Chapter 5

#5. KH Guild

‘As expected, it’s because of me.’

The photo shoot, which was supposed to be a simple task that could be finished in an hour, dragged on, and in the end, I was cut. The assistant said it wasn’t my fault, but as expected, it was because of me.

“Mr. Jae-hyun. If you say it like that...”

The PR manager held his forehead. Because Jae-hyun had only conveyed the message to go home, cutting out all the context, his head ached.

He couldn’t use the photos, but he had no intention of sending away someone who had worked hard for hours. Moreover, he was a guild member’s family. Instead of cutting him as a model, he planned to give him a compensation that wouldn’t make him feel bad.

He had tried to explain this to Jae-hyun in advance to wrap things up nicely, but this was the result of his efforts.

* * *

“...Please finish eating.”

The PR manager, who was about to explain, closed his mouth and hurriedly left, saying to eat.

Jae-in felt somewhat resentful of the sandwich in his hand.

* * *

Jae-hyun stopped Jae-in, who was about to get up embarrassed, and carefully took care of the sandwich and drink.

The photo shoot ended as expected with his brother being cut, but he wasn’t in a bad mood. He had already gotten everything he could from the modeling job.

“Take it, brother. Eat it before going home, we need to stop by the guild.”

“Why are we stopping by the guild?”

“Hehe. I negotiated to get compensation instead of being cut as a model.”

“But I was the one who couldn’t do it, why would I get compensation?”

“Brother, you didn’t do anything wrong. You were too good, that’s why you were cut.”

To be precise, it was because he was too handsome, but it amounted to the same thing.

Jae-hyun was proud of himself for canceling the meeting and staying on set. If he hadn’t been there, they would have just added a little more to the original pay.

But thanks to Jae-hyun’s keen eyes, they received the pay and additional compensation. Getting one item from the guild’s warehouse that even ordinary people could use was not a bad harvest.

“Do you want to see our guild while we’re here?”

“Later. I’m a bit tired.”

“Got it. Then let’s just get the compensation and go home.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

He thought modeling would just involve changing clothes a few times and standing there, but it wasn’t easy. It consumed more energy than he expected. He had been tense the whole time, trying not to miss the photographer’s instructions, and his body felt stiff.

“Was modeling fun? Was it doable?”

“There’s no such thing as an easy job, really.”

“Of course. So, would you do it again if there’s another modeling job?”

“No. I might do it alone, but I’ll pass on working with others.”

“Ha! You didn’t say you wouldn’t do it at all. It wasn’t that bad, huh?”

“Well, the pay...”

Jae-in felt embarrassed, recalling how many times he had refused. But he decided to be honest. Two hours of preparation, three hours of shooting. A total of five hours for 500,000 won. He wouldn’t refuse a part-time job that paid 100,000 won per hour unless he was hit in the head.

Although changing outfits multiple times and continuously changing poses was tiring, compared to other jobs that were more exhausting and paid less, this was much better.

‘A good beauty medicine would be better. I can get health supplements later.’

While Jae-in was thinking about the difficulties and pay of modeling, Jae-hyun was considering what compensation to bring from the guild’s warehouse. He could only take one item that ordinary people could use, so he had to choose carefully.

He was careful but had already decided to choose a potion. His brother seemed to have a constitution that absorbed medicine well. He also thought about choosing something that would help with beauty.

‘Yeah. If my brother doesn’t need anything else, I’ll get a beauty potion. I want to see how handsome he can get.’

He realized from the previous photo shoot that being too handsome made people treat him with more respect. If he was moderately handsome, people might try to approach him like a forbidden fruit, but if he was seriously handsome, they wouldn’t dare to come close and would only look from a distance.

This situation suited his brother, who didn’t particularly enjoy socializing with others.

* * *

The KH Guild building was located in the outskirts, far from the city center. The complex included the guild building, dormitories, a gym, and convenience facilities like a cafe and a convenience store. It seemed they chose a wide area in the outskirts because of the additional facilities.

Jae-in had thought his younger brother was too young to live independently, but seeing these facilities, he realized it was worth it.

“The PR manager said he would pass on the message.”

“Yes, I received the call. Here are your access card and exit permit.”

“Thank you. By the way, has the Alexa team returned?”

“Yes, they arrived a while ago and went up to report.”

“Phew! We need to hurry.”

Jae-in, who put on the access card around his neck, felt a burning sensation all over his body. Perhaps because he was a civilian visiting a place full of Awakened, he felt intense gazes from all directions, making him want to shrink.

“Just ignore the looks. Brother, let’s go.”

“Uh, uh.”

Jae-hyun pushed his hesitant brother’s back and led him into the elevator. If they delayed any longer, everyone in the building would come down. Especially Alexa, the team leader of the Alexa team, who approached anyone, regardless of gender, if they were pretty or handsome, had to be avoided.

‘I shouldn’t have brought him. I should have taken care of it myself.’

Guild members fought with ugly and disgusting monsters every day. That’s why they rushed to anyone who was pretty or handsome. Bringing his brother, who was exceptionally handsome, to a place full of such people was clearly a mistake.

“Can I go into the guild’s warehouse with you? Isn’t it a no-entry zone for outsiders?”

“There’s a separate private warehouse. The place we’re going to has been visited by other guild members’ families many times.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s one of the guild’s strengths. They often give items that ordinary people can use as bonuses to ensure their families are safe so they can work without worry.”

By the time he finished saying that many of the items at home were received this way, the elevator had arrived at the desired floor.

“Later, brother. If you ever Awaken, come to our guild. I’ll take good care of you.”

“Take care of me?”

“Don’t brush it off. If you really Awaken, come to our guild. If you come to our guild, I’ll get rid of all the annoying people for you.”

“Okay. If I Awaken, I’ll do that.”

He didn’t particularly want to Awaken, having seen the worst cases, but he didn’t show it to his brother. Seeing his brother already determined to take care of him even before he Awakened, he let it be.

* * *

After entering the warehouse by inputting the guild member code and the authorization number from the exit permit, the warehouse was brighter and cleaner than expected. He had imagined a dusty, cluttered scene, but it was well-organized by type and item, probably because it was managed by a company.

“Brother, if you don’t need anything specific, let’s choose a potion.”

“Potion?”

“Even if it’s not as good as the secret warehouse, there are many beneficial items here. There are quite a few things that are hard to find outside.”

“Really? I don’t need anything specific. Can you choose for me?”

“I knew you’d say that. Wait here. I’ll choose something good for you.”

Among the items obtained by other teams, there was a Jujube berry. It looked like a jujube but couldn’t be eaten raw and required processing. Fortunately, KH Guild had a skilled craftsman who could process dungeon items.

“There it is.”

“Is that the potion you mentioned?”

“Yes. It looks strange, but it’s valuable. The ingredients are rare.”

“Indeed, it does look strange.”

Seeing the sticky, dark red liquid, Jae-in regretted asking him to choose. It resembled the liquid in blood sausage, which even he, who didn’t pick his food, hesitated to eat.

In addition to the health benefits like improving organ function and removing waste from the blood, it also seemed to brighten the eyes and improve skin elasticity. Jae-hyun’s explanation didn’t stop as he handed the bottle to Jae-in, who was hesitant.

* * *

After picking up the item, the two went through the same authorization process to leave the warehouse.

His brother seemed quite pleased with the Jujube berry potion. He was happy all the way from the elevator to the lobby, regardless of Jae-in’s reluctant expression.

“Angel! Where’s my angel?”

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, Jae-hyun’s brows furrowed. Despite hurrying, Alexa had already finished her report and was in the lobby.

“Brother, stay behind me.”

“Why?”

“There’s a pervert in front. Hide without drawing attention.”

“P-Perv?”

Jae-in peeked over his brother’s shoulder.

The lobby was more crowded than before they went to the warehouse. People of various races and ages were gathered in groups. Although they looked worn out, as if they had just fought, they didn’t look like perverts.

“Who’s the pervert?”

“Everyone. They’re all perverts.”

“...Aren’t they guild members?”

“Yes. I know them well. They’re all perverts. Especially that red-haired one, he’s the king of perverts. He called our team member. Let’s wait for our team member to come out and then leave.”

“...”

Why did the guild members get such a bad reputation? Jae-in couldn’t understand, but he decided to wait behind his brother as instructed. He didn’t think he would go unnoticed, though.

“Disgusting. If you’re done with your report, go back quickly. Why are you lingering there?”

Seeing his brother click his tongue, Jae-in thought he should be the one clicking his tongue. The guild members in the lobby didn’t look like perverts, and he couldn’t understand why his brother was acting this way.

* * *

Meanwhile, a group was rushing out of the guild building’s adjacent dormitory. They were the Striker team members, including Jae-hyun, who had received a request that wasn’t an SOS.

The team leader, Park Yeon-hwa, the dealer Sean, and another dealer, Kim Na-eun, responded to the request, but none of them intended to help Jae-hyun. They were going to get him in trouble for canceling the afternoon meeting.

“Team leader, where is that shameless Jae-hyun?”

“He said he’s trapped in the building with other guild members and needs help.”

“Really? Is our guild that rich? I knew we were rich, but I didn’t think we were rich enough to rebuild the guild building. Which crazy guild member trapped him? Is the building going to collapse?”

“He’s not alone; he’s with his brother.”

Jae-hyun’s brother? The one he said was so handsome that he never showed a photo and kept hidden?

The team leader’s explanation made Sean and Kim Na-eun’s eyes light up. They had heard Jae-hyun brag about his brother so much. They had always asked to see him, but he always refused. Now they had a chance. They planned to properly evaluate him since they were here.

“Oh, that’s what it was.”

“What do you mean?”

“Earlier, the group chat was in an uproar about an incredibly handsome person visiting the guild. It seems that was Jae-hyun’s brother.”

“Hmm. But our guild members have low standards. They call anyone slightly handsome an angel or a statue. I don’t know if I can trust their judgment.”

“That’s true, but not for Jae-hyun.”

The Striker team members, who faced hideous monsters for half the week, had low beauty standards. They would praise anyone who looked decent without any flaws. Jae-hyun was the only one who couldn’t understand such guild members.

“Still, isn’t it a bit overkill to call us? Is the situation that serious?”

“It might be. If he’s bringing his brother, it must be serious.”

“Well, we’ll see when we get there.”

It must be a situation he can’t handle alone. Otherwise, Jae-hyun wouldn’t have called them to be with his brother. Thinking this, they hurried to the guild building.

* * *

Suddenly, the front glass of the guild building shattered, and someone rolled out onto the ground.