Beyond The Control

Chapter 59

There are six major guilds in Korea recognized by all, and their relationships can be largely explained by two words:

Alliance and check.

Founded on the same ideologies, they unite without question when faced with crises. However, with massive interests at stake, the competition is also fierce.

The relationships between guilds vary slightly. While some are very friendly with each other, others have poor relations, like tigers and wolves. The Sunrise Guild and the Wolgang Guild were typical examples of the latter.

The trigger for this was intuitive and obvious. A guide had similar matching rates with two Espers, and chose one to form a pair. The not-so-obvious point was that both Espers were S-class, and at that time, there was no institution to mediate issues between Awakened individuals.

Subsequently, they established the Sunrise Guild and the Wolgang Guild respectively, engaging in childish mind games from the very names. It was even rumored that the reason for the irrevocable nature of contracts once signed was due to these two guilds constantly poaching and losing people to each other.

Time passed and the Guild Masters retired, but once established relationships don’t change easily. The deeply rooted sense of rivalry continued, with them treating each other like strangers on a daily basis.

Then this dungeon break occurred. Although they must have requested help under the Association’s orders due to the dire situation, it was obvious how humiliated they must feel now that things have been somewhat settled.

Because of this, Song Ji-hyeok was intrigued by the man before him. He must know what kind of relationship the two guilds have, yet he came and sat in what was essentially enemy territory. Was he a fool, or did he have other motives?

Thinking it couldn’t just be gratitude, Song Ji-hyeok threw a direct question.

“What’s your purpose?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking what your purpose is. You didn’t come just to say thank you, did you?”

At this, Ham Seo-ryul waved his hands as if flustered.

“There’s nothing like that. I really came to meet you and express my gratitude.”

Of course, Song Ji-hyeok wasn’t fooled. If that was really the only reason, this person was clearly lacking something upstairs.

Sure enough, Ham Seo-ryul’s gaze briefly shifted downward. What he said next was something Song Ji-hyeok would have rather not heard.

“Actually, my pair Esper is Tae-hyeok hyung. He’s been pushing himself too hard since the dungeon…”

“Who did you say is your pair Esper?”

“Huh?”

“I asked who you just mentioned.”

“Oh, Song Tae-hyeok hyung. Your older bro— Gack!”

Ham Seo-ryul couldn’t continue. Song Ji-hyeok had leapt onto the table in an instant and grabbed his collar mercilessly. His eyes were filled with anger.

“What the hell are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Did that bastard put you up to this?”

He wanted to strangle him rather than just grab his collar. Ham Seo-ryul, suddenly finding himself in trouble, waved his hands in panic.

“Absolutely not! Tae-hyeok hyung doesn’t even know I came here.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“I, I’m telling the truth. Hyung was in real danger, but thanks to you he’s recovering without further injury… I really came out of gratitude. I can swear to heaven.”

Ham Seo-ryul pleaded his innocence with a kind-looking face. If this expression was an act, he could start filming a movie or drama right away.

But Song Ji-hyeok couldn’t calm down easily. He glared at Ham Seo-ryul as if to tear him apart with his eyes, then shoved him hard, causing him to fall to the floor with a thud.

“Consider yourself lucky you revealed this now. If I had known earlier that you were that bastard’s pair, I would have killed you instead of the monster back then.”

“……”

“Get out. If you don’t want to die.”

Ham Seo-ryul, who had landed on his backside, moved his lips with a shocked expression. However, he ultimately said nothing and stood up. He instinctively sensed that pushing further could lead to real trouble.

He too knew that the relationship between the brothers was not good. Although he had no interest in gossip, the Song brothers were so often the center of attention, and one of them was his pair Esper, so he had heard various rumors.

But he thought it was just the usual power struggle or battle of pride. Song Tae-hyeok’s reactions contributed to this impression. Even when others brought up Song Ji-hyeok, he didn’t seem to care much. Even when everyone was indignant about the recent humiliation, Tae-hyeok only hardened his expression without saying much. Therefore, he never dreamed that Ji-hyeok would express such intense hatred.

Trying to provoke him as little as possible, Ham Seo-ryul quietly moved towards the door. When he reached it, he apologized for his rashness in a quick and polite voice.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you. I really had no other intentions, so please calm down and have a good day. Thank you.”

He bowed his head and left, opening the door. Left alone, Song Ji-hyeok sat with a scowl on his face, then irritably ruffled his hair.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think that guy might have been sent like a spy to upset him. But if that was the only reason, the cons far outweighed the pros. Tae-hyeok must know how much he hates him, and sending a pair guide into enemy territory just to annoy someone would be insane. Worst case scenario, he could have instantly killed him with one skill to the head or heart.

Even if he really came to express gratitude as he claimed, it still left a bad taste in Song Ji-hyeok’s mouth. If it was true that Tae-hyeok had been so severely injured, he would have absolutely stood by and done nothing.

Tae-hyeok’s face appeared in his mind unbidden. The expression that automatically came to mind was always the same. A contemptuous gaze looking at people as if they were insects. While there may not have been what you’d call physical violence, who knows how much he had sliced up people’s hearts with his sharp tongue.

Yet, the young Song Ji-hyeok had craved his brother’s affection. It’s because I’m not good enough. It’s because I’m inferior to hyung. As he grew older, he became resigned and hatred grew, but that wasn’t all. A tiny desire for acknowledgment still remained somewhere in his heart, and that fact was extremely shameful to him.

He also knew that if his brother had really died in this battle, he would have avoided fatal blows and toyed with the monsters, killing them as painfully as possible. In other words, 1% of familial love still remained intact within 99% of hatred.

“Damn it.”

Unable to control his surging emotions, he flipped the table. The vase with flowers and the gifts Ham Seo-ryul had brought flew into the air and scattered noisily. Startled by the loud noise, an employee hurriedly ran over, knocked, and carefully opened the door.

“Is everything alright?”

“…It’s nothing. Please clean this up.”

Song Ji-hyeok brushed past the startled employee and went outside. The fact that he didn’t use energy when flipping the table was already a display of superhuman patience for him.

Unconsciously, his steps headed to the third floor. Forgetting to knock, he flung the door open, and fortunately, Lee Su-hyeon was sitting at his desk. He turned around and gave a startled look.

“Why did you come so suddenly? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Yes. Please guide me.”

He approached with heavy steps, and the distance closed in an instant. Without giving time to sit face to face, he pulled Su-hyeon’s nape and pressed their lips together.

“…!”

He pushed his tongue into the mouth that had opened in surprise. Su-hyeon, who had stiffened slightly, soon closed his eyes and responded to the kiss.

It was guiding in name only, as he hadn’t used any energy, so the guiding was neither here nor there. Su-hyeon must have known this too, but he didn’t push him away or refuse. Thanks to this, Song Ji-hyeok indulged in exploring his lips before finally releasing him.

In conclusion, coming to find Su-hyeon was a very good decision. Perhaps because he accepted him without question, Song Ji-hyeok felt his violently fluctuating emotions stabilize surprisingly quickly.

“Did something happen?”

Su-hyeon soon asked, worriedly examining his expression. Seeing that face, a mischievous impulse arose.

“Are you curious?”

“Of course. Where have you been? It doesn’t seem like you used much energy…”

“I’ll tell you later. I’ll come back after using lots of energy, so wait quietly.”

After licking his lips once more briefly, Song Ji-hyeok turned around. As he was leaving the room, he chuckled. He probably can’t help but keep thinking about it out of curiosity.

Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks. A forgotten memory had suddenly surfaced.

‘Ah shit, I forgot about that.’

He was supposed to inform him about renewing the contract soon, but because of that Ham whatever-his-name-was, he ended up just giving a kiss and leaving. That wasn’t bad either, but…

With various thoughts in mind, Song Ji-hyeok left the building and headed for the annex. He was popular in a different sense in the skill training room. He wasn’t a masochist, but there were plenty of weirdos who would request a match every time they made eye contact, even after being beaten and knocked down. Today, he planned to vent his remaining frustrations by going a bit harder than usual.