One Hundred and Eight
January 1st.
I left Jae-hyuk behind and kept explaining right where I stood for a long while.
It was the same every year.
How strong the monsters were, what kinds there were, what happened if you died, whether you got a salary, where you went to the bathroom.
Serious questions and absurd ones mixed together and stretched on and on. I answered them one by one, glancing sideways as I did.
Jae-hyuk was gone.
I didn't need to look for him. I already knew exactly where that guy would be.
"Pretty scary place, right? But don't worry. I'm a four-year veteran. Wait — it's January 1st, so does that make it five years? Anyway, I've been here since the early days. I know pretty much everything."
When it came to women, his obsession was something else.
"Everyone's scared at first, but if you've got someone looking out for you, you adapt fast. I could take personal charge of—"
I hated to admit it, but Jae-hyuk was fairly good-looking. As long as he kept his mouth shut. Tall, with sharp features — normally the rookie girls would smile along and play along.
Seo-yoon's expression didn't change at all.
"I have a boyfriend."
"…What?"
"I said I have a boyfriend."
Jae-hyuk faltered for a second, then smiled again right away.
"Come on, your boyfriend didn't cross over with you, did he? This is a whole different world. Honestly, you might as well never see him again, so why—"
"Can't you tell?"
"…Tell what?"
"That I don't want to talk to you right now."
Jae-hyuk shut his mouth. A rare sight.
And in that moment, Seo-yoon's gaze slid past him and flew straight toward me.
Just for a second. A look I couldn't read — whether she was asking for help or simply checking.
I pretended not to notice and took the next question.
Then a girl sitting up front raised her hand and asked me,
"Um… so everyone who comes here is twenty-one. And you said you arrived four years ago, so… that makes you twenty-five now?"
"That's right. On paper."
"Hmm…"
She looked me up and down. The look said I didn't seem twenty-five.
Before I could fully parse what that expression meant and move on to the next question, Jae-hyuk came trudging back and cut in.
"Aigoo, you dense bastard. That's what she's asking."
He turned toward the girl with a grin.
"My friend's a little slow, so he must've left something out. Let me fill you in. Once you cross into this dimension at twenty-one, it seems like you stop aging. We only started thinking that recently ourselves. Until last year we figured it was just our bodies getting stronger from the abilities, but that doesn't explain half of it. For example, even if you have sex without a condom, you don't get preg—"
I clamped my palm over his mouth on the spot.
Laughter burst out among the rookies.
"Alright, everything he just said is completely unconfirmed, so please forget it. We'll talk about the rest slowly once we're at the guild. If most of your questions are answered, shall we get moving?"
Jae-hyuk mumbled something against my palm. I ignored him.
This was exactly why I used formal speech with the rookies from the start. Looking at us, we didn't exactly come off as older than our peers — no need to grate on people who had just staggered through a dimensional gate by dropping into casual talk right away.
When I pulled my hand away, Jae-hyuk sucked in a breath.
"Hey, I was almost done. The point is you can't get pregnant. The rookies need to know—"
"It's not confirmed. And what the hell are you doing talking about sex? Shut up and get them in line."
Jae-hyuk grumbled, then leaned in and whispered against my ear.
"But man, that girl earlier. Iron wall. No joke."
"Good for her."
"The boyfriend thing felt like a lie, and even if it's true, a boyfriend you can't see means nothing. Mark my words — she'll change her mind within a month, guaranteed. Once people get lonely—"
"Jae-hyuk."
"What."
"Close your mouth and move. We need to get to the guild and finish everything today. I'm exhausted, you bastard."
I said it in a more tired voice than usual, and Jae-hyuk grumbled but fell in line.
I raised my voice toward the rookies.
"Alright, from here we'll be heading to the Korean guild — Baekho. Form two lines, please. Stay with your group and just follow the person in front of you."
It was about a twenty-minute walk from the Dimensional Gate plaza to Baekho Guild Headquarters.
Baekho sat in a tucked-away corner of the Royal Capital's outer districts, farther in than the other guilds. A five-story stone building. A shabby wooden board above the front door bore the white tiger emblem. Anyone could see it was a different class from the grand headquarters of Greystone or Yongmun.
"This is it?"
Someone behind us said, disappointment plain in their voice. They'd probably seen the scale of the other guilds on the way and gotten their hopes up.
"We're expanding. It should look a bit more presentable in a few months."
Exactly how many months, I couldn't say. Well. It couldn't be helped. We were small — that was a fact. Did size really matter?
When I opened the front door and stepped inside, the guild members already there came pouring out in a rush.
"They're here! They're here! The rookies are here?"
"Hey, hey, how many this year? Around ten?"
Every face was full of expectation. Fair enough. Last year's rookies had numbered around twenty. Three of those had stayed at Baekho headquarters for a while before leaving for foreign guilds. Baekho's chronic manpower shortage fed a vicious cycle. With the Dimensional Gate expected to be smaller again this year, everyone had been bracing for single digits to maybe ten.
And then they saw the hundred and eight people filing endlessly in behind me…
Everyone froze.
"…What the hell. Did this year's gate spit out more than six hundred twenty-five?"
"Why are there so many?"
"Ha-jun, did you bring Yongmun's rookies too?"
"They're all Korean. The gate was six hundred twenty-five like we expected, but I was just as shocked. Answering all their questions wore me out."
The guild hall buzzed at my words. Of course it did. Baekho's entire membership was only around seven hundred, and over a hundred had just walked in at once.
The confusion was about to swell when—
"Everyone, quiet."
The voice wasn't loud, but the entire hall went still in an instant.
A woman was coming down the stairs. She wore a coat embroidered with the ornate Baekho crest. Her steps were quick and unwavering. Behind her, two faintly luminous spirit forms drifted near her shoulders, trailing after her.
Seo Ye-rin.
Guild Master of Baekho. Spirit Summoner. And one of only two Awakened in the entire guild.
Her appearance had grown even more unnaturally ethereal after her Awakening, and her silver hair — changed to match the spirits she commanded — drew every eye in the room.
"The rookie numbers far exceed projections. No time to stand around gawking. Everyone to your posts."
Ye-rin swept the hall once and issued orders in rapid succession.
"The expedition teams are out, so we have space. One room per person is impossible, but formal room assignments come later. Food staff, recalculate for headcount. Admin team, prepare registration documents. Everyone else, start collecting the rookies' personal information so registration can move fast. Right now."
At those words, the guild members scattered almost instantly. People who had been standing around dazed moments earlier moved in perfect coordination at a single word from Ye-rin.
Watching it, I was reminded all over again why this person was Guild Master.
And I wasn't the only one who felt it. The rookies who had been disappointed by the building's exterior couldn't take their eyes off Ye-rin now.
"…Who is that?"
"Must be the Guild Master. The whole vibe is different."
A few of the guys looked completely dazed.
"Holy shit, she's gorgeous…"
"Dude, I think we joined the right guild."
Ye-rin's appearance alone had shifted the atmosphere. Overwhelming, or enchanting — probably both.
After that, everyone got to work, and registration began at speed. Name, age, origin, which part of Korea they were from, pre-summoning occupation, distinguishing features. The admin team lined the rookies up and recorded them one by one.
I sat at a side table organizing the roster. The rookies passed through in order, most giving similar answers. Student, soldier, job-seeker, part-timer. The kinds of things a twenty-one-year-old would say.
Then it was that Black man's turn. Up close, he was even bigger. Had this guy just come to the Korean guild because he liked Korea?
I was about to pick up my pen and ask in English when—
"Name's William."
Clear, deliberate Korean.
"…You're Korean?"
"Aigoo, can'tcha tell just by lookin'? I'm a Jeolla boy through and through."
My pen stopped.
"…Excuse me?"
"Born and raised in Gwangju. My grandma used to make the best kimchi, I tell ya."
William grinned wide.
"But I don't see no kimchi 'round here. That's a bit of a problem, ain't it?"
The rookies waiting behind him snickered. I lost my words for a second, then picked the pen back up.
"…Name, William. Origin, Gwangju."
"Yes sir, write it down nice and proper for me."
This world was like that sometimes. The Dimensional Gate truly had no standards whatsoever.
Around the time registration was wrapping up, Ye-rin called for me. With the entire guild pitching in, the urgent work had finished surprisingly fast, and the documents with the rookies' personal information were being carried up to the Guild Master's office. Assigning personnel based on those records was the Guild Master's job.
"Ha-jun. A moment."
A deliberately businesslike voice, as if something important needed discussing. I followed her into the office deeper in the hall.
The door closed. She sat down. A few seconds passed.
"Ha-jun~♥"
Her voice completely changed. Hard to believe this was the same person who had just ordered the entire guild into formation with a single sentence.
Ye-rin leaned lazily against the chair back, the corner of her mouth lifting as she crooked a finger.
"Why are you still trying to work after you just got back? You need to rest. Come here."
"…Should I lock the door?"
"It's already closed. No one will come in even if it's unlocked. Everyone's too busy watching my mood."
Ye-rin snorted a quiet laugh.
"What, scared someone might hear?"
"…The guild members are right outside. And there are a lot of rookies."
"Then keep your voice down."
Ye-rin crooked her finger again. Come here.
I had no choice but to walk up to the desk. The moment I did, Ye-rin grabbed my hand and yanked me forward. She barely seemed to use any strength, but my upper body tipped toward her.
"Your hands are cold."
She cupped my hand between both of hers and looked it over slowly.
"Left you standing outside all night. Our Ha-jun worked so hard."
"…It's only one day a year."
"Hard work is still hard work."
Without letting go, Ye-rin tilted her head slightly.
"What should I give our puppy as a reward? Want me to use my hand?"
She playfully raised her other hand and made a slow up-and-down gripping motion in the air.
I knew I should stop her, but when she got like this, there was nothing I could do. I tried to pull my hand free and failed. Ye-rin used the opening to lace her fingers through mine.
"…Ye-rin."
"Hmm?"
"Actual work talk."
"We are talking."
She swung our laced hands casually as she spoke.
"So… over a hundred rookies?"
She was talking about work. Her hands still hadn't let go. I already knew that in this state, she had no real intention of discussing business. The only option was to change the subject.
I sighed, then pulled out a tumbler with my free hand as if I'd just remembered it.
"…The tumbler. Jae-hyuk stole a sip."
"What? That bastard!?"
"Couldn't stop him. Too fast."
"Ugh, seriously, has he lost all fear? Fine — I was thirsty anyway. Give it here."
Only then did Ye-rin let go of my hand and take the tumbler. She casually twisted off the lid and put it to her mouth.
Knowing Jae-hyuk's mouth had been on it, you'd think she'd rinse it first. Ye-rin didn't seem to care in the slightest. She took a sip like she was parched, then another.
I was the one who couldn't stop thinking about it.
"…You, that—"
"Hmm?"
"…Never mind."
What was the point of saying it? Saying it would be childish, and looking away just made my eyes keep drifting back to the rim of the tumbler.
Ye-rin set it down without a clue and stared at me.
"…Let's talk about work."
"We've been talking about work this whole time."
The corner of her mouth lifted as she set the tumbler down on the desk with a soft tap.
"If you insist — properly. Guild Master mode."
At those words, the atmosphere turned distinctly serious. The hand games stopped. She wasn't fully in Guild Master mode, but her face had shifted back to work mode. People who could flip the switch that freely were rare.
"Haa… Still, how long has it been since this many came through at once. I genuinely didn't see this coming. Leave them alone and something will go wrong. We need to spin up the apprenticeship system immediately."
"The three-month course?"
"Yeah. Group the rookies into teams of four, assign one headquarters member as team leader for each. Last year the numbers were small enough we could almost do one-to-one, but not this time. The expedition teams are past Korn right now, so we're short-handed. For three months, the team leaders take them around and teach them. Ability manifestation, basic combat, monster response, survival skills. Just getting through that course will spike the survival rate."
"What about putting the lifestyle-type ability users and the ones who don't want to fight into Settler tracks early? Jae-hyuk said the Settlers are short-handed too."
"We'll have to. Some will peel off into Settler roles within a month, and then we can merge the teams that end up short."
Reasonable. As always.
Ye-rin spread out the rookie roster.
"Let's start with team assignments. We don't know their abilities yet, so we can't go by that. We have to go by people. Who works well with whom."
And her hand started moving fast.
"Ri Kwang-chol — North Korean origin. Hardest adjustment case, so team leader is Kim Yong-hyun. Patient guy, good with people. Fill the rest of the team with other North Korean rookies so he won't be lonely."
"What about William?"
I pointed at the roster.
"That… Jeolla Black guy."
"Ah, the unusual one."
Ye-rin snorted a laugh.
"Gwangju local, right? The admin team lost it during registration. Why is his name William, though?"
"First time I've seen a case like that too. Said his parents immigrated to Korea and he grew up here. Apparently he can't speak English at all."
"Really? Perfect atmosphere-maker. Just one person like that can lift a whole team…"
Ye-rin scanned the roster briefly, then tapped a box with her pen.
"Put him on Jae-hyuk's team."
"Jae-hyuk's? Well, we do need him teaching rookies right now too. Those two would probably get along."
"Yeah. Jae-hyuk's mouth is rough, but he's good at leading people around. Stick two atmosphere-makers together and they'll make plenty of noise."
It really did seem like the most entertaining combination imaginable, putting someone like William with him.
"And no real risk of trouble. Jae-hyuk still knows where the line is. All talk — he doesn't actually cross the lines that matter."
That was true too. Jae-hyuk might look frivolous, but Ye-rin and I had watched him for a long time. We already knew he wasn't that kind of person.
"That's… true."
The assignments kept rolling smoothly after that. I just helped from the side, quietly impressed by Ye-rin's eye for people. With only a glance at the information, she picked exactly who belonged where.
Then, at one name, her pen paused for the briefest moment.
"…Lee Seo-yoon."
"Hmm?"
"Here. Lee Seo-yoon."
I flinched but didn't show it. Ye-rin tapped the name written on the roster with her fingertip. There was no way a rookie with looks that eye-catching hadn't already reached Ye-rin's ears.
"Did you see her face?"
A question that felt dangerous to answer yes to. Ye-rin asked without looking up from the roster. Her voice was just a fraction slower than usual.
"…What does she look like?"
"The one who stood out most in the plaza. You must have seen her."
In other words, the prettiest one. No way I hadn't seen her, and no way I didn't know who she meant. I checked Ye-rin's expression under the strange sense that admitting I'd seen her would make things difficult — but she just kept looking at the roster with an indifferent face.
"I don't know. There were so many people this time."
"…Really?"
Ye-rin answered shortly. That single short word trailed off in a way that made it impossible to tell whether she believed me or not.
Then she moved the pen again.
"This one… put her on Jae-hyuk's team."
"Jae-hyuk's?"
I echoed it before I could stop myself. William was one thing, but her too?
"Why not. The slot fits perfectly."
"No, it's not that—"
I was stuck. I remembered the way Jae-hyuk had looked at that girl, but I couldn't explain that to Ye-rin. Explaining it would mean admitting I'd been watching her carefully myself.
"…I just thought the team might not suit her. Jae-hyuk is pretty aggressive with girls. Won't there be problems?"
"No need to worry that much. He flirts, sure, but he also gets along well with the girls. William loosens the mood, Jae-hyuk keeps them in line. The quieter girls actually adapt better in teams like that."
Ye-rin drew a line on the roster. Clean. Without a shred of hesitation.
Could you just reconsider once more?
"Decided. Lee Seo-yoon, Choi Jae-hyuk's team."
Too fast. The same person who had carefully weighed every single name until now felt uniquely decisive about this one. Something about that snagged faintly in a corner of my mind.
But I let the sense of wrongness slide past.
"Then what about my team?"
"You?"
Ye-rin scanned the roster and bundled a few names together.
"You get… these four."
"They're all guys."
"Yeah. All guys."
Ye-rin answered like it was nothing.
"Take it easy. All men, so there's not much to worry about."
She started to set the pen down, then glanced up at me.
"Why. Don't tell me…"
"…What."
"Lee Ha-jun."
Ye-rin narrowed her eyes.
"Did you want girls on your team?"
"What are you talking about. Of course not. This is easier for me. Better."
My words came out a little too fast without meaning to.
"Right?"
Ye-rin suddenly dropped the expression and grinned wide.
"I almost thought my boyfriend wanted to spend the apprenticeship period sharing a room with clueless young rookie girls — washing up, sleeping side by side, getting all attached. There's no way, right?"
She was smiling as she said it. Her eyes weren't.
"…Why would you even imagine that."
"I'm kidding. Kidding."
Ye-rin waved a hand lightly.
"I know better than anyone that our Ha-jun isn't that kind of person."
Then she dropped her gaze back to the roster. The pen scratched across the page.
Looking down at the four names bundled under my team. All men.
What was that look just now.
She'd called it a joke, but for a second my spine had gone cold. I always got tense about things like this the moment I stood in front of Ye-rin.
I glanced sideways. At the top of the roster—
Choi Jae-hyuk's Team — William, Lee Seo-yoon, Cha Yu-jin, Park Jin-ah
Looking at those words, pictures started drawing themselves in my head without permission.
Three months of apprenticeship. Five people bound as one team — eating together, sleeping together, fighting together. I'd wondered whether the team leader really needed to share a room with them, but leave rookies alone and you never knew what kind of accident might explode. So it went beyond just traveling together — after three months, they became people who entrusted each other with their lives.
I knew exactly what that was like.
Ye-rin and I had been the same. First year, no guild, no system. Dropped into a world where we couldn't even communicate, the two of us stuck together. Running from monsters trying to earn mana stones, hiding in caves, splitting what little food we had, crossing winter mountains. No tent — not even a single blanket. We both knew that if your body temperature dropped, you died. So we sat back to back, and later held each other face to face, sharing warmth through the night.
Back then it was just to survive. Looking back, that was when things between us changed.
Closeness makes even people you dislike feel close. And if it's someone you already like…
I set the pen down with a sharp tap.
"What's wrong?"
Ye-rin looked up.
"…Nothing. It's nothing."
What am I doing, obsessing over someone else's team assignment.
I forced the pictures out of my head. They didn't actually leave, but I counted them as gone for now.
Ye-rin finished organizing the roster and stood up from her seat.
"Alright. Work talk's over."
Then she grinned, perched on the edge of the desk, and crooked a finger.
"Time to finish what we started. Our Ha-jun — pants off."
"No, no. There's still one last thing."