Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: New Family
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"You lot. Are your hands up properly?"
Do-jae said to the guild members who were standing facing the wall.
At that, they answered in voices full of discipline.
"Yep!"
"Yeah."
"Yes, sir!"
Do-jae leaned back leisurely, calling them out whenever their arms dipped even slightly.
"You in the middle. Your hands are dropping, aren't they?"
"Urk. My apologies!"
"From now on, dust off your feet and clothes before you come inside. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yep!"
"Got it!"
After punishing them, Do-jae started searching on his smartphone.
He wanted to look up some information on the Guardian Guild.
- Why you should destroy the Guardian Stone first
- Pro Golfer Park Su-ho hosts charity golf tournament... 100 million won raised...
- Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Joseon and the United States (1882): Korean History Resource
...
- Allied Guilds, led by "Manseong," successfully clear S-rank dungeon. 13 guilds participated, including Ace, Seongmin, and KGS.
Most of the results were completely unrelated to the Guardian Guild. The last news article he found was the only one that mentioned them, bundled with other guilds.
'Looks like they're not completely inactive, at least.'
Just then, he heard the sound of a door being kicked open from behind him.
*Slam—!*
"Oh my! Sir Lee Do-jae! I'm so sorr—?"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon, his eyes still crusty with sleep, came rushing out with his smartphone in hand, then stared blankly at the guild members.
"What are you guys doing?"
At Jeong Hoon-hyeon's words, the guys facing the wall stealthily lowered their hands and turned around, only to quickly raise them again.
They had met Do-jae's stern gaze head-on.
"I was just teaching them a little lesson. They have no manners."
"Oh! Well done, sir! Please, speak comfortably and come inside for a moment. Hey, hey, hey, one of you, go make two cups of coffee and bring them here! This way..."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon gestured toward his room with both hands, looking thoroughly intimidated.
Do-jae wondered why the man was suddenly acting this way, but he stood up obediently.
At Jeong Hoon-hyeon's command, the one on the far right of the punished group was the first to lower his hands and move. It was the same guy who had pointed a dagger at Do-jae.
"Guild Master, we have coffee in our guild?"
"If we don't, go buy some! Get the most expensive kind!"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon took a 10,000-won bill from his wallet, which was emblazoned with a luxury brand logo, pressed it into the guy's hand, and then escorted Do-jae to his room.
***
"The room's a bit of a mess, isn't it? I'll clean it up right away."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon's room was extremely messy.
The stale smell of cigarettes, an overflowing trash can, empty liquor bottles piled on the table—it was a total disaster.
However, his open closet was neatly organized, filled with luxury brand items bearing large logos, even at a glance.
"Phew... You should have given me a heads-up! Please, have a seat."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon said, wiping cigarette ash off the table with a tissue.
Do-jae hesitated whether to sit on the sunken sofa and ended up perching on the edge.
"He told me about you. You were in the Chilgok Unit before being transferred to headquarters?"
"Yes. That's right."
"He said you were a unit commander directly under him..."
"I'm not sure about that. I came here as part of the transfer process to headquarters."
"I... I see?"
Jeong Hoon-hyeon looked extremely nervous.
Do-jae wondered what on earth Kim Hwan-soo had told him to make him so tense.
"Is there something you wanted to say?"
"No! Not at all. Sir Lee Do-jae, please feel free to do as you wish. Come to work whenever you want, and if you need anything, just say the word! If you need this room, I'll have it cleared out for you by the end of the day!"
"I don't need the room... but I appreciate the consideration. And I understand I've been appointed as this guild's Vice Guild Master. Is that correct?"
"Yes, yes, it may be a humble little guild, but you, Sir Lee Do-jae, are the Vice Guild Master."
*Knock, knock—.*
"Here you go. Two Americanos."
The dagger-wielding guy placed two convenience store Americanos, ice cubes floating on top, on the table.
He seemed to put them down with a little more force on Do-jae's side than on Jeong Hoon-hyeon's, as if to convey his feelings.
"Right, right, you can go now. Ah, and you can put your hands down."
"Yes, sir."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon winked at Do-jae, and Do-jae gave a slight nod.
After the guy left, Jeong Hoon-hyeon spoke quietly, as if whispering.
"Our guild members are a bit rough around the edges, aren't they? But they're loyal guys, believe it or not. Please don't think too poorly of them."
"Yes, well..."
Do-jae glanced at the blurry figures of the guild members through the blinds before asking Jeong Hoon-hyeon another question.
"More importantly, what is your relationship with Captain Kim Hwan-soo?"
"Ah, I owe Captain Hwan-soo a lot. I was a reckless kid, and he helped me out a great deal. Now, I've managed to set up a decent guild and make a living for myself."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon said awkwardly, scratching his head.
From Jeong Hoon-hyeon's appearance and behavior, Do-jae could guess what his past was like.
A young punk who ran into Kim Hwan-soo, turned over a new leaf, but still hadn't shaken off all his old habits.
That's the kind of man he seemed to be.
"And please, speak to me casually. You're older than me, and for now, I'm your Vice Guild Master."
"Huh? But Sir Lee Do-jae, you're a high-ranking officer in the Suppression Corps."
"I haven't officially taken that post, so for now, I'm no different from a squad leader in the Chilgok Unit. Besides, it's better for the guild members to see it that way."
Do-jae recalled the words of Son Jeong-gyu, who had been the vice squad leader when he first joined the Chilgok Unit.
Compared to the Suppression Corps with its strict discipline, a guild was more liberal, but it was still necessary to establish a clear hierarchy to maintain order.
Otherwise, the chain of command would break down from the bottom up, and in extreme cases, it could lead to dangerous situations during combat with monsters.
"Ye... uh... right, right. I understand...!"
"You don't need to walk on eggshells. Master."
"Right! I'm the Guild Master of the Guardian Guild, after all. So I'll call you Vice Guild Master."
"If you have any work for me, just let me know. I'll help out when I have time. And you can leave all the dungeon clearing to me."
"Really? No, seriously? An A-rank Awakened in our guild... You never know where life will take you!"
It seemed Kim Hwan-soo had introduced Do-jae as an A-rank Awakened.
Jeong Hoon-hyeon, seemingly overcome with emotion, gripped both of Do-jae's hands tightly.
"Oh, by the way, did you come alone, Vice Guild Master? The Captain said he was sending three people. That he was sending your subordinates, too."
"Subordinates? I came alone."
"Really? Hooo... Huh? Looks like they're here now!"
Just then, a bit of a commotion could be heard from outside the room.
Do-jae went outside with Jeong Hoon-hyeon.
"Hohoho, you cute things."
"Sis! Are you hurt anywhere?"
"I'll get your shoulders. You guys massage her arms."
"Ma'am, what brings you here?"
Stepping outside, Do-jae couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the sight before him.
Song Ji-yoon was sitting in a chair, happily receiving a massage from the guild members.
"Master, I think that's them."
"You know them?"
"Yes, I know them both well."
Do-jae looked at the man standing next to Song Ji-yoon, waving in their direction.
It was Shim Young-jin.
"Chief! We're here!"
"Huh? Squad Leader!"
The two of them ran up to Do-jae with bright expressions.
Do-jae greeted them warmly.
From Do-jae's perspective, seeing Ji-yoon for the first time in over a month was an especially welcome sight.
"Are you two also here on Captain Kim Hwan-soo's orders?"
"Yep! We were ordered to support you, Squad Leader!"
"Lies. Originally, I was the only one coming to join you, Chief, but Ji-yoon came and begged him. To bring her along."
"Squad Leader Shim! Why would you say that? I never took you for that kind of person, Squad Leader Shim!"
"But it's true. The Captain only called for me, but somehow you found out and tagged along..."
"Agh, seriously!"
The two started to bicker and squabble.
Ji-yoon went at him with all her might, while Young-jin held back, deflecting her attacks.
"V... Vice Guild Master, shouldn't we stop them?"
"It's fine. Ji-yoon's always like that. They'll make up again in a little while."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon was fidgeting nervously, and his guild members just stared blankly at Ji-yoon and Young-jin's squabble.
Do-jae sipped the iced Americano he had brought out, watching their fight with a pleased expression, thinking they were like real-life siblings.
***
"Ahem. Ahem. I am... no, I am Jeong Hoon-hyeon, the Guild Master of this Guardian Guild."
*Clap, clap, clap, clap—.*
"And these are Lee Do-jae, Shim Young-jin, and Song Ji-yoon, who will be working with us starting today."
...
"Aren't you going to clap?"
*Clap, clap, clap, clap—!*
"Good. And these are our original guild members, Ha Tae-sung, Gong So-eun, and Park Kyung-min."
Jeong Hoon-hyeon finished the introductions one by one with a broad smile.
He was incredibly pleased that the number of guild members had doubled in an instant.
"Until now, we've been like a family, but with new members joining, we'll need positions and ranks, right? First, Lee Do-jae here is the Vice Guild Master. Anyone object?"
No one opened their mouth.
Ji-yoon and Young-jin, having spent time with Do-jae, nodded in agreement. Ha Tae-sung, Gong So-eun, and Park Kyung-min couldn't voice any complaints since they had witnessed Do-jae's skills firsthand.
"The next position is... there isn't one! There are only five of you, so what's the point? Introductions over! Now, everyone get to your tasks..."
"Wait a minute!"
Young-jin raised his hand and shouted.
Young-jin asked in a slightly flustered voice.
"What about me? I'm fine with the Chief being the Vice Guild Master. But I get nothing? I was a squad leader in the Chilgok Unit."
"Oh? So you're not Squad Leader Shim anymore? Hey, Young-jin!"
"Hey! At least don't speak to me so informally!"
"Why not? We're not in the Suppression Corps anymore, and we have the same rank. Besides, you're younger than me. Call me 'sis' from now on."
"Ugh!"
Ji-yoon giggled and teased him, while Young-jin trembled, suppressing his anger.
This was because Do-jae had quietly whispered in his ear, telling him to bear with it.
"Maybe if we had more members, but there are only seven of us in total. Let's just all get along comfortably. Now, everyone, get back to work."
With that, Jeong Hoon-hyeon left the office.
It seemed he was a little uncomfortable with Do-jae being there.
After Jeong Hoon-hyeon left, Ha Tae-sung approached Do-jae.
"I apologize for earlier. I didn't realize you were the big boss our sis served under."
Ha Tae-sung bowed a full ninety degrees.
Do-jae helped Ha Tae-sung up and then asked Ji-yoon.
"Ji-yoon, were you a gangster?"
As Do-jae asked, holding back a laugh, Ji-yoon jumped in surprise and waved her hands frantically.
"Whaat? No! They're just some kids I used to look after. Hey, you guys, watch what you say! Someone might get the wrong idea."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Yeah."
"Yes. Understood."
The guys responded to Ji-yoon's words with more sincerity than they ever showed Jeong Hoon-hyeon.
Do-jae found himself wondering just how she had 'looked after' them in the past.
"You guys, this man is far stronger and more amazing than you can imagine, so you'd better be on your best behavior! Got it? And this here... you can't be rude to Squad Leader Shim, either. You'd be shocked if you knew who he was."
"Ji-yoon..."
Young-jin looked at Ji-yoon, touched.
Do-jae watched them with satisfaction before getting up from his seat.
"Huh? Chief, where are you going?"
Young-jin asked, looking up.
Do-jae clapped Young-jin on the shoulder and said.
"I have things to do, too."
With that, Do-jae left the office.