"...Oppa. Grandfather seems to be in an especially good mood today?"
A-rank ability user Kang Jisu tilts her head and asks that question.
"That's right. It seems like something happened, but I have no idea what the reason is."
Also an A-rank ability user, Kang Dokyung touches his chin and answers.
The grandfather the two siblings are talking about is none other than Kang Minseong.
His lips are full of smiles as he directly orders the servants around in front.
Normally, they would have heard some news coming and going from the family.
But these days, there's so much work that they can't even dream of going home.
Either sleeping at the branch office they're dispatched to, or staying at hotels when possible.
No matter how much they're members of the Kang family, the sorrows of ability users are unavoidable.
"Until recently, he looked very unhappy."
"Well, we'll probably find out what it is during dinner tonight."
"Father and mother are coming too. And uncle-in-law is coming as well."
At Kang Jisu's words, Kang Dokyung asks "Really?"
The person who's always busy running around handling overseas work has returned to the country.
This might not be simply about work or schedule, but for another reason.
"Whatever it is, it's good. These past few weeks have been really tough. Couldn't even go home."
Recently, all kinds of incidents involving monsters and gates keep happening endlessly.
For that reason, normal going home was impossible when news came from the main house.
The family would explain the situation themselves, so let's definitely have dinner together tonight.
Kang Minseong's extreme family love is already known to everyone.
His children too, and his grandchildren Kang Dokyung and Kang Jisu.
And they also know that family dinners are really important schedules for Kang Minseong.
When family dinners are arranged like this, he'd come running immediately, setting aside everything else.
Anyway, it was quite enjoyable to come to the main house after a long time.
It's true that they've been busy without a moment to breathe for almost two months.
The two people continued conversations they hadn't been able to have.
"...Ah, right. Speaking of which, you heard the news too, oppa? About the new S-rank that emerged."
"Of course I heard. Isn't that the person we visited in the hospital last time?"
"Baek Seojin, was it? I thought he was amazing from the first time I saw him, and he finally made it there."
"It wasn't for nothing that grandfather told us to go see him once."
Even they, who are called geniuses, reached their limit at A-rank despite gritting their teeth and working hard.
This is said to be an incredible level, but Baek Seojin, of a similar age, reached S-rank.
It's fascinating and also somewhat enviable.
But they don't dwell on it excessively or feel jealous.
As members of the Kang family, they believe that someday they too can reach such heights.
This was possible because they had confidence as skilled individuals and belief in themselves.
Rather, since someone they know became that way, they could burn their competitive spirit even more.
"I heard he's the first to become S-rank with a support type."
"Isn't that wrong? I heard he uses swords, spears, everything. He's weapon type but it seems to be misunderstood. There are often such cases, oppa. Dual types where people confuse the main type with the support type. Han Jiyoon is like that too, and also..."
Even after entering the family estate, the siblings continued talking about Baek Seojin.
Naturally, it flowed to parts where he had contact points with Kang Minseong and Kim Suhyeon.
"Suhyeon unnie seemed close to that person. How did it look to you, oppa?"
"There was definitely that feeling. Otherwise, grandfather wouldn't have taken Suhyeon to visit. Suhyeon also followed along happily, not showing any signs of dislike."
"If I get a chance later, I definitely want to meet him. I should ask him to spar with me once!"
At Kang Jisu's words, Kang Dokyung suddenly bursts into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
"No. I suddenly remembered that rumor."
"Rumor? What rumor... Ah. The Silver Gatekeeper?"
There was definitely such a rumor going around. No, it's still circulating.
Someone excellent enough to face Elders. Someone who eventually got S-rank recognition.
He's inexplicably stationed as an Academy Silver rank examiner.
And whoever comes, he absolutely doesn't go easy and thoroughly blocks the path to Silver.
At first, there were apparently many complaints.
They're students who just entered the ability user field, but he's treating them too harshly.
They should be shown dreams and hope, not walls from the start.
But the students who hit such walls began growing at a very steep rate.
Students whose skills jumped greatly gave positive evaluations to Baek Seojin's somewhat harsh examinations.
Just then, gate incidents and monster upheavals overlapped, making 'growth' extremely important.
This way, such harsh examinations ended up receiving good evaluations.
"What! Do I get demoted if I lose too?"
"You graduated from the Academy long ago, what are you talking about?"
"Hmm, then maybe I get demoted from A-rank downward? I wouldn't have minded before, but now I want that. Honestly, I'm so busy lately I feel like I'm dying."
"That's why it's even worse. If you're gone too, my work increases."
"Wow. Oppa is really mean."
The siblings go inside laughing while looking at each other.
Until then, neither of them could have imagined at all.
The reason Kang Minseong suddenly suggested having dinner tonight.
Not for the uncle-in-law who returned to the country after a long time, nor for their cousin Kim Suhyeon.
"Nice to meet you. I'm called Baek Seojin."
"...Huh?"
"Eh?"
It was for the very person they had been talking about.
*
[ I'm bored. Play with me. Keep staying like this with me. ]
[ Suhyeon? Just tell her to stay put. She's already had all the fun. ]
[ Where are you going? To the old man's house? Why there? ]
[ The old man invited you to dinner? Did he call all the family members too? ]
[ Wow... the old man is really trying to set a date. ]
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
Vibration sounds that keep ringing without rest.
Every single one is a message sent by Irina.
This damn girl. She doesn't even get tired. Do it moderately!
What started this morning asking what I was doing has continued until evening.
Even when I reply telling her to do it moderately, she doesn't listen at all.
Rather, she says she's bored and asks me to talk to her, sending messages every minute.
It's annoying, bothersome, and I wonder why she's doing this.
But what worries me most in this situation is the reaction of Suhyeon beside me.
While staying together at home until afternoon, and all the way to Kang Minseong's family house in the evening.
She was directly observing Irina continuously sending me messages.
Since Irina, whom she's so wary of, is doing this, she might think it's interference.
Among people, Suhyeon is the only one who boldly confronts Irina, whom others are too scared to even talk to properly.
In this situation, if irritation builds up, she'll definitely explode.
'...But she's surprisingly very quiet?'
I glanced at Suhyeon while heading to Kang Minseong's family house.
A judgment that she won't do anything unnecessary when she's overwhelmingly advantageous.
If Irina had heard those words from Suhyeon, she probably would have flipped out?
Looking at it this way, Irina is still overwhelmingly superior in terms of abilities and force.
But in other areas, Suhyeon is strangely similar to Irina or even above her.
Especially, unlike others, the point that she doesn't find Irina difficult at all is most important.
She doesn't get scared or humble herself. She just clashes directly.
Thanks to that, from Irina's position, she's just continuously flustered, going 'What is this?'
'Looking at it this way, the two seem to get along strangely well... or not?'
Hmm. I'm curious what reaction these two would show if I said this to them.
First, Irina would probably immediately shout 'Don't talk nonsense!'
Suhyeon would... put on a serious face, or think it's praise for getting along well.
"We've been waiting, Examiner Baek Seojin."
As we go inside, people who seem to be servants approach greeting us.
"The Chairman is waiting inside. Please hurry."
I nodded at the servants' guidance and followed behind.
Then I encountered a middle-aged man up ahead.
'Oh.'
As soon as I saw that man, I could tell. That person is Suhyeon's father.
There are strangely similar aspects, and above all, didn't he flinch as soon as he saw Suhyeon?
That strongly felt like a parent full of guilt toward their child.
"Suhyeon. That person is..."
"Hello. I'm Baek Seojin. You must be Suhyeon's father?"
"Ah... Yes. I'm called Kim Taejun. Nice to meet you."
Suhyeon's father, Kim Taejun - I heard about him once before.
A person in charge of bringing in monster byproducts, gate information, and items from abroad.
Naturally, he had to spend more time overseas than domestically.
Then he was late not only for his wife's deathbed but even for the funeral.
'He must have felt sorry. So he avoided Suhyeon even more.'
He probably thought what qualification did he have to show his face when he couldn't play the father role.
It would have been good if the misunderstanding was cleared up later, but Suhyeon was captured and brainwashed by villains.
Naturally, the father-daughter relationship became the worst and returned as tragedy.
Even if not to that extent, looking at it now, it's not very positive.
Father who keeps watching Suhyeon's reactions and Suhyeon who avoids such father's gaze.
This is not good. The atmosphere is really bad.
I hope their relationship improves quickly, but it'll be difficult right now.
A trigger is needed. A trigger for the father-daughter relationship to become somewhat better...
...Hmm. Come to think of it, that trigger is here?
"Ah! Then I should call you father-in-law."
At my words, both Suhyeon and Suhyeon's father.
Each let out "Eh?" and "Uh?" exclamations.
As if to show they're father and daughter, even their reactions are similar.