The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 23

23. My Person (3)

After stopping by the hardware store to buy hooks, I headed to the Hunter Association to dispose of the contracts. The sales commission for the contracts was 30 percent, and the sales proceeds would be transferred to the registered account. F-rank contracts were so-so, but C-rank and D-rank ones should bring in a decent amount.

It feels a bit uneasy for me to pocket it all, so I should divide it among the victims.

“Is it really okay for me to keep imposing on you like this?”

Yoo Myung-woo asked anxiously as he got out of the car upon arriving at the Guild. It was truly fortunate that his SS-rank skill wasn’t combat-related. Or maybe his personality was suited for a crafting skill because of his nature.

“You heard me on the phone earlier. They said it’s okay for outsiders to stay in the dorms.”

To be precise, it was a rule for visits from relatives, friends, or lovers. Outsiders’ stay in the dorm was limited in terms of the number of people and the scope of activities, and it was allowed for a maximum of one week per month. Additionally, a written pledge had to be made to take full responsibility in case any problems arose.

“I could just go home…….”

“Why bother going back and forth? Just stay until the training is over. It won’t take long.”

Of course, even after the training ends, I’ll make some excuse to keep him around. I can’t let him go when I need to keep him in sight. How do I finagle [cleverly arrange] a regular employee’s dorm to put him in?

“Han Yoo-jin.”

Kim Sung-han called from behind as I was about to leave the parking lot. When I turned around, I saw him with a slightly awkward expression. What’s up?

“I’ll start by apologizing.”

“Yes?”

Why the sudden apology? Did he do something to me that I don’t know about? Was it grabbing the back of my neck? Broadcasting at the missing child center? Guarding the front of my door was Yoo-hyun’s order.

I couldn’t think of anything that would warrant such a formal apology, so I tilted my head, and Kim Sung-han continued.

“I’ve been misunderstanding you all this time.”

“…Misunderstanding?”

“Yes. To be honest, I thought you were a useless obstacle hindering the Guild Leader’s path.”

…Well, he’s not wrong. The original me did cause a lot of trouble.

“Don’t worry about it. It could happen.”

He had good eyes for seeing people, but I changed using the cheat key called regression [ability to turn back time].

He chuckled at my words. Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen that guy smile at me. He always used to glare at me like he was going to eat me alive.

“I look forward to working with you in the future.”

“Ah, yes. Likewise…….”

“Even if you say it’s okay, a mistake is a mistake, so please tell me if there’s anything you desire.”

“Then buy me a drink sometime.”

I should use this opportunity to drunkenly… um… say the keyword. I was thinking of raising monsters instead of humans. Still, getting closer over drinks wouldn’t be bad.

“Understood. Please contact me anytime.”

Kim Sung-han bowed lightly with a much brighter expression. I also greeted him back and turned around.

It feels a bit strange. I don’t know why he’s suddenly acting like this, but it’s better than being treated like a thorn in his side.

“That guy really doesn’t have an eye for people.”

Yoo Myung-woo said in an absurd tone as we left the parking lot.

“How could he think of you, Yoo-jin, as a useless obstacle?”

That’s because I really was a useless obstacle, haha.

“I am lacking compared to my brother, though.”

“That’s just because your rank doesn’t keep up. If you were the same S-rank, you might have been better. No, you definitely would have been much more successful.”

Where does that confidence come from? It’s nice to have someone believe in me, but I wish this guy would believe in me a little less. He’s not only comparing me to A-ranks but now even to S-ranks.

“Please don’t say things like that where others can hear you. Especially since this place is full of Yoo-hyun’s fans. You might get stoned [publicly criticized or ostracized].”

Thanks to that, I hated coming here after causing a major incident. The gazes were like seeing trash flying from all directions.

Yoo Myung-woo flinched and looked around at my words.

“W-Well, the truth is the truth.”

What truth.

“But aren’t you going to take off your gloves? It must be stuffy.”

“It’s okay! I’ll keep wearing them until the training is over.”

He answered with a bright smile. …He’s not planning on doing his business with those on, is he?

I took Yoo Myung-woo to the security office in the corner of the lobby. Yoo-rim and I were given direct okay from the Guild Leader, but ordinary outsiders had to go through security checks to enter areas other than the 1st to 3rd floors.

“I’m here to visit the upper-rank Hunter dorms.”

I said as I opened the door to the security office, and the female employee at the desk asked me to come over.

“After the security check, please apply for a visit at the dorm management office on the 15th floor. Who is the subject of the inspection?”

“This person. He’s an Awakened.”

“Please state your name, phone number, and, if you’re a Hunter, your license number.”

Yoo Myung-woo said his name and phone number. The sound of keyboard tapping echoed for a moment, and another employee brought a bracelet that could be locked with a key.

“This is an inventory sealing bracelet. Forcibly removing it will result in immediate eviction and compensation for the associated costs. Please be sure to return it after completing your business.”

As the number of Awakened increased, the most troublesome thing was the inventory. Even F-ranks could have an uninspectable space just by Awakening.

Fortunately, it didn’t have a big impact on daily life because you couldn’t put anything in it unless it came from a dungeon, but in places where security was needed, the inventory was sealed as a precaution. A few years after the number of Awakened became too large, they even placed a sealing curse on the entire building.

Thanks to that, the number one Awakened who could make a fortune without entering a dungeon was said to be curse Hunters. They could do all sorts of things if the conditions were met. However, it was difficult to meet those conditions, so the combat utilization was low.

After completing the security check and visiting the dorm management office to apply for a visit, we returned to A-15. Is Yoo-rim still getting her styling done?

“This is the dorm room?”

Yoo Myung-woo’s eyes widened as he entered the house, and he exclaimed.

“The house is really nice. It’s not a dorm, it’s just like a luxury apartment.”

“The service is good too. They provide up to one million won for daily necessities and cleaning and laundry twice a week, I heard.”

“Wow, really?”

Yoo Myung-woo looked at me with envious eyes. No, look at the house, not me. In the first place, I’m not originally qualified to enter, you know?

“That’s why everyone talks about ranks. Once you’re around A-rank, the Guild woos you and gives you these luxury facilities.”

“To be able to enter a place like this even though you’re not A-rank, you’re really amazing!”

“…No, this is because of connections.”

I’m going crazy. Someone please take the rose-colored glasses off his eyes. He was acting like a teenager meeting an idol.

I hadn’t had a chance to look around the whole house yet because I went out to find Yoo Myung-woo as soon as I came in. Let’s take a look to decide where to stay. There were a whopping four rooms. It really is just an apartment. Two of them were bedrooms, so there was no need to spread out a blanket on the sofa.

The kitchen was also spacious and stylish and filled with unknown kitchen appliances. That’s probably an oven, and what’s this?

“Oh, the refrigerator is stocked too.”

There were vegetables, fruits, other food ingredients, as well as orange juice and beer.

“What do you want to drink?”

I asked, taking out a bottle of orange juice. Yoo Myung-woo, who was lingering at the entrance of the kitchen, shook his head.

“No, I’m fine with just water.”

“It’s free anyway. Drink it. Orange juice is okay, right?”

I took out two cups and poured the juice. Come to think of it, do I have to do the dishes? I think there’s a dishwasher, but I don’t know what’s what.

I handed Yoo Myung-woo a cup of juice and went to the living room. I sat down on the sofa and leaned back, feeling the fatigue washing over me.

I’m an unemployed person who doesn’t get paid, and today is the weekend, but why was I so busy? Still, everything’s roughly settled, so I should do nothing and rest until Monday.

‘Yoo-rim has signed a contract, so the Guild will take good care of her, and if I can just get that guy to have a skill, it’ll really be over.’

I don’t need a healer. I won’t do it. I’m going to eat and play. I’ll become a well-fed sloth.

Ah, I have to feed Peace. I’ll have to go up there later.

I blankly sipped the juice and turned on the TV. Yoo Myung-woo was holding the cup, not knowing what to do, and was pacing around. He could just sit down and drink, do I have to tell him everything?

“Come here and sit down.”

“Oh, okay.”

He scurried over and sat down in the remaining seat. He listens well.

“You’ll have to pack some luggage if you’re going to stay for a few days. Are there any more thugs who will bang on the door until it breaks?”

“Huh? Ah, no. I Awakened and will receive training, so I said I’d pay them back by going through dungeons… but they passed the debt on to those guys earlier. They said I can’t make money with an F-rank support skill…….”

So that’s what it was. I wondered why a Hunter suddenly appeared.

“Then rest today and go get what you need tomorrow. If you’re uneasy, wear your gloves.”

It was too much of a hassle for me to go with him. He’s just a glass cannon [someone who is powerful but easily defeated] without equipment anyway.

I put down the half-empty juice glass and got up from my seat. I took the hook I bought from the hardware store and the tools I borrowed from the management office and approached the door connected to A-16 on one side of the living room.

Why did they have to put the door here? If I’m watching a horror movie and drinking beer at night, I’ll have a heart attack if the door suddenly opens. I don’t think Yoo-rim’s personality would allow her to knock quietly.

“Do you want me to help?”

“No, it’s okay.”

I drilled in the hook, locked it, and returned to the sofa to laze around. I’ll have to feed Peace later and then drink some beer. I wonder if they deliver food here. I want to have chicken and beer for the first time in a while. I guess I’ll have to go down to pick it up?

“…After the training is over, I probably won’t have a reason to come here, right?”

Yoo Myung-woo said with a regretful voice, fiddling with the empty cup. That would normally be the case. There’s no way the Haeyeon Guild would accept an F-rank with only one buff skill.

But I have to keep him around. What excuse should I make?

“You can always come to see your friend. It’ll be a bit difficult to enter here as a Hunter, though. I’m also a regular employee, not a Guild Hunter.”

“No, why?”

Yoo Myung-woo made an expression that he couldn’t understand. Why, you ask? Because I’m F-rank. Of course, Seok Si-myung was thinking of bringing me in as a Guild member, but if I went through the formal procedure, I would be disqualified due to my rank.

“Haeyeon Guild doesn’t have many C-ranks either. It’s mostly A-ranks and B-ranks. Still, regular employees get extra points if they have a Hunter’s license, so you never know. You might get an offer of employment if your training results are good.”

Of course, the reality was that there was no such thing. How do I really keep Yoo Myung-woo? …Should I make a deal with Seok Si-myung? 5 hours a week… no, 3 hours……. Damn it.

“Are you good at housework?”

“What? Uh, I’m good at making ramen [instant noodles].”

I’m good at making ramen too. Well, you can only get better at cooking if you do it, but how could he be good if he didn’t have the money to buy ingredients?

“Well, I heard you can hire a live-in housekeeper at the dorm at your own expense. Of course, I’m not telling you to be a real housekeeper, but it takes quite a while for an F-rank to settle down even after finishing training, right? So, I was wondering if you could pretend to be a live-in housekeeper and stay here for a few months. There are plenty of rooms anyway, and it’s lonely to live alone.”

Yoo Myung-woo froze as if he had been shocked at my words. I guess the words ‘be a housekeeper’ weren’t good. But I can’t think of a good way to push him into the employee dorm…….

“Yoo-jin!”

“Huh? Why—”

“You’re such a kind and good friend!”

That guy Myung-woo hugged me again. Damn it, why is this guy so strong… Ah, I gave him the gloves. Should I just take them back?

“Get off! What’s so kind about me? I can’t even give you a salary because I don’t have money!”

“Don’t say that. How much is the monthly rent in this neighborhood! Really… I don’t know what to say.”

…Well, if you consider the location of such a large house, you’d have to put in all your salary. More than that, let go. Let go of this—

Bang!

“Uncle!”

With a powerful shout, the neatly hung hook fell off and rolled across the floor.

…It’s okay. I expected it. I knew that would happen.