Episode 25
It was something he had known all along—that Geum Myeonggyeol would not give up on the earrings.
‘Honestly, it’d be stranger if I didn’t know.’
If he weren’t greedy for them, why would he have kept sending bribes through his guild members?
Unless one was an idiot, there was no way not to know that Geum Myeonggyeol’s interest had not cooled.
Wasn’t that why he had come running all the way here?
“Did you put a tail on me?”
“Mr. Han Chasu, do I look that idle to you? I just have a good eye for people. I should hire you for our guild’s recruitment team.”
There was truly no end to his insane nonsense. When Han Chasu looked at him with weary eyes, Geum Myeonggyeol grinned.
His hand pointed at the signboard of the exchange.
“You make me sound like a stalker. I didn’t put them on you. I stationed people at every exchange. Told them to report to me immediately if Mr. Han Chasu showed up.”
“Ha.”
“What if Mr. Han Chasu just gobbled down the baeksuk I gave him and then shared the earrings with someone else? I’m famous for not doing things that lose me money, you know. One wrong move and I’d become a laughingstock.”
Faced with an attitude so brazen it was almost demanding he take responsibility, Han Chasu was at a loss for words.
He had come running in such a hurry that Han Chasu thought he’d put a tail on him, but instead he had stationed personnel at every exchange?
‘He basically issued a warning in broad daylight.’
From now on, even if he went to another exchange, he would not be able to find anyone to share the earrings with.
He had never intended to do so in the first place, but he could not help finding it absurd.
Han Chasu looked Geum Myeonggyeol, who was smiling brightly, up and down.
‘He’s definitely quick-witted.’
If he had put a tail directly on him, Han Chasu would have immediately found fault with it. Han Chasu’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Geum Myeonggyeol.
‘Wasn’t it said in the original that he came from a good family?’
Well, that would explain how he had been able to establish a guild in Korea despite having little foundation there, unlike Jeong Iheun.
If he remembered correctly, only one of his parents had been Korean….
Han Chasu was rummaging through his hazy memories, trying to recall details about Geum Myeonggyeol, when—
“Ah, if we keep standing here, I feel like my luck’s going to turn bad. Let’s go over there. We can finish talking there.”
Geum Myeonggyeol grabbed his shoulder and pointed to the opposite side of the corridor.
It was a small lounge where one could enjoy the open cityscape spread out beyond the full-length windows.
As soon as Han Chasu sat down on the soft sofa, Geum Myeonggyeol naturally held out a drink bottle.
“Wet your throat.”
A large ginseng root was drawn on the bottle.
‘It must be good for the body, at least.’
Was he being mindful of Han Chasu’s fragile condition? Han Chasu offered a brief word of thanks and opened the cap.
And immediately regretted it.
“Ugh.”
At this point, couldn’t this be considered an assassination attempt?
Suppressing the urge to hurl the entire bottle at Geum Myeonggyeol, Han Chasu closed the cap again.
“It smells like that, but if you drink it, it’s actually all right….”
“No, thank you. It’s not as if one drink is going to change the conversation.”
Han Chasu pushed the bottle far away and spoke.
“To address what you’re worried about first, I did not come to the exchange to look for a matching partner.”
“Well, that….”
“You must have already looked into that separately. Since you’re the sort of person who sends people to every exchange.”
Geum Myeonggyeol smiled, his eyes curving pleasantly. As he leaned back against the sofa, he exuded the composure of the strong.
Just as expected.
Han Chasu met his gaze with a calm expression.
“You don’t have to worry so much. I have no intention of putting the earrings up for auction or trade.”
Strictly speaking, it was the right to wear the other half of the earrings that would be put up, but it amounted to the same thing.
Han Chasu swept his eyes over the lounge bar and continued.
“In the first place, couple items almost never complete a match, so you can put your mind at ease.”
“For my mind to be at ease, Mr. Han Chasu, you’d have to be inside your house.”
“…….”
“My heart is pounding even now. Maybe because there’s an exchange nearby.”
Creak. The look in his eyes as he leaned forward and murmured was exceedingly dangerous. Han Chasu faintly furrowed his brow.
‘It’s worse than I thought.’
He could understand wanting to find a replacement for the Earrings of the Plague God. But this was a bit extreme. As if this were the only option left to him.
‘Wait, isn’t something strange?’
Just as Han Chasu sank into thought with a cautious expression—
Ding-dong. With a clear chime, the sound of the elevator doors sliding open reached them.
Naturally assuming it was someone visiting the exchange, Han Chasu paid it little mind.
But the voice that followed startled him.
“Ah, damn it.”
Geum Myeonggyeol’s face crumpled hideously. Han Chasu looked at him in surprise.
“Guildmaster?”
“Mr. Han Chasu, can you explain for me? This time, I really did come just to talk.”
Geum Myeonggyeol’s gaze was not directed at him. The moment Han Chasu tried to turn his head to follow his gaze—
A low voice settled by his ear.
“Mr. Han Chasu.”
“…….”
“Are you feeling all right?”
A chill ran down his spine. When he reflexively turned his head, he saw the man’s gentle face.
It was Jeong Iheun.
***
How on earth had it come to this?
Han Chasu pondered as he drank his coffee. This was already his third cup, but he could not stop. Aside from red ginseng, there was nothing else to drink.
No, that was not the problem.
“I truly cannot believe this. To think the head of a guild would dare attempt a kidnapping at an exchange.”
“Ah, seriously. It wasn’t kidnapping! Do you think I’m insane enough to do something like that at an exchange? I didn’t do anything!”
“Then what was it? Ah, should I call it scheming? Or perhaps fraud?”
I definitely only came here to buy equipment items.
How had these two ended up arguing with me between them?
As Han Chasu pondered with a serious expression, Geum Myeonggyeol suddenly called out to him.
“Huh…! Mr. Han Chasu, you heard what this man just said, right? Scheming, he says. Scheming.”
“…….”
“Hm? Say something.”
No. The moment he answered here, it would be no different from declaring his intent to join the battle.
When Han Chasu turned his head and pretended not to know, Geum Myeonggyeol’s lips twisted. His expression said, Just look at this.
But before Geum Myeonggyeol could say anything, Jeong Iheun beat him to it.
“Then let me ask honestly. If you did not come to persuade Mr. Han Chasu, why did you come all the way here?”
Of course, there was no other reason. Geum Myeonggyeol fell silent, and Han Chasu was impressed.
For all his faults, he really did seem like a guildmaster when he protected him like this.
‘If only I hadn’t possessed the villain, I wouldn’t have minded burying my bones in the Cheollyeong Guild.’
It would have been nice if he had possessed Baek Seon instead of Han Chasu. As Han Chasu clicked his tongue in bitterness, Geum Myeonggyeol abruptly rose from his seat.
“Ah, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
“Guildmaster Geum Myeonggyeol.”
“Let’s talk about this later. We have to hold a meeting soon anyway, don’t we? You know, that crystal that dropped from the Jeju Island Gate. They say the appraisal is almost done.”
Geum Myeonggyeol smiled brightly and cut off the flow of the conversation. As he looked down at his wrist and checked the time, he seemed fairly busy.
“Well then, next time….”
“Sit down.”
“Hm?”
It was at that moment that Han Chasu spoke. Geum Myeonggyeol looked at him in surprise. Jeong Iheun did the same.
“Mr. Han Chasu? Why….”
Han Chasu’s face as he turned back was exceedingly calm. His eyes, however, were burning unlike his expression.
‘Perhaps I can shake this guy off.’
Just now, through Geum Myeonggyeol’s words, he had obtained a hint.
A hint that might cut off Geum Myeonggyeol’s obsession with the earrings.
“There is something I need to tell you. Sit back down.”
You came when you wanted, but leaving won’t be up to you.
At Han Chasu’s attitude, the two S-ranks were more flustered than ever before.
“Mr. Han Chasu, are you all right? It must be physically taxing for you.”
“Uh, I’m busy too, you know. Let’s talk later somewhere comfortable.”
“No.”
Flatly refusing, Han Chasu pointed to the sofa.
“Sit.”
“…….”
“Is there any need to talk about this again later? Let’s finish it today.”
Since we’ve met like this anyway, let’s put an end to it today.
At his suddenly changed attitude, Geum Myeonggyeol blinked. Jeong Iheun did the same.
Ignoring the sucker fretting beside him, Han Chasu called Geum Myeonggyeol.
“Guildmaster Geum Myeonggyeol.”
“Huh? Yeah? What?”
“What was the reason you absolutely had to have the Cursed Earrings of Resonance?”
“That’s because the ones I had….”
Geum Myeonggyeol tried to repeat the obvious once more.
That they were the only thing that could serve as a replacement for his broken Earrings of the Plague God.
However, before he could finish speaking, Han Chasu cut him off cleanly.
“What I mean is, how can you be certain that the ‘Cursed Earrings of Resonance’ I have are the ‘Cursed Earrings of Resonance’ you want, Guildmaster?”
“…
Huh?”
Geum Myeonggyeol now looked beyond dazed—he even looked stupid. Meanwhile, Jeong Iheun let out a low exclamation.
‘This one’s head seems to be working, at least.’
Leaving Jeong Iheun, who was looking at him with shining eyes, behind, Han Chasu began to explain.
“Guildmaster Geum Myeonggyeol. Listen carefully.”
“Yeah, yeah, go on.”
Geum Myeonggyeol was practically like a child who had come to listen to a story.
Meaning, he was sitting in his seat with both hands on his knees and his ears perked.
“You knew that the earrings dropped from the Frost Giant Dungeon as well, Guildmaster, but you didn’t know they would come with a binding property, did you?”
“Uh… right. But what about it?”
Han Chasu swept his hair back with a sigh. You still haven’t realized?
He spat out each word as though chewing it.
“Items dropped from dungeons have random stats, even if they are hidden items.”
“Ah.”
“Just as you did not know whether the earrings would have a binding property, the stats of the earrings I possess may not satisfy your expectations, Guildmaster.”
His golden eyes widened, as did his mouth.
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