EP.3 Got Scolded While Trying to Join the Guild

A glass-walled building, about 10 stories high, looks like it’s newly built.

[Crystal Guild]

The signboard was elegantly engraved at the top of the building, and an LED billboard below played promotional videos about the guild and Choi Soo-jung’s accomplishments.

“Is this really a new guild?”

This felt far from ordinary; perhaps it was because it was a guild created by an S-rank hunter.

“I still don’t know if this is the right thing to do.”

After a night of pondering, I contacted Choi Soo-jung the next day and told her I would join the guild.

She immediately sent me the address of the guild building, saying we could proceed with the contract process the next day.

First of all, my suspicions weren’t really confirmed yet, and the conditions were too attractive to give up, even giving me the chance to grasp my dreams again in the face of a bleak reality.

Even the A-rank healer hunters I found through famous hospitals or hunter connections either didn’t know the cause or gave up during treatment.

So I couldn’t help but keep this one last hope in S-rank Choi Soo-jung’s confidence.

“Let’s go in, talk again, and then decide. I haven’t signed the contract yet.”

When I passed through the revolving door entrance, I saw a spacious interior as clean as the exterior.

As I looked around, wondering where to go, a man who appeared to be a security guard in sky-blue clothes and a deep blue hat approached.

“Get out.”

“What?”

I asked, taken aback, as the guard spoke sternly without explanation.

The guard looked me up and down and yelled even louder.

“Didn’t you hear me? Get out. This isn’t a place where just anyone can come in!”

“Haha…”

I let out a hollow laugh, feeling dumbfounded by the guard’s increasingly disrespectful tone.

He probably thought I was just a civilian or a peddler because I had no equipment and was wearing shabby clothes.

“You’re not leaving? Do I have to use force? Huh?”

The security guard, about to pull out his black baton, exuded an intimidating presence with his rugged face and large build.

“I was called here by the guild leader. Haven’t you heard?”

I wanted to just go home and forget about the guild, but I held back and explained to clear up the misunderstanding.

The guard scoffed and sneered.

“Seriously, are you kidding me? You expect me to believe that now? How many people like you have come today after hearing the rumour about a distinguished guest? You’re not the first!”

The guard spat out angry words and pulled out his black baton.

It seemed that there were more than a few people who had come today claiming to be guests, and he was already annoyed.

Moreover, looking at my current appearance, the guard must have been sure that there was no way I was the guest.

‘What should I do? Should I wait until Choi Soo-jung comes?’

As I hesitated for a moment, the security guard swung his baton without hesitation.

Fortunately, it was an easy-to-read and obvious attack, so I managed to dodge it slightly.

“Look at this guy.”

The security guard glared at me with narrowed eyes as if his pride was hurt because I easily dodged the attack.

“Stop it.”

“Seems like you know a little something, but let’s see if you can dodge this!”

Seeing the guard swing his baton, aiming for my head again, I decided to close in on the guard since the motion was large.

Surprised that I was not dodging but getting closer, the security guard’s baton lost its force and clumsily came towards me.

At that moment, I didn’t miss the opportunity and struck the wrist holding the baton with the side of my hand.

“Ouch!”

The baton fell to the ground with a scream, and I stared at the security guard after getting some distance.

The guard, holding his opposite wrist in pain, turned red-faced and seemed genuinely angry as he picked up his baton again.

“You little… Get ready to get something broken!”

This time, unlike before, the security guard imbued his baton with magical power. The murderous intent was overflowing.

‘This is bad.’

In my current state, where I couldn’t use magic, my chances of winning were almost nonexistent.

Although my basic combat skills were far ahead thanks to my battle experience, the presence or absence of magic could make a significant difference.

While thinking about whether to just run away, the security guard, fueled by excitement, lunged at me.

As if not to repeat the same mistake as before, the guard swung the baton horizontally in a short arc.

It was an attack that didn’t give any opportunity for a counter, it felt like there was really no way out.

At the moment, I decided to just crouch down and minimise the damage as much as possible,

Swoosh!

A giant silver scythe with a cold, sharp edge flew in and stuck into the ground between the security guard and me.

Both of us froze for a moment at the sudden appearance of the scythe and turned our heads in the direction from which it had come.

There was Choi Soo-jung walking towards us with a stern expression and her arms crossed.

Click. Click.

The sound of the shoes she was wearing echoed through the quiet building. Choi Soo-jung walked past me and approached the security guard.

Although there was a significant height difference, Choi Soo-jung’s cold atmosphere and the magical aura around her were overwhelming, making it hard to breathe even for me, watching from the side.

The security guard flustered, tried to explain the situation.

“Ah, Miss Soo-jung. This is not what it looks like. This guy is an imposter, a swindler.”

“Shut your mouth and clench your teeth.”

“Excuse me?”

Smack!

A loud slap, too powerful to be called just a slap.

The unprepared security guard’s head snapped around from the unexpected slap, and his large body fell flat to the ground.

From the way he lay on the ground without any movement, it seemed as if he had fainted on the spot.

And then Choi Soo-jung’s gaze turned to me.

‘What should I do? I’m really screwed… It doesn’t seem like she’ll listen to any explanations.’

Having caused trouble even before joining the guild, it would be a relief just to be able to go home quietly, let alone join the guild.

Choi Soo-jung slowly approached me and stood tall in front of me.

“Mr Won-woo! Are you hurt anywhere? I’m sorry. We brought you here with such difficulty, and you had to go through this. I’m really, really sorry. If you need any treatment, please leave it to me. I’m confident that I can heal you well.”

A torrent of worry and apologies poured out.

Her eyes were moist, and she wore a concerned expression, making it hard to believe that she was the same person as before.

“Ah, no, I’m fine. It seems there was just a misunderstanding.”

The unexpected turn of events left me feeling bewildered.

It felt strange to see the person who had been harshly speaking and slapping just moments ago now sincerely worrying and apologising.

From the first meeting to today, looking at her words and actions, they seemed to be full of sincerity rather than simply using me for the guild.

However, Choi Soo-jung’s behaviour towards the security guard earlier was the typical Choi Soo-jung I had known.

‘Could it be that she likes me?’

At this point, anyone who isn’t a fool would be able to tell that she thinks very highly of me and has at least some affection for me.

The gaze she gave me was clearly different from that of simple admiration.

But why?

No matter how much I thought about it, there didn’t seem to be any plausible reason.

The only point of contact was when she awakened after seeing me during the bus Gate incident.

I couldn’t help but wonder if that was really enough reason for all of this.

“Secretary Kang, what happened? I’m sure we were supposed to check carefully and bring him here safely.”

As I pondered, a woman in a black suit, the epitome of a secretary, appeared from behind in response to Choi Soo-jung’s chilly question.

“The security guard who was supposed to be on duty today could not come to work due to a family emergency, and it seems that the proper handover was not done when a different person arrived. I apologise.”

The woman, called Secretary Kang, bowed her head and apologised.

Upon hearing that, Choi Soo-jung sighed while looking back at Secretary Kang and said,

“Ugh, take care of this trash properly. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And if something like this happens to Mr Won-woo again, I won’t let it go. This is your last warning.”

“I will be careful.”

After answering, Secretary Kang gestured to the back, and two shadowy figures appeared from the seemingly empty space. They dragged the security guard away and disappeared.

‘Were they there all this time?’

I thought I had keen senses, but I was surprised to see the sudden appearance of the shadowy figures.

“Ahem.”

At that moment, Choi Soo-jung cleared her throat lightly.

As my gaze returned to Choi Soo-jung, she bowed her head slightly and once again apologised to me.

“I’m sorry for showing you an embarrassing side of me, Mr Won-woo. I’m really sorry for causing you any discomfort.”

“No, it’s really fine. You don’t have to worry about it.”

There was nothing I could do about it, even if it wasn’t okay. I had to be thankful that she stopped me from getting hurt in the first place.

“As an apology, I’ll personally guide you today. Shall we go this way?”

Her eyes, which had been moist, narrowed into a smile, and Choi Soo-jung suddenly grabbed my hand tightly and led me somewhere.

 *

“How do you feel after touring our guild’s facilities? We just bought this newly built building, so I hope you like it.”

I was able to tour various parts of the guild’s facilities, led by Choi Soo-jung.

Starting with a state-of-the-art training facility for hunters, there were also welfare facilities like a dining hall, golf course, and swimming pool.

I was surprised to learn that not all the facilities had been installed yet.

“Yes, it’s certainly nice. It’s very well equipped for a guild that has just started.”

“Hehe, I’m proud that you’re praising it like this. I feel good that we prepared well.”

Choi Soo-jung, blushing and twisting the ends of her silver hair, had a different atmosphere than before, like a shy girl, and even felt a little cute.

“But maintaining all of this must be expensive.”

“Oh, it’s okay. We’ve made a lot of money from A-rank dungeon raids and advertisements, so even if we don’t have any revenue for at least 10 years, it won’t be a problem at all.”

I guess that’s Choi Soo-jung, I naturally thought.

For an ordinary guild, at least five people would be needed to raid an A-rank dungeon, but since Choi Soo-jung could do it alone, the cost is inevitably low.

Moreover, her natural appearance and abilities made her so popular that whatever she named would be the price for advertisement modelling.

“And since you came to the guild where I am, I can’t make you work without giving you at least this much compensation.”

I could clearly see Choi Soo-jung’s management style of reward and punishment.

Personally, I really liked this aspect.

Even if I was given a lot of work, as long as I was properly compensated, I was the type to accept it no matter how hard it was.

In this sense, I felt like I would get along well with Choi Soo-jung.

“Well, shall we go sign the contract now?”

The place we arrived at, led by her hand, had a sign that read “Guild Master’s Office.”

Inside, there was a large office desk, a table, and a sofa for entertaining guests.

When Choi Soo-jung reached out her slender hand and invited me to sit on the sofa, I sat down facing her.

Choi Soo-jung took a document from under the table, placed it on the table, and said,

“Um, first of all, let me ask you again formally. Are you really joining our Crystal Guild?”

“I’m sorry, but can I ask two questions first?”

“Yes, of course. What are you curious about, Mr Won-woo?”

I was worried that she might get angry at me for saying something else after coming this far, but fortunately, Choi Soo-jung’s reaction was to wait for my next words without any complaints.

“First, I want to hear a definite answer about whether you can really solve the issue I’m facing right now.”

“Yes, it’s possible. I guarantee that I can fix it.”

Choi Soo-jung answered quickly, making me, who had been thinking deeply, feel embarrassed. She gave a firm answer to a problem that I couldn’t be sure about anywhere else.

However, on the one hand, it made me suspicious since she spoke too easily about what others found difficult.

Choi Soo-jung seemed to notice that and tapped her cheek with her finger, pondering before laughing and saying,

“Then, how about we do this? If I can’t fix it, I’ll add a clause saying that the guild membership never happened. Of course, I’ll pay compensation as well.”

“No, I didn’t mean to demand that much.”

“It’s better for me if you’re at ease, Mr Won-woo.”

I was the one who was taken aback by Choi Soo-jung’s overflowing confidence and suggesting adding a unilaterally favourable contract term for me.

“So, what’s the next thing you’re curious about?”

“Uh, well…”

“Don’t worry; please feel free to speak, Mr Won-woo. If you keep doing that, I’ll be upset.”

Looking at Choi Soo-jung, who actually wanted me to speak more actively, it was very awkward for me to talk about this matter with my own mouth.

In fact, it could be that she was just taking good care of me, so I couldn’t help but think that I was making a fuss over nothing.

Moreover, it was quite awkward to bring up such a conversation with a 20-year-old young lady who just became an adult, even though she was an S-rank hunter.

“Phew… Please don’t misunderstand, and listen. Miss Hunter, Choi Soo-jung, by any chance, do you have special feelings for me?”

I asked the question indirectly, as carefully as I could.

Upon hearing that, suddenly, it seemed as if time stopped, and everything went quiet.

After a moment of silence, Choi Soo-jung’s mouth corners slightly went up, her tongue came out a little, and she licked her upper lip, moistening it.

For some reason, her action felt more like that of a seductive woman than a girl, and it gave me a strange feeling.

“What you mean is… you are asking me if I like you as a man, right?”

Choi Soo-jung’s question came back to me.

Her voice was emotionless and dry.

Hearing her answer, I quickly thought I had made a huge mistake and tried to apologise.

“Haha. I’m sorry. I seriously misunderstood. Let’s pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“I don’t just like you; I’m already in love with you. Of course, not in admiration, but romantically.”

Choi Soo-jung’s confession cut off my words and struck me.

After her slightly trembling voice, her cheeks were tinged with a slight blush as if to say she wasn’t lying.

And her reddened eyes stared at me clearly, capturing my image in her pupils.

‘It was true…?’

I was half-doubtful, but when she outright confessed her love instead of just a liking, I didn’t know what to say, and my mind went blank.