Chapter 62

“Mr. Yoon Seong. What do you think of the newcomers?”

I was currently having a one-on-one conversation in Seo Yoo-ju’s office.

“Um… Are you talking about Ms. Ho-yeon and Mr. In-woo?”

From Seo Yoo-ju’s perspective, it seemed like she was worried that I might feel uncomfortable since she suddenly brought them in.

‘Well… Honestly, it was quite sudden for our party members.’

I knew Seo Yoo-ju was a Returner, so I could predict she would bring in talented people, but for the other party members, it was different.

In fact, the other party members, except for me, were quite awkward around them. Probably because both Wi Ho-yeon and Song In-woo aren’t very sociable, making it hard to get close.

‘And… some of the existing clan members suddenly disappeared too.’

It’s also partly because Gu Yeon-jeong and other clan members died not too long ago.

“First of all… Mr. In-woo is meticulous despite being shy. He’s good at administrative tasks and seems like a capable alchemist.”

“…Hmm… So, do you think he’s a good person?”

Seeing her ask with a worried expression, it seemed Seo Yoo-ju was concerned that I might dislike them.

People have all sorts of personalities, so it’s natural that some get along while others don’t. I thought her concern was understandable.

As for Song In-woo, since our work doesn’t overlap much and we don’t hang out together, there’s no particular issue.

The real problem is Wi Ho-yeon.

I don’t know what values or personality Wi Ho-yeon has, but if she has an overly righteous mindset, it would be a headache for me.

Given my personality, I can’t always do the right thing. With her as my bodyguard, I can’t move freely.

I understand Seo Yoo-ju assigned Wi Ho-yeon as my bodyguard out of concern for me, but from my perspective, it feels like surveillance.

“Yes. I can see why you recruited Mr. In-woo.”

“That’s a relief. What about Wi Ho-yeon? Have you two gotten closer?”

I had to answer carefully here. She is indeed a valuable asset to the clan, but I needed to convey to Seo Yoo-ju that having her as my bodyguard is inconvenient.

“Ah… Actually, I have something to say about that…”

“Huh? Is there a problem…?”

Seo Yoo-ju asked me with a worried expression. She seemed a bit flustered when I opened my mouth as if there was an issue, probably expecting a positive response.

“Actually, Wi Ho-yeon’s work ability is truly outstanding. Thanks to her, work efficiency has improved a lot. However… her personality, I guess… I feel like she doesn’t quite fit as my bodyguard…”

‘Damn it…’

I felt like I was unfairly badmouthing Wi Ho-yeon. It felt like I was implying there was something wrong with her personality.

It felt like I was gossiping about an innocent person, so the words didn’t come out smoothly.

“Yes… Anyway, I feel like her personality doesn’t quite match mine.”

Seo Yoo-ju’s expression turned serious as she asked again.

“…Are you saying there’s a problem with Wi Ho-yeon’s personality?”

“No, it’s not that there’s a problem with her personality… It’s just that we don’t quite click…”

‘Is it really that shocking?’

I don’t know if Seo Yoo-ju knew that Wi Ho-yeon and I had met in the first round, but it seemed like she had high expectations for us to get along.

“Of course, it’s not that Wi Ho-yeon has a problem. It’s just that I think… it would be better to assign her to a different role rather than being my bodyguard.”

‘You get what I’m saying, right?’

“…..”

“Ms. Yoo-ju, I really appreciate that you assigned Wi Ho-yeon as my bodyguard out of concern for me… but since our personalities are different, it feels a bit uncomfortable.”

‘It’s not that Wi Ho-yeon has a big problem. It’s just that I feel a bit uncomfortable. Got it?’

I thought Seo Yoo-ju would understand my point by now.

“…I understand, Mr. Yoon Seong. I’ll talk to Wi Ho-yeon…”

‘Good. You’re not going to say it directly, right? Don’t be blunt, Yoo-ju. Be tactful. You know what I mean, right?’

“Thank you, Ms. Yoo-ju. I’ll take my leave now.”

My belief that Seo Yoo-ju had some flexibility lasted only until that day. The next day, I was left in shock.

“Mr. Lee Yun-seong, I’m sorry…”

The next morning, I closed my eyes and placed my hand on my forehead, dumbfounded by the absurd situation.

Because when I arrived at the office, Wi Ho-yeon was kneeling, waiting for me.

“…..”

“It’s my fault. If there’s anything lacking, I’ll fix it. Please…”

My brain wasn’t functioning properly. I had to resolve the situation somehow, so I spoke to her with a trembling voice.

“Haha… Ms. Ho-yeon. Wh-what are you talking about? Why are you doing this? Please, stand up first.”

‘Damn it… Did she really… tell her directly?’

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t expect Seo Yoo-ju to relay my words directly to Wi Ho-yeon without any tact, but it seemed I was wrong.

“…I heard from the Clan Master. That there’s a problem with my attitude…”

‘Damn it…! Seo Yoo-ju, you crazy woman…!’

Even though I had my doubts, when my hypothesis turned out to be true, my vision went white.

“The Clan Master ordered me to guard you, Mr. Lee Yun-seong, but due to my incompetence, I upset you. I’m sorry.”

‘No… That’s not it… It’s not your fault… Damn it.’

What I wanted was for Seo Yoo-ju to quietly reassign Wi Ho-yeon to a different role, not for this kind of outcome.

“When I was asked to guard you, the Clan Master emphasized it. To serve you even more diligently than the Clan Master…”

‘What kind of nonsense is that…’

What kind of clan treats a regular clan member more diligently than the Clan Master?

Moreover, Wi Ho-yeon is the Sword Monarch. She’s not someone who should be treated like this. If other clans found out we were treating the Sword Monarch like this, they’d be furious.

“First of all… No… What exactly did Ms. Yoo-ju tell you?”

“…She said you were disappointed in me. That if I had wronged you, I should ask for forgiveness…”

I almost burst out laughing at Wi Ho-yeon’s answer. I was speechless at Seo Yoo-ju.

‘Crazy… Crazy woman… She’s out of her mind…! What did she say?!’

How did my words turn into Wi Ho-yeon having wronged me?





I was so dumbfounded that I almost burst out laughing.

‘We’re already struggling to keep Wi Ho-yeon on our side, and you’re saying that kind of nonsense to her?’

I knew that Yoo Ju had a tendency to lose her sense of judgment when it came to matters involving me, but I swear I didn’t expect it to be this bad.

I never thought she’d do something this stupid.

“…It seems my words were distorted when they reached Yoo Ju. Ho-yeon, you didn’t do anything wrong, so please stand up. There must have been some misunderstanding.”

“…If there’s anything I need to fix, feel free to tell me. I’ll do whatever you ask…”

“Ah, no… Please, just stand up first. It’s… it’s uncomfortable for me to see you like this…!”

I tried to grab Ho-yeon’s arm and pull her up, but the difference in our abilities made it impossible.

“But…”

“Sigh… Ho-yeon, this is an order. Stand up… now.”

Only after I said it was an order did she finally stand up. What a sight.

‘Damn it… what the hell…!’

Honestly, after this incident, it was impossible to reassign Ho-yeon from my guard to another role. If I moved her now, it would only confirm the misunderstanding—or rather, the truth—that I didn’t like her.

The situation had gotten so tangled that all I could do was sigh.

“Sigh…”

As I sighed, holding my forehead, Ho-yeon was cautiously watching my reaction.

Afraid she might kneel again, I quickly spoke up.

“…Just to clear up any misunderstandings, Ho-yeon, you didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t say unnecessary things.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

‘Since it’s come to this… I guess I’ll have to talk to her…’

Since we were stuck together now, I had to have an honest conversation with Ho-yeon or do something about it.

“…Ho-yeon, do you drink?”

“I don’t particularly enjoy it, but… I can drink.”

“Sigh… Then let’s go to a bar after work and have a drink. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“…Understood.”

*****

Thud!

“Ah… Yoon Seong? What brings you here…”

“…Yoo Ju. What on earth did you say to Ho-yeon?”

I tried to hold back, but I couldn’t contain my frustration and irritation. As soon as lunchtime came, I went straight to Yoo Ju’s office.

“Huh? What?”

I wanted to flip the desk, but I managed to hold back and continued.

“Did I… Did I ever say that Ho-yeon did something wrong to me?”

“W-What are you talking about…”

Realizing I wasn’t here for a friendly visit, Yoo Ju answered in a timid voice.

“You told Ho-yeon to apologize to me if she did something wrong, didn’t you?”

“Ah… That, that was…”

“…Have you lost your mind?”

“…Huh?”

As soon as the words “lost your mind” left my mouth, Yoo Ju’s face turned pale.

“She’s… Ho-yeon is the Sword Monarch. She’s a figure that other clans are desperate to recruit.”

“…Gulp.”

“We should be treating her with the utmost respect, and you told her to apologize to me? What… were you thinking? What if she decides to leave our clan?!”

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t understand Yoo Ju. I don’t know how important I am to her, but even so, how could she interpret my words like that?

Just thinking about Ho-yeon kneeling in the office waiting for me made my heart race.

“Yoo Ju, answer me. Did I ever say I didn’t like Ho-yeon?”

“…N-No…”

“Then did I say Ho-yeon did something wrong to me?”

“N-No…”

“Then… why on earth did you say that to Ho-yeon?”

“I… I must have misunderstood. I thought you were uncomfortable, so I assumed Ho-yeon had done something wrong…”

“Are you saying this happened because I didn’t speak clearly?”

I couldn’t help but snap at Yoo Ju. I regretted it immediately, but I decided to stick to my tough attitude.

I crossed my arms and glared at her, and she stammered in response.

“N-No, it’s not that you’re at fault…”

Seeing Yoo Ju fidgeting made my irritation fade and guilt start to creep in.

‘I feel kind of bad…’

Honestly, while Yoo Ju did misinterpret my words, I couldn’t say I was entirely blameless for being too vague.

The problem was that it was too late to change my attitude now.

“Do you know how shocked I was? I was horrified to see Ho-yeon kneeling in the office, waiting for me.”

“Sh-She knelt…?!”

The news that Ho-yeon had knelt to apologize seemed to hit Yoo Ju hard, as her face turned completely white.

“Literally. She knelt and apologized to me. I was completely caught off guard.”

“Ah…”

I’m sure Yoo Ju didn’t mean for Ho-yeon to go as far as kneeling.

But how words are received depends on the listener.

“…Make time to apologize to Ho-yeon. You even told her you were disappointed in her, didn’t you?”

Yoo Ju flinched at my words, clearly feeling guilty.

“…Anyway, apologize properly to Ho-yeon. Until then, I don’t think I can face you, Yoo Ju.”

“…Huh?! What… What are you saying? Yoon Seong?!”

For a moment, I wondered if I was being too harsh, but I decided to stay firm. I couldn’t let something like this happen again.

“Yoon Seong?! Yoon Seong!”