Iron Blood Entertainment Headquarters.
Seo Ye-eun, who was preparing for her new song, was eating garlic during a short break.
The garlic that Kyu-seong gave her had become such an essential part of her life that she couldn’t live without it.
Not just because of its effects, but she felt like she was addicted to the taste.
Her manager spoke to her as she was enjoying it.
“Remember, today’s the day the commercial airs, right?”
“The commercial? Oh! You mean the one I shot with Ara.”
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
“Hehe. I’ve been so focused on preparing the new song that I forgot. Ara was in the drama today too, right?”
“Yeah. She’s in both the drama and the commercial, so it might stir up some buzz. Hopefully, the ratings will go up even more…”
Even while the manager was muttering, Seo Ye-eun was thinking about something else.
The conversation they had during the last commercial shoot came to mind, about filming a mukbang together.
Her garlic supply was running low too.
Maybe she could shamelessly ask to film a mukbang together and get some more garlic.
“Could I check my schedule for this week again?”
“Of course.”
Seo Ye-eun checked her schedule and found a small open window in her busy calendar with eagle eyes.
“Can I do something on this day?”
“Suddenly? What are you thinking?”
“During the last commercial shoot, Ara and I talked about doing a mukbang together. Is it okay if we do it then?”
“Hm, won’t you be too tired?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Alright, I’ll contact Ara’s guardian and see if we can adjust the schedule.”
“Thank you.”
The manager started checking the schedule again, and Seo Ye-eun licked her lips.
She was more excited about the mukbang than any other event in her schedule.
* * *
We arrived at the Ara Hongryeon Guild.
And I could see my parents’ eyes widen as they came here for the first time.
“This building is huge.”
“Wow, our Kyu-seong works in a place like this…”
Although I belonged to the Ara Hongryeon Guild, I didn’t actually go to the office often, so I felt like I was deceiving them a bit.
At that moment, Ara, leading the way, shouted,
“I’ll be your guide!”
“Okay, okay, let’s see our Ara be the guide!”
My father, who rarely showed excitement, responded with a joyful expression.
He seemed pleased to visit his son’s workplace.
As we approached the building, one of the staff members who was always around recognized Ara and me.
“It’s been a while, Mr. Kyu-seong.”
“It has. Nice to see you again.”
“I’ve informed the guild leader. You can head straight up.”
“Thank you.”
Originally, I had planned to come alone, but when the guild leader overheard my family’s conversation over the phone, he kindly invited them all to come along.
As a result, we were now visiting the Ara Hongryeon Guild as a family.
“Wow, it’s really nice here,” my mother said, admiring the building’s interior.
Seeing her reaction, I recalled the first time I had visited Ara Hongryeon.
As we walked towards the elevator, numerous people recognized me and greeted me.
“Mr. Kyu-seong, you’re here!”
“Oh, look who it is! The national treasure, Lee Kyu-seong!”
“It’s been a while, Mr. Kyu-seong!”
Of course, many also greeted and showered Ara with affection.
Ara, who had forgotten about guiding our family, got caught up in excited greetings with familiar faces but soon came to her senses.
“I am guiding right now!”
“Hohoho, our Ara is good at guiding too, huh?”
“Yep!”
A passing awakened person found Ara cute and gave her a piece of candy. Ara stared at the candy with a serious expression but reluctantly accepted it.
“I can still guide while holding candy.”
“Of course, of course.”
Thanks to Ara’s exaggerated reaction, like she was accepting a bribe while on duty, laughter spread around us once again.
After exchanging greetings with people, we went up to meet the guild leader.
“Welcome,” Han Seok-jun greeted us warmly.
Since he had already met our family before, he greeted us with familiarity.
Although it was a bit awkward, my parents and Seon-ah also greeted Han Seok-jun.
“The staff will come to guide you through the guild. Is that alright?”
“Yes, of course.”
It seemed like he had arranged for a guild tour.
After chatting for a while, two guild members arrived to take my parents and Seon-ah on the tour.
“Ara, come with me.”
“Okay!”
Seon-ah tried to throw a fit, asking why she couldn’t come, but we ignored her and left with Han Seok-jun.
We were headed to the Monster Byproducts Research Lab, an annex building next to the Ara Hongryeon Guild headquarters.
“Chief Choi is there too.”
“Wow, it’s been a while.”
I felt glad when I heard that Young-seong was there. It had been a while since I last saw him.
Ara, also excited to see Young-seong after a long time, rubbed her hands together mischievously.
That adorable sight made me laugh again as we arrived at the research lab.
“Oh, Kyu-seong! Long time no see.”
“Hyung, it’s been a while.”
Young-seong looked bright, and next to him was his wife, Si-young.
“Oh, you’re here too! Hello, Si-young.”
“Hello, Kyu-seong. Ara, how are you?”
“Ah, I am fine,” Ara replied, suddenly flustered by Si-young’s presence, as she had planned to tease Young-seong. Ara always had a soft spot for Si-young.
Seeing Ara’s shy reaction, Si-young immediately lifted her into her arms.
“Ara, have you been well?”
“Yeah.”
“Cute Ara, give me a kiss.”
“Kiss, kiss,” Ara awkwardly kissed her cheek.
Though she used to get along with Si-young just fine, she seemed a bit shy after not seeing her for a while.
Watching that scene, I pulled out a bokkeum.
“Where should I lay out the byproducts?”
“Are they large?”
“Yes, I have some big ones.”
“Then follow me.”
We followed Young-seong, and soon a vast space filled with all kinds of monster byproducts appeared before us.
“Wow.”
The sight was breathtaking.
Ara, still in Si-young’s arms, pointed excitedly with her finger.
“What is that?”
“That’s a rib from an ogre monster.”
“Ogre!”
It felt like we were in a dinosaur museum, and the byproducts seemed almost like replicas.
“Alright, go ahead and lay it out here.”
“Okay.”
Following Young-seong’s instructions, I began taking out the byproducts. There was so much that I wondered if it was okay to bring out everything, but people’s eyes widened as I laid each item down.
“No way…”
“What on earth…?”
Their reactions were a bit different from what I expected, but I continued taking everything out.
Bones, skins, fangs, claws—they all emerged as I kept working, and suddenly, Young-seong stopped me urgently.
“Wait, how much have you brought out so far?”
“About half.”
“Hold on. Let’s stop for a moment.”
I paused and turned off bokkeum.
By now, Guild Leader Han Seok-jun and Si-young were examining the byproducts closely, exchanging opinions with each other.
“This material seems to have incredible strength.”
“We’ll have to test it, but it could make excellent equipment.”
“It must be from a monster that lived in a 9th-grade dungeon.”
“Look at this leather. No matter how hard I try, I can’t tear it.”
It seemed like they were satisfied with the items, which was a relief.
Ara, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly chimed in.
“Kyu-seong Kyu-seong has minerals too!”
“Minerals?”
At Ara’s words, I took out the minerals I had brought along.
I had once made protective gear with these minerals to safeguard Jeong So-yeon’s heart, and now I was curious about how much better equipment could be made when combined with these byproducts.
“Wasn’t it hard to mine that?”
“It’s been resolved recently.”
Young-seong recognized the minerals at a glance and examined them.
They had undergone the first stage of processing by goblins, so the minerals were already shaped into ingots.
“Oh, could this be what you mentioned before…?”
Han Seok-jun, who seemed to be seeing them for the first time, looked at the ingots with curiosity.
As I took out different types of ingots, I nodded.
“That’s right. I brought them along just in case. I was wondering if it would be possible to create equipment using these monster byproducts and minerals.”
“What do you think, Chief Choi?”
“Well, we’ll need to test various factors like mana conductivity and material fusion, but based on my estimation, I think it might be possible.”
I felt relieved at the positive reaction.
“If we can craft equipment through further research and experimentation, it would significantly enhance the guild’s power. With the amount of material available, most of the guild members would be able to wear it.”
Both Han Seok-jun and Si-young nodded in agreement at those words.
Cliche Novel 