While we were chatting, a few figures approached us. Even at a glance, it was clear who they were.
They were people dressed in the uniforms of the Terror Guild and those with the Iron Blood Guild emblem.
“Long time no see!”
“Indeed, it’s been a while, Guild Leader Han Seok-jun.”
The two individuals greeted us simultaneously. They were Oh Min-joo and Director Choi. The two, who seemed to hold similar positions within their respective guilds, exchanged a fierce glance, though maintaining businesslike smiles on their faces.
“It’s nice to see both of you. I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
Han Seok-jun greeted them nonchalantly, meeting Terror and Iron Blood with a shamelessly calm demeanor, as if he hadn’t expected them at all despite knowing they would come.
‘This is the political world of awakened individuals…’
Unlike other awakened individuals, I didn’t commute to the guild or form teams to explore dungeons, so I had no experience in this area. But today, it felt like I was seeing a side of the Korean awakened society for the first time, making me both nervous and excited.
“Hey!”
At that moment, Ara, who was in my arms, raised her hand and acknowledged Oh Min-joo and Director Choi.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Ara, it’s been a while?”
“Yes, long time no see, Ms. Ara.”
Ara’s greeting quickly eased the atmosphere, as if a warm breeze had just passed through. The guild members from Iron Blood and Terror began to recognize Ara, who was in my arms, and started to acknowledge each other.
“That girl…”
“Isn’t she the one from Yongsan?”
“Oh my, I’m a subscriber to your YouTube channel! You’re much cuter in person!”
The last comment made Seon-ah perk up her ears. It was quite a sight to see her flustered at the mention of a famous awakened person being a subscriber to her YouTube channel.
Some of the awakened individuals’ gazes were directed more towards me than Ara. Hanul had mentioned earlier that Terror and Iron Blood were here because of me, and it seemed to be true.
“Since it’s a bit inconvenient to talk here, why don’t we go inside?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Guild Leader Han Seok-jun naturally led the group. Now that I think about it, I hadn’t seen the representative awakened individuals from each guild who I saw earlier.
‘He said both guild leaders came, but I don’t see them.’
They must be somewhere else for the moment. Anyway, surrounded by the Ara Hongryeon guild members as if we were being protected, my family, experiencing something like this for the first time, moved forward with wide eyes.
“Amazing, amazing.”
Only Seon-ah kept muttering “amazing” repeatedly under her breath.
“Uh, um…”
At that moment, the awakened person from the Terror Guild, who had said she was a YouTube subscriber earlier, approached us. If I recall correctly, she was Yoo Seung-hye, a Level 6 awakened person who had appeared on TV several times.
As Yoo Seung-hye approached suddenly, Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol cast a slight glance. Yoo Seung-hye, slightly intimidated, cautiously continued.
“I, I brought this for Ara…”
“Yes?”
Yoo Seung-hye handed over something unexpectedly. Upon checking, it was a box of chocolates in luxurious packaging.
“I heard she likes eating…”
“Ah, thank you.”
“I’m a fan.”
Leaving those words, Yoo Seung-hye quickly returned to her place. Somewhat taken aback, I stared blankly, and Ara tilted her head in confusion.
“What is a fan? Is it something you eat?”
“It means someone who likes you, Ara.”
“Gasp! Someone who likes me!”
Ara’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing this from a distance, Yoo Seung-hye, touched, pointed to the chocolate box she had handed over. As the box was unwrapped and opened, it revealed high-quality chocolates. Taking one out, I gave it to Ara.
“Ooh.”
Come to think of it, is this her first time having chocolate? I think she might have had it as a snack before. Seeing Ara promptly pop it into her mouth, I patted her head. Ara, clearly pleased with the chocolate, savored it in her mouth and held her cheek.
“Yum~!”
“Is it tasty?”
“Yeah!”
I didn’t recognize the brand, but judging by the wrapper and the box, it seemed like quite an expensive chocolate. I was very grateful that Yoo Seung-hye had prepared it knowing that Ara would be coming.
“Can I have more?”
“Sure, you can eat it all. It’s yours, Ara.”
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong too, ah.”
Ara’s small hand holding a chocolate moved towards my mouth. Naturally, I accepted it and savored the chocolate, suddenly feeling a piercing gaze.
“What?”
Seon-ah was looking at me with a mix of envy and jealousy.
“Seon-ah, do you want some too? Here you go.”
Ara picked up another chocolate and offered it. Seon-ah quickly softened her expression and happily accepted the chocolate. Such a simple fellow.
Passing chocolates back and forth, we arrived at the event venue. A table was prepared, and there we met Director Wi Ji-hye.
“Oh! Mr. Kyu-seong, you’re here? Are these your family members?”
“Yes. These are my younger sibling and parents.”
It seemed she had already greeted the others and now approached me naturally.
“Hello, thank you for coming today. I’m Wi Ji-hye, the director of Dasom Orphanage.”
“Hello.”
After a light greeting, we separated to prepare. I left my family in the care of the Ara Hongryeon guild members.
“Ara, your clothes look great.”
“Hehe, do they look pretty?”
“Very pretty. Like a little angel from heaven.”
It was a relief to see her much less nervous. After spending some time with Ara, she joined the other children who would dance with her and headed to the waiting room.
“Do you think she’ll do well?”
“It’s okay if she doesn’t do well. She’s not here to be perfect.”
“That’s true.”
With that wise answer from Director Wi, I returned to the table. Watching my parents and Seon-ah chatting happily, I naturally took a seat.
“So, about our Ara…”
“Oh, really?”
Seon-ah was now sitting with Yoo Seung-hye, enthusiastically showing something on her phone. Yoo Seung-hye, nodding attentively, was quite the sight. What an unexpected connection. Who would have thought Yoo Seung-hye, a famous awakened individual, would be Ara’s fan?
‘…?’
But it seemed… Yoo Seung-hye wasn’t the only one showing interest. More people were gathering, all interested in the videos Seon-ah was showing, whispering surprising comments.
“There’s unreleased footage!”
“I should have taken more photos earlier…”
“I took some. But she’ll be dancing soon, so we can take lots of photos then.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m seeing Ara in person. I have to brag on the fan cafe.”
More than expected… Ara had a lot of fans. They didn’t come here because of me but because of Ara?!
“Haha.”
But I didn’t mind. I was naturally grateful for their affection for Ara.
“Oh, by the way, where are the guild leader and Brother Hanul?”
“They stepped out for a moment,” replied Deputy Team Leader Lee Hae-sol.
That’s unfortunate. I wanted to tell them about the soybean harvest being completed and the plan to start making meju soon. I’ll have to ask them about getting some large cooking utensils and a machine to expose the beans to sunlight. I’m sure they’ll help.
-Ah! Ah! Hello, everyone! Thank you all for coming despite your busy schedules!
The event was about to officially begin. Although I was concerned about the missing people, I held my breath in anticipation of Ara’s appearance, staring intently at the stage.
“It’s starting! Camera, camera!”
Seon-ah fussed, and others returned to their seats, ready to watch. The stage lights were coming on.
* * *
“It’s around here.”
Iron Blood’s Kim Tae-yang.
Despite his gentle and cute appearance, he was a powerful Level 8 awakened individual. Sensing a strong aura in the vicinity, he quickly arrived at a location with Baek Tae-seop in tow.
The backyard of the orphanage.
There was already a visitor there.
“Kim Tae-yang, Representative Baek Tae-seop.”
“Isn’t it Mr. Johann, haha.”
Johann Rothschild, the guild leader of Terror, and the annihilator Choi Sung-hyuk confirmed the arrival of Kim Tae-yang and Representative Baek.
Johann Rothschild from Austria was a tycoon who quickly established the number one guild in South Korea with his overwhelming wealth. Initially regarded as eccentric, his actions, which included naturalizing and pouring immense funds into his endeavors, could no longer be dismissed lightly.
As a result, he quickly overtook existing top guilds in South Korea, such as Iron Blood and Gojoseon, securing the top spot in no time. Accompanying Johann was Choi Sung-hyuk, the Annihilator, who served as his bodyguard. Choi Sung-hyuk was also the younger brother of Choi Seong-pil, known as Director Choi within the same guild.
“Have you felt it as well?”
“Hmm, yes. The one emitting this energy…”
Baek Tae-seop turned his gaze. Opposite Johann and Choi Sung-hyuk were two women. Seeing the poorly hidden figures, Baek Tae-seop laughed harshly.
“Are they underestimating us? I don’t know which faction they belong to, but walking around so openly radiating energy, they must be quite confident.”
Baek Tae-seop was convinced that these mysterious women were attackers. It was impossible for him not to know someone who could exude such power within Korea, so the fact that he couldn’t identify them meant they were undoubtedly foreigners. And these foreigners had appeared now, in a situation where the guild leaders and key figures of the top two guilds in Korea were gathered? It was undoubtedly suspicious.
“Oh, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Quite the situation to call a misunderstanding.”
At that moment, other figures appeared. Strong Hanul naturally made his presence known by stamping his foot with a thud.
“Haha! What’s this, old men having fun all by themselves?”
“Kid, this is no time for jokes.”
Baek Tae-seop warned seriously.
Despite the presence of powerful figures like the Level 8 awakened Bloodborne and the Annihilator, the women exuded an aura that did not cower in the slightest. If a battle were to ensue, it was highly likely that not only this area but the entire city could be destroyed.
“Ryu Cheon? Yu Bihong?”
At that moment, Han Seok-jun called out their names in a puzzled voice. The two, who had been standing awkwardly, revealed themselves.
“Um… We apologize. We didn’t intend to cause any trouble…”
Yu Bihong apologized with a remorseful expression.
“Ryu Cheon? Do you mean Ryu Cheon of the Skyscraper Guild?”
“I introduce myself. This is Ryu Cheon, our young lady from the Skyscraper Guild. I am her assistant, Yu Bihong. We deeply apologize for the confusion caused today.”
“What is going on here?”
When Han Seok-jun asked, Yu Bihong glanced at Ryu Cheon’s condition with a troubled look.
“The young lady insisted on seeing the performance of Ara, the familiar of Awakener Lee Kyu-seong. Her health has improved recently, so we delayed her medication, but it seems she isn’t feeling well…”
“Huh, so that’s why she was leaking energy! No wonder it seemed so lax.”
Baek Tae-seop murmured with a dejected face.
However, unlike his reaction, Johann, Choi Sung-hyuk, and Kim Tae-yang could not hide their astonishment.
“The granddaughter of the Skyscraper Guild is here?”
“She came all the way here just to see Lee Kyu-seong’s familiar?!”
In terms of scale alone, the Skyscraper Guild boasted overwhelming power. In Korea, only the Terror Guild could compare. It felt surreal that such a prominent figure as Ryu Cheon, the youngest Level 8 awakened, had come all the way to Korea.
Although she came with personal affection, it led to misunderstandings that made others think she was trying to recruit Kyu-seong behind the scenes. The fact that Ryu Cheon moved herself showed incredible sincerity.
“What on earth happened in China that the Skyscraper Guild came directly…?”
“Hmm…”
As misunderstandings deepened, Han Seok-jun and Yu Bihong exchanged glances. They both sighed and shook their heads. It seemed it would take quite some time to clear up these misunderstandings.
Cliche Novel 