I Tamed the First Rank Chapter 28
- HoshiMiya
- May 24, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: May 8
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just…… Gyu-ha-ssi has always hated being affiliated with someplace. But since our relationship is over once taming is lifted, I was wondering if it’s okay for you to sign a contract with the Ministry of Ability.”
There was a video of Hyeon Gyu-ha entering a gate, having simply raised his middle finger without a word towards a guild member who had been chasing him to scout him. Furthermore, the guild member’s crestfallen expression, like that of a dog that chased a chicken, still circulated as a meme.
Hyeon Gyu-ha straightened his bent waist and looked down at In Yoo-shin.
“Yoo-shin-ssi is a person who always thinks about the future.”
“That’s because it’s a habit.”
No matter what happens, assuming the worst will lessen the shock when it happens. This was In Yoo-shin’s defense mechanism, having suffered two un-adoptions and one death.
“There wasn’t any particular reason why I didn’t join a guild. It was just that belonging somewhere creates bothersome human relationships, and I simply disliked having someone bossing me around and telling me what to do. To scout me, offering the guild leader position wouldn’t even be enough, but they offered me something like a directorial position—how could I not be annoyed?”
“Right, right. With Gyu-ha-ssi’s personality, it would be impossible for him to endure working under someone else.”
“What’s wrong with my personality?”
“It’s a compliment.”
“Master-nim, you can sit atop my head and control me as you please.”
“Thank you.”
Despite that, it was actually Hyeon Gyu-ha who pushed forward with his nerve and sophistry, but anyway.
“My father is the only person who controls my life—I don’t want to add more.”
Come to think of it, Yoo-shin once heard from Hyeon Gyu-ha in the dungeon that his father was a king. He couldn’t tell if Gyu-ha was joking or being serious, and his head got so confused by it that he just ignored him……
Even when I searched the internet, I couldn’t find anything about Hyeon Gyu-ha’s father. The only parent of Hyeon Gyu-ha known to the public was his mother, Hyeon So-ra. Although speculation abounded, it’s unknown who So-ra’s current lover or spouse was.
Since it was an uncommon surname, his surname Hyeon was probably his mother’s. If you took your mother’s last name 30 years ago, when it was more conservative than it is today, there was a high possibility that she would’ve been a single mother. I was not his real lover, though, so I shouldn’t touch his intimate family affairs.
He just nodded his head, and Hyeon Gyu-ha traced the back of his hand in a circle again. A tingling sensation spread across every skin his hand touched. The tips of his fingers twitched and wriggled spontaneously.
“Don’t you wonder who my father is? Everyone else is curious.”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious…… but I don’t think I should ask.”
“I’ll tell Yoo-shin-ssi. Just ask me one question.”
In Yoo-shin chose a question that he thought was relatively easy.
“Are you by any chance of mixed race? I was wondering if your father is a foreigner.”
“I’m from Romania. To be exact, I was born in Serbia a long time ago.”
All thoughts in his head vanished. It made sense if he’s from Romania.
As if knowing the doubts swirling in his head, Hyeon Gyu-ha smiled faintly. The amber color of his eyes looking down had a faint tinge of blood.
“Yes. It’s a land famous for vampire legends.”
*
- ‘In the process of producing promotional videos, Hunter Hyeon Gyu-ha had positive meetings with the Ministry of Ability……’
Is it a hunter recruitment article or the truth about the dating rumors? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Where are all the bastards who said that Hyeon Gyu-ha won’t join a guild because of his terrible personality? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴㄴThose scoundrels are leaving malicious comments saying they don’t even conduct ethics or aptitude tests when hiring public servants. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I think they’ll bite him even more for becoming a civil servant. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ Hunters suck up all kinds of benefits and money, but even their salaries have to be paid with my taxes? How is it different from a gangster who doesn’t put in any effort at all and kills but ends up getting lucky with their awakening?
ㄴㄴ Welcome, jealous person.
ㄴ Wasn’t there a rumor that the Narsha guild, who were rejected by Hyeon Gyu-ha five times, used up money to scout him again? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ What will happen to them now? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴㄴ More than that, I’m curious about how on earth they managed to reel in Hyeon Gyu-ha. How did a guy who wouldn't budge even if you plastered him with money, artifacts, or S-grade items end up becoming a public servant? Leaving Narsha aside, he never went over to Anpang even with the considerable sponsorship he’s been receiving from both corporations since way back. It’s certainly not some noble sense of duty or patriotism for the country, like the Ministry of Ability is promoting.
ㄴㄴㄴ It’s ㅋㅋㅋㅋ obvious. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴㄴㄴㄴ If they make such a big public spectacle of their dating that the whole nation knows, it’s going to be incredibly embarrassing if they break up.
*
- Is this what they call “deokjil” (passionate fanning/devotion) which the country has allowed?
ㄴ Now that my child has become a civil servant, I can now see him in uniform at events, right? ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ I have to stay alive and not die… until that day……
The department will be moved, right? Now I can’t even go to the civil service office… ㅠㅠㅠ The government should open the Ministry of Ability building to the people who pay taxes. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴㄴ If Ministry of Ability doesn’t post new pictures of Gyu on INSense, I’ll file a complaint every day. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ I’m a little worried? Like lol it’s 100% because of his boyfriend that he joined the Ministry of Ability, hahaha. But what happens if another guild scouts his boyfriend away?
ㄴㄴ I think he would immediately use the penalty fee to slap the minister, then tear up the contract and follow his boyfriend without a second thought.
ㄴㄴㄴ No, come on! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Even if he quits, please wear the uniform just once! ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
*
“I see. I didn’t think about this problem.”
“What is it?”
“Someone told me something I forgot.”
Hyeon Gyu-ha, who had handed a PDF of the malicious comments about In Yoo-shin over to the law firm, looked down at him.
“Are you particularly fond of working as a contract civil servant?”
“No. I’m just doing it because I was hired to.”
“Then what will you do if a guild scouts you later or something?”
“I don’t know why they’re trying to scout me, but… if they pay me more than the minimum wage I’m receiving now, I’ll join them.”
“Is that so? You can do whatever you want, Yoo-shin-ssi, but when the Narsha guild comes to scout you, please think twice about whether to join them or not.”
“Uh, why?”
“I don't like the Narsha guild leader. I would say, it feels like he's hiding some dark scheme.”
“The 2nd rank guild leader?”
“Yes. The guild leader who is struggling to dig under the soles of my feet.” (Possibly derived from a Korean idiom [포크레인 앞에서 삽질한다: digging in front of a excavator]; no matter how good you are with a shovel, you can’t compete with an excavator.)
Narsha guild was one of the largest guilds in Korea, and it is directly managed by its leader, Gong Tae-seong, who was also a top S-ranker known as the Flame Emperor. However, Hyeon Gyu-ha had pushed him out of the hunter ranking’s 1st place, and he was unable to escape from 2nd place ever since.
I suddenly wondered about Gong Tae-seong’s personality, considering that Hyeon Gyu-ha was also not a very good person.
But there was something more curious than that.
Just as Yoo-shin was about to ask, ‘What’s the relationship between Narsha guild’s scouting me and Gyu-ha-ssi?’ a complainant came in.
“I came to pick up a certificate for proof of the damages I suffered.”
Even as he spoke about his business, the complainant’s gaze was focused on Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was lying floating above In Yoo-shin’s head and eating potato chips.
“Is it damage to your workplace or personal damage to you?”
“Our workplace……”
The hesitating complainant eventually couldn’t hold back and asked.
“Hunter-nim, what are you doing up there?”
“An office date as long as it doesn’t interfere with work.”
Leaving In Yoo-shin aside, the other employees nearby clearly seemed bothered by his entering the work area without hesitation, but since it was legal, what could they say?
The complainant just nodded with a blank expression and went out, glancing at Hyeon Gyu-ha, who was floating in the air, even after taking the documents.
In Yoo-shin was a little embarrassed.
“Ah, right.”
Regardless, Hyeon Gyu-ha reached out his hand in the air and popped a potato chip into his mouth. Meanwhile, the salty potato chip was delicious.
“Workplace romance—what an exciting phrase. Let’s become a pair of cockroaches in the Ministry of Ability.” (This a reference to a novel called The Metamorphosis where the main character wakes up one day as a giant insect. Some people use this sentence as a joke or a challenge to their friends, family, or lovers, to see how they would react if they became cockroaches together.)
“Yes.”
This agonizing embarrassment would only last a few days. If I moved to a department where I encountered fewer people in it, I would feel less embarrassed, maybe.
*
“I think In Yoo-shin is the reason why Hyeon Gyu-ha was hired by the Ministry of Ability.”
The man who was putting on his tie in front of the mirror merely glanced at his secretary. A puzzled look appeared in his sharp, impatient eyes.
“In Yoo-shin? Who is that?”
“I reported this to you last time, but have you forgotten? He is Hyeon Gyu-ha’s lover.”
“What? That ‘Master’ guy? I thought that crazy bastard is just acting out again because he had another one of his fits, but is he seriously dating? No, before that, is he really gay?”
“I don’t know if he’s gay or bi.”
The secretary shrugged and continued reporting.
“According to the on-site staff who were filming the promotional video, he said he wanted to become part of the Ministry of Ability in order to date without worrying about others.”
“Crazy guy. The guy who said he didn’t want to come to our guild even if we offered him a hidden boss’ crystal or Muramasa? (A/N: swords made by the Japanese swordsmith Muramasa)”
“He said he would refuse Japanese swords.”
“…… So, even though I swapped Muramasa for the Yongcheon Sword (A/N: General Im Gyeong-eop’s sword) and offered it to him, he still kicked that away, but now he’s doing this just because he is just that kind of lover?”
“It’s romantic.”
“Do you really think that Hyeon Gyu-ha is doing these ridiculous things because he’s blinded by love?”
“I don’t know.”
The man returned to his desk and sat down in his chair, frowning at the sour-faced secretary.
“He’s said to be someone whose distrust of humans is so extreme that he would not hesitate to kill Kwon Seong-gil or Lee Hye-yeon, who are his close friends, even if they make a mistake. That bastard doesn’t trust anyone. He’s not a person who can have a normal relationship and live like other people. There must be another reason…… Otherwise, there must be something hidden about that lover.”
HM: I guess… the cat’s out of the box if you think abt it…
PA: Well…. I’m more interested in Gyu’s father.
Editor M: The two people at the end are like, “Hyeon Gyu-ha may be a lunatic but this is not his usual brand of lunacy.” And they are right—he has rabies now.
Editor’s Daily Entries: PA
Feb 20/24: I got called by my boss again because someone reported me again(?) It was dismissed again cause it was during my break. She said that the report about me was appearing almost every day, I got upset this time and asked who’s reporting me but got no answer. I know, I understand that my boss won’t reveal it. So I decided to investigate by myself.
Feb 21/24: I felt gazes again, I looked up and saw my workmate awkwardly avoiding my eyes. I knew at that moment that it was this person who kept reporting me. I got confused, cause we never clashed, argued, fought, or whatever—- It was an enigma to me.
Feb 22/24: I drink double black with Red Bull while editing.
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: PsycheAsylum, Editor M
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