My Life As The First S-Class Guide

[An hour earlier...]

"I DON’T remember inviting you here, old man."

"Graham-ah, I know you grew up in America. But you’ve been in Korea for more than a decade now. Shouldn’t you have learned how to respect your elders by now?"

"I respect my elders– but I can’t bring myself to respect you, Song Moonho."

[Let’s pretend I’m not here.]

Yool ignored Graham and Song Moonho’s banter behind him as he quietly sat on the chair next to Ahn Kisoo’s bed while peeling an apple for him.

"Thank you for visiting me, Yool-ssi."

Yool paused, then he looked up to see Ahn Kisoo sitting on his bed while smiling at him. "It’s nothing. I should have visited you earlier."

Yep, right now, Yool was doing an extra shouldn’t be doing: he visited Ahn Kisoo who was resting in the Summer Guild’s main building.

He actually didn’t want to be there.

But Graham somehow found out that Song Moonho brought Yool to the Nom Nom Restaurant, so Graham insisted on picking up Yool and bringing him to the Summer Guild for his protection.

Of course, Yool rejected the offer since he didn’t want Graham to barge in Chef Ryung Dae’s place again.

So, Yool said he’d just visit Ahn Kisoo since Ahn Kisoo was at the Summer Guild.

[I just wanted to assure Graham and Ahn Kisoo that I’m fine, but...]

"Why are you even here, old man?" Graham complained. "I invited Yool here because I wanted to keep him away from you."

Right.

Even Yool was surprised when Song Moonho suddenly appeared in front of the Summer Guild as soon as he stepped out of the taxi.

[Ahjussi really lives up to his ’ghost’ moniker.]

Anyway, Graham had no choice but to let Song Moonho in because Song Moonho threatened to make a scene otherwise.

[He’s the second oldest among the Big 4, but he bullies the kids.]

"Yool-ssi, can I tell this brat?" Song Moonho asked, distracting Yool’s thought process. "Can I tell him about our relationship?"

Song Moonho said that on purpose, so the kids who heard overreacted.

Graham and Ahn Kisoo looked so shocked that they asked the same question at the same time. "What relationship?"

Wow.

[Graham and Ahn Kisoo have a good rapport– as expected of the main couple of a BL novel.]

"Let me explain," Yool said calmly, and then he grabbed the knife tighter and glared at Song Moonho. Yes, he was trying to tell the old man that he was really close to stabbing him. "Our relationship is that of an abusive employer and an abused employee. I made a deal with Song Moonho-ssi so that he would stop pestering me. But, for some reason, Song Moonho-ssi became clingier. I wonder if this is a new form of bullying."

Graham and Ahn Kisoo both glared at Song Moonho.

"Whatever do you mean by that, Yool-ssi?" Song Moonho asked as if he was hurt by Yool’s "accusation," acting innocent. "I’m not pestering you. As your employer, it’s my responsibility to make sure that my employee is safe. Hence, I volunteered to pick you up so we wouldn’t be late to our appointment with Miss Chu."

"Our meeting with Wony is in the evening– it’s still morning, Ahjussi. Stop acting jobless when you should be busy as the Guildmaster of the Autumn Guild."

"I’m here as the Guildmaster of the Autumn Guild, though."

Really?

Song Moonho just nodded, and then he turned to Ahn Kisoo. "I know this is late, but I’d like to personally apologize for what my brother did, Kisoo-ssi."

"I don’t need an apology from either you or Sunho, Moonho-ssi," Ahn Kisoo said firmly. "I want Song Sunho to be punished for what he did to me."

"I’ll be honest– I can’t hand over my brother to you because he’s mentally unstable," Song Moonho said, smiling a fake apologetic smile. "APA already agreed that the Summer Guild and the Autumn Guild should solve this issue between ourselves, that’s why I’m here to give you an apology."

Graham scoffed. "So, you’ve already bribed APA to hand over the case to you? But we also filed a complaint at the National Guide Center since Song Sunho kept on harassing Kisoo. I don’t think you could bribe the Center since Director Shin Geon really cares about Guides."

"Even if that’s the case, Shin Geon doesn’t have the power to arrest my brother," Song Moonho said casually. "Song Sunho may just be a lowlife to you, but he’s still the Vice Guildmaster of the Autumn Guild. My brother is also an S-Class Hunter, so he’s one of the country’s treasures."

Ahn Kisoo’s jaw clenched.

Graham, on the other hand, looked like he was about to kill Song Moonho right there and then.

[But Ahjussi is pretending not to notice...]

"I already sent Shin Geon a message," Song Moonho continued casually. "Song Sunho will be put under house arrest for an indefinite time, and will only be allowed to come out if a National Crisis occurs and Hunters all over the country are summoned."

Yool thought the punishment was too light.

[But what can they do? Among the Four Seasons, the Autumn Guild is the most dangerous since Song Moonho is a bastard who doesn’t have a conscience. Even Graham has to tread carefully.]

"Don’t worry, Kisoo-ssi," Song Moonho said, smiling. "I’ll make sure you’ll never see my brother again."

Ahn Kisoo just let out a frustrated sigh as if he had already given up.

But one person hadn’t given up yet.

"Do you think that’s enough punishment for your lowlife brother, huh?" Graham confronted Song Moonho. "Song Sunho should be punished more or else I’ll burn that perverted bastard to death–"

"If you insist on punishing my brother, then I’ll be forced to punish Gong Yool."

Yool almost choked on his saliva when he heard his name.

Even Graham and Ahn Kisoo were surprised.

"Me?" Yool asked, pointing the sharp end of the point at Song Moonho. "Why are you dragging me into this?"

Song Moonho smiled sweetly at him. "Yool-ssi, you shot my brother."

Oh, right.

"Miss Chu bribed the police so the case was handed over to APA, and APA dismissed the case because of Yeon Soobin," Song Moonho continued with his explanation. "But if the Autumn Guild wanted to, we could have arrested Gong Yool."

"Yool-ssi only did that to protect me," Ahn Kisoo insisted. "Don’t touch him."

"Song Moonho, don’t even think about using that incident to lock up Gong Yool," Graham threatened Song Moonho in a serious tone. "If you do, the Summer Guild will declare a war against the Autumn Guild."

Hmm?

Yool was confused.

[Why are Graham and Ahn Kisoo being so protective of me?]

"I’m not here to pick a fight with you, Graham-ah," Song Moonho said. "I wanted Gong Yool for a different reason, and we already reached an agreement. Hence, rest assured, I won’t hurt him in any way."

Yool scoffed. "You can’t touch me anyway. Just so you know, my friends really adore me."

"Yeah," Graham said without missing a heartbeat. "We do."

Ahn Kisoo, on the other hand, nodded shyly.

Now Yool was even more confused.

[I’m talking about Wony and Ahyeonnie, so why are these two talking as if I was referring to them???]

AND SINCE WHEN WAS YOOL FRIENDS WITH GRAHAM AND AHN KISOO?

The awkward silence that ensued was cut short when Graham’s wristwatch and phone beeped loudly.

Oh.

That was an emergency call.

"Dammit," Graham cursed under his breath while checking his phone. "A Crack is about to burst open on the border of our turf."

"Graham, you can’t go," Ahn Kisoo said firmly while shaking his head. "You haven’t fully recovered yet from your previous rampage. What would you do if you suddenly snapped while inside the dungeon?"

Right?

[It’s risky.]

"I know, but this one is expected to be an A-Grade Crack," Graham said. "The smaller guilds can’t handle–"

"I’ll go."

All eyes turned to Song Moonho.

"My guild will take care of that Crack," Song Moonho said. "This is the compensation that the Autumn Guild has prepared. All the Cracks that will burst open on your turf will be handled by my guild– but all the treasures we’ll find in the dungeons will be handed over to you. We will not take a single thing, except for the System’s rewards that we cannot physically transfer."

Wow.

Even Yool thought it was a generous offer.

"What’s the catch?" Graham asked suspiciously. "It’s hard to reject your offer since our guild is in a bind, but I cannot trust you, old man."

"I can’t betray the Big 4, and you know that."

Graham fell silent.

"But I do want something in return, Graham-ah."

"What is it?"

"For once, use your brain," Song Moonho said, his body already turning transparent rapidly. "Remember what happened before Hwang Yejun, our dear maknae¹, turned into an X-Class Hunter."

And, just like that, Song Moonho disappeared as if he had already assumed that Graham accepted the deal.

[Tsk, tsk.]

Yool was curious about one thing, though. "What happened to Hwang Frost before he snapped?"

He didn’t expect an answer, but it came anyway.

"A-Grade and S-Grade Cracks continuously burst open in areas that belong to the Winter Guild, so Hwang Yejun was forced to enter dangerous dungeons back to back. As a result, he drained his energy fast since he didn’t have a Guide back then," Graham said, his jaw clenched. "Was Song Moonho trying to say it wasn’t a coincidence? But is there a way to trigger Cracks to appear?"

Oh.

Yool wondered if that was the conflict in the final volume of the novel?

***

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