"So, about that..."
Baewonwoo, who had been about to say something, clamped his mouth shut when he noticed Kang Jisoo standing next to him.
The state before awakening... Uijae looked down at Sayoung, who was cradled in his arms. Sayoungâs once irregular breathing began to slowly stabilize the moment the chains were removed. His face, which had been unusually pale, was now gradually regaining its color.
Only then did Uijae feel like he could finally breathe again. He lowered his head slightly and took a silent, deep breath to calm himself.
"For now, Lee Sayoung's condition is the priority. I'll personally visit the Wave Guild later to formally apologize."
Jung Bin retrieved a bottle of purple liquid from his inventory and opened it. Uijae, seeing this, quickly propped up Sayoung's head by holding the back of his neck. Exchanging a silent nod, Jung Bin began pouring the liquid into Sayoungâs mouth and then asked,
"I was away handling another matter, so I havenât fully grasped what happened in the hall yet. Can you explain?"
"The auction just ended. The Hunters started fighting over the huge spear, which led to this mess... What else am I supposed to say?"
Baewonwoo, looking awkward, glanced sideways, prompting Kang Jisoo to jump in with an eager reply.
"The spear was won by our guild leader!"
"Do we really need to mention that?"
"Well, heâs passed out now, and if weâre not careful, he might not get it. We need to make sure itâs noted."
"...I see. Thatâs enough for now. Thank you."
Whether it was because the chains were removed or thanks to the liquid Jung Bin had administered, Sayoungâs condition improved rapidly. From the outside, it looked like he was just sleeping. As soon as his condition stabilized, Jung Bin quickly took stock of the situation in the hall and began issuing orders.
Meanwhile, Hong Yeseong, who had originally planned to enjoy some time in the city before getting back to work, was being escorted to a mountain retreat for his safety by the guildâs management bureau. As the security forces swarmed him, Hong Yeseong jumped down from the platform in a panic.
"Hey! Who gave this order?"
"Itâs the Directorâs command."
"Wait, wait, my business isnât finished yet..."
Before Hong Yeseong could call out to Uijae, the security guards had already wrapped him up like a burrito in a yellow checkered blanket.
"Hey! Let me go! I canât work without this thing! Hold on a minute!"
"Proceed with the escort."
"Yes, sir."
Crying out pitifully, Hong Yeseong was whisked away. Meanwhile, the Super Hamsters, who had been knocked out during the brawl, were to be handled by Matthewâs HB Guild. Honeybee grumbled as he carried off the unconscious Hunters, while Jung Bin bowed respectfully toward Matthew.
"Thank you for your assistance."
"Oh, donât mention it. You all work so hard. Here, have some of this."
Matthew offered Jung Bin a warm squid leg before heading off to assist Honeybee with the collapsed Hunters. Jung Bin then turned to Baewonwoo, who stood awkwardly nearby, and bowed deeply.
"I sincerely apologize. This was entirely my fault. Iâll take full responsibility."
Baewonwoo scratched his head sheepishly.
"Well, itâs already happened, so what can we do? I know you didnât mean for this to happen... Still, make sure to stop by the Wave Guild sometime. Thatâs all I ask. Now, are you heading to the Seowon Guild?"
"Yes, I believe Nam Woojin will be best suited to handle Lee Sayoungâs condition."
"Please take good care of him."
"Of course."
After Jung Bin left with Sayoung, only Baewonwoo, Kang Jisoo, and Uijae remained in the hall. Kang Jisoo, who had been watching quietly with her arms crossed, suddenly spoke up in a disgruntled tone.
"...Are we really just going to leave it at that? The guild leader collapsed! We almost lost our heads!"
"Itâs fine, Jisoo. It was an accident. If thereâs anything to extract from the management bureau, Sayoung will take care of it. Letâs go."
"Yes, sir."
As Baewonwoo started to walk toward the exit, he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening. He turned back and called out.
"Secretary, why arenât you coming?"
"...Me? Are you talking to me?"
Uijae, who had been standing there frozen, looked up in surprise. Baewonwoo smiled warmly, the same smile Uijae had seen many times at the hangover soup restaurant, and gestured toward the door with his thumb.
"Come with us! We drove here, so weâll drop you off at the guild."
"Oh, no, Iâm fine..."
"Hey now."
Kang Jisoo, who had quietly moved behind Uijae, gave him a firm push on the back. His feet finally lifted off the ground. Baewonwoo wrapped an arm around Uijaeâs shoulder and pulled him closer.
"Come on, letâs get going!"
---
A short time later, in the car.
They drove in silence for most of the journey until they reached a familiar road near the convention center. Raindrops started to splatter against the car windows. Baewonwoo clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Damn, itâs raining."
In the backseat, the secretary finally spoke up.
"Um, can you drop me off here?"
"Vice Leader, do you have an umbrella? Iâm sure the secretary doesnât have one."
"Oh, no, really, Iâm fineâ"
"What are you talking about? Thereâs an umbrella right here. Take it."
Baewonwoo shoved a large black umbrella into his hands. Uijae, caught off guard, hesitated for a moment before bowing his head slightly.
"...Thank you."
"Take care, and good job today. Thanks for looking after Sayoung."
With a soft *pop*, Uijae opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain. As he walked a few steps down the wet street, he turned back for a moment. Through the open window, Baewonwoo and Kang Jisoo waved at him in unison, as if by some unspoken agreement.
*Sshhhâ* The rain fell harder now. Even though it had been a while since Uijae had gotten out of the car, Baewonwoo showed no intention of driving away. He rested his elbows on the steering wheel and played with his phone. Kang Jisoo, who was chewing on a piece of dried taffy, finally broke the silence.
"Hey, Vice Leader."
"Yeah?"
"Who is that guy?"
"......"
The figure in the suit had already disappeared into the rain, as if he had melted into it. Kang Jisoo craned her neck, trying to peer into the dark alleyway as she mumbled.
"I stayed quiet because both you and the Guild Leader didnât say anything, but Iâve never seen someone like him in the secretary team, or even in the guild. Shouldnât we have brought him back?"
"Jisoo."
"Yes?"
Baewonwoo spoke solemnly, holding out his hand. Kang Jisoo placed another piece of taffy in it, and he brought it to his mouth.
"Sayoung always has a reason for what he does."
"......"
"...Probably."
Kang Jisoo glanced at him with suspicion, but Baewonwoo finally started the car, the wipers working furiously to clear the rain.
"If we needed to hold him, Sayoung wouldâve told us. He didnât say anything."
"Maybe he was too out of it to say anything?"
"No, donât underestimate that guyâs determination. He probably timed when heâd collapse."
Well, knowing Lee Sayoung, that wasnât out of the question. Even while he was on the verge of passing out, he had still given orders before finally letting go. It was hard to tell if he was truly sick or just putting on an act. Kang Jisoo asked cautiously.
"But the Guild Leaderâheâs really sick, isnât he?"
"Yeah, thatâs true."
"Was he really sick before he awakened?"
"Well⦠from what I heard, yeah."
Baewonwoo, nonchalantly steering with one hand, added,
"And as for that secretary, I donât know who he is. He could be a new member of the combat support team... or maybe heâs someone from another guild that weâre working with."
"Right, right. I get it. Donât ask too many questions. Got it."
"No, seriously, I donât know!"
Kang Jisoo shrugged dismissively and reached over to turn on the radio. Just in time, a familiar commercial jingle started to play. *Hunter One! The place to pass your hunter exams!* She hummed along quietly and then spoke.
"Well, he didnât seem like a bad person."
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
"Didnât you see it, Vice Leader?"
"See what?"
"...Never mind."
Kang Jisoo sighed softly and leaned her head against the window. Baewonwoo muttered something under his breath, but she didnât bother responding. After running around all day at the Artisan Exhibition, she was too tired to engage. Besides, if Baewonwoo wasnât going to share everything, she didnât feel the need to either.
Despite his calm voice and quick actions, the veins in his hands had bulged, and his fingers had trembled uncontroll
ably as he held onto Sayoung. The moment Sayoungâs condition stabilized, that so-called secretary had visibly relaxed, never taking his eyes off him until Jung Bin and Sayoung left.
Though his face had been hidden behind a gas mask, Kang Jisoo was sure of it. Heâd likely been just as pale as Sayoungâor maybe even paler. Kang Jisoo smirked to herself.
âHe seemed more worried than I was.â
"Shall we grab dinner?"
"The soup restaurantâs closed today."
"...Oh, right."
"Vice Leader, you really should cut back on the soup. Soon, soup broth will be running through your veins instead of blood."
"You just donât understand the true taste of hangover soup..."
Their idle chatter soon faded beneath the sound of the rain.
---
At long last, Uijae was finally alone.
The wind felt especially cold today.
As he wandered through a deserted alleyway, he removed the stifling gas mask. The street was littered with soggy flyers and business cards, but despite the dirty ground, his shoes remained perfectly clean. He kicked at a puddle, sending water splashing.
After taking several turns through the empty streets, he eventually spotted the faint glow of a familiar red sign in the distance. The hangover soup restaurantâthe place he was supposed to return to. Closing the umbrella, Uijae made his way toward it, his footsteps slow and heavy.
Standing in front of the door, he looked up and saw the paper he had taped to it earlier. The rain had soaked through, smudging the ink, but it was clear that something had been written all over it.
Uijae squinted at the smeared writing. When he had last seen it, there had only been one response. Now, the entire sheet was filled with messages, leaving no blank space.
---
*Closed for the Artisan Exhibition.*
*Reason: Taking my grandmother to the hospital.*
â Hope your grandmother stays healthy!!
â I wondered why the restaurant was closed. Hope you had a safe trip back.
â Let us know if you need help with the hospital bills...
â Hereâs to many more years of business! Please!!
â Donât forget to take care of your health, too!
â Will you be open tomorrow?
---
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a short vibrationâlikely a text from Haeun. Slowly, Uijae pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen.
---
**Sayoung:** *Iâm fine.*
---
Uijae swallowed a long breath. The damp air filled his lungs. Leaning his head against the glass door, he closed his eyes, listening as the sound of rain slowly faded into the distance. The knot of tension that had been tightly wound inside him began to unravel, bit by bit.
When he finally opened his eyes again, they shone with renewed determination.
________________
TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!