One Car and a Handful of Cash
"Just... one vehicle and some cash. That's all I'm asking for."
Stepping inside, I found myself in a lobby that was tidy and immaculately kept.
This was the guild tower of Baekya — a guild that, in the original story, had long since vanished from existence.
The atmosphere was far more austere than I'd expected.
'But still... something's off.'
A strong sense of wrongness washed over me as I took in the scene before my eyes.
The people who appeared to be guild members all looked strangely, unsettlingly familiar.
I didn't remember every detail of the novel, but I recognized the faces from the occasional illustrations I'd flipped through.
That woman at the reception desk, for instance — I knew for a fact that in the future, she worked in the lobby of Geobhwa.
And she wasn't the only one.
The group of combatants chattering away among themselves were familiar faces as well.
The ones who had hunted the returning protagonist.
A flash of an illustration crossed my mind — a scene the author had made memorable, depicting the moment they were struck down.
'So that's what this is.'
This is how the original novel revealed the end of Baekya Guild.
Having recruited informants from within, Seo Yeram laid her trap, and Yoon Sihyeon found himself accused of embezzling an enormous sum of guild funds — of abusing, defrauding, threatening, and extorting his own guild members.
Of course, he tried desperately to explain himself, but with so much evidence and so many witnesses stacked against him, escaping the accusation proved nearly impossible.
Public opinion wasn't on his side, either.
Seo Yeram's Geobhwa was the hero that had brought down the Tower, an invaluable asset in responding to the new rift crises. She had even joined hands with the government — so no matter how loudly he protested that he'd been framed, it fell on deaf ears.
His only ally was his younger sister, Yoon Sia.
But then Seo Yeram took Yoon Sia hostage and threatened him into confessing his crimes.
In the end, the Guild Master of Baekya admitted to sins he had never committed, and just like that, he fell.
He was handed a prison sentence far heavier than the charges warranted and dragged off to the ability-user internment camp erected in Yongsan.
Later, through Yoon Sia's own storyline, the truth came to light: the person who had personally killed Yoon Sihyeon inside that camp was none other than Seo Yeram.
She had originally intended to win him over. But Yoon Sihyeon held out to the very end, and keeping him alive had become too great a risk.
The truth had to stay buried for her plans to succeed.
The moment news broke that Yoon Sihyeon had "taken his own life" in the camp, Yoon Sia — who had lost all value as a bargaining chip — found herself in mortal danger.
It was then that a few of the Baekya members who had betrayed him, gnawed by guilt over his wretched death, chose to set her free.
Now a fugitive with nowhere left to run, she had no choice but to flee to Mugan.
To justify a public manhunt, Geobhwa pinned the murder of one of its own guild members on her.
They punished the traitors who had helped her escape — and then dumped the blame for it squarely on Yoon Sia's shoulders.
Either way, the point stood: here, inside Baekya's guild tower, faces that would one day belong to Geobhwa were everywhere — so many of them that I could spot them even in the lobby.
The novel never said so outright, but the fact that recruitment had come so easily... perhaps it was Seo Yeram's design from the very beginning.
Why had Baekya been the second-ranked guild at all? Why had it crumbled so effortlessly?
Perhaps the only genuine members of Baekya in this place were the two siblings — Yoon Sihyeon and Yoon Sia — and no one else.
'...I shouldn't jump to conclusions.'
Still, he was the Guild Master of the nation's second-ranked guild. Rank 4 among S-Class hunters.
Even Yoon Sia in the original story spoke of her brother's praises until her mouth went dry, brimming with pride in him.
Someone that capable was bound to know something about the protagonist, Mumyeong.
I would simply have to meet him and find out.
Yoon Sia, after all, was never any good at hiding what she was really thinking.
In any case, as the guild competing against Geobhwa, they'd be starving for information.
I moved forward with a certain expectation of my own.
If the person across the negotiating table already recognized who I was, establishing my value would come that much easier.
It would save me the trouble of explaining myself, too.
Of course, given how things looked right now, a small part of me did wonder — should I have just robbed Geobhwa's guild tower instead?
Not that there was anything left to hide. I was a body-snatcher who'd already declared his retirement, after all.
But using my power came with a high chance of exposure, and it would inevitably cause a massive commotion.
For now, I needed to avoid drawing attention to myself.
'Even if every last person in Baekya except those two siblings turns out to be a traitor...'
Seo Yeram and Geobhwa's elite hunters were still chained to the Tower.
There was still time.
When I approached the receptionist, she glanced up at me and flinched, visibly startled.
She quickly recovered her composure with practiced ease and bowed her head.
"Welcome to Baekya Guild. How may I help you?"
"I'd like to request a meeting with your Guild Master."
At those words, I could feel every gaze in the lobby turn toward me.
I ignored them all and waited for the receptionist's answer.
"Could you wait just a moment? If you could tell me the nature of your business—"
"You don't need to know."
I cut her off.
My answer was as flat and dry as I could make it, and she didn't dare ask anything more.
Sweating cold, she hurried off to make a call somewhere.
Before long, I had the answer I wanted.
"I will escort you to the Guild Master."
"Yes. Thank you."
It seemed the receptionist herself intended to accompany me.
'I'll need to stay on guard.'
I simply hoped, more than anything, that no incident would break out.
Downstairs, the guild member who had taken the lobby's call had just learned the news: Mumyeong, the Rank 1 S-Class hunter, had arrived.
'What on earth is his purpose in coming here?'
Right now, Yoon Sihyeon had no information on him whatsoever.
Which made predicting the man's movements all but impossible.
When it came to Geobhwa, their longtime rivals, he had gathered a respectable amount of intel in proportion to what he'd invested. But Mumyeong? He'd gotten nothing.
And he had just been reminded of that fact all over again.
'Our guild members can't possibly be that incompetent.'
Yoon Sihyeon was certain of it.
Together with his sister Yoon Sia, he had met with every member personally, sat down for one-on-one conversations, worked tirelessly to foster a family-like atmosphere within the guild.
He refused to commit even the smallest impropriety. He had turned down every backroom request and every invitation from Mugan, and when the government had quietly floated a deal, he'd refused that too.
He wanted to be a man his sister could hold her head high about — a man his family could be proud of. That was what it meant to him to be the Guild Master of Baekya.
And Yoon Sia, in turn, was deeply proud of the man her brother had become.
Baekya's purpose was, in part, to keep Geobhwa in check.
If too much power pooled within a single organization, disaster was inevitable.
And Yoon Sihyeon — who had met Seo Yeram in person — could not bring himself to acknowledge her.
'If someone must stand above me, then it at least shouldn't be someone who gives free rein to her greed.'
If the person who ought to love and protect her own people was instead a tyrant who would use them and discard them, then refusing her was the only honorable path.
Yoon Sihyeon was a man with convictions of his own.
"...What do you think, Vice Guild Master? Why would he come here, of all places?"
"You're the one who wanted to meet him — you even looked into arranging it yourself, remember? Getting cold feet now, Guild Master?"
"Hardly."
Perhaps intending to lighten the tense atmosphere, his sister teased him with a hint of playfulness.
Yoon Sihyeon smiled as he looked at her.
His sister had never awakened. She was not a hunter.
Yet she could still serve as Vice Guild Master and his secretary because Yoon Sihyeon had decided it that way, from the guild's very founding.
These days, the way some within the guild looked at Yoon Sia was far from kind — but if his capable sister proved her worth and earned their recognition, that would settle the matter.
And perhaps, someday, she would awaken and walk the hunter's path herself.
Until that day came, he intended to keep building Baekya while quietly, carefully laying the groundwork for her future.
So that even if he himself were to disappear one day, she would be able to stand against the world and survive.
That was why he had to keep nurturing this guild.
He was still lost in those thoughts when—
"Pardon the interruption, Guild Master. Your guest has arrived."
"Bring him in. And treat him with every courtesy."
At last, he could lay eyes on the man he had so wanted to meet.
And yet, some part of him was afraid.
Who knew what a monster wielding that kind of power might do here?
But Yoon Sihyeon had faith.
This was the man who had walked out on Geobhwa and declared his retirement.
Meeting a man who had broken free of Seo Yeram's grasp — a risk like this was more than worth bearing.
The moment the door opened, a crushing pressure settled over the room.
His mere gaze was enough to put Yoon Sihyeon's whole body on alert.
A cloth mask covering his face, just as he'd appeared on the broadcasts, and black hair hanging down over his eyes.
His slight, thin frame gave absolutely no hint of the strength the man possessed.
Only those eyes were difficult — nearly impossible — to meet head-on.
Yoon Sia, standing at his side, seemed to feel the same instinctive aversion; her expression was twisted into something unlike her usual self.
Still, this was a guest who had come all this way.
He deserved the fullest measure of hospitality.
Yoon Sihyeon rose from his seat and went to greet him personally.
"A pleasure to meet you. I'm Yoon Sihyeon, Guild Master of Baekya."
"...Call me Mumyeong. I find that easier."
He did not take the offered hand.
Yoon Sihyeon had no choice but to withdraw it, embarrassed though he was.
"Understood."
His secretary caught his eye, then quietly closed the door behind her as she left.
Now Yoon Sihyeon could study the man before him in detail.
'A secret-identity concept, is it...?'
That sort of thing had been trendy for a while.
It wasn't a matter of any real importance, so he let it go.
Then — apparently dissatisfied with Yoon Sihyeon's answer and manner — Mumyeong tilted his head slightly.
"If you don't mind my asking... how much do you know about me?"
"Well."
He couldn't let on that he knew nothing at all.
That ignorance could become the weak point of this very meeting.
But Mumyeong simply stared at Yoon Sihyeon's face for a long moment — then shifted his gaze to Yoon Sia.
"Wh-what is it?"
Yoon Sia faltered.
The sudden weight of his stare was more than a little unnerving.
As he studied her face, something in his expression suggested he had confirmed what he was looking for.
He let out a long, heavy sigh, and then he spoke.
"Just... one vehicle and some cash. That's all I'm asking for."
"...I'm sorry?"
"The cash — whatever you can manage right now will do. Ah, and if you could hire a driver from outside, I'd appreciate it."
Alternating his gaze between Yoon Sihyeon and Yoon Sia with an air of visible disappointment, he pressed on without so much as taking a seat.
"A very small price for telling you what you're so curious about. Something like that shouldn't take long to prepare... I imagine."
"That may be, but..."
Before Yoon Sihyeon could even register the rudeness of it, the conversation had raced ahead — fast, and utterly one-sided.
Watching it unfold, Yoon Sihyeon could see the veins standing out on his sister's forehead.