BCGWR Chapter 17 Part 1

016. Broken Jar 5

Han Ji-su was curious.

But upon further thought, he realized that their situation and his own were entirely different.

He hadn’t had his memories of Kang Jae-yoon completely erased; they were merely temporarily blocked.

This meant that if he were to undergo the memory-erasing brainwashing those people desired, Kang Jae-yoon would become a person who had never existed in his heart to begin with. He concluded that if that happened, it probably wouldn’t be this difficult.

‘…That’s right… It’s different… It would definitely be easier. If I forgot everything completely.’

Recalling the difference between deletion and blocking, he understood, if only slightly, those who wished to erase their memories entirely.

Nevertheless, Han Ji-su still didn’t want to erase his memories.

His beloved older brother and younger brother. His friends who had always been by his side from childhood in their neighborhood until they entered the trainee dormitory. The older members of the same age group. And Kang Jae-yoon – he didn’t want to erase any of them.

Even if there came a day when he cried in pain every day, tore at his chest in sorrow, and eventually drowned in an endless tide of grief, he wanted to remember them and carry all his memories with him.

Then Ji-su suddenly remembered something Kang Jae-yoon had told him… told him… taught him…

“…”

Something Kang Jae-yoon had told him…

“…Ha…”

“Peep?”

“It’s nothing, Toto. Sister, I’m just going to sleep for a bit.”

“Alright.”

“Peep…”

Ji-su, having given up resisting the mental-element skill, placed Toto on his thigh and began stroking him.

Ten days at the shortest, fifteen at the longest. He would soon be able to think about Kang Jae-yoon again, so there was no need to suffer unnecessarily now, or to fret and pace anxiously alone.

All he had to do was endure the given time.

“Kim Ji-su.”

“Yes.”

Ji-su, called Kim Ji-su instead of Han Ji-su, rose from his seat and approached the staff member who had called him.

Kim Hyun-ah was also by Ji-su’s side, and the staff member, seemingly a fan, was quite conscious of Kim Hyun-ah as they offered them seats.

As Ji-su and Kim Hyun-ah each took their seats, the staff member presented various documents to Ji-su.

“The contract you submitted earlier has been verified by the relevant department. This is your official Guild member ID. Most facilities, such as the Guild dining hall and auxiliary facilities, require this card for entry. You can think of it as similar to a regular company employee ID.”

“Yes.”

“And this is your Guide license. It has the same functions as the Guild member ID. The difference is that facilities like the dormitory or Awakened training centers require this Guide license for entry. It’s also needed when taking the elevator to floors with those facilities.”

As Ji-su gave a small nod and looked at them, the staff member, meeting his gaze, also reflexively nodded and continued their explanation.

“The regular Guild member ID only allows access to Guild office facilities and common auxiliary facilities, so please always carry your Guide license. Even before entering a dungeon, for identity verification, you must present your Guide license, not your Guild member ID.”

“Yes.”

The staff member explained diligently, and Ji-su, though already knowing everything, responded calmly, pretending to be a newly Awakened Guide in his early twenties who knew nothing.

Since Kim Hyun-ah had pre-registered the documents and favorably adjusted the contract terms for him to sign, the Guide registration proceeded smoothly.

Toto also kept his name, but was listed as C-rank instead of S-rank, and registered as an attributeless long-tailed tit with no special skills.

Perhaps because the name was the third most common name among ‘small animal’ type Taming monsters, the person in charge showed no reaction upon hearing the name Toto.

‘Certainly… Kim Toto sounds better than Han Toto.’

The staff member pushed a box toward Ji-su, who had briefly been lost in thought while listening to familiar explanations.

Upon opening the lid, a Guide Watch used within the Peace Guild was visible. The new watch was white, not the black color Ji-su had previously used.

Ji-su again nodded mechanically while listening to the familiar instructions for using the device. Kim Hyun-ah, who had been bored alongside him, immediately added her name to the list when the staff member mentioned setting the first priority for automatic calls during a crisis.

There were many other explanations to hear. Nearly an hour passed before all the explanations were finished, and only after receiving the documents, Guild member ID, and Guide license could they finally move to the dormitory floor.

Thanks to Kim Hyun-ah politely declining the staff’s offer of guidance, insisting she would personally show him, Ji-su could finally let out the sigh he had been holding back as soon as he entered his room.

“It’s the room right next to mine. How is it? Better than before, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Unlike other Guilds, the Peace Guild did not categorize dormitory standards by Awakened rank, so all dormitories had the same room structure and facilities. The only difference was whether it was a single room or a double room.

Han Ji-su, who had previously lived briefly in a double dormitory with Kang Jae-yoon, was already well aware of the internal facilities, so no further explanation was needed.

As soon as he entered the room, Ji-su took out Toto, who must have felt cramped sitting quietly in his pocket.

Toto, in his long-tailed tit form, sat on Ji-su’s palm, surveyed the surroundings, flew a lap around the dormitory, then returned to Ji-su’s shoulder.

“Peep-!”

Seemingly pleased with the new living place, he playfully bumped Ji-su’s chin twice with the top of his head, then cried out “Peep-!!” towards Kim Hyun-ah.

Kim Hyun-ah gently stroked Toto from head to tail, then plopped down on the living room sofa and said.

“First, as long as I brought you here, you’ll be getting attention for a while. There might be people who openly suspect you, but… just deal with them as you see fit.”

“Okay.”

“I’ve arranged it so it’s considered your new recruit training period, so you don’t need to go to the Guiding Room. No, actually, don’t go there ever again.”

“That’s great.”

“Haha, isn’t it? And, the roommate I mentioned earlier will be here soon.”