# 048. Day and Night (2)
“Jaehee… It seems Yeong-i is a medium.”
“Huh? A medium?”
It was such an unfamiliar term that Jaehee couldn’t readily understand. When Jaehee looked at Jeongwoo and asked again, Jeongwoo nodded. Hearing this, Jaehee’s stepmother let out a shrill scream.
“A medium? W-what are you talking about? Our Yeong-i… No, what does that mean?”
“It’s probably not the kind of medium you’re thinking of, Mother. When I say medium, I mean that Yeong-i seems to be someone who can hear or see the conversations of Constellations.”
“Huh…?”
His stepmother pulled Yeong-i into her arms. Jeongwoo awkwardly smiled and scratched his head.
Jaehee looked back and forth between Jeongwoo and Yeong-i. Everyone had a serious expression, but Yeong-i seemed excited that everyone was looking at her.
“Sometimes there are people who are naturally like this. People who can eavesdrop on the conversations of stars or communicate with them without being Awakened Ones. I think some playful Constellation must have told her that you’re a king, Jaehee.”
“T-then, is everything else okay?”
“Yeong-i, from now on, if pretty oppa-like beings talk to you, don’t answer them. Promise me.”
At Jeongwoo’s words, Yeong-i pouted her lips in displeasure. Her stepmother patted Yeong-i’s bottom a couple of times. Seeing her anxious expression, as if they had returned to the past, Jaehee glanced at Jeongwoo and shook his head. It didn’t seem good to continue this conversation in his stepmother’s presence.
“Yeong-i, if someone talks to you again, you must tell me or Jeongwoo oppa, okay? Understand? You can’t have secret friends.”
“B-but…! Hmph!”
When her stepmother scolded her, Yeong-i pouted her lips and looked at Jaehee. When Jaehee shook his head, Yeong-i began to sob, but this time there was no helping it.
“Jaehee, thank you. Thank you, Jeongwoo too. Auntie will make something delicious for dinner.”
“Ah! Mother, I have plans for lunch today. You know Lee Shinhoo from Guild Sahae? I contacted him to thank him for helping Yeong-i that day, and he asked to meet for lunch today.”
“Lee Shinhoo? Oh my, shouldn’t I go out and welcome him properly?”
“Come on, it’s better for fellow Awakened Ones to meet and talk than for you to go.”
Jaehee’s father intervened at his stepmother’s words and pulled out a card from his wallet.
“He seemed like a fine young man when I saw him that day. Treat him to something nice with this. And be sure to convey my greetings. That day, he carried Yeong-i and found me. It was a chaotic time when everyone was talking about evacuating, and Shinhoo even offered us his guild building.”
“Yes. I’ll pass on your greetings, Father.”
Jaehee put the card his father gave him into his wallet and signaled to Jeongwoo.
It seemed they needed to discuss more about Yeong-i.
“Jeongwoo, tell me again. What is a medium? Is it dangerous?”
As soon as they entered the room, Jaehee closed the door and asked. Anything concerning Yeong-i was not something he could overlook.
When Jeongwoo averted his gaze, Jaehee widened his eyes. That was not a good sign.
“Hey, Woo Jeongwoo! If it’s dangerous, you need to tell me so we can deal with it. What’s going on?”
“Hmm. Well… You see, under normal circumstances, Constellations can’t directly speak to us. Just the act of speaking can have adverse effects on the inhabitants of protected planets, whether the Constellations intended it or not. So if they violate the rule of not speaking directly, they receive significant penalties from the system.”
At Jeongwoo’s explanation, the Constellation Ouroboros, the One Who Swallows Its Tail, came to mind. Ouroboros must have received considerable penalties, though it was unclear how many. After that incident, the Tail Swallower was no longer visible even on Channel Earth.
“Actually, being a medium itself isn’t dangerous or anything like that. It’s just a unique constitution that allows one to converse with Constellations or extraplanetary beings without the system’s interference. But the problem is the Constellations. Constellations always want to do what they’re told not to… especially when it comes to protected planets, they want to interfere by any means necessary. Taking control of the interests on protected planets is the easiest and fastest way to expand their influence.”
“Then that ‘pretty oppa’ must be a Constellation too?”
He seemed to understand roughly. Jaehee sighed.
“I think it’s a Constellation I know. Given that it left when I arrived. That ‘pretty oppa’ probably won’t appear anymore. It knows I’ve caught on. But the problem is other Constellations. Actually, that ‘pretty oppa’… probably wouldn’t have harmed Yeong-i or done anything to hurt her.”
“‘Probably’ isn’t reassuring. I may not know much about Constellations, but I now understand that they’re not very trustworthy beings.”
Jeongwoo smiled awkwardly at Jaehee’s resolute words but didn’t refute or say anything in response.
Kim Shin, the leader of the Doomsday Cult, was undoubtedly trash, but it was a Constellation who gave him power and fanned the flames. How could one trust such a Constellation?
“Jeongwoo, is there a way to prevent Constellations from speaking to her?”
“Hmm. Well. If a Constellation really wants to interfere, it’s hard to stop them. Mediums are naturally receptive to Constellations. While it’s illegal for Constellations to speak directly, communicating through a medium is different and falls within the legal realm. For now, Yeong-i will just have to refuse Constellations who try to talk to her.”
“Sigh, if they had any conscience, they wouldn’t mess with such a young child. All these Constellations are…!”
“Haha, let’s stop here, Jaehee, okay? In fact, all the Constellations are listening right now, so it’s not really good to talk like that.”
At Jeongwoo’s restraint, Jaehee hissed and closed his mouth. Pushing out his lips in displeasure when things didn’t go his way was just like Yeong-i.
Jeongwoo smiled, thinking he’d like to grab and shake those protruding lips of Jaehee’s.
* * *
“Wow, is this the guild building? They say Guild Sahae is Korea’s premier guild, and it’s truly impressive.”
When Jaehee mentioned wanting to treat Shinhoo to a meal, Shinhoo invited them to his guild, so the two of them were now at Guild Sahae. Jeongwoo was strangely indifferent, but Jaehee was amazed at the guild building. It was a state-of-the-art skyscraper with a scale comparable to that of a major corporation.
“The guild was established not that long ago, but it seems they’ve made a lot of money in that time.”
“Indeed. He must have good business sense. Shinhoo seemed friendly with Section Chief Lim from the Management Bureau too.”
“But for someone in that position, doesn’t Shinhoo seem a bit too leisurely? Is he just delegating all the work to his subordinates? How can the head of a major guild be so free? And he seems to contact you quite frequently.”
“Not at all. We just exchange simple greetings. I think Shinhoo wants to recruit you and me into the guild. It’s just business, you could say.”
“Hmm. So it’s a business relationship. I don’t really like that. It feels like they’re using people.”
“Don’t put it like that. From my perspective, he helped save Yeong-i, so I’m grateful. From his side, he’s trying to recruit Awakened Ones to the guild, that’s all.”
After thanking him for taking care of Yeong-i while he was gone, Shinhoo occasionally called or texted Jaehee. Jeongwoo didn’t seem to like that. But to Jaehee, Shinhoo was a benefactor, and he wasn’t being rude, so there was no reason not to respond. Rather, from Jaehee’s perspective, he found it favorable.
As the two entered the building, a security guard with complete security equipment approached them. Jaehee noticed that the guard was an Awakened One. Using Awakened Ones for security at a time when they were scarce. Was this only possible because this was an Awakened One guild?
“How can I help you?”
“We’re here to meet Lee Shinhoo. We have a prior appointment.”
“Ah, are you Shin Jaehee and Woo Jeongwoo?”
“Yes, that’s us.”
“Welcome. If you wait here, someone from the secretariat will come to escort you.”
The security guard politely greeted them and guided them to the elevator. It felt like visiting his father’s company, but at this point, it felt more like visiting a major corporation. Indeed, Shinhoo had reason to be proud of his guild.
Looking at the marble floor and the clean building, Jaehee thought that joining Guild Sahae might not be a bad idea.
Ding dong.
When he looked up at the sound of the elevator’s arrival, he saw not someone from the secretariat but Shinhoo himself.
“Welcome. Jaehee-ssi, Jeongwoo-ssi.”
“Ah! Hello!”
Shinhoo greeted the two with a beaming smile on his face.
