Chapter 23: The Five Siblings of Mapogu (1)

Chapter 23: The Five Siblings of Mapogu (1) "W-wwoooah!" "You're telling me this is the building of a newly established guild?" "Wow, no way..." "But there are only four guild members. Why such a big building?" "Huh? Original Bossam restaurant?" Four of the siblings marveled at DG Guild's building while a big one was caught gazing at Kim's Original Bossam restaurant across the guild. "Huh?" the voice of a woman behind them rang out. The four men and women all turned their heads toward it and a stunning beauty came into view. "Wow!" "Is... is she a celebrity?" "I wonder what cosmetics she uses." "Gulp!" "Huh? Vietnamese spring rolls?" As they looked at the people standing at the entrance, tilting their heads, the stunning beauty, Lee Ji-Yeon, seemed to recognize them. "Oh! Are you the Hunter team that Guildmaster submitted a request to?" "Yes, I'm Yoo... Yoo Seh-Eun." "I'm Kang Seh-Hyuk." "I'm Lee Ji-Ah." "Hello, I'm Nam Dong-Wook. My hobby is visiting cafes, especially those selling sweet desserts." "Hmm! Indian curry!" The last one didn't even bother introducing himself. Yoo Seh-Eun struck Jeong Man-Kook on the back of his head while Lee Ji-Ah slapped Nam Dong-Wook's mouth. Only then did Jeong Man-Kook turn his head to look at Lee Ji-Yeon. "Excuse me." "Yes?" Lee Ji-Yeon said. "Is there any good Chinese restaurant nearby that makes good jjamppong[1]...?" Yoo Seh-Eun covered Jeong Man-Kook's mouth with her hand and said with an apologetic but tired expression, "Ignore him." "Oh, okay..." Lee Ji-Yeon let out a forced laugh. The four siblings from Mapo District followed suit with awkward smiles, except for the eldest. "Shall we make our way in?" The siblings from Mapo District dragged the eldest who was looking for a Chinese restaurant and followed behind Lee Ji-Yeon. "Wow!" "There's a receptionist here as well?" "Wasn't it a new guild?" "They must be rich." "Hmm!" Some looked around the guild, while others admired the receptionist. "Yes, it is a new guild. It's just that..." "That?" "Our Guildmaster is lucky?" Lee Ji-Yeon answered their question. Luck? The Four Siblings of Mapogu tilted their heads in confusion. "He found the treasure vault of the Treasure Goblin," Lee Ji-Yeon explained. "Ah." The Four Siblings of Mapogu immediately understood. It all made sense if he had found a treasure vault. As they were waiting for the elevator, Lee Ji-Yeon's phone suddenly made a sound. Ding! She sighed and took out her smartphone. "What did they upload this time?" A video had indeed been uploaded to the guild channel, but she realized there were not just one, but six notifications. She turned to look at the others, and just as she had thought, four of the siblings were also looking at their smartphones. "It's because your guild filed a formal request with us." Yoo Seh-Eun awkwardly smiled, trying to explain how she found the channel. "I subscribed because I found the videos entertaining." Kang Seh-Hyuk said with mixed confidence. Two videos had been uploaded at this point. One was a recording of the livestream taken just before the operation had gone down at the orphanage, and the other was a newly uploaded video. The problem was... "Huh?!" Lee Ji-Yeon widened her eyes as she looked at the thumbnail, and the four who had been glued to their screens also saw. "N-no way..." With a sense of foreboding, she urgently played the video. The others did as well, but they muted their sound to avoid turning this into a surround-sound experience. *** Thud! Thud! A loud, drum-like sound echoed. Dozens of monsters glared at her, yet the female warrior did not back down. Instead, she confidently drew her sword and charged forward. —Ine! Upon her call, a Fire Elemental was summoned, and as it reached out into the air, dozens of fire arrows were created. As the arrows raced at the monsters, a massive flame erupted from the woman's sword. There were subtitles at the bottom of the screen describing it unnecessarily. FIRE! SWORD! *** "Wow... that's so cringey..." Kang Seh-Hyuk thought out loud. Lee Ji-Yeon's ears turned red. The old-fashioned subtitles made his comment cut through even deeper. "But why is it so cool?" Yoo Seh-Eun praised. Perhaps it was because of the Fire Elemental, but the subtitles also complemented the scene, making it more enjoyable to watch. Lee Ji-Yeon's pale cheeks turned bright red. Swish! Sizzle! The Fire Elementalist wielded her blade in battle, her swordsmanship nothing short of remarkable. Every graceful strike was made even more resplendent by the intense flames that followed. —Phew. The woman, having defeated dozens of monsters, stood with her backed turned from the camera. She took a deep breath and exhaled softly. She swung her sword through the air to shake off the dripping blood, and the flames enveloping the blade scattered like embers. Then, she slowly sheathed her sword and turned around. The scene played out in slow motion, as if it had been cinematically captured. —Hm? Guildmaster? The beautiful woman with scarlet hair tilted her head, after which the video transitioned to a title screen. DG Guild's Elemental Warrior. Lee. On screen was a picture of Lee Ji-Yeon slashing her sword alongside the Fire Elemental. Ji. It changed to one of Lee Ji-Yeon watching TV while embracing the Fire Elemental in the DG Guild. Yeon. Now it showed Lee Ji-Yeon's back as she caught her breath after defeating the monster. "Wow! Your debut is fucking spectacular," Nam Dong-Wook rated. Lee Ji-Yeon squatted down, burying her face in her hands at the remark. *** "He, hehe." ⤷ Quick, how do I join DG Guild? ⤷ Conditions! Tell me the conditions! ⤷ FML, she's so pretty! ⤷ Please let me join. PLEASE. "Hehe! Hehe! Hehehehe!" "Hehehehe!" Kim Ki-Rok burst into laughter while watching the continuous stream of comments, and Ji-Hee was sitting beside him, also laughing along. This video which was crafted with three hundred years of editing skills received a lot of praise as soon as it had been uploaded. Bang! Right then, the door to the Guildmaster's office swung open. Or rather, it broke open. They would now need to get a new door. "It's broken." Kim Ji-Hee pointed out, looking at the shattered latch. "Oh, Ji-Hee was here too. I'm sorry." Lee Ji-Yeon apologized. "It's okay!" Kim Ji-Hee looked at Lee Ji-Yeon. She tilted her head because she had never seen a face that had turned red before. "Uncle, uncle." "Yes?" "Unnie's all red!" "Oh, she is. Red as a tomato! Hehehehe! Have you learned the Elemental Fusion Technique already!" Kim Ki-Rok joked. "Hehehehe!" Kim Ji-Hee mimicked Kim Ki-Rok's exaggerated laughter. This brought Lee Ji-Yeon's mind back to earth. Lee Ji-Yeon opened her eyes wide and walked toward Kim Ki-Rok. She slammed the table confidently and yelled, "Guildmaster!" "Yes, Miss Ji-Yeon." "What is this!" "It's your debut video." "Why was it uploaded?" "But I got your permission to film and take photos?" "Huh?" *** "Miss Ji-Yeon." Kim Ki-Rok said. "Yes?" "Is it okay if I film a video?" "A video?" "Yes. I filmed your battles. Oh, I will also send them to you, of course." "What are you filming for?" "One can identify shortcomings when looking back from a third-person perspective." "I see." He was right. That did sound familiar. She had heard that athletes also studied their movements and form by watching videos of their performance. "Yes. Of course, there are other reasons." Kim Ki-Rok continued. "What are the other reasons?" Lee Ji-Yeon questioned. "It's for promotional purposes." "Promotional purposes?" "Yes. I plan to use Miss Elemental Warrior's combat video to promote the DG Guild. By the way, although you are a C-Class Hunter, you're closer to A-Class in terms of ability. You need to learn to be comfortable in front of a camera. As I have mentioned before, the popularity of top Hunters rivals that of even celebrities." "I see. Yes, I understand." "So, I have your permission to upload the video of your battles?" Kim Ki-Rok asked with a grin. "Yes. That's fine." Lee Ji-Yeon smiled back. *** "Oh, no. No, no, no... Ha! No, but still, this is a bit..." Lee Ji-Yeon fumbled her words. "Hmm! I personally think it's a well-edited video that could even get on the trending page." Kim Ki-Rok said, his pride seemingly hurt. "No. But that's..." The video provided entertainment in an old-fashioned way. By slowing down specific moments, it maximized the splendor of her combat. Although she wanted to object, Lee Ji-Yeon rolled her eyes because she had given Kim Ki-Rok permission herself. "Oh, ahh... Arrgh." She groaned. "Hehehe." She abruptly turned at the sound of man's laughter. "Mr. Woo-Hyuk?" "I enjoyed the debut video. Hehehe!" The young man with a thick beard continued chuckling. Lee Ji-Yeon gritted her teeth at Kang Woo-Hyuk's mischievous smile and thumbs-up. "Guildmaster." "Yes, Miss Ji-Yeon." "Will Mr. Woo-Hyuk also have his own video?" "He will." "What?!" Revenge had been exacted swiftly and precisely. Kang Woo-Hyuk's eyes widened as he quickly stood up from his seat. "G-Guildmaster?" "For your information, the clause is written on your contract, five lines from the bottom of the third page. You must shoot a promotional video for the guild's publicity and your recognition." "I-I've never heard of this from my lawyer!" "Most promising Hunters belonging to a guild would normally do promotional videos and shoots. They even go out of their way to request it themselves. The lawyer must have considered it routine work. Oh, and I'm sure the lawyer has confirmed it with you, Mr. Woo-Hyuk." "What?!" *** "T-ten billion!" "Yes. The down payment is ten billion won. It's an incredible amount for a production-class Hunter who, despite having awakened some time ago, still lacks knowledge and experience." "T-ten billion. Bi- bil- billion..." "Oh, but Mister Woo-Hyuk. There is a clause about shooting a promotional video on the back page. How should we handle that?" "Ugh... Oh, yes. It doesn't matter. I'm getting ten billion, so it's whatever." "Hmm. Understood. Then there are no issues with the contract." *** Kang Woo-Hyuk had been out of his mind because of that down payment given to him. Recalling the events when he had signed the contract, he burst into hollow laughter with a soulless face. "Huh... Haha, hahaha." "Miss Ji-Yeon. I received a message from Miss Ji-Na saying you will be coming here with the Hunter team." Kim Ki-Rok said. "Miss Ji-Na?" "Didn't you meet her on the first floor? She's the staff at the front desk." "Ah." Come to think of it, there had been a desk staff. Lee Ji-Yeon had never seen her before. "That was Ji-Na unnie." Kim Ji-Hee explained. "Yes. That was Miss Chae Ji-Na. So, is the Hunter team here?" Kim Ki-Rok asked. "I asked them to wait outside for a moment." Lee Ji-Yeon responded. "I see. Can you bring them inside now?" The door was already halfway destroyed. Lee Ji-Yeon knocked on the door with an embarrassed expression. "I will call someone to fix it," she said to Kim Ki-Rok. "Yes. Please do." "Hehehe." Kim Ji-Hee laughed. Meanwhile, The Five Siblings of Mapogu entered the Guildmaster's office. Kim Ki-Rok looked at them while sitting at the CEO's desk with his chin resting on his hand. "Since you're all here, does that mean you've decided to accept our request?" 1. Jjamppong is a Korean take on a Chinese spicy noodle dish. ☜