I opens my eyes to a familiar ceiling and that faint scent of alcohol.
Why does this situation seem familiar?
Ahh. I remember. After being randomly caught by a bunch of cultists, I witnessed something bizarre.
Thankfully, Jinhyuk-ssi came just in time to save us before anything serious happened to me.
『 Above The Broken World 』
Took you long enough to wake up.
The constellations were the first thing I saw. They have sent a bunch of random messages throughout my sleep, so I couldn't be bothered to have read them all.
Still, after closing the blue screen, there was another man next to me typing away on his laptop with deep dark circles under his eyes.
Is....he okay?
"Uhm, excuse me," I called out to him.
He slowly looked up, eyes half-lidded, then rubbed his face like he was trying to wake himself up.
"Who are you again?" he mumbled. Then he blinked a few times. "Ah... forgive me. I've been working too much these past few days. My name is Kim Taewon."
Ah? Kim... Kim Taewon?
I stared at him.
Looking closely... he really does resemble the guild leader.
Just... a much worse version.
His hair was sticking up in every direction, his clothes were slightly wrinkled, and he looked like he hadn't slept in at least three days.
I almost felt bad.
"Guild leader-nim?" I asked carefully. I really couldn't afford to offend someone like that.
He waved his hand weakly. "You don't need to address me formally, madam. As you know, I'm not truly the guild leader."
"M-madam?" I blinked. "Whose madam am I...?"
"Are you not Jinhyuk's lady? I am under the impression that you two are... After all, you were given the black card."
I tilted my head, confused. "Huh? No, it's not like that at all," I said quickly. "It's just a misunderstanding."
Taewon blinked at me, still looking half-asleep but now slightly more focused. "A misunderstanding?" he repeated.
"Yes," I nodded. "We're not like that."
"...Then why did he tell me to give you the black card?"
"...He told you to give it to me?"
Taewon frowned slightly. "Yes. He said to hand it over without restrictions."
My expression slowly shifted.
"...Wait."
I stared at him.
"Why would he even have the authority to say that?"
Taewon paused.
"You don't know?" he asked.
"Know what...?"
He hesitated, like he was debating whether or not to say it, then let out a quiet sigh.
"That Jinhyuk is the real guild master."
I blinked once then twice, and even a couple more times, "...Sorry?"
"I'm only acting in his place," Taewon continued, his tone calm despite the weight of his words. "Everything in the Obsidian guild belongs to him. Only the true guild master has access to the black card. Giving it to someone means handing over their entire fortune of the guild."
I stared at him.
My brain... stopped working for a second.
『 (っ◞‸◟ c) 』
"You...!" I yelled at the sight of the blue screen appearing before me. That damn system..! Where have you been!?
"You don't show your face for a while and now you come back? You have the audacity to talk to me?!" I snapped, completely losing it for a second.
The screen flickered.
『 (⇀‸↼‶) 』
"...Don't look at me like that."
It blinked again, almost like it was pretending not to know what I was talking about.
『 ( ￣ー￣) 』
"Oh my god, are you serious right now?" I pointed at it. "I almost died after that stupid quest you gave me!"
『 (つ╥﹏╥)つ 』
"...No. Don't do that."
I narrowed my eyes. "You don't get to act sad now. Where were you when I was dying?"
『 (⇀‸↼‶) 』
"That face again isn't going to fix anything!"
I let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through my hair. "Forget it."
『 (・_・;) 』
"..What? Why do you keep sending those faces?"
『 (￣▽￣;) 』
"Seriously..."
I pressed my fingers to my temple. "I'm actually arguing with a floating face..."
Then I froze.
Slowly... I turned my head.
Kim Taewon was staring at me, the silence heavy, almost like I was being pressed down by some kind of gravity skill... if that even exists.
"...I can explain," I said immediately.
He blinked once, then rubbed his eyes like he was trying to reset his brain.
"...Who are you talking to?" he asked flatly.
I tried to come up with an excuse. I didn't think he'd believe me if I said I was talking to the system. I mean, that sounds absurd, right? The constellations are probably more believable...
"I-I was just having a disagreement with my constellations. Nothing serious~"
...
Silence.
Taewon slowly stopped typing.
The sound of the keyboard came to a complete halt.
"...Your what?" he asked quietly.
I froze.
Ah.
That didn't sound normal, did it?
"My constellations," I repeated, a little less confident this time. "You know... the usual."
He stared at me. The kind of stare that made me feel like I just said something I really shouldn't have.
"...They were talking to you?" he asked.
"Not really talking," I waved my hand quickly. "More like... expressing themselves."
Taewon's eyes twitched slightly. "You're... having real-time interaction with them?"
"Uh. Is that strange?" Maybe I should have made up another excuse instead.
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
His constellation is a strange one.
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
He has a cold personality just like his constellation.
『 Above The Broken World 』
If he dares to offend you, tell me. I will make his constellation pay.
"Shut up." I mumbled to the constellations quietly.
"I have only heard my constellation's voice three times," he said flatly. "Each time, I was on the verge of death."
"...Oh."
"And you are arguing with yours."
"...When you say it like that, it does sound a little strange, right?" I laughed awkwardly.
"You said constellations. How many?"
"...I'm not counting," I said quickly.
"...How many," he repeated.
"There's three of them," I admitted quickly, feeling pressured from his stern face. "B-but don't misunderstand! It's not like I'm contracted with them or anything. I'm just an F— I mean, a D-rank healer. Nothing special."
Taewon slowly covered his face with one hand.
"I am either still asleep," he muttered, "or I'm starting to hear things from lack of sleep..."
"I'm sorry... please don't tell anyone..." I sighed. Why do I always manage to say the wrong things? Is it really that hard to just open a café without attracting the attention of these kinds of reputable people?
"No, I should be the one apologizing for my rudeness," he said. "Someone like you definitely deserves to be by the guild master's side."
I blinked. "...That's really not—"
His phone suddenly rang.
He glanced at the screen, his expression sharpening slightly. "I'm sorry, but it seems there's an urgent matter I need to attend to."
He stood up quickly.
"Since you're awake, I'll inform the guild master."
"Huh? Wait—"
Before I could stop him, he gave a small bow and walked out.
I stared at the door for a moment.
"...No, don't inform him..." I muttered under my breath.
·•—–٠✤٠—–•·
"This is just an equipment humans made, Shiny. It just tracks your heartbeat." I sigh. How many times do I have to explain this?
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
Human advancement is unique indeed. I have never seen such primitive yet useful evolution.
"Primitive? And how advanced is it where you live?"
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
You wouldn't know, but our realm is much higher than yours. Anything we imagine can be made into our space. Your mind is your power.
"Is that so? Then, do you have cafes or restaurants there? It would be nice to eat once a while."
『 Under The Oak Tree 』
...
『 The Shiniest Gem 』
...
『 Above The Broken World 』
We do not need such... petty sustenance...
I raised my eyebrow, "If there's one thing humanity is good at, it's making all kinds of food."
『 Above The Broken World 』
We do not stoop so low that we seek such things.
I brushed the constellations off at the sound of the door opening. It must be Jinhyuk-ssi. I wonder what we should talk about?
But instead of that scary, handsome face, three beautiful faces came into view.
"Elena!" Hye-in ran toward me.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? I can't believe our savior went through something so traumatic..."
Chiyeon stepped forward silently and suddenly bowed at a perfect ninety degrees. "We are extremely grateful for your help," she said.
This time, Jiyeon-nim approached.
Unlike before, she looked much healthier, her complexion no longer pale. The dark tint on her lips only made her look more intimidating.
But despite her appearance, her words were gentle.
"Our Elena is hurt, don't bother her," she said calmly. "Anyway, if there's anything you need, please ask us. We are willing to offer our entire lives to you."
...What is going on here?
"You saved all of our lives. If it wasn't for you, we would all be dead. So please, take this."
She handed me a black card.
...Doesn't this seem familiar?
Why is there another black card in my hand?
"This is the only way we can repay you for now. Ah, it's not the guild's black card, so don't worry. This is a separate bank account we created under your name. We simply deposited one hundred billion won."
I froze, my hand trembling as I held the card.
W-why is there so much money on this...? Is it even right for me to hold something this precious?
"S-sorry? You must mean one million, right?" I asked, my voice almost cracking from the shock.
"The price of saving our lives is far greater than that," Jiyeon said. "You deserve our full support for the rest of your life."
"From now on, you'll be the guild leader!" Hye-in added enthusiastically.
Nothing about that made me happy.
"No!" I raised my voice in panic. "No... I don't want to own a guild. I-I... the money is enough, so let's just settle it with that."
The three women looked visibly disappointed.
"...Let's end it here for now," Jiyeon said. "How are you feeling?"
"Oh. I don't feel any pain at all. I'm okay," I replied.
"Is that so? I'm glad. We keep becoming more indebted to you, so if anything troubles you, we will always help."
I nodded. "Uhm... actually, I do have a favor..."
"Yes? What is it?"
Since I keep getting dragged into these dangerous dungeons, I think it's about time I start properly protecting myself.
The rank of the places I end up in just keeps increasing. It's honestly hard to keep up. I only wanted to open my café, but things like this keep happening...
"As you know, I'm a low-rank, non-combatant hunter," I started. "But for some reason, I keep getting involved in dungeons. If you have any items that could help protect someone like me..."
"Please leave it to me. I know a few things that could be useful," Chiyeon said.
"Is that so? Thank you, Chiyeon-ssi," I said, bowing my head.
"Please, you can drop the formalities. We've grown closer, haven't we?" Jiyeon glanced toward the door.
No one was there.
But as if on cue, the door opened, revealing Jinhyuk-ssi.
"What are you doing in someone else's guild?" he asked coldly, glaring at them. "Stop bothering the patient."
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't a dog like you be at a gate right now?" Jiyeon snapped back.
D-dog... she just called one of the strongest hunters a dog...
Top-rank hunters really do speak to each other like this. They're so scary... why am I even involved with people like them?
"Unlike you, who came empty-handed, I'm here to feed our patient food. So scram."
...Who's that next to him? He looks familiar.
Jinhyuk walked over and unfolded the table for me, organizing the food he brought.
It was mostly soft tofu soup, warm abalone juk, a small side of kimchi, the non-spicy baek kimchi kind, along with mild miyeok-guk and steamed egg. Simple, gentle dishes. The kind of food that felt like it was prepared with warm hands.
My stomach growled embarrassingly loud.
"Eat before it gets cold," Jinhyuk said flatly, pulling up a chair without being invited.
The man beside him stepped forward, now that I got a proper look at him.
"Kang Minwoo. It's good to meet you," he said with a smile. "I came after you fell unconscious during the double gate incident, so you might not have seen me."
Ah, I see.
"Thank you for helping," I said quietly.
"Don't mention it. I'm this guy's partner," he added teasingly.
"He's my subordinate," Jinhyuk corrected without looking up from arranging the utensils.
"He wishes," Minwoo muttered.
Jiyeon crossed her arms as she looked at the spread on the table, something unreadable passing over her face.
"Hyein-ah, call Chef Park. Tell him to come here personally and prepare a proper recovery meal. He'll know what to bring," she said without even glancing at Jinhyuk.
Jinhyuk finally looked up.
The two stared at each other.
I quietly picked up my spoon and started eating the juk.
"Who do you think you are, bringing a personal chef into someone else's guild?"
"You're right. My Elena deserves a better room than this. How about moving to our guild's treatment room? It's much better there."
"Why would she do that? The treatment here couldn't possibly be worse than yours."
I could clearly see how irritated Jiyeon-nim had become.
"What did you just say, you bastard? Why are you acting like this is your guild anyway?"
Jinhyuk shrugged. "Why? Does it piss you off that much?"
Jiyeon's hands slowly became enveloped in a purple aura. The temperature in the room dropped noticeably.
"I'll make sure that mouth of yours can't speak anymore—"
"The juk is really good." I purposely interrupted.
Everyone turned to look at me.
I had another spoonful halfway to my mouth, though now it felt a bit forced.
"Jinhyuk-ssi," I said carefully. "Thank you for the food. It's warm, and I really needed this."
I set the spoon down and looked at Chiyeon next.
"Chiyeon-ssi, you came all the way here while you're still recovering yourself. That means a lot to me."
A beat.
"So please..." I sighed. "Can everyone just stop giving me a headache? If you're going to argue, please do it outside."
Jiyeon's hands slowly lowered, the purple aura around them fading.
She clicked her tongue and turned away. "...If you ever feel uncomfortable here, please let me know."
Jinhyuk said nothing, but he leaned back in his chair, the tension in his shoulders loosening just slightly.
Minwoo, who had been quietly watching the entire exchange from the corner, let out a slow breath.