"…Sorry. I made you misunderstand."
"…Was it a misunderstanding?"
A sharp question in a young, childlike voice.
With nothing to say to that, Yoo Do-a sent a desperate SOS look to Kim A-rin standing right in front of her.
Sure, she had liked Ji-woo's soft ears and squishy cheeks, and yes, she'd wanted to touch them at least once.
But that was only because Ji-woo was cute.
There hadn't been any other weird, ulterior thoughts beyond that.
"A-rin, even you think she's cute, right?"
"…Yeah."
"So… so I'm not a bad person, am I? Right?"
"But you didn't think about how she felt, and that was bad, senior. No matter how cute she is."
"Ugh."
And just like that, Yoo Do-a was struck speechless again, deflating like a punctured balloon.
Every trace of the strict, composed air she'd had back in the meeting room was completely gone.
Even so, the last thing she could afford was for Ji-woo to think she was some kind of pervert, so Do-a fumbled for words and forced herself to speak.
"It's just… Ji-woo, you're… impressive. You're still so young, but you fought so bravely. Yeah. That's why."
"…I'm not that young."
"A-anyway. Nobody died because of you, you know? One wrong move and everyone could've been killed."
As the guild master of the Haetae Guild, she was formally expressing her gratitude — that was what Do-a said.
She tacked on a belated explanation that her excessive fondness for Ji-woo had stemmed from that as well.
"…I just can't help myself when I see something cute. It's not like I had any weird thoughts."
"Hmm, how am I supposed to believe that."
"I'm nothing like those creeps. I'll prove I'm a decent person."
Tap. Do-a whipped out her phone in an instant, pulling up a photo.
A photo of Do-a smiling alongside what appeared to be beastfolk children.
"S-see? I just… I like beastfolk kids. I even do volunteer work with them sometimes…!"
"…I'm not beastfolk, though?"
"Oh, I know. But you kind of look similar, right? Your ears and tail are out right now too, so……. …Anyway, I'm sorry."
She really hadn't meant to make Ji-woo feel bad, Do-a insisted, apologizing again and again.
Hearing all that, Ji-woo felt a little awkward herself.
With someone apologizing this persistently, refusing to accept it somehow made her feel like the petty one — a strange, uncomfortable feeling.
More than anything, she could hear murmuring from down the hallway, people looking their way.
Even if Ji-woo was starved for attention, this wasn't the kind of attention she wanted.
"L-later."
"Huh?"
"Let's talk again later. That's okay, right?"
A refusal was still a refusal.
She reached out a hand to Do-a, who was still sitting on the floor, grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her up.
Her plan was to send Do-a back to the meeting room.
But at almost the exact same moment, Ji-woo saw it.
A notification window floating in the air.
[ Entity: Yoo Do-a's Favorability has increased. (150 → 170) ]
"Ugh."
With a sinking feeling, she looked into Do-a's eyes — and found them staring back like Ji-woo was the cutest thing she'd ever seen and it might actually kill her.
The corners of her mouth were quivering. That was a bonus.
Then, with another sinking feeling, she opened her skill window — and there was the name of the Haetae Guild's guild master.
【❮(P) Let's Be Friends❯ : Active】
【Currently applied to: Yoo Do-a】
"…Oh my god."
Maybe — just maybe —
The reason Yoo Do-a was looking at her with those terrifying eyes was because of her own skill.
Without even realizing it, Ji-woo ducked behind Kim A-rin's back again and thought about it very, very seriously.
She felt, once more, the pressing need to learn a great deal more about her own skills.
***
"Well then, you're all free to head back now."
The Haetae Guild master, back in full serious mode.
Or rather — Do-a added that she was grateful to the Ludus Guild Hunters for making time today.
It seemed there was nothing more left to discuss with the Ludus Guild Hunters.
"But, um… what about Ji-woo? What happens to Ji-woo going forward?"
"Our Ji-woo… no, Miss Lee Ji-woo will be under the Haetae Guild's care for the time being. Ji-woo has agreed to this as well."
"Oh…. T-that's great, Ji-woo. Right?"
At the question from Park Se-rin, a Class B mage Hunter from Ludus, I thought about it seriously.
Was it really great?
Was joining the Haetae Guild like this really the right call?
— whisper whisper.
"…Think about the signing bonus, sis."
"!"
At Kim A-rin's voice right beside me, I nodded immediately.
Because either way, I wouldn't have to worry about money anymore — that much was true!
I hadn't gone over the details yet, but I'd heard I was joining the Haetae Guild under pretty favorable terms.
The reason being that I'd solo-cleared a Gate Dungeon in Gangseo-gu that turned out to be S-rank.
Do-a's eyes on me were a little concerning, but that was still better than worrying about money.
"…See you again sometime, Ji-woo! Thanks for everything!"
"I'll message you~!"
"Oh, take care."
In the end, the Ludus Guild Hunters said their brief goodbyes and headed back to their own guild.
They'd given their full testimonies about everything that happened two days ago, so there was no reason to stay at the Haetae Guild any longer.
But I wasn't the same person who'd been inside that Dungeon with those Hunters two days ago.
My identity now was Hunter (pending) affiliated with the Haetae Guild.
"So, Ji-woo. Can you wait just a moment? There are some things we need to go over."
Joining the Haetae Guild meant signing various contracts, sitting through some kind of orientation, and so on.
Either way, I still had plenty of things left to take care of here at the Haetae Guild headquarters.
"Really just a moment. It'll be done quickly."
"Oh, okay."
I had nothing else to do anyway, so I decided to just wait until Do-a finished her business.
It seemed the guild executives still had things to discuss among themselves regarding the Gangseo-gu Gate.
Of course, it had nothing to do with me, so I figured I'd just sit in the corner of the meeting room and browse the Gallery to pass the time.
Time flies when you're scrolling.
That was the plan, anyway.
"Well, um, cases like this aren't completely unheard of……"
"Mm…. Go ahead."
"The Yellowstone Gate in the US… back then, it started as Class B and then jumped to S-rank too, didn't it…?"
One of the executives who'd been discussing the Gangseo-gu Gate started bringing up something that made my ears perk up.
Another case of a Dungeon's rank escalating.
And at the same time — a massive incident that had shaken the world a few years back.
The Yellowstone Gate.
"It suddenly jumped to S-rank out of nowhere, and the US had to mobilize every single one of their S-rank Hunters just to barely prevent a Gate Shock, right…?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"So maybe this time was a similar case……!"
As guild master Do-a listened attentively, the previously timid voice gained a brief flash of confidence.
The eyes that had been darting around the room now looked directly at Do-a.
But.
"So what you're saying, Mi-rae, is that a Hidden Boss appeared in the Gangseo-gu Gate?"
"P-probably……?"
"Then why did nobody die? Half the people at Yellowstone got wiped out. And these weren't just anyone — it was the cream of the crop from America's top guilds."
"W-well, I'm not sure about that part……. …I'm sorry……"
When another Haetae Guild executive raised an objection, the confident voice shrank back down again.
But I knew.
That timid executive's theory was correct.
Not for nothing was she an executive, huh?
How could someone be that sharp?
— glance glance.
— glance glance.
I shot a slightly tense look at Kim A-rin, and she glanced back at me.
What had happened between me and the Hidden Boss two days ago was definitely supposed to stay a secret.
If the truth came out, the Haetae Guild would go on high alert, and (to summarize) I'd either be hunted down or locked in a solitary cell with no internet access.
That — that absolutely could not happen.
"Even at Yellowstone, if that guy hadn't held the line at the front, everyone would've died. It was only because it was him that they managed to stop it without triggering a Gate Shock."
"But this time, everyone made it back alive. Even though it was clearly a Class B raid party."
"A Hidden Boss appeared, and a bunch of Class B small-timers all walked out without a single casualty? You really think that makes sense?"
"S-sorry……. I'm so sorry……!"
Much to my relief, the timid executive's theory was ultimately dismissed.
Battered by repeated rebuttals, the executive had at some point slipped under the table.
Thank goodness she had such a meek personality.
If she'd had even a little more backbone, I might've already been taken out by the Hunters.
…Well, no — I had an invincibility skill, so "taken out" probably wasn't the right word. But I'd definitely have been sealed away somewhere.
Anyway, things had worked out in my favor.
Even the day a centipede suddenly appeared in the kitchen sink, I hadn't been this nervous.
"Alright, Ji-woo. Let's go."
"Where to?"
"My office. I'll explain the contract there."
Do-a followed up by saying my Dungeon clear reward and Hunter signing bonus would also be paid out in her office.
No time to hesitate.
I had to move fast.
I sprinted to the elevator ahead of everyone else and waved for Do-a and Kim A-rin to hurry up.
"So, what floor is it?"
"60th."
"?"
— clunk.
"Eek."
The thing that called itself an elevator but was clearly a rocket launched upward at terrifying speed again.
Fast enough that I could feel the gravity pressing down harder.
Was there no elevator for non-Awakened people?
The thought of having to ride this terrifying thing every single day made my head spin.
"Sis. You're an Awakened now too."
"Still…!"
This girl had zero empathy.
Leaving Kim A-rin and her MBTI-T energy behind, I bolted out of the elevator the moment the doors opened.
And there it was — a sprawling penthouse.
"…This is your office?"
"Office slash personal residence."
"Wow…."
There was a desk in the middle, sure, but everything else looked like a five-star hotel.
Not that I'd ever been to a five-star hotel.
But this had to be something like it, right?
The windows were enormous, and the sofas and bookshelves all looked absurdly expensive.
It hit me all over again just how much money Hunters like Do-a were pulling in.
— whisper whisper.
"…Kim A-rin. Is your place like this too?"
"…………."
A nod. A small tilt of the head that roughly meant yes, more or less.
I suddenly felt very small, remembering how I'd been trembling in the elevator just moments ago.
But it was fine.
Because I was about to start raking in enormous amounts of money as an S-rank Hunter like Kim A-rin.
She'd mentioned the base salary was ■ hundred million won, after all.
The day I'd be living in a penthouse like this wasn't far off.
"Oh, speaking of which, Ji-woo."
"Yes?"
"Our guild provides housing too. Think of it as a standard perk, I guess."
Every Hunter was a precious resource.
And among those precious Hunters, S-rank ones were treated as especially irreplaceable.
Naturally, the compensation matched — those words landed directly in my ears.
Otherwise, S-rank Hunters would just transfer to other guilds, apparently.
"A-rin made a special request too, so. I'm thinking we put you in the unit next to hers……"
"What."
So this was what they called financial therapy.
Suddenly, I didn't care at all how Do-a looked at me.
A little while later, when I went with Kim A-rin to see the unit next door to hers, I even thought this:
Maybe I shouldn't complain if the person who's giving me this enormous penthouse for free wants to touch my cheeks or pat my head.
No matter how precious my cheeks are, they can't be worth more than a penthouse this size.
"I-is this really……?"
"Yep. It's your place from now on."
It wasn't quite on the level of Do-a's office, but compared to the rooftop room, this was paradise.
The treatment was so good it actually made me suspicious without meaning to.
……What if they change their minds later?
What if this isn't actually free, and they're just putting it on a tab in the Haetae Guild's books?
What if they come after my organs down the line…?
"…No, sis."
"Huh?"
"The money the guild made because of you is more than what they're giving you."
"What?"
I looked over at Do-a in disbelief, and she nodded as if to confirm A-rin was right.
What had I even done?
"You stabilized the Gangseo-gu Gate, didn't you?"
"Yeah… why does that matter?"
"The Dungeon management rights transferred to us."
The explanation that followed was simple, but stunning.
"You know the Gangseo-gu Gate is S-rank, right?"
"Yes."
"Once a Gate stabilizes, you can mine magic stones from the Dungeon. So what kind of magic stones would an S-rank Dungeon produce?"
"…S-rank ones?"
"Correct."
In other words, thanks to me, the Haetae Guild had just acquired a brand-new S-rank magic stone mine.
Compared to the money the Haetae Guild would be pulling in from here on out, a penthouse like this was pocket change.
"You're not the one in debt to our guild — if anything, our guild is in debt to you."
"Senior's right, sis. This is treatment you rightfully deserve."
"…!"
Haha, understood.
Every last trace of suspicion and unease in the back of my mind vanished completely.
Past me from two days ago, I'm so proud of you.
I was really glad I'd stepped up and recovered the Dungeon Core instead of just waiting around for a Gate Shock to happen.
"Sis."
"Yeah?"
"Just stay here tonight. We'll move your stuff tomorrow. …That okay?"
What reason could I possibly have to say no.
I nodded with every ounce of enthusiasm I had.
Goodbye, rooftop room.
It wasn't exactly… fun while it lasted.
Let's not… see each other again!
"Okay, okay. Save the warm fuzzy moment for later~. Let's go finish what we came here to do first."
Do-a said there were still a few steps left before my Haetae Guild enrollment was official.
In that instant, I knew.
The crown jewel of every Hunter's awakening — the rank assessment — was upon me.
"Are we going to the Association now to get my rank measured?"
"Hm?"
"Like, I smash the rank meter, and reporters come swarming in, and there's a brand-new S-rank Hunter─!"
"Hold on, Ji-woo. We can't go to the Association today."
"What?"
"Their business hours are already over."
The time was 6 PM.
As it happened, the Hunter Association's business hours also ended at 6 PM.
Being a public institution, they were strict about that sort of thing, I was told.
The sound of air slowly leaking out of my inflated expectations followed shortly after.
"So then… where are we going now?"
"To take your profile photo."
"Profile photo?"
"Yeah. We're going to take the photo for your Hunter ID."
So let's get you dolled up a little.
Do-a, wearing that dangerous look in her eyes again for some reason, said this and grabbed me by the shoulder.
I had a very strong feeling I'd just walked into a trap.
"K-Kim A-rin. You never said anything about this!"
"…It's just a photo, sis. It doesn't hurt."
"My soul is the one that hurts……!"
But before I knew it, a stylist and a makeup artist that Do-a had called were standing in front of me.
Cornered on all sides, I was inevitably done up to the nines.
Apparently, shooting a Hunter's profile photo as beautifully as possible was a matter of guild pride — personally, I couldn't relate.
I did fight desperately to at least avoid a skirt, and that much I managed.
But.
"Lee Ji-woo, age eleven. Cause of death…."
Lee Ji-woo, the man who had survived on oversized hoodies and plain black tees, breathed his last.
It was a truly tragic affair.
"…If you take a good photo, I'll buy you a new computer, sis. Now smile."
"…………."
***
"Wait, not that one. Look at the ones from before."
"Hmm…."
"Don't you think this one came out the prettiest?"
"…Yeah. Let's go with this one."
