Chapter 80: Three People Who Live Their Own Lives

The second and third successful applicants were chosen the following day.
After Chae Minjung, no one particularly promising had appeared on the first day.

With a detached expression that held neither hope nor expectations for the future, Sung Jiwoo welcomed the first interviewee. The clock had just struck ten.

Yoo Heero opened a bottle of stamina tonic and set it down in front of Sung Jiwoo.

“Good morning.”

The applicant bowed deeply as he entered. He was the first to arrive wearing a full suit. Despite the heat, he wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and maintained a perfectly neat three-piece outfit—vest and jacket included.

After sitting down, he undid the top button of his jacket and placed both clenched hands neatly on his knees. He looked stiff, as if attending a corporate job interview.

“Nice to meet you. Your name is…?”

“Lee Wonjae.”

“Yes, Mr. Lee Wonjae….”

Sung Jiwoo located his application.

Ah. This guy.

From the moment he’d seen it, this was the neatest, most meticulously written application—dense, orderly, and clearly sincere.

It hadn’t fit Sung Jiwoo’s criteria, so he’d planned to reject it, but after Park Sujin’s advice—‘These kinds of people are the real deal’—he decided to at least meet him.

“May I ask why you applied to our guild?”

At Sung Jiwoo’s cautious question, the man fidgeted before finally speaking.

“To be honest… I don’t have talent for combat. I’m only B-rank. I couldn’t even become a hunter before, but thanks to Hunter HERO clearing the X-Gate, I was finally able to receive my hunter license. So I wanted to steady myself and try living as a hunter again.”

Even his reason felt overly earnest.

Sung Jiwoo had been selecting people who weren’t attached to the guild—individualists who would find their own way even if the guild collapsed overnight.

That way, the weight of responsibility on his shoulders would be lighter.

But this man looked too desperate. Regrettably, it seemed difficult to accept him.

“Then what was your previous job?”

“I’m a bank clerk.”

Sung Jiwoo’s hand froze while flipping through the papers.

“A… bank clerk?”

“I also have a CPA license.”

At that moment, Sung Jiwoo changed his mind.

“You’re accepted.”

“Pardon?”

“No—wait. That was rushed. You wrote here that your ability affinity is water-type?”

“Yes!”

“I’m curious how you usually utilize it.”

“Ah… it’s nothing impressive, but I can store water in a subspace and release it like this….”

The man extended his hand into empty air. Water poured neatly into the empty cup in front of Sung Jiwoo. The cup filled with a gentle sloshing sound, and Sung Jiwoo stared at it with interest.

The man adjusted his glasses and wiped sweat from his temples.

“Or, in water-rich environments I can be somewhat useful… though I know those situations are extremely rare.”

“I see….”

“Oh, and I can breathe underwater. I’m also a strong swimmer, and diving—ah, I mentioned that already. Anyway, I’m good at anything involving water.”

“Good. You’re accepted.”

“What? You said that earlier too—are you serious?”

The man looked utterly unconvinced, but Sung Jiwoo nodded without hesitation.

“You’re twenty-five… so you’re two years older than me?”

“Yes—yes! But I really don’t mind age at all! At work, I had supervisors younger than me too…!”

“Have you resigned yet?”

“Actually, no. I didn’t say anything because I thought I’d fail….”

“Then you can take care of it today. I look forward to working with you, hyung.”

“Y–Yes! Thank you very much!”

Lee Wonjae bowed at a full ninety degrees, face glowing with emotion, before leaving the general store.

Sung Jiwoo smiled in satisfaction.

“Hyung….”

Yoo Heero, who had been quietly watching, called out softly. Sung Jiwoo looked up from organizing the applications.

“What?”

“Why did you pick that person?”

“He has a professional certification.”

“…And why does that matter?”

“He’s capable.”

“His ability wasn’t anything special. We’re recruiting guild members, not accountants.”

The irritation in Yoo Heero’s tone was unmistakable. Sung Jiwoo looked troubled—if the guild master disliked the decision, it could become awkward.

“I want our guild members to be able to live their lives on their own.”

“…What?”

“I want them to handle their own lives independently.”

Sung Jiwoo repeated himself clearly and patiently. Yoo Heero’s expression brightened.

“Yeah. Right. Guild members should be able to take care of themselves. So hyung doesn’t have to worry about them.”

“It’ll be easier for you too. It’s rare to become a guild master at your age.”

“…Was that for my sake?”

“Well… yeah.”

Strictly speaking, it was for both of them, but Sung Jiwoo nodded anyway. Yoo Heero’s smile grew wider.

“But, um…”

“Hm? What now?”

“That person… do they really have to call you ‘hyung’?”

“Why? Is that awkward?”

Even within the same guild, it might be. Many large guilds enforced strict titles and formal speech—Helios and the Capital Guild were like that. Knocker was an exception, but that guild was peculiar enough to be its own case.

“Should I call him Mr. Wonjae instead?”

“Mr. Lee Wonjae.”

“Oh, right. Mr. Lee Wonjae.”

Only after correcting him with the full name did Yoo Heero look satisfied.

“Then should I call you Yoo Heero-ssi? Or Guild Master?”

“…Huh? Me? Why?”

Flustered, Yoo Heero even started stuttering. Sung Jiwoo replied calmly, as if it were obvious.

“If I talk casually to you in front of the guild members, it’ll undermine your authority.”

“…I don’t need that.”

Yoo Heero shook his head vigorously, looking distressed.

“I don’t want you to call me like that.”

“So it’s okay if I keep calling you ‘Heero-ah’?”

“Yes! Please!”

“…That’s fine for me, but won’t it look strange to the guild members?”

“No! Not at all. Because….”

Yoo Heero’s eyes darted around before he found an answer and smiled brightly.

“You’re the vice–guild master. And I’m the guild master.”

“That sounds like you’re throwing your weight around.”

“Is that not allowed?”

There was confidence in his voice. Sung Jiwoo had no comeback.

He was right. Yoo Heero was a national hero—at this point, the most authoritative hunter alive, with no need to posture at all.

“You can get away with it… I’m nothing.”

“What do you mean you’re nothing? You were my mentor.”

“Hey, that’s—”

“You taught me everything. How could you be nothing? If anyone says anything, I’ll tell them you’re my teacher.”

“‘Teacher’ is too much. Just say I’m a senior you were close to in school.”

This isn’t school, though. Yoo Heero muttered softly but nodded, apparently unwilling to argue further.

Knock, knock.

Perfect timing—the next applicant arrived. Only one final guild member remained.

“Hello.”

The man bowed while glancing around, then slowly sat down, curiosity evident as he kept looking about.

“Nice to meet you.”

Sung Jiwoo greeted him with a friendly smile. The youthful-looking man was the same age as Yoo Heero—the generation that had just finished mandatory X-Gate service.

“I’m Son Jihwan.”

He bowed once more.

“I’m a speed-type ability user. A-rank. I’m fast on my feet, fast with my hands. I mainly use weapons—”

“Yes, you usually order from our shop. This is your first time visiting in person.”

Son Jihwan was a long-time customer. Sung Jiwoo often saw his name while attaching shipping labels.

Didn’t expect to see him face-to-face like this.

“You usually buy short-range weapons with debuffs. I assume you’re a close-combat type?”

Given his preference for daggers around 10–20 cm long, he was the kind of melee dealer who fought at extremely close range.

“Yes. I mostly fight guerilla-style, so I prefer short, decisive strikes to vital points.”

Son Jihwan explained calmly.

“I can use most bayonet-type weapons. I favor one-handed weapons, though.”

Sung Jiwoo nodded and asked his decisive question.

“Please tell us why you applied to our guild and what you hope to gain here.”

“The reason is that I like the weapons here. And what I want to gain is… using weapons freely?”

Who disliked having their skills praised? Sung Jiwoo looked pleased.

“You’re accepted. Welcome as the final member of our guild.”

“Ah, yes. By the way, I actually came to get A/S for the weapon I bought last time.”

Apparently with other business in mind, Son Jihwan rummaged through his bag and pulled something out. Inside a black leather case was a finely crafted dagger.

As Sung Jiwoo inspected it, he noticed a crack in the ability stone embedded in the hilt.

“Ah, this part’s the issue. I’m not a specialist in that area, but I’ll arrange for it to be replaced.”

“Thank you. Then… may I go? When should I come back?”

“Our guild, once it’s officially approved—”

“No, I meant my weapon. When can I pick it up?”

“Oh, this? I’ll bring it with me when we have our first guild meeting.”

“Yes, thank you. My weapon.”

In the end, Son Jihwan only cared about his weapon. Sung Jiwoo sent him off with an expression caught between laughter and tears.

The remaining interviews were wrapped up rather perfunctorily. The accepted applications had long since been set aside.

After the long interview process ended, Sung Jiwoo looked over the applications and smiled in satisfaction.

And a few days later, a text message arrived from the Hunter Association.

[-[WEB Notice] <Korean Hunter Association> Guild ‘Radiance’ has been successfully registered.]