The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 498

“Yes, Guild Leader Seong. Have a good time!”

I gave a bright smile and turned away smoothly. I’m not a dog that comes running just because it’s called. It’s better to just walk away like this—

“Looks like you’re sulking.”

Seong Hyeon-je said with a hint of laughter. That damn man. What does that make me if he says it like that! If I ignore Seong Hyeon-je and leave now, it’ll really look like I’m angry because I was abandoned. I managed to set the mood well, so that would be a waste.

‘What’s bothering him now that he’s trying to interfere?’

Or maybe he called me to help, but he could just stay quiet. I don’t need it today.

“What are you talking about?”

I turned back to Seong Hyeon-je with a smile still plastered on my face. People who had only been listening started to turn their gazes towards us. Just craning their necks was polite behavior, and there were hunters using flight skills too. They were going up the stairs or even climbing on the tables.

Is it fun, huh? …If it were someone else’s business, I’d be over there munching on popcorn, thinking, ‘Seong Hyeon-je is acting up again.’

“I still like Guild Leader Seong. You’re a really valuable cash cow to me—I mean, a customer.”

Getting angry here means losing. The best thing to do was to look as relaxed and nonchalant as possible.

“Isn’t Guild Leader Seong the one who has lingering feelings?”

I tilted my head as if I was genuinely curious.

“I thought we had a contract to give you as much information as you wanted, but I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”

I’m fine, but aren’t you the one who’s more concerned? At those words, the gazes that were on me and Seong Hyeon-je intensified. Seriously, most of them are well-off S-Rank Hunters, yet they’re acting like commoners who found something interesting. Of course, the fact that the other person is Seong Hyeon-je plays a big part.

“If you need anything else, please feel free to contact me anytime. You’re our biggest customer besides Haeyeon, so we can accommodate most things.”

“Then.”

Seong Hyeon-je, who had been looking at me with a faint smile, opened his mouth. Then, instead of continuing, he brought the glass to his lips. The small amount of black-red liquid slowly disappeared, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but think that Hyeon-ah would want to use it for an advertisement. Annoying.

The empty wine glass was placed silently on the table.

“Pour me some.”

…Pouring a little wine isn’t a big deal. But Seong Hyeon-je wasn’t my boss, teacher, or even a senior colleague. He’s just a client and someone I should be equal to. He’s older, but I’m ignoring that today.

“I’m sorry, but I’m abstaining from alcohol right now.”

Our relationship isn’t one-sided, so if I pour you a drink, I’d have to receive one from you too, but I can’t drink right now. That’s what I meant by turning him down. We could exchange drinks, but it wouldn’t look good if I poured for him first. And there’s no telling if that man would willingly return the glass.

“You seem to be mistaken.”

Seong Hyeon-je continued softly, as if trying to soothe me.

“I am requesting a service from Director Han Yu-jin. Didn’t you say you would accommodate most things?”

Should I just flip him off and turn around? I was tempted. Hey, neighborhood S-Rank Hunters, your puppy is acting like a puppy. If it was a real puppy, it would at least be cute.

Anyway, it was quite a tricky situation. Seong Hyeon-je was keeping me under his thumb, and everyone thought that was natural. So that damn man could act however he wanted, but I had to be careful not to get chipped away. I was getting annoyed.

*Pop*, the sound of a wine cork being pulled out was heard. And then the wine filled Seong Hyeon-je’s empty glass. It was Song Tae-won.

“Please keep it moderate.”

Chief Song poured the wine with perfect precision and placed the bottle down with his usual controlled movements. His heavy, dark gaze was directed at Seong Hyeon-je, and Seong Hyeon-je also looked up at him.

“Chief Song Tae-won is pouring for me himself. I’m honored.”

Seong Hyeon-je’s fingertip slowly traced the rim of the wine glass. It spun around once, and then he applied a little pressure, tilting the glass slightly, just enough so that the liquid inside wouldn’t spill. He spun the cleverly balanced glass around again.

“Oh, a mistake.”

*Thump*, the glass fell over. The red color quickly spread across the white tablecloth. The corners of Seong Hyeon-je’s lips slowly turned up.

“What a pity.”

Seong Hyeon-je, who lightly caught the spinning wine glass with his fingertip, looked at me again. He was telling me with his eyes that the glass was empty. I barely managed to hold back a scoff.

‘…Look at that temper.’

Old memories are flooding back, and I feel great. It hasn’t been that long either. Is he trying to have a contest to see who acts more like a dog right now? I held out my right hand to the side. All eyes followed my movement.

Seong Hyeon-je was making a mess, but it wasn’t just that. The Han Yu-jin that the S-Rank Hunters were paying attention to right now was purely me. Not the power of Chatterbox, not other skills, just how Han Yu-jin would deal with the Guild Leader of Seseong.

That’s all they were looking at. So.

“Wine.”

At my almost commanding word, the nearby S-Rank Hunters were momentarily taken aback. How often would they have heard such orders after awakening, not only from F-Ranks but also from other high-ranking Hunters? Would they have heard it at all? But after a moment of hesitation, they readily handed over the wine.

“If that’s what you want.”

I took the wine and moved towards the table, taking out a thin knife from my inventory. I stabbed it into the cork and turned around the circular table. Seong Hyeon-je’s gaze, and everyone else’s, followed me.

“As you wish.”

*Pop*, the cork came out, and I lifted the wine bottle high and tilted it. Rosé wine. The pink droplets poured down. Over his faded hair.

“Oh, a mistake.”

I said nonchalantly, without stopping pouring the wine. Seong Hyeon-je looked up at me without batting an eye. Wine was forming on his eyebrows and eyelashes. An ordinary person would have blinked because it stung, but he was as still as a statue.

Down his hair, and over his cheeks, under his chin. It slid down his neck, and the scent of wine permeated his shirt and tie. Soon, the empty bottle was thrown carelessly behind me. It was a dog act of grabbing someone by the collar and starting a fight—no, slapping them in the face first.

I wondered if I had gone too far, but my heart was pounding with excitement. My expression must have been slightly excited too. On the other hand, the atmosphere around me had cooled down. I must have looked crazy, like my liver had grown outside of my belly [acting recklessly].

“Come to think of it.”

I continued, looking straight into Seong Hyeon-je’s eyes.

“It wasn’t a mistake. You only told me to pour.”

I did pour it for you. Seong Hyeon-je bent his finger and wiped the wine from his chin. Then he stuck out his tongue and licked his finger.

“Sweet.”

“I’m honored that you’re satisfied.”

It would be nice if it ended here, but… *Thuck*, my arm was grabbed with a movement that even Noah’s eyes would have had trouble following. It could be because of the short delay through the camera. My body was pulled in, and Seong Hyeon-je supported me this time by grabbing my shoulder as I leaned over. Now my eye level was slightly below Seong Hyeon-je’s. Gyeol, who had fluttered up before I fell, didn’t know what to do and then quietly landed on the edge of the table. Good boy, you’re holding back well.

“I have to repay our Director Han.”

As he said that, Seong Hyeon-je held out his hand over the table. As if waiting, someone threw him a wine. I had to ask to get one, but this man doesn’t even need to ask.

“On the neck.”

Seong Hyeon-je said softly, almost like a breath, so quietly that even the surrounding S-Rank Hunters couldn’t hear him.

“Do you know what that means?”

“…Meaning?”

The hand holding my shoulder moved slightly, and his fingertip caressed the part of my neck where the mark was.

“I understood when the unpleasant energy grew stronger. A pattern that… Seong Hyeon-je doesn’t know.”

At the meaning of those words, my brow furrowed involuntarily. ‘Seong Hyeon-je’ doesn’t know. Then, does that mean that he, from somewhere other than this world, had contact with Chatterbox? It wasn’t strange. It wouldn’t be just this world that Chatterbox, as a filial piety addict [someone obsessed with familial devotion], intervened in.

But.

“…Are you okay?”

I also spoke as quietly as possible. Shouldn’t I keep what’s piled up from coming out? You said you couldn’t handle it.

Instead of answering, *Thung!* The neck of the wine bottle in Seong Hyeon-je’s hand was cut off. He had only lightly tapped the bottleneck with his thumb, but it was as clean as if he had cut paper with scissors. Then, wine was poured into the empty glass.

“…Aren’t there glass shards in there? Are you trying to kill me just because I spilled some alcohol?”

“Do you think I can’t even control that much?”

I don’t like red wine. It’s astringent [dry and puckering]. Even though he clearly knows I don’t like it, Seong Hyeon-je filled the glass to the brim. Red droplets splashed from the raised mouth of the bottle, wetting my face and collar. It was a hundred percent intentional. He skillfully splashed almost half a glass worth, drenching me. My white shirt was stained red.

“Drink.”

Seong Hyeon-je smiled kindly and let go of me. Splashing me with alcohol, this is about a 4.5 out of 5. I obediently picked up the glass and drank… it. It’s awful. Which clueless bastard threw the red wine? There’s white wine too, white wine.

I suppressed the urge to pour this over Seong Hyeon-je’s head and emptied the glass cleanly before placing it on the table.

“It’s really sweet.”

Really disgustingly sweet. Whether he was satisfied with this much, Seong Hyeon-je didn’t bother me any further. I’m confused whether he was trying to interfere, help, or if he had other intentions. Even if I’m entangled with him for half a century, not half a year, I don’t think I’ll be able to fully understand his mind.

‘I should talk to him separately about Chatterbox’s mark.’

I also need to check if he’s okay. And I don’t want a Seong Hyeon-je that I don’t know to pop out.

As I turned around, Chief Song approached me, and Gyeol climbed back onto my shoulder. I was worried, but fortunately, Yu-hyeon and Ye-rim didn’t approach. I’ll have to praise them later for holding back. Of course, Gyeol too.

“Wipe yourself off.”

Chief Song took out a large towel from his inventory and handed it to me.

“What’s with the towel?”

And it’s a towel made from dungeon byproducts. An item that is a kind of luxury item came out of Song Tae-won’s inventory. Oh my.

“…It’s Song-i’s.”

Chief Song said hesitantly.

“She likes to cover herself with cloth made from dungeon byproducts and chew on it… It’s a supply provided by the Association and has been thoroughly boiled and washed.”

“Ah, that’s right. She chews on regular clothes and cloths well too, but she likes dungeon byproducts more.”

Can I wipe alcohol off with a cloth that the kid plays with? It’ll be okay if I wash it, but.

“I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

“No. It’s okay.”

Chief Song’s gaze was fixed on my neck as he took back the towel. He looked like he had a lot of questions, but he turned away silently. Then he handed the towel, which was still half clean thanks to being big enough for Song-i to cover herself with, to Seong Hyeon-je. How kind of him.

“Hyung, a video please.”

Moon Hyeon-ah came up to me and whispered.

“Get permission from the person involved.”

“Wouldn’t wine poured on the Guild Leader of Seseong sell well?”

Hmm, I’d buy a bottle too. It would sell twice as well as the wine Seong Hyeon-je drank.

“It’ll sell well even if you don’t do that. But it might be good to put such a unique label on it in preparation for when they develop it elsewhere later. But Hyeon-ah, you’re surprisingly concerned?”

“I wasn’t interested at all originally, but I was caught and brainwashed to the point of being brainwashed.”

Hyeon-ah said that she had a hard time saying that the Guild Leader should know the basics.

“It wasn’t basic. It’s not my aptitude.”

“I’m telling you, it’s the same for me.”

Moon Hyeon-ah made an exaggerated crying face at my words that she would have a lot of trouble in the future. The fact that I was having a normal conversation as if nothing had happened after all that commotion seemed to have made quite an impression on the hunters gathered here. Some people had become more friendly, and others seemed to have become more hostile, but either way, the conclusion was similar: the director of Dodam Breeding Center is not easy to deal with.

Then it would be perfect to move on to the next order, I thought, but no sooner had I done so than—

“Monster!”

A voice shouting from outside was heard. Here it comes.

“Guild Leader Haeyeon.”

At my call, Yu-hyeon ran to the outer wall and took out a wire, swinging it in a long arc as if drawing a semicircle. *Whoosh*— With the sound of tearing through the air, the decorative curtains that had been hanging long on the wall fell down with a rustle. Then the end of the wire pressed the opening button.

*Squeak*, the wall began to open. It was a wall that could be opened and closed so that the garden and space could be used together. The slightly dark, sunset-colored sky came into view, and below it, wet monsters were wandering around. The hunters outside were mostly mid- to high-level, so there were already dead monsters. The monster grades didn’t seem high either.

“…What is that?”

Someone muttered, looking towards the sea.

“Be careful, hyung [older brother/term of endearment for a close male friend].”

“I don’t know what it is, but it looks dangerous.”

Yu-hyeon and Ye-rim immediately stood next to me. Far away, a small hill that hadn’t been there before had sprung up.

Hmm, it seems a little different from my order. Liete, what did you do?