“Don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Ryu Seo-ha shook his head, immediately grasping her meaning.

“The hospital bills. No, living expenses. I heard you only recently awakened as a healer.”

Ryu Jeong-ah’s eyes trembled as she spoke in a subdued voice. Her expression was overflowing with too many emotions – concern, worry, anxiety, fear, sympathy, gratitude, guilt, self-blame…

“I earned it myself.”

“How?”

“I worked part-time. At a trading company dealing with dungeon by-products. Then I got hired as a full-time employee.”

“Ryu Seo-ha. Tell me the truth. Is that really all?”

Ryu Jeong-ah put on a stern expression, though with frightened eyes. It was terrifying to think her only brother might have taken on inappropriate work to save her.

“Noona, don’t you remember? Even in there, I could pull my own weight.”

“But a normally functioning society is different. No matter how smart or capable you are, employment would have been a separate issue.”

That was true. Ryu Seo-ha wasn’t foolish enough to resort to private loans from the start, knowing it would become shackles he couldn’t escape.

He had visited all kinds of public institutions, private companies, guilds, and hunters. Appealing as much as possible with his pioneering and extensive knowledge about monsters, dungeons, and items, invaluable field experience, and mastery of 5 languages. But he was turned away everywhere he went.

“It was just one day.”

Tears welled up in Ryu Jeong-ah’s eyes.

“Chinatown survivor? Do you know how many times I was senselessly discriminated against because of that damn prejudice? In just one day.”

“……”

“Moreover, you were only 15 then. Without a guardian.”

But even as she spat out the words, she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

“Then some chaebol’s attendants came saying they’d protect me?”

She only struggled to control her emotions, glaring.

“And the precious chaebol heir’s gaze towards you isn’t normal either. How am I supposed to take this?”

“It’s really not like that. Mr. Choi Gang-hu was missing for the past 10 years.”

Even as he calmly explained, Ryu Jeong-ah’s expression remained serious. As if she had discovered something important in Choi Gang-hu’s attitude. After pondering for a moment, Ryu Seo-ha sighed softly as if he had no choice.

“…I borrowed from a private lender.”

“What?”

“Not from Mr. Choi Gang-hu. From someone else.”

He gave a bitter smile at his older sister’s surprised look with wide eyes.

“Thankfully, I awakened as a healer a few days ago. Mr. Choi Gang-hu’s guild made a good scouting offer, so I’m planning to sign an exclusive contract.”

So there’s no need to worry about money anymore. At his soothing voice, Ryu Jeong-ah closed her eyes tightly and reopened them. After a long silence,

“I’m sorry.”

She apologized. In a faint, trembling, solemn voice.

“Why are you sorry, noona?”

“You must have gone through a lot. How hard it must have been, all alone.”

Ryu Seo-ha couldn’t avoid the embrace that enveloped him. Even though he knew his remaining lifespan would decrease.

“I ate well and lived well, you know?”

He just playfully responded while gently hugging back her back that had somehow become smaller than his.

“Your brother is quite capable, after all.”

Ryu Jeong-ah said nothing and just gently stroked his back for a long time. The two, hugging each other tightly, straightened up simultaneously as if someone had given a signal.

“So, what should I do now?”

Ryu Jeong-ah asked in a bright voice as if she had never been gloomy, her expression full of vigor. Her eyes, brimming with enthusiasm, looked more beautiful than any jewel in the world.

“Enjoy your remaining 20s.”

“What?”

“There’s no time, noona. You only have 1 year left.”

“Ack! No way!”

Ryu Jeong-ah clutched her hair and made a crying face at his teasing words.

“I can’t believe I’m almost thirty! My time! My youth! My 5 years!”

He muttered that thirty is still young, and got a slap on the back. It would have stung in the past, but now he only felt the touch of her hand. The difference between awakened and non-awakened suddenly felt significant.

Ryu Seo-ha, laughing softly at his older sister writhing in indignation, checked the time. He needed to start looking for a way out soon. Because in reality, he was the one who had no time.

“I’m going to become a hunter.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get licensed and live comfortably as a high-paid healer for life.”

“A combat hunter.”

Ryu Jeong-ah, who had been chattering about leeching off him forever and asking if he could get one of those black cards she’d only heard about, froze mid-sentence.

“…You’re going to enter dungeon conquests?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you crazy? Absolutely not.”

While the hunter exam was important, it seemed convincing his family would have to come first.

❖ ❖ ❖

Dazzling sunlight streamed in through the glass window. Secretary Jang drew the blackout curtains. Bright lights came on over the densely packed clothes on the mobile rack. The atmosphere of the living room changed in an instant.

“This product is made of 100% cashmere fabric…”

Ryu Seo-ha looked at the unfamiliar person explaining while selecting clothes one by one with a slightly uneasy feeling. It was a dedicated personal shopper that Choi Gang-hu had suddenly called to the mansion.

“Moreover, the urban navy color suits cool tones…”

Coats, shirts, knits, slacks, tracksuits, as well as innerwear, cardigans, shoes, and various accessories.

“It has a semi-overfit and somewhat formal feel, which some customers find burdensome, but with your excellent proportions you can definitely pull it off…”

For an hour now, all sorts of fashion items had been displayed before him. Though he felt sorry for the dedicated shopper who tirelessly continued explaining, honestly, he didn’t understand much of what was being said.

“Is there nothing you like? Is my explanation too inadequate?”

Choi Gang-hu, who had been leisurely leaning back on the sofa watching Ryu Seo-ha, asked in a languid voice. He noticed the shopper, who had been enthusiastically introducing products and recommending coordinated outfits, close his mouth while reading the atmosphere.

“…They all look good. But I…”

“Then we’ll take everything.”

He lightly gestured without even listening to the follow-up to the polite statement. The dedicated shopper’s expression brightened considerably after performing a one-man show. Ryu Seo-ha hurriedly waved his hands.

“As I said from the beginning, I don’t need this…”

“Your dressing room is empty, isn’t it?”

“That’s because I don’t intend to stay here…”

“Add a couple more sets of indoor clothes. And one watch of each type.”

Why was he interrupting so much today, unlike his usual self? Ryu Seo-ha frowned at Choi Gang-hu’s arbitrary decision and turned to look at the dedicated shopper who was quickly gathering documents.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be making any purchases. Your explanation was really good.”

Choi Gang-hu reached out towards the hesitating shopper, snatched the pen, and stamped the confirmation document. Ryu Seo-ha swallowed a sigh. Saying anything more here would only trouble the shopper caught in the middle.

“…What are you doing?”

Only after the shopper had bowed politely and left with the other staff and the rack did he voice what he had been holding back. If it weren’t Choi Gang-hu, he would have expressed his displeasure more clearly.

“Launching a gift offensive.”

“It’s not at all pleasant from the receiving end.”

“Are you not materialistic?”

No, it was a problem of method. Isn’t this too burdensome? Whatever the intention behind the gifts, it was clear that it was a debt that would have to be repaid in some way.

“Ah. Is it your family that’s bothering you?”

“……”

“I’ll assign an assistant so your sister can go shopping anytime too.”

Should this be called thoughtful or insensitive? Ryu Seo-ha sighed softly and shook his head.

“Please just let me leave.”

“Where to?”

“There’s no reason for me to stay here anymore. It’s not like I don’t have a place to stay.”

The details of the kidnapping incident had been roughly disclosed to the media. It didn’t seem likely that the Cult would rashly attempt another kidnapping in the current situation where various institutions and the public were paying attention to Ryu Seo-ha. They were a group that sought to operate behind the scenes rather than come to the forefront. Though they seemed to treat healers as special ingredients, they would probably stay quiet for a while. Unless there was a reason why it had to be Ryu Seo-ha.

“I need to apply for the hunter exam too.”

He had somehow persuaded his older sister. Thanks to plausibly rattling off nonsense about self-realization and long-held dreams. Though she still seemed displeased, she wasn’t fiercely opposing it like at first.

“…Alright.”

Ryu Seo-ha, who was about to continue persuading, paused. The affirmative answer came more readily than expected. He had prepared for a long argument. Had he thought too deeply about imprisonment and such by himself? Well, there was no reason for that.

“Then let’s start by drafting the contract.”

If he became affiliated with the From Hell Guild, he would have to work, so they couldn’t keep him from leaving this mansion. It seems he had misunderstood and taken it as a too serious problem due to the stiff manner of speech of the intermediary, Park Je-hyun.

“We’ve prepared it so you only need to sign at the bottom.”

The lawyers who arrived at Choi Gang-hu’s call spread out the pre-written contract on the table. Paper with shimmering powder engraved on both sides like a hologram.

“Let’s read through the contract terms first.”

It was an item called ‘Oath Paper’ that enforced promises through the effect of mana. Judging by the color of the powder, its grade was estimated to be at least A-rank or higher.

“As you can see, the signing bonus, annual salary, and special allowances are all set at the top 0.01% level among healing-type hunters worldwide. If you look at each item in detail, the danger pay is…”

The lawyer kindly explained the contents of the contract, going through each item. There was no mention of hiring him for office work as previously stated, so it seems that was just an excuse.

“For by-products obtained from dungeons you directly participated in conquering, regardless of the assessed value and amount, you will have the first choice and exclusive ownership rights to one item per dungeon, with no limit on the number of times…”

It fully reflected, even exceeded, the conditions he had proposed in the bathhouse a few days ago. Such generous terms that it made one wonder if it was okay to give so much to one person, given that the guild’s budget must be limited.

Well, aside from the usefulness of his abilities, the prestige of having an S-rank healer in the guild would be more than worth recruiting him. Even if the budget falls short, Choi Gang-hu could just use his personal funds.

“Except for certain clauses, you can request modifications to the contract terms at any time. And regarding the issue of resigning from your previous job, we’ve been delegated to handle…”

Ryu Seo-ha roughly rubbed the oath paper with his fingertips. Though it looked like a single sheet on the surface, sometimes removing the special transparent paper stuck to it would reveal the true contents hidden underneath.

It was a dirty trick commonly used in the underworld. It was also the deception he had suffered badly when borrowing money from YH Capital in his ignorant days. Fortunately, this time it was a normal contract.

The effect of the item ‘Oath Paper (S-rank)’ is applied.

If you break the oath, your mana will be frozen for 300 days.

After reading it carefully several times, he signed, and light flowed from the contract, enveloping Choi Gang-hu and Ryu Seo-ha. Choi Gang-hu was seen frowning, apparently finding the sensation quite unpleasant.

“Let’s get along well from now on.”

But that was only for a moment. Soon he smiled and offered a handshake.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

As he grasped his hand, he felt a strong force entwining. Though all the conditions were clearly perfect, why did he feel a chill on the back of his neck? Perhaps because he knew that events would never cease around Choi Gang-hu.