Chapter 53

EP.53 Companion (3)

The next evening.

We had a light meal and arrived at the auction house.

This was a building that was entirely an auction house.

"Wow... It's huge."

Kim Chae-eun muttered, looking at the massive building.

A building that seemed to pierce the sky with its height.

She raised her head in a daze, slowly admiring the grand architecture.

...She might bump into someone passing by.

Sure enough.

Another group trying to enter the auction house passed by her.

I lightly grabbed Kim Chae-eun's shoulder and pulled her towards us.

"...Huh?"

"Look ahead."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks…."

Jeong Seon-young looked at us with a fond smile.

"You can. When I first came, I was also surprised by how big the auction house was."

"Senior, you often come to the auction house, don't you?"

"Of course. Especially for disaster monster hunters like me, we come more often. If you time it right, you can get good items at surprisingly low prices."

If you join a clan, getting such equipment support would be no problem.

And Jeong Seon-young is an A-rank Holder.

I scratched my head and asked her.

"Senior, you don't join a clan?"

"Clans are boring. It's tiring to see Holders who should focus on runes involved in politics."

"You consistently participate in disaster monster hunts."

"That's something someone has to do, isn't it?"

Jeong Seon-young had a firm philosophy as a Holder.

I will personally protect the citizens!

It wasn't that I felt a surge of such a sense of justice...

But it seemed she had no regrets about the path and actions she had chosen.

She was a senior with many things to learn from as a fellow Holder.

"Please present your Holder registration card and admission ticket."

After entering the building.

When we arrived at the simply decorated entrance.

A staff member in a suit politely said.

We handed over three admission tickets.

Jeong Seon-young and I, who had hunted an S-rank disaster monster together, had an additional 'Raid Participation Confirmation' certified by the association written on our admission tickets.

"One general admission, two special admissions. Confirmed. Welcome to the Daegu branch of the Korean Holder Auction House."

With the staff member's permission, we entered the interior.

Even after entering, Kim Chae-eun looked around.

"But it's really amazing..."

"What is?"

"I thought the auction house would be like a stadium."

"Phew- Like the Colosseum?"

"Yeah! But the inside is just ordinary... like other buildings."

Jeong Seon-young looked at Kim Chae-eun fondly.

"Don't be too disappointed. The 4th and 5th floors, where the auctions take place, are probably decorated as you imagined. The auction scale is so large that two floors are used entirely as the auction space."

Kim Chae-eun, a fervent admirer of hers, clasped her hands together.

"Then, can I participate in the auction with Senior?"

"Y-Yeah... People with a group can participate with up to four people."

"Wow! I'm relieved. I thought we'd have to split up."

The Daegu auction house, fitting its size, has a diverse layout by floor.

The 1st floor is the entrance and reception.

The 2nd and 3rd floors are direct item sales spaces.

Holders can directly purchase various equipment and special items needed, and the wide space offers a diverse range of items.

The 4th and 5th floors, as Jeong Seon-young mentioned,

are integrated into one space as the auction area.

So the auction house is arranged like a large auditorium or art hall, with tiered seating for auction participants.

Going up further, there are many spaces for convenience, such as collection areas, rest areas, and restaurants for Holders.

The building is composed of 13 floors in total.

It truly lived up to the scale of a giant auction house.

It is said to be the second largest in size after the main branch in Seoul.

"Our seats seem to be over there."

Upon entering the 4th floor, we saw rows of chairs without end.

I pointed to the seats at the very top.

It was a space where a group of four could sit.

"That's probably it. Let's go over there and sit down."

"Yes, Senior."

The interior seats of the auction house were surprisingly clean.

Comfortable chairs and tables.

On top of them, a green buzzer and a microphone.

And a digital screen was set up to display information about the items.

Since it was my first time at an auction house, I found all these things as interesting as Kim Chae-eun did.

"Fortunately, it's not an auction where you have to hold up number plates."

"That's an old-fashioned auction."

The three of us sat down and chatted about various things.

After about 30 minutes,

Holders who adorned Korea started to fill the seats, and soon the majority of the seats were occupied, and all the auction participants had gathered.

Then, a person who seemed to be the auctioneer and a few staff members came out to the hall and greeted everyone.

-Hello, Holders who adorn Korea. I am Kim Hyun-woo, who will be in charge of the 117th Korean Holder Auction. Before we start the actual auction, I will briefly explain the auction procedure.

The auctioneer, after a light greeting, continued while displaying a document on the beam projector.

-This auction will proceed in an open competitive bidding format. Holders can participate in the auction using the buzzer and microphone at your seat, and you must bid a higher price than the current one for the item you wish to purchase. If the final price remains unchanged until I call out the price three times, the item will be sold at that final price.

After that, some explanations were made.

Each item has a minimum order price set...

This will vary for each item...

The auction will not be interrupted due to personal matters... and so on.

These were general and basic rules for the auction.

After the somewhat boring explanations were over.

-Now, let's begin the 117th Korean Holder Auction. The first auction item.

The auctioneer finally announced the start of the auction.

Soon, a few staff members carefully brought out the items, and the digital screens at the seats displayed the information of the first item.

* * *

Moon Ga-eun doubted her ears.

She had heard something strange from her usually taciturn friend.

"Already recruited?"

"I told you. As an intern."

"No, that's the point."

The important thing was that Joo Jae-hyun had joined <Flame's Judgment>.

Whether as an intern or anything else, once he joined a clan, he would adapt to the system, and <Flame's Judgment>, being a top-tier clan in the country, is more attractive in every aspect compared to other clans.

Once someone joins a clan, keeping them there is a given for a large clan like that.

Moon Ga-eun looked at her friend who had planned such a clever move.

Despite her usual taciturn and boring demeanor, she was a different person when it came to important recruitment.

Indeed, one shouldn't be fooled by a seemingly innocent expression.

"You sly cat!"

"...What?"

"How can you do this! It's unfair. Give Royal a chance too!"

Kang Ju-yeon sighed softly.

"...As an intern. You can recruit him as an intern too."

"Damn... How can you recruit someone who's already an intern in your clan! It would be at least a year, right?"

She shook her head lightly.

"It won't take that long. Two months."

"Two months?"

"Yeah. Just for this vacation."

Indeed, that wouldn't be <Flame's Judgment>'s exclusive opportunity.

There was still a chance for <Royal>.

Aim for the next vacation.

Two months would make him a temporary clan member.

But Moon Ga-eun, who had been thinking, tilted her head.

"But is there such a short internship period?"

"That's the condition he set. He said he has a few things to do during the vacation."

A two-month internship period.

While unusual even for <Flame's Judgment> and other clans,

Kang Ju-yeon accepted the condition.

She thought Joo Jae-hyun was an outstanding talent and a Holder with a high potential for growth.

And as Moon Ga-eun had predicted,

Kang Ju-yeon was confident she could recruit Joo Jae-hyun as a formal clan member during that short period.

<Flame's Judgment> had the ability to do so.

But Moon Ga-eun's expression, who had been listening quietly, became strange.

It was as if she had found something to tease.

"That guy?"

"......?"

"What? Now you're not calling him Joo Jae-hyun, but just that guy?"

"......"

Kang Ju-yeon closed her mouth.

She had made a slight slip of the tongue.

But, should such a thing be considered a slip of the tongue?

Anyway, it wasn't important.

Moon Ga-eun's expression was already full of mischief.

Such an attack from Moon Ga-eun with that expression.

Was hard to block.

"Ju-yeon, Ju-yeon. If you're honest, I'll understand. Did you really recruit him because of his talent?"

"......What else?"

"No, you know. Why recruit a clan member you can recruit after graduation as a two-month intern? And not even tell your best friend! And you, whenever we meet, you only talk about Joo Jae-hyun~"

"......"

It was a well-reasoned argument.

But Kang Ju-yeon didn't want to admit it.

Admitting it wouldn't be the end.

She was sure the teasing would continue.

In such a situation, silence was the best answer.

But Moon Ga-eun, as if she wouldn't let go of her prey,

delivered the final blow with a subtle expression.

"Could it be... you like Joo Jae-hyun?"

"I'm leaving."

Kang Ju-yeon grabbed her bag and stood up.

"Ah, wait a moment. Ju-yeon, wait a moment."

Moon Ga-eun quickly followed.

Why is she so fast?

Kang Ju-yeon, despite being a mage type, moved with the speed of an archer type.

Kang Ju-yeon was already outside the cafe.

Moon Ga-eun quickly caught up and continued.

...Naturally, it was an extension of the previous teasing.

"Ju-yeon, you haven't been in love before. Usually, this feeling of liking someone... makes you want to avoid and ignore it? So, even you, Kang Ju-yeon, don't want to admit it. It's actually a very intense and passionate feeling. Like... what can I say? Like your Flame Rune. Hehe."

Thud.

Kang Ju-yeon, who had been walking at a fast pace,

suddenly stopped in front of the cafe door.

'Gulp. Was it too much?'

At the overwhelmingly cold aura around her,

Moon Ga-eun held her breath.

It was too much.

Way too much.

Almost like a rap, she had hammered it into Kang Ju-yeon's ears, and it was understandable that she was angry.

At the very least, she shouldn't have mentioned the rune at the end.

But the regret came too late...

The words that came out of Kang Ju-yeon's mouth,

were a counterpunch to Moon Ga-eun's back.

"You've never dated a guy either, right?"

"......What?"

Moon Ga-eun's face turned red with embarrassment.

What did she just hear?

"Moon Ga-eun, you've never been in love either, right?"

Despite giving advice as if she had a lot of experience,

the truth was that Moon Ga-eun had never been in love.

Kang Ju-yeon, who had known Moon Ga-eun's relationships since they were young,

couldn't have been unaware.

Moon Ga-eun, hit by an unexpected blow, said in confusion.

"W-Well, I know more than you!"

"Why?"

After rolling her eyes for a moment, Moon Ga-eun came up with an answer.

"B-Because I watch a lot of dramas...? Oh."

And the moment she finished speaking,

her face turned blank.

It was over.

She had given the worst answer.

To say she knew more about love because she watched a lot of dramas.

What a ridiculous...

Even she thought it was a terrible excuse.

Moon Ga-eun covered her face with her hands and stopped.

She couldn't follow her friend any longer, feeling too embarrassed.

'...I won.'

Kang Ju-yeon turned around with a strange expression.

A small smile was on her face.

Due to her usually taciturn nature, she often lost in word battles with Moon Ga-eun.

But it seemed today was her victory.