Episode 19

Kang Suho opened his mouth as if to ask something, then suddenly lowered his head and grabbed it with both hands.
Surprised, Saebyeok panicked.

“W-what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

He grimaced as though suffering from a terrible headache, letting out a low groan.
Saebyeok quickly opened her inventory in a hurry.

“It might be a side effect from the hypnosis skill those cultists used.
Even if it was a low-level skill, you’re still an unawakened person, so it would be hard to handle…”

Muttering to herself, she took out every potion she had—but none of them were useful.

“Darn it. What do we do? I don’t have anything for abnormal conditions…”

She had potions to mend broken bones and even regrow torn flesh,
but there wasn’t a single one that worked on a simple headache.

She even had vitamin supplements,
but nothing that could remove status ailments.

Since she had the passive skill <Blessing of the Heavens>,
she had never bothered to stock up on such things.

“Ah! There should be headache medicine in Saejin’s room! I’ll go grab it—”

But before she could move, Kang Suho grabbed her wrist.

Startled, she turned to look at him.
He was still clutching his head but staring straight up at her.

“How… do you know my name?”

His voice was broken, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“What? Is that really important right now—?”

“I never… told you.”

The constant ringing in his ears was driving him crazy.
Yet, strangely, he cared more about how she knew his name
than the pain crushing his skull.

Maybe it was because the voice inside the ringing had been calling his name.

Saebyeok realized her mistake.

Come to think of it, the two of them had never actually exchanged names.

They had beaten up the cult leader, rolled around in chaos, talked with Kim I-han, and come home together.
Even at home, they had only put Sihoo to bed and watched the news.

Neither had asked nor told the other their name.

Flustered, she kept a calm face and lied smoothly.

“I heard it from Sihoo. How else would I know your name?”

Kang Suho’s grip loosened slightly.

“Just wait here a moment. I’ll bring the medicine.”

She slipped her hand free and ran to Saejin’s room.
Once the door closed, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

‘That was close.’

He already mistrusted the world.
A misunderstanding like that could have been serious.

‘I need to be more careful.’

With a small resolve, she searched through Saejin’s drawers.

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Kang Suho realized the ringing in his head was fading,
and the headache too, as if it had never been there.

‘What was that just now?’

It was a strange feeling.

His mind trusted her, his heart doubted her,
his soul accepted her, and his instincts screamed no.

It was as though his heart, soul, instincts, and brain were all fighting each other,
unable to reach an agreement.

How could a woman he had only met twice stir him up this badly?

‘Was it really just a side effect of that hypnosis skill?’

Maybe.

The magician who cast it was only an F-class awakener.

Aside from being a bit stronger than normal and having one or two weak skills,
F-class awakeners weren’t that different from ordinary people.
They didn’t even qualify for a hunter license.

Still, an awakener was an awakener.
Some aftereffects were to be expected.

Feeling irritated, Kang Suho exhaled deeply, trying to shake it off.

Just then, the door opened and Saebyeok came out.

“For now, take this. I’ll stop by the exchange later and buy proper status-removal medicine.”

She handed him a box of painkillers and a cup of water.

Kang Suho stared at her for a moment.

She looked back at him, eyebrows raised as if asking, “What?”

She didn’t seem anything like the furious voice he had heard in his head.
Maybe it really had been an auditory hallucination.

“…Why are you helping me?”

The question finally slipped out.

Clutching the medicine box, he asked again, softer this time:

“What… do you want from me?”

This was the question he had wanted to ask since Seoul Station.
But he had been afraid of the answer.

“I don’t have anything to repay you with,” he admitted quietly.

“I live day to day. I can’t even buy proper clothes for my little brother.”

A beggar. A bottom-dweller. A man from the lowest rung of society.

Pathetic, worthless—every word fit.

All he had to offer… was his body.

Could that be what she wanted?

Damn it, he knew he had inherited his father’s looks,
and more than one madam had offered him shady jobs in the past.

But no matter how rotten his life had been,
he wasn’t shameless.

He had his pride—and his brother to protect.

But if that’s what she wanted…

‘Damn it. If it’s that…’

Memories of his father forcing his mother under the guise of “protection” filled his mind.

Would he have to live like that—powerless and degraded—like her?

The thought made him feel sick.

Yet, at the same time, there was a twisted comfort in it.

Not because he desired her—he didn’t.

But because that was the kind of world he knew.
The world of hunters—filthy and corrupt.

If she was like that too, then at least he wouldn’t have to wonder anymore.

At least he wouldn’t have to think so hard.

“…I’ll do anything you ask,” he whispered.

He clenched his fists tightly.

“I know… that my brother and I are still alive because of you.”

Twice now, she had saved their lives.
If someone saves you that much, you owe them something in return.
That was only fair.

“So… I’ll do anything I can. What is it… that you want from me?”

He gripped the hem of his T-shirt, pulling so hard it looked like it might tear.

“Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Then…”

Saebyeok’s lips moved.
Kang Suho watched her swallow hard.
He gripped his shirt even tighter, ready to hear whatever demand she would make.

For just a moment, despair flickered in his eyes.

“Join my guild.”

“…What?”

Kang Suho thought he had misheard.

A guild?
Did she even have one?
Hadn’t she said she wasn’t even registered as a hunter yet?

Or… did “guild” mean something different here?

His face showed nothing but confusion.

Then Saebyeok suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of him.

“Promise me you’ll join my guild.”

She even stuck out her pinky, as if sealing a childish oath.

Kang Suho stared, baffled, wondering if she was joking.

Reading his expression, Saebyeok quickly explained:

“I’m planning to create one right after I get my hunter license.
O-of course, it hasn’t been set up yet, so I can’t promise a salary or benefits right away, but…!”

As she spoke, she realized how ridiculous she sounded.
Compared to Kim I-han, who could boast about discounts and association deals,
her offer sounded pathetically small.

“B-but you’ll be a founding member!” she added desperately.

She tried to make it sound grand, wracking her brain for selling points.

“You know I’m S-rank, right?
That means my guild will definitely be recognized as S-rank too—it’s only a matter of time.
S-so think about it! Being a founding member of an S-rank guild isn’t something just anyone can do…!”

Her words were starting to sound like a sales pitch,
but she couldn’t stop herself.

“I…”

Kang Suho frowned, opening his mouth as if to refuse.
Saebyeok panicked.

“I-I’ll even share ownership! Eighty-twenty? No, that’s stingy—seventy-thirty?”

“…”

“Fine! Half and half! We can have two guild masters—why not?!”

Guilds weren’t companies to be listed on the stock market,
but she was willing to say anything just to convince him.

Kang Suho’s expression only grew darker.

“I’m… not an awakener.”

He gently pushed down her outstretched hand.

There were all kinds of guilds in the world—big ones, small ones, combat-focused, support-based.

But they all had one thing in common:
they were for hunters.

Yet she was asking a non-awakener like him to join.

“No matter how diverse guilds are,
making a non-awakener the guild master would only make people laugh.
I’d be a joke.”

For a second, he wondered if she was mocking him.

But her clear, earnest eyes told him otherwise.
She was serious.

“Do you… need someone for office work? If that’s it, then…”

That was the only explanation he could think of.

But even that didn’t make sense for long.

“Even so, you’d be better off hiring someone else.
Someone with skills that actually help the guild.”

Even non-combat jobs were usually done by awakeners—
people with skills for scouting, media handling, and other important tasks.

Saying it out loud only made Kang Suho feel more depressed.

This world… really did belong to awakeners.

“So… I can’t—”

He dropped his gaze,
accepting the cruel reality.

“Awaken.”

Saebyeok’s voice cut through his resignation.

Kang Suho’s head snapped up.

She met his dark eyes and said firmly:

“Kang Suho. You’re going to awaken.”

There wasn’t a hint of doubt on her face.