Beside Chief Secretary Gwon Honggyun, who was clicking his tongue in annoyance, a secretary who had entered late approached and whispered in his ear.
Someone had made a request to see him at all costs.
Who would follow him here instead of to the office? Wearing a doubtful expression, Gwon Honggyun gave the order.
“Show him in.”
No sooner had Gwon Honggyun finished speaking than he saw a figure wearing a deer mask sitting cross-legged.
Without a sound?! Startled, Gwon Honggyun swallowed drily and asked.
“An Awakened?”
Instead of answering, the deer mask raised a hand. A tattoo was etched on the finger.
Obsidian.
And even an animal mask…….
“Ahh……. So you’re from that international mercenary group caught by the Management Bureau this time, I see.”
So there were remnants left. Interest settled in Gwon Honggyun’s eyes.
“Your words are correct.”
A distorted mechanical voice flowed from the deer mask.
Gwon Honggyun straightened his tie and sat in the seat opposite him.
“The reason you sought me out?”
The deer mask cut to the chase.
“A pardon (an exemption from punishment) deal.”
“This person is quite refreshingly direct.”
Gwon Honggyun laughed heartily, leaning back, while calculating coldly in his head.
A pardon deal.
Since his mercenary group had been captured en masse, he must want to get at least some of them out.
The fact that he expressed this as a deal meant he would grant what Gwon wanted in return.
He had heard that On Jurim was involved in the capture of the Obsidian mercenary group.
It so happened that On Jurim had been at the Management Bureau headquarters at the time, and he had twisted the mercenary group’s plans, leading to their capture.
‘Rather useful.’
Gwon Honggyun, who had just clashed with On Jurim, could roughly guess his personality.
On Jurim was the type to collide harder the stronger his opponent came at him.
Though Gwon Honggyun, as chief secretary, surely had tens of thousands of ways to torment him, it meant On Jurim wouldn’t bend easily.
Rather, Gwon might unnecessarily suffer a counterattack.
The fact that public opinion was currently quite favorable to Hyeonak but not to the ruling party was also a problem.
But it wasn’t that there were no methods at all. Rather than pushing, he could make the other side approach him.
“Yes, now that you mention it, there is one thing that comes to mind.”
The deer mask met his eyes as if telling him to speak.
Gwon Honggyun smiled thinly.
“What I’d like to request is nothing much; I’d like you to create a small accident.”
“An accident?”
Yes, an accident was needed.
If he saved a daughter caught up in an accident, he could place On Jurim in his debt.
Through his investigations so far, he knew very well how much On Jurim cherished his daughter.
“On Jurim has a child; I wish for that child to be in danger for just a moment.”
“……A child?”
At the deer mask’s reluctant tone, Gwon Honggyun hurriedly added.
“Let’s discuss the details slowly over a meal. If it doesn’t suit you, feel free to refuse, so just hear me out first.”
He called a waiter over and ordered food.
*
“Ms. Chyuen, you really are a fast learner!”
In a classroom for the Korean language education program for foreigners run by the National Museum of Korea.
At the praise of I Hyowon, who was in charge of education, Chyuen’s face flushed slightly.
As she left the classroom with Chyuen, she exchanged a few more words with her.
The praise was that her elementary Korean was practically completed at this point and that she could move on to intermediate Korean.
“Praise…… thank you.”
“Your speaking is already this good.”
“Because I’ve been doing work that involves speaking……”
I Hyowon nodded as if she understood. When working directly abroad, speaking was indeed what one learned first.
“This time, you’ll be able to write your resume well in Korean too!”
She shouted “Fighting!” and clenched both fists.
Chyuen nodded awkwardly.
Since her Korean skills had been improving by leaps and bounds even in the short month-long program, she was a bit confident this time.
“I hope it goes well.”
Chyuen responded to I Hyowon’s words with a smile.
Today was a day when the spring sunlight was exceptionally warm.
Watching the light seeping through the window, she saw kindergarten children wearing yellow hats walking behind their teacher outside the building.
They seemed to have come for a museum field trip.
The supervising teacher stopped briefly and spoke to the children.
“Friends, what should we do inside the museum? We should be quiet, right?”
The children huddled together raised their hands high.
“Yes, yes, yesyesyes!”
Like little chicks.
As Chyuen watched the children cutely, Goldfish tapped her cheek lightly.
“……?”
Goldfish pointed to one side with its tail.
There stood a child who looked even more like a little chick, with a plump bird perched on her head, raising her hand high.
A round, cute face like a doll, beige hair, and light coral-colored eyes.
“……On Geuru?”
“Now, let’s look up!”
Just then, the Chick Class teacher pointed up at the museum, and Geuru raised her head.
“……!”
Swish! Chyuen hurriedly hid below the window.
Though I Hyowon seemed to find it strange, Chyuen didn’t want to be discovered here.
The memory of when the child had invited her to come to Hyeonak was still so vivid…….
‘She must have been disappointed that I didn’t go.’
The truth was that she hadn’t chosen not to go, but rather had been unable to go.
Chyuen had seriously considered the child’s proposal and prepared her application documents.
But the problem was that Chyuen was still not familiar with Korean.
‘……Hoo.’
Chyuen covered her flushed face with both hands.
It was too embarrassing to admit that she had been eliminated at a glance because she had mixed in Chinese while filling out her resume in Korean, which was difficult, and that she was attending a Korean language class for foreigners because of it.
*
‘Hm?’
Geuru suddenly felt a gaze and craned her neck, looking around.
“Chick Class! Don’t get distracted, hold your friend’s hand tightly, and stay right behind the teacher!”
“Yeees!”
Geuru, who had answered loudly, took Uju’s hand and entered the National Museum of Korea.
Passing through the large entrance, they saw artifacts displayed at children’s eye level.
“It’s a bowl!”
“Clay!”
“It’s not a bowl, it says pottery here. Pottery.”
As the children began to chatter, the Chick Class teacher turned around.
“Shhh!”
At the teacher’s shushing, the children each chorused “Shhh!” toward their friends.
Geuru also went right up to Uju’s face and did a “shhh” before smiling bashfully, at which Uju’s face flushed bright red.
“Uju, you’re a tomato again.”
“T-that’s not it.”
Uju shook his face vigorously back and forth.
On top of his head, Mephisto, looking thoroughly displeased, was glaring at Uju fiercely.
‘Urk!’
If only Mephisto weren’t there, the two of them could have held hands and enjoyed the museum cozily.
Having had the weakness of “being bribed by Gu Huiyeon” seized, it was just sad that he kept having to watch Mephisto’s mood.
“Peep peep peep!”
As if reading Uju’s mind, Mephisto cackled, and Uju clenched his fist.
Today’s field trip schedule was to briefly tour the exhibits and participate in a pottery-making program.
Geuru contemplated what kind of pottery to make and appreciated the exhibits more earnestly than anyone.
“Sniff sniff!”
Until Veilark poked his face out of the bag, sniffling.
Veilark, who had stuck his head out of the bag, narrowed his eyes.
“……?”
While keeping an eye on the teacher, Geuru asked Veilark in a small voice.
“Bey, what is it?”
“Myuu—” (There’s a smell……)
“Peep peep.”
Following Veilark, Mephisto too sniffed the air.
“Hm?”
After Veilark and then Mephisto sniffed the smell, Geuru followed suit and sniffed too, but she couldn’t detect anything strange.
Geuru tilted her head and then hid her body behind a display stand in the corner.
Then Veilark took human form and squatted beside her, immediately explaining.
“There seems to be one of my kind nearby.”
“My kind?”
“My kind. A monster.”
“Eeeh?!”
In a place with so many people?
Monsters that naturally occurred outside dungeons usually appeared in places with few people.
“Maybe they’re exhibiting a monster?”
At Geuru’s question, Veilark rested his chin on his hand. That could be, but…….
As Veilark made an uneasy expression, Geuru rummaged through her bag.
“Then let’s check?”
Geuru equipped the Great Detective’s Magnifying Glass.
They just had to look for it.
If there really was a monster, her friends could be in danger.
‘Warrior Geuru can’t leave her friends in danger!’