IH Ch 91

Chapter 91

“That was a great decision. The new hunters will be absolutely thrilled!”

Ahn Yuna clapped her hands, looking truly delighted. Watching her bounce on the spot, Jae-i frowned slightly, wondering what on earth warranted that much excitement. Regardless, when Ahn Yuna saw the signature confirming Hwang Jae-i’s agreement to host the next quarter’s seminar, she glanced at it again and muttered to herself.

“I used to wonder when our guildmaster would finally grow up. I guess hitting a new decade really does change a person.”

Should I just cancel the whole seminar?

He seriously considered doing just that, but held himself back. Ahn Yuna, brimming with energy, went on to handle the scheduling, while Hwang Jae-i stood off to the side with his arms crossed. Then, a few employees in the office cautiously nodded at him. Fixing his gaze on them, Jae-i gave the slightest nod—barely noticeable. Immediately, someone knocked over their glass with a clatter.

“Gasp!”

Startled, the employee quickly scrambled to clean up the mess.

The others stared blankly, wondering if the guildmaster had really acknowledged their greeting. Feeling a twinge of regret for acting out of character, Jae-i inwardly scolded himself. Of course, his expression remained unchanged, so no one could have guessed what he was thinking.

As Ahn Yuna bent over her desk, entering the next quarter’s schedule into the system, she muttered aloud.

“But why the sudden change of heart?”

“……”

Was there really any need to ask?

Jae-i feigned ignorance, but Ahn Yuna—sensing that he hadn’t left despite having no further business—snuck a glance at him. Perhaps because she’d gotten what she wanted, her expression now looked relaxed, which only irritated him further. Still, holding it in, Hwang Jae-i opened his mouth.

“…Make a reservation at that restaurant.”

“Sorry?”

“That samgyeopsal* place.”

“……”

Ahn Yuna was clearly caught off guard by those words. Her eyes widened as she straightened up and stared at Hwang Jae-i in disbelief, then asked for confirmation.

“You want to go eat samgyeopsal?”

“……”

The reason Jae-i had suddenly agreed to the seminar was, in fact, the restaurant reservation. Dohwa had seemed indifferent to the conversation after it ended, but Jae-i couldn’t stop thinking about the sharp words he’d spoken earlier. As lunchtime approached, he felt the need to feed Dohwa something. In the past, he might’ve simply called it even with breakfast and dessert, but not this time.

It had all started with one comment.

“Have you ever had samgyeopsal?”

At those words, Jae-i’s head snapped toward him. When Jae-i looked over, Dohwa averted his gaze and mumbled hesitantly,

“Just wondering, since you said restaurant. Is that the kind you grill on the hot plate?”

Though Dohwa hadn’t elaborated, it was clear he’d never eaten meat grilled directly on a hot plate at a restaurant. Once Jae-i realized that, the decision was simple. Where was a good place? He’d have to look it up, and that would take time. It seemed more efficient to just sign off on the seminar and—though not exactly as a condition—ask for help reserving a restaurant in return.

Given Ahn Yuna’s personality, she was bound to tease him with a weird expression like, What’s this about?

But to his surprise, Ahn Yuna simply grabbed her phone.

“Just a moment. I’ll call them right now.”

She made a call while also checking the office chat window. About two minutes later, Ahn Yuna spoke up.

“I’ve booked a room. I didn’t mention your name, guildmaster—I reserved it under the guild’s name.”

“…Is that so?”

He felt like he should say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come out. He tried to slip it in casually while asking about the location, but then Ahn Yuna said, “By the way,” and handed him a file.

“Maybe look through this when you’re alone, guildmaster?”

“……”

What now? He frowned, thinking she was trying to request something odd while booking the place. But he opened the file anyway. As he flipped through the front page somewhat roughly, one of his brows twitched upward. He had seen something unexpected. His eyes lifted without moving his head.

“I figured it might come in handy. Right?”

“……”

The file in Hwang Jae-i’s hand was a special recruitment announcement.

Guilds ranked among the top five in the country were granted certain privileges. One of them was the authority to recruit essential, helpful personnel through official procedures. Provided the individual hadn’t committed a serious crime, the guild could even grant them a new identity. The caveat was that the guild would bear full responsibility for that individual from then on.

Given Ahn Yuna was presenting this, there could be only one person she meant to recruit—Dohwa. Only then did Jae-i realize that Dohwa’s legal identity was still unresolved. They’d been together for so long, and with no contact from the Association or that bastard Kim Wi, he’d simply forgotten. But Dohwa’s identity and background still hadn’t been officially confirmed.

Still… maybe it didn’t matter anymore. If the Association hadn’t said anything by now, perhaps they wouldn’t in the future either. Maybe he could just keep Dohwa close without worrying about it.

“guildmaster.”

At her call, Jae-i looked down at Ahn Yuna.

“The Association and its President are people, and people are capable of turning their backs whenever it suits them. That’s why we need to take the right precautions now, so we don’t end up completely blindsided later.”

“……”

“I’m going to submit the application for review. If the Association doesn’t object, we can provide Mr. Dohwa with a new identity and recruit him officially under Jae-i Guild.”

From that point on, all authority regarding Dohwa’s identity and safety would lie with the guild. Fingering the file, Jae-i turned and left without a word.

The restaurant was a ten-minute walk or a three-minute drive from Jae-i Guild. Despite lunch hours having long passed, it was still crowded thanks to a recent grand opening and positive word-of-mouth. Jae-i and Dohwa were escorted to a private room at the back. It turned out the rumor that the restaurant owner was a fan of Hwang Jae-i was true. A sign at the entrance to the innermost room read: [Reserved for guildmaster Hwang Jae-i Only].

Honestly, he thought no one would dare step in with such a sign posted. Keeping his expression from twisting at the sight of it, Jae-i entered a nearby room. As he had requested in advance, slices of meat were already sizzling on the wide cast iron griddle. The table was filled with rice, stew, various side dishes, and fresh lettuce for wrapping.

The staff member grilling the meat inside looked surprised when only the two of them arrived. Maybe he’d expected a larger group given the amount of food. Wearing his glasses, Jae-i didn’t even glance at the worker and simply said,

“You can leave now.”

“If you need anything, please press the bell.”

As the staff member was about to exit, Jae-i handed him some cash from his pocket. The worker’s face brightened at the sight of the bills wedged between Jae-i’s fingers.

“Thank you! I’ll make sure no one comes near this area.”

A quick-witted employee. He politely accepted the tip, thanked them a few more times, and quietly shut the door behind him. Ahn Yuna had said earlier that tipping would make things smoother—and she was right. Everywhere he went, people usually took care of everything for him, so this was actually his first time tipping personally. A few bills were enough to get people to manage the surroundings, so it was convenient. He turned around.

“Take a seat…”

Jae-i stopped mid-sentence.

Dohwa was already standing near the table, eyes fixed on the sizzling samgyeopsal. His face was expressionless, but his eyes sparkled. Seeing that eager gaze, Jae-i pulled out a chair and tugged Dohwa gently by the arm.

Still slightly awkward, Dohwa took a seat but kept staring at the meat.

Jae-i sat down beside him and glanced over the table once more. And then…

“……”

He’d never been the one to take the initiative in a place like this before. All he had to do was sit, and people would do everything for him. But this time, it was his turn.

Scanning the table, Jae-i first grabbed a wet towel and took Dohwa’s hand. Startled, Dohwa looked embarrassed at being caught so mesmerized by the smell of roasting meat and gave an awkward smile.

“The meat smells really good.”

“……”

“Why is there so much food here?”

Good question. If it had been just enough for a single meal, Jae-i wouldn’t have felt so overwhelmed. Looking again at the griddle, Jae-i flinched. Worried, he picked up the tongs and flipped a piece of meat—only to reveal the underside had cooked too much.

“……”

Was it supposed to be cooked this much? He flipped over the rest of the meat on the griddle and debated whether to call the staff member back in. But if he did that, they wouldn’t be able to eat comfortably.

He knew that Dohwa only relaxed when they were alone. Even with someone like Ahn Yuna, whom he’d met often, Dohwa always remained awkward and stiff.

…Might as well just try. Jae-i placed a fully cooked piece of meat onto the plate in front of Dohwa.

“Eat.”

Dohwa immediately reached for it with his chopsticks. As always, he gripped the chopsticks like a fist, then suddenly let out a soft, “Oh.” Curious, Jae-i looked over—and saw Dohwa raising the chopsticks for him to see.