Chapter 51
"Have you come?"
Yang Jihwan greeted me with a smile even upon seeing my infuriated expression. I only managed to pull up the corners of my mouth to force a smile back at him, then pressed down Ashil who was hissing like a snake.
"For someone caught stealing, you're quite shameless."
At my words, a crack appeared on Yang Jihwan's mask-like face.
"Stealing... you say."
Yang Jihwan, who let out a hollow laugh, walked toward Baek Eunseong who had followed in and spoke.
"I'm only looking for the culprit. The thief is someone else."
Yang Jihwan said those words while looking straight at me. What, is he saying that to me? I felt my head go cold from sheer disbelief.
"Ah, so it's not you who's secretly rummaging through an empty room, but I'm the thief?"
"That can't be. I wasn't specifically pointing at Hunter Seong Dohyun. I'm suspecting all guild members. I was searching from the closest place first."
"Ah-ha."
I crossed my arms while repeatedly imagining driving my fist into Yang Jihwan's beaming face.
"But... what kind of culprit are you looking for that's causing such a commotion?"
"The poisonous herbs managed by the guild have disappeared. And the most amount of Mandrake, which you've been coveting, is gone."
"So you searched my room?"
Yang Jihwan nodded confidently.
Wow, who set up this scheme this time.
Baek Jisung who wants to kick me out of here? Or Yang Jihwan who sees me as an eyesore?
"Uncle..."
I stroked Baek Hamin's head as she clung to my leg and stepped back. My insides were boiling. My energy was also running wild to the point where Yang Jihwan, who had been confidently making snide remarks, flinched and called Baekwoo guild members in front of him.
"Wait, Jihwan."
"Baek Eunseong, step aside."
I grabbed Baek Eunseong's cardigan and shoved him behind me. Right now, in this situation, if he took Yang Jihwan's side, I didn't know what I'd do to myself. I took a deep breath and then turned off the skill window blinking in front of my eyes first.
"Alright, I understand what you mean. But if we look at it precisely, isn't it the fault of the person who failed to properly manage poisonous herbs, not even medicine herbs?"
"...What?"
"Baekwoo Guild's security must be quite terrible."
I sneered while looking back at Baek Eunseong.
"Aren't you embarrassed to drag a bunch of people around because you couldn't protect a mere poisonous herb..."
Then I openly muttered loud enough for Baek Eunseong to hear, before walking briskly back to my room. One guild member who hadn't grasped the situation was excitedly rummaging through the room.
"Jihwan."
Jihwan?
Irritation suddenly surged at the affectionate voice coming from the living room. When I came back out of the room, I saw Baek Eunseong standing with a calm expression. That pushover bastard, really. Even in this situation, he uses such an affectionate term?
"I think there's some misunderstanding, but Hunter Seong Dohyun is not the culprit."
"Uh... huh?"
"I don't know when it disappeared, but... Hunter Seong Dohyun was with me all day every day."
"What?"
Along with Yang Jihwan's shrill question, all eyes in the house fixed on me. Why on earth was he saying that here? While I was looking at him with raised eyebrows in dissatisfaction, a memory flashed through my mind. The sight of Baek Eunseong sleeping uncomfortably in front of my door every day.
Wow, hold on. So that's why he slept there? To monitor me in case I did something?
A hollow laugh escaped me, half from emptiness and half from disbelief. I glared fiercely at Baek Eunseong before slowly collecting my breath. That wasn't what was important right now. I turned around and immediately ran to my room.
The guild member finally noticed me and hesitantly backed away. When I quickly shifted my gaze, I saw the devastating scene of my few belongings scattered everywhere.
When am I going to clean this up... It was the moment I let out a deep sigh.
"Ah!"
The guild member who had been backing away while watching my reaction sat down on the bed without realizing it, and pulled out a bunch of mandrakes from under the mattress.
"I found it!"
"What?!"
As soon as he heard the guild member's shout, Yang Jihwan ran into the room. He looked me up and down with a gaze full of disgust, then carefully took the bunch of mandrakes. Ecstasy flickered in his viciously wide eyes.
How childish. It was so childish that I didn't even want to exchange words.
Frowning deeply, I pushed Baek Eunseong back when he tried to step forward to block Yang Jihwan. If Baek Eunseong resolved the situation, strange rumors could spread. Rumors like the Vice Guild Master was hiding a thief.
That shouldn't happen. This incident had to end with my perfect innocence proven without a shred of doubt.
I was wondering what to do when I made eye contact with Baek Hamin, who was standing by the door looking anxious.
...Right, Baek Hamin also had a debt to Yang Jihwan.
I smiled slightly and reached out my hand to the child. Baek Hamin, who came running at a single gesture, buried herself in my embrace and glared at Yang Jihwan.
"Why the mandrake."
"Can't... you grasp the situation? The mandrake managed by the guild disappeared, and it came from your room."
"So you want to claim I'm the culprit?"
"Don't make excuses. Evidence has been discovered."
At Yang Jihwan's words, I asked Baek Hamin clearly, making sure he could hear.
"Baek Hamin, you can bloom mandrakes, right?"
"Yeah! Of course! Hamin is not a mimic, she's real!"
Baek Hamin, who answered sullenly while glancing at Yang Jihwan, thrust her hand forward. Then, in an instant, a mandrake popped out of thin air with a poof and its roots flailed about.
After blocking the flow to prevent a scream from ringing out and patting Baek Hamin's bottom, the child pulled the mandrake close and gently placed it on my palm.
"Mandrake and also, what else."
"Hamin... you..."
Yang Jihwan was staring at Baek Hamin with a shocked expression without even answering my question.
"What are you looking at."
However, Baek Hamin snapped at him sharply and buried her face in my embrace. Cradling the child, I asked again.
"What else is missing."
"That, well..."
Yang Jihwan began to stammer out the names of poisonous herbs. I immediately looked down at Baek Hamin.
"Can you do it?"
"Yeah! I can bloom as many as you want."
When Baek Hamin jumped out of my embrace and spread her arms wide, poisonous herbs bloomed abundantly from both hands and fell fluttering to the floor. Horrified Baek Eunseong rushed over and covered the child's respiratory organs with his large hand, and not satisfied with just that, grabbed Baek Hamin's hands and scrubbed them vigorously with a handkerchief.
"Why, I can bloom antidote herbs too."
"Tsk, stay still."
While Baek Eunseong struggled with the whining Baek Hamin, I looked at Yang Jihwan with a bored expression. He was muttering with a visibly flustered face, "She definitely couldn't bloom them before." At those words, I quietly scoffed.
"You said you'd pay some attention to Baek Hamin, but I guess that was a lie."
"What do you mean by a lie, Hunter Seong Dohyun?"
At his sharp response, I smiled with a leisurely expression.
"You said it yourself back then. That you'd pay attention to Baek Hamin from now on. You didn't even know what the child could bloom with her ability, so what attention are you talking about."
Perhaps angered by my words, Yang Jihwan's forehead turned red and he stood there holding the bunch of mandrakes, not knowing what to do.
"Good grief. And, looking at this, it seems like you all came here convinced I'm the culprit..."
When I trailed off and looked around, the guild members who had been searching for the mandrake and glaring triumphantly at me took a step back.
"If I needed poisonous herbs, I wouldn't go steal them from the guild, I would have asked Baek Hamin. Are you framing someone as a thief without any evidence?"
At my words that pointedly targeted someone, Yang Jihwan averted his gaze slightly. I glared at him with all my might and called Ashil.
"So. Say it again. What's missing? If it's that precious, I'll find it for you myself."
Even at my offer to release Ashil right away and find the missing poisonous herbs or whatever, Yang Jihwan's mouth showed no signs of opening. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth... I was just thinking about framing that bastard as a thief right now when I heard the sound of a door opening.
"Hyung..."
Yang Jiyul, who poked his head out, glanced at me and Baek Eunseong before running over and grabbing Yang Jihwan's waist. Looking at those gray eyes that had lightened with moisture, I pressed my forehead and stepped back.
Ugh, I can't show them fighting in front of the kids. But I also couldn't just let Yang Jihwan go.
Yang Jihwan wasn't the type of person who would say "Thank you, I won't act up again" if I let this slide. He would definitely hover around and get on my nerves again.
I pondered for a moment, then cracked my neck left and right and called Yang Jiyul.
"Yang Jiyul, you go play with Baek Hamin."
Yang Jiyul gripped harder, not wanting to separate from Yang Jihwan, but Baek Hamin dragged him away. After confirming the children had moved away, I opened my mouth.
"Hunter Yang Jihwan, open your ears and listen carefully. Get a grip, okay? I'm not staying here because I insisted on living here; I'm here because your friend Hunter Baek Eunseong asked me to stay. Understand?"
"......"
"If I say I can't take this dirty behavior and leave, will you take responsibility for the consequences? Huh? Is it okay if the Guild Master's stomach bursts?"
I ignored Baek Hamin's urgent breathing sounds from behind and fixed my gaze on Yang Jihwan.
"And, I told you before, didn't I? I said I'd remember. I'll remember this incident clearly too, so be prepared. And Baek Eunseong."
"Yes."
"Conduct yourself properly. If you make me hear this kind of nonsense one more time, I'll just leave, contract or whatever, so know that."
"Yes."
Yang Jihwan's eyes widened at Baek Eunseong's compliant response. I let out a satisfied sigh at the pink glow in Baek Eunseong's eyes as he looked at Yang Jihwan. If that bastard had taken his side here too, I really would have flipped everything over.
I was crossing my arms, looking forward to seeing how Baek Eunseong would deal with Yang Jihwan, when quick footsteps that sounded like something flying came tapping from behind.
And a moment later, a small body dangled from my shin.
"Uncle, leaving... the house...?"