Short Business Trip (2)
Yuri woke from the passenger seat and was terribly startled.
'Already arrived?'
And the scenery around her was nothing like the free trade district of Incheon.
A few hours earlier, in the office, there had finally been a chance for just the two of them—Minsu and her. Yuri had so many things she wanted to say to him.
But weighed down by the weight of those words, she couldn't get a single one out in front of him.
She had forced him to stay by using the interview as an excuse, yet that opportunity had vanished completely.
As guild leader, she shouldn't have been spending private time with an intern during working hours. Still, Yuri desperately wanted to ask him one question.
'Can we... go back to being friends at least?'
But she couldn't force those words out either. The one who had wounded Minsu's body and heart the most was Yuri herself.
By what right, by what audacity could she say such a thing?
So Yuri hadn't even been able to ask the question that wouldn't have been strange for the guild leader to ask: "Is Flame still going strong?"
Even as he prepared to leave the office, she only realized belatedly that she had cast a barrier around herself.
It had been the unconscious habit from Eins that had slipped out.
The time alone with Minsu. The time when she had held his hand and exchanged emotions at Eins.
Even now, it remained the happiest period of Yuri's life. She had never wanted anyone to disturb that moment.
So she had spent time with Minsu inside a very solid barrier of cold air.
At first it had been an unconscious barrier born from the wind, but from some point onward she had deliberately created barriers and made space for just the two of them. Of course Minsu had never noticed.
Today's barrier had been unconscious, of course. Yet that was precisely why Yuri reaffirmed her own heart once more.
After all, she did not want to give Minsu to anyone. Not even if it meant a vicious selfishness.
'But it's cowardly... and wrong.'
She had no right to own Minsu. No, before that, even the possibility of becoming friends with him again was impossible without his permission. Yuri had convinced herself of that.
So when Minsu asked in the office whether she had heard what he said, Yuri nearly jumped out of her skin.
Minsu was warm, yet he knew how to draw a clear line between public and private matters.
- Guild Leader. If there's no special business, please send private messages or don't pretend to know.
She had been afraid he might say something terrifying like that. For a moment she had been terrified.
If he rejected her subtly, Yuri might have melted and collapsed like a small flake of ice under the noon sun.
'Wh-what? You said... you said...'
She had spoken it casually and waited for Minsu's words to continue. It had felt like being trapped in an eternity. The time had been terrifyingly slow.
But with the next words, Yuri barely managed to calm herself.
'It's not that. About the intern business trip coming up next. The distribution of the dungeon harvest we'll obtain at that time...'
Minsu spoke calmly, in a businesslike tone.
Dungeon harvest. Mana stones that drop after defeating monsters, items excavated from dungeons, and the byproducts of monster corpses.
Flame also had a distribution company that handled post-processing. But Minsu mentioned another company he knew.
'If it's acceptable, I'd like to introduce that company to Flame as well. It's located near the free trade district...'
And because of that matter, Yuri had ended up coming on the business trip with Minsu by chance.
Of course she could have sent someone from the finance or operations team, but she had secretly included herself in that task.
Because if another female colleague went with him, she might have burned with jealousy.
'Anyway, because of that distribution company we came here...'
But the enormous polar bear sign looming ahead had left Yuri's mind in a daze.
"Shall we go see a bear for a moment?"
And the words from the side made Yuri nod vigorously. Probably neither the people around her nor Minsu had noticed.
Yuri loved bears very much.
***
It was exactly as I had expected. Yuri really loved bears.
Bears were popular animals worldwide, with countless famous characters, yet to the people of Slavia Kingdom they held special meaning.
Especially polar bears. They were commonly raised as pets in the Slavia Kingdom. Even in Russia, where polar bears were famous, no one had managed to raise such dangerous, enormous creatures.
Surprisingly, the Slavia Kingdom had raised polar bears like ordinary household pets, much like dogs.
So it was easy to see citizens of the Slavia Kingdom walking their bears on leashes.
Therefore, for the women of the Slavia Kingdom, polar bears were no different from cute puppies.
'Yuri liked them even more.'
But Yuri's father, Grand Duke Andrei, had never cared much for animals. He was known from the beginning as a cold, indifferent man.
Especially, when she was young Yuri had secretly tried to raise a polar bear cub in the ducal residence, only to have it banished after being caught by Andrei.
Of course Yuri had never told that story herself. At Eins she had been the perfect, cold student council president.
She would never show anyone the side of her that was completely smitten with cute animals.
'From what Maria told me.'
So she could not give Yuri a real polar bear as a gift, but she had showered her with many famous polar bear character goods and dolls.
'These aren't cute at all! I won't accept them!'
She had grumbled like that, yet never refused the gifts. And around the time when she and I had grown closer, in the second semester of her third year, Yuri had even hung the polar bear doll I gave her in her bag with care.
Anyway, how startled Yuri had been, the car's windows were frosting over. I cleared my throat and said to her.
"The distribution company I mentioned has moved its office from the free trade district to here. This place has a good location, and I heard they also operate a Bear Cafe together. It seems to be true."
I had already known all of this and brought Yuri here, but seeing her reaction, it had clearly been the right choice.
"Th-there... here also has a bear... a bear..."
I lowered the car windows for Yuri. In the wide meadow, polar bears were freely grazing.
When we stopped briefly, a polar bear came up to us and peeked its head in curiously.
"You can give this to her."
While Yuri had been asleep, when passing the entrance I had bought visitor bear food. It was a huge bread filled with honey.
When I offered it to Yuri, she hurriedly approached the polar bear and held out the bread. She exclaimed unconsciously.
"C-cute!!"
The bear bit into the bread. Yuri, in that moment, stroked the bear's head with both hands.
The usual Yuri had a cold, arrogant, and elegant expression suitable for high nobility, but now she wore a completely defenseless, beaming smile.
That adorable, giggly expression was probably Yuri's other side that only I knew.
'It hasn't changed.'
And it was the appearance of Yuri that I cherished and loved the most.
With that reaction, I felt my heart ease a little. Perhaps Yuri's limit line might rise a little again.
An A-rank awakened and S-rank hunter. A perfect ice magic user in both offense and defense, and a barrier master.
Yuri had to definitely shine in the S-rank dungeon cooperation. I thought about work more coldly, sitting beside the happy Yuri.
If I relaxed even a little here, like at Eins, I might fall deeply into Yuri again.
'After all, it's for Flame.'
After eating all the small pizza-sized breads, the bear retreated. Yuri, who had come to her senses belatedly, exclaimed in panic.
"Ah... sorry. We didn't come to play, we came to work... what did I do..."
"No, it's fine. After all, we're just passing by."
And with the car parked in the parking lot, the two of us got out. In the wide green space stood a large building comparable to it. It was a cafe.
Even on a weekday, the place was full of people. And polar bears too. The guests who had come to play were busy taking photos with the bears.
Yuri's eyes shook wildly again. I sat Yuri and me at a suitable place inside the Bear Cafe.
And without me doing anything, the bears approaching made Yuri not come to her senses.
While she was petting the bears, I approached the cafe's counter.
"Manager, are you there?"
"Manager?"
The employee looked at me strangely. Probably, customers who directly look for the manager are not common.
'Right. With ordinary connections, I couldn't meet that manager.'
The guild justice of the original novel protagonist Si-woo. The European hunter distribution giant who solved the financial troubles of that justice in one go. Pyotr Kim. I had business with him.
"I contacted you in advance."
"Wait a moment. That sister, the person looking for the manager..."
"Ah, right. There was a call from a guild that said there was an inquiry about today's transaction... Is that person you? Flame Guild. Please wait a moment?"
Then, the employee with more responsibility went into the staff room inside the counter. Soon, a man came out.
A slim, 30-year-old looking man. His hairstyle had changed a bit from a few years ago, but it was undoubtedly Pyotr Kim.
The man I had worked with many times after getting Hongok. Pyotr's eyes widened when he recognized me.
"Minsu, Lee Minsu! It's really Minsu. You're alive?"
***
Pyotr Kim. He was a Russian of Korean descent. And now a businessman who mainly operated in Europe, divided into the two major federations.
"How long has it been. If you were alive, you should have contacted me. I thought you were dead because there was no news."
He was dressed in a black suit that looked a bit shabby. And although he spoke Korean, it had a unique accent mixed with foreign accent.
I held the hand he extended and shook hands.
"Well, you're alive. Somehow."
"Wait. Now that I think about it, you... weren't you from Eins? When the incident happened there a few years ago, were you there too? I tried contacting you many times but it didn't go through. So I thought you left the industry this side."
As an outsider, Pyotr probably didn't know the details of the Eins tragedy.
"Somehow, I ended up coming back to this side again. The only thing I learned was that."
"Yeah. Anyway, welcome. If it were you, maybe you brought good news."
"Seeing the Bear Cafe here, it seems to be doing well. It looks like the franchise business has been quite successful."
As I said, this is the first Bear Cafe. I heard that franchises of Bear Cafe he created are spreading across the country.
"Well, this is a side business. You know. I was trying to break into the Far East monster harvest business somehow. But this side is too vicious cartel, so it's still hard. Because of that chronic thing. What would make me play with such cute bear cubs."
From my perspective, the bears looked scary rather than cute.
Anyway, as he said, since the time I was at Eins, Pyotr had been working hard to enter the monster industry in the East Asia side.
'Even now, high-grade items and high-end byproducts are monopolized by Far East distribution companies.'
A-rank or higher high dungeons are everywhere in the world, but the only region that properly conquers them and stably harvests rewards was the Far East.
The alliance between Korea and Slavia Kingdom, and the large sect clans of Muguk and other small guilds.
In the international hunter world, the most famous military groups were concentrated. The Far East distribution companies connected to those military groups monopolized the distribution.
"So, even if those companies directly distribute only the harvests they monopolize, they can make an enormous amount of money. This is it. It's been a few years since I came to Korea, so those guilds have made some trading partners. But really, good guilds..."
Pyotr was muttering like that, then suddenly said as if remembering.
"Wait, now that I think about it, you. When a call came to me not from you but with the guild name. It was definitely Flame Guild..."
"Yes. Flame."
"You were in there. Flame is an S-rank guild. So I canceled all today's schedule and rushed here. But here you are. This is not ordinary, right?"
As a businessman, Pyotr seemed to smell the instant money. And it was what I wanted.
'Flame's previous distribution company takes too much commission.'
The original novel protagonist Si-woo's guild, Justice, was the same. That's why I collaborated with Pyotr. If it were that Pyotr.
It was an important person who could solve Flame's financial problems in one go. I told Pyotr before that.
"Wait a moment. Anyway, you're a customer. This is a cafe, so give me something to drink."
"Drink? Of course, I have to. Eun-hye. Give this person a cup of coffee... or what do you want to drink?"
"Iced Americano is fine."
"In this winter? Anyway, wait a moment. Our cafe has not only bears but also high-quality beans."
And I said while recalling the companions who came with me.
"Oh, and vodka too."
At that moment, Yuri, who had barely escaped from the bears, approached from behind me.