Episode 29
“Then I’ll make a proposal as well. Affiliation without subordination. I agree to that point. However, I too must refuse to be a fixer in name only. I do what I want to do, and don’t do what I don’t want. If you don’t like that, go by the book. That’s all.”
It was a rather implicit remark, but Jonghyeon had said more than enough to give Director Kim Jeongtae something to contemplate from his position.
In fact, Director Kim Jeongtae wore an expression that showed he realized the conversation had gotten twisted, however slight.
Affiliation without subordination. That meant he would gladly accept protection, but they could not give him any orders. However, if there was a reasonable ‘request,’ he would listen.
This was the condition Jonghyeon presented. It was a statement only possible because his value had already risen as high as it could.
Moreover, Chairman Lee stood behind him. They could have employed all sorts of tricks while pretending to contract, but with Chairman Lee at his back, that was impossible.
“I’ll need to think for a moment before giving you an answer. This doesn’t seem like something I can decide on my own.”
Director Kim Jeongtae spoke with difficulty. From how he bit his lip, he seemed quite flustered.
But Chairman Lee skillfully did not let his prey go.
“Aren’t you officially the person in charge of that place, the National Intelligence Service? If someone like you says we should put this on hold, negotiation will be difficult for us as well. If Jonghyeon here were to join some foreign mega-guild at this rate… I don’t need to tell you what happens after that. Though I don’t think Jonghyeon would do such a thing.”
Chairman Lee’s quiet words contained an enormous threat. It was something everyone knew the meaning of, but could not rashly speak aloud.
Chairman Lee delivered that point precisely, albeit indirectly.
And that point was also the most sensitive issue for the nation.
It had always been this way, but the nation of Korea mishandled its talent. Because of this, a considerable number of technical talents had frequently fled abroad, and now Hunters were no different.
If they became even slightly well-known, they all went abroad.
“Very well, I understand. We’ll review that point and give you an answer by tomorrow. Please understand that much. Even as the person in charge, I need to get internal approval. If I decide unilaterally, there could be significant backlash.”
Director Kim Jeongtae looked at Jonghyeon with the expression of someone who had been had.
‘Sly bastard. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve prepared a bit more before coming.’
He had rushed over without proper preparation after receiving a call that morning.
—Aren’t you looking for Jonghyeon? He’s at my house right now. The two of you should meet. There’s no time to arrange a schedule, so please come by lunch today.
Director Kim Jeongtae regretted coming at lunch after receiving what was essentially a notification from Chairman Lee.
After the meal, the person in charge and Director Kim Jeongtae returned.
“Hoho. He seems to be in a bad mood. Seeing how he left without even drinking tea. It’s a shame I couldn’t treat him to some of the fine tea we have at home.”
Chairman Lee winked and looked at Jonghyeon.
It was an expression that seemed to say, ‘Didn’t I do well?’
“Thank you, Chairman Lee. I didn’t know you would look out for me like this.”
Jonghyeon conveyed his sincere gratitude to Chairman Lee.
If it hadn’t been for Chairman Lee, he likely would have ended up stuck between a rock and a hard place, with a high probability of conflict or confrontation with the state.
On top of that, he was once again amazed at Chairman Lee’s ability to cover for him and push matters forward overnight like this.
He truly was one of the nation’s greatest giants for good reason.
“Not at all. All I did was set the stage. You spoke quite well.”
Chairman Lee answered with a hearty laugh, looking unusually pleased.
A brief silence fell as they drank tea. Jonghyeon didn’t know what to say, and Chairman Lee seemed to be savoring the taste of the tea.
“So. What do you want to do now?”
At Chairman Lee’s question, Jonghyeon thought for a moment before answering.
“First, if I’m going to make a public announcement to the people, I’ll need the credentials to match. I think I need to retake the World Rank Assessment.”
The plan was more concrete than expected, so Chairman Lee nodded and said,
“Yes. That’s a good idea. It’s highly likely that things will proceed exactly as we discussed at this table. And after that, will you join a guild? Or perhaps come back under me?”
Jonghyeon smiled at Chairman Lee’s playful remark and answered,
“I suppose I’ll have to start working as a fixer again. As I mentioned, I don’t like being affiliated with any organization. I’ll operate independently, but I’ll do my best to repay you for your help.”
Jonghyeon and Chairman Lee exchanged a few more idle words before Chairman Lee stood up, saying he needed to get to the company.
“Then I shall be on my way. And stay at my house until the state makes its announcement. That will be safer for you as well.”
“Yes, thank you for your concern.”
At Jonghyeon’s bow, Chairman Lee replied with a wave of his hand and left the dining room. And then, someone entered the dining room a bit later.
It was Bori.
“Where’s Dad rushing off to in such a hurry again… Oh! Uncle Jonghyeon. Hello?”
Bori smiled prettily and greeted Jonghyeon. She seemed to be in a good mood about something.
“Hello, Miss Bori.”
Jonghyeon only gave a brief greeting and tried to leave. But Bori called out to him and stopped him.
“Uncle Jonghyeon. I’m about to eat right now, and I’m so bored eating alone every day. If you’re not busy, could you stay with me for a bit?”
Jonghyeon suddenly doubted Bori’s state of mind. How many times had this young lady seen him to treat him so comfortably?
And by the time he realized that thought of his was wrong, he was already sitting back at the table.
‘Well, we have had a connection since I started working as a fixer.’
Since he had watched Bori grow from that tiny child back then, Jonghyeon convinced himself that from Bori’s perspective, this might actually be comfortable.
‘Come to think of it, she’s really grown. And she’s pretty, too.’
Bori was a typical Korean beauty. An innocent-looking face with a body that seemed slender yet sturdy. If not for her callused hands, she was at a level where she could’ve been an entertainer.
“Uncle, what are you thinking about so hard? But what did you talk about with my dad?”
Bori asked Jonghyeon as she nibbled on the food that had arrived.
At that moment, Jonghyeon found the situation amusing. He was effectively a wanted man in effect if not in name, the hottest topic in the news right now, yet what he was doing was keeping a little girl company.
However, sitting so comfortably like this was the first time since he had resolved to take revenge.
“It’s nothing. More importantly, have you gotten used to dungeons by now?”
Jonghyeon had been at a loss for what to talk about, then remembered that Bori was in the Hunter department and turned the conversation that way.
“The professors recognize me a lot too. They say I have talent? I’m not so sure. The bodyguards at our house and Uncle Jinseong are basically monsters, after all. Still, I’m good enough to get A+’s at school!”
Jonghyeon was glad he had changed the subject. Above all, Bori’s smile as she bragged eased his heart immensely.
Bori bragged repeatedly with an innocent, childlike smile, as if embarrassed.
“To think you’ve already mastered an E-rank dungeon like that. You certainly seem to have talent, Miss Bori.”
Since Jonghyeon didn’t have much to say, he simply echoed Bori’s words and praised her.
Bori, who only knew that Jonghyeon was somewhat strong, smiled happily at the praise he offered, and the meal ended like that.
“Getting praised by Uncle Jonghyeon really gives me strength. Honestly, when I only look at the people around me, I thought I was really weak. Thanks to you, I’ve gained some confidence. Hehe. Well then, I have an appointment!”
After Bori left the dining room like that, Jonghyeon took the cold green tea he had been drinking and returned to his quarters.
And just before entering his room, someone stopped him.
It was Yu Jinseong.
“Jonghyeon. Long time no see.”
“Hello. How have you been? Why is someone who should be guarding the Chairman here…”
Jonghyeon was more surprised than he thought to see that even Yu Jinseong had come to find him.
In his youth, during the time when he had been arrogant about his strength, Yu Jinseong was the one who had seemed so strong that he brought despair.
“The Chairman hasn’t departed yet, so I stopped by for a moment. But how did you take down the Red Rose Guild by yourself? It’s something I wouldn’t be confident of doing.”
Yu Jinseong was very curious about that.
How Jonghyeon had been able to annihilate the Red Rose Guild, which even Yu Jinseong wasn’t confident he could defeat, in such a short time.
Since he didn’t know about Jonghyeon’s darkness ability, it was a natural curiosity.
“I was lucky. I laid out a bit of a strategy.”
After briefly explaining the strategy he had laid out, Yu Jinseong nodded in understanding, though he still seemed to have some slight doubts.
“So that’s how it was done. Your martial arts are outstanding, but you also seem to have a remarkable talent for using your head. I had never even thought of such a method.”
At the continuing praise, Jonghyeon felt his heart swell for no reason, but he forced himself to accept it calmly.
To think Yu Jinseong, who was counted among the top ten in the nation of Korea, was praising him.
Jonghyeon’s joy was beyond imagination.
“If we have time later, let’s have a match. It’s about time I left.”
“Yes, you are welcome anytime.”
Only after Yu Jinseong left like that could Jonghyeon lie down on the bed.
Having expended a great deal of power facing Parker yesterday, he couldn’t recover his fatigue with just a short sleep.
And so, Jonghyeon fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a while.
★ ★ ★
This was America.
Jonghyeon had come to take the World Rank Assessment.
The assessment hall in New York was like a very large auditorium. In the auditorium where approximately 200 people had gathered, Jonghyeon sat in the second row from the back.
Jonghyeon looked around at his surroundings. Among them, he could see some who looked quite strong, as well as a few who were clearly at C-rank level.
‘So I can see these things now.’
Just by looking at the aura and feeling they exuded, he could see what level a person was at.
There were even some nearly close to B-rank among them, but rather, they too were conscious of Jonghyeon.
‘Why are they looking at me like that?’
Feeling burdened by their gazes, Jonghyeon wished the host would come out quickly.
As if his wish had been heard, a host appeared on the stage at the front, and the host holding a microphone began to speak.
“Ahh. Hello. Welcome to the World Assessment. I am Raven, in charge of the proceedings. First, before we begin, I’d like to inform you that the test method has been slightly changed from the existing one.”
At those words, everyone seated began to murmur at once.
Since Jonghyeon too had checked the general procedure for the World Assessment beforehand, he was slightly flustered.
“A change in the procedure?”
“They didn’t say anything about changing it. I practiced so hard for this.”
Amid the rather noisy hall, Raven set down the microphone and shouted in an enormous voice.
“SILENCE—!!!!”
Jonghyeon immediately knew what it was. It was a martial art called the Lion’s Roar.
A martial art that channels internal energy into the voice.
‘I’ll have to try that sometime.’
The sound was so tremendous that it echoed within the confined space of the auditorium, and only then did the participants close their mouths.
“Ahh. My apologies. I must proceed with the event, after all.”
The presenter spoke into the microphone with a bright smile again, but the participants already seemed to feel a hint of tension from the Lion’s Roar just now.
The host caught his breath for a moment and began explaining the procedure.
---------= Author's Afterword =---------
Lion's Roar! I'd like to try it myself sometime, but my voice is too quiet..
Please press recommend hard > <