"WELCOME BACK, Guildmaster!"
Oh.
Viki realized that Won Yiwon had already turned off his concealing ability.
The Hunters in the lobby of Kaleidoscope Guild's Base suddenly panicked when they saw their boss walking in. Then everyone immediately bowed their heads and greeted their Guildmaster quite nervously.
It's strange to see Won Yiwon leading his own guild now.
After all, the Elites used to belong to both the government and the Hunters Association.
"Is she a celebrity?"
"I'm not sure, but she's so pretty…"
"And tall! Just look at her shapely legs…"
Heh.
Viki remained poker-faced outside, but she was grinning from ear to ear inside.
She liked being praised for being tall.
Being short was her complex as Ahn Navi before because she hated how she looked like a child next to Won Yiwon.
But that wasn't a problem anymore.
We look like a couple while walking side-by-side.
"But why is she walking next to our Guildmaster?"
Oh?
Was that a problem?
I guess a nobody like me shouldn't be walking next to Won Yiwon as if we were equals.
Viki was fine getting attention for her height, but she didn't want to start an unnecessary scandal with Won Yiwon.
Hence, she stopped walking in order to walk behind the #1 Hunter.
But Won Yiwon suddenly stopped walking and turned to Viki with knitted eyebrows.
Dude, come on.
Won Yiwon's sharp senses were really on another level.
"Why did you stop walking?" Won Yiwon asked. "Are you hungry?"
Viki scoffed, confused as to why Won Yiwon ended up with that conclusion. She was about to complain, but her stomach suddenly growled loudly.
Dammit.
"It's only 10AM, but the dining hall is already open if you want to have early lunch," Won Yiwon said, glancing at his watch before lifting his head to look at Viki. "If you just want a light meal, then our bakery is also open."
"You have a bakery here?"
"Yes."
Aigoo.
Won Yiwon is still obsessed with bread, huh?
"So, which is it, Miss Young?"
"The bakery."
Viki thought she saw the bread-addict's eyes light up because of her response.
Aigoo.
Won Yiwon must have wanted to go to the bakery himself, and just used Viki as an excuse.
That's probably why he asked if I was hungry.
"Is there a specific type of bread that you want?" Won Yiwon asked while ushering her to the bakery. It seemed like it was located in another floor since they were headed to the elevator. "If it's not in the bakery, then we can ask the bakers to make it for you."
"I'm not really a fan of bread," Viki answered casually. "But I like pizza. Do you have pizza in your bakery?"
Won Yiwon glared at her. "Pizza isn't bread."
"Why are you angry?"
"You really…" Won Yiwon trailed off, and then he let out a frustrated sigh. "Pizza isn't bread, but I can ask them to make pizza for you."
"Good," Viki said, nodding. "I want pineapples on my pizza."
"Yah."
***
VIKI was annoyed, but she just kept taking bites of her big slice of Hawaiian pizza right in front of Won Yiwon…
… who kept glaring at her.
It was her mistake.
I forgot that Won Yiwon is serious about his pizza as much as he is serious about his bread.
It had been a while, so Viki forgot that Won Yiwon hated pineapples on pizza with a passion.
"Are you not going to eat your croissant?"
To be honest, Viki wasn't surprised by Won Yiwon's order when they arrived at the bakery: a croissant and a cup of black coffee.
So adult-like.
She, on the other hand, just paired her pizza with a can of cola.
"I'm eating."
And Won Yiwon ate with so much elegance.
He used a butter knife to spread marmalade on his croissant, then a fork to put a piece of the croissant in his mouth.
Heh.
Viki liked watching Won Yiwon eat because it looked fancy as hell.
But it wasn't like he was trying to be fancy.
It's just that Won Yiwon can't really eat finger foods with his bare hands since it's a hassle to control his ability just to do mundane things. In public, that is. And ordinary gloves will just turn into ashes before he can put them on properly.
So, Won Yiwon had no choice but to use utensils while wearing his customized gloves, whatever he was eating.
"Are you not going to finish that thing pretending to be pizza?"
Pfft.
Viki just scrunched her nose, and then she took a big bite of her pizza.
As the two of them ate in silence, she took that opportunity to take a look around the bakery. Well, it was more like a café since drinks were also available there.
It was located on the 16th floor of the building.
Aside from the bakery-slash-café, there was also an auditorium and an outdoor garden on that floor.
And, yes, the Kaleidoscope Guild Base is huge.
The building had 17 floors above ground and 6 floors below ground, so a total of 23 levels.
"Do you like our guild's base?"
"Yeah," Viki said in response to Won Yiwon's question. "I like glass skyscrapers. They look so aesthetically pleasing to me."
Actually, glass skyscrapers reminded her of the Glass Tower.
Although the Glass Tower gave her and her alien babies so much trauma, she still liked most of the time she spent there.
"You'll like the Monarchy Guild's HQ even more."
The Monarchy Guild was the Won Yiwon Faction's main guild.
"It's a lot smaller than this building, but it's prettier," Won Yiwon said, lifting his head to look at Viki straight in the eye. "The Monarch Guild's HQ is shaped like a glass jar."
Glass jar, huh?
Just like Ahn Navi's main skill, the
"Won Yiwon, I already warned you not to mistake me for someone else."
"Then tell me, Viki Young," Won Yiwon said, raising an eyebrow. "Who is this person you think I'm mistaking you for?"
Viki clenched her hands tightly, annoyed that she felt like she was being cornered.
Thankfully, a distraction came.
"Guildmaster, I've been looking for you everywhere!"
Oho?
A pretty androgynous person was running towards their table.
They were wearing a floral dress while the Kaleidoscope Guild's jacket— with its emblem— was draped over their shoulders.
Long wavy hair, pretty face, deep voice.
"We're having a company crisis and you're lazing around here…"
The androgynous person who had the guts to scold the Won Yiwon trailed off when he glanced at Viki.
"Omo, your face card is insane…"
Viki smiled and nodded. "I know. Thank you. I have long legs, too."
"Oh, I can tell." The androgynous person then extended their hand to Viki. "I'm Kim Nuri, the Vice Guildmaster of the Kaleidoscope Guild. I don't want you to wonder about my sexuality, so I'll share it with you: I'm gay— an effeminate gay, to be precise. But my pronouns remain the same as my gender. Let me know if I'm making you comfortable."
"No, not at all," Viki said while shaking her head. "I'm Viki Young, and I'm straight. For now."
Won Yiwon swatted Kim Nuri's hand away before responding to Viki's statement earlier. ""For now?""
"Well, I never understood why being straight is the 'default setting,'" Viki said, shrugging. "If I meet a good person, I think I'll like them regardless of their gender. But, as of now, I believe I'm straight since all the people I've liked in the past were cis men."
In fact, falling in love with a non-human was also possible.
I've met a lot of aliens in the Glass Tower, after all.
Anyway, even though Viki talked big, the truth was she had only ever liked one person.
Even after being stuck in the Glass Tower for almost a century, it has always been Won Yiwon for me.
"You've liked other men…"
Viki turned to Won Yiwon, but the #1 Hunter had already stopped talking by then, so she lost her chance to confront him.
Plus, she got distracted when Kim Nuri spoke again.
"Miss Young, I'd love to have a longer conversation with you, but our guild is busy right now," Kim Nuri said, smiling apologetically at Viki. "Can I borrow our Guildmaster for a moment? We really need him to join our emergency meeting with the PR Team."
Viki was about to say that Kim Nuri was free to take Won Yiwon away from her, but Won Yiwon opened his mouth first.
"Fine, I'll go," Won Yiwon said, and then he turned to Viki. "Come with me, Miss Young."
But why?
***
Please ADD