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Chapter 36
TL: I’ve decided to translate [River and Sea] guild with the phonetic equivalent: HaHae. I felt that the former was too wordy and the latter would flow better on the tongue. Sorry for the confusion!
“Ah! So that’s him!” Among the three that followed Bae Jaemin, one of them, a large man who towered over us all–standing at least 2 meters tall–smiled at me.
He was the man who looked like a bodyguard as he accompanied Bae Jaemin up the escalator. Properly seen front the front, he sported a scarred gash diagonally across his face. Despite his polite smile, the scar left a bloody and rough impression.
I don’t think he could be a professional bodyguard with a face like that…I assumed that he was Bae Jaemin’s friend or, perhaps, a member of the newly formed [HaHae] guild. He also appeared to be a Warrior?
“What’s your relationship with our guild master-nim?” A man with green bobbed hair and round glasses, creating an overall bookish appearance, intervened cooly from the left.
I felt a strange animosity I couldn’t quite understand as they gave me an assessing glance. I had only briefly met their eyes, but their gaze was colder than when raid parties had found out that I was a Necromancer…Why am I feeling so uncomfortable when he’s smiling so brightly…?
“…I didn’t expect to see you again. Well, thinking about it, the Hub is a bit cramped.” Lastly, the woman I met yesterday spoke. I was unsure if her words were tinged with sarcasm or tenderness, and I could do nothing but remain quiet.
At the very least, all three seemed to be acquaintances of Bae Jaemin. Didn’t one of them call Jaemin his guild master? Perhaps all three were part of his new guild…Although I knew how rude my behavior was, I still feigned innocence, anxiously thinking that I might make a misstep.
However, Bae Jaemin continued to smile at me, “If you sold the Barnasiums in bulk, then you must have raided the [Second Company] Dungeon to farm the ingredients. That means you must be a high-level ranker…Are you still saying we wouldn’t have met before?”
He spoke as if high-level rankers have no choice but to be acquainted with him.
Although considering his status, that may be true. I thought desperately about how to turn his questions back onto him; I noticed my trembling hands and held them close.
Seo Dawon, who had been tapping my shoulder like a keyboard, whispered in my ear, “Let’s just say those were from a friend.”
“….They aren’t mine, a friend grabbed them,” I replied, diligently.
“Oh really? Who is your friend?” Bae Jaemin asked.
“Ask him why you’d be selling the goods as an external agent,” Seo Dawon urged.
“…..Why would I be acting as an external agent?”
“You can’t reveal their name?”
I answered not with words but with an awkward laugh. The other three around us adopted an odd expression, but Bae Jaemin continued to smile, “Do you have other stock you’re selling in bulk? I was also looking for more Barnasiums, and I was sad to hear that it was already sold out.”
“I have no more.”
“You’re not excluding me on purpose, right?”
I hesitated for a moment, unable to gather my words. He had unexpectedly hit the nail on the head.
When he saw my expression, Bae Jaemin laughed in faux pleasantry, “Ah, why are you being so mean to me? Are you sure you won’t give me your number?” He continued in his dogged pursuit, not forgetting his original goal.
“Bae Jaemin, you followed him all the way here just to get his number?” The man with the scar across his face listened to our conversation in disbelief, looking alternatively between me and Bae Jaemin.
“Yes. But as you can see…I keep getting rejected.”
At his statement, I felt a sudden rise in bloodthirst from the green-haired man. Seo Dawon, too, could feel that unhidden hostility. He remarked, “I think Jaemin said all that on purpose. It looks like they’re going to stab you.”
Is that green-haired man Bae Jaemin’s servant or something? What kind of reaction is that when I simply rejected his guild master…
[Clack Clack Clack!!]
The ever-present guardian of my feelings, Lackey, snapped furiously at the hostile man.
Fortunately, the tattooed woman began to vent the chilly atmosphere, “His seller contact ID is available on Market Raid, anyway.”
“Yes. Sales are only conducted through that application.” I said.
However, Bae Jaemin expressed his unwelcome attention until the bitter end. “Then, I hope I’ll receive your personal contact information after we get closer.” He reached into his wallet and took out a white business card.
I really didn’t want to receive it, but I felt that I’d be further forced into an undesirable position if I refused this social gesture. He then handed over another business card–blue this time.
‘What is this I thought, but tactfully kept quiet.
“Blue is the [HaHae] guild’s number, and white is my own personal number.”
Seo Dawon snorted behind me.
I simply said, “I….see.” and quickly stuffed the detestable cards in my pocket. Honestly, if I contact the [HaHae] guild, won’t I also be contacting you? What’s the point of giving me two different numbers? Does he just like showboating….?
“If there’s anything you need help with, please let me know. Don’t feel pressured about it though,” Bae Jaemin continued.
After being so clingy, I can’t believe he would dare talk about pressure…Still, I half-heartedly gave my polite greetings, “Yes, yes, thank you~ I’ll be going now,” and ran for the elevator. My back prickled with 4 insistent gazes, but I no longer saw the group from within the elevator.
“Was Bae Jaemin gay?” Seo Dawon murmured as we left the elevator.
I shouted, “Huh? Why? What makes you say that?” I had not realized how loud my voice was until passersby gave me a strange look and a wide berth…
Darn…have I made it so obvious how agitated I was? Fortunately, Seo Dawon chose to ignore my exclamation and pass over the outburst with only a questioning glance. He continued, “He was being so damn cheesy.”
“…..Hmm. I guess? I thought he was just being pretentious….”
“I don’t usually give guys my personal contact number and encourage them to be in contact whenever they need me.”
“Ahh….”
I had thought the same originally….but the person we’re scrutinizing is Bae Jaemin! We had not met under normal circumstances, and I already knew how he had so deeply betrayed the [Red Lotus] guild. Frankly, I felt nothing for him other than fear.
He probably thought he’d find some use for me…
….Seo Dawon placed his arm around my shoulder and leaned in close as if he were spilling some national secret. He whispered, “Hey, you might not know this, but there’s a lot of perverts among the Rankers. You should be careful.”
“What?”
“And, this is just my opinion…Bae Jaemin sees the world from such a different perspective. He’s the type of guy to get excited at stitching tangerine peels back together.”
Even though I was intrigued by the dirty laundry he was airing, I wondered if he was simply gauging how gullible I am. I timidly attacked him, “Aren’t you also a Ranker?” 1
Seo Dawon shook his eyebrows at an invisible audience, as if to say ‘Are you seeing this?’ He recovered quickly, however, and returned the banter, blow for blow, “Well, I suppose by that standard I’m also a pervert, but…In the end, everyone seems to like that?” He leaned in closer with a sly smile.
Goosebumps raised all over my arms at the sight of his expression, and I quickly escaped from his grasp. “Get off!”
“If our Lee-kyung-ie is curious, then he should just give me an order. I’m your servant, so I’m forced to comply with every demand.” He sighed dramatically, completing the perfect performance of a beleaguered man.
I shouted, “Why would I ask something like that of you!”
* * *
Eventually, my patience ran out and I screamed out of frustration. Though the crowd looked at me in bewilderment, my agitation dampened whatever embarrassment I would usually feel.
Originally I had planned to buy most of the things I needed on this trip, but because of various events, I was delayed. Precious few hours were left before businesses closed…Besides, I was hungry, so I decided to return home. I could always come back tomorrow for the needed supplies, or order online.
I had thought about eating out, but I wanted to avoid the extra burden of eating while Seo Dawon sat and watched me with nothing better to do. (Though others couldn’t see the man, it’s not as if I could easily ignore his presence.)
On a gas stovetop, I cracked the eggs and scrambled them. Seo Dawon, this jerk, was quite calm while I was cooking, but he immediately grabbed a spoon and a pair of chopsticks as soon as I was finished.
“Can I try some of this?” He asked.
“Can you even eat?”
“I want to try.” Then, he scooped some scrambled eggs into his waiting mouth.
No way…
He can actually eat?
But, soon afterward, he scrunched his face; he spat out the eggs into some tissue paper.
“As expected, no good?”
“It’s so tasteless…”
“Hey!!”
“Just kidding. It’s delicious, but I just can’t seem to swallow. Too bad.”
Still, it seems that he could at least still taste the food…Suddenly I felt sorry for him. I placed a bit of rice and some side dishes 2 in a bowl and put them in front of him.
He looked at the food and smiled bitterly, “So I can only have a taste?”
“I just didn’t feel like eating alone. It’s enough if you pretend to eat.” I purposely added a blunt, “It’s an order.”
Seo Dawon smiled at me and said, “Thank you,” in a rich, clear voice. Like that we enjoyed an odd but warm meal.
Lackey lacked the faculties to swallow as well, but it too pretended to join in on the meal. The skeleton servant was placed by my side, and I handed him small bits of rice wrapped in seaweed. Looking at it chewing so enthusiastically, I felt guilty that I had forced it to [Bite] all the time with no payoff.
I’m sorry, Lackey.
–Ding Dong
Just as we were finishing our meal, the doorbell rang.
I had no acquaintance that would visit me without any notice this late in the night. I approached the door, tense, wondering if it was Bae Jaemin.
Seo Dawon was already two steps ahead of me. He enveloped his hands in a golden glow, ready to shoot skills when necessary.
“Who is it?” Nervously, I stood at the door and called out to the mysterious visitor…
“It’s me, Kim Sangyoon.”
I heard an unexpected voice through the door.
TL: Seo Dawon is such a troll…
Footnotes
So, the idiom used here is “Spit onto your face,” which basically means to mock or to say unbelievable things to tease someone Korean side dishes, or banchan, is a must for any meal! It’s common to have 3 – 8 dishes with your meal!