Chapter 138
“You guys! How could you follow me?”
“But how could we not worry?”
Han Seo-hyeon pouted at my words. This! He clearly said he’d leave everything to me!
“Moreover! How could you snatch me away like that!”
Even if you followed, how could you drag me away like this? How could you snatch me away during such a conversation! This way, I can’t even say Jeong Ho-san’s misunderstanding has gotten really bad!
“But he grabbed you tightly first! He was interrogating us too! You were in trouble!”
“Well, I was in trouble, but. If you snatch me away recklessly in that situation, won’t he have an even bigger misunderstanding? By the way, Kim Jae-ho. Why are you keeping your mouth shut! You’re the one who snatched me away!”
At my words, Kim Jae-ho looked at Han Seo-hyeon with an aggrieved gaze. I realized from that look.
“You ordered it?”
I thought Han Seo-hyeon would stop Kim Jae-ho, but it was the opposite.
“O-ordered? We both thought deeply and worried and decided and executed it ourselves!”
“Why are you explaining so elaborately! Even if you say that, did you think about it for maybe 2 minutes?”
“…We thought about it for 3 minutes.”
I just hit my forehead as Han Seo-hyeon rolled his eyes while saying that. What am I saying to this child? At that moment, Kim Jae-ho rolled his eyes and slightly grabbed my clothes and said:
“That guy attacked Boss.”
At Kim Jae-ho’s words, Han Seo-hyeon quickly chimed in:
“That’s right. He said he wouldn’t let go of Boss.”
“So you were listening to everything.”
I rubbed my face.
Ah, where has my dignity as a boss gone?
“But, if we hadn’t interfered, Boss, Boss would have…”
Han Seo-hyeon’s shoulders trembled slightly as he said that. Did I make him anxious without realizing it?
“I wasn’t planning to follow him anyway.”
As if I could leave Kim Jae-ho and Han Seo-hyeon behind.
“I wasn’t planning to bring him here either.”
“Why? You seemed really close, no, you are really close.”
“It’s true that I’m close with Ho-san, but…”
And it’s true that I can’t stand worrying about that guy, but I have no intention of being with him.
“He won’t understand us.”
Not wanting to draw Jeong Ho-san into the villain’s path is a secondary reason.
Jeong Ho-san will absolutely not understand me, what I’m doing. It’s killing people, even if it’s out of necessity. Jeong Ho-san won’t be able to bear that guilt.
I might do it if I had to. But during that time, he would break.
The reason I accepted Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho was, though it might sound trashy to say this, because they were kids who could understand whatever I did.
Han Seo-hyeon was a necromancer who wanted revenge for his brother, and Kim Jae-ho was numb to this kind of thing because he had experienced such inhumane things.
But Jeong Ho-san is different.
That guy will absolutely not understand me.
And… actually, I didn’t want to stain his hands with blood.
It was me who decided to use these bloody kids rather than stain Jeong Ho-san’s hands with blood.
Ugh, this sense of guilt is no joke.
I turned my gaze forward. Seeing the two people quietly bowing their heads in front of me, even my desire to scold them disappeared. Do I have the right to scold those guys?
In the end, all of this is my fault.
I sighed internally.
Ah, this feels like I went to remove a lump but only attached a lump and came back. I couldn’t even properly hear him say he’d go back to the guild. I couldn’t hear what he’ll do from now on either…
But I was too tired today to think about all that.
“Alright, tomorrow’s Kang Yi-sin will somehow take care of everything. So today is over.”
“What?”
“You two rest now too.”
“…You’re just telling us to rest?”
“Yeah.”
I raised Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho.
“You’ve had a hard time in many ways today.”
With those final words, I entered the room. For now, I should sleep and think about it tomorrow.
I needed to think of countermeasures since Jeong Ho-san reacted like that.
‘I can only say it’s ruined, right?’
—Yeah, rather the misunderstanding has only grown. You speak well elsewhere, why did you become so pathetic in front of that friend?
‘My speaking skills were originally like that. It’s not for nothing that I was bullied throughout my time at the academy. My speaking skills improved…’
After I started following Seol Rok-jin around and flattering people here and there.
‘I couldn’t bring myself to act like that in front of Jeong Ho-san.’
—From my perspective, today’s meeting was worse than not meeting at all.
I shrugged at Ray’s words. It does seem like I only made the misunderstanding bigger.
‘But at least I showed I was alive, so wouldn’t it be better than before?’
—I would have thought that too until you showed yourself being kidnapped at the end.
‘Damn it.’
I guess I have no choice but to contact him again soon.
‘Urgh, what really happens if he enters the Awakener Crimes Department?’
He’s a guy who doesn’t change his mind once he’s decided, even if someone beats him to death. It’s not for nothing that he entered that Crimson Hound Guild over other guilds.
‘I’d prefer if Jeong Ho-san changed his mind, but if he doesn’t. Hah, I didn’t want to worry about the Awakener Crimes Department side too.’
—Aren’t you worried about him moving together with Do Chae-hee, that woman?
‘Why?’
—That woman, the one who killed Jeong Ho-san in the past.
Ah, certainly it was the bullet Do Chae-hee shot that killed Jeong Ho-san.
‘What fault is it of Ms. Do Chae-hee? The real bad guy is Seol Rok-jin.’
I have no intention of resenting Do Chae-hee anew for killing my friend. Resenting Do Chae-hee for that incident is too selfish a thought. How could I, who couldn’t do anything and just trembled, hate Do Chae-hee?
Rather, I’m just grateful. Because she gave an end, peace, to Jeong Ho-san that I couldn’t give in the end.
But Do Chae-hee and Jeong Ho-san being together in this life is absolutely not okay.
Because I didn’t resent you for killing Ho-san in the previous life, because I didn’t hate you. So please don’t make me hate you in this life too. I desperately begged Do Chae-hee.
‘I won’t lose Ho-san to that bastard again like in the previous life.’
Him holding my leash is a thing of the past.
The dog freed from its leash intends to bite its former master’s nape.
‘Jeong Ho-san isn’t needed for that plan.’
I’m not turning my back on you. You’re just not needed for my plan. Ray, who heard my muttering, clicked his tongue and said:
—Tsk, you’re just unbearably worried about that guy.
* * *
After Kang Yi-sin went in, Han Seo-hyeon and Kim Jae-ho remained in the living room. Despite Kang Yi-sin’s words to go sleep, the two didn’t easily head to their rooms.
They just looked at each other with dissatisfied faces.
“Why did you tell me to bring him? We just got scolded.”
At Kim Jae-ho’s words, Han Seo-hyeon narrowed his eyes. Han Seo-hyeon clearly saw it.
“He wavered.”
For a very brief moment, Boss clearly wavered at that guy’s words.
At those words to give up everything and come. Though he laughed right away saying it made no sense, still…
The person called Jeong Ho-san that Han Seo-hyeon investigated was too brilliant a person.
He graduated from Babel, said to be Korea’s best academy, and immediately entered the Crimson Hound Guild and kept succeeding. If he had just stayed as the awakener most cherished by the guild master there, he would have become a core member of the Crimson Hound Guild.
He was a clean person who had never committed a crime.
It’s too much for such a person to take Boss away too.
At Han Seo-hyeon’s worry, Kim Jae-ho said:
“No need to worry. He doesn’t fit.”
“Doesn’t fit?”
“Yeah, Boss said so too. That person won’t understand us.”
Jeong Ho-san is too pure and good. So he didn’t fit with them.
There’s a clear reason why Kang Yi-sin, Boss, didn’t bring Jeong Ho-san here.
“Yeah, he doesn’t fit. That person.”
At Han Seo-hyeon’s words, Kim Jae-ho nodded and said:
“Yeah, so that person won’t come here.”
Even at Kim Jae-ho’s words, Han Seo-hyeon’s face didn’t brighten. Kim Jae-ho shrugged looking at Han Seo-hyeon like that.
Han Seo-hyeon was really uncomfortable at times like this. Because he wouldn’t listen even if you talked, and was just absorbed in his own thoughts.
“I’m going to sleep.”
Kim Jae-ho left Han Seo-hyeon and headed to his room. Han Seo-hyeon, sitting on the living room sofa, muttered ominously:
“Acting like you know everything.”
He was an irritating person in many ways. Even though Boss asked like that, he had no intention of listening, and just kept making things difficult for Boss. But if that person gets in danger, Boss will go save him again. He might get hurt in the process… No, he will get hurt. Because he’s a person who doesn’t know how precious his own body is.
Han Seo-hyeon had no complaints about having more members, but he disliked that person.
“I hope we never meet again forever.”
But we’ll probably meet again.
“Ah, I hate it.”
* * *
“You, you really left the guild?”
“Yes, I told you. That I want to enter the Awakener Crimes Department.”
At Jeong Ho-san’s words, Do Chae-hee quietly looked at Jeong Ho-san’s face.
“I welcome it, but…”
Should I say it’s really fast? It’s only been a few days since I talked about that, but you’ve already left the guild like this.
Then I guess I can tell you the situation in a bit more detail.
“I roughly told you last time too, but actually the current situation of the Awakener Crimes Department isn’t good.”
Do Chae-hee calmly explained the situation of the Awakener Crimes Department. That the Awakener Crimes Department was already being played by someone, and proper investigations were difficult.
That even if Jeong Ho-san came in, as long as he’s with Do Chae-hee, it could be very difficult to establish a position within the Awakener Crimes Department.
Honestly, that even she didn’t know how much longer she could maintain her position in the Awakener Crimes Department.
She revealed everything.
“Though the situation is like this, they won’t be able to reject you from the Awakener Crimes Department. You’re a 6-Circle hunter right away…”
It doesn’t make sense for them to reject a hunter with this much potential.
“To be honest, you’re a talent that’s almost too good to enter the Awakener Crimes Department.”
There are many guilds looking for capable vanguards. Just the Crimson Hound Guild cherished Jeong Ho-san so much… How shabby is the Awakener Crimes Department to enter after turning your back on all that glory?
Do Chae-hee clenched her fist and squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you earlier.”
Jeong Ho-san’s face was calm after hearing all that confession. No, rather, his eyes were shining as if he was even more determined.
“No matter what the situation is, I must enter the Awakener Crimes Department.”
He said before that he wanted to join the Awakener Crimes Department, but it didn’t feel like he was asserting it this strongly.
“Did something happen?”
At Do Chae-hee’s question, Jeong Ho-san nodded.
“Yes, a reason came up that I must enter there. There’s an incident I want to dig into.”
“What is it?”
“Well, I’ll tell you when it becomes more certain. Oh, by the way, there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
Jeong Ho-san rolled his eyes and carefully spoke up.
“About the Weltschmerz members. You said there were three as far as has been revealed, right?”
“Why Weltschmerz all of a sudden?”
“Just, since they’re so famous these days, I’m asking. I was wondering if I could see pictures of those people.”
“Pictures?”
“You never know, I might run into them while passing by. I looked into it personally too, but I just can’t trust what’s floating around on the internet.”
Jeong Ho-san’s face as he diverted the conversation like that looked somewhat suspicious, but Do Chae-hee decided to actively cooperate with her new helper instead of unnecessarily dwelling on his words.
“Well, just a moment.”
Do Chae-hee once chased Weltschmerz almost obsessively. The materials she gathered then were still with her.
“For now, there are at least three people presumed to be Weltschmerz. Among them, only Han Seo-hyeon has had his identity revealed and become publicly wanted.”
Do Chae-hee took out pictures.
The masked man presumed to be the leader, and Han Seo-hyeon. And one man discovered in Australia. Do Chae-hee pointed to the picture of the last man and said:
“This man’s face has been revealed several times. Unlike the others, he always had this face.”
Jeong Ho-san’s gaze fixed on that person’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Jeong Ho-san’s pupils sank.
“It just feels like a face I’ve seen somewhere before.”
