Chapter 69
Si-hyun bowed her head awkwardly as a greeting.
It was natural, given that a stranger was looking inside someone else’s home.
At the same time, she immediately realized.
The homeowner was the master of the Knight Guild.
When Si-hyun raised her head, what met her eyes was an elderly man with a benevolent smile.
The man stood up straight and approached her.
Si-hyun, who had been about to continue on her way, stopped awkwardly and waited for him.
“Miss, do you like snacks?”
“…Uh, um, yes.”
“In that case, would you like to come in and have some? It’s just that this old man feels a bit lonely.”
Si-hyun hesitated for a moment.
Normally, she would have politely declined and walked away.
But for various reasons, her feet stayed rooted.
The savory aroma that kept tickling her nose.
The beautifully decorated garden of the house.
If she were to look for a new home, it would be somewhere like this. It was a place that even gave her such thoughts.
After much deliberation, Si-hyun nodded.
This wasn’t just any elderly man—he was the master of the Knight Guild and an S-rank hunter.
There was nothing to lose from building a connection with someone like him.
Creak—
The old man opened the gate, and Si-hyun stepped into the house.
As she entered, the meticulously decorated garden became even more vivid in her sight.
Si-hyun let out a light exclamation and followed the old man to the garden table.
The old man observed Si-hyun with a gentle expression.
Her long, flowing white hair was striking.
Her golden eyes, gleaming with intelligence, had a mesmerizing quality.
And most of all, what stood out the most.
Was the heavy presence emanating from her restrained steps.
Like the aura from a finely honed blade, even her light steps carried traces of the intense life she had walked.
In a single moment, the old man saw through it—this young woman was a hunter who had walked a path far from ordinary.
Initially, he had only intended to offer some homemade snacks to a young passerby during a moment of solitude.
But his curiosity had been deeply piqued.
The old man invited Si-hyun to sit across the table and then sat down himself.
Si-hyun’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the snacks.
The old man chuckled softly, pouring tea into a new teacup and offering it to her along with the snacks.
“This is tea I drink often. I hope it suits your taste, young lady.”
“Oh, thank you. I’ll give it a try.”
Blowing lightly to cool the tea, Si-hyun took a slow sip.
A rich, flavourful taste gently spread through her mouth.
‘Wow, this would pair so well with the snacks.’
She didn’t know much about tea, but it was clear that it had been brewed perfectly.
Smiling sweetly, Si-hyun picked up a snack and took a bite.
It was absolutely delicious.
“From the look on your face, it seems to suit your taste.”
“Oh, yes! It’s really good. Do you drink tea often?”
“Hmm, yes. Especially on clear and refreshing days like today, enjoying tea in the garden is quite pleasant. A cup of tea with a gentle breeze has a way of soothing the soul.”
Moved by his soft words, Si-hyun nodded slowly.
Without realizing it, she picked up another snack.
Imagining that the ones in the gift box would taste just as good only heightened her anticipation.
‘I’ll share these with Si-yoon when I get home!’ Si-hyun smiled brightly.
The old man watched her contented smile for a moment before speaking leisurely.
“Just as a cup of tea is nice, so is a game shared with someone. Miss, do you know how to play Janggi?”
“Janggi? I only know the basics….”
“Then, would you care for a game?”
At the old man’s suggestion, Si-hyun hesitated for a moment.
But soon, she nodded.
After being treated to such delicious tea and snacks, she felt she should at least show that much courtesy.
Watching the old man head inside the house, Si-hyun took out her phone.
She lightly reviewed the rules of Janggi and skimmed through strategies for setting up formations.
Soon, the old man returned to the garden and began setting up the Janggi pieces.
Si-hyun prepared her own pieces, and the game naturally began.
Recalling old memories and the information she had just looked up, Si-hyun calmly moved her pieces.
The old man responded with skilled hand movements.
Tak—!
The sound of the Janggi pieces moving rang out crisply.
Unlike Si-hyun, who repeatedly reviewed her thoughts, the old man made his moves without hesitation.
In less than an hour, the game ended in a checkmate.
Si-hyun lost gracefully.
“Hmm…. Young lady, you’re a quick learner.”
“Haha, am I?”
At the old man’s candid compliment, Si-hyun laughed awkwardly.
From the look of things, the elder seemed eager to continue.
Since there was still time before evening, Si-hyun asked in a relaxed tone.
“Why did you move this piece like that earlier?”
Using her excellent memory, Si-hyun recreated the board and asked about the parts she was curious about.
The old man kindly answered her questions.
When the review of the game ended.
“If I remove these, it should be fair. How about it?”
“Yes, please go easy on me.”
To accommodate the beginner, the old man removed three pieces, including a horse and a cannon.
Even with such a handicap, he was confident in his victory.
The two began another game.
Tak!
And then.
“Hmm…?”
This time, the old man lost.
It didn’t even take an hour.
The old man stroked his beard, deep in thought.
He had been certain of his victory.
If the young lady seemed bored, he planned to stop there, or if she showed competitiveness, he considered removing one or two more pieces.
But the result?
His defeat. A perfectly clean loss. A result he had not anticipated at all.
“Why did you move this piece there?”
“Ah, that’s the horse.”
The old man swallowed his questions and sincerely explained to Si-hyun, who requested to review the game.
Watching Si-hyun nod as if she understood, he retracted what he had said earlier.
“I seem to have underestimated you, young lady. My apologies. Would it be all right to play one more game without removing any pieces?”
“Yes, of course!”
Si-hyun accepted the old man’s request.
The game of Janggi began anew.
…
The old man furrowed his brow, staring at the Janggi board.
It wasn’t because he was upset or displeased.
It was simply because he found it incredibly fascinating.
Tak! Tak!
When he made the same moves as before, his opponent countered decisively.
Tak!
Tak—
When he made different moves, she responded after giving it ample thought.
Thinking back, it had been that way from the beginning.
This young woman was incredibly cautious by nature.
He could see her personality just from the way she moved her pieces.
However.
“Hmm…”
If she was faced with a move she had seen before, she countered without hesitation. It didn’t even take her a few seconds.
She never fell for the same trick twice and, instead, used it against him in her own attacks.
Through the two reviews they had done, she perfectly applied what she had learned about how to respond.
There was no hesitation in her moves.
Even a single misstep was mercilessly exploited.
Though the old man often played Janggi in his spare time, he had never faced an opponent like this.
It was nothing short of astonishing.
Tak— Tak—
The old man focused on the game with more intensity than ever before.
How long had it been since he concentrated this much on Janggi?
Thinking it had been quite a while, he became fully engrossed in the game.
The board was in his Favor.
Yet, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
It was as though she thought several times faster than anyone else.
This young woman applied strategies he had never seen before, pressing him relentlessly.
Even a moment of carelessness felt as though it would result in his immediate downfall.
The old man sipped his tea.
Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead without him realizing it.
He moved his pieces, carefully considering every move.
At some point, he realized that he was taking longer to make his moves than she was.
And strangely, he found that exhilarating.
The old man moved his pieces with a broad smile.
Ultimately, he managed to secure a victory.
It was a win achieved by the narrowest margin.
If they played one more game, to be honest, he wasn’t confident he would win again.
To feel such uncertainty against a beginner at Janggi….
The old man gazed at Si-hyun with a sense of wonder.
Her radiant golden eyes met his.
A moment of silence passed.
Without realizing it, the old man asked.
“Young lady, what is your profession?”
He had thought of her as merely a passing encounter and hadn’t intended to ask anything personal.
But in the end, he asked anyway.
The impression this young woman left on him during their brief time together was simply too strong.
Si-hyun answered with a small smile.
“Thankfully, I’m currently working as a part-time lecturer at the Academy.”
“Ho, an educator! That’s truly admirable.”
“Hehe…”
At the old man’s genuine compliment, Si-hyun bashfully pressed her cheek with her hand.
Her cheeks turned faintly red.
Seeing her endearing reaction, the old man’s eyes crinkled warmly.
He couldn’t help but think that if his granddaughter had lived, he might have witnessed such a sight.
He had lost his entire family during the Great Cataclysm.
While others praised him as the master of a major guild and an S-rank hunter.
He often felt the loneliness of life.
After all, his position as the guild master was mostly symbolic.
Feeling elated to meet someone he genuinely liked after a long time, the old man spoke excitedly.
“Young lady, would you care for another game?”
“Ah, um…”
Si-hyun checked the time on her phone and replied.
“It’s about time for me to head home.”
“Oh dear, this old man kept you for too long.”
“No, not at all! I had a wonderful time too.”
The old man smiled warmly at Si-hyun’s polite response.
“Young lady, would you visit again sometime?”
“Would that be okay?”
“Of course! I’ll prepare tea and snacks with even more care than today.”
“…Hehe.”
The old man naturally handed her his business card and received one from her in return.
As she handed over her card, Si-hyun thought absentmindedly.
Though she had prepared it beforehand, this was the first time she had given it to someone.
And to think it was to the master of a major guild. Life was truly unpredictable.
“I’ll get going now! Thank you so much for today.”
“The pleasure was mine! Take care on your way home.”
Si-hyun left the garden with a spring in her step.
The old man watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight.
Her long, flowing white hair shimmered softly in the warm spring sunlight as it gradually vanished from view.
***
The meeting room of the Blue Forest Guild.
Kang Chul-min, an S-rank hunter and a key figure in the guild, sat arrogantly in his chair.
Meanwhile, the PR team employee standing before him awaited his response nervously.
“A special lecture at the Academy?”
“Yes, it was originally planned for an A-rank hunter from our guild, but… unfortunately, they passed away in the recent incident.”
The employee maintained a composed expression as they continued.
“If Hunter Kang Chul-min were to take on the lecture, it would undoubtedly elevate the guild’s reputation.”
“Do I really need to bother with a lecture? Can’t we just assign it to someone lower?”
Kang Chul-min responded dismissively.
Anticipating such a reaction, the employee calmly replied.
“If someone as esteemed as Hunter Kang Chul-min, the strongest hunter in Korea, were to personally step in, it would certainly boost the recruitment rate of new members, which has been declining lately.”
“Hmm…”
“Showcasing the charisma you displayed during the recent dungeon incident to the students will leave a lasting impression. With rival guilds ramping up their promotional efforts, it’s time for us to make a bold move as well.”
Faced with the employee’s earnest appeal, Kang Chul-min pondered for a moment.
After a brief silence, he smirked and nodded.
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
Crossing his arms, he declared arrogantly.
“I’ll deliver a lecture so grand it will go down in the Academy’s history. Make sure everything is prepared properly.”
“Yes, understood!”
The PR team employee smiled in relief and bowed their head.
—
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