Meanwhile, Kang Sihyun, tired of repeatedly hearing advice about how to skillfully evade the persistent nagging of the Muam Guild leader as he had done so many times before, pushed away the three boys with an exhausted expression.
"Alright, enough. It's because it was the first proper conversation I've ever had with him, so I wanted to clearly understand what kind of person he was."
"So, what kind of person was he?"
"He must've been crazy, what else."
Lee Hamin sarcastically replied. Kang Sihyun's conclusion after a brief five-minute conversation with Taeju wasn't any different, hence he let out a short, "Oh," as an impression.
"That's accurate."
"What did he say?"
"He said to come to Muam."
"..."
A brief silence flowed between the boys. The first to break it was Lee Hamin, with a displeased look.
"Why do you get scouted everywhere you go?"
"It's because I'm a Quadruple, probably."
Even as Kang Sihyun answered, he felt awkward. It seemed that he had received scouting offers from all notable guilds so far. At this point, he wondered if the guild leaders were actually cats, and if he had catnip smeared on him.
'Why don't you tell me about the conversation you just had?'
'It was a private conversation.'
'That's fine.'
'I wonder if that's for the Muam Guild leader to decide.'
'If you really dislike it, why not join our guild? Then you won't be curious.'
The conversation was unpredictable. Kang Sihyun had thought it was a joke, but realizing the seriousness as he began to search his pockets for something resembling a contract, he knew it was genuine. If Hahyuk hadn't casually mentioned he would tear it up if anything was pulled out, Kang Sihyun might not have known about the Muam Guild's contract.
Reflecting on it still made him shake his head in disbelief. The conversation among the three boys had shifted from Taeju to Muam, and then to Redem, eventually ending on the other children remaining at Redem after having a simple dinner.
"It's definitely quieter without Kang Haewoon around."
"Haewoon would feel left out if he heard that."
"Well, then you go down and bring him up."
With that, Lee Hamin nudged Seowoo towards the railing, and Ban Haru caught one of Seowoo's arms in alarm, stopping Hamin. As they were told not to do anything dangerous near the railing, Kang Sihyun quietly laughed.
So, does that mean it's okay to do it somewhere else?
Ban Haru's standards for breaking up fights were baffling.
"Hasn't Jeong Daun contacted you?"
Thinking it would prevent a fight from breaking out on deck, he spoke up to draw their attention. The boys checked their phones after being prompted with the question.
"Nope."
"Me neither."
"Nothing."
"I thought she would've sent loads, surprising."
Before departing, Kang Sihyun had informed Daun that they were leaving today, but not receiving any response was surprising. Though he wasn't exactly waiting for a reply, the lack of contact somewhat disappointed him. Checking his phone, Kang Sihyun then noticed a notification in the status bar.
Belatedly remembering he had turned off his phone's sound while talking with the guild leaders, including Hahyuk, he was surprised. Tapping the notification to check, he found that the screen was filled with messages from Daun.
"...No, she did send them to me."
Correcting his previous statement with a bitter tone, Kang Sihyun read Daun's text. The boys gathered around to check the message together.
Summarizing the content, which was about 20% cursing, it went something like, "Since you're above the sea, fight moderately, be careful because you have trauma, take good care of the kids, eat a lot, if Hahyuk acts annoying, kick his shin, if Muam Guild ignores you, choke them to take the initiative, come back safely." It contained content that might get Daun arrested if known to others, but it was more of a message filled with concern and regret sent to a departing friend.
Having become accustomed to Daun's way of speaking, Kang Sihyun now had the ability to read even somewhat violent messages in a softened manner and pressed the chat window to reply. It was then that another message from Daun arrived.
[If any of the three messes with you without permission, kick them in the groin. Make sure to maintain your dignity in country K.]
It was a simple yet chilling message. Kang Sihyun panicked, and the three boys flinched upon reading it together. Their gazes turned to Kang Sihyun, curious about his response, so he typed.
[I'll do as you say. Thanks for worrying, but make sure you're eating well and taking care of yourself too. I'll be back safe.]
Sending it felt somewhat embarrassing and too lengthy for his usual terse manner, so he kept it simple and to the point. After hitting the send button, Lee Hamin frowned.
"Now that I think about it, why does she only send messages to you? I'm going too, aren't I?"
"Lee Hamin, you're not exactly on close terms with Daun to be texting each other, are you?"
"Still, she could've shown some concern."
"You just heard about it through Kang Sihyun, what's the issue? Do you want to be worried over?"
Yoo Seowoo seized the moment to tease Lee Hamin further. Watching this, Kang Sihyun discreetly sent a text to Jihye, asking her to send a single message of care.
Having been together for a year and now fussing over not being contacted even once, Lee Hamin finally calmed down after receiving a careful message from Jihye.
"Kang Sihyun is really close with Daun, huh."
"It seems that way if you think so."
"The texts you send are really affectionate too."
"I wouldn't know about that."
"Really don't know?"
The boy, smirking meaningfully, pulled out his phone and showed Kang Sihyun the conversations they had shared. Most of their interactions were initiated for a specific reason, and when Yoo Seowoo initiated contact, Kang Sihyun either didn't reply or sent brief responses.
It seemed rather cold.
But when compared to the messages sent to Daun, Kang Sihyun couldn't deny they appeared aloof, though there was room for justification.
"I contact you frequently. There's no need to be overly affectionate every time."
Arguing that there was no need for such care in frequent communications, the boy clinging to him whined.
"But I always reply affectionately."
"That's your own doing."
I don't need to adjust to that.
Brushing off the whining as not significant enough to warrant his full attention, Kang Sihyun moved the boy's persistently intrusive phone out of his line of sight. A voice calling him cold followed, but he ignored it, sitting down to check the night view.
The meeting was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so tonight was for rest. Given that the water wasn't deep enough for Titans to appear, there was no need for undue worry, leaving him to relax. The three boys, like ducklings, followed him and stood near his chair.
He had placed their chairs beside him, yet it puzzled him why they chose to stand, making their feet hurt.
"You should sit and rest while you can. Tonight might be the last chance for relaxation."
From tomorrow on, with the possibility of Titans appearing, they would have to keep watch and rotate through training sessions in the gym. Advising this, Seowoo bowed slightly, a soft chuckle close by.
"My chair is far away."
"And?"
"Should we sit together?"
"What are you talking about?"
Dismissing the absurd suggestion by grabbing and then releasing the boy's hair, Kang Sihyun found him especially bothersome today.
As he was about to speak out of annoyance, Seowoo quickly interjected.
"What did Daun say? Is Pia doing well?"
"Ah."
Having been hesitant to leave Pia with Geonu or Haewoon, Kang Sihyun had entrusted her to Daun and Jihye before departing. Remembering the chirping bird he had been concerned about until the moment of departure, he entered the messenger app to check the photos sent by Daun.
The pictures showed Pia with puffed cheeks, turning her head away in a huff, and another with her wings fluttering as if she was in a good mood.
[She was sulking because of you, but started to really like it when Jihye gave her your stuff.]
A brief explanation brought a smile. After receiving those photos shortly after arriving at Muam, Kang Sihyun showed them to Seowoo and said,
"She's doing alright. Seems a bit lonely, though."
"She's going to cry a lot when we get back."
"We'll have to comfort her, what else can we do?"
"Aren't you tired of her constantly clinging to you?"
"Pia?"
"Yeah."
That was why he initially opposed bringing her along. Seowoo tilted his head, asking. Kang Sihyun glanced away for a moment, possibly missing a cue in the meantime, only to find Lee Hamin engrossed in arm wrestling with Ban Haru at a distance, watching them disapprovingly before turning back.
"Having brought her, I suppose I have to put up with that much. Pia's a genius, so she calms down quickly if you know how to handle her."
"You're like a doting parent."
"Well..."
Unable to deny it, Kang Sihyun had heard that the person who initially opposes getting a pet ends up caring for it the most, and it seemed he was a prime example of this. Fiddling with his neck, he looked at Pia's photo on his phone and smiled softly.
Bringing her along hadn't been as much trouble as he thought, and more than anything, she had been well-behaved. Considering the A-class children were more prone to mischief, the events at Muam made him take a deep breath. Pia suddenly seemed even cuter.
"She listens better than you guys, so of course I cherish her."
"Huh?"
Seowoo blinked, having apparently not caught the soft murmur. His eyelids fluttered open and closed, the movement lifting his lashes in a delicate dance. It was odd how light his features appeared, even his eyelashes seemed unusually pale.
Watching him for a moment, Kang Sihyun shrugged it off as nothing significant.
"So, it's nothing big."
"Really? That's anticlimactic."
"It's not important. And about the clinging..."
"......?"
"It seems you're the one who does it more."
Lee Hamin, if momentarily distracted, might cause a scene, but Yoo Seowoo had a habit of prodding Kang Sihyun for attention even with a slight diversion of his gaze.
As if insisting he should never look away.
Their interaction reminded Kang Sihyun of Pia pecking at him, yet it happened more frequently, eliciting a chuckle as he spoke. After hearing his reply, Seowoo fell silent for a moment.
His slowly blinking eyes halted. For a second, it seemed he wasn't even breathing, which puzzled Kang Sihyun until the pale hand that had been touching his wrist slid down and intertwined with his fingers.
Suddenly finding themselves hand in hand, Kang Sihyun stared in bewilderment. Seowoo, having yet to remove the pairing device, tapped it lightly with his index finger and grinned.
"I'd rather not be kicked, so I'll hold back here, okay?"
His voice was light, laced with teasing.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
