The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 316

314. It’s a Holiday (1)

Yoohyun and Yerim dropped me off at home and went out again. Seeing how busy they were, I felt guilty for just staying home.

“Well, ahem.”

I cleared my throat for no reason and took out my phone and business cards. I had enough money in my account. Nevertheless, I felt a bit nervous and guilty. I didn’t mind spending money on items because I thought of them as investments, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend on simple luxuries. I could only spend it because it was for Yoohyun; if it were for me, I would have thought I was crazy.

“Hello, yes. This is Han Yoojin, who visited earlier. I’m calling to order a watch; I heard I can do it through the Hunter Market.”

I had deliberately gotten the business card of the person in charge of the 6th floor of the market for this reason. Seok Simyeong had told me that the official Hunter Markets in each country were in a cooperative relationship, so contacting the market was the easiest and fastest way to purchase non-auction items from overseas. The fees were high, though.

“Yes, that’s right. A wristwatch for hunters that can be stored in the inventory.”

[Currently, there are five brands worldwide that custom-make watches for hunters. Among them, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin are the most famous. As they are mechanical watches that simply replace parts with dungeon byproducts, their reputation remains unchanged.]

Ah… I see. What would I know? They were quite common before the regression, even if they were expensive, but now there are few places that custom-make them.

[In particular, these two brands only accept S-Class Hunters as customers. The Sesung Guild Leader has purchased four Vacheron watches. Two of them, a pocket watch and a wristwatch, are used by him personally, and one of the other two is famous for being sent as a birthday gift to Chief Song Taewon.]

The market representative laughed and said that the 5 billion won watch was smashed that day. Is that something to laugh about? I almost got a fear resistance message. How can a watch cost 5 billion won…? The supply watches I knew were around 10 million won. This is expensive, too, though. Well, 5 billion won is just snack money for someone who blows up cruise ships. I feel sorry for Chief Song, who got caught up in it. What on earth did he do?

[I heard that he tried to gift the other one to Director Han Yoojin, but he was refused.]

“…Excuse me? If it was a gift for me, was that also worth 5 billion won?”

[No, it was 7.5 billion won. The price has increased because we are now using dungeon byproducts with better durability than before.]

That, that thing back then, was worth 7.5 billion won. Wow. Should I ask for it back… No, I need to get Yoohyun’s first. …Someday.

The market representative excitedly rattled on about how Choi Seokwon’s Vacheron numbering 6 had disappeared forever, the Breaker Guild Leader had received a Patek Philippe wristwatch as a gift, a certain S-Class hunter in France was a collector of hunter watches, and the first hunter watch was auctioned off for 15 billion won.

Isn’t he too talkative?

“Is it possible to maintain confidentiality when ordering?”

[Of course! However, it is difficult to hide it completely. All the watches have different designs, so once you wear it, you will be recognized immediately.]

“That doesn’t matter. Then, um, is it impossible to order from the two most famous brands unless you are an S-Class Hunter?”

[Yes. However, if it is certain that an S-Class Hunter will use it, it is possible to order even if you are a non-awakened person.]

Then, it would be better to order from the best brand, right? Our Haeyeon Guild Leader can’t be lagging behind other S-Class Hunters. It’s even his first watch. His birthday is still far away, so let’s say it’s a belated Coming-of-Age Day gift. I have to buy one for Yerim when she becomes an adult, too.

“Patek Philippe, how do I order? How long will it take?”

[If you tell us about the person who will be using it, it will be made accordingly. Is it a gift for the Haeyeon Guild Leader? Or Hunter Park Yerim or Sesung─]

“It’s for the Haeyeon Guild Leader. One wristwatch… no.”

I took a short breath and continued.

“Two of the same design. However, please make one with blue and the other with black.”

The market representative said that the details would be available after the order was placed. I emphasized confidentiality again and ended the call. I put down my phone and removed the Teacher Skill I was using on Bellalre.

White dots, like snowflakes, flickered in front of my eyes, which had darkened in an instant. …Is my eyesight slowly recovering? I seemed to recognize light, at least a little.

‘I’ll be able to give it to him someday.’

If there’s a first time, there’s a second time. I’ll definitely be able to go back. Yoohyun probably wouldn’t wear a watch like that, with his personality. He doesn’t like cumbersome things.

“Ah, I need to check on Sung Hyunjae.”

The kids said they’d be back in the evening, so I have time. What time is it now?

“Hodu, what time is it!”

[The current time is 3:07 PM!]

A strange voice answered. It’s an artificial intelligence thing that answers questions, plays music, turns on the TV, and is just amazing. Yerim bought it and even named it. She insisted it was perfect for me, so Yoohyun almost smashed Hodu.

Seeing things like that, the new technology in my neighborhood is more amazing than dungeon items.

Anyway, I have to go. I lazed on the sofa, stroking Peace and listening to the TV, and finally got up again after 4 o’clock.

“Hodu, turn off the TV. Peace, take good care of Bbyaek.”

– Kkiang.

“If Yoohyun or Yerim come, tell them I’m sleeping.”

– Kkyang.

I used the Teacher Skill on Bellalre again, left Bbyaek, who was trying to follow me, to Peace, put on my black lynx jacket, and used the Stealth Skill. Sung Hyunjae’s apartment was close, but it was still quite a walk. This time, instead of walking up the apartment stairs, I took the elevator in the next line, went out through the hallway window, and entered the house through the window.

The house was as quiet as when I first came. The kitchen I glimpsed also showed no signs of being touched. Could he be sleeping without waking up once?

“Sung Hyunjae, are you sleeping?”

Is everything alright? I deliberately spoke aloud as I moved. Bellalre whined softly, seemingly uneasy. I also had a bad feeling. I activated Grace and opened the bedroom door.

The man was lying quietly in the middle of the bed. I could hear his low, even breathing. He looked the same as the last time I saw him. The dreamcatcher was still hanging with its feathers crumpled. If he had woken up in the middle, Sung Hyunjae would have fixed it, especially if he had made it himself.

Anyway, he’s sleeping well, so I can go back now. It feels a bit empty. Should I wake him up and tell him to eat something? When I looked last time, there wasn’t much to eat in the kitchen, so just─

Woooong, my ears rang lightly. And.

“What, what is it!”

– Shiiit!

My body floated into the air. Telekinesis? Gravity control? Whatever it was, it was an unfamiliar power. At the same time, movement was detected by heat sensing.

“Hide!”

I grabbed Bellalre, who was sitting on my shoulder, and threw her into the corner of the bedroom. If I just separated her from my body, she wouldn’t be protected by Grace, so it was better to get her away. Immediately after, my arm was grabbed. It gripped tightly and pulled me towards the bed.

As I was dragged, I took out a gun with my free hand and aimed it. At his smooth forehead.

“Are you still not fully awake?”

Sung Hyunjae looked down at me. The arm that was holding me tightly was a little sore. Bellalre’s gaze, directed towards me from the corner of the spacious bedroom, was dizzying. It’s okay, calm down, stop shaking your head.

“Sung Hyunjae.”

Even though he was right in front of me, I couldn’t see his expression well because Bellalre’s gaze was slanted. Sung Hyunjae opened his mouth.

“Sung Hyunjae?”

…I was so dumbfounded by his questioning that I almost lost strength in the hand holding the gun. No, another problem with his memory, wait a minute.

‘Unfamiliar skill.’

The only ones here are me, Sung Hyunjae, and Bellalre. And most likely, Sung Hyunjae used that skill. But I’ve never heard that Sung Hyunjae had a skill to lift people, whether it’s gravity control or telekinesis.

Rather than hiding a skill that’s good to use on a daily basis.

“I am─”

“No, no! Don’t say it!”

I hurriedly cut off Sung Hyunjae’s words.

“Sung Hyunjae, Sung Hyunjae. You, Sung Hyunjae, the Sesung Guild Leader. Erase other thoughts, you are Sung Hyunjae. The great S-Class Hunter, the Guild Leader, and my partner, Sung Hyunjae! His birthday is August 30th, and he blew up a cruise ship on his birthday this year.”

Probably, Sung Hyunjae didn’t lose his memory, but another memory, or personality, that wasn’t from this world popped out. He, from another world, with a different name and some different skills.

The optimized basic skills like Combat Prediction and Lightning Strike would be the same, but the other skills would be different. Even Yoohyun gained new skills just by turning back time in the same world. Sung Hyunjae from another world would naturally have different skills, and one of them would be that skill from earlier, like telekinesis.

While organizing the accumulated things, something strange popped out. Of course, the man in front of me is also Sung Hyunjae, but still.

“Sung. Hyun. Jae. Now, repeat after me. I am Sung Hyunjae. I am the Sesung Guild Leader. I will repay Han Yoojin’s debt tenfold. I eat the crust of bread without leaving any─”

“I don’t like that.”

I felt relieved at the words that popped out and put the gun in my inventory. Does he hate bread crusts so much that his memory came back? Should I put fried bread crusts, dried bread crusts, baked bread crusts, and burnt bread crusts in a row on the ancestral rites table [a table set with food for honoring ancestors]?

Bellalre cautiously crawled towards the bed. When she came right next to the bed, my vision was briefly blocked. Heat sensing remained, but I couldn’t see the other person’s expression, so I felt a bit intimidated.

A large figure whose face I couldn’t see was holding me. If I didn’t have fear resistance, I might have been a little scared.

“The eyes.”

Sung Hyunjae’s hand came close to touching my eyes.

“Is it because of me?”

“If you want to be precise, yes. It will recover as before, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

“It seems you can’t see at all.”

Sung Hyunjae muttered that he didn’t like owing debts in this way. Still, it’s better than Chief Song, who gave up his life.

“Let me see with your right eye.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve already made a bet once.”

Wait a minute, what are you talking about? Bellalre peeked her head over the bed. I could finally see Sung Hyunjae’s face. He had a nonchalant expression, no different from usual.

“I’ll concede my left eye to Young Master [referring to Yoohyun].”

“Why is our Yoohyun coming out here?”

“He will surely be angry if I monopolize it. Young Master will be happy to give it to me.”

That, um. I’m going crazy because it seems like he really would. I pushed Sung Hyunjae away and sat up. Bellalre quickly crawled onto my shoulder.

“I don’t need it. I’m starting to sense light, and even if I can’t see forever, I won’t… ugh, I won’t do such a thing with someone else’s eyes. I’d rather find a monster to be my eyes and raise it.”

I wasn’t very uncomfortable using the Teacher Skill now.

“Besides, if I lose one eye, my combat ability will also decrease. Why would you take such a loss because of me?”

“If I were to choose, it would only be Han Yoojin.”

“Thank you for the offer.”

“Objectively, it is much more beneficial to obtain Han Yoojin’s skills.”

Well, yeah. No, in the first place, I have no intention of handing over my whole self just because you give me one eye. Let’s stop with the nonsense and look at Sung Hyunjae seriously.

“Are you okay? You’re not going to suddenly have an emperor from some country popping out, are you?”

“For now, it seems okay.”

Then he started to look sleepy again. Does he need to sleep more?

“Just in case, should I write your name on your palm? Hold out your hand.”

I took out a pen from my inventory and wrote Sesung Guild Leader on his right hand and Sung Hyunjae on his left hand in large letters.

“Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] is in three days, so if you wake up then, I’ll bring you some jeon [savory pancakes]. Or you can come over. I’m planning to play a healthy game of yut [traditional board game] for now.”

After all, the best thing about holidays is matching pictures. Does Combat Prediction work with Hwatu [Korean card game]?

I sent Chuseok gifts, but the breeding center also received many gifts. Not only large guilds but also small and medium-sized guilds that I didn’t even know well sent gifts. Many gifts were sent personally, not on a guild level. Kang Soyoung, as well as Liete, heard from Soyoung and had a dagger delivered in a flower basket. An A-Class dagger is appreciated, but a flower basket, it seems like they misunderstood something.

Of course, the place where the most gifts piled up was Myungwoo’s smithy. All sorts of gifts poured in, filling the basement warehouse of the building and overflowing, so much so that they had to hire someone separately to handle them.

“What are you going to do with all that?”

Myungwoo also looked a bit troubled at my words.

“I’m going to check for dangerous items first, leave a list, and then donate them. There’s a lot of food, too.”

“By the way, what are you planning to do for the holiday?”

He would usually go home, but Myungwoo’s relationship with his family was so bad that they had almost cut ties. I asked indirectly. Originally, it wasn’t to the point of cutting ties, but there seemed to have been some arguments after Myungwoo went on TV. He didn’t tell me in detail, but I could roughly guess. Isn’t it a common story? A self-made person and their family.

“Me, well.”

“If you’re not going anywhere else, come over. We’re going to make songpyeon [traditional rice cakes] the evening before Chuseok. I have to go to the broadcasting station tomorrow. To give holiday greetings. Do you want to come? You’re welcome.”

Yoohyun didn’t like it until the end, but I managed to persuade him somehow. I want to see my brother dressed up in hanbok [traditional Korean clothing] on TV giving holiday greetings! Let’s do it just once for Chuseok and Seol [Lunar New Year]. I’ll record it and watch it over and over again, that was effective.

“Me too?”

“If you don’t have anything busy.”

“I probably won’t be busy.”

Myungwoo glanced at me. More precisely, he looked at the sunglasses I was wearing. He seemed concerned about the sudden sunglasses.

Myungwoo didn’t know about my eyes yet. I was starting to see dimly, and I didn’t want to worry him by telling him. …I also didn’t want to double the amount of scolding I would get. Still, I should tell him about the engraving and explain the situation roughly.

I should show him the engraving before he puts a heart piece in my back so I get scolded less.

“I contacted Noah to come if he doesn’t have anything special, but he seemed hesitant.”

“Should I take him by force? It’s better than leaving him alone.”

“Probably?”

It’s partly because of my eye condition, but I haven’t been able to see him lately. I need to talk to him properly about the miniaturization skill and everything.