Chapter 35 With the Party Members 2
Chapter 35: {With the Party Members} 2
{With the Party Members}
"You don't have to..."
"No, I'll do it. It's Ji-hu's first day gathering with all his party members—of course I should take care of things."
Yu Ha-rin's voice was firm.
She had no intention of stepping back from ensuring everything was perfect for her brother's first group meal with his party.
"Um... Will the Empress be joining us for the meal too?"
Sophia's eyes sparkled slightly with anticipation as she asked.
"Yes, I will."
Ha-rin answered simply, and at her response, Sophia broke into a delighted smile.
"Having Her Majesty join us is such an honor."
For Sophia, who was a devoted admirer of the Empress, this was genuinely a moment of pride.
Erika and Irina's expressions were similarly filled with joy, while Seo Yu-rin was the only one visibly struggling to hide her discomfort.
Noticing this, Yu Ji-hu gave a faint, wry smile and approached Yu-rin to offer some reassurance.
"I know it's tough because it's all new, but hang in there. You'll get used to it soon."
"Y-yeah. I'll try."
Thanks to Ji-hu's encouragement, Yu-rin's expression softened slightly.
Ha-rin was well aware that three out of the four party members admired her more than they did Ji-hu.
It made sense—after all, they were talents she had handpicked herself. To them, Ji-hu was someone they had only just met yesterday.
There was no way they could truly know him yet.
On the other hand, Seo Yu-rin admired Ji-hu far more than she did Ha-rin—and she was the only party member Ji-hu had personally chosen.
'I already warned the Underground Guild, but I hope no one crosses the line.'
She had meticulously vetted each of them herself.
It wasn't just about talent—she had made sure they were people who would never dare to overstep their bounds with her.
And in her eyes, "overstepping" naturally included any possibility of disrespect toward Ji-hu.
'I won't let anyone who looks down on Ji-hu get away with it.'
Her beloved little brother would probably say that killing someone just for slighting him was going too far, but if it were up to her, she'd make sure anyone who dared would regret being born before she ended them.
She had already made it clear to the Underground Guild that Ji-hu's orders were to be treated as her own, so no one would be foolish enough to disregard him—but she couldn't guarantee that some idiot wouldn't try anyway.
And if one did, they'd make for an excellent example.
"Ha-rin."
"Yes, Ji-hu?"
Ha-rin set aside her thoughts and smiled at Ji-hu's call.
Ji-hu, who had been chatting with his party members at the restaurant, had deliberately turned to include her even though she had been quietly observing.
The restaurant Ha-rin had chosen served Thai cuisine, and while Ji-hu and his four party members were sampling various dishes together, she hadn't touched her plate yet—so it made sense for him to check in.
Before Ji-hu could say anything else, Ha-rin picked up her utensils and took a bite of the fried rice. Now that she had started eating, Ji-hu had nothing left to comment on about the food, so he asked something else instead.
"You're coming with us to the Rift, right?"
"Of course. Even if you told me not to, I'd follow you."
This was non-negotiable for her.
If she had to send Ji-hu into a Rift without accompanying him, she'd be too anxious to bear it.
'What if the pain flares up again? I need to be there.'
The memory of Ji-hu writhing in sudden phantom pain was still vivid in her mind.
Less than two weeks had passed since that day.
There was no telling when another attack might strike.
"Alright."
Ji-hu didn't argue—he could tell she wouldn't budge on this.
'Heh.'
Ha-rin smiled inwardly.
Being able to see her beloved little brother up close like this was a happiness that never grew old, no matter how many times she experienced it since his return.
And watching him gradually settle into his role while conversing with his party members filled her with joy—though it also made her secretly crave even more.
'I wish Ji-hu would rely on me even more.'
No matter how much she cared for him, it never felt like enough.
No matter how much she loved him, it never felt like enough.
And yet, at the same time, just having him here was enough. Just seeing him was enough to make her happy.
Though she knew it was a contradictory thought, Ha-rin couldn't tear her gaze away from the one person she loved most in the world.
If a Rift reached B-rank, even soldiers stationed outside would struggle to contain it—but this had never been an issue in the Republic of Korea.
Even in the less-developed northern regions, there were plenty of Ability Users willing to step forward when higher-ranked Rifts appeared.
Especially since B-rank Rifts offered valuable rewards—so much so that many Ability Users competed to clear them first.
The real problem was the lower-ranked Rifts, which many Ability Users dismissed as a waste of time, leaving them neglected.
To address this, the Korean government had been trying to incentivize unaffiliated Ability Users to take on these Rifts.
And the most awkward rank of all was C-rank.
"It's that in-between level—too much of a time-waster for high-ranking Ability Users to bother with. Sigh."
An employee of the Ability User Security Management Department let out a weary sigh as he looked at the C-rank Rift that had appeared in Singye City.
Located north of Kaesong in what used to be North Korea, Singye was still under development—unlike Kaesong, which had flourished thanks to the Underground Guild's presence.
The residents' incomes were low, and there wasn't a single proper Ability User guild operating in the area.
'The guilds here are all small-time—too weak to safely clear a C-rank Rift.'
So the government had reached out to some of the more established guilds in Korea, requesting their assistance—but every single one had refused, offering flimsy excuses.
None of them wanted to waste their time on a mere C-rank Rift.
'What do we do? If we leave it like this and it bursts, it'll be dangerous.'
That had been his worry just yesterday.
But now, as if to mock his concerns, the C-rank Rift problem had been effortlessly resolved.
"T-the Underground Guild, you said?"
—That's right. The Underground Guild contacted us, saying they needed the C-rank Rift. And this time, the Empress Yu Ha-rin herself will be attending as an observer.
"T-the Empress Yu Ha-rin?!"
Not just Koreans, but people all over the world knew her—the strongest Ability User on the planet was coming to observe a C-rank Rift?
This was definitely something worth paying attention to.
"Who exactly is the one clearing this Rift?"
—A young man named Yu Ji-hu, the Empress's younger brother. Look up the details yourself. I'm hanging up now.
His superior cut the call, clearly not in the mood to answer further questions—but the employee on-site was just relieved that the troublesome C-rank Rift issue had been resolved.
'I can finally go back soon!'
Originally stationed in Seoul, he couldn't wait to leave Singye and return to the capital as soon as possible.
But first, he had to wait for the Underground Guild's team to arrive and confirm the Rift's clearance before he could go back.
When he relayed the news to the soldiers guarding the site, most of them didn't just sigh in relief—they outright cheered.
"Hell yeah, we're saved!"
"I thought we were all gonna die if this thing burst!"
From the soldiers' perspective, guarding a C-rank Rift had been a living nightmare.
Even the occasional monsters that emerged were hard to suppress with just their weapons, forcing them to rely on nearby Ability Users for help—barely scraping by each time.
But those Ability Users weren't strong enough to clear the Rift itself, so all they could do was buy time—until now, when the Underground Guild had stepped in to solve the problem.
For soldiers who had been dreading the Rift bursting and unleashing a horde of monsters to slaughter them, this was news worth celebrating.
'The government should've secured proper Ability Users from the start.'
'They tried to exploit them too much, so they all left to form guilds.'
'And now we're the ones suffering for it.'
Though the soldiers guarding the C-rank Rift harbored these grievances, they set them aside for now.
"A C-rank Rift. You already made the arrangements, right? So we can just head in?"
"Mm. Everything's been settled."
'A C-rank Rift.'
It was the perfect difficulty level for Ji-hu to practice basic coordination with his newly formed party.
Especially since an older Rift like this would have plenty of monsters inside—more than enough for training.