Shinyeom (5)
How should I put this. They say an awakening can strike out of nowhere, but I never imagined it would be quite this sudden.
"Does this even make sense?!"
Choi Jian protested, her face a picture of disbelief.
"Waking up like this out of the blue—wait. You weren't an Awakened all along and just hiding it, were you?!"
"Why would I do that?"
Of course I was just as stunned. Who could have predicted I'd awaken like this, completely out of nowhere?
"And it's the perfect ability for a porter, isn't it?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
I remembered hearing that Awakened instinctively grasp how to handle their abilities from the very moment they awaken.
Guess that wasn't just talk.
With nothing more than a flicker of concentration, I could slip objects in and out of my Inventory without any trouble at all. I kept stuffing a cup in and pulling it back out, over and over, until Han Yerim finally snapped.
"Hey, cut it out. That's driving me crazy."
"This is fun, though."
"Ugh, seriously."
Han Yerim let out a sigh.
"So you're really coming along as a porter, oppa?"
"Yeah. And I just happened to awaken an ability that's perfect for it."
"It really is a great ability for a porter, now that I think about it... Any idea how much it can hold?"
"Beats me. I'll probably have to actually stuff things in there to get a feel for it."
In the end, the only way to figure out an ability was to use it. Neither of them needed to be told that. Choi Jian and Han Yerim nodded, looking none too thrilled about it.
"...I suppose we don't have a choice."
"If that's really what you want, oppa..."
"But we're going to do this as safely as possible."
"Right. I don't care if you're the Guild Master, oppa—inside the Gate, you do what we say. Got it?"
"You don't have to worry about that."
It wasn't as if I knew enough about Gates to start barking orders in there anyway. I fully intended to stick to the porter's job and nothing else.
"...Do you really have to be that determined about it?"
"If I'm doing it, I'm doing it right."
"Well, that's true, but..."
Han Yerim wore an expression that said, Is this really okay...? But she didn't press the matter any further.
"Anyway, we should head in."
Come to think of it, there was no longer any need to have Han Yerim and Choi Jian sleep at my place. I couldn't put them up somewhere luxurious just yet, but I finally had enough of a budget to find them somewhere decent to stay.
"Huh? Can't I just keep sleeping in your room, oppa? I like—I mean, I don't mind either way."
"I mind, so no."
"Aww, whyyy?"
"For one thing, it's way too small. The room's cramped enough as it is."
"It was bigger than my dorm, though?"
"...That just means your dorm was messed up."
"No way?!"
Han Yerim's face went slack. She looked genuinely shocked.
"Compared to how things used to be, it was heaven..."
"If that counted as heaven, then what was my place?"
"Mmm, an even better heaven?"
"...I'll find you somewhere even better than my house."
"Eek—if it's that nice, shouldn't you be the one living there, oppa?"
"Just do as I say."
"...Okay."
I shook my head firmly, and only then did she nod. I sighed and looked over at Choi Jian beside her.
"Just so we're clear, that goes for you too, Jian."
"Why...?"
"It's the obvious call, so don't look at me like I just stabbed you in the back."
Why on earth do they like my place this much?
"Haa..."
Kwon Taeyoon, a D-Rank Awakened of Shinyeom Guild, stared up at the sky in utter despair.
"This is fucking bullshit. How the hell am I supposed to find some crazy bitch who ran away from home."
The order was absurd: find the runaway Han Yerim and drag her back. He'd protested, of course, that it was ridiculous—but all he got in return was a shut up and find her. They'd even threatened to cut his "benefits" in half if he didn't, so Kwon Taeyoon had no choice but to wander the streets of Seoul, swallowing his complaints.
"No phone, I can't even file a missing persons report, and I'm doing this alone. How the hell am I supposed to find her?!"
And even if he found her, bringing her back was another problem entirely. She was an A-Rank Awakened, for crying out loud. For a mere D-Rank like Kwon Taeyoon, even looking up at her required permission.
"Hah... if it weren't for those capsules, I'd have ditched this shithole a long time ago."
Shit pay, overtime every single day, and they treated him like garbage. The only reason he kept showing up at Shinyeom Guild was the "capsules" they handed out as benefits. Then again, that one thing alone was reason enough to stay.
"Ah, shit. They told me not to do this outside..."
Kwon Taeyoon swallowed hard and pulled a couple of tiny pills from his pocket. He was supposed to hold out, but the moment he saw them, he knew he couldn't wait any longer.
"...Ah, what's the worst that could happen."
He tossed them into his mouth and swallowed.
"Hnnngh. That's the stuff."
A wave of pleasure washed over him. He shuddered quietly, drowning in bliss. Every last scrap of the frustration and irritation that had been boiling inside him melted away. Kwon Taeyoon started swaying like a limp octopus.
"Heheh. Time to go find that crazy bitch."
Worries about A-Rank Hunters this, searching for someone in the middle of Seoul that—all of it got wiped from his mind.
"Heheheheh."
Kwon Taeyoon strutted through the streets of Seoul, grinning, and people who saw him started whispering.
"What's with that guy?"
"Dunno. Is he crazy?"
"Ugh, let's not get close."
"Should we call the cops?"
A few of them even considered reporting him.
"Don't be an idiot. Look at him—he's obviously an Awakened. What if he comes after you later?"
"Ah, shit. Yeah, you're right."
"Yeah, let's just go before he looks this way."
Once they noticed his gear and realized he was an Awakened, they dropped the idea, too afraid of possible retaliation.
"Heheheh. Hide and seek. Where's that crazy bitch hiding..."
Whether the people around him whispered or not, Kwon Taeyoon staggered through the streets like a zombie.
"Hide and seek, hide and seek. When I find her I'll fuck her, fuck, I'll just..."
High as he was, the only thing that came to mind was Han Yerim. Even in a world of Awakened overflowing with beauties, she was a girl who ranked among the very best. At the same time, she was a crazy bitch whose wild, unbroken-colt of a personality had given everyone in the guild a massive headache. Even so, it would have been a lie to say he'd never harbored dirty thoughts about that face. And high as he was, fighting instinct was a losing battle.
"Heehee. When I find her I'll just go like this..."
Kwon Taeyoon started grinding his hips against a street tree.
"Huh, oppa. That guy looks kinda familiar. I feel like I've seen his face a few times."
"Judging by the way he's acting, he probably grew up somewhere like we did. But I don't know that face, so he's not from our orphanage."
Meanwhile, he had no idea that the very face he'd been so desperately searching for was walking right past him.
"Hmm."
Even among the Big 4 Guilds, Cheonhwa Guild's skyscraper was widely regarded as the most extravagant. It was a relatively recent construction, and the heavy hand of its Guild Master, Cheon Sohye, was all over the design.
In a room packed with decorations that were her taste through and through, Cheon Sohye listened to a report.
"So it's real? Apex Guild is back?"
"Yes. We inquired with the Hunter Management Bureau, and confirmed the proposal did come from Apex Guild's official email."
"Really? The Apex Guild I know?"
"Yes."
A proposal to sell the Apex Guild name itself. At first they'd dismissed it as spam, of course—but it had turned out to be a genuine offer from the real Apex Guild.
"What's the current Guild Master like?"
"Lee Yeonwoo. He's Lee Taeseong's son."
"Hmm. So that old man had a son."
He'd never looked like the type to have a son—or anyone he loved, for that matter. That was a bit of a surprise.
"And the son wants to sell Apex Guild?"
"He probably didn't want it. We did a little digging—he grew up in an orphanage until he came of age, and it seems he only recently even learned his father existed. On top of that, Apex Guild wasn't exactly in working condition..."
"Yeah, that tracks."
Cheon Sohye stroked her chin.
"So what's our play."
They wanted to sell Apex's name and history. It was an undeniably attractive offer. Unlike the other Big 4 Guilds, which boasted long, storied histories, Cheonhwa Guild was young. The title of Apex Guild's spiritual successor—something they'd gain by accepting this offer—was too tempting to pass up.
"How much do they want for it?"
"For now, they only asked if we were interested. They'll probably negotiate the price afterward. Given the circumstances, there's a high chance they sent the same offer to other guilds as well."
"Is that so? Then go ahead and negotiate."
Cheon Sohye smiled faintly and added,
"Now that we've decided we want it, we take it. No matter what. You understand?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. I'm counting on you. You can go."
"Yes."
The door closed. Cheon Sohye stared at the empty space he'd left for a moment, then turned her gaze to the window.
"That old man's son, huh..."
The corner of her mouth curled up, just slightly.
"I am a little curious."