A Rather Heavy Welcome
"Ha! Look at you. You turned me down flat every time I offered to get you a job, and yet here you are, crawling in anyway."
"Getting in through nepotism felt a bit cheap, you know."
The Guild Leader of Changcheon. The Holy Knight, Yu Sua.
The moment she heard I'd been specially scouted by the guild, she barged right into my apartment. She smacked my back. Hard. It hurt like hell. Honestly, an S-class hunter hitting an ordinary person like this should qualify as aggravated assault.
When I frowned, she quickly read the room and sheepishly pulled her hand back.
"Anyway, the ace of Changcheon has finally returned."
"The ace of Changcheon?"
"Well, you were the ace of the Changcheon Club, so it counts, right?"
"You literally stole our college club's name for your guild, and you're still..."
The extreme sports club, Changcheon.
It was actually a club with quite a bit of history. We even held a lot of sway in the university's club coalition. Honestly, our biggest strength was that we didn't hog any space during school festivals. While other clubs played mind games to secure prime spots for their booths and events, we just sat back and watched the chaos unfold.
In any case, Sua—currently the highest-paid Holy Knight in South Korea—had also been a member of the Changcheon Club. She had even served as the club president during her junior year. (Seniors were too busy writing their graduation theses to participate in club activities, of course.)
But then, out of nowhere, my senior went and slapped that historic name onto her own guild.
Thanks to that, I heard the competition to join our college club skyrocketed. Back in my day, we struggled just to meet the minimum member count.
"Once Changcheon, always Changcheon. Haven't you heard?"
"Isn't that the Marines' slogan?"
"I bet we did more airborne training than the Marines anyway."
"You mean our skydiving trips?"
"Same difference."
"Veterans will tear you apart if they hear a woman talking about military service like that."
"Whoa, watch it. Is that sexism I hear?"
She chuckled, brushing off my comment, and scanned the room.
"By the way, your place is as bleak as ever."
"I prefer to call it minimalist."
"Don't you have any hobbies? Put some effort into decorating, will you?"
"I hate things being too busy."
"Wow, regional discrimination? That's highly controversial..."
"I didn't mean the city of Busan—"
Ignoring my protest, she flopped onto the living room sofa.
Then she gestured toward me with her chin.
"Go make some coffee. Your boss is visiting, and you're not even going to serve her?"
"I'm reporting you for workplace harassment. Besides, I only have water."
"Didn't you used to love coffee?"
"I'm getting older. My body doesn't handle caffeine well anymore."
"Wow, are you throwing shade at your senior for being old?"
"You caught me."
"You little punk."
In the past, I used to rely on caffeine to trigger lucid dreams.
Sleeping with a bit of caffeine in my system increased the chances of becoming conscious within the dream. The downside, however, was that the dream became highly unstable, causing me to wake up almost immediately. Since I couldn't fall into a deep sleep, I'd end up feeling exhausted for the rest of the day.
These days, I avoid it as much as possible.
Going natural is always better than doping. Though, of course, I won't say no if someone else is buying.
"More importantly, I heard you got close with Haneul? Spill. What's the story there?"
"Ah, my private life is a bit..."
"Oh, please. Hey, managing our guild members' private lives is part of our job, you know? Her manager's reports go straight to my desk."
"I see."
Well, a guild was essentially a talent management agency, after all.
"Well, it's nothing special. Ever since she saved me from the gate..."
I briefly explained what had happened between Han Haneul and me.
Exchanging contact information in the infirmary, meeting up for the witness investigation, and meeting her again to receive the job offer. I left out the overly personal details and stuck to a dry summary of events.
After listening to my story, Sua let out a chuckle.
"...Unbelievable. Han Haneul is something else."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. I just think you're going to have a rough time, Siwoo. It can't be easy for an ordinary person to handle an S-class... Maybe you should practice beforehand with an S-class Holy Knight who can also heal you."
"Practice?"
"Well, it'd be a disaster if you died of overexertion in bed, wouldn't it?"
"Ah."
Ah, a dirty joke. I stared at my senior with dead, cold eyes.
"I told you, it's not like that. I'm reporting you for sexual harassment."
"S-class hunters are immune to misdemeanors, you know."
"Wow... I thought South Korea was a nation ruled by law."
"Well, the law is equal, but it's just more equal for some people."
"I need to emigrate..."
"Hey! If a beautiful, rich, and capable older sister like me teases you, shouldn't you be grateful?"
"I'll give you rich and capable... but beautiful is a stretch..."
"Wow, look at you. Your standards are way too high."
Well, objectively speaking, she was beautiful.
Just like Han Haneul, S-class hunters always had their bodies kept in peak condition thanks to their mana. It was almost like undergoing a complete physical reconstruction. But having known her since college, she was just a hyperactive senior to me. I couldn't bring myself to see her as a woman now.
Especially after all the life-and-death situations we'd faced together.
Ah, our lives were never actually in danger. I just meant our activities were that thrilling.
"But seriously, I'm not entirely joking. Even if she's a mage class, an S-class hunter's physical stats are insane. If you keep things platonic, fine, but if you two actually date, you'll have a hard time keeping up with her."
"Senior, it's pathetic watching you make dirty jokes based on hearsay when you don't even have any experience yourself."
"Hey, hey! I'm just too busy to date, okay? There's a whole truckload of people begging to go out with me."
"So, have you actually dated any of them?"
"...You?"
"Unbelievable."
I flicked her forehead for talking nonsense, but my finger was the only thing that ended up hurting. Their physical capabilities really were on a different level. Sua cackled as she watched me rub my sore finger.
Soon, she got back to business.
"Anyway, when do you want to start? I've already approved the special hire, so you can pick whatever start date you want. Even tomorrow is fine."
"Let's make it tomorrow then. I don't have anything else to do anyway."
"What did you do to end up unemployed again anyway?"
"The usual. Causing trouble and getting kicked out."
"Causing trouble, my foot. You probably just stood up to some assholes."
"Haha..."
"You better not do that to me."
"I was actually just contemplating whether to report you to the Ministry of Employment and Labor for workplace harassment and sexual abuse."
"Are you trying to speedrun getting fired?"
"Something like that."
"Geez. Well, the kids in the Resource Team are all pretty nice, so you shouldn't have any major issues."
"That's a relief."
Of course they'd seem nice in front of the guild leader.
Besides, even if it was a special hire, I was still entering through nepotism. I was fully prepared to endure a bit of cold-shouldering. That's just how society worked. Keeping your head down, reading the room, and enduring was the best way to survive.
All I needed was access to the gates.
Once I gathered enough data, I could just resign at the right moment.
"Alright, see you on Monday then."
"Why would a low-level employee have any reason to see the guild leader?"
"I'll just summon you under my desk. Ever heard of abuse of authority?"
"I am seriously reporting you."
"Ayy, you're no fun."
I practically shoved her out the door and let out a deep sigh.
I had a feeling my professional life was going to be exhausting. Is this what they meant by a "family-like" company? They always say you should never work for a business started by someone you know.
Man, I'm already dreading tomorrow.
On my first day of work, just as I was about to step into the guild building, someone called out to me.
"Ah, Siwoo."
"Haneul?"
"I heard you were starting today, so I was waiting for you."
"...Pardon?"
Wait, she was waiting for me? An S-class hunter? Why on earth?
Isn't she busy? She must have a mountain of work to do.
"Since it's your first time and you might get lost, I wanted to show you around. First, you can get your temporary pass here, and your official employee ID will be issued by HR later..."
"Ah, right."
While I stood there in a daze, Haneul actually began guiding me.
The receptionist handing out the passes looked just as bewildered as I was.
"Most of the layout is the same as the map, but there are a few minor changes you should know beforehand. Also, the elevators are divided into hunter-only, heavy cargo, and general staff..."
"Ah, I see."
"Oh, and all the welfare facilities in the guild are free for employees, but since you don't have your ID card yet... if you ever need to use them, I can go with you."
"You really don't have to go that far..."
This kindness was excessive.
It was so overwhelming that it felt suffocating. My stomach churned, and I felt like the breakfast I'd eaten was getting stuck in my throat.
But I couldn't exactly tell the person who saved my life to get lost.
In the end, I could only nod with an awkward smile.
"And... ah, we're here. This is the Resource Team where you'll be working, Siwoo."
And so, she ended up walking me all the way to the Resource Team office.
The employees inside gasped in shock upon recognizing Haneul and scrambled to their feet.
"A-Ah, hello, Hunter Han Haneul! What brings you all the way here...?"
"Oh! I was just showing our new employee around."
"Excuse me...?"
The employees' gazes locked onto me.
I bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle and greeted them loudly.
"Hello! I am Kim Siwoo, the new hire starting today!"
"Ah, the special hire...?"
"Yes, sir!"
The employees darted their eyes back and forth between Han Haneul and me.
And just like that, on my very first day of work, I became completely untouchable.