At that, Gu Sinhu lowered his head and chuckled.
“Stop playing hunting dog. Don’t cry when you get thrown away.”
Then he went on coldly.
“Jurim’s always been good at throwing people away, hasn’t he? That’s how he made it out of the Tower too.”
Everyone from Hyeonak was struck speechless by the fury that surged up in an instant. Then a sharp little voice rang out from somewhere.
“Mister Fourth Place, don’t say mean things to the Guild Mazter.”
At Geuru’s warning, Gu Sinhu’s jaw tightened, and Huiyeon’s mouth fell open. Someone eventually failed to hold back their laughter.
Jongwon jabbed Son Jaeha, the teammate who had let out a soft snicker, in the ribs.
With a stiff face, Gu Sinhu turned toward the source of the voice.
A child as pretty as if she had been carefully sculpted was glaring at him with an angry face. The way she glowered with those big eyes was neither frightening nor unpleasant—only adorable.
“You must be Geuru? The child Jurim brought in.”
In that instant, Hyeonak’s team members surrounded Geuru as if to protect her.
“Hey! You should call my dad Guildmaster!”
“What’s with this mood? Anyone watching would think I was about to hurt the kid.”
Gu Huiyeon snapped, and Gu Sinhu gave an incredulous laugh.
“And mean things? I’m only telling the truth. You just don’t know, do you?”
“Geuru knows everythin’ too.”
“Do you? Then you must know that Jurim left his own brother in the Tower and came down alone. Do you understand? That’s what you call doing something bad. It’s not that I said anything mean.”
“Ah, he’s crossing the line.”
“What are you saying to a child, Guildmaster Gu?”
Gidan and Son Jaeha stepped forward.
“What, did I say something wrong? Does Hyeonak have no sense of hierarchy? You’ve been butting in since earlier. If we’re in the same industry, you should at least observe the basics. The more you act like that, the more you drag Hyeonak’s name through the mud. Know your place.”
Jongwon signaled to his team members to stop and said,
“That’s enough, Guildmaster Gu.”
“Enough of what? Saying bad things about Jurim?”
Geuru, furious, drew in a great breath. Heat rose to her face, flushing it bright red.
The guildmaster was a hero.
Not only had he lost his family, he also had to live enduring mana leakage while holding an unbearably terrifying being in his left hand.
No one could diminish his achievements simply because he had survived. That was not right.
‘The guildmaster risked his life to protect the world.’
For a world where even people like this could survive!
That was when it happened.
“You keep mentioning my son with every word. I find it exceedingly unpleasant.”
A frost-cold voice fell from behind them.
It was On Suhyeong.
On Suhyeong took Geuru from Gidan and gently lifted her into his arms.
When Gu Sinhu saw him, he flinched and quickly bent at the waist in greeting.
“Ah, hello, Chairman On Suhyeong. I’m Gu Sinhu of NAG.”
“I’ve heard a great deal about you from CEO Kim.”
At the mention of his father-in-law, Gu Sinhu clamped his mouth shut like a clam.
He knew perfectly well how much effort his wife’s family was putting into drawing investment from the Doan Group.
“I did not know the son-in-law they boasted of so much would turn out to be a ruffian who drags another man’s son into his mouth.”
“No, no, sir. This is a misunderstanding. I meant it in a good way…”
“A good way?”
Blue fury surged in On Suhyeong’s eyes.
“The good in this matter lies in my son risking his life to climb the Tower and protect your family. It does not lie on that treacherous tongue of yours, which dares demean my son in front of my granddaughter!”
At the stinging rebuke, Gu Sinhu squeezed his eyes shut.
How had things turned out like this?
On Suhyeong had never stepped forward to defend Jurim like this before.
Jurim was the type to let gossip roll off him, and On Suhyeong was also a man of few words, so situations almost never worsened over talk about Jurim.
On top of that, there were even rumors in circulation that On Suhyeong and On Jurim had severed ties.
But why?
‘Granddaughter? Is it because of that little girl?’
Was he saying he could not stand by and watch his son be insulted in front of his granddaughter? Even though that child was not related to him by blood.
Not only Gu Sinhu but also Hyeonak’s raid team looked bewildered.
It was only natural, since there was no one who did not know what the relationship between On Suhyeong and On Jurim was like.
After glancing at Gu Huiyeon, who was shrinking in on herself, On Suhyeong said in a low voice,
“Your father-in-law must be waiting. How about you take your leave now?”
It meant he did not wish to humiliate him any further in front of the child.
“I’ll be going for today. If I have the opportunity, I’ll greet you again and explain today’s matter in detail.”
“That won’t be necessary, so go. And do not even think of showing your face in front of my granddaughter again.”
“I am truly sorry about today, Chairman. I was also terribly rude to your granddaughter.”
Gu Sinhu repeatedly bowed at the waist, his tail tucked between his legs.
But On Suhyeong merely soothed Geuru with a cold expression.
“Geuru, pay no mind to the words of a mudskipper like that. He is so full of jealousy that all he can do is muddy the water.”
“Bad mudskipper.”
“Yes. A bad mudskipper indeed.”
At the grandfather and granddaughter’s mockery, Gu Sinhu clenched his teeth. After groveling, he soon left his seat, shooting a glare at Gidan and Hyeonak’s team.
“Dan, let’s continue our talk next time.”
“Me?”
When Gidan laughed aloud as if to say, Why would I? Gu Sinhu whispered as he passed by him.
“Ah, right. While Hyeonak keeps dragging its feet, we’ll be taking Jjapso.”
Cough! At the unexpected name, Gidan coughed and covered his mouth.
Gidan, too, was well aware of the rumors about the production-type Hunter who had appeared like a comet these days.
They said the quality was so good that it had even created a new intermediate grade called “Excellent.”
Because the level had improved tremendously compared to when they had been active on Onion Market, gossip about who Jjapso was had been circulating often among guilds lately.
There were even theories that someone that skilled had to be an alt account of a production-type ranker, but the problem was that no one could figure out their identity at all.
Then, right around the time the guilds reached the conclusion that Jjapso was a “reclusive master,” they began searching for Jjapso in earnest.
And Gidan knew. Those adorable teddy-bear syrup bottle potions were Geuru’s signature.
“Mm, I guess you have some idea where Jjapso is, Guildmaster?”
“No comment on that. Just don’t be too shocked.”
So he doesn’t know it’s Geuru. Did he find some knockoff Jjap somewhere?
Feeling a little relieved, Gidan muttered,
“Ah… I’m not confident I won’t be shocked.”
As he looked at Geuru, Gidan desperately held back his laughter.
“In any case, good luck.”
“You really are an arrogant bastard.”
“More praise again…”
Gidan gave a mischievous smile.
*
Meanwhile, at that time.
Na Ohyeong, who had been shaking his leg, looked toward the rear.
“Another commotion.”
The auction needed to proceed.
It had not been long since he had beaten down the idiots who tried to cancel the auction earlier, and now things were getting anxiously noisy again.
It was a relief that Serhi had planted a mannequin there. Otherwise, he might have had no choice but to sit there sucking his thumb while watching the auction get canceled.
“Take a look, will you? Hm?”
Na Ohyeong pointed toward the back with his thumb.
But the man who had planted the mannequin did not take his eyes off his phone, answering only indifferently.
“It won’t be canceled. It’s just a verbal fight.”
“Fuck. They should just sit quietly and wait for the damn auction. What are they doing, getting on my nerves?”
The people gathered there were clearly Hunters at a glance. High-ranking ones, at that.
They were a danger incomparable to the idiots from earlier.
Most Awakened were belligerent. Even the ones who weren’t became that way because of their power.
Worried that it might perhaps escalate into a bigger fight, he anxiously bounced his leg.
Unlike Na Ohyeong, who was uneasy, Serhi was calmly playing a game on his phone as he said carelessly,
“It’s probably because it’s full of trash. There’s a Korean proverb, isn’t there? ‘If five humans gather, one of them is trash.’”
“What kind of Korean proverb is that? I’ve never heard it in my life. Stop playing that game already. You keep learning weird phrases from it, you know?”
[“Yeah, next trash.”]
Serhi blew a bubble with his gum and continued playing.
It was not the game with the grotesque characters he usually played, but a Korean word game.