The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 519

517. One Table

Song Tae-won was standing in front of Seong Hyeon-jae’s room, leaning against the door as if guarding it to prevent anyone from leaving.

“…Have you been standing here the whole time?”

“It’s been about an hour. It’s more comfortable standing outside.”

Just how much did Seong Hyeon-jae torment him that Song Chief ran away? Even though Seong Hyeon-jae is weaker now, he still chased him away. I couldn’t even guess what he had done.

“I got a text from Song Chief’s phone.”

“It was taken away.”

“…Pardon?”

“I cooperated with being tied up instead.”

Song Tae-won held up the wire leading into the room. He must have tied him up because he was worried about leaving him alone. Seong Hyeon-jae wouldn’t be able to cut an S-Class [the highest rank] wire in his current state. Song Chief looked exhausted as he said that Seong Hyeon-jae had been relatively calm after being tied up. What on earth happened in the last couple of hours?

I opened the door and went inside. The long wire led to the kitchen. It was moving slightly from time to time, so it seemed like he was doing something. Would he be pulled over if I tugged it? I felt like pulling it for no reason.

“Seong Hyeon-jae.”

Even though his rank had dropped, there was no way Seong Hyeon-jae wouldn’t have noticed us coming in, but he had his back turned. The wire was tied to his ankle. Water was boiling in the small kitchen attached to the room.

“I won’t serve tea to the heartless Song Tae-won, who abandoned me. How about cocoa for Han Yu-jin?”

Yu-hyeon glanced at me.

“Not too sweet, please. I heard cocoa is good for you.”

“And lastly, for Young Master…”

“I’ll pass.”

Yu-hyeon answered matter-of-factly, and Seong Hyeon-jae turned to me as if he expected that.

“Americano. Or green tea. But I’m most comfortable with clean water.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“I do have preferences when it comes to water.”

I drank whatever I was given, but I showed a slight preference. Among them, I liked the water Yerim made with pure magic the most. I’m the only one who knows that so far. If the two of them find out, they’ll definitely fight. Other than that, I also liked barley tea, probably because I’ve been drinking it since I was young. Yerim also drinks barley tea well, but she prefers roasted brown rice tea.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Should I help? It feels a bit strange to make you work with your ankle tied up.”

Seong Hyeon-jae lightly lifted his tied leg.

“It’s my pleasure, Master.”

I felt even more uneasy. Song Chief, who was holding the wire, also seemed uneasy. He probably wanted to throw the wire away right away.

“Can’t you untie him now?”

“…Yes.”

Song Chief immediately untied the wire and put it in his inventory [a personal storage space]. Really, even if he were sold off as a slave, he would probably live better than his master. I wouldn’t be surprised if the master begged him to leave, offering him freedom.

We went out to the living room and sat down. Soon, Seong Hyeon-jae appeared with a tray. He placed the cups on the table and sat down with his milk tea.

“How is your condition?”

“Shall we try pulling it again?”

Seong Hyeon-jae said, lightly pressing his cheek. Yu-hyeon and Song Chief looked at me with puzzled expressions. No, that’s…

“Don’t say weird things. This cocoa is delicious.”

It was a clean chocolate drink.

“You didn’t call me here just to drink cocoa. If we’re going to discuss future plans, let’s call the others too.”

Yerim, of course, and Hyeon-ah, Noah, and Myeong-woo too. I thought Riete should know more now too. The pre-regression events are tied to Noah, so it would be better to talk to Noah separately.

“I had a brief conversation with Song Tae-won about that.”

At Seong Hyeon-jae’s words, Song Tae-won put down the teacup he was holding.

“I plan to take another vacation.”

I barely swallowed the sound that was about to come out.

“If possible, I would like to resign from my position, but I suppose that would be difficult.”

“Song Chief?!”

This time, I couldn’t help but shout. What are you suddenly saying! He met my gaze directly. Without any sign of embarrassment, his eyes were calm and steady.

“Before the bet, I decided to respect and trust Han Yu-jin’s method. But I need to find out more about myself. This vacation is for that purpose.”

“About Song Chief, to the Puppeteer?”

“Yes. I think we need a last resort, just in case.”

I hesitated for a moment and then nodded. If both sides aren’t wrong, I have to be satisfied with prioritizing one.

“I probably won’t be able to let go of my attachment until the end.”

“I will keep that in mind. But others will not.”

Those words made the inside of my chest feel cold. Others.

“They will want to end it with just me and Song Tae-won. Han Yu-jin, selfless heroic tales are extremely rare.”

Seong Hyeon-jae continued.

“The sacrifices in heroic tales are usually seen as desirable, and if the person volunteers, it even becomes a heartwarming story.”

“So, the fact that you’re bringing this up means…”

I unconsciously swallowed hard.

“It means that if they hear the details, there will be people who want to sacrifice the two of you. Among the people who aren’t here.”

“There’s one right next to Han Yu-jin.”

I turned to Yu-hyeon. My brother answered calmly.

“I won’t do it secretly. I’ll tell Hyung [older brother] first.”

“…What? No, you lost.”

“I was just helping Song Chief. And my promise to Hyung is important, but Hyung’s safety is my priority.”

…I wondered why he accepted the bet so readily.

“I was going to step back since Hyung and Song Chief came to a conclusion, but my priorities haven’t changed.”

“Well, me too, but.”

My head became complicated. It’s not like everyone will be convinced if we say, ‘Let’s not have any rash sacrifices among ourselves~’

“First of all, we need to be careful of Riete. She’s not the type to offer anyone as a sacrifice, but she has no reason to uphold her loyalty.”

“She doesn’t care about herself, but she might move to protect her younger sibling. She’s also become very close to So-young. And Hunter Yoo Myeong-woo is also likely to be ruthless.”

“…Myeong-woo is nice. Seong Hyeon-jae might try to throw him away, but he was pretty good with Song Chief, wasn’t he?”

“He is personally grateful.”

“Huh? I thought you rejected all the items.”

“Since the Golden Forge became known, high-ranking Hunters have become much more restrained than before. Even the more belligerent Hunters are careful not to cause problems in order to enter and exit the building smoothly.”

Ah… so there was that effect. Well, if you’re a Hunter who caused trouble, you’d be blocked from entering the building for safety reasons.

“He hardly ever steps up to do dangerous things, unlike Han Yu-jin.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Myeong-woo stepped up… because of me. I’ll reflect on that.

“Noah doesn’t like Seong Hyeon-jae either. Honestly, this is kind of your own fault. Yerim is okay, right? And Hyeon-ah too.”

“Moon Hyeon-ah is an S-Class Hunter and a Guild Leader, but she is also an ordinary person. She’s just a good person.”

The word ‘ordinary’ doesn’t seem to fit Hyeon-ah.

“Well, she is a good person. So.”

“Both of her parents are healthy, and she has a harmonious family and a normal sibling relationship. Unlike Han Yu-jin.”

“…You sometimes insult my brother, though.”

You’d say ‘pig bastard,’ but then you’d say pigs are too cute, so ‘wild boar bastard,’ and grumble.

“A trustworthy person, a good leader, and a strong person who works hard. She also has plenty of human qualities. How precious that ordinary appearance is.”

“So she’s not ordinary or normal.”

“She’s the ordinary person that society talks about. It’s surprisingly easy to become special. You can become special just by running naked down the street in broad daylight.”

Well, you’d be called crazy, and that’s special in a bad way.

“Moon Hyeon-ah would be sincerely sorry and sad. And people would sincerely give their lives for her. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Song Tae-won went under Moon Hyeon-ah. They would definitely be a good fit.”

I unconsciously glanced at Song Chief.

“…Hyeon-ah. Does that mean she would choose to sacrifice the two of you?”

“Think of the protagonists in movies that save the world. In a typical way.”

It was really easy to imagine. They were more than just a good fit; they were cool.

“But reality is different.”

“Because it’s reality. Opinions will diverge again. And you should keep in mind that the divergence may be more than just simple opinions.”

It could even lead to a split, huh? I know. Even if it was due to unavoidable circumstances and misunderstandings, I had grown distant from my brother before. Even though the people here are opening up and getting closer, there’s no guarantee that this relationship will last forever.

“I trust Hyeon-ah. But this is Seong Hyeon-jae and Song Tae-won’s matter. So I will accept your decisions.”

I finished the remaining cocoa. My mouth felt a little bitter. It can’t be helped that opinions differ. How can everyone’s thoughts be the same? Even in this place, everyone is drinking something different.

But even if we’re different, we can still sit together. Even if we clash, I hoped we could continue together.

“We won’t be able to hide it until the end. So we should tell them, but I think it would be better to inform them after we get accurate information from the Puppeteer.”

Seong Hyeon-jae also agreed with Song Tae-won’s words. I let out a short breath. Then, I raised my voice lightly and said.

“So, Song Chief, are you also attending the Chatterbox party?”

“It depends on the situation, but I may need to get more involved.”

“Let’s see, to get a bonus. You can have a match with Yerim.”

“…Pardon?”

“If the opponent refuses, Yerim says she’ll enter the contract saying she won’t use water. Then they’ll look down on you a bit. Seong Hyeon-jae has already gotten the bonus, and anyway, no one will try to fight you. Should I use Hyeon-ah as bait again? Noah took down an S-Class with the help of an A-Class… Ah, we can just have Hyeon-ah and Noah’s team and Song Chief and Seong Hyeon-jae lose.”

If I land a headshot on Seong Hyeon-jae, wouldn’t Noah feel a little relieved? We decided to have dinner together and decide on the details. We should get as much as we can.

As I was about to go out, saying we’d see each other later, Song Tae-won approached me. He was about to say something but then closed his mouth. Instead, I said.

“No matter what happens in the future, please don’t forget that there are many people who like Song Chief.”

“Not… people.”

“At least I like you. Seong Hyeon-jae will like you as he pleases.”

Even if he becomes something other than human. Perhaps he also had that fear. If he saw himself as a monster… that when it became clear, there would be no one left around him.

He may not have been qualified to give affection to people, but at the same time, he may have been afraid to give affection. Being abandoned by someone precious is really painful.

Song Tae-won, who had been quietly looking at me, opened his mouth.

“If you think so, please cherish yourself more.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I have nothing to say.

“I’m good at shooting!”

When I said that we needed to be able to handle firearms since we were becoming non-awakened, Kang So-young raised her hand.

“Survival games have been my hobby since before I awakened. My brothers taught me. I’ve shot a lot of live ammunition at the shooting range too. They said if it’s dangerous, just shoot first and my brothers will take care of the aftermath.”

Oh… good brothers.

“Your brothers didn’t stop So-young from being a Hunter.”

“I’m stronger now, so they can’t stop me. That’s why they cried when I left home.”

Th… the brothers cried? Kang So-young said that she often talks on the phone and goes home often. Anyway, So-young is an A-Class [second highest rank], so the opponent will easily accept the match.

“I want to shoot Han Yu-hyeon! Then do I shoot Song Chief last?”

Yerim swallowed the meat she had been chewing.

“Yes,” Song Tae-won replied briefly.

“Song Chief, you can shoot me too.”

“No.”

“You can.”

“It’s okay.”

“I want to turn around, take ten steps back, and bang, shoot. Okay?”

Yerim begged, but Song Tae-won refused to the end. Yerim, let’s give him a break.

“Peace can’t shoot, so you can’t participate.”

– Kkiang.

I grabbed Peace’s front paws, who was sitting on my lap, and shook them. Even though our Peace is smart, it’s hard to shoot a gun with those round paws. Gyeol patted my shoulder as if to say he could do it.

“Noah, you’re familiar with firearms, right?”

“Yes. My sister… taught me when I was young.”

Noah smiled bitterly, saying he had learned it properly. When he was young. Hyeon-ah also said that her hobby was shooting, so she had shot live ammunition several times.

I briefly explained only about Hwangrim and the Puppeteer, leaving out the story about Song Chief. Hwangrim seems to be related to the newly appeared Transcendental, and the Puppeteer is likely to be friendly to us.

“The name Puppeteer sounds ominous. He even gave Hyung advice?”

“Yes. It’s certain that he’s not hostile.”

I can’t trust him 100 percent, though.

After dinner and team assignments were over, I received Hwangrim’s contact information that I had asked to be investigated. When I called, I soon heard an unfamiliar voice.

[It’s an honor that you contacted me first.]

His voice was too normal, which made me a little annoyed. Mr. Puppeteer, why didn’t you beat him up more?