Ch.9393. Guild Membership Offer

“Lulu.”

“Yes! Master!”

The day of departure.

I had packed everything, but since it was all in my belt pouch, I wasn’t carrying any visible luggage.

Every time I leave and come back, the farm is always a mess, so I can’t easily leave with peace of mind.

Well, not that worrying or leaving instructions would change anything.

“Take care of the farm. If anything happens, mobilize the Black Monkeys and crush whatever it is.”

“Yes! Don’t worry. There aren’t any monsters that could threaten the farm in the Level 0 biome anymore!”

“So you’re excited? What are you planning to do alone at home?”

“Hehe. I’ll finish all my chores and have fun!”

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

She seems reliable, but that tiny thing hasn’t even invested in farming points, so I’m not entirely convinced. Still, I have to say I trust her—what else can I do?

Once Kim Sujeong and I leave the farm, there will only be one fairy left to manage it.

But she has experience with the previous owner, so she should handle things well.

As Lulu said, there are no more troublemakers left in the Level 0 biome that could mess up the farm, so it makes sense that she’s excited.

“If you do a good job, I’ll bring you a special treat when I come back.”

“Oh! I’d love that!”

“A hamburger. I’ll make sure you get it while it’s still really hot. Do well.”

A ancient fairy who strangely loves fast food.

Seeing her drooling over hamburgers and burning with determination feels quite ironic.

“I’ve always wanted to try a hamburger! And french fries too!”

I logged out as I watched Lulu heading to bed early, promising to water the plants first thing in the morning.

———————

“Ugh. It feels awkward every time. It’s like coming back from a dungeon through oppa’s room.”

She’s making a fuss despite this being only her second logout.

Though I’ve only done it once more than Kim Sujeong.

But she’s not wrong.

I also have trouble adjusting every time I come back.

It’s the room I’ve lived in for 26 years, after all.

“Oh right! YouTube! I wonder how many subscribers I’ve gained. Have I hit 50,000 yet? Hehe. I need to upload a video soon.”

Kim Sujeong rushed out of the room, eager to check her YouTube channel, which she’d been curious about the entire time at the farm.

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”

As Kim Sujeong hurried to her room and I followed, intending to ask Mom to make some food, I noticed unfamiliar faces sitting in the living room.

“…Huh?”

“Suhyeon! When did you get back?”

“Hello?”

“Mom, what’s going on…”

My dad’s troubled expression and the back view of a woman setting the table with refreshments.

Even from behind, she was so beautiful that I could recognize her at a glance despite not having seen her for almost a week.

Seo Hyoju.

My memory is a bit hazy after visiting the Rift Dimension, but I still remember that before I left, Seo Hyoju had commented on my video saying I was her ideal type.

Why would such a beautiful woman be here?

Well, it’s not entirely strange that Seo Hyoju is here… actually, it is strange.

Why would the granddaughter of the Geumbit Group and the promising S-rank hunter of the Geumbit Guild be sitting here eating snacks?

And she’s smiling at me.

There’s something chilling behind that smile… it’s like she’s smiling but not really smiling.

Somehow, I feel like I’ve done something wrong, and her look of disappointment makes me flinch.

“Mr. Suhyeon? Finally meeting you. It’s been a while.”

“Ah, yes…”

Were we close enough to greet each other like this?

Thinking back, I don’t think we were.

My only interaction with Seo Hyoju was when she came to make an offer to my dad for the gray wolf leather jacket, gave me her business card, and then the auction proceeded while I prepared to go to the farm.

We had no other contact.

Why is Seo Hyoju acting like we’re close?

For a moment, I almost blurted out like a sociopathic shut-in, “Were we close?”

But no matter how socially inept I am, I couldn’t do that in front of our guest Seo Hyoju with my parents watching.

Besides, she wasn’t the only one here.

“Hmm…”

My gaze shifted from Seo Hyoju, and the man who noticed my attention stood up with a welcoming expression and offered me a handshake.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Kim Suhyeon.”

“Yes… nice to meet you. But who…”

“…I’m Team Leader Kim Jinhyeop from the Hunter Association, whom you met during your hunter registration.”

“Ah!!!”

I apologized for not recognizing him.

“I’m sorry. You look different from back then.”

“Ah. It’s fine. I do look different. Hahaha.”

It’s not that I particularly forget men’s faces.

How many people do I meet in my life that I wouldn’t remember someone I met just a week ago?

It’s just that the formal Kim Jinhyeop I saw at the Hunter Association didn’t match the casually dressed Kim Jinhyeop in front of me, so I momentarily wondered who he was.

Well, even at the Hunter Association, what stuck in my memory wasn’t so much his face as the moment I broke the shield, so I didn’t remember his face clearly.

But that wasn’t important.

Why?

Why are two S-rank hunters, of which there are only a double-digit number in all of South Korea, visiting our house?

I looked back and forth between Seo Hyoju and Kim Jinhyeop.

The fact that these two are here together…

They’re both S-/S-rank hunters, and although they belong to different organizations, does that really matter?

Looking at them, I asked:

“Are you two dating?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Um, hello?”

There does seem to be an age gap.

Kim Jinhyeop, despite his good skin, looks to be in his early to mid-thirties, while Seo Hyoju is clearly in her early twenties, maybe mid-twenties at most, so there’s at least a ten-year difference.

But does that matter?

“Ah. I’m sorry. I just thought since you two were here together…”

Judging by their reactions, it seems they’re not dating.

But then why are these two at our house having tea with my dad?

I did help my dad with his decision last time, but it’s not right to do that every time.

They’re probably here to see my dad, so it would be polite for the son who rudely interrupted their conversation to quietly excuse himself.

“Please continue your conversation.”

I was about to leave, planning to eat Mom’s food later, when Dad stopped me.

“Suhyeon. These people are here to see you.”

“Me?”

I looked back and forth between the two, wondering what this meant, and indeed, their gazes were fixed on me.

The two people seemed to have a lot to say to me.

It must be true.

Dad stood up.

“Honey, let’s go to the supermarket for a bit.”

“Okay. Suhyeon, I’ll make you something delicious. Call me when you’re done talking.”

I heard them leaving, and then Kim Sujeong came out.

“Oppa, look at this… huh?”

A beat later, Kim Sujeong had a similar reaction to mine.

She looked back and forth between the tablet she was holding and the real Seo Hyoju, tilting her head.

Then she asked:

“Are you here to see my brother?”

“Yes.”

“…”

The question and answer happened almost simultaneously, and the confident smile accompanying the answer was strangely assertive.

“Aren’t you… Hunter Kim Jinhyeop?”

“Yes. Hello.”

“Why is a hunter from the Hunter Association…”

“I’m also here to see Mr. Kim Suhyeon.”

Kim Sujeong quickly composed herself, tossed the tablet onto the sofa, and sat down next to me.

“Hello. I’m my brother’s agency manager, so I should be part of this conversation, right?”

She ran to her room, brought back business cards, and handed one to each of them.

“When did you print business cards?”

“Right after I set up the company.”

The two looked at Kim Sujeong’s business card and nodded.

I needed to organize the situation.

Apparently, both of them came to see me, and I’m now the host here.

“So both of you came to see me, but not together, right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Then am I correct in understanding that the Geumbit Guild and the Hunter Association have business with me?”

“That’s right.”

“Correct.”

“Does this have anything to do with my YouTube channel videos? Ah, Team Leader Kim Jinhyeop already knows about that.”

“Yes. I know about it too. The gray wolf leather jacket. I bought it.”

“What?”

What’s this now?

I was a bit surprised by this sudden development, but decided to learn more as we went along and tried to organize things.

“Well then… who would like to go first? If no one volunteers, I’ll decide. I’ll hear both of your business here together.”

The question of “how?” didn’t seem appropriate right now.

Kim Jinhyeop probably came because I was already registered as SSS+ at the Hunter Association and hadn’t responded to their recruitment offer. As for Seo Hyoju, I honestly wasn’t sure.

I had never mentioned being SSS+ level, and while I had uploaded YouTube videos, how many people would readily believe that based on just those?

Especially someone like Seo Hyoju, whose time is presumably valuable, coming all the way here.

A brief silence.

Kim Jinhyeop spoke first.

“I should probably go first. First, I’d like to apologize to Ms. Hyoju. What I’m about to say is classified information.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

She could have been offended.

But Seo Hyoju smiled and spoke.

If someone is telling a person with Seo Hyoju’s level of credibility that something is classified, it must truly be government-level confidential.

“Your information has been sent to the American Hunter Association. Currently, they’ve dispatched hunters to make contact with you.”

“…Is this some kind of kidnapping?”

“No. They’ll make you an offer. One you can’t refuse.”

It felt like I was hearing about an extremely serious situation right after getting back.