The next morning. The air on the commute was unusually cold and sharp.
Siu sat in the back seat of a taxi, gazing indifferently at the scenery rushing past the window.
His face was expressionless, but his eyes were lost in deep thought.
Yet the smartphone in his hand vibrated without rest, burning hot.
‘Corrupt Employer Han Siu,’ ‘Modern-Day Slave Contract,’ ‘Scammer Who Preys on F-rank Hunters.’
Sensational headlines plastered the main pages of the portal sites, and the comment sections overflowed with profanities too vulgar to speak aloud.
It was a frenzied smear campaign, orchestrated by comment-section part-timers hired by Jenia Management and whipped-up netizens.
*Beep.*
Then, a message notification rang out. The sender was I Jia.
[CEO... I saw the articles. It's because of me again... I'm sorry. I'll explain everything right away.]
Her emotions seemed to come through the text loud and clear.
It was obvious she found the situation unbearable—Siu being vilified because of her yet again.
Siu stared at the screen for a moment, then slowly typed a reply.
[Miss Jia. I appreciate the sentiment, but please stay put. If you step up now, you'll be put in a difficult position too. I'm fine.]
[But...!]
[I'm really fine. Even if I get cursed at, it's my fault. It is absolutely not your fault, Miss Jia.]
Siu pressed send and put his phone in his pocket.
The taxi stopped in front of the Hunter Association Central Awakening Center.
The moment Siu stepped out, piercing stares poured down on him as if they had been waiting.
At the building entrance, Deputy Manager Bak and agents from Jenia Management were waiting for him.
"Oh my, who do we have here? Isn't this our esteemed CEO Han of Miracle, famous for phishing?"
Deputy Manager Bak approached with exaggerated gestures, acting like they were old acquaintances. The agents surrounding him giggled as they encircled Siu.
"Wow, your mental fortitude is something else. You came out to hustle even with all that hate flying around?"
"They say scammers need thick skin to make a living."
"CEO Han, what naive sucker are you trying to catch and bleed dry today? Here to film Slave Contract Season 2?"
They deliberately made a fuss in loud voices.
It was an obvious, deliberate hounding, meant for all the prospective awakeners and guild personnel in the lobby to hear.
People's gazes focused on Siu.
Eyes filled with contempt, suspicion, and disgust.
The waiting candidates subtly backed away, putting distance between themselves and Siu.
Their attitude was as if they were avoiding a plague patient.
Siu didn't respond at all.
He simply adjusted his clothes with an indifferent expression and cut through them toward the waiting room.
"Hey! Are you ignoring us? Guess it hit a nerve, huh?"
From behind him came Deputy Manager Bak's voice, seething with malice, but the corner of Siu's mouth twisted slightly upward.
'Bark all you want.'
Siu entered the waiting room.
Numerous prospective awakeners were still waiting their turns with anxious expressions.
The moment Siu appeared, the air in the waiting room grew chilly.
People whispered and stole glances at him.
"Is that him? The one from the news..."
"Yeah, that's him. The guy who gave an F-rank 100 million and signed a slave contract."
"Let's be careful."
Siu didn't care and activated his Mind's Eye.
*Flash.*
The world inverted into black and white as a flood of data inundated his vision.
[Name: Gang Min-su]
[Estimated Rank: E]
[Potential: E]
[Name: Choe Su-jin]
[Estimated Rank: D]
[Potential: D]
Today, too, most were mediocre talents, or even below that.
Siu slowly made his rounds through the waiting room.
Deputy Manager Bak and the Jenia gang trailed behind him like ducklings, causing disruptions.
"Student! Be careful! Don't listen to that guy! There might be hidden poison clauses in the contract!"
"Miss, you should go to a verified place like our Jenia. If you go to some unqualified hole-in-the-wall, you'll ruin your life."
Whenever Siu so much as looked at someone, they intervened and chased them away.
It was blatant obstruction of business, but Siu didn't stop them.
Rather, as if guiding their actions, he scanned the candidates even more carefully.
And finally. Siu's gaze stopped on one person.
A young man sitting in a corner, wearing worn-out sandals, legs trembling.
Shabby appearance, vacant eyes.
No matter who looked, he seemed to be driven into a dead end in life.
[Name: Yang Min-hyeok]
[Estimated Rank: F]
[Potential: A-rank Re-awakening / D-750]
[Special Note: Possesses Delayed Awakening Syndrome]
'Found him.'
Siu's eyes flashed. He had found another A-rank re-awakener.
But what stood out to him wasn't the fact of the re-awakening, but its timing.
750 days. Re-awakening after a period of over two years meant he would have to live as an F-rank for two years.
And generally, a newbie Hunter's first contract was for two years.
In particular, Jenia Management was a place that absolutely adhered to the principle of a first two-year contract.
'Shall I test this?'
Siu composed his expression and instead put on an act.
Like a man who had discovered an oasis in a desert, or like when he had first discovered I Jia.
He dilated his pupils, bit his lip slightly, and feigned an expression mixed with desperation and greed.
Like a hyena that had spotted its prey, he slowly approached Yang Min-hyeok.
Deputy Manager Bak didn't miss Siu's movement and stuck close behind.
"Excuse me, a moment please."
"Huh? Me?"
"Pardon me, but could we talk for a moment? I'm from Miracle Management..."
"Ah! Stop! That's far enough!"
Just as Siu expected, before he could even pull out his business card, Deputy Manager Bak dashed over and blocked the space between Siu and Yang Min-hyeok.
"Look at this, look at this! Here we go again! CEO Han, you should have a conscience. With so many eyes watching, you're still trying to scam people?"
Deputy Manager Bak shouted in a thunderous voice.
"Student. Do you know who this person is? Didn't you see the news? He's that vicious CEO who lured in an F-rank and ruined their life!"
Deputy Manager Bak wrapped his arm around Yang Min-hyeok's shoulder, putting on airs as a protector.
Yang Min-hyeok looked back and forth between Deputy Manager Bak and Siu with a bewildered expression.
"A... a scammer? But I don't have anything..."
"That's exactly why he's even more vicious! He's a leech who sucks the lifeblood out of people who have nothing."
Deputy Manager Bak glared at Siu with a nasty smile.
His eyes were saying this:
'Whoever you set your sights on, I'm taking them. You won't walk away with anything.'
Siu pretended to be flustered, but looked at Yang Min-hyeok with a grim expression, as if he couldn't back down.
"No matter what that man says, it doesn't matter. But student, please trust my eyes. I see a special talent in you. If you contract with me..."
"Oh my~ that 'special talent' again! Doesn't your repertoire ever get old?"
Deputy Manager Bak cut Siu off and shoved his own business card at Yang Min-hyeok.
"Student, you know our Jenia, right? Third in the industry! A prestigious company loaded with capital and a perfect Hunter care system. We're on a completely different level from some hole-in-the-wall."
Deputy Manager Bak glanced at Siu.
Confirming that anxiety was etched on Siu's face, he became certain.
'Judging by how desperately he's clinging, this kid must have something. I can't let him slip away like with I Jia.'
"We don't just make fancy promises. We show you through action."
Deputy Manager Bak pulled out a checkbook from inside his jacket.
And flaunting it in front of Siu, he boldly wrote down numbers with a pen.
"Here, a 100 million won signing bonus."
"!!!"
Yang Min-hyeok's eyes went wide.
The onlookers around them also murmured.
Deputy Manager Bak waved the check with a smug expression.
"How's that? Our Jenia Management can effortlessly hand over a 100 million won signing bonus without even taking on debt. Completely different from some people."
Deputy Manager Bak jerked his chin toward Siu, sneering.
"You're not still going to sign with that shabby agency, are you?"
Deputy Manager Bak's actions were a perfect mirror.
He was copying exactly the method Siu had used on I Jia, clearly intending to trample Siu's pride.
"The contract period is a clean two years, following industry standards! We don't do slave contracts that tie you down for five or ten years. How about it, student? These are the best terms, aren't they?"
Two years. Siu had to bite his lip to hold back the laughter bursting from inside.
'Yes... please, make it just two years. Exactly two.'
The balance of options was skewed for Yang Min-hyeok.
Before his eyes were 100 million won and a large management company ranked third in the industry, versus the CEO of a new management company infamous for corruption.
Unless he was a fool, the answer was already set.
"I... I'll sign with Jenia! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
As Yang Min-hyeok eagerly grabbed Deputy Manager Bak's hand, Bak smiled at Siu with a victorious grin.
"Good choice! You made a wise decision."
Deputy Manager Bak held out a contract to Yang Min-hyeok.
Without further hesitation, Yang Min-hyeok boldly signed the contract.
Siu hung his head deeply, perfectly performing the role of the loser.
But a faint smile hung at his lips.
Then it happened. The screen on the large TV hanging in the center of the waiting room changed.
Regular programming was interrupted, and an urgent breaking news banner appeared.
[Breaking] A-rank Hunter I Jia Holds Emergency Press Conference... "Clarifying the Miracle Management Controversy"
"Huh? What's that?" "It's I Jia!"
People's gazes were drawn to the TV.
Deputy Manager Bak, Yang Min-hyeok, and Siu all looked at the screen.
On the screen, I Jia was reflected standing at a podium.
She seemed nervous, but her eyes were filled with resolve.
She opened her mouth with a stiff face before numerous microphones.
["The reports in the media are all lies. CEO Han Siu never forced a slave contract on me. Rather... it was the opposite."]
"What? What kind of nonsense is that? Aha, looks like they forced her to make excuses again. Tsk tsk."
Deputy Manager Bak clicked his tongue.
["I will release the evidence. Here is a recording of the conversation I had with the CEO last night."]
I Jia pressed the smartphone she had prepared against the microphone.
*Static.*
After a brief burst of noise, familiar voices soon flowed through the speakers.
[I... I don't think I can... keep this contract going.] [Please recontract with adjusted profit distribution.]
[......What?]
[You... believed in me until the end and protected me. When everyone laughed at me for being F-rank, you were the only one who took my hand. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to endure those hellish times.]
Jia's tearful voice echoed throughout the waiting room.
[But... I don't think I should take 9. ......... 8:2, 7:3... they say that's the industry's best treatment. But you gave me 9. I only now realize how absurd a loss that is for you.]
As I Jia's voice continued, Deputy Manager Bak's expression distorted.
[So please... please recontract with me. To a 5:5 profit split. No, I can even take 4. Make the term 5+5 years instead of 5. Raise the penalty fee too. Only then will I feel at ease.]
At that moment. The expressions of everyone listening in the waiting room went blank.
It was I Jia who had asked for a 5:5, no, a 4 ratio—not Siu.
Then Siu's firm voice was heard.
[No. I will never agree to that.]
[What? Why, why? It's a much better condition for you!]
A click sounded, and the recording ended.
On the screen, I Jia spoke, her eyes glistening with tears.
["Did you hear that? CEO Han Siu flatly refused even when I proposed a 5:5 and 4:6 contract. The existing contract is 9:1. Is this a slave contract? Where in the world is there a corrupt employer who takes only a mere 1 share?"]
At her impassioned cry, the atmosphere in the waiting room was instantly overturned.
"Wow... crazy. 9:1?"
"The Hunter gets 9? Where does a contract like that exist in the world?"
"He actually refused? Now that's a true CEO..."
"Then what were the articles? Completely fake news?"
As the waiting room's reactions continued, Deputy Manager Bak's head involuntarily hung lower and lower.
People took out their phones and checked the articles again, murmuring, and the eyes that had been looking at Siu like he was trash just moments ago had changed to gazes filled with respect and admiration.
And simultaneously, the gazes looking at Deputy Manager Bak—who had been slandering and obstructing Siu—had shifted to ones close to contempt.
Deputy Manager Bak's face turned ashen, and his lips trembled.
Ignoring the trembling Deputy Manager Bak, Siu turned his gaze to Yang Min-hyeok and spoke.
"Student, if you ever think of signing with our Miracle Management, even if it's after two years, please do contact me."
Yang Min-hyeok took the business card Siu offered, not knowing what to do.
"Deputy Manager Bak. Take good care of him."
Siu patted Deputy Manager Bak's shoulder twice, then turned and left the waiting room.
'Yes, take good care of him. After all, he won't re-awaken for two years anyway.'