The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

Episode 16

“……?”
A man wearing sunglasses under dim lighting? His appearance is far from ordinary.

“Mr. Bin! You can’t just act so rashly…!”
Another man was flustered behind him. What on earth is this about? As the man tapping the table opened his mouth, the mystery deepened.

“Hey, you.”

“You? Are you talking to me right now?”

“Yeah, you.”

The blatant informal tone from a complete stranger set K―a proud adherent of Confucian values―on edge.

“You, are you Gloria’s… fellow?”

What?

My blood ran cold in an instant.

Cough!
Seoha broke into a sudden coughing fit, snapping me out of her daze.

You’re calling me Gloria’s ‘fellow’? What does that even mean? That’s like calling me the prettiest in Class 8.

What the heck is this guy on about? Does he actually know something about Gloria, or is he just crazy?
Unable to decide how to react, I heard someone clearing their throat awkwardly nearby.

“Excuse me, customer. Are you with these people?”

It was the Grand Duke.

So you’re not just a trolling idiot; you can be useful sometimes!

“Yes, I’m with them.”

“Oh…”

Never mind. I take it back.

With the man’s reply, the Grand Duke awkwardly stepped back. Hey! You can’t retreat now!

“Mr. Bin! How can you be so rude?”

“You stay out of this. I have business with this woman.”

I don’t have any business with you, but here you are, inventing one out of nowhere.

The Grand Duke glanced at her, sending a silent message.

|Pr. Northern Grand Duke|: You know this guy?
|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: No, never seen him.

After briefly retreating, the Grand Duke returned to place her order on the table, stealing a glance at the man.

Feigning gratitude, she murmured a thanks and sent another message.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Can you just kick him out?
|Pr. Northern Grand Duke|: Hold on; I’ll get the boss. ;;

Not entirely reassured, she decided to trust him for now.

Meanwhile, the stranger, who had lied about being part of their group, dragged a chair over and joined their table uninvited.

What’s with this guy?

Seoha looked flustered, glancing at her for guidance. Smiling to reassure her, she then glared at the man.

“You said you have business with me? I don’t even know who you are.”

“Dobin. That’s my name. Now we know each other.”

“……?”

How does that even count as knowing each other?

She’d thought only her guild members were capable of rendering her speechless, but it seemed she needed to reconsider.

“I’m terribly sorry. Really, I am. Mr. Bin here isn’t usually this reckless. I’ll cover all the drinks and snacks.”
The man standing behind “Dobin” bowed deeply, his waist bent at a perfect 90 degrees, as he apologized profusely.

“Haun,” Seoha whispered to her.

“I think I know who that guy is.”

“Really? Then isn’t it you he has business with?”

“No! If it’s who I think it is, he’s someone super famous.”

The man must have heard Seoha’s comment, as he puffed up his chest with exaggerated confidence.

His posture screamed, You recognized me? Impressive!

This only made me frown deeper.

“If that guy counts as famous, then my brother and Do Hain are global stars.”

“Isn’t that kind of true?”

Seoha corrected me, saying it only applied to my brother, and leaned back in her chair.

From the counter, I spotted the Hero approaching with the Grand Duke, her face clearly marked by irritation.

|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Guys, stop right there. Don’t come any closer.

|9th Circle Archmage|: (૭ ᐕ)૭?
|Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Not you. ;;
Looks like that mage is living easy, answering every message except the ones about actual work.

I gave a small reassuring smile to the Hero and Grand Duke, who had stopped in their tracks. The Hero frowned.

|Pr. Hero|: You said you didn’t know him. Is he someone you know now?
The private message was short, and I replied just as concisely.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: A friend said they knew him, so I’m just humoring him until we can kick him out.
|Pr. Hero|: Unbelievable.
|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Help me kick him out, okay? ^^
|Pr. Hero|: Go to hell.

Ignoring the Hero’s response, I slid the cocktail I’d ordered earlier over to the man.

“Here. This place has a one-drink-per-person rule.”

I ordered another drink for myself from a passing staff member and then turned back to him.

“So, what’s this business you have with me?”

“I saw something with these eyes.”

“…….”

The sheer narcissism in his tone almost made me drop the pretzel I was holding. I already suspected this guy wasn’t ordinary, but to think someone this delusional existed among regular people, rivaling even a Demon King.

“My eyes never lie. I questioned myself repeatedly, wondering if I was mistaken, but in the end, I confirmed that I wasn’t.”

“Who confirmed it for you…?”

“Myself.”

A lunatic.

Seoha, who had been silently watching in awe, looked at me with wide eyes.

Seoha, is this really the famous person you were talking about? If he’s famous for being a nutcase, I’ll give you that.

Seoha’s glance back said it all: I must’ve made a mistake.

I nodded silently in agreement. It was time to kick him out.

Just as I was about to call the Hero over to deal with the narcissistic man, he leaned in close and whispered just loud enough for me to hear:

“Gloria’s Returnee.”

“……!!”

He continued, smugness dripping from his posture.

“You’re also burdened with many other mysterious names.”

“…….”

He picked up the cocktail glass, a smirk playing on his lips.

“I don’t know why I can’t see anything about you right now, but there’s no way I could miss something. It’s impossible for me not to see.”

He struck a pose straight out of a drama, drinking his cocktail and laughing, when suddenly—

“Gah…!”

What the…? What’s happening now?

“Mr. Bin?”

“You…! You poisoned…!!”

“Poison…?”

His voice, gurgling like phlegm, cut off with a scream as he collapsed face-first onto the table.

“Mr. Bin! Mr. Bin!!”

“…….”

I calmly took the cocktail glass he’d been drinking from and wiped its rim clean with a napkin.

“Seoha, are you sure this is the famous person you thought he was?”

“…Turns out, he’s just a lunatic.”

I downed my newly ordered drink in one go, grimacing at its bitterness.

|Pr. Northern Grand Duke|: You can’t just murder people!!!
|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: What are you even saying? Just get the Hero and clean this up. ;;

The Grand Duke shook his head in exasperation and headed towards the kitchen.

“Mr. Bin! Please, wake up!!”

‘Dobin’… what a character.

I glanced at the man sprawled unconscious on the table and smirked crookedly.
He saw my titles even though he’s not a Returnee?

*****

“Ugh…”
Dobin opened his eyes, groaning in agony as if his throat were on fire.

“You’re awake, Mr. Bin?”

“…I let my guard down.”

He guzzled down a bottle of water handed to him by Kim, his manager, quenching his unbearable thirst. Kim clicked his tongue in exasperation.

“The drink you had was apparently super strong. You’re not good with alcohol, are you?”

“That was alcohol? No, it wasn’t. It was poison meant to kill this body.”

“…Right.”

Kim gave up on trying to have a reasonable conversation with him. Do Haun’s friend, Bae Seoha, had been right—her instincts were sharp.

Dobin, known by his stage name “Doby,” was famous as a free-spirited entertainer unaffiliated with any agency, true to his name.
His real job? A Hunter.
To avoid being recognized by fans, he always had his manager close by and disappeared at a moment’s notice.

“Why don’t you just change your appearance?” Kim suggested.

“That would mean no one would recognize this face.”

“…?”
That was when Kim realized it was impossible to have a normal conversation with Dobin.

Recalling that day’s exchange, Kim sighed deeply.

“Anyway, make sure to go back to the bar later and thank them properly.”

“The bar?”

“The owner and staff had to work hard moving—uh, I mean, taking care of you. And make sure to apologize to those people! I even got their number!”

Dobin squinted at the number Kim handed him.

“Lucky no one recognized me! What if the boss finds out about this?”

“They can’t do anything to this body.”

Kim sighed again. “You do know the Director isn’t leaving you alone because he can’t, but because he chooses not to, right?”

At Kim’s words, Dobin recalled the face of their perpetually smug director.

H-Entertainment.

A mid-sized entertainment agency, all its affiliated celebrities were also active Hunters. Ironically, the company’s president was an ordinary person.

Kim raised his voice. “The only reason the Director leaves you alone is that you’re good for the company’s image!”

“Fine, stop bringing him up.”

“Wait, are you finally listening to me?”

Dobin frowned at the spark of hope in Kim’s eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, make a call.”

“To who?”

“To that cultist who came looking for me last time.”

“What?!”

Ignoring Kim’s shrill response, Dobin collapsed back onto the bed.

“He said he wanted to borrow this body’s power, didn’t he? Tell him that if he wants to join hands with me, he should bring me the information I want.”

“Mr. Bin, are you even sane? Have you been listening to me at all?”

“I listened. And I ignored it.”

Dobin’s simple response made Kim clutch his head in frustration. Meanwhile, Dobin’s thoughts drifted to the woman who had smiled so wickedly.

Gloria…!

*****

“Whoa.”
A sudden chill ran down my spine, making me shudder.

Thanks to the man who’d faceplanted into the table, my night out drinking with Seoha had ended abruptly.

Instead of my brother, it was Do Hain who came to pick us up.
After grumbling about the clothes I’d gotten him, he begrudgingly wore them and headed straight to the guild.

I hadn’t seen much of my brother since the Outbreaker Dungeon incident.

Neither my brother nor Do Hain had come home by the time dawn broke, so I thought I’d finally get to enjoy a rare day off.