TCHF 04

Chapter 04

On Jurim waved lightly as he gave the interview. What stood out was the black leather glove worn only on his left hand.
Perhaps the interviewer noticed it as well, because his gaze lingered there.

As if to draw the interviewer’s attention back, Jurim lightly tapped the armrest with the gloved hand. When the interviewer met his eyes again, Jurim slowly lifted the corner of his mouth with a languid look.

As if mesmerized, the interviewer stared at him for a moment before hurriedly opening his mouth.

“First, I’d like to clarify that this isn’t MMBC’s official stance as I ask this next question. The guild ‘Hyeonak’ has firmly established itself as one of the top guilds in South Korea. However, it’s also often described as being at the center of constant incidents and controversies. Some people view certain guild members—who seem to walk a fine line—with an unfavorable eye. Since you’re here today, could you share your thoughts on this as the guild master?”

It was a rather mischievous question.

The daycare teachers leaned in, absorbed by the provocative interview, but only Geuru failed to grasp the situation and simply stared at the screen with a blank expression.

On Jurim remained completely calm.

“The Hyeonak Guild merely respects and protects the freedom of its members.”

Freedom? Protection?
Geuru perked up her ears and neatly knelt down in front of the TV.

“Oh my, Geuru. You should move back. You’ll get sucked in,” a teacher said.

“Yeees—”
Geuru scooted her bottom backward a little.

“Then are you saying that the Hyeonak Guild intends to continue ignoring the trouble caused by its members?”

Despite the interviewer’s bold question, Jurim answered evenly.

“Did you just say Hyeonak crosses the line?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And you’re curious about my opinion on how to view Hyeonak’s actions?”
“That’s right.”
“Then I’d say you’re asking the wrong person. You should have asked the courts whether Hyeonak crosses the line.”
“Pardon?”
“My answer remains the same. I will faithfully carry out my duties as guild master. Protecting my guild members and respecting their freedom—that is my job. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say to questions unrelated to my responsibilities.”

Jurim shrugged his shoulders.

As if wrapping up the mischievous question in tissue and tossing it into a trash can, he ended his response. The interviewer smacked his lips, momentarily at a loss for words.

The daycare teachers laughed, saying that a proper face, proper strength, and a proper tongue all went together.

Most people were probably impressed by how deftly Jurim handled the interviewer’s question, but Geuru was fixated on something else entirely.

That part about Hyeonak protecting its members and respecting their freedom.

Geuru knew a little about what a guild was. It was like a company hunters belonged to.
She had heard that when you joined a guild, they took care of things that were hard to handle on your own.

Then… a bank account too?
If you joined a guild, would they make a bank account for you?

What if she became a member of Hyeonak, received the guild’s protection, and freely did business?

Suddenly, Geuru imagined On Jurim making a bank account for her.

With that money, Geuru found her mom and dad, cleared quests, and then lived happily with her family as the strongest hunter.

END.

“Then, Guild Master On, do you have anything you’d like to say to hunters who want a place in Hyeonak?”

Geuru snapped her gaping mouth shut.

She had to focus. This was a question she really wanted to hear.

“Hm.”
Jurim let out a low hum, rested an arm on the chair’s armrest, and propped up his chin.

“We’ve been receiving a lot of résumés, but Hyeonak isn’t interested in who you are. Don’t send them.”

The interviewer was momentarily speechless.

So was Geuru, who once again stared with her mouth hanging open.

As if delivering a finishing blow to the interviewer’s expectant silence, Jurim added,

“That’s all.”

He even rose from his seat, asking, “I can go now, right?”

“Ah—just a moment!”

When the interviewer practically begged, “Could you answer just a little more?” Jurim sat back down with a tired expression.

The interviewer gave a bitter smile, as if thinking, This guy is playing with people from way above their heads.

“Then please tell us, just briefly, what kind of talent Hyeonak is looking for.”

“Well.”

With his arms crossed, Jurim thought for a moment before casually speaking.

“If it were a brand-new S-rank, I might be curious.”

After saying, “That’s all,” Jurim stood up briskly.

The interviewer, utterly dumbfounded, began wrapping things up. The screen quickly switched to a shot of Hyeonak’s towering building.

The daycare teachers murmured among themselves.

“So basically, he’s saying he won’t take anyone now.”
“Even on broadcast, that’s some nerve.”
“A proper face, proper strength, proper tongue—and an improper personality…”

Just then, Geuru scampered over and clung to a teacher.

“Teacherrr! Geuru has a question!”

Oh, how cute. The teacher gently pinched Geuru’s chubby cheeks and asked,

“Our pretty Geuru, what are you curious about?”

“How do you go there?”

“Huh?”

The child’s finger was pointing at the tall building where Hyeonak was located.

Tell me! Tell me!
Seeing the sincerity in Geuru’s sparkling eyes, the teacher smiled.

On Jurim’s flashy appearance made it unsurprising that a child might take a liking to him.

“That place is about a 20-minute bus ride away.”

“Pwease mark it heeere.”

Geuru opened the map app on her kids’ phone.

“On the map?”

Though flustered by the earnest request, the teacher obediently marked the address on the map app. She probably thought it was just a child’s curiosity. Besides, if they happened to pass by and get an autograph, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.

However, Geuru’s goal was completely different from what she imagined.

‘Geuru is S-rank too!’

A hunter’s rank is determined by the Awakener Center after comprehensively evaluating stats, skills, and more.

But there is one exception—skill rank.

If you possess even a single Legend-grade skill, you are classified as S-rank regardless of overall ability.

And Geuru’s skill was Legend-grade.
She was, in name and reality, an S-rank.

Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep.

When the crosswalk signal sounded, Geuru raised her hand high. It was the result of safety education drilled into her endlessly at kindergarten.

As Geuru crossed the street with her hand raised, small bursts of laughter rose from around her.

“So cute.”
“Is she a model? She’s really pretty.”

Despite having heard such praise hundreds of times, Geuru simply rubbed her reddened cheeks and trotted along.

Her destination was a single building towering above the forest of skyscrapers.

The Hyeonak Guild building.

Geuru spun through the massive revolving door and stood in the lobby.

All the employees entering the building tapped cards at the access gates. Below the gates, metal bars blocked the way, only opening once a card was scanned.

So you can’t go in without that.
Coincidentally, Geuru had something similar.

She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a card.

‘Bus card!’

The bus card made for field trips turned out to be useful in many ways.

Geuru toddled over to the access gate, stood on tiptoe, and tapped her bus card.

Beep—
Clunk. The metal bar remained firmly in place.

“Huh?”

Why didn’t it work? As she tilted her head in confusion, a long shadow fell over her.

“Did you come running an errand for your parents?”

It was a security guard. Geuru rolled her eyes.

“Uh… I’m…”

‘I got kicked out!’

The moment she heard that she wasn’t a family member of an employee, she apparently didn’t want to hear anything else.

Geuru stared blankly at the revolving door, gauging the situation.

Since she’d been kicked out immediately, trying again probably wouldn’t get her inside.

“Hm…”

After thinking for a moment, Geuru spun through the revolving door again and reentered the lobby. Two security guards were lingering near the entrance.

With a sly grin, Geuru pulled a chick toy out of her bag.

[Creepy Laughing Chick Toy (F)]
Laughs creepily in front of automatically detected targets.
Those who hear the laughter have a very low chance of falling into panic for 1 second.

‘Go!’

Geuru deployed the chick toy.