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Our attendant, who had just finished a call with the president and was making a face like he’d bitten into something unpleasant, approached us.

“…I am Kim Nak-young, a Hwarang who will be in charge of your training.”

“Okay, I’ll call you Manager Kim.”

“…I’m not even a company employee, let alone a manager.”

But that doesn’t matter.

In dramas and movies, the person who serves a chaebol heir is always called a manager.

I’m not a chaebol, but I come from a family just as wealthy.

And Hayan is a real chaebol.

So, we decided to call our attendant “Manager Kim.”

“Nice to meet you, Manager Kim. Sorry about earlier when we subdued you.”

“…It’s fine. Anyway, someone has come to pick us up, so let’s head back to the station.”

“Okay.”

Following Manager Kim’s lead, we arrived at the station where a man named Kim, the driver, was waiting for us.

“Finally, you’re here. Let me take you to the car.”

We put Manager Kim in the passenger seat and got into the back with Hayan.

I really feel like I’ve become a chaebol now!

After driving for a while, we arrived at a massive traditional Korean house that exuded an old-world charm.

“Please go inside.”

“…Whose house is this?”

“This is the mansion of Kim Seo-hyun, the master of the Hwarang and father of Dae Hwarang.”

Hmm.

We’ve arrived at a very, very impressive place.

I have no idea what the mission is.

They wouldn’t have sent us here just to be servants for his father’s happy retirement.

“Don’t think weird thoughts again, let’s go in, Gyeoul.”

“Got it.”

As expected, the original is the best. With Lee Ha-yoon’s excellent suppression of delusions, we crossed the gate together.

“You must be Gyeoul and Hayan. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello!”

The grandfather waiting for us in the yard must be the master’s father.

I was wondering whether to call him “Sajonim” or something else, but he seemed to sense my hesitation and spoke first.

“I am Kim Seo-hyun, Yu-shin’s father. Just call me grandfather.”

“Ah, is that okay?”

“Well, you can’t call me grandmother, can you? Haha.”

“Ah…hahaha…hahaha.”

“Let’s go inside.”

As soon as I heard the grandfather’s joke, I realized it.

There really are no normal people in this world.

We entered the main hall and sat down, and a man in a suit approached to serve us tea.

I had expected a woman in a hanbok to come out, so this was a moment of reflection on my narrow-mindedness.

“This is high-quality pu-erh tea. It has a good taste and aroma, so try it.”

“…Pu-erh tea? The one from China?”

The master of the Hwarang, his father, and even his name is Kim Seo-hyun.

Just like the name of Kim Yu-shin’s father from the Silla era.

Of course, I had assumed he would drink Korean tea, so this was another moment of reflection on my narrow-mindedness.

Still, with Kim Yu-shin and Kim Seo-hyun, this vast traditional house, and them calling themselves Hwarang…

Who wouldn’t think like me? I believe my narrow-mindedness isn’t entirely my fault.

Of course, there are some extreme cases, like asking a black man named Jonathan, “Are you from the Jo family?” but that’s not the norm.

“Yu-shin told me you came to help with something.”

“Ah… yes, but we don’t even know what we’re supposed to do…”

“It’s nothing much. Just catch a traitorous Hwarang.”

…A traitorous Hwarang sounds like a big deal, but the grandfather said it so casually.

The traitorous Hwarang is 18 years old and a B-Class Awakened One.

They say he was a very good kid.

He awakened at 16 and immediately came to this house to ask to be taught, so he must have had incredible drive and determination.

But that kid couldn’t control his overflowing energy and gradually became more violent, eventually joining a villain alliance that’s been making waves in Korea recently…

I don’t think I need to know the details.

“But is that traitorous Hwarang still in Gyeongju? If it were me, I would have run away by now.”

“The villain alliance is quite thorough. They won’t accept you unless you go through a few months of probation. And the probation is pretty funny too—you have to commit all sorts of crimes in your hometown.”

Wow.

That’s like undercover work, but it seems like a pretty good way to weed out the riff-raff.

I don’t want to compliment villains, but it seems like they put some thought into it.

Making them commit crimes in their own hometowns. I never would have thought of that.

“Originally, I was going to gather the Hwarang to handle this… but Yu-shin heard about it and said he would send you two, saying it was the perfect opportunity to gain experience.”

It was a bit strange to assign this mission so soon after the Satan Church went on a rampage.

But if we operate mainly in Gyeongju, the Hwarang here will back us up… and I heard this grandfather is incredibly strong, so it shouldn’t be too dangerous.

He sent us here trusting his dad.

This is the perfect training ground.

“Today, take a look around and relax. Start your activities tomorrow. If you need anything, just ask Kim Nak-young outside. I’d like to have dinner with you, but… I have an appointment with the mayor of Gyeongju tonight, so it’ll be difficult today.”

It seems the news that Manager Kim has become our attendant has already spread.

Turning my head to look at the yard, I saw him talking to the man in the suit who had served us tea.

They must know each other.

Anyway, we were told to stay in the annex, so I should unpack now.

After finishing our pu-erh tea time with the grandfather, we went outside.

Manager Kim cut off his conversation with the man in the suit and came running over to us with a happy face.

“Didn’t you just meet after a long time? You could stay a bit longer.”

“…Please don’t say such horrifying things. I don’t want to be with Scorpion for too long.”

“Scorpion?”

With his soft face and round glasses.

I thought the man in the suit was a herbivore, but he has such a terrifying nickname?

“Among the many instructors who teach the Hwarang, Scorpion was the best.”

As if recalling the past, he shuddered while explaining, so it must have been really intense.

But to talk about someone who was once your master like that…

For a moment, I thought about shouting “Instructor Scorpion!” to mess with him, but Manager Kim is our attendant for now.

I decided to let it slide this time.

“Ah, Manager Kim, there’s something you need to do…”

“Is it finally the mission?”

Manager Kim’s playful expression instantly turned serious, showing his professional side.

Though it doesn’t change the fact that Hayan would cut him down in one second.

“Yes. A very important and significant mission.”

“Just leave it to us.”

“Find the most famous restaurant in Gyeongju.”

“…Huh? A restaurant?”

Gathering information on the traitorous Hwarang isn’t important right now.

The grandfather said to rest today and start work tomorrow.

I’m a good kid who listens well.

I really plan to rest well.

And for that, the most important thing is the restaurant.

Having the best dinner is the most important thing.

“Ah, and we’re going to snack around, so please find the best route for us.”

“…Okay.”

To give Manager Kim time to gather information, we went to the annex to unpack.

As if they had been waiting for us, both Kim the driver and Manager Kim bowed at the same time.

“We’ll take you.”

It almost felt burdensome, but since I’d already experienced something similar at Buckingham Palace, I could act naturally.

Of course, not as naturally as Hayan.

“Hayan, do you want to go sightseeing somewhere?”

“You know I don’t like that stuff, did you forget?”

“No, even if you said yes, I would have opposed it. I just asked out of courtesy.”

Hayan and I really get along well in every way.

I like it a lot.

We stopped by a famous snack shop in Gyeongju that sells ten-won bread.

The first ten-won bread I tried was just a dough with mozzarella cheese inside, nothing special.

“Manager Kim, is this the best you’ve got?”

“…Isn’t it tasty enough?”

I seriously considered whether we should filter out the restaurants Manager Kim recommends, but we later visited a Silla bakery and had a satisfying snack.

Thanks to that, his credibility was restored, and following Manager Kim’s guidance, we had a happy dinner at a traditional house famous for its galbi and soft tofu.

Of course, we treated Manager Kim and Kim the driver too.

“Eat a lot, and order more if it’s not enough.”

“Thank you!”

Of course, both the snacks and dinner were paid for with the card the master gave us.

***

The next day, we headed straight to the police station.

Originally, since we’re just trainees and not heroes, they wouldn’t have cooperated with us…

-I’ve already requested cooperation from the police station, so feel free to carry out your activities.

The grandfather had taken care of everything.

Thanks to that, we were able to get the case files and read through them.

As I read, my expression started to harden.

“This…”

Lee Chun-sam. 18 years old.

Theft and special theft.

Attempted bank robbery.

Cash courier for an illegal arcade.

‘He’s a B-Class Awakened One? And he’s joining a villain alliance?!’

The traitor Lee Chun-sam was just a petty criminal.

The kind you could catch and get a suspended sentence for.

And the bank robbery was just an ‘attempt’?

The tension I had been holding onto started to loosen.

‘No wonder he was so relaxed, no wonder he was so laid back!’

A Hwarang turns traitor and joins a villain alliance, but he tells us to rest today and start work tomorrow. I should have sensed something was off from that laid-back attitude.

‘This guy is a villain…?’

The students I meet at the academy while doing disciplinary activities are more villainous than this.

It would be more comfortable to catch him quickly and return to the academy.

Starting with a door-to-door investigation is the best.

“Hey, bearded detective.”

“…Are you talking to me?”

“Do you know anything about Lee Chun-sam besides what’s in the file?”

“…I’ll find out right away.”

“Huh… what about you, glasses detective?”

“…Sorry! I’m on it!”

…?

I just asked casually, thinking they might know something since they organized the case files, but the detectives’ reactions were strange.

Are all Gyeongju detectives this nice?

Or do they just have nothing to do?

Well… if they’re willing to help, I’m grateful.

 

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