“Yerim? Didn’t you sign a contract to join Haeyeon Guild?”

“It was preferential, not unconditional, right? Didn't you change it, ahjussi?”

Yes, I certainly did. Yerim spoke in a sharp tone.

“I'm going to add a condition in my contract with Haeyeon Guild that ahjussi has to be my guardian. I saw on TV that even A-ranks can put all sorts of additional conditions. They usually involve items, but I don’t think there was anything that disallowed people?”

That was true but why exactly me… did she remember that it hadn’t even been a day since we met? There shouldn’t be any reason to be so stubborn. Was there perhaps a side effect to the Awakening?

That's true, but why me? Did she remember we’ve only known each other for less than a day? There wasn’t any need for such stubbornness. Could it be a side effect of Awakening her?

“Um, calm down for a moment. There's no need to add that condition to the contract. Designating a guardian is your right, Yerim.”

Having heard that, her expression softened.

“Really? So I don’t have to listen to Haeyeon Guild Leader?”

“That's right. As long as I accept—”

“Hyung.”

…Now it’s you. I wondered why he hadn't butted in yet.

“You need to decide carefully. We're talking about an S-rank here. Having experienced it myself, I know how every kind of pest is drawn to a young S-rank. Yerim is only fifteen, so it'll be even worse for her.”

“Still, isn't it better than missing out on an S-rank awakened? Being affiliated with the guild would provide some protection. As long as Yerim doesn't ignore my advice, it should be fine. She's not a bad kid… right?”

“I’m a good kid.”

Bak Yerim immediately answered. At the same time, she quickly came over to my side. She would have probably grabbed my arm and pulled if only she had already adjusted to her strength.

“It’s because of my uncle's family, especially that bastard Bak Soocheon, that my personality got a bit rough. But I'm actually a good kid. My elementary school teachers praised me a lot.”

“…Then could you step back a little? Just one step, no, two steps.”

I was afraid she might thoughtlessly grab my arm in excitement. Even a slight tug could probably rip it off. Bak Yerim obediently stepped back, then looked at me as if to say, “See?”

That’s right, you are a good kid.

I sighed inwardly and turned back to my brother. How did I end up caught between these two?

“As the guild leader, your priority should be securing an S-rank above all else. Why are you being so difficult?"

“If it’s an S-rank that can’t control themselves properly, then it’s worse than nothing.”

“Come on, even if that's the case, it's better to secure her first and then trade her for a high price.”

“Trade? You mean send me somewhere else?”

Bak Yerim stepped closer again. Can't she please maintain a safe distance?

“If you act too recklessly, that might happen. But you said you're a good kid. So there shouldn't be a problem.”

“That's right, I'm a good kid. So there won't be any issues.”

She stepped back again, as if to prove she was well-behaved. That’s right, please stay there obediently.

“Most importantly, as I said earlier, the matter of deciding the guardian is between Yerim and me. As the guild leader, you can offer advice, but anything more would be excessive.”

At my words, Yoohyun let out a short sigh.

“If you insist so much, I won't stop you anymore. But be careful. Among awakened individuals, nothing is more important than rank. It might be okay now since she just awakened, but there's no guarantee things won't change.”

As he spoke, Yoohyun looked at Bak Yerim. She met his gaze without flinching.

Their gazes towards each other were icy, and being caught between them made my back ache.

The atmosphere was fine just a moment ago. Why all this fuss over being a guardian?

“So, if rank is so important, does that mean the same applies to you, Guild Leader? Oh, that's right, I heard you only reconciled with ahjussi a few days ago. Was the two of you falling out because of that 'rank' issue?”

…What? Did Yerim just throw down the glove?

“It was only to protect him that I kept my distance for a while. Unlike someone who's selfishly trying to keep him close.”

Yoohyun hit back just as hard. At the mention of selfishness, Yerim looked furious, as if she could explode.

Yoohyun, if she gets too angry and loses control, you might be fine, but it would be dangerous for me.

“Both of you, stop it.”

I quickly intervened before things could escalate any further.

“Why are you both getting worked up over something so trivial?”

“It’s not trivial, though?”

“It’s not trivial!”

Damn, fine, it's not trivial. Why do you two get along so well only at times like this? It's embarrassing."

“At any rate, let’s stop here. If you two want to keep fighting, I'll just leave and let you sort it out yourselves.”

“Hyung?”

“Ahjussi, are you sulking?”

Sulking, what do you mean, sulking.

“I’m like this because I’m afraid. If either of you loses control, I’ll die.”

“I won’t!”

“I've passed the stage of making such mistakes.”

At Yoohyun’s words, Yerim glared at him.

“I too am going to adjust soon!”

“Fine, but just don't have a mental showdown in front of me. I feel like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.”

It's bad for the heart, you know? At my words, both of them fell silent. Surprisingly, they were listening to me well.

“Let’s consider the guardian issue settled for now. And Yerim, I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here with you. When you break any equipment while trying to adjust, if debris fly around, it will be too dangerous for me. Instead, I’ll come back early tomorrow morning.”

“…Okay, I understand.”

Bak Yerim looked dissatisfied but nodded anyway.

“By the way, even if your relationship is bad, shouldn’t you at least contact your home? It could get troublesome if they report it.”

“There’s no need. There were a lot of times I fought with them and stayed over at a friend’s house. Please just contact my school.”

“Got it. See you tomorrow then.”

I left the training room and headed towards the elevator. My dongsaeng walking beside me still looked unhappy about the whole guardian situation, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

“What kind of person is Bak Yerim’s past guardian?”

Yoohyun asked. I pressed the elevator button and answered him.

“Someone who values money more than their flesh and blood. Apparently, they’ve taken all of Yerim’s parents' assets and haven’t even bought her a pair of shoes. They even make her work at their restaurant without pay.”

“Then there’s a high chance they’ll be troublesome later.”

“100% for sure. Giving some money is all it takes to solve it.”

“You want to silence them with money?”

“Something like that.”

I’ve dealt with that kind of person many times. Their greed is endless; a few handouts will never satisfy them. So, it’s best to have a firm grip on their weakness.

We can’t let any damage come to our precious S-rank, right?

“And now that Yerim is here, I’ll also move to the employee dorms.”

I said, watching the elevator door open. Haeyeon Guild also had outside company housing but we couldn’t live there because of troublesome people being after a new S-rank and also because of Peace.

“…What are you doing?”

When I entered the elevator and turned around, Yoohyung was holding on to the door button with an unhappy expression on his face.

“Do you have such a fondness for that girl?”

What’s with this random question?

“It hasn’t even been half a day since I met her. I have no reason to like or dislike her.”

“Seems like you’re taking care of her a bit too much for someone you’ve just met.”

“It's only natural for an adult to look after a young kid. And, if I don’t do that much for her after bringing her here to help me, what would that make me?”

We had agreed to end the discussion about the guardian issue, so why is this coming up again? …Don’t tell me, could it be because I said I was leaving the house? Just in case, I added on.

“I’m moving into the dorms because it’s more comfortable in different ways. I’m not going to completely move out, but rather use both. It’s a little awkward to move Yerim into your house, isn’t it?”

Yoohyun’s house had a greenhouse made up of dungeon organisms, as well as several S-rank items marked as personal collections. So, it wasn’t somewhere you could just let anyone come and go freely.

“If you’re talking about having a separate annex, I guess having one would be convenient.”

Yoohyun said, as he entered the elevator. So it really was because of that.

“I have a separate residence for receiving guests, too.”

“A separate one?”

“A separate house is good for discreet meetings. There are all sorts of people who dislike drawing attention.”

People who dislike drawing attention — was he talking about unregistered Awakened?

Naturally, not all Awakened register with the association. Especially those who want to use their awakening abilities in real life rather than for dungeon raids tend to avoid the Hunter Association. If they registered all their abilities and skills, it would be like putting up a sign saying, "Come arrest me for illegal activities~"

I wondered if Yoohyun did some shady things behind my back, but I didn’t bother to ask. It’s not like he’d be one hundred percent clean anyway.

As for me, before the regression… Well, there’s no need to dredge up the past that’s already disappeared.

“Since Bak Yerim-yang is going to be staying here for at least a year… I guess there are a lot of things to prepare.”

Saying that he would be busy for quite a while, Yoohyun got off at the mid-level floor. I went straight up to the house and headed to the greenhouse.

“Peace!”

The red cat with a horn wagged its tail on the other side of the glass wall. It jumped around and made a fuss as if it was extremely happy to see me.

“You adorable little brat!”

I quickly opened the greenhouse door and let Peace out.

*Kyang!*

“Yes, yes.”

When I picked up Peace, who was clinging to me, the warmth and heat calmed my heart. Ahh, my stress was melting away. You’re definitely the best. Maybe this was why people had pets.

“Let’s go eat~”

Forget human S-ranks, I'd rather raise magic beast S-classes! Look at how well-behaved and cute they are.

Going to the kitchen, I set Peace down on the floor, and opened the fridge to take out some raw meat. It wasn’t beef, chicken, or pork, but monster meat. I put the bluish meat into the grinder and finely ground it. Then, I took out a glass jar from my inventory.

The jar, slightly smaller than a 500ml water bottle, was filled with red mana stone powder. It contained the equivalent of twenty C-class mana stones, making it worth 200 million won.

“Like this, my sense of money is going to get twisted.”

A ten-day supply of pet food cost a whopping 200 million won. That’s 600 million won a month. Money doesn’t feel real anymore.

*Krrr*

Circling my feet, Peace urged me to hurry and feed him.

“Alright, I’ll give it to you in a minute.”

Using a measuring spoon I took some of the magic stone powder and then mixed it with the ground meat. Then I formed the mixture into balls about half the size of my fist.

“Peace, look here. It’s food.”

Just like I saw in dog training videos, I used the meatball to get Peace’s attention. Its golden eyes were fixed on the meat in my hand.

Good.

“I love you.”

I spoke clearly as I gave Peace the meatball. It chewed and swallowed happily. I repeated this several times until all the meat was gone.

How many days of training would it take to see effects? Given that it seemed to have the intelligence of at least a dog or cat, it shouldn’t take too long.

*Kyarr! Grrr*

With a full belly, Peace nipped at my toes,as if inviting me to play with it. Maybe I should buy some toys. Would cat toys or dog toys be better?

I picked up the hopping Peace and went to the living room. Sitting on the sofa, I pulled out a lightweight fabric belt from my inventory and dangled it. Peace eagerly bit onto the end and tugged. Being B-class, it shouldn't tear, right?

*Krr, grrr!*

“Do it gently, gently. I’m not strong.”

Should I take out the manticore gloves and put them on? But as it’s getting warmer, leather gloves might be a bad idea. Should I ask the guild if they have any good items? Or should I focus on leveling up after all?

‘How much was the exclusive entry pass for F-class dungeons again?’

If I were to go behind Yoohyun’s back, I would need to buy an exclusive access pass with guaranteed confidentiality. I couldn’t quite recall the exact details from before my regression, but I remembered that the average bid for high-tier F-class dungeons was around three hundred million won. For exclusivity, I'd likely need to pay at least double that amount.

‘Come to think of it, how much money do I have right now?’

I can't remember my account details from as far as five years ago. I should have at least the one million won Awakening registration subsidy, but did I have any savings?

‘I remember quitting my job to meet an Awakening broker… I think I used up all my severance pay and savings for that.’

From what I recall, I didn’t actually hand over any money to the broker. So, there should still be a decent amount in my bank account. I need to check… What was my official certification password again?

‘…No way I’d remember that.’

I’ve changed my password at least three times in the past five years due to reissuing the certification. Those people who regress and win the lottery must be geniuses. I can't even remember my own password.

“I guess I’ll need to visit the bank too.”

*Krrr!*

“If I have enough money, maybe I should buy some stocks. Which ones are expected to go up, again?”

Work, memory, work. There were definitely some stocks that soared due to the development of new materials or substances related to dungeons. Which pharmaceutical company developed that hair loss remedy?

At that moment, I felt my phone vibrate. I took it out of my pocket to see an incoming call from an unknown number. There was no indication that it was an advertisement, so who could it be?

“Peace, play by yourself for a bit. Hello?”

[Hello, Han Yoojin-ssi.]

A man's voice came through the phone. It sounded familiar. Who was it again?

[I am Haeyeon Guild’s head of human resources, Suk Simyeong.]

…Damn, it was this bastard. Should I just hang up?