Chapter 14: The Black-Haired Beast (4)

Of course. No matter how sharp Han Geonju was, he couldn't have known he'd just joined Bamjwi. The only clue was the name on the contract Kwon Sayoon and that wasn't exactly common knowledge.

Sayoon wasn't a widely recognized figure.

When outside, he wore rings that distorted facial recognition to conceal his appearance. For public activities, he relied on executives like Jongsik to act as his proxies. As a result, the identity of Bamjwi's leader remained shrouded in secrecy, unknown even to guilds unaffiliated with Bamjwi. Journalists who wrote about his exploits didn't know his face or name, attributing everything to a "lone actor."

So how could his "Pretty" have known that Kwon Sayoon was Bamjwi's leader?

If he had known, he wouldn't have been so bold. The way his eyes widened in shock was proof enough.

Satisfied, Sayoon smirked at Geonju's stunned expression.

"Good. If he hadn't reacted at all to Bamjwi's name, that would've been disappointing."

A person could be composed, but too much composure just sucked the fun out of things.

Sure, teasing a twenty-two-year-old might've been childish but a win was a win. And wasn't it true that the older people got, the more immature they became? In that sense, this was just proof of his steady growth.

The only flaw was that his growth had been… skewed. But there was no one here to criticize him for it.

After organizing his thoughts, Sayoon patted Jongsik's shoulder. The man was standing stiff as a wooden post.

"Let's go, Jongsik."

"…You're taking him too?"

"He needs his initiation."

"Seriously?"

"Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"I object."

"Since when has your objection ever stopped me?"

Jongsik's face crumpled at the light reprimand. Despite his bear-like build, he lacked backbone. Sayoon slung an arm around his subordinate's shoulders and glanced at Geonju, who was following them.

"Admit it, you're curious too."

"About the rookie's skills?"

"Yeah."

His status window suggested he was strong, but would that translate to actual combat?

Bamjwi dealt with people far more often than monsters. They attended auctions, carried out assassinations, and ambushed hunters at dungeon gates to steal loot. Extortion and threats were second nature; torture and murder were routine if necessary.

Until now, they'd only recruited unhinged individuals who didn't need teaching—but Geonju was different. He was a normal rookie, freshly awakened. What could he possibly know?

This was the perfect chance to gauge his natural instincts. Grinning at the thought, Sayoon ignored Jongsik's sigh of resignation.

"It might be dangerous. Shouldn't we train him first?"

"The danger is what makes it thrilling."

"…Sometimes I think your tastes are really…"

"What? Besides, I told you—he's important. I can't just drag him around like the others."

Bamjwi had only one method for training its members:

Beat them into submission.

Having never properly taught anyone, Sayoon defaulted to the same treatment he'd endured under the system, grind them to near-death, revive them with potions, then beat them again to instill discipline.

It was the secret behind Bamjwi's rapid growth, but he couldn't use the same approach on Geonju. His priority wasn't training it was maintaining a good relationship with him.

Even if beating him was necessary to mold him into an S-rank, he couldn't do it himself. If violence was required, it had to come from someone else's hands.

But with time running short, bringing another guild member to the villa wasn't feasible. And ordering Jongsik to rough Geonju up was out of the question.

Under these circumstances, taking this Pretty to Yongho Guild was practically inevitable.

[Skill, to the unluckiest you (-A) has activated.]

"..."

The timing was terrible.

He'd paid a hefty price to filter out 80% of trivial system notifications, yet this one slipped through at the worst possible moment. Narrowing his eyes, Sayoon couldn't shake the feeling that the gods were peeking into his mind through the system.

"…So where are we going?"

Geonju, who'd been following obediently, finally spoke up. Just then, Jongsik handed Sayoon a pair of sunglasses. Slipping them on, Sayoon answered casually.

"Hmm, to meet a senile old man?"

"A senile old man?"

"Yeah. Some guy who's drunk on imaginary glory despite having none in the first place."

Imagining Chunbok's face turning red with rage, Sayoon's lips curled. He wasn't sure what to extort from him this time—a happy dilemma.

Jongsik shuddered at the sight.

"Please stop smiling like that. You're not a gumiho—your face is pale, your lips are red, and your eyes are blue… Ghk!"

Jongsik was fine except for his mouth. Pressing a hidden dagger against his side, Sayoon watched him freeze. Even though it was just the flat of the blade, the man was always so jumpy.

With silence finally restored, Sayoon turned back to Geonju.

"We're going to Yongho Guild."

"Yongho Guild?"

"Yeah."

"What for?"

"Well…"

"...?"

Trailing off, Sayoon lazily scanned Geonju up and down. The dagger in his hand spun midair.

"What do you think a crime guild goes there for? To raise hell, obviously."

Might as well commit some crimes while we're at it.

Catching the spinning blade, Sayoon sheathed it at his waist. Jongsik shook his head in resignation, while Geonju stared at him with an indescribable expression.

In the silence between the two men, Sayoon was the only one enjoying himself.

"..."

"Why are you rolling your eyes around so much?"

"Ah…"

Click, click. Once in the car, Geonju kept glancing around nervously, his pupils darting nonstop. Watching him, Sayoon finally asked the question. Startled, Geonju stammered out a denial, his demeanor awkward.

Thinking he might be scared, Sayoon pulled out the contract.

"What, scared because I mentioned committing crimes?"

"…Maybe."

"Too bad. Even if you're scared, I can't void the contract."

He'd conveniently forgotten to mention that withdrawal wasn't allowed for at least three months.

A shameless smile curled on Sayoon's lips. Geonju let out a sigh closer to a scoff.

"This is the first I'm hearing of this."

"Of course it is. I just told you."

"Shouldn't you have mentioned this before the contract?"

"What, don't want to stick around for three months?"

"..."

"Your legs must be strong. Want to run to Yongho Guild?"

"Six months is fine too."

When Sayoon moved as if to open the car door, Geonju quickly backtracked. Amused at how easily he'd cowed the rookie, Sayoon caught Jongsik's gaze in the rearview mirror.

"Hey. Hung-nim. I'm here too, you know."

"So?"

"You two are talking like I don't exist. Just thought I'd remind you."

Jongsik looked at him expectantly, hoping to be included. Smirking at his subordinate's neediness, Sayoon raised his leg—

BANG!

The car shook violently as his foot slammed into the passenger seat. Jolted by the impact, Jongsik frantically grabbed the steering wheel. If the roads hadn't been empty, it could've been dangerous.

"Hung-nim!"

"Jongsik."

"…Yes?"

"Just focus on driving."

"..."

"Got a problem with that?"

Tilting his head, Sayoon's tone was deceptively sweet. Muttering about being treated worse than the rookie, Jongsik grumbled under his breath—just loud enough to be heard.

"He's been getting way too bold lately."

Between busy schedules and waning patience, Sayoon had let it slide. Jongsik had been his longest-serving subordinate, so he'd tolerated it—until now.

With a rookie present, things were different.

"The water below is only as clear as the water above," as the saying went.

Lately, Jongsik had been meddling in guild affairs more often. If this continued, he might even try to usurp Sayoon's position.

BAM!

Not wanting Geonju to pick up bad habits, Sayoon kicked the passenger seat again—this time on principle. The jumpy Jongsik yelped, accidentally honking the horn. The sudden noise made Geonju turn his head, staring at the violent scene with disbelief.

"Hyung-nim! I'm driving here!"

"Then drive properly."

"I am! Do you want us to die?"

"Oh?"

Jongsik clearly needed one more kick to straighten up. Raising his foot, Sayoon paused when he felt eyes on him.

Geonju was staring, frozen stiff.

Realizing how unhinged their bickering must seem, Sayoon swallowed his anger and lowered his leg.

A brief silence followed. Studying Jongsik's sullen expression, Sayoon spoke up.

"He might seem like this, but he's good at his job."

An attempt to salvage his executive's dignity. Geonju nodded—but his expression made it clear he didn't believe a word.