Chapter 57 - Chapter 57 (1/2)

"Did you hear what he just said? What a total jerk-face."

Yu Soo-Hyun approached closer, before Yu Jin-Ho could react, and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

Yu Soo-Hyun's forehead creased up rather prettily.

"Look at you. C'mon now. Seriously? Tsk, tsk. Still so pathetic. Tsk, tsk."

Yu Jin-Ho couldn't suppress his laughter after seeing her imitate his older brother.

"Fuhup. Keuk. Stop that. I don't feel like cracking jokes with you right now, you know."

"Still so~~ pathetic. Tsk, tsk."

"Keuh, hehehe.... Keuk! Argh, I'm telling you, stop it!"

Their ages were almost the same, so their relationship was more like that of really close friends.

Yu Soo-Hyun stood right in front of Yu Jin-Ho.

"Why do you keep acting like this, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, c'mon. You're an Awakened now, right? Don't tell me, you still can't win against a regular person?"

"So what if I am? You think I'm gonna start throwing punches at my older brother or something?"

"Well, not really, no. But...."

Yu Soo-Hyun bit on her rather shapely lower lip.

Imagining the kind of punishment the patriarch of the family might saddle the poor Yu Jin-Ho with, if the latter did throw a knuckle sandwich to his much more successful older brother....

The prospect of that alone was quite terrifying, to say the least.

It wasn't as if she didn't understand Yu Jin-Ho's inner thoughts while he had to remain on the receiving end of the ridicule. Yu Soo-Hyun narrowed her eyes and glared in the direction that Yu Jin-Seong had disappeared to.

"Whatever. He's still a stuck-up, no fun jerkoff, that guy."

She too disliked Yu Jin-Seong as much as Yu Jin-Ho did. She just so happened to be one of the few people who knew what Yu Jin-Seong's real personality was like, hidden beneath that fakey, smiley facade.

However, Yu Jin-Ho didn't agree with her. It wasn't because that guy was his older brother, no.

No, he simply wanted to win against his older brother in an upfront manner, not badmouth him from behind like this.

When Yu Jin-Ho kept his mouth shut, Yu Soo-Hyun cautiously asked him.

"Hey, so... that plan, is it still ongoing?"

"Mm?"

"You know, you said you'd become a Guild Master. At that guy's expense."

Instead of a reply, Yu Jin-Ho simply smiled.

Who'd believe him even if he said that out loud? It'd be a relief if no one mocked him or something. Him and his brother battling like that?

However, now that he held the huge ace called 'hyung-nim', the odds of his victory had risen up by quite a lot.

'If I manage to get the Master licence....'

It'd be possible to duke it out with his older brother, then.

He might even win.

Yu Soo-Hyun saw the determination burning in Yu Jin-Ho's eyes and spoke in no uncertain terms while placing her hands on her hips.

"I'd rather kill myself instead of working for that man. So, you do everything you can, okay? Cuz I don't wanna fight your old man over this."

"....Thanks."

This was how Yu Soo-Hyun would usually cheer him on.

She was actually a rank A Hunter who started her career as a famous child actor.

Even with her background of being a lady or a chaebol was not taken into account, many Guilds still tried their darnedest to scout her because of her rank and fame.

For some reason, though, she had refused all of their offers and continued to act as a model every now and then.

However, a new offer that she couldn't really refuse had arrived at her doorstep recently.

And that was to become one of the founding members of the soon-to-launch Yujin Guild. It was a direct order from the chairman himself, Yu Myung-Hwan.

She couldn't outright ignore the orders of the family patriarch, but she also didn't want to work for Yu Jin-Seong, either.

Yu Soo-Hyun herself had a lot to worry about now.

Although the kid was not all that trustworthy, she had little choice but to place her faith in Yu Jin-Ho.

Brrrr.... Brrr....

Hearing the sound of a phone vibrating coming from Yu Jin-Ho's pocket, Yu Soo-Hyun asked him.

"Aren't you going to answer that?"

"...Oh."

He was daydreaming about something else just then; he hurriedly pulled his phone out after it had been ringing for a while. The number appearing on the phone's screen was a familiar one.

[Hyung-nim]

Yu Jin-Ho's expression brightened up immediately after realising who it was.

"Hello, hyung-nim!"

He answered the call with an energetic voice.

"Yes? Yes, hyung-nim. No, I can be there, no problem. Yes. I'll be there shortly, hyung-nim."

Yu Jin-Ho ended the call there.

Yu Soo-Hyun displayed her interest after sensing Yu Jin-Ho's moods doing a 180.

"What the heck? Who was that?"

Too bad for her, this was absolutely not the time for him to stand around leisurely explaining the situation to her. After all, didn't hyung-nim ask him for a favour just now?

And with the desire to escape from this place added on top, his mind could only think about leaving as soon as possible, even if it was only a second faster.

"Let's talk later!"

Watching Yu Jin-Ho hurriedly run away, Yu Soo-Hyun's head tilted from side to side.

"And why is he so pumped up like that now?"

Every time he participated in a family meeting of some sort, Yu Jin-Ho always walked around with slumped shoulders, but it was a different story today.

"....How odd."

Yu Soo-Hyun told herself to definitely interrogate the kid later.

While that was happening, Yu Jin-Ho was searching for his father.

It'd soon be dinner time. And Yu Jin-Ho couldn't be excused from the family gathering without his father's approval, especially when every single family member and relatives were present.

Yu Jin-Ho scanned his surroundings. And eventually, spotted his father over in the distance, conversing with some people.

He had a countenance of a tiger. His personality was just as strict, him never cracking a smile with matters he thought were insignificant.

For someone like Yu Jin-Ho, his father was a very difficult person to talk to.

'And I haven't even started yet....'

Yet, he was already getting nervous. But, he needed to be courageous here.

'Yeah, well. I made a promise.'

Yu Jin-Ho took a couple of deep breaths and slowly walked to where his father was.

He almost turned around several times on his way, though. However, he held the urges back.

And finally, Yu Jin-Ho managed to arrive before his father, Yu Myung-Hwan.

"Father....?"

Their distance was a bit too far for a relationship between a father and a son, though.

Yu Myung-Hwan shifted his gaze over to Yu Jin-Ho.

"What do you want?"

Sensing the uncertain air, the people around Yu Myung-Hwan distanced themselves all at the same time as if they had a prior agreement.

"Father, will it be okay if I went out for a little while?"

Yu Jin-Ho's voice lacked any discernible energy as he spoke to his father.

"I, I will return before dinner."

"....."

Yu Myung-Hwan stood there with an expression of someone getting ready to scold his disappointing son, but then, he let off a sigh and gave his permission, albeit quite unwillingly so.

".....Fine. Go, but return on time."

Yu Jin-Ho's expression brightened and bowed his head.

"Thank you, father."

He then ran out of there like a streak of lightning.

Yu Myung-Hwan stood there and looked at the back of Yu Jin-Ho with a stiff face. Meanwhile, his wife walked closer to him.

"Dear? I just got a call from Vienna."

That was one of the messages he'd been eagerly waiting for. Yu Myung-Hwan immediately shifted his attention over to his wife.

"And the results of the concours are?"

"She won, of course. She's our daughter, so it's expected, really."

A subtle smile formed on Yu Myung-Hwan's face. But it disappeared without a trace before anyone had the chance to see it.

"Hmm. When will she be returning to Korea, then?"

"She says that she's far too busy during the semester, but will come around once it ends."

Yu Myung-Hwan frowned deeply.

"I told her to attend her grandfather's ancestral ceremony regardless of how busy she was."

"Dear. Children nowadays don't place much importance on such matters anymore."

"Tsk, tsk."

The madam of the Yu family carefully fixed Yu Myung-Hwan's slightly out of shape tie and spoke to him intimately.

"Also, dear.... how about paying more attention to Jin-Ho?"