Chapter 16

“By the way, can you refrain from reporting the hotel to the guild leader?” 

Shim Jiyoon flinched at my words. 

“Yes? I, I… I’m just a hunter who never runs into the guild leader.”

Shim Jiyoon, it seems that she’s not good at acting. 

I nodded and said.

“Still, I would appreciate it if you could refrain from saying anything.”

“Because you’re an S-Class producer?”

S-Class producer?

What on earth? 

Not a healer or a barrier magician?

I was a little surprised that Shim Jiyoon didn’t see my line as healing but as a production.

“I thought you made a contract with a competent spirit to make various items at the hotel, isn’t it?”

Shim Jiyoon tilted her head. 

Ah, that’s why she offered me a recruitment offer.

She thought the hotel was some kind of item.

Hoho, that’s not it—! 

My class is Hotel Manager, and my rank is Hidden. 

But I can’t say this. 

There was nothing I could do.

This time, I just smiled silently and turned around.

“I hope the rest of your journey goes smoothly, Hunter.”

“From projector curtains to mana potions. This place was truly mystical, Master. If I get a chance later, I really want to see other items from Master.”

“I think it would be better for you to visit Master Hwang Misoon rather than me.” 

I said, pricked by my conscience.

Shim Jiyoon, on the other hand, left through the revolving door with a look that seemed to say I was too humble. 

“Something… I feel like a scammer….” 

It was when I mumbled.

The bellboy next to me excitedly shook me.

“Boss! 

Let’s go grocery shopping. New menu development! Breakfast service! The best!”

He likes to work more than me, the boss.

That’s strange.

* * * 

As the bellboy said, we went to the grocery store together.

I was thinking of going to the local supermarket or going out by car and looking for seafood near the port, but the youth president I ran into said that the five-day market was open, so I hurriedly followed.

What do you mean five-day market? 

Well— Isn’t that a word I only see in social studies textbooks? 

I took the Byeolcheon 01 village bus, which only comes once an hour, with the youth president, who was excited that the five-day market would open.

Just in case, I put a leash on the bellboy and held it tightly to my chest. 

Still, it was a time when I was nervous because I was afraid they would say no to dogs on the bus. 

Inside the village bus, the head of the village and the woman association’s chief shook hands. 

“Oh, Youngchun-jang is here.” 

Ah. For reference, my name has been fixed as Yeongchun-jang since the merchant association.

It seems to be an abbreviation for the Yeongchun Inn owner.

I don’t understand.

Anyway, it’s a good thing because it’s better than being called a lady, a young wife, or something similar.

When I asked the youth president about this, he said that if you look down on a young woman in the countryside, you will be in the news. (t/n: I don’t really get this part;;) 

It was amazing.

All of those words don’t mean anything, whether they’re about the country ignoring young women or the city being more free. 

Even when I was at the company I left, my name was Miss Lee.

At that time, social life was like this, and I thought I was suffering alone because I didn’t know anything yet, but it wasn’t.

It’s just the company is shit—.

It was a great comfort to me that there are decent places in the world where rudeness is not a custom.

It’s not just that I couldn’t stand it because I was weak.

Anyway.

I was able to get on the bus with the bell boy, thanks to the presence of the head of the village and the women association’s chief. 

“Phew…” 

I said to the bellboy in my mind.

‘Still, you can’t bark just in case.’

“Kngg…(Boss, I’m not really a dog.).”

Oops. That’s right.

“Sit down. I baked some Gaetteok. Try it.” (T/n:  Gaetteok (개떡) is an easy rice cake made with fragrant green herbs. It’s more rustic than fancy and more aromatic than sweet.) 

“Oh, thank you.” 

I sat near the head of the village, the women association’s chief, and the hair salon owner I met at the merchant’s association. 

‘I know everyone’s faces.’

It was amazing.

Just a few weeks ago, I was going to work with a smile and a sandwich in my hand. Now, I’m on a village bus with a view of the sea out the window, and I’m eating a piece of Gaetteok and a Sujeonggwa.

I secretly fed the Bellboy Gaetteok and Sujeonggwa while looking out the window when people weren’t looking, fearing that they would say that I feed dogs human food. 

The fishy smell of the sea came through the gap in the open windows. 

Hmm… It’s a good smell.

I should try sashimi today. 

Come to think of it, I haven’t had sashimi since I moved to the seaside village.

It was then.

KaTalk! 

A cheerful message notification rang out. I pulled out my phone.

In the hotel, as in the dungeon, the phone didn’t work, so I was recently experiencing an unexpected digital detox. 

Section Chief baby

Junghyo-ssi, how are you? It’s no other than Junghyo-ssi’s replacement…

Oh my.

However, the message I saw after a long time came from the manager of the former company.

I entered the app to leave the chat room to stop reading.

Then I saw a lot of unread messages.

Advertising messages were 50%, and Uncle Junsu’s and the twins’ messages comprised 40% of the remaining 50%. 

16 Uncle Junsu.

91 Twins.

Well. I’m not going to read this, either.

I contacted him yesterday, so it’s going to be okay—-.

There is also Aunt Misoon’s message. 

Aunt Misoon

We’re going down this weekend. Can we reserve a room?

Huh…? 

What do you mean by ‘us’…?

The Hunters of ‘Baby.Jung.Fan’, a company that is difficult to name because it is embarrassing?

That means Uncle Minhyuk is coming too.

I thought of Kang Sojin, who passed through the Yeongchun Hotel. 

Maybe she told Uncle too?

Ha…I want to postpone it somehow.

I urgently sent a message to Aunt Misoon. 

I’m sorry, but my friends are making reservations for this weekend. How about coming next weekend?

Aunt Misoon didn’t read it.

I had to wait a day to get an answer from Aunt, who was locked in a workshop in Jongno and didn’t look at her phone for days. 

Please tell me you have an appointment next weekend! Please!

Even if it’s not that, it’s a relief to postpone it even for a week.

At that time, seeing me like that, a bellboy in the form of a dog… eating a lot of Gaetteok said.

“Kiyuung… Kiyung… (If I look closely, the boss doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends.).”

What…? You’re also a bellboy with only me as a friend. 

“Kyung…(I have a friend too. You will see it soon?)”

What are you talking about? 

“Kiiing… (The boss is very kind to the guests, but when you leaves the hotel, your friendliness goes to zero.).”

I often heard such stories from my friends when I was working part-time at a cafe.

It’s amazing that I’ve been working part-time at a cafe for six years without even contacting my friends. 

In fact, there were times when I felt much more comfortable with a customer who stopped by to get an Americano on the way to work or a customer who picked up a few pastries on the way home from work than with a close friend.

My kindness to them was within limits.

Because in that limited kindness, I can’t hurt or receive anyone.

I skimmed through the rest of the messages except for the advertising ones. 

Other than my Uncle and Aunt, the only person I knew was a college classmate I met when we went on a vacation together.

Friend—.

Now that I have left Seoul, if I don’t force you to contact me, my friend, who I didn’t have much, will disappear, right?

Shall I get in touch with an old high school classmate with whom I am quite close now? 

I put a big heart and searched for contact information. 

**** 

Kang Sojin stood in front of the Hanwoon Guild Dungeon Team 5 team leader, restless. 

Dungeon Team 5! 

Kang Sojin was surprised to receive a call this morning.

In fact, after telling the investigator all the difficulties in Dungeon Team 2 over the past month, including what happened at the “Hotel,” she received a text message close to intimidation from the team leader. 

Thanks to this, Kang Sojin was able to finish the interview with her investigator, and as soon as she got home, she used her laptop to read the articles on Hunting Planet, a website that has a lot of information about hunter work.

She was trying to find out if there was a new guild she could join.

And as the hotel owner said, there were quite a few guilds to find class C Hunters like her. 

Of course, the basic salary was a little low, but she read in a review that if she worked hard, she could earn as much as a large guild.

Yeah. 

Then, should I put a job application form in just one place—.

Should I—.

She had a lot of worries during the night, but as soon as morning came, she got a text message telling her she was on Dungeon Team 5. 

Han Woohyun has been transferred here and has been assigned to a new team.

This was some sort of promotion.

Finally, the Hanwoon Guild recognizes talented people!

Kang Sojin went to work after recharging the confidence she gained from the hotel run by an S-Class healer who is unknown whether it is a mirage or an illusion. 

And—.

“Are you new?”

As soon as she saw the man, she was frozen.

Han Woohyun.

1st in South Korea and 14th in the world. 

He was known for clearing an S-Class dungeon solo; in fact, he was a man rumored to be an out-of-class, or EX-Class.

Dark skin, clear features, mysterious brown eyes.

‘…There was no word in the internet community that he was this handsome!’

Although she felt like she was looking at a rock.

Even in the same guild, few people saw Han Woohyun in real life.

Perhaps because of the malicious family-related scandal a year ago, Han Woohyun’s photos were also taken down from the portal.

That’s why Kang Sojin vaguely thought that man had a rough face.

However, unlike his stone-like body, she didn’t know he would have such a neat boyish beauty on his face. 

“Yes. I am new.”

Somehow, it was a face suitable for an actor, not a hunter, but even with that face, it was Han Woohyun, an S-Class Hunter and the strongest man in Korea.

Kang Sojin responded by getting more disciplined.

Han Woohyun, who was watching this, frowned.

Somehow…did she make a mistake? 

When Kang Sojin thought so, Han Woohyun said.

“This is not an army.”

At Han Woohyun’s words, Kang Sojin finally realized that she naturally put her hands behind her back.

A habit I did in Team 2 without even realizing it.

Kang Sojin quietly loosened her hands and looked at Han Woohyun.

Isn’t the atmosphere of Dungeon Team 5 like this? 

But without further explanation, she turned her head and shifted her gaze to her cell phone. 

“Two days later, there is an S-Class dungeon raid.”

It was a quick takeover move.

Kang Sojin was distracted by her actions, which were completely different from the team leader of Team 2, who usually wasted time with all sorts of small talk. 

“Originally, it was scheduled for a month later, but the Dungeon Break risk has risen steeper than expected, so a support request came from the association. I will send you related materials, so check it out.” 

“Yes? Ah, yes!” 

The answer was cool, but Kang Sojin’s fingers were trembling slightly. 

S-Class dungeon…?” 

She thought it was a promotion, but they pushed her to death!

However, if it’s an S-Class Dungeon, team leader Han Woohyun can go around alone, and if she clears such a place, there are cases where the D-Class itself goes up as a reward. 

Between fear and greed, Kang Sojin’s fingers press the data related to the S-Class dungeon in Buryong City delivered through the company messenger—Instead, it suppressed popular articles on Hunting Planet.

It was because she usually opened the multi-window frequently.

Kang Sojin panicked and tried to turn off the window.

But then, something caught Kang Sojin’s attention.

A summary of the madman’s post that he saw a hotel in Dungeon posted on Hunter’s bulletin board today. jpg

Unconsciously, she clicked on the title, and a photo made from the post on the Hunter bulletin board came up.

F*ck, in the dungeon, I’m going to go to the hotel where the S-Class barrier magician is doing. Everyone, come in.

….?