Chapter 26: The Peacock’s Apology

Shin Ji-ho frowned as Seon Tae-woong entered the room, holding a potion gift set. Seon Tae-woong was dressed impeccably. Honestly, a little *too* impeccably. His attire, from head to toe, was adorned in luxury brands. He certainly stood out, much like a male peacock displaying its feathers to a potential mate. It seemed he had only focused on individual expensive pieces, as the overall ensemble was a mess, making him look rather comical. The large belt emblazoned with a prominent metal logo at his waist was the crowning absurdity.

“Uh, Shin Ji-ho. Long time no see?”

“What’s with the getup?”

Ji-ho had retorted sarcastically, almost instinctively. Tae-woong, who had been walking in with a shy expression, immediately flushed crimson.

“Damn it, I dress up and you still complain…”

“…”

“…Is it weird?”

When Ji-ho nodded, Tae-woong meekly pulled a coat from his inventory pocket and put it on. It was significantly better once covered.

Reminding himself that Tae-woong hadn’t come to pick a fight, Ji-ho led him to a seat. While Ji-ho personally brewed and served tea, Tae-woong furtively glanced around Noname’s Guild Leader’s office, a place he was visiting for the first time.

“It’s more ordinary than I expected.”

“What’s wrong with ordinary?”

“You’re a chaebol, aren’t you?”

“Hmm…”

Ji-ho’s words trailed off vaguely. While his family was indeed wealthy, Cheongram was by no means a conglomerate large enough to rank among the top businesses. Of course, with the rapid rise of the Cheongram Guild, their parent company, Cheongram, was also quickly expanding its scale.

He had lived comfortably, never wanting for anything, but he had never lived extravagantly either. His parents were relatively frugal, and the only significant expenses were Ji-ho’s medical bills. Ji-ho himself had never spent a large sum of money before establishing the guild.

However, saying so would only sound like a privileged complaint, so Ji-ho held his tongue. After all, it was true that he had lived more abundantly than most.

“That’s not what I came to talk about…”

Noticing Ji-ho’s slight discomfort, Tae-woong awkwardly scratched his head.

“As I mentioned last time, I brought some gifts. Here, a health potion set and… a few C-grade pieces of equipment.”

Seon Tae-woong set down the beautifully packaged potion gift set, then fumbled in his inventory pocket, pulling out more items. Ji-ho’s eyes quickly scanned the equipment. As Seon Tae-woong had said, most were C-grade equipment, but one A-grade item, whose effects were yet to be appraised, was mixed in.

[Bluebell Pierce]

[Although it’s a probabilistic item, considering the limited means of magic power recovery, it’s quite a good item. It seems useful enough for Seon Tae-woong himself to use.]

‘Should I tell him and return it?’

“Thank you. Honestly, what you gave me last time was already more than enough.”

“Uh, well… I actually announced I’d bring a gift, and I wanted to give something grand from the guild. But my sister, no, the Vice Guild Leader, talked me out of it. So I raided the department store with my own money. I bought it at, uh, Cheongram Department Store.”

“Ah, I see.”

Seon Tae-hee, the Vice Guild Leader of Apollo. Though an ordinary person, her competence was undeniable. They often said if Cheongram had Shin Ji-hye among S-grade guilds, then Apollo had Seon Tae-hee among A-grade guilds. Seon Tae-hee was the one who had contributed to solidifying Apollo into a substantial guild.

Given her swift calculations of profit and loss, one could only imagine her shock upon hearing that Tae-woong had given away an entire S-grade magic stone. Though Ji-ho had never met Seon Tae-hee personally, it was obvious from all he’d heard about her. She must have berated and nagged Seon Tae-woong mercilessly for acting so recklessly.

In any case, if these were items bought from Cheongram Department Store under the guise of C-grade equipment, there was no need to return them. The only one incurring a loss here was Cheongram Department Store. Ultimately, if the equipment ended up with Ji-ho, his family, as the owners of Cheongram Department Store, would gladly part with items of this caliber.

“No more, really. I’ve received enough help. That magic stone also sold for a significant sum.”

“That’s why my sister got even angrier… She said Joo Yi-won would have bought it for 30 billion no matter what I gave him.”

“Hmm…”

In truth, that magic stone was SS-grade, not S-grade, and Joo Yi-won had purchased it knowing its true value. Revealing the truth would only further infuriate Seon Tae-hee, so Ji-ho decided to remain silent once again.

“I, I couldn’t bring much in terms of gifts… but if you need any other help, just say the word. I’ll assist you.”

“Yes, thank you.”

When Ji-ho offered a polite thank you, Tae-woong frowned. Then, leaning forward, he whispered in a low voice, as if sharing a secret.

“I’m not just saying that. Our guild often provides support… Let’s cooperate at a guild level. If you need it, I’ll send as many of our guild members to assist you as you want.”

“Cooperation, huh?”

Seeing Tae-woong’s serious expression, Ji-ho felt an inexplicable urge to smile. For the past year, he had only ever seen Tae-woong’s rude behavior. Though Tae-woong still occasionally let slip a thoughtless remark, it was remarkable to see him now, generally tense and cautious in his interactions with Shin Ji-ho.

Tae-woong, who had disliked Ji-ho based on the logic of power, was now treating Ji-ho cautiously, also based on the logic of power. While his actions were consistent, from Ji-ho’s perspective, having been subjected to his bullying, a perverse sense of satisfaction also arose.

Ji-ho leaned back comfortably on the sofa, merely curving his lips into a smile. In contrast, Tae-woong flinched, seeing Ji-ho’s eyes that held no trace of amusement.

“Well, what do you suggest?”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. Just that you’ve been so dismissive until now.”

Tae-woong’s eyes widened. Ji-ho watched silently as Tae-woong’s lips merely parted, unable to deny the truth. In the past, Shin Ji-ho would have been the one in need, so he would have immediately taken Seon Tae-woong’s outstretched hand, pride be damned. But now, perhaps a little bit of petty mischief wouldn’t hurt?

Ji-ho, having thought that far, let out a sigh. Seeing this, Tae-woong flinched again, feeling unnecessarily pricked. Regardless, Ji-ho was engaged in self-reflection. He hadn’t been this mischievous before, but it seemed the past year had somewhat corrupted him. He had spoken his mind completely, yet given Tae-woong’s personality, he might not be able to endure it any longer and just storm out.

Ji-ho braced himself to accept whatever Tae-woong might say, or even if he simply got angry and stormed out without a word. For the duration of two full sweeps of the second hand, Tae-woong remained silent, before finally parting his lips with difficulty.

“Back then, I…”

“…”

“I, I’m sorry. For acting like a… like a dog. It won’t happen again.”

“That’s enough then.”

Cutting off the words that threatened to follow, Ji-ho succinctly concluded the matter. Given Tae-woong’s immense pride, even these few words must have required considerable courage. For a man whose daily life consisted of acting tough and putting on airs, this was quite an effort.

Furthermore, putting aside personal feelings, maintaining a good relationship with Seon Tae-woong, the leader of the solid A-grade guild Apollo, was beneficial. Especially given Apollo’s characteristic of frequently assisting other guilds, there would likely be many opportune times to receive help.

Perhaps unaccustomed to apologizing, Seon Tae-woong’s entire face was flushed crimson. Not only his face, but his ears and neck were also red as he gasped, taking rough breaths.

“Th-thank you for accepting my apology.”

“It’s nothing, really. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“No, I truly am grateful. I, I want to enter a dungeon with you again someday…!”

Tae-woong stammered as he exclaimed, his words sounding like a scene from a youth drama. ‘Was asking to work together again really something to say with such solemnity?’ Ji-ho wondered, but if Tae-woong felt that way, it was certainly a welcome development for him. The support of Apollo’s Guild Leader, no less!

“Yes, I’ll look forward to it next time.”

“Oh, oh. Right.”

Tae-woong, fumbling his reply, covered his face with his hand. He seemed aware that he was acting strangely. Rubbing his flushed face, Tae-woong sighed.

“Back then, I truly felt like I was going to die, but using the skill you gave me… it was really, truly amazing. I want to experience that again…”

“Oh, really?”

Ji-ho recalled Seon Tae-woong’s appearance at the time, quite intoxicated by power. Come to think of it, Im Seung-ju had a rather similar reaction. Combat-oriented hunters revered power. Even if they seemed no different from before in normal circumstances, most became belligerent during combat.

While there were only conjectures about whether awakening itself affected one’s personality, most hunters undeniably pursued strength. The higher the grade, the stronger this tendency became. Perhaps A-grade hunters like Seon Tae-woong and Im Seung-ju were even more powerfully captivated in that moment.

Given Ji-ho’s somewhat ambiguous reaction, Tae-woong added more.

“Also, I just met Hunter Im Seung-ju a little while ago and heard something… He said that while receiving your skill, not only his stats but the skill efficiency itself seemed to increase. So…”

“Ah, right.”

Ji-ho replied as if he already knew, yet this was entirely new information to him. ‘What? This is completely new to me. Why didn’t Im Seung-ju say anything?’ Indeed, they weren’t close enough to share every trivial detail about their experiences. But to keep quiet with Ji-ho, the Guild Leader and the one who provided the skill, and only tell Tae-woong? Such uncooperative behavior was problematic.

Since he had already marked Im Seung-ju as a continuous asset, perhaps he should make an effort to improve their relationship. He decided to ponder this new concern after the re-evaluation of his grade. It seemed as though he was postponing everything until after the re-evaluation, but it was a crucial assessment where Ji-ho would exert his full strength, so there was no alternative.

For now, Ji-ho simply smiled at Tae-woong, who was flushed crimson up to his neck. His smile conveyed a clear message: ‘I am not uncomfortable with you; I want to go with you.’

“Of course, I’d be glad if you came with me. Let’s go together next time.”

At Ji-ho’s words, Tae-woong visibly relaxed.

“Alright, you can ask me for anything too.”

“Then, may I ask for one thing?”

Despite his bold words, Seon Tae-woong flinched slightly.

“…As long as it doesn’t cost too much money.”

It seemed Seon Tae-hee had thoroughly reprimanded him. Ji-ho, having already received an SS-grade magic stone, had no intention of asking for more financial compensation.

“Of course, it won’t cost money.”

‘Just a very small favor.’

Ji-ho grinned.