If he were someone socially well-adjusted and normal, they wouldn’t care that much, but for Kim Hyun-Sung, this kind of situation was definitely hard to deal with. Actually, even ordinary people would feel at least a bit bothered by this. Well, perhaps if those ordinary people were teenagers.

‘What the hell? Are you some middle schooler or something?’

And there it was—proof that Kim Hyun-Sung’s communication skills had somehow stopped developing in his teens. He probably didn’t even understand what exactly was bothering him, or why his mood had suddenly soured so much, but there was no doubt that he was feeling something very close to jealousy.

To exaggerate a little, he looked seriously bitter.

Honestly, it felt similar to when I told Jung Ha-Yan that Park Mijin became Han Sora’s new best friend. That comparison alone explained everything. Of course, unlike Jung Ha-Yan, the chances of Kim Hyun-Sung immediately deciding to kill Park Mijin or erase her from existence were pretty low.

Sure, both of them had issues with communication, but Kim Hyun-Sung was far less impulsive than Jung Ha-Yan and wasn’t the type to openly cross the lines that society considered unacceptable. Still, even at a glance, he looked deeply uncomfortable.

Unlike Jung Ha-Yan, he wasn’t the type who could just throw himself completely into his emotions, which only seemed to frustrate him more. Even that ridiculously handsome face of his was full of confusion.

He looked like he was thinking, ‘Why are they so close?’ Wait, no. More specifically, he looked like he was thinking, ‘When did they even get this close?’

He was definitely thinking that way. After all, it was incredibly rare to meet Commander Jin privately. There was a good chance Kim Hyun-Sung had never even seen me have a conversation with him before.

Sure, there were moments when I mentioned Commander Jin, left Kim Hyun-Sung in his care, and there were even times in the Republic when Commander Jin brought me up himself, so Hyun-Sung probably assumed that we had some kind of connection.

However, there was no way he had imagined that we were close enough to casually act like this with each other. No, he definitely never thought that way. I didn’t even need to overanalyze it. Kim Hyun-Sung’s expression already said everything.

‘O-Okay, maybe I acted a little too friendly compared to normal... We’re not best friends or anything. We just bicker a lot like rivals, okay? Don’t misunderstand...’

But the look in his eyes told me that he was convinced that Commander Jin existed in some unreachable territory that he couldn’t enter.

‘Actually... maybe it’s because I don’t act this casually around Hyun-Sung.’

Now that I thought about it, Kim Hyun-Sung and I treated each other with a certain level of formality. I used polite speech with both of them, but the atmosphere with Commander Jin was definitely lighter.

More accurately, I acted a little more guarded around Kim Hyun-Sung, while around Commander Jin, I let the mask slip more naturally. It wasn’t like I openly insulted or teased Commander Jin, but even from this short exchange, Hyun-Sung probably noticed that there was a difference in how I treated the two of them.

I wondered which type of relationship he preferred for both of us. I wasn't sure if he’d like something more casual and relaxed, or if he preferred the slightly more respectful distance between us. Regardless, one thing was obvious. He disliked this sight.

“...”

“...”

He kept his mouth tightly shut. Judging from the way his lips twitched slightly, though, it looked like he was about to say something soon. At least, Jung Ha-Yan didn’t seem particularly bothered. She was too busy wandering around with Han Sora, chatting excitedly while looking around the estate.

Honestly, she was practically acting like Commander Jin didn’t even exist, but I could guarantee that was exactly how Commander Jin preferred it.

What Commander Jin wanted the least right now was Kim Hyun-Sung striding forward with a stiff face, trying to insert himself into our little group.

‘B-But there’s no avoiding this now.’

At first, it was Commander Jin and I were walking together, Jung Ha-Yan and Han Sora were behind us, while Kim Hyun-Sung trailed farther back. But at some point, Hyun-Sung sped up and slipped into place beside me.

Thanks to that, poor Wanggang, the loyal retainer who’d been holding the parasol over me the entire time, awkwardly lost her position. Then Hyun-Sung muttered, “You seem... closer than I expected.”

“Hm?”

“You and Commander Jin,” Kim Hyun-Sung said, clarifying it.

“Ah... well, I don’t know if 'close' is the right word...” I denied.

Apparently, he wasn’t even paying attention to Commander Jin snorting beside us. I honestly had no idea why the hell I suddenly felt the need to be wary of Kim Hyun-Sung’s reaction, but for some reason, it felt like I needed to explain myself.

Well, I wouldn't say explain, but at least, I had to clarify things.

“Ah... we exchange messages through the communication channel every now and then. We ended up getting along surprisingly well, and we even play chess together sometimes. We occasionally met up, too.

"When it came to matters involving the Republic, it's easier to speak to Commander Jin about those. Most of our conversations are work-related, though. We just happen to have a lot of things to discuss.”

“...”

“Right, Commander Jin?” I asked.

“You’re not wrong,” Commander Jin answered.

“Sounds like you meet fairly often. You two seem quite familiar with each other,” Kim Hyun-Sung commented.

“Not really. You can play chess over the communication channel, too,” Commander Jin denied.

“Pardon?”

“E2 to E4. C7 to C5. Like that,” Commander Jin said.

“Ah... so you mean...”

“You can play without a board or pieces. You’ve heard of blindfold chess before, haven't you?” Commander Jin asked.

“Ah... yes. I think I’ve heard of it before... I see... so the two of you play blindfold chess while...” Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.

‘Ah, damn it. Did I mess up again?’

He looked bothered by the idea that we met often, so I tried softening it by saying that we mostly play through the communication channel, but somehow, it ended up hitting an even more sensitive nerve.

“So... you can even play chess that way...” he mumbled.

“...”

“Do you want me to teach you too...?” I offered.

“N-No, it’s fine,” Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

“...”

“Even if I learn it... I won't be very good at it anyway...” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘Come on, why the hell are you being this sensitive and petty?’

He didn’t say anything, but the disappointment on his face was obvious. He was probably thinking that, no matter how long he lived, he would never be able to do something like that.

The guy already struggled enough with regular chess, so blindfold chess was completely out of the question for him.

And honestly, whenever I played chess with Kim Hyun-Sung, I would practically radiate boredom the entire time. It wasn't like I had outright told him, “This is boring,” or “Playing with you is painfully unfun,” but there was no way he hadn’t noticed it.

I once pressured him into silence without saying a word, so he never brought up playing chess again.

Honestly, I believed he had never touched a chessboard since then, as it would probably remind him of that awkward silence from back then. Thanks to that, though, I’d been free to play with Jo Hye-Jin without interruptions, so it all worked out for me.

“Anyway... we just keep in touch, and somehow that eventually led to me being invited here. Though obviously, there are important matters we need to discuss as well. Right, Commander Jin?” I asked.

“Business can wait until later. Since you’ve come here as guests, I should at least show you proper hospitality first. While you stay in my estate, I hope you’ll make yourselves comfortable,” Commander Jin answered.

‘Exactly. I didn’t want to start talking about work the second I arrived, either. That’s exhausting.’

“...”

“...”

Right then, Kim Hyun-Sung said, “I’m not sure whether Mr. Ki-Young will actually feel comfortable in a place like this.”

‘Ah, damn it. Hyun-Sung hyung! Come on!’

It was one of those sudden bursts that came out before he even realized it. Judging by his face, he already regretted saying it, but since the words had already come out, he looked desperate to somehow keep going.

“...”

“...”

“The Republic really does seem like a paradise for people in power,” he added.

‘Hyung, you can’t just say whatever comes to mind... ahh...’

“I never imagined that you've been living as if you are some emperor on this massive estate. I have to admit, I’m disappointed in you, Commander Jin. While the people of the Republic toil and bleed—”

“This has absolutely nothing to do with the blood and sweat of the Republic’s citizens, Blue Guild Master. This land was originally a dungeon. I merely purchased it. I don’t know what sort of fantasies you’ve constructed in your head, but the funds used to acquire this place were not dirty money, either,” Commander Jin interrupted him.

“...”

“Everything here was built using money earned through my own businesses and my own abilities. You seem to believe the Chancellor of the Republic had gifted me this land, but I had never accepted anything from her. Though now that I think about it, I do vaguely recall turning down an offer once,” Commander Jin explained.

“...”

“And before my estate was built here, this region was full of undeveloped land. Every inch of it was cultivated by my people and me from start to finish without outside assistance. There are no legal or ethical issues involved whatsoever,” Commander Jin continued.

“You’re still... exploiting your retainers...” Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

“Calling them mere retainers is inaccurate. These are people who work on my estate, acting as my hands and feet. Let me make this perfectly clear. I have told them countless times that they’re free to leave whenever they wish. The only reason they remain here is that they chose to do so,” Commander Jin said.

“And how are we supposed to... believe tha—”

“Yongwol,” Commander Jin called out.

“...”

“...”

“With your permission, I’ll speak my mind, Sunset Swordsman. We were failures abandoned in the Tutorial Dungeon... people cast aside by the continent itself...” Wanggang muttered.

“Spare me the unnecessary details. Simply answer whether you've decided to stay here of your own free will,” Commander Jin ordered.

“Even if my worthless body and soul were burned away by the fires of hell, I would still choose to remain by your side, Commander Jin,” Wanggang said.

“...”

“...”

“There you go again, saying pointless things,” Commander Jin commented.

‘Exactly. Way too much extra nonsense attached to it.’

He had specifically told her to answer only whether she had stayed here willingly, so why the hell was she suddenly talking about her body and soul being burned by the fires of hell?

Naturally, Commander Jin didn’t look remotely moved by her declaration. He just seemed annoyed by the unnecessary drama. More than anything, it felt like he didn’t want people learning about the things he had done in the past or the things he was still doing.

‘This bastard definitely picks up capable-looking stragglers and trains them himself.’

The scary thing was that he clearly had an eye for talent. I looked around and found that none of them seemed particularly lacking. They had all grown enough to at least pass as competent mid-level adventurers, and honestly, it didn’t even seem like Commander Jin was still actively managing them.

‘This is basically a pyramid scheme.’

Whether it was intentional or not, just like the ecosystem maintained in the gardens, he had clearly built a system that practically ran itself. Once one had trained people like Yongwol and Wanggang, the rest would naturally fall into place.

Honestly, there was no chance any of the retainers here would ever leave anyway. They were tutorial dropouts to begin with, which meant they were probably the kind of people who never wanted a dangerous, ambitious lifestyle in the first place.

‘They get paid well, live comfortably, stay safe, get training, meet people from the same hometown, and feel emotionally secure. It smells a bit like home. Damn.’

Even I would probably want to settle down here forever. Regardless of whether they viewed Commander Jin as a benefactor, this estate was basically a paradise to live in.

In other words, Kim Hyun-Sung, who had carelessly talked a bunch of nonsense, was now being cornered. He looked completely flustered, unsure about what to do next.

Then Commander Jin calmly said, “There are people who misunderstand. I can understand why.”

‘H-He seriously looks like he’s staring at a monkey...’

Ji-Hye noona told me before that Commander Jin tended to view other people like monkeys, but I never thought I’d actually see that gaze in person. No, actually, it wasn't a gaze that one would cast on a monkey. It was more like...

‘He’s looking at him like some kind of pest or something...’

His words sounded polite, like he was covering for Kim Hyun-Sung’s mistake, but his gaze told a completely different story. His face looked perfectly normal. The problem was his gaze. His gaze glimmered in the kind of subtle contempt only people who weren’t being treated like monkeys could even notice.

Honestly, if he were to look at me like that, I'd feel genuinely hurt.

The fact that Kim Hyun-Sung didn’t notice it was like a blessing.

“It seems... I spoke too carelessly,” Kim Hyun-Sung muttered.

Even then, Kim Hyun-Sung’s pride had to have taken a hit, and it was proven by how he didn't apologize properly. Instead of openly admitting his mistakes, he only vaguely admitted that he probably got a bit too careless.

‘Why are you trying to start some strange ego battle?’

It honestly felt like time itself had frozen. At some point, I stopped noticing the scenery around us. Meanwhile, Commander Jin was still calmly continuing the chess game from earlier, as if nothing had happened.

"E2 to E4."

Honestly, I thought hearing that would trigger some kind of trauma response from memories of the blazing disaster, which was the romance between Aina Peneloti and Marquis Jayce, but apparently, he still wanted to keep playing chess anyway.

Perhaps he just wanted to finish a game before we reached the main house, or he probably thought that he was entertaining his guest. Though honestly, I had a feeling that it was the former.

After walking for what felt like one or two whole hours, we somehow ended up inside the main house before I even properly realized it. I barely even got a chance to take in what the place looked like.

Honestly, after the first twenty minutes, I was too exhausted to pay attention to anything.

‘Gosh, I’m dying here.’

I immediately wanted to collapse onto the sofa in the reception room, but then...

‘Huh?’

My hand brushed against something familiar sitting in the corner without me even thinking. Crash!

Before I realized it, I’d knocked it over and shattered it.

‘Huh? Wait, wait, wait—’

Jin Young’s keepsake. In other words, my keepsake.

“N-No!” I shouted.

The first thing I saw was Yongwol’s pale face, and then I heard her horrified scream.

‘W-Wait, no! I didn’t do it on purpose!’