STC chapter 7

* * *

Ye Ilhu, even if it was just a polite lie, couldn’t be said to have a good personality. At least when his brother was around, he managed to maintain some social skills thanks to his brother’s efforts. But that was all in the past.

He lowered his gaze to his palm. It had a small scratch from being pushed to the dirt by Kang Baram.

For someone who had braved countless S-rank gates, such a scratch was nothing. It would likely be healed by the next morning.

His anger towards Kang Baram wasn’t for the scratch.

‘I could’ve handled that on my own.’

It was obvious. No matter how powerful, that gate was only B-rank.

He could easily burn it to ashes with his fire. Kang Baram’s unnecessary act of kindness was not needed.

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Who did he think he was, saving an SS-rank?

He was also irritated by the fact that the guild master had sent him, who was on leave, along with the others as a precaution.

Ye Ilhu only agreed because he knew it could be useful to have a favor from the guild master of the largest guild in Korea.

Having to move on his precious holiday, he planned to make Chae Goya pay dearly for it.

‘What should I ask for?’

Since he could get almost anything he wanted, he wasn’t planning to ask for something as trivial as money.

‘Maybe I should ask for a long vacation.’

The thought lightened his mood a bit.

He was about to shake everything off and prepare for bed when Kang Baram popped into his mind again.

[No… ha, this is ridiculous. Hey, what do you…!]

Provoking him with mean words, Kang Baram’s small face quickly turned red. His pale skin made the change particularly noticeable.

As he came close enough for their foreheads to almost touch, instead of the usual sweaty odor from guys, there was a pleasant soap scent.

‘…Ha, damn it.’

Forcing himself to redirect his thoughts, he ended up thinking about Kang Baram again. This wasn’t normal.

‘What a strange guy.’

Ye Ilhu concluded. Unpredictable actions always sparked curiosity. Who in their right mind would dare to save an SS-rank as a D-rank hunter?

Of course, when Ye Ilhu first awakened, he couldn’t control his power properly.

It took quite a while for his abilities to bloom, and he received help multiple times during battles.

But Ye Ilhu rapidly grew stronger, and the hunters who had helped him began to feel uneasy.

Eventually, some started intervening without his consent.

And because he couldn’t repay the debt from ‘that day’, he couldn’t go to the gate with his brother…

He clenched his fist. Small sparks flickered between his knuckles before fizzling out.

Because of that D-rank hunter, old, horrible memories were resurfacing. He had managed to bury those memories… This was a bad sign.

He immediately grabbed his phone and, scrolling through his recent calls, dialed the number at the top.

The dial tone didn’t last long. The person on the other end responded immediately.

“Yes, Ilhu. What’s going on at this hour?”

“Boss, are you busy?”

The person was none other than Chae Gohae, the guild leader of Idea. Chae Gohae chuckled and replied.

“It’d be a lie to say I’m not busy. I was analyzing the footage from the A-rank gate that opened today. What’s up?”

“It’s nothing serious. The D-rank who went to the gate with me today.”

“Yeah, who was it again…? Kang Baram, right? But why bring them up all of a sudden?”

Ilhu’s gaze suddenly darkened as he spoke. He had a feeling that unless he dealt with this troublesome presence, his peaceful daily life would be over.

* * *

“Welcome, how many people?”

“Two.”

“Okay, let me show you to your seats!”

The bar staff energetically led the way after my response.

Today, a large A-rank gate had opened, and many hunters had come to Gozenuk to unwind. They were already quite drunk, hopping from table to table, sharing drinks.

Chae Goya, who had been hesitant even before entering the bar, wasn’t used to such large crowds. With his large build, he couldn’t deftly navigate through the people.

“Excuse me, sorry, excuse me…”

Unable to bear it any longer, I grabbed Chae Goya’s hand, who was being jostled around like a soccer ball. As I lightly led him forward, Goya, who had been staring at the floor, lifted his gaze.

“Follow me this way, Goya.”

“Oh… okay, sure. Um…”

“Did holding your hand make you uncomfortable? Sorry, it’s just that there were so many people.”

I had grabbed his hand without thinking, feeling like he was the youngest member of a gym.

He seemed tense, perhaps because it was his first time visiting a bar, and his hand was damp with sweat.

Just as I was about to let go, Goya quickly grasped my hand again. His grip was so strong that I couldn’t help but frown.

“Ow, that hurts.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry!”

Even as he apologized, Goya didn’t let go of my hand. Instead, his grip loosened a bit. This quiet, gentle guy blushing and reacting so quickly was pretty cute.

Feeling mischievous, I slid my fingers between Goya’s and shook our tightly clasped hands playfully.

“Should I keep holding your hand? Should I not let go until we get to our seats?”

Despite my teasing, Goya blushed and nodded slightly.

‘He’s so different from that guy I saw during the day.’

Oddly enough, Ilhu’s annoying face suddenly popped into my head.

Anyway, there wouldn’t be any more entanglements with Ryu Min or Ye Ilhu.

Even Jeong Yeonji, who handled gate call notices, was shocked by the unlikely combination. It was rare for SS-rank and A-rank to be with D-rank.

‘I never wanted to get involved with the side top characters anyway. Let’s consider it a stroke of bad luck, Kang Baram.’

With that, I pushed the suddenly intruding thoughts of Ilhu out of my mind.

Following the staff’s guidance, we sat in a corner and placed our order. I was getting hungry, and the place was packed, so I hurried to avoid a long wait for food.

“We ordered a meal today, but next time let’s try dried snacks. The dried pollack dipped in mayo with Cheongyang chili pepper here is really good.”

“Sure, sounds good…”

Goya nodded shyly with a smile. His long bangs, which almost poked his eyes, were bothering me. He had such a handsome face, I couldn’t understand why he hid it.

Thinking it might be unnecessary interference, I held back and changed the subject. I had many questions.

“By the way, Goya.”

“Yes?”

“I noticed that all your summons have names. Who named Chunsik?”

When I first heard him call out “Chunsik,” I was so taken aback that I almost looked around during the battle to find who he was talking to.

As expected, Goya, who seemed quite attached to his summons, brightened up at the interesting topic.

“I did.”

“Oh.”

“…Is it weird?”

“No? I thought it was really cute.”

“…Can I tell you the names of the others too?”

Gaining confidence from my response, Goya hesitantly asked. I nodded enthusiastically.

Since I would frequently encounter C-rank Goya in the future, knowing the names of his summons wouldn’t hurt.

Besides, seeing his usually timid face light up was heartwarming. I could listen to this kind of talk all night.

“Chunsik, Seoksam, Cheolsu, Yeonghee.”

…Come to think of it, is naming sense hereditary? I recalled the first time I heard Goya’s name and doubted his parents’ naming sense.

Soon, Goya continued.

“They say giving familiar names helps them live longer.”

I wasn’t sure if summons could get sick, but his reason for giving them such plain names was commendable.

Before the drinks and snacks arrived, we talked a bit more about his summons. I learned, somewhat belatedly, that all his summons were imugis.

Imugis, creatures that couldn’t become dragons.

I had wondered why Chae Goya, the guild leader’s brother, was so reserved in the guild, and I was beginning to understand.

His shy nature surely played a part, but being a C-rank with summons that couldn’t be considered prestigious must have also contributed.

Most A-rank summoners called forth grand creatures like dragons or tigers.

The more we talked, the more Goya seemed to reflect on his position, and his expression darkened a bit.

Wanting to prevent the mood from souring further, I searched for another topic.

‘Ah, right.’

What came to mind were the important characters in this game.

I looked around. Everyone was too busy toasting and drinking to notice us.

Carefully, I asked Goya.

“Hey, where are Baek Seojun and Ha Seonglim?”

Baek Seojun and Ha Seonglim.

They were the main protagonist and antagonist of ‘Love War.’

* * *