That Face Is the Problem - Chapter 3.2
At university, it had been comfortable to go around alone, but that comfort was short-lived. While attending university, he suddenly awakened as an A-rank Hunter. He had no choice but to drop out of the college he had almost adapted to and undergo Hunter training. Soon after, he was scouted by the JK Guild.
He was terrified. Becoming a Hunter all of a sudden was frightening, and the sudden change in his environment was frightening as well. While others welcomed their awakening, for him it had been nothing but a troublesome tragedy. Hunters were said to be fierce and strong. He worried about being severely bullied or ostracized, unlike when he was a student.
However, the world of Hunters was surprisingly straightforward. The first time he entered a dungeon, his hands shaking, he used his skills as he had been trained, and his team cheered.
This world, filled with unnatural awakeners, was essentially a rigidly hierarchical society. Survival of the fittest. The strong automatically stood above. Within JK Guild, Jae-gyeong was a welcomed strong member. It did not matter if he was timid, spoke poorly, or frequently shed tears.
Within two months of joining the guild, he had been promoted to the lead dungeon team and became the JK Guild’s representative tank. He did not appear in front of the media, but within the Hunter community, he was secretly respected as a paladin.
After working for about a year, a new lawyer joined the guild. That was Da-in.
The moment he saw Da-in, Jae-gyeong’s heart plummeted… and on the day he received the wedding invitation after three years of crazy emotional ups and downs, it figuratively exploded. That is to say, for Jae-gyeong, his heart ceased to exist.
No more heart, no more love. Only work remained. He left the JK Guild, firmly determined.
Hee-ro appeared satisfied with Jae-gyeong’s unusual statement that he had no intention of dating or loving anyone. He seemed to have been quietly wary of the handsome Jae-gyeong.
“Hmm, very well. I will take your word for it. Focusing solely on dungeon strategies is definitely the right choice in the guild.”
“That is what a lover says.”
“Ahaha, I am excluded. I am the guild master, and Jeong-eon is the Hunter association chief, after all.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You are being unusually picky today, Ri-na. Act your age.”
“I am twenty-one, and you, Guild Master, are over thirty, right? Age-appropriate behavior should come from you. Good job.”
“Oh, both of you, stop it. What do you think Hunter Jae-gyeong will think about our team?”
Ye-jin intervened between Hee-ro and Ri-na. Jae-gyeong, however, was not concerned. On the contrary, he admired how close the team members seemed.
Dungeon strategy teams, usually composed of Hunters from various specialties, fell into one of two categories. Either they were tightly bonded through camaraderie, or they hated each other intensely. The lead team in JK Guild was friendly, but not intimate enough to be this casual. That atmosphere was probably created by the guild master and team leader, Hyeon Hee-ro. Jae-gyeong silently respected him for that.
“All right, today we have a welcome party for the new member. Fortunately, the next dungeon is scheduled a week later, so we have some time to prepare. Let’s work on team cohesion.”
Hee-ro stood up and spoke. Other team members, including Jae-gyeong, had already been informed of the event, so they got up as if waiting for the announcement.
The last to stand was Da-sol. Perhaps due to his naturally relaxed personality, his movements were slow. Jae-gyeong thought maybe this was also a trait inherited from Da-in. He realized his own eyes were reddening again, so he looked at the ceiling and blinked to hold back tears.
Hee-ro glanced at Da-sol and chuckled softly.
“Da-sol, you are not skipping the welcome party today, right? Attendance is mandatory. I have told you several times, so you cannot skip it.”
“…Yes.”
“What did you say? I did not hear you clearly.”
“…Yes.”
“Ahaha, very well. I made a reservation at the Hanwoo restaurant over here, so we will all go together.”
Huh… maybe it is not that he is relaxed, but that he does not want to go. Jae-gyeong hesitated. Soon, he came to his own conclusion. Since Da-sol was extremely shy, he probably dislikes social gatherings like this. Jae-gyeong did not like such gatherings much either. That was a commonality… Thinking that far, Jae-gyeong gasped and bit his tongue.
‘I already said I will not pursue love. Why am I finding commonalities again, Jeong Jae-gyeong? Focus. That person is not Da-in. That person is Da-in’s younger brother.’
Jae-gyeong hesitated, waiting for the team members to go outside first. Surprisingly, Da-sol, the last to rise, went out the fastest. Jae-gyeong quietly watched his back, silently muttering to himself, “No love, stop love, love forbidden….”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
