CHAPTER 45: THE BAD APPLE

WHEN WONHEE opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the familiar ceiling of her bedroom.

It took her a moment to remember that the last thing she saw was Tangerine Fairy.

[Right! What happened? Did I faint?]

"Wonhee-ya, you’re awake?"

Wonhee got up abruptly after hearing Yejun’s voice.

She looked around until she found him on the right side of the bed, kneeling on the floor.

And he wasn’t alone.

"Tangerine Fairy," Wonhee greeted the administrator who was sitting on top of Yejun’s head. "I thought it was a dream."

"No, it wasn’t a dream," Tangerine Fairy said. "I’m really here."

Wonhee just smiled and nodded, then she looked at Yejun curiously. "Yejun-ah, why are you kneeling there?"

"Soobin Hyung made me do it," Yejun said, tattling on Soobin like a child telling his mother that his friends bullied him. "He said he’ll test his new Mana bombs on my house and my guild’s building if I lay down next to you while you’re sleeping."

Oh.

[I’m glad Yejun listened. But I wonder what kind of experiments my oppa forced Yejun to go through for Yejun to be this traumatized...]

"Are you alright, Wonhee-ya?"

"I feel fine, but I wonder why I fainted?"

"You fainted because you suddenly activated The Sleeping Salon skill without enough preparations," Tangerine Fairy. "Chu Wonhee, The Sleeping Salon is an S-Grade skill, so you need enough Mana to maintain it."

"How do I get Mana?"

Tangerine Fairy bounced on top of Yejun’s head. "High-class Hunters like this one possess Mana. When they awakened, the System embedded a Mana Stone in their hearts known as the ’Core.’ It’s the Hunters’ source of power."

She tilted her head to one side. "So, I get Mana every time I touch Yejun?"

"Every time you guide him, yes," Tangerine Fairy corrected her. "Just because a Guide touches a Hunter doesn’t automatically activate ’Guiding Time.’ It happens when the Guide and the Hunter both consent to it."

Oh, right.

"The System implemented that law to prevent Hunters from taking advantage of Guides," Tangerine Fairy added. "Anyway, every time you guide Yejun, you gain Mana from it. The Hunters and the Guides have a give-and-take relationship, after all."

She nodded while absorbing everything Tangerine Fairy said.

"You can also gain Mana by drinking Mana potions," Tangerine Fairy said. "They’re expensive, but I’m sure money isn’t a problem to you. Moreover, the God Alchemist is your older sister."

Right?

[I really am born under the Lucky Star...]

"Okay, I got it," Wonhee said, taking mental notes. "It would be nice if I had a gauge meter, so I’d know if I have enough Mana to use my S-Grade skills."

"I’ll tell the System."

"Thank you," she said, then she changed the topic when she noticed Tangerine Fairy had nothing more to add. "By the way, where did Soobin Oppa go?"

"Soobin Hyung can’t enter your Sleeping Salon, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said. "Apparently, only naturally awakened S-Class Hunters can."

"Oh."

Soobin awakened as an A-Class Hunter, then later became an S-Class with the help of Geon’s guiding.

Only four people, so far, had awakened as an S-Class Hunter naturally in their country.

[And they’re the Big 4.]

"I see," Wonhee said, letting out a sigh. "I feel bad that I can’t guide Soobin Oppa..."

"Just guiding the Big 4 is enough for you to become the nation’s new treasure, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said, obviously delighted by the fact that he didn’t have to compete with more Hunters for her attention. "Anyway, I’m really sleepy now. Should we start our guiding time?"

"Oh, right," Wonhee said, then she looked around and found the Guestbook on the night table. "The System said you need to put your name here, Yejun," she informed her while opening the book. "I think this is like a logbook that records a hotel guest’s name and time of check-in... hmm?"

The Guestbook was far from a logbook.

It was a contract.

And the same contract was written on all pages.

Wonhee broke out in a cold sweat while reading the terms. "Yejun-ah, I think you need to sign this contract before you can use my Sleeping Salon. But the contract is only beneficial to me..."

"Really? Can you read it for me then?"

""To ensure S-Class Guide Chu Wonhee’s safety, Hunter blank must strictly comply with the following rules: First, the Hunter must not touch Chu Wonhee inappropriately and without consent. Second, the Hunter must not threaten or harm Chu Wonhee in any way. Third, the Hunter must obey every word Chu Wonhee says because, in the Sleeping Salon, Chu Wonhee’s words are the law. If the Hunter breaks any of these rules, the System gains the right to punish the Hunter the way it deems fit.""

Uhm, the contract was very unfair to the other party.

[It’s very favorable to me, but I don’t think anyone would agree with these crazy terms–]

"How do I sign the contract?"

Wonhee immediately raised her head and looked at Yejun in disbelief. "Yejun-ah, did you not hear the terms? They’re very unfair to you."

"It’s just common sense not to harm your Guide, so how is that unfair?"

"I’m particularly talking about the third rule when I said it was unfair. The third rule says my words become the law in the Sleeping Salon. Are you not scared that I might take advantage of you?"

"You’re gonna take advantage of me?" Yejun asked teasingly, a lazy smile forming on his lips. "It’s not "taking advantage" of me if I give my consent, right?"

Okay, that lazy smile of his was... sexy.

AHEM.

"Yejun-ah, take this seriously. Please."

"I’m being serious, Wonhee-ya," Yejun said, pointing at his body. His lazy (and sexy) smile was already gone, but the heat in his eyes was making Wonhee blush. "I give you my full consent to use my body in any way you like, anytime you want."

Wonhee covered her face with her hands because she was pretty sure she was as red as an apple now. "I-If you agree with the terms, then sign the contract so that I can tuck you in bed already."

"Okay," Yejun said, and Wonhee could hear the smile in his voice. But when Yejun talked to Tangerine Fairy, his tone changed and became cold. "You talking orange, how do I sign the contract?"

"I’m a tangerine and not an orange, you stupid X-Class Hunter," Tangerine Fairy said, and then it scoffed. "Your thumbprint should suffice, but since you made my non-existent ear bleed from your cringe-ass lines, let’s draw your blood, Hwang Yejun."

Pfft.

***

"HEE-YA!"

"Hee-ya is in the bedroom with Hwang Frost, Noona," Soobin said when he greeted Semi at the door. "You’re quick. Did you finish raiding the dungeon already? It’s only been a few days. The news said it was an A-Class dungeon, so I was expecting you to return after a week."

"The dungeon hasn’t been closed yet," Semi said. "I just used a Mana Stone to escape."

A Mana Stone was the type of gem found in dungeons.

Thanks to the blueprint that Hwang Frost retrieved before, Soobin was able to create Mana Stones that could bring any person out of the dungeon.

Unfortunately, creating Mana Stones with a teleportation function was difficult.

Hence, the maximum number of people a single Mana Stone could bring out was three.

[But that type costs a lot and only APA and the Four Seasons Guild can afford it. The smaller guilds can barely afford Mana Stones that can only bring out a single person.]

"The boss in that dungeon isn’t something my ability can handle, but the ability of my team’s tank works against the monster well, so I left it to him. My team members said they could handle the rest, and then they urged me to return here," Semi said, sitting on the couch as if she owned the place. "How’s our Hee-ya?"

Soobin sat on the accent chair across from Semi. "A lot of things happened while you were away, Noona. But can I start with the thing that bothers me the most?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Apparently, our Hee-ya’s S-Grade skills only work on naturally awakened S-Class Hunters."

"Oh, so she can only guide the Big 4. It’s good for me, but I feel bad for you since you worked hard to level up and become an S-Class Hunter, Soobin-ah. I think you deserve to be guided by the first S-Class Hunter in the world, too."

"I’ll be fine since Geon is enough for me, Noona. But I’m afraid the System is planning to make our Hee-ya take care of every member of the Big 4."

"Isn’t it better that our Hee-ya is only required to take care of four Hunters instead of... oh," Semi paused when the realization finally hit her, then she frowned. "Song Moonho, that snake-like bastard, is also a member of the Big 4."

"Graham’s head is empty most of the time, so he’s easy to handle. Hwang Frost is dangerous, but he treats our Hee-ya well," Soobin said, sighing. "But Song Moonho is a cold-hearted bastard who only cares about himself, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he sells out our Hee-ya to APA as soon as he discovers our Hee-ya’s hidden skills."

***

[IF VILLAIN is bad, why hot?]

Yool wanted to punch himself when that cringe-y meme line crossed his mind when a tall, well-built, and ridiculously handsome man greeted him when he opened the door.

He was about to leave his apartment to seek "refuge" in Graham’s apartment next door.

Hence, the huge backpack on his back.

"You must be Gong Yool-ssi."

Fuck.

[Even his voice is so fucking sexy.]

The man, who was dressed in a crisp three-piece suit like the VIP that he was, put his hands in his pockets while looking at Yool from head to toe.

Yool did the same.

Light golden brown hair.

Dark orange eyes that almost looked red.

[This is definitely Song Moonho– the Master of the Autumn Guild, and the main antagonist in Graham and Ahn Kisoo’s story.]

Most of all, Song Moonho...

[... is the most handsome forty-year-old ahjussi1 I’ve seen in my entire life.]

"You’re really a Civilian, huh?" Song Moonho asked, his glowing red eyes now intently focused on Yool’s face. "But how come your soul–"

Yool slammed the door in Song Moonho’s face.

The fuck?

Did Song Moonho really say something about Yool’s soul?

How come?

Oh, wait.

Yool let out a soft gasp. "Right– that Ahjussi is a Necromancer..."

""Ahjussi?" That hurts."

Yool felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up when he heard Song Moonho’s voice behind him.

Yes, behind him– like a ghost.

[It’s his ’Ghost Mode Skill!’]

"Am I that old for you to address me as ’Ahjussi?’"

"Well, you’re already forty-years old, Ahjussi," Yool said, trying to act and sound cool even though he was in full panic mode inside. "It’s awkward for me to address you as ’hyung’ since I’m only twenty-five years old."

"Are you?"

Yool scoffed and lied confidently. "Do you want to see my birth certificate?"

[I’m originally in my thirties already, but why does it sound like this ahjussi knows my real age?!]

Fucking scary.

Yool quickly opened the door in an attempt to run away.

But Song Moonho grabbed him by the neck.

[As expected, the more handsome the villain is, the crueler they are.]

"Yool-ssi, it’s rude for the owner of the house to leave his guest unattended," Song Moonho said in a polite yet obviously sarcastic voice. "Why don’t you make me a cup of coffee, then let’s talk?"

Ah, fuck it.

Who was he kidding? A mere Civilian like him had no way of winning against an evil Hunter who was also a member of the Big 4.

[Maybe it’s not that bad to die at the hands of a hot villain?]

Yool shut his eyes tight while letting out a frustrated sigh, already resigning himself to his doomed fate. "Ahjussi, I only have instant coffee here, okay?"

***

NOTE: THE BIG 4 IS COMPLETE! *throws confetti*

Jang Semi (God Alchemist)--- Spring Guild

Song Moonho (The Necromancer)--- Autumn Guild

Han Graham (Flame Thrower)--- Summer Guild

Hwang Frost/Yejun (Ice Lord)--- Winter Guild

***

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Ahjussi is like ’mister,’ a term used by younger people to address middle-aged people.