A New Life
"......Me... in Roijir Guild?"
At Seo Ara's shocking approval, Taesoo hyung froze in place, his mouth flapping open and shut like a fish out of water. I flashed a smug grin at my utterly bewildered hyung.
"See, hyung? I told you."
"No... what the hell is this...?"
But my moment of pride was short-lived—Taesoo hyung's reaction wasn't quite what I'd expected. Instead of jumping for joy, his face drained of color. He shook his head vigorously and waved his hands in refusal.
"Ah, no. I can't. That's not possible."
Seo Ara, looking surprised at his outright rejection, tilted her head. "......Pardon?"
"I'm grateful, really, but this is way too much pressure. It looks like Daesung here pulled off something huge, and now you're offering me this undeserved spot because of him.... No matter what, I can't just parachute into a major guild on my clueless little brother's coattails. That'd be smearing mud on Daesung's face."
Taesoo hyung's firm refusal made me click my tongue inwardly. This guy's really about to kick away a gift that's fallen right into his lap.
But a soft smile crept across Seo Ara's lips as she sat across from us. "As expected, Mr. Kwon has a good eye for people. You're saying you don't want to burden him for your own gain, right?"
In truth, Seo Ara had already known I'd bring Taesoo hyung along. I'd given her a heads-up during yesterday's call: "Mind if I bring one more person tomorrow?" The evidence was right there—four place settings laid out on the private room table in this upscale restaurant.
Without a hint of surprise, she elegantly rested her chin on her hand. "Hehe. That's because you don't know us well enough, Hunter Kim Taesoo."
"Pardon...?"
"Just as you said, we hold President Kwon Daesung's abilities in the highest regard, and our top priority is to bring him on board exclusively with our guild."
"But... that's exactly why I can't—"
"Think about it. For such a key talent like President Kwon Daesung, isn't it the guild's duty—and investment—to create the most comfortable environment where he can focus on his work?"
"......?"
As Taesoo hyung turned mute under Seo Ara's eloquent persuasion, I chimed in slyly. "Exactly. Hyung, I need you to handle my miscellaneous stuff. You're surprisingly good at that kind of thing. Meticulous and all."
He might look like a deadbeat in his ratty old tracksuit every day, but his wife had once mentioned offhand that she'd married him for his thoughtful, caring personality—the way he looks after people. Everyone in the neighborhood knows Taesoo hyung.
Time to drive the nail in. "Well, if hyung finds it too burdensome and can't do it, no choice."
Taesoo hyung started to panic. "Uh...?"
"If hyung doesn't want to, what can we do? You know that old Mr. Park in our neighborhood? The lonely guy who lives by himself?"
Seo Ara shot me a baffled look at my words. "Mr. Park?"
"Yeah, the grandpa who sells us scrap paper at the junkyard sometimes. He said he used to be a secretary for some big shot back in the day. So, maybe him...?"
As I played it straight-faced, Taesoo hyung jumped in, startled. "W-wait a sec, Daesung. That old man's like 80 now...."
"Hyung says no, so what can I do? I just want someone from the neighborhood who's comfortable...."
"Wouldn't... I be better than Mr. Park?"
"But you said you wouldn't do it?"
"No... if it's a spot even that old man could handle... then maybe I...?"
I knew it—you're no simple uncle. Right on the noggin.
"There you go. And hyung, don't think it's just secretary work."
"Huh? Then what else?"
"Our ranks are low, right? We gotta raise 'em. Now that we're in a major guild, we should hit gates regularly and grow."
"G-gates?"
As Taesoo hyung's eyes widened toward Seo Ara, she nodded leisurely. "Whenever you want. Gate clears are encouraged at the guild level anyway. You can hunt alongside your duties, as long as you don't get hurt."
At that moment, Seo Ayoung—who'd been listening in—leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Whoa! Oppa, so you're really joining our guild full-time!?"
"Probably. Once we sign the contract."
"Then party up with me!!"
"Huh?"
Seo Ayoung suddenly turned to Taesoo hyung. "Hey, mister, what's your rank?"
"Me? It's been a while since I got measured, but... it was D-rank."
"Whoa, higher than I thought!?"
I'd figured him for F or E given his looks, but at D-rank, Seo Ayoung clapped excitedly. "Perfect! The three of us can party up! I'm F-rank, Daesung oppa's F-rank, so you as the D-rank can lead us into D-rank gates!!"
"M-me?"
"Of course!! D-rank gates will level oppa up super fast!"
I nodded inwardly at her words. D-rank would speed things up, for sure. Earth hunters don't have clear numerical levels like in games. Instead, all Awakeners absorb the residual mana monsters emit inside gates directly into their bodies—experience points, basically. These accumulate, boosting physical stats or enhancing skill power. When you feel your mana capacity expand and strengthen, you re-measure at the Association for a rank-up and tackle higher gates. That's how hunters grow.
But hearing her suggestion, I hit a personal snag. Wait. What about me...?
I recalled the chaos at the Hunter Association during my recent re-measure for combat hunter certification. My mana—dragon mana, unlike normal hunters'—had glitched the machine. And now with the Dragon Heart evolved to SSS-grade.... The measurer might not even register me as human.
Only one option left. Damn, another thing to ask. Can the Dragon Heart output human-like mana...?
While I pondered that, the food arrived, and our fancy meal with the Seo sisters wrapped up in a warm, lively atmosphere. As we dug into dessert cake, Seo Ara dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
"The contract should be ready in a couple days. Drafting takes a day, but it needs our Guild Master's direct approval."
"The Guild Master?"
"Yes. You know her—Baek Hayeon."
Who wouldn't? Seo Ara here was an impressive A-rank, but Baek Hayeon was a monster on the cusp of S-rank. Come to think of it, Roijir's master was a woman too. A male repairman in a major guild dominated by powerhouse women. Ah... she said it wasn't a girls-only company, but... did I jump the gun?
After the meal, we left the hotel and strolled Jongno streets toward a taxi. Once alone after parting with the Seo sisters, Taesoo hyung finally exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
"Whew......"
He stopped, turning to me with sincere eyes. "Thanks, Daesung. Really, thank you."
"What's with the sudden mushiness? You're giving me the creeps."
"Because of you, I can be a good dad and a good husband to my wife. No more jobless days drowning in booze and wandering.... I'll repay this debt slaving like a dog for life."
His eyes welled up. But I couldn't handle the cringey vibe. "What're you saying? After all the times you protected me from neighborhood punks back in the day? Forget repaying."
"R-really...?"
"Yeah. So pay up that 10,000 won repair fee you stiffed me on last time."
"......Huh?"
"Kidding, kidding."
As I chuckled, the awkward air between us thawed into our usual vibe. I slung my arm over his shoulder. "Hyung, I don't like you getting all stiff and burdened like this. Feels off."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Be your usual shameless, complaining self. Act natural—no faking."
Instantly, the sentiment vanished from his eyes. "Puhaha! Knew it! You acting all nice was throwing me off too."
"See? That's more like you."
I grinned at his sudden shift back to classic Kim Taesoo. "Hey! I'm feeling generous! Taesoo hyung's treat today! Eel! Back to the hood! Eel and soju—strong stuff, how 'bout it?"
"Broke as you are, how? Planning to run a tab again?"
"Tab my ass!! Now that I'm in a big corp, auntie'll spot me easy! Pay it all back with my first paycheck!"
"That's what a tab is, genius."
"Oi! Quit being cheap and follow me! Let's go!!"
He smacked my back and strode ahead. Why did greasy eel-house soju smoke pull me more than that 5-star hotel course? So much had changed in such a short time. Guess that's why they say you never know what life's gonna throw at you.
Today was monumental. Time to toast the new chapter of SSS-rank Repairman Kwon Daesung. When else would I drink if not today?
"Sounds good. Let's go."
And so Taesoo hyung and I headed back to our familiar neighborhood nest.
Roijir Guild building, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Top-floor Master's room.
"Recruitment success?? For real?"
"Yes, Guild Master."
Roijir's master, Baek Hayeon's face lit up intensely. "Where is he?! Right now!?"