Of course, I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me, but my weakened mental strength from over the years couldn’t withstand it.

I just can’t do it.

I’m an idiot.

As I continued to berate myself, Sophia, who had woken up, opened the door of the container house and stepped out.

“No bugs coming in, no drafts, this new house is really nice.”

Sophia seemed to be in a good mood.

I wanted to agree and say that the sleeping quarters were really nice, but given my current state, I could only reply with a heavy sigh.

“Did something happen?”

“Just feeling pathetic about myself…”

“Why would you think that?”

Sophia sat down beside me with a thud.

We were close enough to have shared a house for sleeping.

There was no reason to avoid her now.

“Dealing with people is just so hard and exhausting.”

“That’s to be expected.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Her attitude, as if she knew everything, irritated me.

Without realizing it, my voice grew stronger.

“Who finds it easy to deal with people? If they do, they’re simply rude.”

“That’s…”

“Those who act thoughtlessly find it easier to deal with people. Your difficulty is because you understand manners.”

“…”

It was a simple consolation, yet, it did put my mind at ease.

I knew she wasn’t wrong.

“What you lack is experience. Don’t worry too much. Time will fill in what you lack.”

“Yes…”

Yes, that’s right.

Having lived away from people for a long time, I suppose it would take an equal amount of time to recover.

I had plenty of time.

I nodded gently towards Sophia in agreement.

‘Maybe I should apologize first…?’

My sudden dash must have surprised them.

As I pondered how to apologize, Sophia placed her hand on my head.

“If you ever find yourself stuck with a problem you can’t solve, just talk to someone about it.”

“Anyone?”

“Yes. Like Yeoreum, or Encia.”

“…What about Argo?”

At my question, Sophia visibly shuddered.

She scratched her cheek and turned her gaze far away.

“Argo is a bit… a bit… uncouth.”

“That’s true.”

Heh.

Laughter burst out as if my despair had never existed.

I felt significantly better.

Maybe now I could apologize to them.

With that decision, I abruptly stood up.

✱✱✱

Through the barrier and the sign, Yeoreum had worked to ensure Gyeoul’s safety.

The container house provided a better living environment.

This was surely an improvement from the beginning.

Yeoreum, recalling Gyeoul living in the mountains, smiled faintly.

‘I’m making progress.’

First, I should report everything that happened to the Guild Master.

Early in the morning, Yeoreum knocked on the Guild Master’s office door.

Knock Knock

“Sir, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

With Master Kang Jinho’s permission, Yeoreum opened the door and entered.

There sat Kang Jinho at his desk, drinking coffee.

“I have something to report about Gyeoul.”

Go ahead.

Kang Jinho’s eyes conveyed that message.

Yeoreum took a deep breath, feeling an inexplicable tension.

“Recently, there have been many uninvited visitors near Gyeoul’s house.”

“That’s serious.”

“Yes. So, in urgency, we first took care of Gyeoul’s safety.”

Container house, the barrier, and even a sign.

Yeoreum laid out everything that had happened to Kang Jinho.

Expecting praise, she was met instead with his cold expression.

“Yeoreum.”

“Yes, yes?”

Her body tensed at Kang Jinho’s voice.

Despite knowing he wasn’t a bad person, why did he seem so intimidating?

Yeoreum involuntarily swallowed.

“That’s treating her like a zoo monkey.”

“What…?”

Now that he mentioned it, it did feel somewhat similar.

Yeoreum’s mouth fell open.

Kang Jinho clicked his tongue at her clumsy response.

“If a sign was all it took to solve problems, why would I have assigned you to take care of the kid?”

“Ah…”

Certainly.

She was lazily trying to resolve everything with just a sign, to avoid the hassle of dealing with each person individually.

“You’re good in many ways, but the problem is your lack of thought.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been swinging swords since my student days…”

“Isn’t that the case for everyone?”

Sigh

Kang Jinho let out a sigh and stood up from his chair.

Walking over to the window, he looked down at the container house visible beneath the trees.

“Don’t try to take the easy way out. If you’re short on people, get the kids involved.”

“Yes.”

“And don’t forget, the goal is to bring her inside the guild.”

“Yes…”

I shouldn’t look for the easy solution; I need to think more deeply about this.

Yeoreum, having resolved to do better, saluted Kang Jin-ho and left the office.

‘I’ve done Gyeoul wrong.’

I should go see Gyeoul right away.

As Yeoreum descended to the first-floor lobby, there, she spotted her two friends.

Jung Yu-na, staring blankly into space, and Choi Jinhyuk, who are hunched over.