Ju-eon stood up from his seat and bowed his head politely.

“Hello.”

She looked back and forth between Yun-jae and Ju-eon, sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, and put on an exaggerated cheerfulness.

“Oh my. You should tell me when we have a guest. I would have prepared something.”

“I came without notice,” Ju-eon replied.

“Really? Should I go get some drinks from the vending machine?”

“No, I’m really just stopping by briefly…”

“Goodbye.”

Yun-jae cut off his sister’s words before the conversation could drag on.

“Right. I’ll be going then.”

Ju-eon quickly got up from his seat. Though the visit had been short, tension had gripped his body throughout, and fatigue now washed over him. He tried not to look at the small child as he walked away.

“Why? You could stay longer.”

As his sister expressed disappointment, Yun-jae told Ju-eon, “Go ahead.”

Ju-eon hadn’t told Myung-hwon about this child. Yun-jae seemed to understand Ju-eon’s attitude and dismissed him rather than introducing them. Neither before nor in the future would Myung-hwon have any connection to this child.

After Ju-eon left, as she looked around the now-silent hospital room, she asked Yun-jae in a bitter voice.

“Did I interrupt something?”

Yun-jae closed his eyes instead of answering. Because she was his sister, his family, he felt it somewhat natural to sacrifice for her. And his sister didn’t feel burdened by his sacrifice. If necessary, she would sacrifice for him without hesitation too. It worked as a two-way emotional exchange.

“Haha…”

Only then did Yun-jae realize. Ju-eon represented the opposite. He finally understood that one-sided sacrifice made without considering the other person’s position—when they weren’t even close—created nothing but a burden.

The remnants of that one-sided goodwill, too heavy to be repaid with forgiveness, weighed down on Yun-jae’s shoulders.

He had realized it too late. If only he had known earlier. He indulged in meaningless hypotheticals. That time had already passed, and all he could do now was regret.

**

Ju-eon entered a bustling commercial district known for its high land values even within District 1. Hurrying along, he stopped in front of a building standing tall in the middle of the busy area and looked up at the sign.

‘Dawn Guild.’

He smirked at the simple and straightforward guild name. Despite seeming hastily chosen, the building stood so tall that Ju-eon couldn’t help but pause momentarily before it.

By the time a security guard at the entrance began eyeing him suspiciously, Ju-eon gripped the employee ID in his pocket and entered the building. It was a temporary ID that Myung-hwon had issued him.

“Ju-eon. Welcome.”

As he went up, Seo Yun-jin greeted him with a broad smile, apparently waiting for him.

“Hello.”

“Myung-hwon asked me to wait for you.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s fine with me since I get to skip work. Anyway, we’re finally properly greeting each other.”

“I brought coffee…”

“You remembered I like vanilla lattes?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you.”

Yun-jin placed the coffee on the table and gave Ju-eon a brief tour of the office.

“I put the coffee you brought near the entrance.”

“Enjoy it.”

“We will!”

Fortunately, buying plenty of coffee paid off as people with tired faces rushed toward the coffee with brightened eyes. The office was much larger than the Agency’s, but it still felt somewhat empty as it wasn’t fully staffed yet.

“Oh?”

“…It’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has. Have you been well?”

“Yes, more or less.”

“I heard you’re joining us. Looking forward to working with you.”

“Likewise.”

There were some unfamiliar faces, but also some he recognized. He exchanged awkward greetings with Lee Ji-woo as he passed by.

“Our new recruits know you, Ju-eon. They’ll be back from their mission soon. Want to say hello?”

“I’ll do that later.”

It seemed Gu-young and Su-hui had caught Myung-hwon’s eye, as the two had been hired together at Dawn Guild. He had recently heard about their employment through a group message and planned to congratulate them soon. So there was no need to meet them right now.

“Okay? Then shall we go up right away?”

As they were about to head to another floor for the matching rate test, they ran into Kang No-hun, who was just entering with documents in hand. No-hun, stepping out of the elevator, stopped abruptly when he saw Ju-eon.

“Ju-eon?”

“Team Leader! Have you been well?”

“Let’s go inside to talk.”

Yun-jin perceptively led the two into a nearby conference room. No-hun placed his documents on the desk and grabbed Ju-eon’s hand.

“I heard a rough explanation. Have you been well?”

Ju-eon knew that No-hun had been taking care of Myung-hwon while he was gone. A scene from Myung-hwon’s past fragments that he had seen when trapped in the dungeon flashed through his mind.

“Yes… Myung-hwon told me he explained things to you.”

“You must have been through a lot. So when are you starting?”

“Pardon?”

Just as he was about to get sentimental, Ju-eon’s eyes widened at No-hun’s direct question. No-hun stared into space and muttered.

“I only now realize how valuable you were, finishing work efficiently. I do.”

“Today I’m just here to check the matching rate.”

“…But you will join us, right?”

Ju-eon awkwardly nodded at No-hun’s anxious question. He intended to join eventually, even if it took time. After all, he believed this was where he belonged.

“Yes.”

“Could you start a bit sooner?”

No-hun’s expression brightened momentarily. But it quickly deflated at Ju-eon’s next question.

“Nothing’s been decided yet. Oh, should I call you Director now?”

“Call me whatever you want!”

“The guild was established recently, so you must be busy?”

No-hun responded to Ju-eon’s sympathetic comment by pouring out a flood of complaints.

“No. I wondered why he wanted me to receive resumes… turns out he was planning to give me all this work. I never knew Myung-hwon could be so scary.”

While No-hun and Ju-eon were talking, Yun-jin, who had stepped out, returned with coffee. As Yun-jin handed him the coffee, No-hun paused his complaints and took a long sip. Yun-jin praised him seemingly out of habit.

“We need someone like you, Team Leader, to avoid being disrespected overseas.”

At this smooth compliment, No-hun scratched the back of his neck and asked, “Is that so?” Yun-jin naturally ushered No-hun back to his office.

Safely inside the elevator, Yun-jin scanned her security card.

“We’re still only conducting matching rate checks for a select few.”

“Really?”

“We’re too busy right now to check everyone’s matching rates and form new teams. Having just established the guild and being the most talked-about one these days, there’s naturally a lot to manage.”

“So matching will happen later during team reorganization?”

“Yes. When matched team members train together, we can increase the probability of dungeon clearance.”

“I see you recruited newcomers with experience working in esper teams.”

Like Gu-young and Su-hui.

As Ju-eon mentioned this, recalling the Agency’s methods, Yun-jin gave him a curious look. According to Myung-hwon, Ju-eon wanted to join as a guide and was delaying his entry. But Ju-eon was talented enough to contribute more than his share even if he joined in a different capacity.

“That’s right.”

“Let me know if I can help. I was part of the team after all. Isn’t it too much for Ji-woo to cover dungeons alone?”

“That’s true, but regardless, you should join us soon.”

“Pardon?”

Ju-eon hesitated at Yun-jin’s suggestion to join quickly, even if not as a guide.

“You’re capable in administrative roles too. We did all kinds of work back then due to staff shortages, so you’re good at multitasking.”

It was the first time he’d heard that they needed him for office work rather than guiding. When he worked at the Agency, he simply did what needed to be done.

“It’s been a long time, and that alone might not be enough for employment.”

“You used to finish your work early and help me with mine. That’s more than enough ability.”

Ju-eon backed down in the face of Yun-jin’s confident assertion.

“I’ll think about it.”

“By the way, Ju-eon.”

“Yes?”

“Myung-hwon worked really hard on that speech to show you.”

“What?”

“The speech announcing the new guild. He didn’t tell you how much effort he put into looking cool, did he?”

“He didn’t… But wasn’t that just because he’s the representative establishing the guild, and he’s been on broadcasts before?”

The Myung-hwon that Ju-eon knew would dislike appearing in media, but things change with time, so he didn’t press the matter.

“Does he seem like someone who would enjoy that?”

“What? Then…”

At Yun-jin’s words, Ju-eon moistened his lower lip. Thinking back, Myung-hwon’s voice had seemed a bit stiff, unlike his usual self.

“He normally hates appearing in media. But when you have public recognition, every word carries different weight.”

“…When did he start planning this?”

“Probably not long after you disappeared.”

“……”

“He wasn’t even sure you were alive, but he prepared anyway, just in case. In the end, it was good for us too, so we joined in.”

Yun-jin conveyed Myung-hwon’s efforts so they wouldn’t be diminished. Ju-eon had known Myung-hwon’s achievements were impressive, but only now did he see how hard he had worked and what kind of world he wanted to show Ju-eon when he returned, making his heart swell with emotion.

As they talked and walked, they arrived in front of a room labeled “Examination Room.” Opening the door and entering, the narrow interior contained a single large machine that could accommodate one person.

“Go ahead, step in.”

The matching system didn’t look much different from the machine that determined rankings. Ju-eon stepped into the machine.