-Flex
“Before we talk, I’ll give the three of you your raid rewards first.”
Park Hongguk went one step further and said this, taking three thick document envelopes from his bag and placing them on the table.
As if to show us directly that his gratitude wasn’t mere words.
But he had brought the reward money in cash instead of transferring it to our accounts?
I soon understood what it meant and was impressed.
It was consideration for Cheon Danbi and Gil. Since the two of them weren’t registered mages, no separate raid reward would be paid to them.
Of course, I had intended to share the reward paid to me, but receiving reward money under each of their own names would feel different.
Sure enough, Cheon Danbi and Gil’s faces grew even brighter than before.
“Ah! Thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful.”
“Oh! Thank you so much. But I’m not even a mage—can I really receive a reward from the Bureau?”
“Of course. Naturally you can. You’re a member of Mage Oudin’s team, aren’t you?”
“I feel totally proud and excited. Then I’ll gratefully accept it!”
At Cheon Danbi’s lively thanks, everyone’s faces broke into smiles.
As expected, there was no lubricant quite like money.
The atmosphere at the table before our discussion became very smooth.
Since they’d received a generous reward, Cheon Danbi and Gil started talking about flexing for a while—1++ Hanwoo beef, brand-name sneakers, and the like—and seeing them rejoice like children, no one could help smiling.
Park Hongguk also began speaking with a gentle smile.
“From now on, I’d like to treat you all better. As the Director of the Bureau, I can only apologize for not having taken more careful care of you until now.”
“Team Leader Yu Jaeseon has looked after us well all this time.”
“I’m glad. Thanks to the capable Team Leader Yu Jaeseon, I truly consider it fortunate that we have come to welcome such precious people as comrades who will fight alongside us.”
When I lightly praised Yu Jaeseon, Park Hongguk caught on perfectly.
I liked that he wasn’t stingy even when it came to praising his own subordinate.
“It is truly fortunate that you are in Korea. The current situation of our country’s mage community is extremely serious.”
Before I knew it, Park Hongguk’s expression had completely changed. The gently smiling face was gone, and he had returned to his usual serious, firm look.
For a while, the Director continued speaking.
The story Park Hongguk unfolded was an extension of the awareness of the problem that Yu Jaeseon and I had been sharing until now.
At a time when black mages were stirring up trouble and causing terrorism, there were those within the government and the Hall who had abandoned the duty of mages and were colluding with black mages.
He was reconfirming that problem through the mouth of the Bureau Director himself.
“Because of those schemers, information has leaked and public opinion has been misled. That was why we failed to respond properly to the terrorism and kept making missteps. Now is the time to expose them to the whole world and cut them out.”
His basic understanding and the direction of the solution matched what Yu Jaeseon and I had been thinking.
The only thing that had changed was that they intended to present me before the public as a hero.
“A hero?”
“Right now, the people desperately need a hero. As black mage terrorism continues, the public has become greatly intimidated psychologically. If people become seized by fear, chaos follows. And chaos becomes a very good backdrop for terrorist forces.”
It was a logic I could understand.
A public lost in fear and confusion would inevitably become prey for the black mages.
But in order to reverse that psychological intimidation, I had to step forward as a hero?
The role of hero felt somehow unfamiliar and awkward to me.
Hadn’t I been branded an unprecedented villain until just recently?
Of course, I had overturned the rumors through a suitable show.
“We’re not talking about creating a fake hero. Mage Oudin is already a hero to the people. A true hero. We’re simply saying that now, we should actively make that fact known and put it front and center.”
Yu Jaeseon added to the conversation.
He said that public opinion had already begun to change since the giant amoeba raid, and with this Incheon raid, no one could deny my accomplishments anymore.
The details hadn’t yet been delivered to the public through the news, but among mages, it was already an established fact.
“At a time like this, we have to turn the tide decisively. Asking you to step forward as the people’s hero is not merely for public praise or reverence. It means you should firmly seize power within the mage community.”
“So you’re telling me to seize power in the mage community?”
Taking the front line in battle was what I wanted, so there was no problem there. But taking the front line in psychological warfare in order to seize power among the mages was a role I had never imagined.
“Yes, that’s right. Please become the center of the mages. As you know well, the schemers’ reach extends all the way to the upper ranks of the Hall. Cutting them out will also appear to be a power struggle. Please become a symbol and endure that process. We at the Bureau will support you from behind and take on the task of dealing with the schemers.”
Park Hongguk spoke with sincerity.
He was asking me to become a symbol called a hero and stand before the public and the mages as a pillar of support while the Bureau punished the schemers.
Of course, that wasn’t all.
In practical terms as well, they needed a heroic figure who could represent the mages.
Terrorism would grow even more serious in the future, but there were not enough mages to fight against the black mages. They had suffered considerable losses in strength until now.
They needed a focal point to embrace and lead the remaining mages.
“Mage Oudin, please take the lead and command the mages. But you don’t need to think of it as complicated. Just keep clearing the terror incidents as you have until now. The Bureau will put our weight behind you. For us, putting forward the hero named Oudin will be our chance to flex to the fullest.”
“Pardon? What did you say? Flex?”
“You were all talking about flexing a moment ago, weren’t you? In truth, nothing else compares—being with Mage Oudin is the true flex.”
Seeing Director Park Hongguk crack a joke with a serious expression, everyone couldn’t help bursting into refreshing laughter.
“That’s right. That’s the flex. You’re absolutely right.”
“Being with Mage Oudin is the true flex! That’s totally cool!”
“I think it’s only natural. Mage Oudin is already a hero, after all. It’s only right to treat a hero like a hero.”
Everyone laughed and said a word or two.
Cheon Danbi and Gil, who had been quietly listening to the conversation until now, seemed to have finally loosened up after a round of laughter.
I couldn’t ruin this atmosphere.
“Understood. Then I’ll become your flex. Whether it’s a hero or whatever, I just need to stand at the front and fight, don’t I?”
There was no problem. If anything, it could be called a good opportunity.
In order to fight the Magic Tower from now on, we had to gather all remaining forces and wage an all-out war.
For that, it would be most efficient for me to stand at the center of mage power and lead the mages.
All right, good. Let’s give it a shot.
“That’s right. Think of it comfortably. We’ll concentrate all power on you, so there’s absolutely no need to feel burdened. Just enjoy the weight of being a hero.”
At Park Hongguk’s words, laughter broke out once again.
Now that I saw it, this man had a subtly funny side to him.
After that, the conversation flowed like water.
There were many matters to discuss, from how to respond to the Magic Tower, which would surely launch another terror attack before long, to how to cut out the enemies within.
We couldn’t complete every strategy and tactic on the spot, but we freely brainstormed in a relaxed mood.
“Today was truly a fruitful time. It was a pleasure to meet all of you, and now I finally understand why Team Leader Yu Jaeseon has been praising Mage Oudin and your team members to the skies all this time.”
As we wrapped up, Park Hongguk once again praised our entire team.
“You’re too kind. We’re a bit free-spirited, aren’t we?”
“We were also glad to meet you, Director. I didn’t know you were such a wonderful person.”
Cheon Danbi and Gil were now not only treating him very comfortably, but also seemed to have taken a liking to the Director.
I didn’t mind having Park Hongguk as an ally either.
“I feel as though I’m leaving after being fully recharged with energy from meeting you all. Then we’ll be going now. Let’s meet again next time in an even better setting.”
“Goodbye.”
“Please contact us again.”
After Park Hongguk and Yu Jaeseon left, I checked the clock and saw that evening was already approaching.
The whole day had slipped by smoothly.
We had all been so absorbed in conversation that we hadn’t even noticed time passing like this.
“I’m hungry! It’s already this late?”
“I’m hungry too. I thought I ate a lot this morning, but it all burned away while we were talking.”
As soon as we turned around, Cheon Danbi and Gil began saying they were hungry.
I chuckled and played along.
“Yeah. Let’s eat. This time, let’s not get delivery—let’s go somewhere nice. We received a hefty raid reward, so we really should try flexing, shouldn’t we?”
“Oh yeah! Right, we should! Let’s eat something really expensive.”
“Wow! What are we going to eat?”
“Should we go to a hotel buffet? It’s convenient, and we don’t need to worry about choosing a menu.”
“No. Not a hotel buffet. I’ll take you somewhere even nicer. It’s a home-style barbecue buffet restaurant that embassy staff usually go to, and the garden view is great. It has a party-like atmosphere. It’s close to here.”
Cheon Danbi’s eyes shone as she strongly recommended it.
A restaurant embassy staff usually went to? I didn’t know how she knew about places like that, but a local resident’s recommendation never failed.
“Sure, then. Let’s go there.”
“I’ll change clothes and come out. And we should take Ren too.”
“Ren too? Will that be all right?”
“He can just transform appropriately. Who would recognize him? And even if Vanaheim does recognize him, we have to protect him now. The national hero is right here, so what is there to worry about?”
At Gil’s concern, Cheon Danbi pointed at me and boasted as if she were the one guaranteeing it.
She had probably said it half-jokingly and half-seriously, but thinking about it, Cheon Danbi wasn’t wrong.
Until now, I had only thought that we had to hide Ren in order to protect him from Vanaheim, but there was no need to insist on that.
Now, Vanaheim’s black mage had been taken into custody by the Bureau.
If Vanaheim tried to take Ren away, we could simply expose their unethical experiments to the whole world.
To begin with, as long as I was by his side, they wouldn’t be able to drag him away.
Whether in terms of force, ethics, or logic, we held the advantage.
“Cheon Danbi is right. There’s no reason Ren absolutely has to stay hidden anymore. Let’s take Ren too. We should feed him something delicious.”
“Wow! Really? That’s great.”
Gil rejoiced as if it were his own matter.
A little while later, we all headed to the restaurant Cheon Danbi had mentioned.