Chapter 517: Meeting Minutes (2)

After that, I just continued explaining the situation from yesterday to Hye-eun as quickly as possible.

How I tried to help Min-ah, who was trying to move her belongings by herself without calling a moving center or a delivery service, using my spatial pocket ability.

How problems started arising with the house she was moving into when I tried to store and move all her belongings with my ability.

How it turned out the house Min-ah was supposed to move into was a fraudulent listing, and because of that, she couldn’t move in as originally planned.

How the semi-basement villa they originally lived in had already been sold, leaving Min-ah’s family truly stranded with nowhere to go.

How, fortunately, they managed to keep the deposit and principal, so moving into a new house was still possible, and that’s why I let them stay at my place only until Min-ah could find a new home.

Hye-eun’s expression, which had been quite stiff at first, gradually softened as I continued my story.

Things like the fact that Han Min-ah had been scammed, and yet, thankfully, hadn’t suffered any financial loss.

In the end, Hye-eun was seen gently clasping Min-ah’s hand, her expression filled with genuine empathy for her situation.

“I’m sorry, Min-ah…. I had no idea there was such a story behind it….”

“Oh, no…. I should have told you yesterday in the first place, but it’s a bit late to be saying it now….”

“…But if you didn’t have a place to sleep, you could have just told me…. I am a little curious why you absolutely had to go to Taekyung’s place, a guy’s house…?”

“Oh, n-no…. That’s because….”

“She originally didn’t even want to come to my place; I had to really persuade her forcefully to get her to come. It wasn’t like Min-ah asked me first to let her stay over.”

“Oh, r-really…?”

“First, she asked if I could just hold onto her stuff, then if I could let just her younger siblings stay over, and after much persuasion, we finally agreed to let Min-ah stay at my place too. Hye-eun, you know her personality too, right? If I hadn’t forced her to stay at my place, she probably would have…”

“…True, if it were Min-ah, she’d probably sleep in the company conference room and use the company’s communal shower room. She’d refuse to use a motel, even if she were dying, saying it’s a waste of money.”

“…….”

Since we had known each other for almost 10 years, Hye-eun knew Min-ah like the back of her hand.

Faced with Hye-eun’s perfectly accurate predictions of her behavior, Han Min-ah couldn’t retort and could only avoid eye contact.

“Just consider it like rescuing a stray cat. Besides, my house has plenty of rooms, so it won’t feel cramped even with Min-ah and her sisters moving in.”

“…True, that two-story house is a bit spacious for just Taekyung to live in alone.”

“If the space is just going to be unused anyway, it’s fine to utilize it actively, right?”

“…Yeah, that’s true too.”

After I finished explaining the circumstances of Min-ah’s move into my house, Hye-eun nodded in agreement.

Then, her eyes changed, and she immediately started asking again about what I had just mentioned.

“S-so, Taekyung-ah. Uh, are there perhaps any empty rooms left that are still unused?”

“Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Oh, n-no, it’s just…. I’m asking just in case. I, I think I vaguely saw something when I visited your place last time….”

An empty room, an empty room…

The first floor consisted of the master bedroom used by Min-ah and her two sisters, the living room, and the kitchen-dining area.

On the second floor, there were three rooms, and excluding the one I share with Eunbyul, one was indeed vacant.

It’s currently being used as a storage space, but if necessary, I could organize it with my spatial pocket.

“I think there’s about one room left.”

“R-really?! So there’s still one left? Are you sure?”

“But why are you suddenly asking?”

“Huh?! Oh, n-no…. Just curious…? It’s necessary to confirm, just in case…?”

“Confirm what, exactly?”

“J-just…. Maybe the space is being wasted, like you said, Taekyung…? Something like that…?”

Kang Hye-eun suddenly avoided my gaze, pretending not to hear my question.

Han Min-ah, watching us, turned her gaze away as if she couldn’t bear to watch, muttering a useless remark.

“Hye-eun is definitely not being honest, but Sung Taekyung, you’re really damn clueless.”

“…Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden?”

“Put your hand on your chest and ask yourself.”

“I don’t know if you can do that since your chest is small, but my chest is thicker than yours, so I can’t hear your answer past my hands?”

“This bastard…?”

Although there was a brief commotion at first, we quickly returned to our usual dynamic as a trio.

It was a moment where I somehow learned that some things remain unchanged, even when living situations change.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Eun & Ok Co., Ltd., Gangdong District Branch.

Our party of three, consisting of myself, Kang Hye-eun, and Han Min-ah, had finished our morning expedition in a suitable Rank A dungeon.

Since hunting as a party of three until the afternoon seemed a bit tiring, the afternoon schedule shifted to simple individual activities.

Since neither Cheon Jihee nor Cha Yuri were working today, I didn’t want to push ourselves too hard with just three people.

Hye-eun, being the party leader of the Sky Blue Shield, seemed to be using her free time today to submit a regular report on the Sky Blue Shield’s operational status.

Han Min-ah, full of energy, said she would be working more in the afternoon, joining another party as a scout.

And I had come to the recovery room a little early to start treating the injuries of other guild members.

It had been two months already, so one might expect to get bored, but facing new patients every day was surprisingly enjoyable work.

And receiving words of gratitude from the hunters after treatment was also pleasant.

Surprisingly, it seems I’m suited not only for swordsmanship but also for this line of work.

‘If I had focused on recovery growth from the very beginning instead of swordsmanship, I wonder what role I’d be playing in a party right now.’

Although I thought a pleasant future might await me in this field too.

When I thought of the various faces that came to mind, choosing swordsmanship as my path initially was definitely the right decision.

If I hadn’t given up on swordsmanship and focused on fighting monsters, I probably wouldn’t have met Cha Yuri or Do Sihee.

Not to mention Eunbyul, whom I met through Sihee.

And even though she wasn’t someone I had a relationship with, the connection I made with Areum at the union dungeon probably wouldn’t have happened either.

While this activity using recovery skills is enjoyable in its own way, I still don’t regret choosing swordsmanship at first.

With those thoughts, I continued my work in the recovery room until a little after the afternoon expedition time concluded.

Around the time I felt I had seen most of the injured people for the day, I tidied up the recovery room and prepared to leave.

“I’m heading home now~.”

“Ah, Hunter Sung Taekyung. The President asked if you could possibly come to her office after you finish work?”

“…President Seo Ok-hee?”

“Yes. She said she has something to relay to Hunter Sung Taekyung, so she asked you to come up to the executive office on the 17th floor.”

…What could this sudden message be about? I can’t quite get a read on this.

Being summoned to the office of someone high up always brings a sense of unease. Of course, that’s just my personal feeling.

Well, regardless of my unease, it was clear that I wasn’t in a position to refuse the President’s summons.

“Understood. I’ll stop by the President’s office before heading home then.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Hunter Sung Taekyung.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Normally, I would have gone straight home after finishing my shift in the recovery room, but instead, I got back into the company elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

With a ‘ding,’ the doors opened, revealing the 17th-floor hallway, which I hadn’t seen in a while.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, a long hallway stretched out before me.

On both sides of the hallway were departments like the Management Team and the Boardroom, places that seemed completely unrelated to me.

Following the hallway all the way down led me to a room marked with a sign that read ‘Executive Office’.

As soon as I stood before the office door, a strange tension began to creep over me.

‘This is the third time I’ve visited, isn’t it?’

Once when I transferred jobs. Once when I requested to work in the recovery room.

Unlike the previous two times when I visited by my own volition, this time the President herself had summoned me, so the anxiety naturally grew, albeit slightly.

Surely she didn’t call me because I did something wrong.

Since I transferred to the company and joined the Sky Blue Shield, the entire party’s performance has improved considerably, and recently, I’ve been working a lot in the recovery room, bringing various benefits to the company as a whole.

Perhaps she just called me out of curiosity to see how I, the company’s only male Awakened, was settling in.

With these various speculations in mind, just before entering the office, I knocked twice to let the President inside know I had arrived.

A slightly youthful voice immediately responded from inside the office.

-Knock, knock.

“President, this is Rank B Hunter Sung Taekyung. I’m here because you summoned me.”

“…Uh, come in.”

‘…Hoo.’

Taking a deep breath in my chest, I immediately opened the executive office door and stepped inside upon her reply.

There, sitting at a table, was the President, looking exactly the same as always, waiting for me.

Her green twin-tails, her petite build that seemed too small for an adult woman, and her round face.

Just as she looked three months ago, and one month ago.

“Have you been well, President?”

“Mm. I can’t see your face well, so come closer.”

“……Yes.”

She beckoned me closer with her hand as if to get a better look at my face, and I quietly walked over.

The President met my eyes and intently studied my expression.

Feeling awkward under her gaze, I subtly shifted my eyes away, waiting for the President’s next words.

“…Hmm, not bad.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t mind me. I was just talking to myself.”

…Then couldn’t you just say that to yourself internally so I don’t have to hear it?

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. How could a mere hunter possibly say something so brazen to their guild president?

In the environment, which felt heavy with a strange pressure, I could only wait for her next words.

Immediately, the President followed up with a question that seemed like a test.

“Why do you think I summoned you today?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“Just guess anything that comes to mind.”

“…Is it perhaps related to my activities with the Sky Blue Shield, or my work in the recovery room?”

“That’s close, but slightly different.”

Slightly different means it’s still somewhat related.

While I pondered the meaning of her words, she revealed the true reason she had called me.

The statement that came from the President’s mouth was something I had absolutely not expected to hear at this time.

“You, we’re going to promote you soon.”