Starting a Reversal in Life From the Time of Release

19 – Different Mindsets (2)

Of all people, Yu Shi-hoo.

A word that he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud continued to linger in Park Han-su’s mouth.

From the moment Yu Shi-hoo was wrongfully accused and sent to prison, Nokyang’s image had already plummeted, but when it was revealed that Jung Soo-hyun had manipulated it, it took an even deeper plunge.

Even now, the guild’s image ranking is at its lowest point.

And what’s worse, it’s not like Yu Shi-hoo left of his own accord; he was kicked out of the guild, making it even more embarrassing to meet him.

“Ugh…”

It’s all because of that damn Jeongsoo.

Park Hansu, feeling frustrated, pounded his chest and got up, heading towards the smoking room.

The things he had tried hard to forget came rushing back, and he couldn’t just brush them aside.

“That bastard… “

Alone in the smoking room, as he lit a cigarette and took a puff.

Finally, the suppressed curses against Jeongsoo, who had turned the guild into a mess just out of jealousy, poured out.

“Hansu, why are you like this? Is something wrong?”

As the cigarette burned halfway between his fingers, a colleague from the personnel department approached and asked.

Since they were quite close, Hansu didn’t hesitate to spill the beans.

“We got a promising rookie hunter, so I was trying to scout him.”

“Oh, really? What rank is he?”

“B-rank.”

“B? If a rookie is B-rank, it’s worth being ambitious. But?”

“But… the hunter’s guarantor is Yoo Sihu.”

“Ah…”

At the mention of Yoo Sihu, the colleague’s expression turned uneasy.

For Nokyang, the name Yoo Sihu was partly taboo.

It reflected the fact that Yoo Sihu had incurred hatred from the person with false accusations, and since it couldn’t be resolved, the idea was to pretend not to know.

In other words, it could be seen as turning a blind eye.

“Tsk. I might need a smoke.”

“Quit it. Ugh. Idiots…”

Guild leader Kim Jihan, who couldn’t properly manage the idiot Jeongsoo, and both having similar last names seemed even more idiotic, thought Kim Suhan.

“How about a drink tonight?”

While Hansu was exhaling cigarette smoke, a colleague who was lighting a cigarette next to him asked.

Upon hearing the talk of alcohol, Hansu’s mouth watered.

“Sounds good. Where?”

“Not near Nokyang, a bit away, at a small alley pub.”

“Hey there, can you grill the shell nicely for me? Perfect.”

Park Han-su felt relieved after having a chatty conversation with his employees.

He was used to overcoming tough situations, as he occasionally experienced heartache.

Moreover, it was even tougher as the scout in charge had to listen to harsh voices.

“Excuse me.”

As Park Han-su left the smoking room with an improved mood, a sharp female voice caught his attention.

His good mood plummeted in an instant.

“Yes, Team Leader. What can I do for you?”

He asked before even turning around.

There was only one woman with such a voice, Nam Bo-ra.

“You mentioned Yu Si-hoo just now?”

Looking rather upset, Nam Bo-ra, with her short black hair, stared at Park Han-su and asked.

Since she naturally had a sharp temperament, it wasn’t surprising.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

There was no need for him to hide it, so Park Han-su answered honestly.

Nam Bo-ra then opened her mouth.

“Yu Si-hoo’s guarantor. Show me her face.”

.

“Si-hoo, look at this. Isn’t it too suggestive?”

Marie presented a set of black lace lingerie.

It was fine that they had come to the department store to buy something to celebrate her job interview passing, but they suddenly found themselves in the lingerie section.

“Indeed.”

Since he couldn’t find the words to say, he gave a vague nod.

Fortunately, Marie simply chuckled and moved on without showing any signs of discomfort.

“It seems you like it.”

She headed straight to the checkout counter, probably thinking I liked the outfit.

Then, she proceeded to buy six sets of the same underwear, which were quite expensive, probably due to their quality.

“But why did you buy six sets of the same outfit?”

I asked, looking at the shopping bags in her hands.

Even if you like it, you’d think two or three sets would be enough.

I wondered if six was not too easily exhausted.

I tried to carry the shopping bag, but she insisted on carrying it herself.

She said she couldn’t burden a man with heavy luggage.

“I’ll give them as gifts to my mother and sister when we go to the palace. They’re all different sizes.”

“Ah…I see.”

Once again, I nodded in confusion, my face filled with uncertainty about what to say.

Marie seemed to have a different thought as she suddenly said:

“I will definitely pay you back, including compensation. Don’t worry.”

“No, that’s not necessary. I bought it for you because I wanted to give it to you.”

I shook my head as I looked at Marie, who was sticking to me.

Even though I had finally managed to bring her here after refusing several times, I felt guilty because of the misunderstanding.

Because of that, I even had to say that I was embarrassed to be in such a store for the first time in my life.

That way, there would be no misunderstanding.

“Ah…was that the reason?”

“Yes. Even though this is my first time dating a woman, going to a store like this makes my head spin.”

As I complained while touching my forehead, Marie’s mouth twisted.

“Then I’ll have to show myself to you more often in the future. That way, it won’t be awkward and we’ll get used to it.”

My head felt even more dizzy as she said that she would show herself openly.

I couldn’t imagine what would happen later if this was how it was from the first date.

“It would have been great if I could use continental gold coins… I’m so disappointed.”

As I cleared my dizzy head and wandered around the department store, Marie sighed while looking ahead.

The black money bag that she said she brought just in case was dancing before my eyes.

“Don’t feel burdened. I’m buying it because I want to. “

“Of course I’m grateful for your feelings. I’m happy. But as a woman, I feel sorry for just accepting. I would have given you a generous treat…”

“It’s okay. We’re not in a transaction of buying and selling each other.”

When I said a word because Marie felt so sorry, her expression suddenly became surprised.

The shadow disappeared from her face, but her eyes widened.

Thinking that my words were so shocking, my head turned to the side.

“Marie? Are you okay?”

“Yes? Ah…yes. I’m fine.”

However, Mary shook her head slightly, corrected her surprised expression, and opened her mouth.

“What are your plans for lunch? Are you going to eat at home?”

“Um… Since we’re already out, shall we eat out?”

“Sounds good.”

Marie nodded as if she had been waiting for that, showing great interest in this world.

So we went straight downstairs to the food court on the first basement floor and scanned the area.

They were selling various foods, from simple snacks to slightly expensive dishes.

Thanks to that, we didn’t have to think much about what to eat and settled for a meal of dumplings at a place that sold them.

I enjoyed the shrimp dumplings, while Mary liked the meat dumplings.

“That was delicious. I think this could also be introduced to the empire… What do you think?”

She asked, looking around the food court.

Maybe she thought that raising the level of dining would contribute to the development of the country.

Her gaze towards the food was quite sharp.

“The more food options, the better, right? But I guess it would be difficult for the empire to raise enough livestock for everyone to eat.”

“It seems like that would be difficult. Instead, we could consider filling our stomachs with something else. There’s also bone soup, which is simmered from bones, that we could try to introduce. However, I heard that bone soup has too much oil, so it’s a problem…”

I answered as sincerely as I could, even though I didn’t know the details.

However, the more I answered, the deeper Marie’s concerns seemed to grow.

Fortunately, I was feeling a great sense of accomplishment; otherwise, I would have just been tired.

After looking around the department store, we went straight to the parking lot.

We loaded our luggage into the jeep that had finished its inspection and drove off with our tired bodies.

Even though I hadn’t done anything, I felt mentally exhausted.

So I thought that when I got home, I would take a quick nap. Of course, that’s what I thought.

If it hadn’t been for Nam Bora, who I came across in the apartment parking lot, looking intimidating.

“Hey, Yoo Sihu. If you’re out of prison, you should return promptly. Are you still fooling around like this?”

Her eyes still had a subtle violet tint, and her sharp tone hadn’t changed.

Her hair still remained at the short length.

“Why are you here?”

“Why? Isn’t it obvious? You haven’t come to work, so I came to scold you.”

Nam Bora furrowed her brows, asking me what was obvious, then turned her gaze to Mary, who was approaching me.

For some reason, the way she looked at Mary was unsettling.

“Ah, that newcomer they vouched for? They said he’s B-grade from the start? His face isn’t too bad, though.”

Judging people at first sight, and annoyingly getting on one’s nerves, nothing had changed.

In the past, I might not have cared much, but now I didn’t feel too thrilled about it.

Mari seemed to be in sync with me, as she asked briefly, “Who are you?”

“What’s it to you? Just shut your B-grade mouth and get lost. I have business with Yoo Si-hoo.”

Even among the A-grade, she remained arrogant, as if being A-grade was not enough; she was more like an S-grade, especially when it came to crushing people’s spirits.

So, she occasionally came in handy, but mostly, she was just annoying, like now.

Mari put down her shopping bag and subtly blocked my path.

Her chilly smile, as I glanced at her, hinted at some mischievous thoughts.

“You shouldn’t butt into my business like that. If you were a real woman, you’d know how to talk sensibly instead of prattling around…”

Ugh. When Mari raised her fist and playfully pointed her finger, a vein appeared on Nam Bora’s forehead.

She seemed pretty upset.

“What? Your man? Hey, Yoo Si-hoo, you like this kind of vulgar girl? What a weirdo.”

I wondered why Nam Bora called me a weirdo. It wasn’t hard to imagine, considering how Mari’s curvy body was bound to elicit such comments.

Mari seemed to know that too, as she slyly twitched the corner of her mouth.

She didn’t seem particularly angry even after being insulted.

“Calm down. If a woman is that selfish and narrow-minded, she’s worthless.”

“What, what…?!”

Even the sharp-tongued Nam Bora seemed to be more agitated.

Given the way she’d just been labeled as selfish and narrow-minded, it was understandable.

“Anyway, Si-hoo has no intention of going to that ‘Nokyang’ place, so let’s just go home.”

Mari shifted her step, picked up the shopping bag she had left behind, and grabbed my hand while leaving the other one hanging from the bag’s handle on her wrist.

“Hey, where are you going?! Hey!”

Nam Bora yelled with narrowed eyes.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any intention of approaching us directly.