Sweet Home (4)

Let's hurry back home. I'm worried about the kids.

Park Jihun hurried his steps, his thoughts on Kar and Briana waiting back at the apartment. He knew the two of them had been left alone in the studio before, and they weren't the type to cause accidents or act like savages. Still, the worry gnawed at him. It felt exactly like the anxiety parents get when they leave their children home by themselves.

Well, they're not kids, and I'm not their parent.

Anyway, his errands outside were finished. It was getting late, so he'd look up interior remodeling companies tomorrow. The furniture and items for the move could be bought once the remodeling was nearly done ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and delivered straight to the house. There was no rush on that.

"Ah, what should we eat when we get home..."

Jihun was about to ask Shin Jiyeon for dinner ideas when—

"Hey."

Suddenly someone stepped forward and called out to him.

"...?"

The guy was clearly blocking his path on purpose. Jihun turned to look. Standing there were two faces he hadn't seen in just three days. With everything that had happened since then, their features felt hazy in his memory.

"Who are you?"

"Uh? Uh..."

When Jihun made a vague, half-recognizing face at Shin Jiyeon's question, both Kang Sigyeong and Shin Jeonghun visibly stiffened, their expressions twisting in displeasure.

"I'm Kang Sigyeong."

Maybe because he had an objective, Kang Sigyeong introduced himself with surprising calm instead of blowing up. Shin Jeonghun stayed quiet in the back, simply frowning without inserting himself.

"Ah!"

Only then did it click. These were the C-rank hunter Kang Sigyeong and E-rank hunter Shin Jeonghun—the guys he'd registered with as rookies at the Bupyeong branch.

It's that show-off bastard and the gloomy-faced one.

Awakening as C-rank was impressive, sure, but the guy was clumsy and stupid while loving to act like a big shot. The other one always wore that perpetually annoyed expression. That was how Jihun remembered the pair.

He could roughly guess why they were together. Shin Jeonghun had been bitter about not getting scouted by any guilds, so he'd probably latched onto Kang Sigyeong and wormed his way in as the guy's lackey.

And just as Jihun suspected, Shin Jeonghun had begged Kang over the phone to get him into the Yongmun Guild too. Kang, high on his own superiority, had taken him in as a subordinate and pulled strings to make him a temporary guild member. The man had completely abandoned his pride, reduced to something like Kang Sigyeong's slave.

Hmm, that bastard... he's a perverted show-off.

Jihun also recalled how Kang had sent lecherous looks toward the same rookie Lee Mina and even his own familiar, Briana.

He's not just an idiot. He's a real piece of shit.

The memory of those sexual glances toward Briana made irritation flare inside him. The audacity of coveting what was his.

Of course, Jihun wasn't stupid enough to start a fight with a higher-ranked hunter in the middle of the street. He'd deal with this quickly and leave.

"What do you want?"

He wasn't going to be polite about it, so his tone came out extremely curt.

"...Huu."

Kang Sigyeong let out a long, heavy sigh like he'd been holding back for a while.

"Hey, you. I heard you joined a guild."

"Yeah, I did."

It wasn't exactly a secret that he'd entered Another Guild, so Jihun nodded without much interest. If anything, they'd advertised the hell out of it and pocketed fat advertising fees. Thanks to that, Another Guild's hunters were enjoying free gear from famous workshops, premium combat rations, little luxuries like high-end shampoo and conditioner, and even big stuff like cars. Everyone was thrilled.

On top of that, hunters were flooding in wanting to join, keeping the staff swamped without a moment to breathe.

But why the hell does this bastard keep talking down to me?

Jihun suddenly realized he had no memory of ever speaking casually with Kang Sigyeong. They weren't close. It was ridiculous for the guy to use informal speech like they'd been buddies.

This is annoying. Maybe I should just ignore him.

While that thought crossed his mind—

"Forget that no-name guild. Join our Yongmun Guild instead. You."

"...Excuse me?"

The words made him doubt his ears for a second.

The Another Guild Master is literally standing right behind me.

Another Guild might not be massive, but it wasn't some weak outfit a C-rank rookie could dismiss. Their guild master was a B-rank hunter, higher than him. Even before the promotional boost, they'd been a solid mid-sized guild. And the bastard was doing this right in front of the guild master.

Does he not know who she is?

Jihun subtly glanced at Shin Jiyeon's face.

"......"

She looked mildly pissed, as expected.

Of course she would. The guild she built from the ground up just got completely trashed.

By a C-rank rookie whose name she'd probably never even heard, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no less. Still, if the guild master stepped into a member's transfer talks, it could spark conflict between guilds. That's why she stayed quiet.

Or maybe she simply trusted that Jihun wouldn't actually transfer.

And of course he had zero intention of switching.

No guild could offer better terms than Jiyeon.

Setting aside contract bonuses and benefits, where else would he find the love and devotion of a top-tier beauty like Shin Jiyeon? A woman who shared his exact tastes and happily joined in group sessions? Nowhere.

Still, what the hell is the Yongmun Guild that makes him dismiss us so hard?

Even though he wasn't switching, Jihun was starting to get curious about this Yongmun Guild that had Kang acting so arrogantly.

I don't remember any major guild by that name.

He wasn't particularly interested in the hunter world, but he at least knew the names of the big guilds. It was the same as how everyone knew the top ten conglomerates even if they didn't care about business.

There was no Yongmun among them. The closest was Yongwang?

Must be a subcontractor for the Yongwang Guild.

While he was thinking that, Shin Jiyeon spoke up.

"The Yongmun Guild has quite a few nasty rumors. It's the one I mentioned before—the guild that does... those kinds of things inside gates."

She added that since it was founded by a hunter with a gangster background, they apparently handled shady gangster business behind the scenes too.

Hmm. Just a bunch of trash.

It sounded like the perfect guild for someone like Kang Sigyeong.

"We can treat you way better. The guild master said he'll even cover the penalty fee."

Kang Sigyeong spoke with smug confidence, like it was obvious Jihun would jump at the offer.

Jihun snorted and replied, "Sorry, but I'm not transferring."

With that, he grabbed Shin Jiyeon's hand. She wore a refreshed expression that practically screamed serves you right. They started to walk away.

"What? You son of a bitch?"

Grab!

At that moment, Kang Sigyeong—veins bulging on his forehead in rage—seized Jihun's wrist. His face was twisted in fury.

"...What do you think you're doing?"

Jihun glared at him, clearly demanding he let go. But Kang showed no sign of releasing his grip.

"Fuck. I speak nicely and you treat me like a fucking pushover?"

Kang Sigyeong's suppressed anger finally exploded.

"You F-rank trash bastard. People praise you a little for having some special ability and you start thinking you're hot shit? Fuck off with that. Just come with me. An opportunity like this won't come around for you again."

"......"

Now that he mentioned it, people still thought of Jihun as F-rank. In one sense it meant his power wasn't being properly acknowledged. In another, it meant they were underestimating him.

Is this good or bad?

Getting dragged into pointless provocation wasn't ideal, but with all the attention currently on Jihun, not many idiots would be stupid enough to pick a fight thinking they were superior. The Yongmun Guild had probably sent Kang simply because they were rookie hunter classmates. They couldn't have expected the guy to act like a complete moron and try to drag him away by force.

Or maybe, since it's a gangster guild, they sent him specifically to do exactly that.

In that case, hiding his rank increase might be smart. It would keep the enemy complacent. Otherwise, bastards like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kang could prepare thoroughly and launch an ambush.

Yeah, I should definitely keep my abilities hidden. That way S-rank hunters or whoever won't suddenly show up trying to kidnap me.

There were plenty of people who viewed him with jealousy or burned with desire to claim him. Just like the Yongmun Guild that had sent Kang.

If he revealed himself as a growth-type hunter before he'd built up proper strength?

They'd either cut the sprout before it could grow or send real powerhouses to snatch me up.

But if they kept thinking he was F-rank, that risk would decrease.

Right. Once I'm strong enough to protect myself properly, that's when I'll update my rank and reveal everything.

Until then, even if people thought he was riding Shin Jiyeon's coattails, it was smarter to keep clearing gates as an F-rank.

At least until C-rank gates, no one should suspect a thing.

B-rank gates and above might be too much for Jiyeon to handle alone, which could raise suspicions. But by then he'd have grown enough stats to protect himself. His familiars, including Jiyeon, would be getting stronger too.

For now, let's deal with this bastard first.

Kang Sigyeong still wasn't letting go of his wrist. Jihun needed to shake him off and teach him a lesson.

Luckily it was a weekday afternoon near the apartment complex, so there were almost no people around. The few passersby who glanced over took one look at Kang Sigyeong's nasty expression and bulky build before quickly scurrying away.

This actually works out perfectly.

No witnesses was better for Jihun, who needed to keep his abilities hidden.

First, get your damn hands off me. I don't swing that way with dickheads.

Ding!