NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 78: Neo Sisters (2)
My phone battery is dying.
And I’m hungry.
I’ve even stared at this first floor long enough that I could walk it with my eyes closed, yet still no response from Lee Cheong-ryong?
Huh.
If he were an ordinary person, he would have noticed something was off by now, but sadly, he’s a soul from another world.
“Must be tough since it’s a big guild…”
Kim Gi-ryeo could only feel sympathy for the overworked Lee Cheong-ryong. He didn’t put much importance on the waiting itself.
Hmm.
But a few minutes later, he faced an unavoidable problem.
Off in the distance, the clock in the lobby was showing 5 PM.
Korean working hours are typically from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Regular business hours would soon be over.
‘What to do? Should I ask the front desk again if Lee Cheong-ryong has some time? No, but asking repeatedly would just tire the staff out.’
Grr.
Kim Gi-ryeo crossed his arms and thought before finally standing up.
No way around it. Right now, the 1.3 million won is the most important thing.
“Uh…”
Unable to hold back any longer, he asked the receptionist again if there was still no answer from Mr. Lee Cheong-ryong.
“I’m sorry. It seems difficult to meet the manager today.”
The response was shocking.
The staff at the desk finally revealed that Lee Cheong-ryong was unavailable.
“Excuse me? But you said earlier to just wait…”
“He has too many appointments.”
“Not even a minute? No, at least 30 seconds!”
From 11 AM to 5 PM.
Exactly waited for a whopping 6 hours and 23 minutes for this kind of result.
Kim Gi-ryeo panicked and argued with the desk staff, but there was no fruit.
In fact, raising his voice nearly got him dragged off by security.
“If you keep this up, we’ll call security!”
“Alright, I’m sorry.”
Guess there’s no choice.
Reluctantly, it’d be better to leave some trace of returning the item box than paying 1.3 million won as is.
Kim Gi-ryeo ultimately decided to hand the item box back at the front desk.
But then, at that moment.
“What’s going on, making all this noise?”
Clang.
A man walked out near the elevator, from behind a barricade meant for staff.
He might not recognize Kim Gi-ryeo, but Kim Gi-ryeo knew exactly who he was.
He had checked multiple articles about Lee Cheong-ryong before coming here.
‘Looks just like the photo!’
While he was blankly staring, the manager of Neo Sisters walked up to the desk and said bluntly,
“You shouldn’t be shouting in a lobby that’s echoing like this. Anyway, what’s going on?”
The manager had come to address a troublemaker directly…
“Ah, manager. It’s about…”
One of the desk staff started to explain.
“This person is an F-Class Hunter and he insisted on calling for the manager without an appointment.”
“Hello, Mr. Lee Cheong-ryong.”
But Kim Gi-ryeo didn’t pay any mind to the staff’s words and instead did what he needed to do.
He handed over the item box straightforwardly.
“Uh? Why are you…?”
Even with a mass-produced item, your own possessions stand out immediately.
The manager recognized this item box as his own right away, and that’s when Kim Gi-ryeo continued.
“I’m here to return it on behalf of Yoon-seung. Ahn Yoon-seung Hunter is currently out of the area for personal reasons.”
Familiar with Yoon-seung.
Dyed hair and sharp eyes.
Initially unsure, but over time he started piecing together the identity of the person before him.
Lee Cheong-ryong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, wait! Are you the one who helped our Yoon-seung at the gate?”
Kim Gi-ryeo lightly nodded.
“If you’re talking about the Golem incident, then yes.”
To suddenly meet the unrecognized powerhouse who saved a precious talent for the guild.
“I can’t believe it’s this pleasant!”
Lee Cheong-ryong broke into a huge smile and extended his hand for a handshake.
He had always been curious about the mysterious man Yoon-seung talked about.
Plus, this person was said to be both skilled and of good character.
“Thank you so much for that time. Since you came all the way here, would you mind having tea with me for a bit?”
He suggested smoothly with charm.
But the response was.
“Uh? Tea? No, that’s fine. You’re busy, aren’t you?”
Kim Gi-ryeo responded innocently without any suspicions.
“I heard you don’t have time to meet me? That’s why I waited in this lobby for 6 hours.”
What…?
Lee Cheong-ryong glanced back and forth at the front desk staff as though demanding an explanation.
But they just mumbled, unable to complete a proper sentence.
At this point, they themselves were slowly noticing that something went wrong.
“Anyway, this item box has definitely been returned, right?”
“Y-yes…”
“Then, see you later.”
As Kim Gi-ryeo prepared to leave,
Lee Cheong-ryong hurriedly called out to him with a flustered expression.
“Wait a moment! Uh, excuse me, but could we talk for a bit…!”
However, Kim Gi-ryeo’s answer was already decided.
“Um, I’m a bit tired, so I think I should just go home early today. Sorry about that.”
He had no ill intent.
Kim Gi-ryeo simply stated his condition and purpose clearly.
But for Lee Cheong-ryong, how revealing this statement must have felt.
Clang.
Just after Kim Gi-ryeo left the lobby,
the front desk was turned upside down.
Lee Cheong-ryong learned that the staff had ignored an F-Class request, letting someone stand for a whopping 6 hours.
“Seol Ah, are you crazy?!”
He yelled furiously.
His vision was turning white. How extraordinary an Awakened was that? To treat them like this instead of showing courtesy, such a disaster!
“Just because he’s an F-Class, you treated our guest like this?”
“Uh, no, it was because we couldn’t reach Ahn Yoon-seung Hunter…”
“Nevertheless, you should’ve contacted me first! No matter if the relationship was unconfirmed, how could you leave someone waiting in the lobby like that?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Is that all you can say? Just because you work here do you think you’ve become a Hunter too? To put it bluntly, even if I fired all of you, it wouldn’t cover the salary of one D-Class Hunter!”
Even after telling them to lower their voices, Lee Cheong-ryong continued to berate them sharply.
“And Seo Hwan! You’re someone who just got promoted not long ago, and you still don’t know your duties? Huh?”
“M-Manager, that’s…”
“When a junior does something weird, you should cut them off immediately. Why were you just sitting there?! You’re the bigger problem here!”
With an executive’s furious orders ringing down, how could the desk staff not feel scared?
Their faces turned pale, and they bowed their heads.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m s-sorry!”
But the manager’s rage showed no sign of calming down.
An elite Awakened centered around an A-Class member, ambitiously assembled for a raid team.
They were strong enough to leisurely defeat the Golem of the mutated gate that had nearly wiped them out.
That was the worth Kim Gi-ryeo held.
“Oh, I’m seriously losing my mind. Why doesn’t Ahn Yoon-seung take his call?”
The staff in the lobby continued to listen to the manager’s scolding until after office hours.
After a long time, when the disciplinary committee for them was about to be decided, the incident seemed to be wrapping up.
*
“Hey, Yoon-seung, you…”
The next day.
In the Neo Sisters Guild’s manager’s office.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were looking for that Hunter who is said to be the savior of life…?”
Lee Cheong-ryong asked his direct Hunter sitting casually on the sofa in a low voice.
That’s when the sitting A-Class Hunter thought.
It has come.
Though it wasn’t that surprising. This was an incident that had to happen sooner or later.
“I wrapped up that matter personally, and honestly, notifying the guild wouldn’t change anything.”
Ahn Yoon-seung began to explain calmly after taking a deep breath.
“He absolutely hates being tied down to anything.”
Interestingly, Kim Gi-ryeo detested being part of groups like guilds, so even if I informed beforehand, a recruitment would have failed anyway.
Hearing that, Lee Cheong-ryong quietly lowered his head.
Right.
He had actually received related records that morning.
Surprisingly, the Neo Sisters had tried once to recruit that F-Class Hunter in the past.
That too, to make him a member of the emotion management team!
Turns out Kim Gi-ryeo is still not affiliated!
Lee Cheong-ryong bit his lower lip.
“But manager… I heard some shocking news. Was it true that an employee left you standing in the lobby for 6 hours yesterday?”
“……”
“If it’s true, then honestly, the chance of recruiting him is completely out the window…”
And then, from Lee Cheong-ryong’s lips, blood began to ooze. Just by looking at his expression, it seemed like blood would start flowing from his eyes too.
Ugh, ugh! Who would’ve guessed that such an extraordinary Hunter would be hiding as an F-Class?
What a humiliation due to one staff member’s rudeness.
Lee Cheong-ryong was filled with all sorts of thoughts.
Wait, did that person intentionally act like an F-Class to see how our staff would react?
But he couldn’t back down like this.
Overwhelming strength against high-tier Golems.
Emotion skills that unravel the labyrinth of the Magic Tower.
No affiliations.
That blond man was indeed the perfect talent imagined only in dreams.
“I can’t give up.”
The official number for Neo Sisters was already blocked. Then, using personal phones would just have to do.
Ring, ring, ring…
And one lucky thing amidst all this was that Kim Gi-ryeo was the type to answer calls from unknown numbers.
Click.
Then the call connected.
-Hello?
“Ah, Mr. Kim Gi-ryeo! How are you!”
Lee Cheong-ryong immediately started with an apology.
To compensate for yesterday’s incident, setting up a meeting would naturally break the ice.
-Oh, Gi-ryeo? Who are you talking to? Is it that person from Neo?
But suddenly, what’s this?
After a moment, a woman’s voice came through the speaker.
-Can you pass the phone to me for a second!
-Excuse me?
-No, I know that person quite well, and I have some things to say right now.
And Lee Cheong-ryong already knew whose sweet voice this was.
-Hello? This is Manager Lee?
Not long after, a thick vein bulged on the manager’s forehead.
-Sorry, but Gi-ryeo is currently on a cozy date with me. So he’s a bit busy right now.
“You…”
-And besides, when someone makes a significant mistake, wouldn’t it be better for them to quietly reflect rather than engage in petty tricks…?
That’s right. The person who took the call was none other than the head of the Korean Magic Tower Guild.
-If you understood, I’ll hang up now. Good afternoon~
With Seo Esther’s mocking tone, the call was cut off.
Lee Cheong-ryong stared at his phone screen for a while, then slammed his fist down on the desk.
Boom.
“AAAHHH! How could that Hunter be the one?!”
He was at the point where he needed blood pressure medicine.