RG 162

In the slightly awkward atmosphere, I resumed walking and said, “Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, shall we get going?”

Kwon Taehyeok, who was following me, looked visibly deflated, which bothered me a bit, but it wasn’t the right moment to question him.

When we reached the second floor and arrived at the office, I could sense a familiar presence from inside.

I gave a light knock and opened the door. As expected, I saw three people sitting on the sofa: the fake who was the current Circle’s guildmaster, Ryu Seonghyeon, and Song Ji-un.

The fake, who had the exact same face as Song Ji-un, welcomed us with a smile. “Hunter Cha Seohu, come in. The two with you, please come in as well.”

Well, not exactly identical—more like a future version of Song Ji-un. I was freshly reminded of why the fake had insisted on being presented as Song Ji-un’s twin brother.

As soon as I stepped into the representative’s office, he spoke to me in a friendly tone. “Did you have a good talk with the guests?” He had spoken informally before, but to act this familiar now was something else. I raised one eyebrow, then played along.

“Yes. Thank you for letting us use the reception room.”

Even without an explanation, I could guess what was going on. The fake acting overly friendly meant he had a reason to do so. Most likely because of Song Ji-un.

After replying, I glanced at Song Ji-un discreetly. As expected, he was carefully observing the interaction between me and the fake.

‘Well, it wouldn’t have been easy to convince him all at once anyway.’

The only reason we’d managed to bring Song Ji-un this far was because the Circle’s guildmaster claimed to be his twin brother. Song Ji-un had heard that our goal was to make him take over the guildmaster position, but he hadn’t made a decision yet. And that still hadn’t changed.

‘He must think that my relationship with him is a key factor in making that decision.’

I didn’t know what exactly the three of them had talked about while I was busy managing Hyeon Dowun and Kwon Seoyul in the reception room, so for now, I decided to match the fake’s tone.

A simple thank-you didn’t feel like enough to sell the idea that we were close, so I added something more ingratiating, “Did you have a good talk as well, guildmaster? You said you were separated from the mountain keeper when you were young and always wanted to meet him.”

Immediately, everyone in the room turned their eyes on me.

“Ah, of course. I’m very grateful to you. I heard it was you who first stepped up to persuade our Ji-un, wasn’t it?”

Our Ji-un? Is he out of his mind?

A chill ran through my chest, but I forced a smile onto my lips. “Well, since the mountain keeper’s body is healed and he knows the situation now, I just brought it up carefully. You said you really wanted to meet him. So, how did it go?”

“Hmm…” At my question, the fake gave a bitter expression, as if he’d been waiting for the chance. He really would’ve made it big as an actor. “We talked about family matters to some extent. We cleared up a lot of misunderstandings. There’s still more to say, but we’ve got plenty of time, so we can talk slowly from now on. The problem is the guildmaster position…” He trailed off while glancing at Song Ji-un, who then spoke up with a troubled look.

“No matter what, becoming the guildmaster is a bit… Especially since I’ve lived in the mountains for so long—I don’t really know much about the world. The guildmaster is someone I…”

“Come on! I told you to just call me ‘big brother’! If calling me that feels awkward because we’re twins, then just use my name, Ji-un.”

Oh wow. What a load of crap.

I stared at the fake in disbelief as he put on a wounded expression like he’d been hurt. Song Ji-un, flustered and unsure what to do, quickly responded.

“N-no, it’s fine. I like calling you ‘big brother’, Big Brother Jiwon.”

“…”

I couldn’t watch any longer, feeling a prick of conscience. I stepped in between them. “You two can talk about that separately. From a third-party perspective, there’s no need to feel so burdened about taking the representative position. Didn’t you hear the explanation? The Circle Guild needs a strong DPS.”

“Ah… I did hear about it.”

“You’re not parachuting into the representative position; it’s a win-win situation for both the guild and yourself. While you’ll hold the title of representative, you’ll likely be called away often—mostly to dungeons. After all, you’re a precious DPS Hunter,” I intentionally revealed the reality that I had been holding back from Song Ji-un. My voice was as gentle as usual, but the content was a bit more forceful. “Let’s think about it more rationally. Mountain Keeper, have you decided how you’re going to live from now on?”

“Well…”

“You could go back to Mount Taebaek and continue living as a mountain keeper. But you came down from the mountain with the resolve to walk a different path, didn’t you? And soon, you’ll also be meeting your grandmother—you have to consider that as well.”

“…”

“If you continue living as a mountain keeper, it’ll be inevitable that the time between seeing your grandmother will grow longer. You can’t exactly bring her to Mount Taebaek.”

At the mention of his grandmother, Song Ji-un, who had been looking at me with trembling eyes, bit his lip.

“You should apologize to your grandmother and stay by her side. To do that, I think the guildmaster’s proposal is the most fitting. Since he’s your long-lost brother, he’ll definitely take good care of you.” I knew pushing too hard could backfire, so I gave a bitter smile and said, “The final decision is yours, of course. But I hope you’ll consider it positively. More than anything, if you go back to the mountains, I won’t be able to see you for a long time—and honestly, I’d be really sad about that.”

At the added joke, Song Ji-un widened his eyes. Then, fidgeting with his fingers, he answered, “I… I’d be sad too. Like you said, I came down with resolve, so I’m not thinking about going back easily either.”

“Good. Take your time to think about it. We’ll give you all the time you need.” At just the right moment, the fake spoke up to ease Song Ji-un’s burden, then shifted his gaze to Kwon Taehyeok. “The representative position isn’t as tough as you’re worried about. We’re not that big of a guild. Ah, well, the esteemed guildmaster of Yesung here does have heavy responsibilities though.”

Having inadvertently ended up hearing all about the Circle Guild’s internal matters just by following along, Kwon Taehyeok awkwardly cleared his throat. “I’m not much different either. Most of the practical work is handled by the staff, so I mainly focus on managing dungeons and rifts. That helps keep things safer.”

“You heard that, right? I might have weak mental-type skills, but you’re a strong DPS, Ji-un. Just having you with us would make everyone feel much more secure.”

With everyone present offering encouragement, it became harder for Song Ji-un to oppose strongly.

“We’re not asking you to take over the representative position and start immediately. You’ll need time to get a feel for things and learn the ropes. So why not start by joining as a regular guild member? While living as a guild member, you can get familiar with everyone and learn the work—it’ll help you when you’re ready to make your decision.” The fake stepped back first.

Rather than considering Song Ji-un’s burden, this was probably the plan from the start. By first offering the heavy responsibility of leading an organization—something overwhelming just to hear about—and then softening it with, “Then, would you like to work as a regular staff member while learning the ropes?” it would be impossible for the other person not to waver.

Even more so if they had no other options, like Song Ji-un.

“If it’s as a guild member… hmm, I think that would be fine.”

As expected. For the first time, the uneasy expression Song Ji-un had worn all along brightened. I watched the scene with a pang of regret. It was painful to see Song Ji-un being swayed by that sly bastard.

“I’m glad to hear that. You can think about taking over the representative position while working as a guild member.” With a satisfied smile, the fake poured a fresh cup of warm tea for Song Ji-un. “When you’ve organized your thoughts, go visit Grandmother at the address I mentioned earlier. I’ll lend you a car, and I’ll even have a guild member drive you.”

“Address? Grandmother?” I asked in confusion, and Song Ji-un explained on his behalf.

“The guildmaster—no, uh, Big Brother Jiwon—said he’s been taking care of my grandmother.”

The fake was taking care of Song Ji-un’s grandmother?

“She’s been staying in an apartment that Big Brother Jiwon arranged for her. I was just about to go meet her.”

This news genuinely shocked me.

When I turned to the fake, startled, he merely shrugged as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’ve been busy myself, so I haven’t been able to visit her often. But I make sure to go at least once or twice a month to greet her.”

“What do you mean by apartment? You really arranged a home for her?”

“The place she was living before wasn’t suitable for an elderly person. Especially since her knees aren’t in good shape, she needed somewhere with an elevator instead of stairs,” the fake replied calmly. Even so, I was completely dumbfounded.

The so-called Song Jiwon in front of me was definitely some transcendent being wearing human skin. What I had experienced myself was nothing short of extraordinary. But taking care of Song Ji-un’s grandmother? Even getting her a new home?

It was both astonishing and made me understand why Song Ji-un had become more docile.

Song Ji-un wasn’t the type to easily trust and rely on others. He wasn’t naïve enough to just believe a twin brother who had suddenly appeared.

But knowing that Song Jiwon had looked after his grandmother—the one he hadn’t been able to care for after fleeing into the mountains—and even secured her a better home, even if it didn’t erase all doubts, it was enough to soften his attitude.

And now the fake was even lending him a car so he could visit her himself. It was a move meant to dissolve any lingering doubts quickly.

‘A terrifying guy.’

I still found the fake repulsive in many ways, but I didn’t bother making an issue of it. I didn’t want to ruin Song Ji-un’s excitement about finally meeting his grandmother. And the fake had genuinely done something good for him.

Since I couldn’t openly insult him, I was busy cursing him out in my head when—

“Ah, Hunter Cha Seohu.”

What? Did he hear me?

“Yes?”

“Since we’re on the topic of living arrangements, have you decided where you’ll be staying from now on?”

“Well…” I replied indifferently, shooting a quick glare at the fake. It was a look that basically said, ‘What are you going to do with that information?’ but outwardly I just replied with, “I can’t return to the office, so I was planning to stay at a hotel for the time being.”

“Oh dear.” The fake let out a fake exclamation of concern and, smiling pleasantly, said to me, “How about it?”

“How about what?”

“If you have nowhere to go, why don’t you come stay at my place?”

“What?”

“Guildmaster!”

At the fake’s shocking suggestion, both my and Cha Sahyeon’s faces twisted horribly at the same time. Ryu Seonghyeon jumped up in shock, and Song Ji-un nearly dropped the teacup he was holding. Kwon Taehyeok… had the look of a man who had just been betrayed. What was with him?

“Wait, hold on. I just need to ask one thing.”

“Go ahead.”

“When you say ‘your place’… you’re not talking about the house where the mountain keeper’s grandmother is staying, right?”

“Of course not. The place where I live is an apartment just five minutes from the guild. It’s pretty spacious. There are even three empty rooms.”

“…Is it a rental?”

“As if. There are two bathrooms, a walk-in closet, and a housekeeper comes by once a week, so it’s perfectly comfortable for living.”

The more I listened, the more my jaw dropped. Two bathrooms, a walk-in closet, three empty rooms—and even a regular housekeeper?

I couldn’t help but ask, “How the hell did you afford a place like that?”

The fake answered without even blinking, “Stocks. And crypto.”

“…”

Is this guy actually insane?