"Wow, you're early? I thought you wouldn't arrive until after noon."
It was hard to decide whether to call this peculiar or spot-on. The comments were overly casual and indifferent for someone of the guild master's stature, but looking at Kwon Taeju's attire, it oddly fit him. It's like saying his manner was somewhat suited for a tough guy who's seen a few things in the alleys.
With one hand stuffed in his pocket and the other waving as he approached, the man lifted the sunglasses that covered half his face. Up close, he seemed to be in his late 170s in height, a bit shorter than Hamin, but his good proportions made them look nearly the same height.
"Hmm."
The action of lifting his sunglasses revealed his dark eyes. Despite his foreign-looking attire, his features were distinctly Korean, which Kang Sihyun found amusingly ironic, just as their eyes met. The man who spotted Kang Sihyun beamed brightly.
"Ah, are these the famous first-year Class A kids? Wow, you're lucky."
Dragging out his words, the man glanced at Iha Hyuk. Iha Hyuk nodded slightly in lieu of a greeting.
"It's been a while, Guild Master of Muam."
"Since the end-of-the-world conference, right? We weren't that close before, but it's nice to see you again. These are the team members for this time, right?"
"Seems so."
"You're all so fresh, so young. You're lucky, aren't you?"
I couldn't grasp why he kept mentioning luck. As I struggled to understand his meaning, Iha Hyuk, who had shaken hands with the man, flashed a knowing smile. From his reaction, it appeared this behavior from the Guild Master of Muam wasn't unusual.
Is this always how he is?
Now I understood a bit of what Iha Hyuk meant. Even I found it difficult to succinctly explain such a unique personality.
Not knowing what else to do, I stood awkwardly behind Iha Hyuk until the man finished shaking hands and approached me.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kwon Taeju."
"Ah, yes... Kang Sihyun."
"Oh, so you're the famous Quadruple?"
"I've wanted to meet you. Lucky me."
The man who grasped my hand shook it vigorously before chuckling. Literally, chuckling. It was the first time I realized laughter could be articulated so precisely.
This feels unsettling.
Just from that brief exchange, I felt uneasy. It was impossible to consider this man normal, so I observed him skeptically as he firmly shook and then released my hand, moving on to greet the others.
"Ah, this must be the future guild master? Nice to meet you."
"Ah, are you the famous assassin kid? I've heard you're quite skilled. Want to join our guild? Just kidding. But looking at your face makes me really want to recruit you."
"And you are... ah! The crazy guy? No, no, I mean, I heard from our kids. You were the one who didn't sleep and just kept doing rifts, right? There were some rumors about that time. Sorry if I was rude. All good?"
"……"
His following comments were equally frenetic and slightly irritating. Until now, I thought draining someone's energy through conversation was Kang Haewoon's unique skill, but my opinion had to change. How could someone speak so quickly and flamboyantly, subtly scraping at your insides and then trying to smooth it over with a laugh? It left you in a position where getting angry made you seem petty, so I had to twitch my eyelids and let go of Taeju's hand as Yoo Seowoo sighed softly.
"Wow, such a fresh combination here. So young and vibrant. You all are really lucky."
That's the third time.
By now, I was genuinely curious about what he meant by luck.
"You've been saying we're lucky since earlier. What do you mean by that?"
My tone was ambiguous as if it wasn't a direct question, but I felt like he would understand. After a flatly posed inquiry, the man, adjusting his sunglasses, asked back, "Pardon? Sorry, I'm a bit hard of hearing."
"…What does being lucky mean?"
"Ah, lucky?"
He exaggeratedly repeated the question as if doing it on purpose. As I swallowed my impatience, the man who had precisely caught the moment of silence finally spoke.
"What else would you call it? You're alive, aren't you?"
"……?"
"In this line of work, seeing people die isn't uncommon, especially over a decade. Not just civilians but hunters too. How many were momentarily notable only to be torn apart by Irregulars? But you folks have faced all sorts of dangers and are still alive, right?"
Isn't that called being lucky?
Despite his playful and gentle tone
, there was something compelling about his words, not displeasing but carrying a certain gravitas.
Wearing his sunglasses completely now, he slipped them into his shirt as he glanced down, revealing long eyelashes but an overall impression that leaned more handsome than pretty. The stark impression of the man, whether due to his hair or outfit, maintained a smirk as he continued.
"I heard no one from last year's Class A died. Since no one has died so far, you must be really lucky…"
"……."
"But how far will that luck go?"
Chuckle.
The man asked with narrowed eyes and let out laughter again. I saw the expressions of the kids harden instantly. My face was no different. Feeling a chill in my mind, I looked at Iha Hyuk.
It was a reminder of who was ultimately responsible for us in this situation.
With the same reasoning, Kang Sihyun firmly held Lee Hamin's wrist to prevent him from growling, narrowing his purple eyes to look straight at the speaker.
Sending a look that said "handle it yourself," the man chuckled lowly. It took a moment before the refined man voiced out.
"Pushing too hard from the first meeting might scare our kids. They're still young, after all."
"Well, they do seem cuddly enough to fuss over. All of them look quite pretty."
"They're admirable, aren't they?"
"Good at snagging jobs, so of course, they're admirable. Shall we go in and talk? The chicks standing there dumbfounded should toddle in as well. Chuckle."
Taeju lightly spoke and gestured for them to follow him inside. Leading the way, Taeju walked ahead with Iha Hyuk by his side. Following behind them, Kang Sihyun exchanged glances with the kids.
'What's happening?'
'Do I look like I know?'
'Is everyone okay?'
'Why wouldn't we be?'
'It just feels weird.'
'You're just upset because you're being ignored.'
With two S-rankers in front, they lacked the boldness to whisper freely, communicating only through glances until Taeju, walking ahead, turned to look at Kang Sihyun with a smile.
"Stop whispering and hurry up. You're falling behind."
His voice flowed like a warning, feeling as if it scanned them from top to bottom. Kang Sihyun hesitated for a moment before reluctantly picking up the pace to catch up with the two men ahead.
There was much he wanted to say, but now was not the time to speak up.
After passing through a scene so deeply imbued with Korean spirit that their ancestors would have danced in joy, they arrived at a room deep within the Hanok. Taeju slid open the door and naturally took the highest seat. Iha Hyuk sat opposite him, while Kang Sihyun and the kids, after a moment of hesitation, split to sit on the long sofas arranged on either side.
"It seems Muam hasn't chosen their team members yet. It feels empty here."
"Ah, they're in the process. I told the kids to choose among themselves, so it should be decided soon."
Only the strongest four need to come. Chuckle.
Can someone please do something about that laugh?
For the first time in his life, Kang Sihyun felt such strong displeasure towards someone's laughter. Every time he heard it, he felt oddly annoyed. Observing the man's expression while his brows twitched minutely, Taeju, who had been staring at the closed door, slowly began to speak.
"Seeing as I've made the Redem guild members uncomfortable with my earlier comments, I'd like to clarify. Don't take it too hard. It seems your guild master didn't explain, so I thought I'd point it out. Isn't that right?"
His question wasn't directed at them. With Taeju's gaze upon him, Iha Hyuk, who had been sipping tea, let out a short sound. His relaxed demeanor suggested he was comfortable with the situation.
"Well, it's something I would have mentioned eventually."
Placing the teacup down with a gentle clink, Iha Hyuk rested his hands on his knees and responded calmly, his reaction more composed than expected, prompting questions in Kang Sihyun's mind. Unable to grasp their conversation, he blinked in confusion until Taeju, after a sip of tea, opened his eyes.
"Haven't you thought that things have been too easy for you so far?"
"I don't quite follow what you mean."
"Exactly what I said. Sure, you've had your hardships and struggles, but when you look at the outcomes, hasn't it been quite easy? No one seriously injured, no one dead, everything concluded well."
"……"
"That's a hard thing to achieve. Ending things without losing someone. That's why I mentioned you were lucky. You've never lost anything important in battle, have you? Well, there might be exceptions, but that's not what I'm talking about."
Under the table, a foot twitched. Knowing whose foot it was without having to look, Kang Sihyun placed his hand atop the white hand resting on the chair.
"What I'm trying to say isn't grand. Just a warning. You've had a smooth journey so far, but next time, or rather, this time, you might lose something."
"……"
"Who that might be, I can't say. Could be me, could be Mr. Iha Hyuk here, or one of you. But always keep in mind during battle that I or someone beside me could die. That way, even if someone dies in the midst of battle, you can continue fighting without major disruption."
The atmosphere turned solemn. The playful air that surrounded him upon their first meeting
had completely dissipated as he spoke gravely, only to shift back to a mischievous expression once he finished.
"I don't know why Redem only brought these youngsters, but I plan to strategize based on the assumption you all have that level of readiness. If not, start preparing now."
I'm planning to die in this operation.
The statement reverberated deeply throughout the room. Frowning at the declaration, Kang Sihyun scanned Iha Hyuk, who seemed unfazed by Kwon Taeju's explosive remark, merely sipping his tea.
After a moment of stunned silence, Kang Sihyun let out a long breath.
Kwon Taeju's words were undeniably true. Frankly, the fact that no one from Class A had been lost so far was miraculous.
That miracle, happening over and over, led Kang Sihyun to unconsciously believe that even though the kids might get hurt, they wouldn't die.
He decided to heed the harsh words as a lesson. As Kang Sihyun and the others silently contemplated this, Kwon Taeju chuckled again, filling the room with his unique laughter.
"So, shall we start discussing the operation?"
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