BCGWR Chapter 8 Part 1

007. That Which Cannot Be Replaced 1

“Squeak!”

A small front paw deftly swatted Kang Jae-yoon’s finger. Jae-yoon smiled, as if Toto’s reaction was simply cute.

“Hm? Haha, Toto. Why? Can’t I sleep here? I won’t make Ji-su tired today~”

“Squeak!” Smack!

“Oh dear, our Toto is scary. I guess I’ll have to sleep in the other room.”

“Squeeeeeak!” Smack! Smack!

“Haha, alright. Then I’ll play here for a bit and then go to sleep in the other room.”

“…Squeak.”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Toto met Jae-yoon’s gaze for a moment, as if to say he was still watching, then climbed onto the fluffy towel Ji-su had laid out on the side table and began eating the shrimp he’d been given again. Ji-su stroked Toto’s head, who was diligently eating shrimp, and said:

“The number of people is a bit awkward. Can’t I go in with you?”

“No need to worry. There haven’t been any major problems for over a year recently.”

“…But, it’s always when you let your guard down that something big happens.”

“That’s why we organized it mainly with A-ranks. And it’s not just anyone, it’s me, your older brother, going in. If you worry that much, your brother will be hurt, you know?”

“…”

It was a remark that was a slight exaggeration, enough to be hurtful. He was, after all, the strongest psychokinetic Esper currently alive. Still, Ji-su, whose worries hadn’t subsided, hesitated, and Kang Jae-yoon added, emphasizing with a confident tone:

“All members of the conquest team are veterans, and we’ve thoroughly prepared for every situation, so don’t worry.”

“…I know that… But there’s Guide Park Min-ah, and only Guides who don’t have good compatibility with you, Hyung… Wouldn’t it be okay if one more B-rank Guide joined…? I have Toto too…”

Kang Jae-yoon was the only S-rank Esper on the conquest team, and the fact that all the accompanying Guides had low matching rates bothered him.

Toto had no particular attack skills, but he was an S-rank monster with powerful defensive skills and several auxiliary skills. So, Ji-su tried to press harder to join, but Jae-yoon adamantly refused.

“It’s already been agreed upon with the Awakened Association and Flame Guild, and I can’t just add team members as I please.”

“…”

Ji-su knew he had enough authority, but he also knew that for Jae-yoon to say that much meant he wouldn’t do it.

Finally, Ji-su reluctantly nodded slightly, and a rough hand messed up his worry-filled hair, ruffling it wildly.

“Alright. Stop worrying now. Think about your birthday present. It’s not far off, is it?”

“…? Oh, has it already been that long…?”

Ji-su was flustered, realizing that his birthday, January 30th, had quickly approached.

Even though he checked his scheduler daily and went to work at the Guild, he hadn’t thought about his birthday at all.

Kang Jae-yoon, as if he had expected it, straightened Ji-su’s ruffled hair with his hand and said:

“Actually, I’ve already bought one. That’s a gift I personally want to give you. Tell me what you want, Ji-su.”

“You already bought it?”

“Yeah. It took a while to get it, so I’m only giving it to you now, but I’m sure you’ll like it. You can look forward to it.”

“…Then I’ll just take that.”

Every year on Han Ji-su’s birthday, Kang Jae-yoon generously showered him with everything from heartfelt, sincere gifts to expensive ones.

Especially after The Cataclysm, he had taken care of Ji-su as much as the other members and Ji-su’s family couldn’t, so it was obvious that he had prepared an enormous gift this time too.

An S-rank flight item, S-rank curse resistance earrings, an S-rank poison defense coat – just the items Ji-su usually wore were priceless.

Among them, the S-rank flight item was so rare that there were still people asking Ji-su to sell it. The problem was that Ji-su, being a B-rank Guide, had low mana, so the flight duration was very short, but he had no intention of selling the gift Jae-yoon had given him to anyone else.

Remembering the list of enormous gifts he had received so far, he opened his mouth to refuse again, but Kang Jae-yoon spoke first in a playful voice.

“No. Choose properly. Refusal is refused.”

“Ah, Hyung… What old slang are you using now…”

“Refusal is refused,” what an outdated joke.

It was a popular phrase often used on social media and variety shows during Loveis’s active period.

Kang Jae-yoon, who used the old slang like throwing out a dad joke, chuckled, as if amused by Ji-su’s reaction, and said:

“Think simply. The item coming out in this auction seems good too, or isn’t there anything you want from me, Hyung?”

“No.”

“You answered without even thinking. Still, no. This year, I’m definitely going to give you the birthday present you want. You brushed it off last year too.”

“Don’t you remember buying me more gifts just because I didn’t say anything? You advertised them as my birthday gifts at the auction house, and I’m still getting calls, begging me to sell them…”

“If you don’t want that to happen this year too, think of something.”

“…”

Truly, these were words that subtly blocked his refusal. In the end, the answer was set. Ji-su had bitterly learned over several years that he couldn’t break Kang Jae-yoon’s stubbornness no matter how much he resisted, so he lay back, staring at the ceiling.

‘Birthday present… I don’t really want anything. I earn good money myself too.’

Of course, he couldn’t compare to an S-rank, but living as a B-rank Guide was quite alright. He worked less and received more pay than when he was an idol.

It was partly because the terms offered during the initial Guild contract were quite good, but also because Peace Guild had such excellent welfare for Awakened individuals.

As such, he lacked nothing materially, and certainly didn’t want anything grand under the name of a birthday present.

Still, he needed to calm Jae-yoon down before he caused another commotion at the auction house.

“…I’ll think about it slowly.”

“Think about it before we enter the Dungeon.”

“That’s too much.”

“Haha, Ji-su, you always put things off until the last minute, don’t you? If I give you too much time, you’ll just muddle through it again.”

“…”