Chapter 18: Kim Ji-Hee (2)
Awakened criminal Il-Ho—Ma Ak-Soo's closest subordinate—first appeared in 2048.
That had been two years before the S-Class Gates first appeared, so during his 1st and 2nd Attempts, Kim Ki-Rok hadn't known anything about her.
He first met her on the 3rd Attempt.
This was after he had given up on reaching the end and instead made a lot of money using his knowledge of the future so that he could live a life of luxury. He had made this decision after one of his businesses had been burned down by Ma Ak-Soo and his gang.
Kim Ki-Rok had great resentment toward those criminals for burning down his business, so from his 4th Attempt onward, he had returned to the life of a Hunter and fought against Il-Ho repeatedly.
He had lost his life on some Attempts because he couldn't block her attacks. Other times, he had instead managed to take her life.
As for her past?
He hadn't given any thought to it. In the beginning, Kim Ki-Rok's only goal had been to destroy the S-Class Gates, so he had solely focused on becoming stronger and spared no attention to others.
After his 10th Attempt, when there was finally some leeway for him to dig deeper, Kim Ki-Rok had decided to expend some effort to try and save her. During the 12th Attempt, before Ma Ak-Soo could get his hands on the incredible potential of this little girl, Kim Ki-Rok had been able to save her by eliminating his gang with the help of the Association and the Guilds.
It was then that he had found that young girl trapped in a basement.
He had learned that the young girl had been abandoned by her parents and was now being experimented on. The Awakened criminal Il-Ho, one of the worst criminals to have ever lived, had simply turned out to be a victim of another's crime.
Kim Ji-Hee held a cup of sweet rice milk with both hands and sucked through the straw. Following the examples of the aunties nearby, she let out a satisfied cry. "Kyaaah!"
She was wearing a towel that had been folded into a cap on her head and clothes with the name of the Yeonggwang Sauna clearly printed on them.
Kim Ki-Rok gently patted Kim Ji-Hee on the head. She smiled bashfully at the sudden touch and began eating a hard-boiled egg.
"Uh, Guildmaster?"
"Yes?" Kim Ki-Rok turned around with a smile plastered on his face.
Similar to the other two, the red-headed Lee Ji-Yeon was also wearing a towel folded into a cap and clothes with the name of the Yeonggwang Sauna printed on them. She voiced her question with a very troubled expression. "The Shine Guild and the Golden Lion Guild must be very busy handling the aftermath of the roundup, right?"
"That's for sure." Kim Ki-Rok nodded.
"Then, is it really okay for us to be resting like this?" Lee Ji-Yeon plaintively asked.
Kim Ki-Rok nodded confidently. "Yes, it's fine. We're short on people, after all."
Unlike the Shine Guild or the Golden Lion Guild who were currently running around like their feet were on fire, he was able to take a little break because their guild was still lacking in personnel.
"On top of that, there's also something that I have to say," Kim Ki-Rok added.
"Yes?" Lee Ji-Yeon tilted her head to the side.
"We aren't just resting," Kim Ki-Rok insisted.
"We aren't?" Lee Ji-Yeon frowned in confusion.
If this wasn't resting, then what was it?
"That's right." Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "I happen to have reported some of the head honchos[1] who were taking bribes."
Lee Ji-Yeon became flustered at the news. When on earth did he do that?
Kim Ji-Hee, who had been nibbling away at her egg like a cute little rabbit, pulled on Kim Ki-Rok's sleeve and asked, "Head honchos?"
"I'm talking about a bunch of people with big heads," Kim Ki-Rok explained.
"People with big heads... head honchos..." Kim Ji-Hee rolled the words around in her mouth.
Kim Ki-Rok patted her on the head. "They're bad words, so our dear Ji-Hee should avoid using them, alright?"
"Yeees." Kim Ji-Hee nodded in response to Kim Ki-Rok's words and went back to nibbling on her egg.
Kim Ki-Rok, who was looking down at the cute Kim Ji-Hee with a fatherly smile on his face, suddenly snapped his fingers as he had just recalled something.
"Ah, by the way, Miss Ji-Yeon. There's something you need to know before we head back to Seoul," Kim Ki-Rok told her.
Lee Ji-Yeon nodded in acknowledgment, "Go ahead, Guildmaster."
"We'll be moving soon," Kim Ki-Rok calmly stated.
"Huh?" Lee Ji-Yeon was momentarily confused and unable to understand what Kim Ki-Rok was trying to say. Then, she suddenly recalled, "The construction finished?"
Kim Ki-Rok nodded. "It took longer than I had expected, but construction on the building is complete. As such, we should get ready to move."
"Wow!" she excitedly exclaimed.
One of the special benefits that had been written into her guild contract was that the guild would provide her with accommodation. The eight-story building that would soon serve as the base for their guild had still been under construction when they had left Seoul.
"Oh, and once you're done moving in, I've found a good Gate for you, so please be prepared to make your way there on your own," Kim Ki-Rok reminded her.
"We aren't heading in together?" Lee Ji-Yeon asked.
Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "I need to sort out the issue of Ji-Hee, and I also need to start expanding the guild."
"Already?" Lee Ji-Yeon voiced her surprise.
"If you check the internet, you'll see that our guild has entered the top ten search terms in real-time, along with the Shine Guild and the Golden Lion Guild. Now that the water has lifted our boat, we need to get the engines running," Kim Ki-Rok said with anticipation.
Lee Ji-Yeon nodded her head obediently.
Kim Ji-Hee had been quietly listening to the conversation between the two from her seat next to them. She tilted her head and asked, "Problem?"
"Hm... It's not really a big deal," Kim Ki-Rok reassured her. "It's just... How should I put it? In order for us to live together, there are just a few matters that I need to take care of first."
Kim Ji-Hee looked down before slowly calling, "Mister."
"Hm?" Kim Ki-Rok patiently waited for her to finish speaking.
"Hard?" Kim Ji-Hee nervously asked.
Kim Ki-Rok shook his head. "It won't be hard. All I have to do is declare to this country that we are a family."
Blinking her wide eyes, Kim Ji-Hee stared up at Kim Ki-Rok before slowly parting her lips, "Mister and I... a family?"
"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok told her. "We'll be living together, after all. Doesn't that make us family?"
"Family..." Kim Ji-Hee softly repeated to herself.
Lee Ji-Yeon took out her smartphone and quickly snapped a picture of Kim Ji-Hee as she was, smiling happily.
"Ah, Guildmaster?" Lee Ji-Yeon broke the tranquil moment.
"Yes, what is it, Miss Ji-Hee?" Kim Ki-Rok distractedly responded, then corrected himself. "Ah, I mean... Miss Ji-Yeon?"
"What did you mean when you said that you would be expanding the guild?" Lee Ji-Yeon asked curiously.
Kim Ki-Rok casually shrugged. "I meant that we need to increase the number of guild members."
Lee Ji-Yeon sat up with excitement. "Do you already have someone in mind?"
"Yes, I do have a few," Kim Ki-Rok revealed. "There's a group of five people who might be slightly lacking in talent, but will rise to great heights if I train them well. There's also someone who will be joining our guild's production department."
***
"W-wow..." Kim Ji-Hee, who was clutching her stuffed rabbit tightly, stretched her mouth wide open in shock. "So... big?"
"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok nodded proudly. "It's big, but you could also use tall to describe it."
"Big and tall." Kim Ji-Hee, who had learned another word with Kim Ki-Rok's help, tilted her head to the side in confusion. "But... you said... we... go home?"
"This is our home," Kim Ki-Rok informed her.
"Uwaaaaah!" Kim Ji-Hee let out a long cry as she looked up at the eight-story building.
Kim Ki-Rok added, "You'll be living on the very top floor together with me, Ji-Hee."
"What about... unnie?" Kim Ji-Hee slowly asked.
"She will be living on the seventh floor," Kim Ki-Rok reassured her. "Well then, we should head in and drop off our luggage before heading out again."
"Out again?" Kim Ji-Hee repeated in question.
"Mhm. I have to submit an official declaration to the government that I've adopted you, then we have to go and buy some necessities for you, Ji-Hee," Kim Ki-Rok explained.
Nodding her head, Kim Ji-Hee held onto Kim Ki-Rok's hand as they entered the building. Looking around, she tentatively noted, "It's big?"
"It is big," Kim Ki-Rok agreed. "Though, perhaps wide would be a better word to use here."
The first floor of the building was wide enough that it was hard for a child's eye to gauge just how big it truly was.
Together with Kim Ji-Hee, Kim Ki-Rok slowly walked toward the elevator. When they arrived on the eighth floor, he led her to a room with a cute rabbit decorating the nameplate on its door.
Kim Ki-Rok introduced, "This is your room, Ji-Hee."
It had a bed, a desk, and an entire wall that was covered in character stickers of cute animals. Kim Ji-Hee stared into her very own room, her lips slightly parting as small beads of water formed in her eyes.
Kim Ki-Rok gave her some time to compose herself before asking, "Well then, shall we head out again?"
Kim Ji-Hee gulped. "To tell people that we're family?"
"That's right," Kim Ki-Rok confirmed with a smile.
Until very recently, Kim Ji-Hee had been living in a cell built deep within a basement where the light didn't reach. For the little girl, these past few days with Kim Ki-Rok were full of such happiness she could never have imagined.
Yet, even more happy days were awaiting her.
She wondered if she deserved it all.
Kim Ji-Hee dropped the rabbit and hugged Kim Ki-Rok's legs with both arms stretched as far around as she could get them. As Kim Ki-Rok began to pat her back, she let out an uncontrollable sob.
They stayed like this for an hour.
Once Kim Ji-Hee had calmed down, Kim Ki-Rok suggested, "Shall we take a quick look around the house before we head back out?"
"Yes!" Kim Ji-Hee excitedly agreed.
***
A street full of workshops in Seocho District, Seoul.
"Alright then, I'm punching out," a man called out as he left one of the workshops.
Clang! Clang!
His seniors didn't bother to respond, instead focusing on their hammering. It almost seemed as if they were deliberately ignoring him, prompting Kang Woo-Hyuk to leave the workshop in a bitter mood.
As he dragged his tired body home, Kang Woo-Hyuk used the system to check his skill out of habit.
"Phew. Check skills."
[Equipment Crafting (E)]
Effect: Allows the user to create equipment with stats
This was a kind of passive skill that would allow him to grant stats to weapons that he had personally forged.
In order to grant stats to the completed weapon, he would have to forge the weapons by hammering the metal with his own hands.
When he had first awakened, Kang Woo-Hyuk had cheered in broad daylight in the middle of a crowded street.
It was a natural reaction.
An Awakened might have a very dangerous job that involved regularly fighting monsters, but they would also earn a lot of money by doing so.
However, the reality of his situation proved to be very different from what he had imagined.
He had not awakened a combat-related ability. Instead, he had awakened the ability to create equipment that increased stats.
But Kang Woo-Hyuk hadn't even known the first thing about blacksmithing before his Awakening. That was why he had gone looking for a workshop in order to learn their techniques, but as a condition for learning their skills, he would need to work for them in a part-time job that only paid minimum wage. What was more, this was minimum wage for a regular person, not a Hunter.
However, even after two years of working part-time for them, he still wasn't able to make any proper pieces of equipment.
This was a given because, during these past two years, he had only ever done chores like carrying iron ingots or wrestling with monster corpses.
What about the workshop owner or his seniors?
They refused to teach him anything.
Kang Woo-Hyuk mockingly parroted the excuses they had given, "In our days, we had to do the chores for three years before we even proved ourselves. Fuck that shit."
It had been ten years since monsters, Gates, and Awakened had first appeared.
Hunters may have grown stronger since then, but as if to match the Hunters' growth, the Gates that continued to appear contained increasingly powerful monsters. As such, the craftsmen who supported the Hunters from the rear also needed to grow quickly in order to keep up. These craftsmen were only allowing part-timers like him to do the chores so that they wouldn't inadvertently create future competitors.
"If it was just a year... but no, fuck! Claiming that I need to do odd jobs for three whole years is absurd," Kang Woo-Hyuk complained.
From what he had heard, even the workshops run by the better-natured craftsmen who were concerned about the future of both themselves and their apprentices wouldn't teach skills right away. They would make their trainees do chores for about six months to a year to test if they had the necessary perseverance before passing on their techniques.
"I should have gone there instead." Kang Woo-Hyuk sighed with regret as he turned into a convenience store.
Ding ding.
"Welcome. You look like you've had a hard day today." The college student working part-time as the evening clerk in this convenience store greeted him with a sympathetic look.
Kang Woo-Hyuk bowed his head in response with an awkward smile on his face, picked up a can of beer, and walked back over to the clerk. "Keep up the good work yourself."
"Yes, please take care on your way home," the clerk responded with another polite greeting.
Once again, Kang Woo-Hyuk accepted their greeting with an awkward smile and trudged out of the store. With the can in hand, he headed toward a small playground nearby.
He sat down on a bench and opened the beer can.
"Haaaah." Kang Woo-Hyuk let out a tired sigh.
If he could, he would change jobs immediately, but he couldn't afford to do so because he had signed a contract.
It was an unreasonable contract that forced him to work for the workshop for a whole three years, and if he ever tried to leave the workshop midway, he would have to pay a huge penalty.
Since the contract was so unreasonable, couldn't he just report it?
No, he couldn't.
This was because the value of the workshop's high-class craftsmen was so high that even if they were reported, they could just get out of trouble by paying a fine.
And what would happen then?
There was no way that the person who made the report would be allowed to work in any of the workshops in the area.
But couldn't he just move to another area?
If it were anywhere else, that might be viable. The problem was that the workshop he was contracted with, while not being under one of the top five guilds, still had a pretty famous guild backing it.
"There's still another year left. Haaah, seriously." Kang Woo-Hyuk let out another sigh.
That was 365 whole days.
To be more precise, he still had one year and twenty-three days left in his contract, so 388 days in total.
He hated both the workshop owner and his supposed seniors.
However, there was nothing that he could do because the workshop owner happened to be one of the most famous craftsmen in the area. Due to his value as a skilled craftsman, he had the support of a B-Class guild behind his back.
"Alright. Let's just keep holding on. You just need to hold on. You've already held it in for two years." Kang Woo-Hyuk tried to persuade himself.
"I think that two years is already more than enough," a voice suddenly interrupted his rationalizations.
Kang Woo-Hyuk leaped up and spun around, startled at the voice that came from right beside him. He saw a man holding a girl in his arms, calmly standing next to him.
Was this... a father and his daughter?
Kang Woo-Hyuk calmed down and asked, "Who are you?"
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am the Guildmaster of the brand-new DG Guild, Kim Ki-Rok, and this..." Kim Ki-Rok turned his head without finishing his introduction.
Kim Ji-Hee had been diligently licking away at her ice cream cone, but stopped to nod at Kang Woo-Hyuk. She said hesitantly, "My name is Kim... Ji-Hee?"
"Well done," Kim Ki-Rok praised her.
"Hehehe." Kim Ji-Hee giggled.
Kang Woo-Hyuk just stared blankly at the man who had just introduced himself and was now patting the girl's head. He then looked at the girl who was smiling bashfully as she leaned against the man.
1. The Korean term uses a word that literally translates to the upper part of the head. ☜
Openbookworm & wonsuk's ThoughtsOBW: I wonder how close Ji-Hee and Kim Ki-Rok became during his previous Attempts?
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