You Didn't Tell Me the Start of My Transmigration Was a Gate

Chapter 31 Part 2: Written Exam

“Well… I don’t want to instill this kind of preconceived notion in you, who hasn’t even decided on what guild you wanted to join yet, but…”

Hye-won said cautiously.

“The people in the Blue Serpent are all quite intimidating, and I don’t know how to describe it but they’re all similar. Of course, Red Flames had some people who gave off a similar strong feeling too. Like Jeon Chung-Woon and Sun Ha-rang, who are known for their silence, but there are also people like Kim Ki-taek around, so they play a neutralizing role, right?”

Certainly, Sun Ha-Rang and Jeon Chung-Woon were less talkative. Even when there were four of them together, Kim Ki-taek led 80% of the conversation, so he was the one doing all the talking. The rest of the time, the three of them would fill in the gaps with short phrases, and even then, Sun Ha-Rang wouldn’t even say a word.

“But Blue Serpents are different. Even though you see them smiling on the outside, you can’t really guess what they’re thinking on the inside, so if you’re in the same group as them, you should…”

Hye-won swallowed hard and said.

“Take the shot first.”

“Guild Leader!”

(T/N: The term they used was Seon-Ppang [선빵]: Shot, hit, Attack. Which is in an informal way, so it sounded rude as well. That’s why Yeon-Ho reacted that way.)

Jo Yeon-Ho shouted.

“Ah, why, Yeon-ho, you agree with me, ah!”

“That’s true, but…. You need to filter it out a little bit.”

Hye-won made a disgruntled frown.

“By the way, isn’t there too little furniture?”

Jo Yeon-ho turned to look in my direction. It was obvious that he wanted to get away from the topic of the Blue Serpent.

“That’s right. Even though you live alone…”

“It’s okay, I just sleep at home anyway.”

“Are you sure you can get along well by yourself, and do you eat well?”

‘I don’t cook, but I eat well. I guess that counts as eating well.’

I nodded vaguely.

“Of course, I know you said you’re fine because you’ve been alone for so long.”

Hye-won seemed to be bothered by the fact that I was only 20 years old and living alone. But I’ve been living on my own since I was in middle school, so it’s no big deal to me. On the contrary, I used to be one of those who couldn’t eat properly because I was relying on government subsidies, but now that I don’t have those hardships, I should say I’m better off.

“In fact, there was something I wanted to recommend to you before…”

Hye-won hesitated. Jo Yeon-ho sent her a supportive glance, as if saying that ‘You can do it!’ from the side. It seems that the real point of today’s celebration is this.

“Seo-ha, do you remember when I told you that I have a brother who is about the same age as you?”

“Yes, I remember. You said he’s a year younger than me.”

“Yeah. That’s why I cared so much about you from the beginning, because you remind me of my younger brother.”

I’ve heard that story before. We talked about it when we first met. The younger brother is none other than Pyo Yeon-won, and I probably know him better than Hye-won does. After all, we’ve been managing Backwater together for more than 10 years.

“At first, I didn’t think so, but after being with you inside the… gate, I must have gotten too attached to you.”

Her determined eyes met mine.

“Seo-Ha, do you want to come to my house and live with me?”

“What?”

When I made a confused expression, Jo Yeon-ho interjected again from the side.

“Guild Leader, you omitted a lot of things..!”

“That’s right, but I thought you said I should do that earlier…”

“That’s right, but in moderation. In moderation.”

He whispered, but it was audible.

“Hmmmmmm. I mean, I really want Seo-Ha to be my little sister legally, but I looked into the procedure, and it’s complicated because you’re already an adult now. But it’s really different if you become a part of my family than being simply my sworn sister.”

“I don’t think it will be easy to become a family legally, but I also don’t want Seo-Ha to live alone, and I live alone with my brother. I also have a spare room in my house. So I was thinking, what if I give that room to Seo-Ha instead. What do you think? Do you want to live with me?”

“Okay… Wait a minute.”

So many things were passing by so quickly that my mind was a little confused. I mean, did Hyewon-Unnie… just say that she wanted me to be her real sister, and that she wanted me to live with her?

“Of course, there’s a boy who’s not that much older than you, so you might feel reluctant! I know, but he’s an ordinary guy who hasn’t even been Awakened, so if you’re willing, you can make him come out 14 weeks early!”

“So, you know, but…”

“Yeah! I’m sure you’re worried about this house you’re already under contract on, but don’t worry, we can keep this as a second home. It’s closer to the Hunter’s test site, so we can sleep here instead of going back and forth when he’s taking his tests too, right?”

“Unnie… You need to calm down…”

“Huh? Why not?”

Her eyes instantly stared at me brightly.

‘Oh my god.’ After listening to her, I realized that it wasn’t just a thoughtless remark. She answered all the things that were bothering me, so she must have thought a lot about it realistically. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t embarrassed, but I was also very happy….

I don’t know about Hyewon-Unnie, but I care about her a lot. I felt a tingling sensation in the corner of my heart, and my face was burning hot. I had to control my facial muscles to keep from smiling.

‘Ugh…. This is a big deal.’ I was so happy just after hearing that.

“… Will your brother be okay about it?”

“He’s fine, I told him I’d double his allowance.”

Pyo Yeon-won is a kind-hearted person to begin with, so he would have done anything if his sister had requested it. The reason why Pyo Yeon-won, who is currently an ordinary person, became an Awakener was solely for his sister’s sake.

He wanted to enter the gate where she hadn’t come out from after three years, to find her body and return. By the time Pyo Yeon-won passed the Hunter Exams and became a volunteer at the Yeonhwado Gate… It was about to be cleared, but I can still remember Pyo-yeon-won’s face as he looked at me, sobbing while hugging the body of his dead sister Hye-won.

“……So, can I just live for a month and decide? Your brother might be uncomfortable with me, and I might be uncomfortable with him too, so… I’ll just live there for a month and think about it.”

“Okay!”

Hye-won hugged me tightly. Her warmth enveloped me. Jo Yeon-ho was looking at me from behind, half envious, half happy for me. After a moment of silence, I lifted my hand and embraced her too.

Maybe I’m really dreaming my last sweet dreams before I die, otherwise, how could reality be so sweet? I laughed out loud at the euphoria that filled my heart. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a very long time.