Chapter 513: Childhood Friend (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 513: Childhood Friend (7)
Whether I interfered or not.
When Yoon Si-hoo confessed to her, Jin Ha-rin’s answer was already set to be a rejection.
The two were childhood friends, but their personalities were polar opposites.
One was passionate, the other cynical.
One was overflowing with pure fervor, the other filled with a venom born of desire.
Finally, one loved the other, while the other loved and hated them at the same time.
Once, when she came to me to complain about Si-hoo, I asked her.
-“So you hate Si-hoo?”
At the time, she answered like this:
-“Sometimes I hate him, and sometimes I like him.”
Of course, no one in the world can be only hated or only liked.
Jin Ha-rin’s dissatisfied gaze toward Yoon Si-hoo wasn't born from hatred.
Then where did it come from?
-“Every time I see him, I’m reminded. Reminded of the fact that I’m a person who’s become so tainted and grimy.”
It was none other than jealousy.
She, who had lost her parents early on and was taken in and raised by her childhood friend’s parents.
Her childhood friend, who grew up receiving all the love and support he could want under his dependable parents.
She, who had to walk on eggshells everywhere she went, both at home and outside.
Her childhood friend, who was free in either place, never caring what anyone thought.
She, who had to achieve everything on her own in a cold reality.
Her childhood friend, who had people to hold him warmly even if he failed and fell.
Envy, jealousy, and resentment toward a childhood friend who had what she didn't.
A sense of regret, thinking that if her parents were alive, she might have been able to live just as cheerfully.
That was why she sometimes looked at Yoon Si-hoo with displeasure.
Pure goodwill and love.
She desperately wanted those feelings, which were hard to accept unless they came from a parent.
Lately, those emotions had grown even more intense.
Her only source of pride had been that she was at least more talented than Yoon Si-hoo and was ahead of him, but now, wasn't he about to catch up to even that?
She struggled desperately not to be caught, and that venomous drive stained her emotions even deeper.
For him to confess his love in the midst of all that—there was no way she would accept it.
“Si-hoo.”
“Yes, Sunbae-niiim…”
“Why do you think Ha-rin couldn’t accept your confession?”
“That’s…”
“Because she doesn’t have the time to date right now? Because she has too much to do? That’s all just an excuse.”
“An ex-excuse, you say?”
“You think the saying ‘babies are born even during wartime’ is for nothing? If she was truly into you, no matter how little time she had, it wouldn't be a reason to reject your feelings. That’s what I mean.”
“……”
The kid instantly grew sullen.
I filled his empty glass with soju and tossed a stone.
“But it’s too early to despair.”
A single stone called faint hope, meant to create ripples in a lake filled with black despair.
“If she hated you, she would have rejected you firmly.”
“Th-that’s true.”
“So what does it mean that she pushed you away with a vague attitude?”
Struggling to work his drunken mind, the kid finally found an answer and opened his mouth.
“She likes me, but not enough to want to date me right away…?”
He looked at me as if begging me to tell him if his answer was correct. I grinned and replied.
“Smart kid.”
He asked again.
“Th-then, does that mean… I don’t have to give up on Ha-rin?”
“Of course not, man. In fact, if you give up now, you’ll be a real pushover.”
It was still vivid in my memory.
The look on her face when she, having read Yoon Si-hoo’s confession in advance, asked me what she should do.
She already had an answer in mind, so why did she seek one from me?
I couldn't understand it at first, but I realized it a little later.
That for the first time in her life, Jin Ha-rin was relying on someone.
And that someone was none other than me.
This raised another question.
Why?
Not her childhood friend of over ten years.
Not even the parents of her childhood friend who took her in as an orphan could open her heart. How was it that I, who had only started interacting with her in earnest a short time ago, was able to?
I guessed it was because of our similar circumstances and the deep empathy that resulted from them.
Anyway.
The fact that I could change her answer meant I could shape the situation to my liking.
At that moment, only one thought came to mind.
That this was worth taking full advantage of.
“Th-then what should I do from now on?”
“First, you need to get stronger. Both physically and mentally.”
I lightly patted his slumped shoulders and continued.
“I’ll teach you well, so let’s work hard together.”
“S-Sunbae-nim…”
“What’s with ‘Sunbae-nim’? When we’re not on duty, call me Hyung, man.”
“H-Hyung!”
The kid threw his arms around me, his face filled with emotion.
I’d rather die than hug another man, but for now, I had to endure it.
Until I was deeply ingrained in his mind as a respectable hyung, a senior, and a guild leader.
“I’ll work really, really hard, Hyung! I mean, I’m already working hard, but… anyway, I’ll work even harder!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I know.
Sometimes it acts as an unparalleled driving force for a person, and other times it fits in as the final piece that completes their ruin.
The two-faced nature of the name ‘hope.’
That’s why I was certain.
This would become the most powerful card I held for the day Yoon Si-hoo might become my enemy.
* * *
The day I had been waiting for finally arrived.
The day the Twilight Guild, which had been freeloading in a university club room, would get a proper guild hideout.
Spring, with its cherry blossoms in full bloom, had passed, and the weather was just starting to get hot.
Upon hearing that the construction was finally finished, Kim Do-jin immediately headed to Gangnam with the guild members.
Before their eyes stood a brand-new building in the heart of Gangnam, an enviable sight.
Im Na-eun asked in a tone of disbelief.
“This is really our guild hideout, right…?”
“…Looks like it.”
“In the middle of Gangnam, and not just one floor, but the entire building…?”
“Y-yeah, looks like it.”
To think this was the new home for a guild that had been crashing in a university club room.
The guild members felt their chests swell with a sense of grandeur.
Already large chests swelled even more as they took deep breaths.
Just as everyone stood there, unable to easily take a step, simply staring up at the building.
Seo Jeong-hee, who had joined the guild as a non-combat member, stepped forward and asked.
“Aren’t you going to go in?”
Her words snapped Kim Do-jin back to his senses. He took a step forward, rousing everyone else.
“…Let’s go in.”
With determined hearts, they finally entered the building.
In the center of the spacious lobby.
Standing in front of the information desk were two beautiful women in two-piece suits.
One was a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes, the other a Korean with long, straight black hair.
They greeted Kim Do-jin and the other guild members politely.
“Welcome.”
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Nervous at the appearance of two women with a rare charm, Shin Yu-jeong nudged Kim Do-jin’s side and asked.
“Hey, who are those women?”
“Who do you think? They’re our new staff who will be working at the information desk.”
They were employees selected with the help of the Saintess.
Both were devout followers of the Vatican Orthodox Church. They had recently graduated from university and were looking for jobs when they saw the recruitment notice, applied, and were chosen from a highly competitive pool of candidates.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Rachel.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Shin Ji-yeon.”
The guild members, looking dazed, returned their greetings with a slight bow.
From behind, Shin Yu-jeong grumbled.
“…Is there really a need for two people at the information desk?”
“Ahem, of course. Think of how many guests will be visiting our guild in the future.”
Kim Do-jin said grandly, trying his best to maintain a calm demeanor.
He was slightly pricked by her comment.
As she said, the plan had been to hire only one person for the information desk.
The first talent selected from the fierce competition was Shin Ji-yeon.
Rachel had been pushed out and was supposed to look for another job, but her fate was reversed by Kim Do-jin’s intervention to hire her as well.
So why did he want to recruit her?
“It’s a global era. It’s common sense to have one employee to greet Korean guests and another for foreign guests, right?”
That was a lie.
Shin Ji-yeon was a talent among talents, fluent not only in Korean but also in English, Japanese, and Chinese.
No matter who the guest was, she could handle them with ease.
Rachel was purely for his own satisfaction.
He remembered the blonde receptionist who had greeted him when he visited the Zodiac Guild for negotiations in the past.
Back then, he had made a promise to himself.
That someday, when he got his own guild hideout, he would definitely hire a blonde receptionist just like her.
He had simply remembered and fulfilled that promise; there was no other purpose.
Probably.
Just as he was fending off Shin Yu-jeong’s suspicious gaze.
“I will guide you.”
One of the receptionists, Shin Ji-yeon, offered to be their guide.
And so, the building tour began.
“The first floor has the lobby, along with a café and a convenience store. It goes without saying, but everything is provided free of charge to guild members, so please feel free to use them whenever you need.”
“Ooh…”
The second floor was an office space prepared for the administrative guild members who would be hired later.
The third floor housed personal lounges and equipment storage rooms for the core members of the guild.
The fourth floor had various-sized conference rooms, divided according to their purpose.
The fifth floor consisted of the guild leader’s office and a vacant room whose purpose had yet to be decided.
“Wow… the guild leader’s office is insane.”
“The Saintess must really care about us.”
“I know, right…”
The guild members marveled at the guild leader’s office, a spacious room filled with custom-made, ultra-expensive furniture.
But it didn't end there.
No, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the real part started now.
“We will now move to the basement.”
They took the elevator and pressed the ‘B1’ button.
Ding!
“This is the guild members’ exclusive cafeteria.”
A kitchen filled with state-of-the-art cooking equipment and a dining hall that could seat hundreds of people at once.
As soon as he arrived, Kim Do-jin gave Seo Jeong-hee a light push on the back.
“From now on, this is Jeong… no, Ajumma’s workplace.”
“Oh my.”
Her official position, having joined the guild as a non-combat member, was nutritionist.
So, this place was her workplace.
As he led the dazed-looking woman into the spacious kitchen, two men and three women in chef’s uniforms bowed their heads respectfully.
“Greetings, Chef!”
“We look forward to working with you!”
Seeing them, Seo Jeong-hee asked in a surprised tone.
“D-Do-jin. Who are these people…?”
“Who do you think? They’re the kitchen assistants who will help you cook, Ajumma.”
“Th-then the person they just called Chef is…”
“Of course it’s you, Ajumma, right?”
“Oh, oh my, oh my, oh my.”
So surprised she was, Seo Jeong-hee could only repeat “oh my.”
It was a first for her.
To be employed at such a fine place and be greeted by others.
After getting pregnant before even graduating from university, her life had always been about raising her child.
So, her heart felt a little full.
It felt like she could finally experience the life of an ordinary office worker she had sometimes dreamed of, albeit late.
At the same time, she was also afraid.
“I-I don’t know if I can do a good job…”
She wondered if it was okay for someone like her, who had never professionally learned to cook, to hold such a high position.
Kim Do-jin gently took her hand and replied.
“So what if you’re not perfect? Who’s good at anything from the start?”
“Do-jin…”
His words were more touching than some vague assurance that she would do well.
“Until we hire more staff, these are all the people we have, so you don’t have to feel too pressured.”
Gaining courage, she nodded with a determined expression.
“Okay, I’ll do my best! But… it’s not really in return, but I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
When Kim Do-jin asked, she whispered in a small voice.
“I’d like to have a personal office…”
“That’s no problem at all…”
“Don’t you think the fifth floor would be a good location?”
“Ah.”
The alluring breath that escaped her lips tickled his chest.