The F-Rank Guild Master Has Too Much Money Chapter 25

 

“Want to go over there?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Let’s check that place out.”

 

“Huh? N-no!”

 

I crouched down to meet Ji Yun-seo’s eyes as she shook her head fiercely.

 

“Yun-seo, don’t you actually want to go?”

 

“…No. Yun-seo doesn’t need toys.”

 

“Then let’s just say it’s because Uncle wants to go.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“Uncle and Uncle Choi Tae-hyuk like toys too, you know. We wanted to check out the toy store. Right, Choi Tae-hyuk?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“See? Since your uncles want to go, you should come with us.”

 

At my clumsy excuse, Gumiho and An Bom gave me odd looks. But thanks to Choi Tae-hyuk’s quick agreement, Ji Yun-seo’s suspicions melted away.

 

As soon as she nodded, I took her hand and led her toward the toy store. The place, infamous as a spot kids never want to leave once they enter, was overflowing with toys.

 

“Let’s look around together.”

 

“Yeah!”

 

The moment we stepped inside, Ji Yun-seo’s eyes lit up.

 

She slipped her hand out of mine without even realizing it and wandered closer to the shelves. She touched the stuffed animals one by one, patted the dinosaur figurines, pressed the buttons on noisy toys. Watching her, An Bom and Gumiho silently squealed and took out their phones.

 

Her sparkling eyes and the small smile tugging at her lips were so precious that I joined them, the three of us snapping photos nonstop—yet Ji Yun-seo, completely lost in the world of toys, didn’t notice a thing.

 

After wandering and touching everything, Ji Yun-seo suddenly froze. She stood still, staring at a single toy.

 

‘What caught her eye?’

 

I quietly stepped behind her and saw it: a doll with long blonde hair under a bonnet, dressed like a princess.

 

Ji Yun-seo’s gaze was fixed on it.

 

“It’s really pretty.”

 

“Yeah. Like a princess.”

 

Unlike before, when she eagerly touched every toy in sight, this time she only stared, making An Bom and Gumiho exchange pitying glances.

 

Life at the orphanage meant no personal belongings. Everything was shared, and toys were age-limited. Dolls weren’t practical; kids usually got Legos or plush toys anyone could play with.

 

This was probably the first time Ji Yun-seo had ever seen a doll like this.

 

“Want Uncle to buy it for you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“You already bought me clothes and shoes.”

 

Her clear, deliberate answer made Gumiho bite her lip.

 

I knelt down in front of Ji Yun-seo.

 

“Since I bought you clothes and shoes, I’ll get that too.”

 

But she shook her head.

 

“No. I don’t need it.”

 

“I want to give it to you as a present.”

 

“If you buy that, you’ll abandon me.”

 

☆ Huh? has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆

What’s that supposed to mean?

 

‘Wait… how did it suddenly jump to this?’

 

Bewildered, I turned to look at her. Her eyes were already brimming with tears.

 

“Why are you crying?”

 

I wiped her tears with my palm, but she clung to my neck and began to sob. While Gumiho and An Bom fidgeted anxiously nearby, Ji Yun-seo’s crying gradually quieted.

 

“Hic… they said if I got toys… hic… I’d have to go back to the orphanage.”

 

“Who told you that nonsense?”

 

“The director… hic… said so…”

 

An Bom quickly handed me a bottle of water. Holding Ji Yun-seo in one arm, I wiped her face with the other.

 

“Why would the director say such a thing? I’m your uncle, Yun-seo. You’ll live with me.”

 

“The director said… hic… if you spend too much money… hic… I’ll be sent back… hic… so don’t do that… hiic.”

 

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So that’s why she didn’t even want to come in… this is too sadㅠㅠㅠ

 

As if the memory reignited her fears, Ji Yun-seo started crying again.

 

I held her close, gently patting her back. I considered explaining how unbelievably wealthy the uncle she followed here actually was—but instead, I just said the first thing that came to mind.

 

“Buying one doll doesn’t count as spending a lot of money.”

 

“…”

 

“Really. Your uncle has so much money you don’t have to worry. Even if you asked me to buy five hundred dolls, I could.”

 

She stayed silent. After being practically brainwashed by the orphanage director, she couldn’t believe it right away.

 

“I’m your uncle. Why would I ever send you back?”

 

“Hic… really?”

 

Finally, Ji Yun-seo lifted her head. Money hadn’t reassured her—but the promise itself did. Her eyes were swollen and red, and it broke my heart to see her like this, even though I wasn’t her real uncle.

 

The fact that she would smile at anyone who called her “uncle,” and follow strangers so easily, was probably because she feared rejection. She must have believed she’d be abandoned if she showed dislike.

 

‘I was too hasty.’

 

I’d thought she only had it rough after awakening as a hunter. But Ji Yun-seo had been enduring the worst kind of life since childhood.

 

Clicking my tongue softly, I wiped her tears again and said,

 

“Yeah. Like I told you—you’ll live with me until you grow up.”

 

“Really? Hic.”

 

“Yes. Even if you say, ‘I don’t like you! Go away!’ I’ll still stay with you.”

 

“I’d never say that!”

 

“Exactly. So don’t ever think I’ll abandon you. That hurts me.”

 

At those words, Ji Yun-seo broke into heavy sobs again.

 

I hugged her tightly, patting her back, whispering over and over that I’d never leave her—that we’d be together forever.

 

After a while, her crying finally began to subside. I brushed her swollen eyes and adjusted her posture. An Bom handed her the water bottle again.

 

“You cried a lot. Here, drink this.”

 

Ji Yun-seo sipped the water, calming down a little—then clung to my neck once more.

 

I pulled out my card, handed it to Choi Tae-hyuk, and gave a small nod toward the doll Ji Yun-seo had been staring at.

 

‘Pay for it.’

 

His face remained expressionless, but ever since Ji Yun-seo had started crying, his expression hadn’t looked good. Without hesitation, he picked up the doll and carried it to the counter.

 

‘No, you’re supposed to take the card with you…’

 

I wanted to chase after him and shove the card into his hand, but I couldn’t put Ji Yun-seo down after just managing to calm her. So I kept holding her and turned my attention to the other toys.

 

An Bom and Gumiho brought over several more, trying hard to cheer her up.

 

When we showed her toys that made sounds—like a dancing Santa or a cymbal-clashing monkey—her hiccups faded, and a smile returned to her lips.

 

Gumiho let out a small sigh of relief, then pointed to a corner.

 

“There’s a lot of fun stuff over there. Want to go check it out with your aunties?”

 

Ji Yun-seo looked at me. I put her down and waved, as if to say, Go on, I’ll be here.

 

Holding An Bom and Gumiho’s hands, she walked off toward the toys. I quickly dashed to the counter.

 

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☆ Baby Don’t Cry has donated 10,000 Mana Stones! ☆

I’ve never been so happy to donate Mana Stones ㅠㅠㅠ I’ll give you mine too. Please, Aether-nim, buy everything for her ㅠㅠㅠ

 

‘I was already planning on it!’

 

I ignored the pop-ups flashing on my screen—numbers skyrocketing from the usual hundred into the tens of thousands. That wasn’t what mattered right now.

 

Grabbing a cart parked nearby, I swept up everything Ji Yun-seo had shown interest in—anything that fascinated her, amused her, or even briefly caught her eye. Pushing the overflowing cart to the register, I spotted Choi Tae-hyuk.

 

“Choi Tae-hyuk.”

 

“Guildmaster.”

 

“Let’s check out together.”

 

With so many items piled in the cart, it took the cashier quite some time to process them all.

 

“That’ll be 3,454,800 won.”

 

“One payment, please.”

 

I handed over my card and glanced at Choi Tae-hyuk. To my surprise, the sight of his huge frame holding a doll didn’t look awkward at all—it looked like he belonged in a photoshoot.

 

‘Seriously… it’s like he’s posing for a magazine.’

 

“Choi Tae-hyuk, did you pay for the doll?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why didn’t you take my card with you?”

 

“…Because I wanted to buy it for her.”

 

“Yes?”

 

The cashier interrupted politely. “Will you be carrying these out yourself, sir?”

 

“No, please have them delivered. Also, Guildmaster, your business card, please.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

I dug into my pocket and handed over a card. Then, still holding the doll, Choi Tae-hyuk took my free hand.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Uh, okay. But why are you giving Yun-seo a present…?”

 

“Since I couldn’t pick out clothes for her, I wanted to give her something else instead. Am I overstepping?”

 

“Well, not really, but—”

 

“Then it’s fine.”

 

I wasn’t sure what he meant by fine, but he seemed satisfied. Tightening his grip on my hand, he strode toward where Ji Yun-seo was waiting.

 

I let him pull me along in a daze—until I saw Ji Yun-seo, and stopped short.

 

“Could you hide the doll behind your back? It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Thanks to his broad frame, the doll disappeared completely when he held it behind him.

 

Ji Yun-seo looked happier now, chatting with Gumiho and An Bom, her smile bright.

 

“Yun-seo. Shall we go home now?”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

When she reached out for my hand, I lifted her up instead. With a glance from me, Choi Tae-hyuk brought out the doll and placed it in her arms.

 

“This…”

 

“This is a friend who’ll be with you from now on. Yun-seo, will you give it a name?”

 

“But…”

 

“Uncle Tae-hyuk gave this to you because he thinks our Yun-seo is so pretty. It’s his very first gift to you—won’t you accept it?”

 

At my words, Ji Yun-seo fiddled with the doll.

 

“If you don’t take it, Uncle Tae-hyuk will be sad and might even cry, you know?”

 

“Before Uncle cries, you should hurry and say thank you,” Gumiho and An Bom chimed in.

 

After staring at the doll for a while, Ji Yun-seo finally bowed her head politely.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Choi Tae-hyuk gently patted her head.

 

“Be a good friend to her.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Flustered, Ji Yun-seo buried her face against my shoulder. Once we stepped out of the department store, she hugged me tightly and whispered,

 

“Thank you for bringing me, Uncle.”

 

* * *

 

“I’m going to stop by the Awakening Center first.”

 

Ji Yun-seo’s natural awakening was still a year away. It was uncertain what An Bom would be doing when the time came.

 

Even adults struggled to endure the Awakening Pain—how much harder would it be for a child? It seemed better to handle it now, while An Bom had time to spare.

 

“The Awakening Center?”

 

“Yes. I think it’ll be easier on everyone if we do it while An Bom isn’t too busy.”

 

“That’s true. In that case, we’ll come with you.”

 

“No. Gumiho and An Bom, please return to the guild and prepare in advance. Choi Tae-hyuk, could you stop by the pharmacy and pick up children’s fever medicine?”

 

The three of them nodded at my instructions.

 

The moment of the birth of the youngest S-rank hunter was drawing near.