WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 54: Oppa, I’m in a Good Mood Today.

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Immediately after teaching Go Yuna a lesson under the guise of a spar.

Sia felt incredibly relieved now that a long-standing concern had been dealt with all at once.

That fox-like woman had always been a thorn in her side, constantly flirting with Minjun. But thanks to today, Sia had finally succeeded in driving her away for good.

Naturally, after the spar ended, Go Yuna hurriedly left with the awkward excuse that something urgent had suddenly come up.

Sia had made herself perfectly clear with Dragon Fear, so unless Yuna had more nerve than sense, she probably would not go near Minjun again.

‘Oppa must have had a hard time because of that woman too.’

From Sia’s perspective, Minjun had a soft side to him, and Go Yuna had been so subtle with her tricks that he had probably been unable to push her away.

Minjun had already made up his mind and firmly rejected Go Yuna the day before, but Sia did not know that yet.

In any case.

She still felt a little uneasy about what had happened at the dragons’ gathering, but after giving Go Yuna a satisfying blow, Sia felt better than she had the previous day.

She had gotten rid of a major nuisance, too.

To celebrate, Sia called Minjun.

“Oppa. Have you eaten?”

[No, I was just about to have a hamburger. What about you, Sia?]

“I hadn’t decided what to eat, but now that I hear you talking about it, I want a hamburger too.”

Unlike yesterday, when she had seemed a little down, Sia happily continued talking with Minjun in her usual high spirits.

And Minjun noticed it too.

[You definitely seem to be in a good mood today.]

“Mm, do I?”

[Yeah. I’m only bringing it up now, but you definitely looked worried yesterday. I’m glad you seem brighter today.]

Saying he could finally relax a little, Minjun smiled warmly at Sia.

His bright smile made Sia’s heart race, and she gave a soft grin.

“I guess it really shows.”

[Sometimes, you’re not very good at hiding your feelings either. Did something good happen today?]

Smiling at Minjun’s question, Sia gently placed her index finger over her lips.

“Secret.”

* * *

There is a saying that word travels a thousand miles without feet.

Certain topics that draw people’s attention tend to spread from person to person regardless of what those involved want.

Minjun’s rank reassessment was one such case.

It was already unusual to undergo a rank reassessment less than a month and a half after the previous one. And on top of that, his rank had risen by two levels.

The staff member who handled Minjun’s reassessment and the receptionist who checked his rank evaluation papers told people they knew about the astonishing event they had witnessed.

Within just a few days, rumors about Minjun had spread to many people.

Ordinary people with nothing to do with the Hunter industry, reporters and YouTubers always chasing these kinds of stories, and even guild representatives.

At the offices of Hanbit Guild, one of Korea’s top ten guilds.

“Did someone embellish the rumor along the way? Maybe he only went up one rank in two months or so.”

Jung Taeseong, an S-rank Hunter and Hanbit Guild’s guildmaster, questioned Lee Rowoon, the deputy guildmaster who had brought him the unbelievable news.

“Even that would be surprising, so why would they? I cross-checked it and looked into it from several angles. There’s very little chance the rumor was exaggerated.”

“How does an ordinary D-rank Hunter become a B-rank Hunter in a month and a half? That makes no sense.”

“Exactly. But apparently, that’s what happened.”

They had seen all kinds of Hunters while recruiting promising talent.

Still, even they had never seen a case where someone rose two ranks in less than a month and a half.

Why would the Hunter Association make Hunters pay an examination fee if they requested another reassessment within three months of the last one?

Because rank simply did not rise in such a short time. From the Association’s perspective, there was no reason to waste money.

“Could he have deliberately hidden his strength during the previous reassessment?”

“If he were a villain, that would be possible. We need to investigate further, but they say there’s a high chance he’s simply an upstanding Hunter.”

“Hmm.”

There were too many things about this that defied common sense.

Which was exactly why Taeseong wanted to know more.

If he was not a villain, if there was no dangerous secret behind his explosive growth, and he simply possessed overwhelming potential.

There was no reason not to recruit him.

No, they had to recruit him.

Even if he already belonged to a guild, they would have to pay an enormous transfer fee.

They did not know when another top-tier prospect like this would appear.

If they missed this chance, they could not guarantee when they would find another prospect of the same caliber.

“Does that Hunter belong to a guild?”

“Not now, and apparently he never has. Still, shouldn’t we investigate him first?”

“Find out everything. Anything that can be learned, by any means necessary.”

Taeseong knew that if the other top ten guilds heard this rumor, they would enter the competition to recruit that Hunter without hesitation.

B-rank itself was not an uncommon rank among large guilds, but the rank was not what mattered.

A Hunter who showed this level of growth would surely reach S-rank someday.

There was also a strong possibility that he would surpass that level and become an SS-rank Hunter.

For now, it was only getting ahead of themselves, but perhaps someday, he might even become an SSS-rank Hunter representing Korea.

But Taeseong knew that the leaders of the other major guilds would be thinking the same thing.

That was why it would be too late to move once the media began reporting on him.

They needed to act quickly, starting now, if they wanted to recruit him.

The other guilds would start moving the moment they heard the news too.

“So tell HR to prepare for recruitment as soon as possible. Make sure the signing bonus is generous enough that no other guild can outbid us.”

“I expected you’d say that, so I already told them.”

Act first, report later.

Lee Rowoon had also judged that they would have no chance unless they moved even half a step faster, so Rowoon had already instructed the HR department the moment the news came in.

“As expected.”

After confirming that Minjun’s recruitment was underway, Taeseong skimmed through files containing the contract terms for their existing promising Hunters.

As befitted one of Korea’s top ten guilds, every contract offered extraordinary conditions that smaller, mid-sized guilds could never match.

But Taeseong knew those terms would still be nowhere near enough to secure that Hunter.

‘There’s no telling how quickly this Hunter’s value will rise.’

Money mattered, but Taeseong believed time mattered even more.

With such explosive growth, the media would surely begin investigating as soon as the story started gaining traction.

They would run special features everywhere, building anticipation for this promising Hunter.

And with every article that came out, his value would soar proportionately.

His prediction was not wrong.

Most of Korea’s top ten guilds, as well as other major guilds, were showing interest in Minjun.

The media outlets that heard the news had begun writing articles and scrambling to find Minjun’s number so they could request interviews.

It was the calm before the storm.

Yet Minjun himself knew none of this and was going about his ordinary life.

* * *

After ending my video call with Sia, I was finally able to relax.

Yesterday, it had seemed as though she was forcing herself to smile so I would not worry anymore. But the smile Sia showed today was genuine and unforced.

I did not know what had happened between yesterday and today to put her in such a good mood, but I was glad she had found her smile again.

I had been worried she might seem down today just as she had yesterday.

Anyway.

After ending my call with Sia.

Just as I was about to take another bite of my hamburger lunch.

My phone suddenly rang.

‘Who is it?’

It was a number I had not saved.

I usually did not answer unfamiliar numbers, but for some reason, I felt like I should answer this one.

“Hello.”

[Is this Hunter Yoon Minjun’s number?]

“Yes, it is.”

Not Mr. Yoon Minjun, but Hunter Yoon Minjun.

From that point on, I began to feel that something was different from usual.

[Hello, I’m reporter Min Yoonseo from NBS. Recently, your...]

I understood before hearing any more.

News related to the results of my rank reassessment had started spreading around.

I had not told anyone except Sia and Rokan, but it was bound to get out eventually.

It was just happening a little sooner than I expected.

In the past, I would have agreed to the interview immediately and thought about raising my value.

I would have used it to join a prestigious guild under favorable terms.

But things were different now.

Would joining a guild really be the wise choice in this situation?

Well, probably not.

Besides, there was not much for me to gain from appearing on television and becoming famous.

Still, while I was gathering my thoughts, the reporter continued speaking.

[...so, if you are willing, we would like to interview you. Tell us a time and place that is convenient for you, and we will come to you.]

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in doing interviews.”

I politely declined and tried to end the call.

However.

[Then, have you perhaps arranged an exclusive interview with another broadcaster?]

“...Excuse me?”

What was that supposed to mean?

[Ah, since you declined, I thought you might have already arranged an exclusive interview elsewhere.]

“I have not arranged an interview anywhere, and I do not plan to do interviews in the future either. I want to live quietly. I’ll be going now.”

After ending the call, I resumed eating lunch.

But.

Just when I thought I could finally eat properly, that was not the end of the calls.

Not long after I hung up, my phone rang again. This time too, it was an unfamiliar number.

Still, I already had a feeling I knew what this call was about.

“Hello?”

[Hello, is this Hunter Yoon Minjun’s number? I’m Choi Jaeuk, the head of HR at Hanbit Guild.]

The previous call had been from a reporter, and this time, it was from a guild.

And not just any guild, but Hanbit Guild, one of Korea’s top ten guilds.

[The reason I’m calling is that, if you do not currently belong to a guild, we would like to invite you to join ours. I apologize for contacting you so abruptly.]

They must have heard something about my rank reassessment too. There was no way they would try to recruit me out of nowhere without any information.

But no matter how favorable the terms were, even if they were one of Korea’s top ten guilds, joining them could only hinder my growth.

Unlike other Hunters, my strength grew only by awakening the power of the dragon sleeping within me.

Clearing Gates and taking part in a guild’s Hunter development programs would never help me achieve my goal.

I was tempted for a moment, but once again, I declined the offer.

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of joining any guild right now.”

[Have you received an offer from another guild first? At least hear our terms. If they do not satisfy you, we can adjust them as much as possible to match what you want.]

Maybe it was just my imagination, but the way Choi Jaeuk spoke felt similar to that reporter from before.

An air of needing to get hold of me somehow.

This much undeserved attention was new to me, so it felt a little awkward.

But that was that.

Just as before, I politely made my refusal clear.

“Due to personal circumstances, I have no intention of joining a guild right now. I’m sorry.”

[...Ah, I understand. Still, if you change your mind, please feel free to contact us anytime.]

After ending the call.

I tried to finish my lunch and return to what I had been doing.

But from that point onward, my phone would not stop ringing.

Whenever I answered, it was another request for an interview or a guild recruitment call.

At first, I found it fascinating just to receive calls like these. But as similar calls kept coming in, I gradually began to feel tired.

I considered turning off my phone for a day or two, but that would be troublesome in its own way.

If Sia called while my phone was off, she would surely worry that something had happened.

Wait.

Since I was thinking about Sia anyway, should I call her?

At least while I was calling her, my phone would not ring.

My mind was exhausted from the barrage of calls, so I called Sia to catch my breath for a while.

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