SMFC | Chapter 6

There are three events in Haeon’s life that he calls misfortunes. And his death was, surprisingly, a senseless affair. As far as Lee Soo could recall, it stemmed from incorrect information about a dungeon.

Whether this was orchestrated by the system or some other force, his memory was hazy.

Yet, he vividly remembered being utterly dumbfounded by how anticlimactic it felt for the protagonist to die like that.

In fact, there had been other moments where his life had hung by a thread, which were far more dire.

The first misfortune occurred during a test to determine if Haeon was fit to be the next guild leader. He was thrown into a dungeon where healing didn’t work and crawled out half-dead.

Of course, after surviving, he decapitated the fool who had pushed him into the dungeon, proclaiming that anyone aiming for the position of guild leader should be able to clear something of that difficulty. Lee Soo could still recall the vivid details of that scene.

The second misfortune was a traffic accident, where someone had intentionally crashed into Haeon’s car on his way to a outskirts dungeon, sending it over the guardrail and into the sea.

Fortunately, Haeon survived thanks to his self-healing abilities and subsequently purged the guild of anyone he suspected could be a threat. This was only possible with the permission of Eve, the then guild leader.

The third misfortune was the most personal. Haeon’s lover was taken hostage, and the captor demanded that Haeon take his own life or else the lover would be killed. The lover, unwilling to be a burden, threw themselves onto the knife held at their throat.

And then there was his death.

After becoming the guild leader, a disaster occurred in a dungeon led by Haeon. It wasn’t the dungeon entry itself that was problematic but rather that the dungeon information manager, under someone’s orders to kill Haeon, had given completely false information.

There was no way anyone could clear an S-rank dungeon with faulty strategies. Predictably, Haeon and his entire team perished.

Even now, Lee Soo couldn’t help but think of it as a senseless death. While certain circumstances made it impossible for Haeon to leave the guild for an easier path, Lee Soo was convinced that with someone who knew the future, every single one of these tragedies could be avoided.

Sitting calmly, Lee Soo began writing down solutions to each problem, one by one.

If only the mastermind behind all these events could be eliminated, everything would be simpler. Unfortunately, the culprits were different in each instance, and there wasn’t a singular villain pulling the strings. The tragedies stemmed from tangled grudges and personal enmities, which the book never fully clarified. While he could stop people, there was little he could do to erase the roots of their grudges.

Even while thinking this, Lee Soo diligently outlined ways to save Haeon. He was confident; as someone who knew the future and a burning desire to save Haeon, he believed he could perform miracles.

As he idly stroked his cheek, a new concern surfaced. According to rumors, Haeon’s personality wasn’t exactly great, and Lee Soo had no idea how to get closer to him. Honestly, the fact that Haeon even had a lover at one point had sparked a riot in the novel’s comments section.

Recalling those reactions, Lee Soo chuckled softly and reviewed the notes he had written.

After some hesitation, he also jotted down information about Ryu Leesoo. Compared to Haeon’s extensive dossier, it looked pitifully thin—visually representing the disparity in Lee Soo’s affection for the two. He skimmed through Ryu Leesoo’s basic details but soon found himself scrolling back to Haeon’s profile.

Haeon’s long lashes fluttered in the photo, and the light from the monitor reflected off his golden eyes, making them shimmer like fleeting stars. The flickering glow was ephemeral.

“Can I really save you, Haeon?”

Muttering quietly to himself, Lee Soo sighed deeply, then smiled broadly. With a resolve that he could handle it somehow, believing that he could solve it somehow. With that mindset, he felt he could prevent all known misfortunes for Haeon, if not the unknown ones.

He lazily lifted a finger painted with matte nail polish to shade the light, his breath as faint as if it could extinguish at any moment, carrying a hint of bitterness.

[At 27 years old, on a scorching summer day with rain pouring relentlessly, Lee Soo dies.]

—

Four people followed behind Lee Soo, whispering in voices too low for others to hear. Though they kept their voices down, Lee Soo could hear them clearly since they were close behind him.

Essentially, their conversation was about the guild’s internal structure and the identities of various members—nothing significant, so Lee Soo didn’t bother stopping them.

As soon as Lee Soo entered the guild, he was met with numerous curious glances, prompting a wry smile. He straightened his posture and adjusted his clothes as he made eye contact with Eve Jung, the leader of the Hawa Guild, who was striding confidently toward him.

Eve crossed the shimmering marble floor with long strides. With her tall stature further emphasized by high-heeled boots, she appeared almost 180 cm tall. Lee Soo couldn’t help but think she seemed similar in height to Dahyun.

“Even though you swore never to work with family, here you are.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no close relations with Guild Leader Hawa.” His voice, stiff and somewhat disgusted, made Eve laugh uncontrollably as she shook her head. Then she leaned forward slightly towards Lee Soo and joked.

“When she was little, she used to say we were no different. When she heard the guild would be passed to me, she got so mad she ran off. Still the same, I see. She won’t even listen when I say it’s just temporary.”

“Could we perhaps move to another location, Guild Leader?”

“My goodness, look at me. Keeping important guests and family standing around for too long. Please, follow me.”

Eve chuckled and led the way with a stride. Unlike Darwin, who had short hair, Eve’s hair fell below her waist, and she walked carelessly with it untied. Lee Soo watched her from behind for a moment before slowly following.

He was eager to escape the overwhelming attention. Eve changed directions frequently as they walked, and soon Lee Soo arrived at what appeared to be her office.

Without inviting anyone to sit, Eve plopped down in the seat of honor, looking puzzled as Lee Soo and the others remained standing.

“Why aren’t you sitting?”

Realizing she hadn’t actually invited them to sit, Lee Soo remembered just how Eve was and took a seat on the sofa. Only then did the others sit down. Eve crossed her legs and looked down at Lee Soo, her pose sprawling yet somehow giving off a commanding air.

The angle made it feel like she was looking down on him, though they were at eye level. Holding her gaze calmly, Lee Soo watched as Eve smirked, tapping the armrest lightly before speaking.

“I’ve been wondering why you’d come to our guild. Honestly, there’s no guild that can offer better conditions or benefits than Hawa, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

At Lee Soo’s easy agreement, Eve nodded vigorously then slapped the armrest, saying loudly:

“Exactly! So I thought hard about what Hawa Guild has to offer. I came up with two things: me, and our infamous healer. He can pull anyone back from the brink of death…”

It was a nickname born because he only ever seemed to handle dying people. But anyway, it was because of the healer, wasn’t it?

Eve’s eyes, mischievously twinkling when talking about herself, grew more serious when referring to the healer, that is, Haeon. It was as if she was trying to pinpoint the exact reason Lee Soo had chosen the guild.

With a sense of conviction in her voice, Lee Soo smiled lightly and nodded affirmatively. Eve, her eyes narrowing as if she had expected this, sang a little tune, hinting that while the healer often felt like an unwanted necessity, she would introduce him since Lee Soo was now part of the guild. She picked up a tablet from the table in front of the sofa and tapped it a few times to summon the healer.

After stating Haeon would arrive shortly, ten minutes had passed, but there was no sign of him. Confounded, Eve shook her head, and the four people sitting across from and beside Lee Soo glanced at him for cues.

Then Lee Soo laughed so hard he almost cried.

“Ah, typical… Just look at that attitude.”

So to put it simply, Lee Soo was thoroughly dismissed by Haeon from day one.