Shinyeom (7)
...Now what.
If it had been any other guild, it might not have mattered. But of all the organizations that could have called, it had to be Cheonhwa Guild. Not a place whose feathers you'd ever want to ruffle.
Still, if I was going to say it, better to say it fast.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be selling the guild after all."
"...Excuse me?"
The voice on the other end sounded thoroughly thrown. He went quiet for a moment, then spoke again, the confusion still thick in his tone.
"Have you, by any chance, already agreed to sell to another party?"
"That's not it."
"Then... might I ask the reason?"
"Well..."
I swallowed once, then said it.
"I've changed my mind. I'm going to run the guild myself."
"...I see."
The reply came late, as if the words had been the last thing he'd expected. He seemed to turn something over in his mind, then asked with a low hum.
"Hmm. Might I ask what prompted this change of heart? Did you perhaps awaken, or..."
"I did awaken, but that's not the main reason."
"Then perhaps..."
"...I'd rather not say. I'm sorry."
I awakened an ability that lets me open other people's status windows, and I happened to find an Awakened I can raise to SSS-Rank, so I decided not to sell.
...Yeah. Not exactly something I can say out loud.
Whether Cheonhwa would even believe me was one problem. If they did believe me, that would be a whole other one. They'd know exactly what an ability like that was worth.
They'd come after it. No question.
Cheon Sohye's greed, in particular, was famous. Once she set her sights on something, she saw it through no matter what — a temperament so relentless that even the other Guild Masters of the Big 4 were said to click their tongues at it.
"Well... I understand."
Fortunately, Yoon Seongyeong backed off without a fuss. The disappointment in his voice was plain, but he didn't seem inclined to pick the matter apart any further.
"Still, if you ever change your mind again, I do hope you'll contact Cheonhwa first — before anyone else."
"Yes, of course."
"Alright, then..."
Click.
I'd barely hung up when I spotted a staff member approaching from down the hall, a license in hand.
"Ah — Awakened Lee Yeonwoo. Here's your license."
"Thank you."
I took the small white card and was just stepping out of the Bureau building when my phone buzzed again.
"Hm? Yerim?"
A call from Han Yerim.
Wondering what it was about, I picked up. Her voice came through as bright as ever — but something uneasy ran underneath it. Or maybe she was a little pissed off.
"Oppa, are you okay? Nothing happened?"
"...Uh, why?"
Asking after my safety out of nowhere. I was still wondering why when—
"Yeah, so people from Shinyeom Guild showed up. They said if I don't come back, they'll hunt you down and kill you first."
"What?"
"So I was wondering — can I beat them all up?"
...What on earth was she talking about.
I pressed my already-throbbing forehead and said,
"I'll head over. Where are you?"
"...Hnn."
Cheon Sohye paused over her nails and glanced sideways at Yoon Seongyeong, who was sweating buckets.
"So. You got turned down?"
"...Yes, that's correct."
"Reason? Don't tell me someone else snatched it first."
"No, it wasn't that. He says he won't be selling the guild anymore. That he's going to run it himself..."
"Is that so?"
Not sold off to a rival — he was going to operate it himself. An intrigued little smile tugged at the corner of Cheon Sohye's mouth.
"He awaken or something?"
"He did, yes... but according to the records, he's D-Rank."
"Oh?"
D-Rank. That, at least, was unexpected.
"He's that man's blood and he's only D-Rank? What's his type?"
"Sub-space, apparently."
"Hmm."
Cheon Sohye tapped her chin.
"I figured there'd be something impressive. That's a bit of a letdown, then."
Sub-space Awakened were a somewhat specialized type, true enough — but D-Rank was still a little low to hang any real claim of specialness on.
Wouldn't it be far more profitable to just sell the guild and join another one?
And not just any other one. This was Cheonhwa Guild. As a buyer, there wasn't an organization on the market that would have paid a higher price.
"He pick up some new guild members or something?"
"I checked. There appear to be two. Looks like they were only registered a few hours ago."
"Yeah? Ranks?"
"One E-Rank, and one A-Rank."
"Hmm."
It wasn't as if he'd dragged in some stray S-Rank ranker off the street. One E-Rank and one A-Rank. Hardly a roster you'd hang a guild's survival on.
"Is he just stupid, then?"
Cheon Sohye tilted her head.
"It's weird, isn't it? It's not like the old man left him a fortune. All he inherited was a guild that's nothing but a name. And he's determined to hang onto it?"
Was it simply because it was the guild his father had left behind?
"Hnn. Couldn't he just sell it to me and use the money to found a new one?"
If Lee Yeonwoo had been there to hear it, he would have slapped his knee in agreement. Not that Cheon Sohye had any way of knowing that.
"Must mean a lot to him. A shame, but it is what it is."
"You won't make another offer, then?"
"Nah. Keep watching him, though. Report anything unusual."
"Understood."
"Mm. That's all. Go on."
She sent Yoon Seongyeong out, then sat for a while, turning something over in her mind.
Meanwhile, Han Yerim's mood was sinking by the minute.
"Ha, look, Yerim. This is a contract violation, okay? You'll have to pay the penalty. The penalty. You get that?"
The one hounding her with a look of pure exasperation was a C-Rank woman Awakened Yerim had been on fairly friendly terms with back at Shinyeom Guild — dispatched in a hurry the moment word came in that Yerim had been found, tasked with talking her into coming back.
"The Guild Master's furious, too. You're really going to be in deep trouble if you keep this up."
"Eunhye unnie. I already told you. I'm not going back."
"That's not something you just get to decide— haah."
Ji Eunhye let out a long, frustrated sigh. Her face twisted; she rummaged through her pocket, pulled something out, and tossed it into her mouth.
A moment later her expression eased, and she exhaled, slow and loose.
"Hahh... ah. That's better. I really can't function without these."
"What is that?"
"Don't worry about it. Not something a kid like you needs to know."
"I'm not a kid."
"Then try it yourself. Want one?"
Seizing the opening, Ji Eunhye held out her hand.
"It'll make you feel good. All your worries just... disappear. Come on. Try it."
"..."
Han Yerim studied the two pills sitting in her palm.
Yeah, no. This feels wrong.
They'd been fairly close, and yet she had never gotten a feeling this off from her.
"No. I don't want it."
"...You sure?"
"Yeah."
Ji Eunhye's face turned ugly. None of her angles had landed, and her temper was starting to fray.
"I already told you — that 'oppa' of yours is lying to you. He's not even a combat-type Awakened, is he? If we actually catch him, we'll kill—"
"Unnie."
"...!"
A chill ran down her spine. Ji Eunhye swallowed hard and looked at Han Yerim.
"G-geh?"
"Got it?"
Killing intent, sharp enough to cut straight through the drug high. Ji Eunhye's head nodded on its own.
"I-I got it. I won't."
"Good. And I'm not going back, so you should head back too. Nice seeing you. Bye."
"...W-wait—!"
Of course Ji Eunhye couldn't just leave. Fail to bring Han Yerim back, and the next capsule ration they gave her would be cut. An A-Rank Awakened like Yerim was frightening, yes — but fewer capsules frightened her more.
"You're already under contract with our guild. You can't just walk out because you feel like it."
"Oppa said it's not a legitimate contract. He said I can leave."
"I'm telling you, that oppa of yours is deceiving you!"
"Deceiving her? That's a new one."
"Ah...?"
"Oppa!"
Ji Eunhye whipped around, startled. A man stood there, breathing hard, as if he'd just come running.
"Who...?"
"Lee Yeonwoo. The one you've been threatening to kill."
"Ah."
"I knew from the contract that your operation was shady, but I didn't expect you'd be so brazen as to openly threaten murder."
"...Aren't you the one who poached our guild member first?"
"I got her out. From a contract that never should have existed."
"..."
Ji Eunhye's mouth snapped shut. She knew as well as anyone that Shinyeom's contracts wouldn't stand up to the light.
Lee Yeonwoo regarded her for a moment, then let out a short huff of a laugh and set a hand on Han Yerim's head.
"If that's all, we'll be going. I'd rather not leave our guild member in your company. Makes me nervous."
Ji Eunhye started to reach for them—
"..."
"...Ngh."
—and quietly lowered her hand, under the weight of Han Yerim's idle, unblinking stare.
Yerim flashed her a sweet little smile, then wrapped both arms around Lee Yeonwoo's and said,
"Hehe. See you later, unnie!"
"U-uh. Yeah."
That, Ji Eunhye suspected, was not a goodbye she was meant to look forward to.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to turn away.