Chapter 4: Chapter 5-6 – My Childhood Friend Is Top Ranker V-VI
We hugged each other for a moment.
Song Seong continued to barrage me with questions.
"Were you a hunter?"
"Why did you come here?"
"What have you been doing so far?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
-It's me. We used to hang out together a lot!
"Have you forgotten about me? "
-I'm really sad then?
The content of the story was generally like this, and it was a story that could be told to a friend you haven't seen in a long time.
For all that, it was sticky, so it was difficult to react because I already had an androgynous appearance.
Look this way! You remember my face, right? You're not doing it on purpose without knowing, right?
"Hey, over there. Gilma."
"Why are you calling me? Are you talking about work? Let's do that later! I'm going to have a drink with him from now on, so you guys can hang out~!"
"That's not it."
-Why?
I looked around at the fierce atmosphere around me.
My expression looks blatantly sullen. A guild member who looks awkward. And a guild member who wakes up from his drunkenness and is shaking.
It was only then that it was explained that there was a story that would throw cold water on our reunion, and Seong's expression heated up like freshly heated iron.
"──Hey, you fucking bastard!!!"
"Sorry!"
"No matter how drunk you are, it's true! There are things to say to people and things to not say! Are you drunk? You want to leave the guild, you brat!?"
"I did that when I was drunk! I'm really sorry!"
"What about drunkenness? Is it only a day or two that you look like a lowly hunter, Forsythia? You must have done that to our children! Do you even do that to a guest, or even to the benefactor who brought our child's body? A fox wears tiger skin and guards the house. Well, you're just like that! You're a shameful bastard!?"
"Ugh!"
"You can say that in front of the dead child's parents!? This person brought the body, but I don't know what it is, but this person could have killed him! This person could have stolen your son's belongings! You can already testify in front of the parents who lost their child. How can you make such a fuss?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
"What's wrong with that? You can't do it. Don't show your face in the guild home until I tell you to come out. You're on probation! Do you understand me!?"
"I understand. I'm really, really sorry! I'm drunk…"
"That's enough of an excuse! I don't want to see you, so get out of there now!!"
Sigh!
"Ugh!"
The moment I turned around, the hunter's butt was kicked.
But he couldn't get angry and ran away.
I was the one who was angry, but I felt relieved about what just happened.
"I'm sorry. But please don't misunderstand. Our guild isn't like this. I guess it was because everyone was drunk and excited."
"I know it when I see it."
"What does 'I know' mean? It's between us. You can just speak informally."
Kukkuk.
She poked my chest with her elbow and laughed bitterly.
"Still, it's a decent guild."
"What is that? You're hilarious."
That smile was awkward.
Since this was our first reunion after such a long time, she couldn't keep her mouth shut. As if she knew how I felt, Seong waved her hand around and shouted.
"I'll take care of this, so you guys can just keep doing what you're doing. I'm going to have a drink with this guy and my childhood friend for the first time in a while, so tell Boo Gilma not to look for me."
"I understand. I… Furthermore, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"I could have stopped it sooner, but some idiots went along with it."
"What? It's my fault for not being able to manage the guild. Ceres will be more angry than me, so tell everyone to be prepared. I told you in advance, but I'm not stopping you."
"Ugh…"
She seemed to be on good terms with the guild members and threatened them while giggling, and they were all in tears.
The atmosphere suddenly changed from a festival atmosphere to a funeral home atmosphere.
"Ceres?"
"She is a high-ranking member of the guild. She is ranked 12th and has a second name. She has a magazine and is very famous."
I think I heard it somewhere.
The rankings are vague, so I don't know the details, but I remember that she is a beauty.
"Follow me. Let's go get a drink."
She laughed while making a drinking motion with her hand.
I like it, but...
"What about work? I saw that the reporters were going in through the back door. Are you busy?"
"They're here to film a documentary about hunters, so I can just leave them to their own devices. I saved all my plans for today to have a great time with my guild members. So, it was actually good, right? Seeing that I reunited with you at this kind of timing, I'm lucky, right?"
Hehe!
She laughed like a mischievous person and tapped and pushed my shoulder.
"Wow!"
Her power was no joke. Although her arms were slender, she was still a top-level hunter.
Seongyeon clung to my right arm to prevent me from running away, and it felt strange because she had a strangely feminine side.
'What on earth is going on?'
I still don't understand what happened at that moment.
I picked up a corpse of a famous guild member and found out that the guild there was actually my childhood friend.
'Fuck. Even if there is no probability, there is a degree.'
Somehow I felt like I was dreaming of the past today. Did I see the future?
'God please. If you're going to do this, give me a skill to see the future.'
"Why are you so restless? It's been a while since we last met, but I'm the only one who feels awkward like this. Smile a little more~!"
"Well, it's just awkward. We haven't seen each other for a long time."
"That's right. I'm sorry I couldn't contact you. Actually, I should have contacted you more, but I was too busy, so I stopped."
"No, I'm sorry. How many years has it been since this?"
"We broke up in elementary school, so it's been almost 19 years? Wow, it's been a long time, right?"
19 years.
It's too long.
Even if you are a middle school student, you can easily forget things like elementary school. I don't even know the name of the elementary school I went to at the time, but does this girl even remember my face?
"It's been that long, but you really noticed?"
"How many people in the world have a name like that and burn their entire body? Hong Chang. The tone is unique, right?"
"I guess so. I never thought that way."
"Really? My parents talked about you sometimes, so I never had time to forget~!"
"Do your parents talk about me?"
"That's right! If I do something rashly, they scold me in the same pattern every time, saying, "If it weren't for you, what would you have done? Your life is in the hands of one person? Just be more careful!!"
I narrowed my eyes at a scene I could easily imagine.
'They haven't even said anything like that.'
My parents didn't bother to mention that incident.
The reason is obvious. They probably didn't want to touch their son's painful areas. The burns on my body were a medal to me, but they were a nail in the chest for my parents.
If I had talked about this girl more often and thought of her more often, maybe I would have noticed...
… Hmm.
"Why are you suddenly crying? Oh, that's right. Have you eaten? Do you like meat?"
"Is there a hunter who doesn't like meat?"
"Then let's have a drink over there. It looks like there's no one around at the moment, so it's perfect, right?"
"I'm fine, but you're fine, right?"
"What?"
"Whatever, man."
The place Seongy pointed out was a meat restaurant.
It's also a place where people can sit around on plastic chairs and have a drink after finishing work.
It's literally a local meat restaurant itself.
"Why? You are a ranker."
"What is a ranker? Is there any reason why a ranker shouldn't go to places like this?"
"Isn't it better to go somewhere better than usual?"
"Huh, don't be stupid. Do you know how annoying it is to make reservations for each and every place like that? I have a lot of things to do socially as well. It's not that I don't go at all, but it's a bit awkward to go all the time. Look. I'm that kind of person, so I'm not used to going to places like that. Even if it tickles~!"
She smiled and showed her outfit.
She was wearing a light coat and jeans. One small earring in her ear. No matter where you look, she is just an ordinary person.
Like the residents on the first floor of the tower, they are not armed or wearing cosplay. Once you reach the Hunter rank, there are many people who wear unusual outfits to make a name for themselves, but this is not the case at all. She just smiled naturally and linked arms with me.
'Why does this girl like her arms folded so much?'
"How about it, no matter how old you are, you're still the same as before?"
A slightly fox-like laugh.
I looked at her chest, wondering if she was really a girl, but no matter how many times I looked, there was no flesh on it.
'Has she always been this clingy?'
It feels strange to see a girl arm in arm.
I'm sure she was a naughty girl, but she probably wasn't like this...
"Ma'am~! Here's a shot for two~! Pork belly… How much do you eat?"
"I eat an average of 5 people."
Approximately 750g. I tend to eat in moderation.
"He's big, and he eats a lot! Then, ma'am, I'll make 2 servings for 7 people!"
-Yes! Pork belly for 7 people!
"Hehe."
In contrast, Seong was a newsperson. It's surprising that she'll be moving your body a lot.
Among my co-workers, there was a guy who could eat 15 meals by himself on a day when he spent a lot of money, but compared to that, his body was good value for money.
Could something like that be a talent?
"Hehe. It's been a while since I had soju. Now, give me a glass quickly."
"Hey, I'll pour you a drink."
"Aye~. That's it! Come on, hurry up! Are you going to make my hands hurt?"
"Stubbornness is such a strange place."
Gurgling.
A clear liquor is filled in a small glass that fits comfortably in the palm of her hand. Seong filled my glass with alcohol, so I took the alcohol and poured it into her glass. Just this morning, I was planning on drinking beer alone when I got home, but I was dumbfounded and wondered how I ended up with such a drinking friend.
"Come on. Let's do it~!"
"Yes, yes. Ta-da."
"Taaaaan~!"
The tension was so high that we clicked our glasses together and gulped happily.
─Paha!
She literally screamed loudly like an old man and pounded her thighs.
"Wow~! It's killing me! It's been soju since how long! Furthermore, it's so sweet!"
"What, did you lie when you said you go to this place often?"
"Uhm. It's not a lie. I like it and drink it often, but people around me are complaining that Ceres doesn't fit my image. So, I guess it's a secret hobby to sneak out on my days off and go on a food tour by myself?"
"What, is a person named Boo Gilma meddling in such things with Gilma?"
"Yes. Starting with schedule management, most of the people we contact externally go through Ceres. Thanks to this, guild management has become so much easier that I can't raise my head."
"You're like a general manager?"
"I guess it's similar. For a manager, there's a lot of pressure on him, so it's annoying, but he's not a bad kid."
After one drink, the table was set up, and the next drink was poured while grilling meat.
It was only my second drink, but I got drunk right away. I feel like I'm going to fall in love with the pleasant and refreshing feeling of meeting a friend.
"Gulp! Gulp! Phhh!"
"Drink it big."
It just felt good. Intoxicated, we had a quick chat about what happened earlier.
'So, what about the guild? Aren't she the main character today?'
'Oh well, it's not urgent. She can toast again tomorrow.'
'Is that okay? Even if she says that, she has to make a new schedule, right?'
'It's not okay. Are you going to get angry at Ceres again?'
'Then let's go back now.'
'It's fine now. Just for today, they're probably more angry at her than at me.'
'I'm sorry for making a fuss.'
'Even if it's okay. It was them who were at fault. I shouldn't apologize.'
'That's not it; it's because I feel like I've caused trouble to that person named Ceres.'
'It's okay because he's always angry.'
'Oh, am I that kind of person?'
-Little? I'm cool on the outside, but I'm a little fiery on the inside.
-Hmm.
First, a story about the guild.
She dismissed my concerns and explained Caesar in detail, then stopped talking.
"Why?"
"It's enough to talk about the guild and Ceres. We didn't come here to talk about this. Let's just release the guns instead."
It was a fair statement.
"Oh. What should we do first?"
"You have a lot of questions about me, like what I've been doing so far, right? Ask that first."
"You idiot. You're overly self-conscious. Just this morning, you're telling me everything you've been up to, so why would I be curious about that?"
"Ah! Well, this is why it's difficult to be a celebrity~! I never thought that I was revealing my private life to my childhood friend without my knowledge. I thought you might be watching me somewhere when I just debuted, but I never dreamed that you would be my business partner. Didn't you know?"
"Who can say anything? Who would have guessed that a ranker with the same name could be my childhood friend?"
"Hehe. I was a bit better off."
"Tsk."
I set my glass again with a mischievous smile and took another drink.
Her smile was still there, but it was mixed with a pout.
"Ah, but it's a bit weird that you didn't know it was me even after watching my video. Why didn't you come meet me sooner? We even have the same name. Wasn't it worth showing your face at least once?"
"Well, it was 19 years ago. Do you remember? Even when I was standing right in front of you before I spoke to you today, I didn't even notice who it was."
"But the name was the same. Was there anything 'just in case'?"
"There wasn't. Even if there was, what shame would you have for meeting you? What would you say if I met you? She's a friend I hung out with 19 years ago, so why would I approach you like that, asking if you remember me?"
"Yeah. Then I would have recognized it right away~?"
"You're talking bullshit. How thick of a face do you have to do that? Even if I remembered you, if I contact you like that, I'll look like I am just trying to make a living by selling your relationship."
"That can't be possible. Who would look at me like that towards the benefactor of my life?"
"Even if it's true that it looks that way when you look at it from the side, honestly, I'm feeling emotionally burdened right now."
"Hehe~! It's so awkward between us because of something like that! No matter what people around us say, we're friends, right?"
"What a friend! I haven't seen you in such a long time, so it's nice to at least say hello."
Another drink.
As I was chewing the peppers served on the table instead of the undercooked meat, she suddenly stretched out her hand.
"That's right. We haven't seen each other for a long time... But still? I still have vivid memories of that time. Whether it was before or now, I still like you."
"What crazy-"
"It's real. I love you . That's a lot."
At the same time, she gently stroked my hand that was on the table.
….
I never thought I would react a little to being told, 'I love you.'
"Fuck. bastard. Get your hands off me."
"Wow, is a no-brainer! How wonderful is an unchanging friendship!"
"What is friendship? Why do you have to express it like that? There's a better expression, man."
"Hehe… I guess I was nervous when we met after such a long time. It's hilarious, isn't it?"
"It's funny; I just got goosebumps."
"People can make mistakes. Just laugh it off."
Come on, come on.
When she offered me a drink, she took another drink, and I handed her another drink and drank it right away.
Seong says she really likes Soju. Every time she drinks it, she laughs out loud in a husky voice.
"Speaking of being in love, are you dating someone?"
"Nothing. What kind of woman will like such an ugly person?"
"Really? That's astounding. I thought you would have grown up well and met a woman or two."
"Not much. Who would like a guy with burns like this?"
"And what about you? You're a celebrity now. I guess there are a lot of people who admire you, but aren't there any good people around you for you to date?"
"Not really~? I guess I'm not interested right now~!"
"Then why did you ask, you fucking idiot?"
"We're friends. You said it was awkward, so we started talking about women! How about it? Isn't it good for us to talk about women? Can you relax now? You still look like a Heavenly Ranker, don't you?"
"It's not puberty; it's a love story. Ugh, that's it, you idiot. I'm an idiot for being nervous against you."
"Hee~♪"
I laughed happily again.
A ridiculous hirl.
The meat wasn't even fully cooked yet, but I took another drink and quickly emptied the bottle.
We both drank alcohol, and as she said, we could barely relax by talking about women, so we forgot the tension we had been feeling and chatted pleasantly about our current situation.