GM Ch79

“Really? So, do you ever check it out?”

“Sometimes. There’s no place faster for guild news.”

“Do you write there too? I mean, on the secret board.”

“Hahaha. Who knows?”

If he hadn’t, he would have just said no. The fact that he winked and dodged the question meant he had written something there before. And he wasn’t really trying to hide it.

“Right?”

“That’s not something you should ask.”

“Okay. I’ll pretend I know nothing.”

“Yeah, it’s better not to know. But who told you about the secret board? Team 1’s leader?”

“No, it was Hunter Park Hanyoung. He told me during dinner last night.”

“Really?”

Soohyuk smiled brightly, but Minjun didn’t notice anything strange. Just then, the food they ordered arrived. The handmade tofu was large and appetizing. The steaming bossam glistened with juices, and the kimchi looked delicious.

Having been active all morning, they quickly dug in. The tofu was savory, the meat tender, and the kimchi was a perfect balance of sweet and sour.

“How did you end up having dinner with Hunter Park Hanyoung? He doesn’t usually go out much.”

“Oh, he gave me a ride to the dorm yesterday. That’s when we agreed to have dinner.”

“I knew about the ride.”

“Well, we’re planning to go to the Hunter Market Auction together. He’s going to help me figure out how to use the spirit stone. Originally, Hunter Park Hanyoung was going to buy me dinner that day, but he suggested sushi before that.”

“Oh, the Hunter Market Auction?”

“Yes.”

“Just the two of you? No other team members?”

“Yes, just the two of us.”

Minjun stuffed tofu, meat, and kimchi into his mouth all at once. It was only when he saw Soohyuk’s wide smile that he felt something was off. Soohyuk seemed upset, but Minjun couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination.

As Minjun suspected, Soohyuk was a bit annoyed. He didn’t like that Minjun and Park Hanyoung had dinner alone last night. Still, he let it go, thinking it was no big deal.

But now, they were going to the Hunter Market Auction together.

It was clear Park Hanyoung was after the spirit stone. Minjun was just tagging along without much thought. As a guild leader, it was good to see team members getting along.

Even knowing all this, Soohyuk couldn’t shake the feeling. He wished he could go to the auction with Minjun instead.

Wanting to hang out with just him? What am I, a kid?

Soohyuk assessed his feelings objectively. He wasn’t ashamed of being jealous. But if he showed it childishly, Minjun would definitely dislike it.

There were many ways to take Minjun to the Hunter Market Auction. As a guild leader, he could easily send Park Hanyoung on an emergency dungeon raid. But he knew he had to be generous in times like these. If he wanted to monopolize Minjun’s time, he’d have to do it discreetly.

“Is there anything you want to buy?”

“No, I’m just going to see the spirit stone hunter Park Hanyoung is buying.”

“Even just watching the auction can be fun.”

“I’m going to check it out too.”

Minjun also wanted to see how the auction house had changed since the last time. In the past, the competition for items at the auction was fierce. It wasn’t uncommon for hunters to get into physical fights.

There was a time when Kwak Jonghoon and Choi Euiseong almost dueled over a single dagger, and Seo Wooju and he had to step in to calm things down. Nowadays, from what he read in reviews, such incidents seem to have stopped.

“I’m planning to go to the auction too. We’ll meet there.”

“You’re going too, guild leader?”

“Of course, I’m a VIP. There’s some decent armor this time. You should check the catalog too. Knowing what’s available might spark your interest.”

“Okay.”

Minjun had a rough idea of what was up for auction at the Hunter Market Auction. With the legendary spear Soohyuk had given him, he didn’t need any other weapons. Plus, the items that caught his eye were ridiculously expensive. Most importantly, he had a way to acquire mythical items separately, so he wasn’t interested.

Recently, Minjun had been diligently researching dungeon information to find a good weapon for Soohyuk. Unlike in the other world, he discovered that there was no information here about hidden dungeon quests, which made him silently cheer.

Completing a hidden quest while clearing a dungeon would reward him with rare items. The higher the dungeon’s grade, the better the reward.

Minjun thought about giving Soohyuk a shiny weapon first, then getting one for himself. He considered sharing the hidden quest information for the public good. But he was tempted to keep it just for Soohyuk.

Hmm, that’s favoritism.

Considering the impending disaster, it was better to share valuable information with everyone. But knowing Soohyuk was his first believer made him want to give him even more.

It was common for gods to favor their followers. While he wasn’t a deity yet, he could at least place the last piece of boiled pork on Soohyuk’s plate.

“Here, have some.”

When he added tofu to the pork and offered it, Soohyuk’s eyes widened, and he smiled. Unlike the smile that seemed to have an ulterior motive earlier, this one seemed genuinely pleasant.

“Is this a bribe?”

“I just ate too much.”

“Should we order more?”

“No. Let’s go out and get some bread. Chestnut bread.”

After meals, they usually had a snack, and today, chestnut bread suddenly came to mind. It seemed like it would pair well with a bitter Americano.

“Giving away the last piece of meat is risky.”

“Risky? How?”

“You don’t know?”

“No.”

“Then find out later and let me know.”

“Is it serious?”

“Just a little?”

“Okay. I’ll find out.”

Watching Minjun nod seriously, Soohyuk held back his laughter. Offering the last piece of meat to someone was simply a gesture of goodwill. But some people exaggerated its meaning, insisting it was a confession because it was the last precious piece.

Although Minjun’s face was blank, it seemed he truly didn’t know anything. His combat sense was excellent, but he was completely oblivious in this area. No matter how many signals were given, Minjun deflected them with ease.

Well, that was part of his charm.

Soohyuk recognized the rose-tinted glasses he wore. Even though he was just harboring feelings alone without any real progress, he found joy in it.

He was curious about Minjun’s reaction when he finally understood the meaning behind giving away the last piece of meat. Having reserved this little pleasure for later, Soohyuk swallowed the pork and tofu in one bite and threw out another bait.

“You said you don’t want to appear on TV, right?”

“Yes. I don’t like it. I absolutely won’t do it.”

“The PR manager said they’ve been getting a lot of calls. Everyone seems to have a good sense. I already told them you won’t be appearing on any shows. Told them to reject all offers.”

“Thank you.”

There was no need to force him to do something he disliked. Instead, Soohyuk suggested something Minjun might be interested in.

“How about being the cover model for the guild magazine instead of TV?”

“Cover model?”

“Our guild publishes a magazine every quarter. Have you heard of it? It’s called the June Guild Magazine, and it’s quite well-known.”

“Yes, I know.”

The June Guild Magazine was quite famous among hunters. It didn’t just report on the activities of the June Guild but also provided essential information for hunters, such as the effects of dungeon items, monster weaknesses, and the status of dungeon occurrences both domestically and internationally.

Minjun had purchased all the past issues of the June Guild Magazine as e-books. Of course, he hadn’t read them all yet.

“So you know. That makes it easier to explain. The cover models for the magazine are guild hunters. They either volunteer or are chosen by guild member votes. I think you’ll get all the votes this time because of recent events.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’ll be number one. How about volunteering before the vote?”

Minjun hesitated, unable to give an immediate answer. Volunteering before being chosen by vote was one way to go. Then, a sudden realization hit him.

“Wait, is that why you had me look at the camera yesterday?”

“No. It was impulsive.”

“It seems planned.”

“I just wanted to show off how handsome our guild’s youngest member is. You just need to take a few photos in the guild uniform. You’ll get some great shots.”

Soohyuk’s confident smile left Minjun speechless. It was another moment of realizing why he was called eccentric.

“I don’t have to do it, right?”

“I’m not forcing you, but… I think it would be good. Once you reawaken, people won’t leave you alone. If you don’t want to deal with other media, it might be better for the guild to release some official information. The cover model also does a simple Q&A interview.”

Minjun, who was hoping to quietly let it pass, sighed inwardly. As Soohyuk said, things would get noisy once he reawakened. Especially if it was as an S-class, there was no doubt about it.

Knowing how persistent people’s interest was in first-generation S-class hunters, Minjun decided to follow Soohyuk’s advice. Taking photos was much better than appearing on TV. Plus, since the guild was leading the effort, it felt less burdensome.

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