Back in the Vice Guild Master's office, I sank into the chair, practically reclining as I checked over the documents that needed handling.
"The urgent ones are the exploration request for the newly discovered C-rank dungeon, reinforcing our healer roster, and scouting promising talents, I suppose."
As for bringing in new healers, we could send an official request to the Hunter Association for help, or post on job sites ourselves. But honestly, with the Association, who knew when we'd get a response? There was no description of it in the novel, but civilian complaints were usually like that, right? Having dealt plenty of stress to civil servants with complaints before possessing this body, I wasn't thrilled about it.
So, putting up a standard job posting seemed like the better bet. Picking them myself would help build my own line in the guild, too. Not that I planned to clash with Guild Master Yoo Soo-jung or anything, but normalizing the guild meant changes were necessary.
And that promising talent scout thing. Pretty words for it, but it was just luring in fresh Awakeners like the current me as Lee Seo-woo or the protagonist Seo Ji-hyun—orphans who hadn't been Awakened long. Then squeezing them dry before 'disposing' of them.
It was such a vile practice that I hesitated to even bring anyone in, but what if I flipped it around? If I invested time to raise them properly, they could become reliable allies. It was a half-baked plan with no real strategy, but hey, think of it as a long-term big picture.
Anyway, I had a relationship with Guild Master Yoo Soo-jung that went beyond close—practically intimate—so things weren't likely to go south. The novel didn't delve deep, but she seemed more focused on growing the guild than making money. You could tell from the early parts that most guild operations were handled by Vice Guild Master Lee Seo-woo and the other executives. So she probably wouldn't object much to what I had in mind. If I played it right, I might even use it to weed out the ones tied to the guild's dark underbelly.
Once I cleaned house like that, I could bring Seo Ji-hyun back in, snuff out her revenge fire, and call it solved? Man, I just wanted to return to my original world now.
"Sigh..."
It wouldn't be that simple, though. I'd been hit with this brainless possession with zero hints about the purpose. I wasn't asking for a status window or anything—just tell me if I could go back or not. And while the novel skewed toward revenge as the main theme, the setting itself wasn't all that peaceful. Sure, compared to apocalypse stories, it was paradise, but forcing someone from peaceful 21st-century Korea to kill monsters? No wonder adaptation was tough.
At least I'd possessed Lee Seo-woo, a mage. That was a relief. I'd already heard my stomach wasn't the strongest, so fighting up close—with blood spraying and mangled flesh in view—might've had me puking all day. Which brought to mind the Hunter Association's request to explore the new dungeon. It was perfect. I needed to test my limits anyway, and as a C-rank, it wasn't too risky for an A-rank like Lee Seo-woo, but just right for solo clearing.
Still, it just made me sigh.
For now, I'd reply to the dungeon exploration request asking for the exact location and preferred date. The healer reinforcement and talent scout issues needed to be discussed with the Guild Master, so I'd handle those tomorrow. These seemed like the only pressing matters, so time to call it a day and head home.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"You're back, Vice Guild Master-nim?"
Had she heard the front door? Seo Ji-hyun was already waiting by the shoe rack in cozy sky-blue pajamas that looked soft and warm.
"Nothing happen?"
"Nope. Nothing special. Oh! The place felt too empty, so I ordered some diffusers to spruce it up."
"Uh, yeah. Good job."
She beamed as she said it, but since the novel only showed her as the crazy bitch, her mentioning diffusers caught me off guard. Come to think of it, she was just a woman in her early twenties. Maybe because I'd only seen her through the novel, it felt like an oddly sentimental touch.
"You haven't had dinner yet, right? Come in, wash up. The chicken I ordered earlier just arrived. Let's eat together."
"Chicken sounds good."
Before possessing, as a college kid scraping by on part-time jobs, chicken had been a luxury, so the word alone made my mouth water. I kicked off my shoes to head in when Seo Ji-hyun suddenly blocked my path.
"First..."
-Smack!
"You have to say welcome home."
"Got it. I'm home, Ji-hyun."
We crossed arms and pulled her into a tight hug, burying my face in her shoulder.
"Mmm... This isn't half bad sometimes."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, Oppa. Go wash up quick."
"Alright."
Chicken was waiting, so I showered fast, changed into pajamas, and came out to find her already set with my plate and a canned beer on the table. More than that, this world had the classic green cans. Wonder if they had blue ones too. Got me curious.
"Here, Oppa! Cheers before we dig in!"
Her urging beer right as I sat was so cute I couldn't help smiling.
"Alright. Cheers."
As I chugged it back, a thought hit me: Hunters had mana constantly circulating, so they rarely got drunk, right? Was it just for the taste?
"Ahh..."
"Knew chilling it in the fridge was smart. Nice and cold, huh?"
"Yeah. Perfect."
Maybe it had been ages since my last beer, but we'd emptied a can each before even touching the chicken. Only after grabbing fresh ones from the fridge did we eat and chat.
"So, Guild Master-nim still doesn't suspect?"
"Not yet. Not to brag, but she trusts me a lot."
"Guess I'll keep staying at your place then."
"Bear with it a bit, even if it's inconvenient. I've got plans."
"No inconvenience at all. I just feel bad for you, Oppa. Plans?"
"This guild's been doing to others what they did to you—for a while. Plan is to take out the ones involved."
"How?"
"I'll fill the healer gap from your absence by hiring myself, and take over that so-called promising talent scout racket from now on."
The chicken was long gone by then, and as the talk dragged, the empty cans piled up from one, two... into double digits. Suddenly craving a smoke, I patted the table—no luck. Then it hit me I'd possessed this guy. I smacked my lips in regret.
"Hm? Something wrong?"
"Nah, just suddenly wanted a cig..."
"You smoked too, Oppa?"
Oh, right—didn't Lee Seo-woo smoke?
"Uh, lately yeah."
"Hmm..."
-Thud!
I startled at the sound of impact, finding my face planted on the table. Not just falling asleep unnoticed, but waking to the smack of my own head? A dog passing by would laugh.
"You seem pretty wasted, Vice Guild Master-nim. Face is all red too."
"Y-yeah... Guess so."
Seo Ji-hyun peered at me with worry. My flush was from embarrassment more than booze, but my head felt foggy, sleepy too. If my head had drooped without me noticing, yeah, I was drunk. Hunters weren't supposed to get wasted easy. Guess Lee Seo-woo had a weak tolerance.
"I'll clean up. You head in and rest."
"Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. I'm freeloading and costing you money. Least I can do."
Not blackout drunk, since I stood without much wobble, but my mind was hazy from earlier. Best to follow her advice, hit the sack quietly. I got up and headed to my room.
"Failed again this time."
Something from behind got drowned in dish clatter—I barely heard it. Feeling off anyway, probably misheard.