgot tension, swapped updates easy.