Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

3 – I Resign (2)

A large and majestic building.

Shining glass walls.

The giant sign on the front gate, Nokyang.

The name and entrance that were always familiar every time I came seemed so distant now.

Even when I looked at it up close like this, it felt unfamiliar.

Since Alex drove the car to the nearby public parking lot in order not to attract attention, I was alone.

So, I walked between the two ornamented columns at the entrance of the government building and stepped inside.

With my hands in my pants pocket, I fiddled with the ID card that had been rotting away inside.

It must have been useless since I was cut off from the guild when the situation was confirmed.

“Oh, um……”

Inevitably, I walked towards the lobby counter, and a well-dressed female employee let out a surprised sound.

I guess she recognized me at a glance since I have worked diligently at the guild and made a name for myself as a criminal.

“Is Kim Ji-han here? Please contact him right away.”

Kim Ji-han. The master of Nokyang Guild, someone who was always referred to as Sir or Master by others.

But now… I’m just an insignificant person.

The employee looked at the ID card I casually handed over and immediately picked up the telephone.

“Ah, yes. Sir. It’s not that…-“

Fortunately, seeing the phone connection, it seemed there was someone there.

The female employee muttered a few words into the receiver and then placed it back in its cradle.

“They’ll be coming down soon,” she said.

“They’re coming down?” I asked.

A person who seemed to be the guild master of Nokyang personally came to greet me.

While this was undoubtedly a polite gesture, a twisted mind could interpret it differently.

Like this.

“The damn criminal doesn’t even want to step inside the guild building.”

“What? No, I, I didn’t mean… “

As I said this mockingly, the employee seemed extremely flustered.

“I’m just joking.”

“Joking? Oh… Yes.”

She sighed in relief as if it was all just a joke, wiping her chest.

This person probably talked behind my back too, but it was hard to blame her for that.

Most people were like that.

“Yu… Yoo Sihu!”

Ignoring the heavy silence of the employee, I waited, and a man came running, calling my name.

A familiar face in a familiar suit. It was Kim Ji-han, the representative of Nokyang.

He stood in front of me, catching his breath, and asked, “Phew…! You were released today?”

“Yes. I was released today.”

“Is that so? That’s great. Really great.”

He spoke in an excited voice, but his smile seemed too forced.

There was an awkwardness in how to treat me.

When it was beneficial for him, he would praise me; when I was accused, he promptly abandoned me.

“Mr. Kim Ji-han.”

“Huh? What? Why are you calling me that way?”

He was taken aback when I addressed him by his name instead of his title.

Given the chilly tone I used, it was only natural.

“Where are my belongings?”

Whether he was flustered or not, I kept my own matter to myself.

Resignation. And a fountain pen.

Those two were all I needed.

“Uh? Your belongings?”

“You probably put away all your stuff when you cleared your desk. Where did you put them?”

“Uh? Uh… well…”

He stumbled over his words, not even bothering to correct me when I used his name or spoke in a chilly voice.

Perhaps? I spoke, tense and anxious, my mind brushing against a sense of foreboding.

“Perhaps… you threw everything away?”

“Uh?! Uh…”

Kim Ji-han made a noise and then shut his mouth.

His unease and restlessness, as if wondering what to do, were palpable.

When the thought that even the fountain pen had been thrown away crossed my mind, my teeth clenched involuntarily.

My own negligence in neglecting the items my deceased parents had given me was a significant fault, but I also deeply resented those heartless people who disposed of items at will.

My anger was rising, enough to turn my face red.

“…Damned bastards.”

“Ah… I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it on purpose…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. They must’ve gone crazy, telling me to quickly get rid of the items, burn them all, calling them filthy criminals.”

I hadn’t seen the scene myself, and it might have been just a figment of my imagination.

Nevertheless, the thought that they had disposed of my belongings, treating me like trash, wouldn’t leave my mind.

Furthermore, Kim Ji-han’s inability to even make excuses only strengthened my conviction in my delusion.

It wasn’t a delusion; it was reality.

I took out my ID card from my pocket and held it up confidently.

With a snap, the sound of plastic shattering rang in my ears.

As I relaxed my grip, the shattered remains of the ID card fell to the ground like white dust.

“It was probably cut by the guild, but I came to make it clear. Nokyang, I’ll quit.”

“Uh? Hey? No, just a moment! It’s not like that…”

A person who should be a guild representative was trembling before me, just like a child caught red-handed after making a mistake.

“Stop. Don’t make excuses.”

I want to crush Kim Ji-han’s face right now.

But. Right after getting released, throwing punches didn’t seem respectful to the people who sent me off well.

Instead…

Thunk! When I stamped the ground forcefully with my heel, the ground shook, and a relatively large crater appeared, though shallow.

The employee sitting next to me didn’t hesitate as the floor wobbled.

Kim Ji-han momentarily hesitated but quickly regained his balance, considering himself a hunter.

“Hey, do I really need to go this far?”

Kim Ji-han narrowed his eyes as he scanned the floor he had dented and the bewildered people around him.

Seemingly fueled by pride, he was subtly irritated.

“This far? You, the representative who can’t even manage Jung Soo-han properly, have a disgustingly high level of pride, don’t you?”

“C-cough…!”

Jung Soo-han. When I mentioned the criminal who falsely accused me, Kim Ji-han bit his lip and kept quiet.

“Why? Are you still angry? If you are, we can go to the underground training room. I won’t stop until I tear you apart.”

Speaking in a stern voice as much as possible, Kim Ji-han stepped back, taken aback.

He had the abilities but, as a representative, his abilities as a hunter were inferior to mine. He quickly got his tail between his legs once he realized his authority didn’t work on me.

“I can’t bring myself to wish you well.”

Since the bastards discarded their belongings and didn’t submit their resignations, they’ll have to deal with it themselves.

If I checked later, even if I were still part of the Nokyang guild, Alex would take care of it.

Leaving behind a trace of the crater, I turned my back with a deep sigh.

No, I was about to turn around.

“Si… Si-hoo, sir!”

If it weren’t for a voice so familiar that it remained vivid even now.

“Seo Ha-neul, miss?”

Seo Ha-neul, a representative of the Nokyang guild and an A-rank hunter who handles plants. She was someone I felt close to, having closed gates together and synchronized our breathing.

“Just a moment… Please give me some time!”

Seo Ha-neul pleaded with a desperate, earnest look in her eyes, for some reason deeply troubled.

“Why?”

“I’m sorry. But I have something important to tell you.”

Even though she kept her tone deliberately cool, she still lowered her head and made the request.

In this situation, she had no choice but to accept the request, if only out of curiosity, even if it led to a predictable outcome.

“Follow me.”

“Ah… Yes!”

She turned her back and started walking, and Seo Haneul followed her with a bright response.

I thought I would hear Kim Ji-han’s gruff voice.

But only the dark silence accompanied Seo Haneul and me.

“Where are we going?”

Seo Haneul hesitated from behind me.

“There’s someone waiting at the nearby parking lot. You should talk to them first.”

“Oh… Alright.”

After that, we didn’t have any more conversation between us.

Only the sound of footsteps occasionally reached my ears.

Thanks to that, we were able to reach the parking lot where Alex was waiting without any tiresome small talk.

Knock, knock.

“Oh. I was about to say ‘come quickly,’ but who is the lady behind you? I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere…”

Alex, who opened the car window with a slightly anxious expression, muttered.

It was reasonable for him to be concerned when I suddenly brought another person along.

“She’s Seo Haneul. She’s a hunter who specializes in handling plants. We were together during the mission. Do you remember?”

“Um… Oh! Right, I remember. We made olive oil in the wilderness, didn’t we?”

Alex clapped his hands as if he were amazed, recalling the memories of the first time we made and ate fried food in the dungeon.

“That’s right. She was Mother Nature. But… wasn’t she from Nokyang?”

“Yes, that’s correct. She brought me here to talk about something important. It might take a bit more time, so I came here to apologize in advance.”

“What? If that’s the case, why didn’t you just resolve it immediately and come? Anyway, it’s considerate…”

Alex chuckled and reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet.

“Take this. Coffee money.”

He took out several 50,000 won bills from his wallet and twisted the corners of his mouth as he handed them to me.

It felt strangely like receiving an allowance.

“Is this an allowance?”

“Yeah. You don’t have much money right now, do you? Your wallet is all at home.”

“Thank you…”

Alex took it out of consideration for his pride, but I felt really sorry.

I knew I had to treat him well later.

This was a different issue from Alex treating me to an expensive meal at a restaurant.

I put the allowance I received from Alex in my pocket, then left the parking lot again.

Cafes seemed to be popping up everywhere, and there was a small cafe near the parking lot.

Seo Haneul and I entered the cafe and took a seat in a corner.

Of course, after ordering coffee first.

“What do you want to talk about?”

A little later.

Among the two Ahhs brought from the counter, I handed one to Seo Haneul and asked.

Seo Haneul said thanks and took the coffee I offered, then rummaged through her pocket and took out something.

It was a somewhat elongated but small box.

“For now… please take this.”

“Is it a gift?”

“… Probably.”

“Probably.” Seo Haneul’s dark expression and ambiguous tone bothered me.

Still, it seemed too rude not to even check the gift she offered, so I took the box placed on the desk into my hand.

“Huh…? Is this…?”

When I opened the box, I saw a black fountain pen.

It was shiny and well polished, and it looked brand new, but… I was sure it was my fountain pen.

Because my name was engraved on the body of the fountain pen.

“How did you get this, Seo Haneul?”

I asked with trembling hands as I took out the fountain pen, and Seo Haneul answered after taking a sip of her coffee.

“When Siho went to prison, the guild people secretly kept it when they threw away his stuff. I remember him saying it was the last gift from his parents who had passed away.”

“Really… because of that?”

“Yes, later on, Seo Haneul will probably ask why I bother with such things, and say it’s all a lie….”

In the end, I carefully kept the fountain pen.

Seo Haneul finished speaking and closed his mouth for a moment.

In the meantime, I was relieved and grateful that the fountain pen, which I thought had disappeared, had safely returned.

Seo Haneul nodded with a bitter smile.

After such an uncomfortable silence passed.

Seo Haneul, who had been keeping his mouth shut, struggled to speak.