A whistle echoed through the air. The hum of filters running, the chanical sound of water filters, the thrashing of fish tails, the loud shouts of vendors... Amidst the cacophony of noise, the sound of footsteps blended naturally.
With each step, the young man's navy blue hair swayed. He wore a light outfit, with his white shirt rolled up to his elbows. The owners of the shops, bustling and chaotic around him, raised their hands in greeting as he passed.
"Hey, where are you off to?"
"A custor is waiting~"
The young man smiled brightly and waved back as he quickened his pace. Soon, familiar letters glead among the flashing signs hanging from the ceiling. "Jangmi Fisheries." The young man hopped forward and stopped in front of the shop.
"Ta-da! I'm here."
At the sa ti, Jang Mi-sook grabbed his ear and tugged.
"Why are you so late? Those people have been waiting for ages!"
"Ouch, ouch! It hurts!"
"Stop whining! You're not even really hurt."
She snorted and slapped his broad back with her large hand.
"Hurry in. And don't go in there picking a fight for no reason."
"A fight? I'm late because I had actual work to do... Fine, I get it."
Kicking off his sleek loafers, the mackerel knocked on the door with his knuckles. A low voice responded from inside. "Yes, co in." As if waiting for the cue, he opened the door and lifted the curtain inside.
Two n, both in black suits, sat side by side in the room. One was dressed entirely in black from head to toe, including his sunglasses, while the other had a bold, orange-dyed head, looking rather scrappy.
Mackerel quickly scanned them with his eyes, then entered, grinning.
"Sorry I'm late! A custor wouldn't let go."
"You're thirty minutes late."
The man with orange hair, Romantic Opener, replied grumpily. Mackerel responded smoothly.
"Yeah, yeah, my bad for miscalculating the ti. I'll make it up with so extra service, so no worries."
After straightening his shirt with a quick brush of his hands, he laid down a cushion and sat across from the two n. He leaned on his elbow and flashed a grin, revealing a row of neat teeth.
"Regular custors today, huh? I thought the guild leader would be here himself."
The sound of a water glass being set down echoed as A Small Miracle Seo Min-gi responded clearly.
"The guild leader is busy."
"Ah, I see, I see."
Mackerel leaned forward slightly and whispered.
"I heard the guild leader's been enjoying a ga of catch--if-you-can at the company?"
Romantic Opener, Choi Go-yo, who had been sipping water, spat it out with a burst of laughter. While he turned his head and coughed, Seo Min-gi remained expressionless.
"Is that so? This is the first I've heard of it. Perhaps you're confusing us with another guild."
"Oh, co on. A lot of people saw it. Plus, J stayed with us for a while. You're not going to deny that, right?"
Seo Min-gi raised one eyebrow and replied.
"J stayed here? That's news to ."
"You're no fun. Don't pretend you don't know. During J's stay here, you ca to the fish market several tis. Just admit it. Lee Sa-young sent you, right?"
Mackerel's navy-blue eyes glead. Seo Min-gi's sunglasses also caught the light and sparkled. He tilted his head up as if to dismiss the notion.
"You must be mistaking for soone else."
Mackerel pouted and shrugged his shoulders.
"Pretending not to know between friends, huh?"
"I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about."
"You can keep denying it, but your friend here with the carrot head already spilled the beans."
Romantic Opener blinked, pointing at himself.
"? ...I did?"
He looked back and forth between Mackerel and Seo Min-gi in confusion. Seo Min-gi averted his gaze. The mackerel chuckled mischievously.
"You know, even scams need good coordination. Right?"
"Well, I believe there's always room for improvent. He has limitless potential. Anyway, enough with the small talk. Let's get down to business."
Seo Min-gi adjusted his sunglasses.
"We've co to collect the information the guild leader requested. You've prepared it, I assu."
"Of course."
Mackerel licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. He held up his fingers to form a circle.
"By the way, this information is quite expensive. You do know it's prepaynt, right?"
Seo Min-gi, shining his sunglasses, slid a card between his fingers and asked.
"Do you take card?"
Mackerel sighed and shook his head.
"Why would you even ask that? There's an extra fee for card paynts."
"Yes, I was just joking. You never know."
"Man, you really aren't funny."
Seo Min-gi made a subtle gesture, and Choi Go-yo grumbled as he retrieved a shabby, crumpled box from his inventory. On one side, the words "Seaweed" were scrawled in large black letters. Mackerel cracked a joke.
"Did you pick this up off the street?"
"Jang Mi-sook-ssi provided it."
"..."
When the box hit the table, it landed with a heavy thud. Seo Min-gi opened the box with a flourish. Instead of seaweed, or dried seaweed, or even flat, blue-green money that resembled seaweed, the box was full of...
"Well, this should be enough."
Magic stones.
The box was packed with magic stones, large and small, each glowing in various colors. From pebbles to stones the size of fists, they varied in size and type. Mackerel picked up a dark blue magic stone and fiddled with it, grinning.
"Thanks. This will help cover maintenance costs."
"And the docunts..."
"Oh, here."
Mackerel touched his temple with a finger, and a koi fish, as large as his forearm, leapt out of his head. The koi fish swam through the air and landed in Seo Min-gi's hands, where it transford into a thick stack of papers.
"I'll also send you a copy through private ssenger, so don't worry."
"Thank you for the transaction."
Seo Min-gi bowed his head, and Romantic Opener quickly followed suit. Several fish carried the box away beyond the wall. Mackerel stood up and brushed off his pants.
"Aren't you guys in a hurry? The atmosphere has been rather tense lately, with the upcoming general assembly."
"Indeed."
"Well then..."
As Mackerel stepped toward the door, he turned back and winked at Seo Min-gi.
"Oh, by the way, could you pass on a ssage to hyung-nim?"
"Hyung-nim?"
"J."
"What should I tell him?"
"Tell him to be careful of everything."
"..."
Seo Min-gi stared at him expressionlessly. Mackerel's lips curled into a smirk, his navy eyes sparkling.
"I don't know, but sothing big is about to happen... And sotis, brute strength isn't enough to solve things, right?"
"..."
"You need to use your brain."
"..."
"Just let him know. If he doesn't get it, that's on him. This is purely out of kindness."
Mackerel waved lazily as he disappeared. Silence settled in the small room. Seo Min-gi signaled to Romantic Opener, and they both stood. The mont Romantic Opener rose, they lted into the shadows. Monts later, they reappeared in front of a worn-out truck.
Seo Min-gi climbed into the driver's seat. Once Choi Go-yo settled into the passenger seat, he finally spoke.
"The custor Mackerel ntioned was likely Hunter Gyu-Gyu and Hunter Honeybee."
"Huh? Seriously? How do you know?"
Seo Min-gi pointed at his nose.
"The sll."
"Huh?"
"Think back. After he said he'd provide extra service, didn't he brush his shirt?"
Choi Go-yo furrowed his brow, trying to recall. Mackerel, who had made them wait for thirty minutes, had laughed mischievously as he entered... and yes, he had brushed his shirt. But why? Wasn't it just a peacock-like show of vanity? Seo Min-gi, anwhile, fastened his seatbelt and continued.
"That's when I caught a whiff. He even sprayed so deodorant to cover it up, but under the deodorant, I could sll Gyu-Gyu's signature cologne. Honeybee's perfu, too."
"You rember those scents?"
"They both wear strong fragrances."
"And he passed that off as 'service'? I didn't catch it. I didn't get it."
"That's his nature. He's saying, 'If you can't catch on when I'm being generous, then buzz off.'"
"Man, what a jerk."
With a loud rumble, the engine roared to life. The prayer beads hanging from the rearview mirror rattled along with it. As Choi Go-yo fastened his seatbelt, he grumbled.
"When are you going to change those beads?"
"Why? Don't they bring you peace of mind? They're practically family now."
"Wow, your definition of family is pretty broad."
Seo Min-gi didn't respond further and began flipping through the thick stack of papers. As more pages turned, his expressionless face gradually began to change. Romantic Opener, who was putting in his wireless earbuds, looked at him curiously.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
"Seo Min-gi?"
Seo Min-gi calmly spoke.
"We need to go to the guild leader imdiately."
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