57
It was a late lunch on a day when his father, Baek Woo-hyuk, had finally gotten a day off and went out with Mrs. Jang for some couple time.
"Brother."
"What is it, Sister."
As they washed the dishes side by side in the kitchen, his younger sister, Baek A-yeon, looked at Baek Woo-jin with a squinting gaze and asked.
"Did you get fired?"
"Taking a few days off doesn't mean I get fired from this kind of job, Sister."
"Since when does a few days mean a whole week these days?"
"It falls under that category."
Baek A-yeon's gaze was a bit insolent, but since they were in the middle of washing dishes, he let it slide.
"Anyway, you're saying you didn't get fired, right?"
"Yeah."
"Did you take sick leave or something because of the injury last time?"
"Something like that."
Partly because he had lost both of his main weapons, the two halberds, and partly because he had decided to fill in his lacking knowledge about dungeons and monsters until he could get a new weapon in his hands.
Because of that, except for brief outings for light exercise, he had been holed up in his room for a week, just as his sister Baek A-yeon had said, focusing entirely on filling his meager knowledge by pouring over the internet and the Association's information wiki all day long.
"I think it'd be fine if you did something else..."
Seeing Baek A-yeon carefully bringing it up while glancing at his reaction, Baek Woo-jin roughly finished the dishes, took off his rubber gloves, and playfully ruffled his little sister's hair with his slightly damp hands.
"I told you not to touch my hair!"
"Go wash up. If you squeeze it, a whole bucket of oil will probably pour out."
"What are you talking about, I washed yesterday."
"Then I guess you just have a lot of oil."
"Hey!"
Baek A-yeon's left foot, with her brows furrowed, struck Baek Woo-jin's shin.
"Ugh!?"
"So weak."
"T-This is unfair!"
Baek Woo-jin slightly pinched the cheek of Baek A-yeon, who was actually in more pain from kicking him, and smirked with one corner of his mouth raised.
"Life is inherently unfair, Sister."
"Just you wait... I'm going to Awaken too!!"
"Alright. But before that, finish the rest of the cleaning up first."
Baek Woo-jin lightly washed off Baek A-yeon's hair oil from his hand and then entered his room.
"Hong Yeon-ha?"
When he turned on the smartphone screen placed on his desk, there was a message from Hong Yeon-ha asking him to contact her when he was free.
Since he had been continuously idle after parting ways with Schrodin, he contacted Hong Yeon-ha right away without hesitation.
*Ring. Ring. Ring.*
The ringing went on for quite a while, and just as he was about to hang up, thinking she might be in the middle of something, Hong Yeon-ha answered the phone.
-You contacted me sooner than I expected.
"Yes. I felt like I had been running a bit too busy. I don't have my weapons either, so I'm taking this opportunity to supplement my lacking knowledge at home."
-That's a good mindset. No matter how strong you are, a dungeon can wipe you out in a flash.
"We almost experienced that firsthand."
Even with Lee Da-young, who was on the verge of promotion to A-rank, attached as our guardian, we almost lost all our lives in a C-rank dungeon.
Like this, dungeons were still an unknown territory for humanity, where judging the danger level simply by rank could lead to losing one's life in a moment of carelessness.
"So. What's the matter?"
-Do you have a passport?
"No."
This wasn't a question that required any deliberation, so the answer popped out immediately.
That was because, throughout his past life before regression and his current life, he had never been overseas even once.
-Good. Take this opportunity to make one.
"It's a job related to weapons, right?"
-Of course. You didn't think I told you to make a passport so I could go on a date with you, did you?
"……."
Thinking that it was entirely possible given Hong Yeon-ha's personality, he hesitated with his answer for a moment.
-What. Really?
"Since today is the weekend, I'll go apply tomorrow."
-I'm asking if you really thought that.
"Is there anything else I need to prepare?"
-Seriously, what kind of guy is this...
Her last remark didn't seem like it was meant to be heard, but true to her nature as Hong Ik-hyun's granddaughter, her presence was so strong that the sound came through perfectly clear.
-Clear your entire schedule for the first week of next month.
"Give me a brief outline of the schedule so I can explain it to my family."
-You know Golden Bank, right?
"Fortunately, yes."
To put it simply, Golden Bank was like a Swiss bank, but one could think of it as a bank that only accepted Awakened as clients.
Of course, what they dealt with wasn't money, but all sorts of precious items entrusted by various Awakened. And one more thing.
"An auction."
-That's right. It's held once every two years, and fortunately enough, it's this year.
"I understand. So I just need to prepare my passport?"
-Yeah. We'll prepare the rest on this end, so you just need to show up in person.
"Understood."
-Alright. Then I'll contact you again later.
After ending the call, Baek Woo-jin immediately opened an internet window and searched for what was needed to make a passport.
"Hmm."
For ordinary citizens, they could practically apply just by bringing an ID photo and a single form of identification. However, for Awakened, the process was considerably more complicated.
"It's not that I can't understand it, but it's way too complicated."
In particular, the most noticeable thing was a document with a large clause stamped on it stating that if one did not re-enter the country within the permitted period, disadvantages could befall their family.
"Something like this will only breed more resentment."
Baek Woo-jin let out a small sigh and sent a message to Heo Sang-min asking if he was free right now.
*Bzzzt!!*
"That's way too fast."
Heo Sang-min's speed, with his name prominently appearing on the screen not even a few seconds after the message was sent, was truly astonishing.
"This is Baek Woo-jin."
-Yes, Hunter-nim. I was just on my way out after finishing lunch.
"The timing was good."
-It really was. So, what's the matter?
Without dragging it out, Baek Woo-jin immediately explained the situation.
-With such a reason, of course we should process it quickly on our end. Moreover, with Hong Yeon-ha-ssi and the Hongryeon Guild, they are more than sufficient as guarantors.
"Is there anything else I need to prepare?"
-Well, you could send me one photo, or if it's a hassle, we'll just use the one you took when you registered as an Awakened.
At Heo Sang-min's answer, he pondered for a moment.
"There are a lot of parts that have changed since then, is that okay?"
-Uh... Come to think of it, you did grow quite a bit suddenly, didn't you?
It hadn't even been a year.
In just a little over half a year, not only had Baek Woo-jin's height increased, but his overall bone structure and even the features of his face had become much more distinct.
Of course, it wasn't a change so drastic that one wouldn't recognize him as the same person upon closer inspection, but it was definitely a change significant enough to cause misunderstandings unless they were someone who saw him very frequently.
-Then just take a photo with your smartphone that shows roughly up to your shoulders and send it to me.
"Understood."
-Yes. Then I should get going since I need to drive.
After ending the call with Heo Sang-min, Baek Woo-jin stretched out the smartphone he was holding to his ear right in front of him and turned on the camera app.
"Hmmm."
But no matter what he did, either his arms showed up in the photo, or if he adjusted his posture so his arms wouldn't show, he ended up looking somewhat awkward.
With no other choice, Baek Woo-jin got up from his seat and went to look for his younger sister, Baek A-yeon.
*Knock. Knock. Knock.*
When he knocked on Baek A-yeon's closed door, her voice came right away.
-Why?
"Take just one picture for me."
-A picture?
"Yeah. A picture."
-Hold on.
As his stats had increased, his hearing had also developed further, and thanks to that, despite the door being closed, he could clearly hear the rustling sound of Baek A-yeon moving around inside.
'What was she doing?'
The sound of her putting things away continued for quite a while, and only when no more scurrying sounds could be heard did the closed door open and Baek A-yeon show her face.
"A picture all of a sudden, why?"
"To make a passport."
"A passport? All of a sudden?"
Baek A-yeon blinked, then went back into her room. Afterward, she came back out holding her own smartphone.
"You can just take it with mine."
"Your phone is outdated, Brother."
"……."
His gaze naturally turned to the smartphone in his hand.
Come to think of it, he seemed to have changed it when he entered high school and had been using it ever since.
"First, stand flat against the wall."
As he stood against the wall as instructed, Baek A-yeon pulled her smartphone as close to her chest as possible and began moving around, seemingly finding the right angle.
"You can just take it roughly."
"Be quiet. And don't open your mouth."
"……."
Since he was the one asking for a favor, Baek Woo-jin kept his mouth shut as instructed and stared straight ahead, staying flat against the wall until Baek A-yeon said it was done.
*Click! Click! Click!*
All that was needed was a single face photo showing his shoulders, but Baek A-yeon, as if suddenly possessed by something, twisted her smartphone this way and that, taking dozens of photos.
"Okay~"
"Why did you take so many?"
Still, since she had already taken so many, he approached her to pick out a decent one, but Baek A-yeon backed away, hissing like a feral cat.
"I'll pick one and send it to you myself."
"Hey, Sister. It's my picture, first of all?"
"Who doesn't know? You have no aesthetic sense, Brother."
"……."
Baek Woo-jin briefly stroked his chin and seriously contemplated whether that was really the case.
"More importantly, why a passport?"
"I have an overseas business trip."
"What!?"
Naturally slipping the smartphone into her pocket, Baek A-yeon narrowed the distance she had created, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
"Where? How many days? How long are you going?"
"I don't even know where. They just told me to make a passport."
"Where does that even happen?"
"If they tell me to, I just have to do it."
"They got a bunch of people hurt, and now what?"
It seemed he had unintentionally planted a bad impression of the Association in his younger sister Baek A-yeon's mind.
"Then when are you leaving, and how many days are you staying?"
"The first week of next month. One week."
"Your precious little sister's vacation is ending, but her brother is going on an overseas trip?"
"It's not a trip, it's a business trip."
"Hmph!!"
Baek Woo-jin playfully pinched and shook Baek A-yeon's nose, then turned around.
"I'll buy you a souvenir, so just send the picture quickly."
"Buy something edible!"
"Sure."
After returning to his room and bringing up the data on dungeons and monsters again, a message with a photo attached from Baek A-yeon arrived not long after.
"Hmm."
Opening and checking the attached photo, Baek Woo-jin had to admit that even if he didn't know about aesthetic sense, at the very least, Baek A-yeon's photography skills were far superior.