Chapter 82: Concerns (9)

Gyeonwoo’s hand in his.

The soft texture was different from his brother’s, like rice cake dough.

It felt so delicate that the slightest pressure might burst it.

How did she manage daily life with such fragile hands?

She’d faced down the Samgak District Chief so boldly with this body?

She must have nine lives like a cat.

But her strength wasn’t the only surprising thing beneath that delicate exterior.

In the brief moment between leaving the conference room and exiting the headquarters’ back door…

Stone-faced office workers rushing past suddenly broke into smiles and greeted her.

“Oh, sweetie, hello! It’s been a while?”

“Hello!”

“Are you playing with Guild Master Jang Jin-yu today?”

“Yes!”

“Well, have fun.”

“Hehe, I’ll bring back something tasty!”

A burly man with an intimidating face laughed heartily while showing off a bizarre weapon with a doll attached instead of a sword handle.

“Hey kid! Look at my doll!”

“Eek! W-what’s that?!”

“Hahaha! It’s my lucky weapon!”

“That’s dangerous to fight with!”

“No no, I told you it’s my lucky charm?”

What madness was this?

“That’s not what I gave you the doll for…!”

“Hey now, this little thing has saved my life several times.”

Apparently he’d modified his weapon just to show off the doll Gyeonwoo had given him.

“Good grief.”

Those arrogant people, all grinning and fawning over one child.

“Should I give you a doll too, Guild Master…?”

Such a fragile child with such a strong heart.

She’d even won over the cold Lee Sunghwan and his guild members?

She seemed born to be loved by everyone.

It was fascinating.

What kind of thoughts led someone to act like this?

Yet she couldn’t even take care of herself, not even realizing she was jealous of her sister.

After leaving headquarters, once they reached a less crowded area…

“Hey, you think you’re some giving tree or something?”

Jang Jin-yu firmly gripped Gyeonwoo’s shoulder and asked in a low voice.

Though his tone sounded angry and his strange white eyes might have startled her…

“Yes…?”

“Are you planning to think only of others until you die, never considering yourself?”

He’d meant to scare her into revealing her true feelings.

But Gyeonwoo just blinked her round eyes a few times before giving an unexpected answer.

“Hehe, thank you for worrying about me.”

Gyeonwoo smiled innocently, her cheeks reddening shyly.

Her bright smile proved she truly found joy in helping others, not just pretending for their sake.

“What? Worry? Me, about you?”

Despite his gruff response, her shy smile remained.

“Now that there are people who love even someone like me, I’ve decided not to sacrifice myself thoughtlessly anymore. The guild members are your subordinates, so they’re not strangers, right?”

Gyeonwoo didn’t stop at just answering.

Having met all kinds of people, she’d become especially sensitive to others’ emotions.

So when she met Jang Jin-yu’s snow-white eyes…

Ah…

He’s worried I might disappear like this, that I might die…!

Though his words were harsh, this must be his way of showing concern?

Realizing his true feelings, she began comforting him instead.

“And… I believe you and the Guild Master will come help when I’m really in danger!”

But Jang Jin-yu’s wounds ran deeper than she’d thought.

“Hah… You’re young so you probably don’t know, but brother probably doesn’t even know half their names? Just because they’re subordinates doesn’t mean they’re close. More likely envy or hate him.”

His expression turned cold.

It was hard to imagine him laughing and joking just moments ago.

“Let me give you some adult advice.”

Squeeze-

Gripping her shoulder, he continued coldly before she could respond:

“Humans are creatures who see a beggar on the street and talk behind their back saying ‘if you’re gonna beg, go work instead’ without knowing anything, while envying them thinking they make easy money.”

Though they were speaking face to face…

Somehow Gyeonwoo felt Jang Jin-yu was looking at something else.

“Let alone someone like brother who lucked into being S-class and became Korea’s richest? ‘If I’d been lucky I could’ve been like that too. Acting all high and mighty just because of some luck.’ That’s human nature – talking shit and looking for chances to strike. Being nice to such bastards just makes them think ‘jackpot, found a sucker’ and try to take more.”

What was he seeing right now?

What painful memories made his eyes so sad?

His raised voice seemed to cry out for someone, anyone to understand his heart, to comfort him.

“You’ve had it rough, haven’t you?”

Instead of answering, Gyeonwoo stretched out her arms and hugged Jang Jin-yu.

I may not have a broad chest like the sisters…

But I hope this hug can comfort him.

Like how the monks used to hug me.

“…Hey, what are you doing?”

Jang Jin-yu froze awkwardly as the much smaller child suddenly clung to his chest, unable to stand or sit.

He’d come out intending to help resolve her jealousy at Kang Hari’s request.

Yet somehow he found himself being comforted instead.

But it was strange.

Though her embrace could barely reach around him…

He couldn’t speak sharply as usual, feeling a warmth he’d never experienced before.

“It’s okay to put down heavy burdens sometimes. Since the Guild Master is a good person, I’m sure many people want to help!”

“Haah… People around me. Right, there are lots of people around. You… don’t know how those fuckers, my father’s employees, tried to take over my company?”

Perhaps because of that…

Jang Jin-yu began confessing unexpected feelings.

“…They’re bad people.”

“You think so too, right? But with only such bastards around, those so-called parents sacrificed themselves claiming they’d protect us. If I hadn’t become an S-class Awakened, my brother and I would be living on the streets now.”

Until now only the other two Guild Masters knew this story, yet here he was explaining everything to this kid.

Even he couldn’t understand his own behavior.

But what he failed to notice was that he’d unconsciously knelt down to make it easier for Gyeonwoo to hug him.

In response…

“Then, you punished those bad people, right?”

“Yeah. Threw them all beyond the Gate.”

“And not everyone was that bad, were they?”

“…Well, there were a few who wanted to brag about being good people.”

“See? No need to keep thinking about bad people and suffering. That’s why demons should be burned to death and cleanly erased from memory!”

Gyeonwoo carefully guided Jang Jin-yu’s head to rest on her shoulder as he dutifully answered.

Though her shoulders were frail to support his head…

I hope you realize you have good people around you, like me and uncle.

Getting trapped in dark thoughts because of bad people is too sad.

“…Don’t call me Guild Master, call me brother.”

“Hehe, could you be a lolicon like Pureumi said?!”

“Of course not! You’re fifteen, right? Six years isn’t much in society!”

Making jokes to keep him from staying sad.

Oppa probably resents his dead parents because he misses them.

Missing them but unable to meet.

In his weakness, he probably resents them as a way to remember.

“My parents died trying to save someone like me too.”

“…Really?”

She began sharing her painful past, hoping to help somehow.

“Yes. So I wanted to help unfortunate people with my ability, since I needed to go see my parents in heaven.”

“You were trying to die? But you’ve changed your mind now?”

Gyeonwoo’s past was even darker than Lee Sunghwan had summarized.

How could she smile so innocently after experiencing such things?

Though they’d just met, he couldn’t just listen quietly to her story.

Rage at the cult bastards who tried to use such a kind child.

Self-reproach at failing to overcome his past when even this child had done so.

And curiosity to learn more about Gyeonwoo.

To his question, Gyeonwoo continued in a light voice as if it were nothing:

“Actually, I did die once. But a friend helped me, so now I’m like this.”

Her tone made it sound as casual as washing up in the morning.

Wait, what?

She died once?

“That’s when I realized there were people who’d be sad if I died.”

As Jang Jin-yu stammered like a broken robot in shock, Gyeonwoo kept talking.

“I have a friend who’d risk their life for me, and I’d be really sad if that friend died. When I thought about how others would feel the same if I died… You have a sibling too, right? No matter how dangerous, you’d go save them if they were in danger. Your parents must have felt the same way.”

By this point, Jang Jin-yu realized.

“Hey.”

That Gyeonwoo was more wounded than he’d imagined.

And that he’d thought she was just kind, but her considerate actions came from trauma over her parents’ death.

You might call it good child syndrome or something like that.

So… he should teach her the fun of acting freely while he had the chance.

“Yes?”

“Never mind, let’s go get bingsu. Have you ever had bingsu?”

“…What’s bingsu?”

If he tried convincing her through conversation, the roles might reverse again without him noticing.

“It’s cold and delicious.”

“Like ice cream?”

“Let’s go try it.”

It was time to show rather than tell.