Chick 178
by Cristae178
Groo, about to pull a fork from his inventory in readiness, paused for a moment.
A film crew was filing out of a van with cameras, microphones, and reflectors in tow.
‘……?!’
Groo quickly put the fork away and hid behind a car.
‘What’s going on?’
Guildmaster Chase, accompanied by several staff members, headed over to where the children were playing basketball and waved at Taemin.
Taemin’s face hardened.
Serhi glanced between Taemin and the guildmaster, then stepped closer, standing right at Taemin’s side.
The guildmaster, startled by the sight of Serhi, quickly composed himself and addressed Taemin as if nothing was amiss.
“Taemin, greet them.”
“Hello, Lee Taemin the Hunter. I’m BJ Chabu, host of Hunter Channel. Not sure if you know me.”
“I know you. You’re famous. I watch you on YouTube all the time—so glad to meet you in person.”
“Haha! To think such a promising rookie recognizes me—what an honor!”
Chabu made as if to bow deeply, and Taemin waved it off, smiling.
Serhi frowned at their mutual flattery, visibly unimpressed.
The friends who’d been playing basketball carried on, talking about how many subscribers Chabu’s channel had.
Their main content was filming hunters strategizing freely in a relaxed, observational variety style—showing the real lives of different hunters and scouting new talents, which had made the channel highly popular.
Bringing such a BJ here—one could see the intention a mile off.
It was painfully clear: they wanted publicity for the guild by using Taemin’s fame. But Taemin’s friends, lacking better words, could only say, “So damn cool,” over and over.
“But Hunter Lee Taemin—what led you to consider soloing an A-rank dungeon? Did Hunter Kitahn inspire you? Back then, the whole country—no, the whole world—was in an uproar.”
“Huh? Solo play? Me?”
Taemin blinked, as if hearing about this for the first time.
“Huh?”
Chabu looked just as startled, but Guildmaster Choi Hyunwoo of Chase Guild quickly stepped between them.
“Hey, Taemin. I told you about this a few days ago, remember?”
“Oh… Ah, right. Of course, I remember…”
Taemin nodded, as if realizing something.
Still, it was obvious that no real agreement had been reached.
Chabu also looked flustered by this unexpected development.
“This…doesn’t seem to have been discussed properly… PD Gong, one moment.”
Just as Chabu was about to confer with his PD about whether filming was possible today, Choi Hyunwoo pulled Taemin into his arms.
“No problem. Taemin was so enthusiastic about it. He can do it. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes… I can do it.”
Chabu exchanged glances with the PD.
They’d brought the whole crew all this way, and if Taemin was agreeing—even if something seemed off—it was awkward to refuse now.
“Then shall we move to the van?”
“Yes. Let me say goodbye to my friends first. Hey guys, I’ve got to go do something! You all stink, go take a shower!”
“Hey! Get lost!”
“Come back a star! S-Class rookie!”
Taemin high-fived his friends as they joked with him, then turned his head.
Bright blue eyes stared right at him.
“Idiot.”
Serhi muttered quietly, turning away.
“……”
Taemin opened his mouth—then, with a nudge from Choi Hyunwoo, moved along.
When they all headed for the parking lot, Serhi glanced after Taemin’s retreating figure and shook his head.
It wasn’t his problem. What Taemin did or where he went had nothing to do with him.
“Hey, Serhi! Let’s play basketball again next time!”
“See you tomorrow, Serh-ching!”
“Get going!”
With the farewells echoing behind him, Serhi frowned fiercely.
Thanks to Taemin, he’d ended up with a whole bunch of annoying hangers-on.
Would he ever get to go back to being the foreign kid again? Probably not—not now. Damn it.
As he fought down the mounting irritation bubbling inside him—
“Let’s go, too!”
Grab!
He felt two small hands on his wrist.
Looking down, he saw Groo grinning up at him.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Serhi disentangled his wrist, then grumpily took Groo’s hand.
“Why are you still here instead of heading home? Want me to walk you?”
“Groo’s managing you, oppa.”
“Not stalking?”
“Stocking?”
Blinking his big eyes, the child repeated the word. Serhi shook his head.
“Never mind.”
“Serhi oppa, let’s follow Taemin oppa, too.”
“Why do you keep wanting to go there?”
“Because Taemin oppa might get hurt. I’m worried.”
“Just leave it alone. He brought it on himself.”
“Brought it on himself?”
Serhi bit his lip hard.
“You idiot. Being dumb isn’t fixable, so there’s no point worrying about it.”
Groo stared up at Serhi. Not wanting to draw notice, his gold eyes were covered with blue contacts.
“Dummy. Liar.”
“What?”
Groo pouted.
Groo knew everything. The quest had popped up, after all.
[Guardian Quest]
[Guardian ‘Serhi’ is worried that his friend is in trouble. Let’s help solve your guardian’s concerns together!]
[Reward: 5,000 Filial Points]
Groo clasped Serhi’s hand tightly and flashed a wide smile.
No helping it. If Serhi still couldn’t be honest, Groo would have to help a bit.
“There’s something Groo wants to do. Serhi-ser oppa has to help.”
“No. You’re just trying to rescue him. I told you to just leave him be.”
“Mhm, that’s not it.”
Shake, shake.
“So then what?”
Groo pulled out three chick drones, each no bigger than a child’s fist.
“Promote.”
“Idiot.”
Serhi’s muttered word echoed in Taemin’s mind as he changed his clothes.
‘That damn Serhi. Even when he tries to help, he always does it in the most infuriating way…’
Taemin yanked his belt on with rough hands, already feeling annoyed.
You just don’t understand a thing.
He pulled a pair of twin swords from his inventory, swallowing all the words that wanted to rise to his throat.
Stepping into the dungeon, his gaze fixed on the film crew live-broadcasting his every move, on Chabu loudly narrating beside him, and on Choi Hyunwoo waving and smiling brightly.
Choi Hyunwoo.
A maternal relative—the man who’d kept Taemin out of the orphanage.
“Hyunwoo, I know he’s pitiful, but he’s grown, and you’re putting your own future on hold for him. Don’t you see?”
An E-rank. Even working just as a porter, Choi Hyunwoo had never let go of Taemin.
“I can look after myself! It’s not like I barely earn anything—and I save all I make. Enough already. The kid might hear.”
Trying to muffle his voice so Taemin wouldn’t hear, every softly spoken word made his throat tighten.
He’d hidden tears behind his hands in those years long past.
“Hyung, I awakened…!”
How happy he’d been then.
He’d wanted to be someone Choi Hyunwoo could rely on. The fact that he was no longer an obstacle in his brother’s path made him so happy he’d volunteer for anything.
And Choi Hyunwoo had been so proud of him—just the sight of his joy had given Taemin strength.
All Taemin had wanted was to do more for him.
Along the way, Choi Hyunwoo had started a guild for his sake, and Taemin had gladly become its poster boy.
Running a guild was no easy task, even more so for an E-rank porter.
Amidst those who looked down on Choi Hyunwoo, Taemin told himself that any burden his brother put on him was worth it for the guild’s sake.
‘Yes. Just like hyung says, it’s for our future. I just have to endure a little more.’
He reaffirmed his resolve while recalling the past.
Rumble—
The ashen field, cloaked in volcanic dust, suddenly trembled.
Boom!
Boom!
Enormous hands braced against the earth and pushed up from below.
[Pyroclasto (AA)]
The dungeon boss of the Volcanic Ash Dungeon. The spirit dwelling within the ash.
Its long body, wreathed in blazing ash, twisted upright and let out an eerie cry.
“GRAAHHHH!”