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Jiho’s suspicions kept growing.

Why would Joo Yiwon join hands with a guild other than Chungram?

Not only that, but last time Jiho brought up Ipeulis to Kyung Hyun, Yiwon had overheard the conversation and even got mad at Jiho about it.

‘Why didn’t you ask me first? I would’ve done anything to find something and tell you.’

Yiwon definitely said that at that time.

‘No. I only mentioned Ipeulis in the beginning. Maybe he only heard the latter parts….’

Realizing that he was unconsciously defending Yiwon, Jiho snorted at himself.

That guy is someone who always forces Jiho to spill all of the details. If Yiwon hadn’t fully heard their conversation, he would’ve forced Jiho to tell him what they were talking about. But Yiwon hadn’t asked anything.

In other words, even though Joo Yiwon knew about Ipeulis, he pretended not to. On top of that, just because Jiho didn’t ask him about it, Yiwon played dumb and even got mad at him.

Jiho swallowed down the bubbling feeling of betrayal. For now, this is all in his head, he needs to collect solid proof first.

Right, there’s no need to get all worked up about a single system window he saw in a dungeon. He has to get out of this dungeon before he can check anything.

Since, while it’d be impossible for Park Geon Ho to track Joo Yiwon, Park Geon Ho can easily track A-rank hunter Na So Jeong.

And Jiho’s always wanted to use [Blessing of the Star] on Joo Yiwon.

Because Yiwon’s so strong, Jiho never thought there’d be a need to use it on him. Plus, like it is with his sister, Jiho didn’t want to check how much Joo Yiwon likes him.

They’re just friends, how long can it be? Still, since he and Yiwon have known each other for longer, his skill should last longer on Yiwon than it did on Yoo Gyung Woo or Heo Sori.

Anyways, Jiho plans to stop scaring himself into thinking of [Blessing of the Star] as Pandora’s Box and to use the skill proactively instead.

“Jiho-ya. Are you tired?”

“No. It’s not like that….”

“What do you mean it’s not like that. Your face has been pale for a while now. Stop being stubborn and just lie down. I won’t disturb you, so get some sleep. Here.”

Jiho wasn’t feeling particularly tired, but thanks to Gyung Woo’s fussing, he was forced to lie down. After telling him to rest, Yoo Gyung Woo left, leaving Jiho alone. However, there’s no way he can fall asleep.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Jiho soon sprang up. 

‘Wait, doesn’t that mean Yang Hojin has no connection to Mireu?’

Thinking this, Jiho turned to stare at Yang Hojin. Feeling a gaze on himself, Hojin swung his head. Jiho and Hojin’s eyes met.

Hojin, who’s usually intimidated and overly cautious, suddenly had a cold glint to his eyes. His personality may be timid, but just based on his outer appearance alone, Yang Hojin definitely doesn’t look like an easy person.

Hojin started walking over towards Jiho while Jiho checked his status window again.

Status

Name	Yang Hojin
Occupation	Guildmember of No Name
Rank	C
Title	Kidult Hunter
HP	211 (+320)
MP	320 (+397)
STR	220 (+318)
AGI	272 (+390)
Skill	Daily Happiness ( B ) Heal ( C ) Overwhelming Strength ( C )

Besides the slight increase in his HP and MP, there’s no particular change in Hojin’s system window.

The title, [Kidult Hunter], is strange, but that’s just because of the stuffed bunny Yang Hojin squeezes.

If nothing is coming up on his system window, which reflects real-time changes, doesn’t that mean Yang Hojin is a normal member?

“A-are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I am fine.”

“I can use [Daily Happiness]….”

“What’s the point of a five-second skill?”

Lim Seung Joo, who can’t stand to see the two together, charged over at once and squeezed himself between them. Yang Hojin instantly deflated. Jiho, whose feelings towards Hojin had softened, stopped Seung Joo.

“Don’t scare him so much.”

With Jiho’s mediation, a bright smile blossomed on Yang Hojin’s face. On the other hand, Lim Seung Joo’s face darkened. He complained as if he had been wronged.

“I am advising Guildmaster-nim out of the great devotion to you from my heart. This guy is extremely suspicious.”

“…Um. I see, thank you.”

“Th-this is the 21st century. G-great devotion? Is your head oka….”

Hojin must’ve been fairly shocked by Lim Seung Joo’s old-fashioned sentence, as he made a surprisingly sarcastic remark while trembling.

Lim Seung Joo. Not only does he use a Middle-Age weapon, but even his brain has been wired back to the end of the Goryeo Dynasty.

[No Name’s Slave] Lim Seung Joo…. This person doesn’t need any help in proving that title.

“If that is the way you feel, how can I stop you? It’s not like I will actually treat Hunter Lim Seung Joo like a slave either.”

“No, I was just thinking of myself as a subordinate….”

“…”

Seung Joo’s response left Jiho speechless. This was 100% a slip of his tongue. It’s all because the title “slave” is so proudly displayed on Lim Seung Joo’s status window.

Now Yang Hojin was sending Shin Jiho a terrified look as well.

“Gu-Guildmaster-nim thinks of u-us… as s-slaves….”

“N-no I don’t! I was just making a joke because of how old-fashioned Hunter Lim Seung Joo sounded.”

Although Jiho hurriedly tried to cover it up, Hojin’s eyes were still full of doubt.

“Have I ever treated you unfairly? I haven’t, right?”

“That is true….”

“Guildmaster-nim is always right.”

Lim Seung Joo tirelessly spoke another word of praise. At this point, instead of a person from the end of the Goryeo Dynasty, maybe he’s just a professional kiss-up. He’d put even Chong Mong Ju to shame.

“Speaking of which, Guildmaster-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Do you not wish to speak comfortably with me?”

Seung Joo’s words, as always, flustered Jiho.

“Um… I feel fine as it is right now.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to speak more comfortably with each other?”

“Then do you want me to speak without honorifics?”

Seung Joo flinched at Jiho’s question. Jiho can tell that Lim Seung Joo grew up living and breathing within the culture of hierarchy. Even if Jiho is the guildmaster, there’s no way Seung Joo would want to hear Jiho speak casually to him when he’s five years older than him….

“Since you are my superior… I do not mind.”

…Is what Jiho assumed, but Seung Joo is surprisingly more liberal than Jiho thought.

“It’s fine. This is comfortable for me.”

“Maybe outside of work….”

Seung Joo stared longingly at Jiho, his eyes dripping with regret. 

“It’s okay to comfortably call me Hyung….”

“I, I will think about it.”

Jiho feels goosebumps. Why is this person acting so embarrassingly? If he reflects on their relationship, he and Lim Seung Joo are definitely not close enough to call each other Hyung and Dongsaeng. Now that he thinks about it, Seung Joo might be acting like this because he wants to hear Jiho call him “Hyung.”

Is it because Seung Joo likes him more now?

When he recalls how easy it is to check a person’s feelings towards him, Jiho’s a little embarrassed. Today, the skill lasted on Lim Seung Joo for an entire 11 hours. Compared to when Jiho first used the skill on him, it’s nearly tripled.

Hojin, who was listening next to them, asked.

“G-Guildmaster-nim.”

“Yes.”

“Can I call you Hyung?”

“No.”

Jiho quickly shut Hojin down before they could become a family-like guild. Jiho clearly remembers his friend drunkenly complaining, ‘A company that’s family, what a laugh. It’s not family but f*ckery. Run away from any company that talks about family!’.

Jiho has to prevent a situation like that from happening. He’d prefer to maintain a professional relationship with his colleagues for a long time.

“I like how it is right now. If you leave the guild in the future, we can talk about how we address each other then.”

“Then I guess I’ll never hear you call me Hyung.”

Even though Jiho was joking, Lim Seung Joo shook and responded sensitively. He really looks like he’s planning to bury his bones in No Name these days…. What if his title evolves into [No Name’s Devout Slave] or something like that?

‘Is the skill that good?’

Although Heo Sori told him how exhilarating the high she gets from [Blessing of the Star] is.

‘Isn’t it a drug at that point?’

It changed someone’s look from rebellious to loyal and full of trust. The effect of the skill is truly remarkable.

“Now let’s rest a bit. You know we have to clear this dungeon within two days, right?”

It’s not too late to start thinking about the other concerns after clearing this dungeon. 

He has to focus on breaking the record of that lying bastard Joo Yiwon right now.

Since it’ll definitely be possible at this rate.

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LaZ Bird Corner

Further history of Goryeo and Chong Mong Ju

History time!

고려 (“Go-ryeo”) was a state formed around 918 CE during the Later Three Kingdoms Period. The Three Kingdoms of Korea were Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo. During the Later Three Kingdoms Period, Late Silla attempted to unify all three kingdoms, but it experienced a lot of political instability due to both external influences as well as internal grievances about its caste system. This all eventually leads to the collapse of its central government in the early 10th century.

Late Baekje and Late Goguryeo (aka Taebong) were among the groups that resented Silla, leading revolts against the dynasty. Late Goguryeo was led by a Buddhist monk named Kung Ye. There’s a lot to unpack about him, but the important facts are that he was once a member of the Silla royal family, he was crazy, and he wore an eyepatch. If you’ve watched Korean variety shows, you might’ve seen a certain meme of him.

So what does all of this have to do with the Goryeo Dynasty? Well because Kung Ye was crazy, in 918 CE, four of his generals overthrew him and enthroned Wang Kon, one of Kung Ye’s followers and the previous chief minister. Wang Kon becomes Taejo of Goryeo, and he changes the name of the kingdom from Taebong to Goryeo after Goguryeo, thus officially starting the Goryeo Dynasty. 

In 935 CE, Goryeo peacefully annexed Late Silla. And in 936 CE, after a series of battles, Goryeo claimed victory over Late Baekje, successfully unifying all three kingdoms and ending the Later Three Kingdoms Period.

Goryeo lasted from 918-1392 CE. Among the things it’s known for, Goryeo was the Golden Age of Buddhism in Korea, as it was established as the state’s religion. It is also a period where commerce, industry, and the arts flourished.
(Fun fact: Goryeo developed movable type in the early 13th century, 200 years before Gutenberg! Though the creation of movable type is attributed to China, the oldest surviving book made with metal movable type is Korea’s Tripitaka Koreana.) (Fun fact 2: The name Korea is derived from Goryeo!)

In its later years, Goryeo was heavily intertwined with Mongolia and the Yuan Dynasty. As the Yuan Dynasty began to decline, Goryeo tried to remove Mongolian influences and take back Manchuria. One of the last kings of Goryeo, King U, ordered General Yi Song Gye to invade the territory, but the general stopped at the border before turning back and invading the capital instead, usurping the throne. General Yi Song Gye set two puppet kings on the throne, including King U’s son King Chang, Goryeo’s youngest ruler, before eventually enthroning himself as the new king, thus marking the end of the Goryeo Dynasty. He takes up the name Taejo of Joseon, the first monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, which lasted from 1392-1897.

During this period of time, there was a figure named Chong Mong Ju. He was a faithful servant to King U, lending his wisdom, serving as a diplomat between Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty, and also fending off Japanese pirates. Chong Mong Ju was a staunch follower of Neo-Confucianism, to the point that he’s called “The Father of Neo-Confucianism.”

Though Chong Mong Ju supported General Yi Song Gye at first, he began to doubt his intentions. While he welcomed reform, he did not agree with establishing a new dynasty, seeing it as an immoral act. 

One day, when Chong Mong Ju visits to confirm General Yi Song Gye’s injuries, he ends up drinking with the general’s fifth son, Yi Bang Won (later King Taejong, the third monarch of the Joseon Dynasty), who attempts to convince Chong Mong Ju to join them in establishing Joseon with a poem: Ha-yeo-ga (하여가/何如歌/Anyhow).

이런들 어떠하리 저런들 어떠하리 (Whether it is this, whether it is that)

만수산 드렁칡이 얽혀진들 어떠하리 (Whether the roots within Mansu Mountain intertwine)

우리도 이같이 얽혀져 백 년까지 누리리라 (Let us, too, be intertwined for a century)

Chong Mong Ju responds with the poem Dan-sim-ga (단심가/丹心歌/The Faithful Heart):

이 몸이 죽고 죽어 (Even if this body dies and dies)

일백 번 고쳐죽어 (Even if it dies a hundred time over)

백골이 진토 되어 (Though these bones turn to dust)

넋이라도 있고 없고 (And whether the soul remains or not)

임 향한 일편단심이야 (This heart pledged to the King)

가실 줄이 있으랴 (How could it change)

Realizing Chong Mong Ju’s loyalty to Goryeo, Yi Bang Won plots his death. On the way back home, Chong Mong Ju is assassinated on Sonjuk Bridge. With the death of Chong Mong Ju, who is widely regarded as the last bastion of the Goryeo Dynasty, Goryeo ends and the Joseon Dynasty is born. 

Yang Hojin and Lim Seung Joo were cracking me up. 

To those who read through the very long history overview, I hope you enjoyed it. Of course, if you have any questions, I’d be happy to try to answer! 

As a final side note, I found a really funny video when I was looking up the infamous Kung Ye meme. It’s funnier that it’s from an official orchestra account. I feel like they truly captured the crazy aspect of Kung Ye with this editing. (LINK to video)

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