Episode 39
Requests flooded in, but Jonghyeon rarely accepted those C-rank or below.
It wasn't a matter of money; most simply wanted to forge some kind of connection by entrusting a request to him.
At best, he took on state-issued requests of C-rank or higher, or occasionally accommodated previous clients.
But today, with nothing particular to do, Jonghyeon had put up a job posting and taken a nap.
He had slept for about two hours. When he woke up and went to get water from the water purifier, Secretary Jang was standing beside him with a troubled expression.
Jonghyeon, still looking half-asleep, asked flatly,
"Is something the matter?"
"Well... it's about the posting you put up."
"Yes. Ah, do we already have interviewees for the bodyguard position?"
"It's beyond merely having them. The part-time job recruitment site has shut down due to the surge."
"What?"
In that moment, Jonghyeon was wide awake.
Wondering what this was about, he looked into it and found that one of his fan clubs had recognized his ID and spread word of the posting across the internet.
*Should I kill them?*
For the first time in a while, Jonghyeon seriously considered murder. Though it remained only in his imagination, of course.
Approximately two thousand people had applied to the posting.
It was said to be the first time a part-time job posting on the site had surpassed four hundred thousand views.
Among them were quite a few ordinary applicants, but there were also numerous rankers and aspiring Hunters who admired Jonghyeon.
Looking through the list of applications, even C-rank individuals—rare and difficult to find domestically—had applied to be his bodyguard.
"Sigh. This won't do. Let's cancel the posting now, even at this late hour."
Jonghyeon had spoken after a brief and decisive assessment of the situation, but Secretary Jang wore an expression of dismay.
"Then the Troubleshooter's image may suffer considerably; is that alright? And that's not all. You could also be mired in rumors of colluding with a specific agency."
Damage to his image? That was of no importance whatsoever to Jonghyeon. What decisively drove him toward the idea of canceling was none other than:
"Then when are we supposed to interview all two thousand of them? Are you going to do it, Secretary Jang?"
"..."
Secretary Jang, too, could not easily answer Jonghyeon's question.
Two thousand. It was a number that would take well over a month just to interview. Even before cancellation, the number of applicants had kept growing.
[Cancel the posting?]
Jonghyeon quickly pressed to close the posting. He edited the posting's contents to announce its cancellation and uploaded a brief apology to the part-time job site. But the real problem appeared after the cancellation.
Applicants, several fan clubs, anti-fan clubs, and various others began gathering in front of Jonghyeon's house to protest.
"Give us jobs too!"
"Don't cancel the bodyguard recruitment!"
"We have the right to guard our nation's hero!"
Since when did I block anyone from getting a job?
Jonghyeon was indignant, but they wouldn't listen to a word he said now.
The so-called "Ryu Jonghyeon Syndrome"—as relentless as rowing when the water rushed in, as unending as boats dropping when crows flew—showed no signs of stopping.
On the contrary, because the protests had become national news, Jonghyeon could not act rashly.
To make matters worse, the local residents lent their voices to the cause as well. The protestors' obstruction of traffic and noise were no joke.
Truthfully, it was a problem that could be simply solved by dispersing the protestors, but since they paid no heed to the persuasion of residents and police alike, the message was that Jonghyeon needed to somehow put an end to it.
"What should we do?"
Jonghyeon could not easily answer Secretary Jang's question. Conducting a bodyguard test because of such a protest seemed far too tiresome.
A test?
A thought suddenly crossed Jonghyeon's mind. He abruptly called someone and smiled faintly.
Seeing this, an inexplicable chill swept through Secretary Jang's body.
"Hello?"
★ ★ ★
If asked to name the strongest guild in the present world, anyone would name the Gaia Guild.
It boasted five A-rank rankers. Among them, rumors abounded regarding the skill of several who were said to have participated in S-rank promotion trials.
Its guild members numbered roughly one thousand, making it the largest guild—a staggering figure representing approximately one-twentieth of all rankers despite their ever-increasing numbers.
If you gathered twenty rankers, one of them would be from Gaia Guild.
And most importantly, Gaia Guild formed the backbone of the Polaris Union. It was essentially an organization comprised of those who clung to or followed Gaia Guild.
"He keeps catching my eye."
Gaia's British branch was effectively the 'headquarters' of Gaia Guild. Gaia's rank structure was more complex than one might think.
It employed a rank system rivaling that of a corporation; aside from positions like field commander or special designations, everything was borrowed from corporate structures.
"Indeed. As the Chairman knows, growth of that magnitude is unprecedented. Excluding a few rumors."
A heavily bearded man sitting directly across from the man addressed as Chairman spoke.
"Mr. Choe. If such talent existed in Korea, why didn't you bring him earlier?"
The Korean man called Mr. Choe spoke as if troubled.
"It has already been five years since I left Korea. At that time, Korea was in such straits that an entire village could be wiped out by an E-rank dungeon, let alone possess any talent."
"I know. I say this out of regret, not blame."
Eight people sat around the round table—all those who could be considered the de facto powers of Gaia Guild had gathered.
The Chairman, bearing an impressive scar on his cheek, spoke in a low voice.
"We already failed with Raven. And what was the result? He became bound to the nation called America, and his power, along with the many rankers who follow him, absurdly ended up in America's hands. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Before Raven was bound to America, Gaia Guild had attempted to recruit him when he was active as a free mercenary.
The result was a colossal failure. Immense wealth and honor—nothing could sway Raven.
He held convictions regarding his martial arts and wished for them to be used for public benefit rather than commercial purposes.
"After all, can't the masses be compared to dogs and pigs? We provide them appropriate feed and possess the power to virtually rule the world!"
It was the Chairman who had personally attempted to recruit Raven, yet Raven's response still haunted his sleep.
"I apologize, but I too am one of those dogs and pigs, so that will be difficult. I'm sorry."
Raven had answered with a smile, but murderous intent had clearly shone on his face.
However, as Hunters themselves were extremely rare at the time and dungeons were running rampant with outbreaks occurring, it felt strongly as though Raven had spared his life.
"If we let this Korean slip away this time, bear in mind that the Maple Guild, eyeing him covetously, will overtake us. If he does not end up belonging to our guild..."
The Chairman spoke through gritted teeth, and no one dared make even the slightest sound.
"Before he can join another guild, we must kill him with our own hands."
The man named Ryu Jonghyeon possessed tremendous power. True, there were quite a few A-rank individuals who cleared dungeons alone, but that was ultimately limited to dungeons.
Never once in history had a single individual destroyed a guild ranked sixth.
Of course, the result had involved multiple factors such as his opponents being buried by schemes and the cover of night, but even so, the very notion of one individual crushing a guild was absurd.
Everyone kept their mouths firmly shut; no one could speak because they immediately understood what the Chairman's words meant.
Guilds today were businesses. In other words, they found, excavated, and sold magic items from dungeons and various other things useful to society.
Such work did not require outstanding talent. Rather, people who simply performed their own roles well were needed.
In that sense, Jonghyeon was more than enough of a threat to Gaia Guild.
Because Gaia Guild, utilizing its vast intelligence network, had dissected Jonghyeon's every move and deduced that he had grown to that extent within roughly a year.
"For now, Waver, you will visit Korea. Make contact and confirm his basic intentions; investigate everything—what we need to recruit him, where his weaknesses lie—and return."
Gaia Guild thought it would be best if Jonghyeon could be recruited if at all possible.
The fact that he approached as a threat meant that if he became an ally, there would be none more reliable.
But Gaia Guild was prepared to kill Jonghyeon in the worst-case scenario, should he become an enemy.
It was a decision made possible because Gaia Guild possessed two teams capable of handling A-rank dungeons.
The blond man called Waver answered quietly with a stiff expression, and the meeting ended.
*They told me to persuade him, but what exactly am I supposed to do?*
Even among the executives, Waver was particularly gifted in eloquence.
A considerable number of executives had been scouted by Waver, and enough guild members had been cultivated by his hand to say he was responsible for a significant portion.
Gifted not only in speech but also possessing commendable looks and erudition—he lacked nothing and had a personality that allowed him to befriend anyone easily.
But even he found it extremely difficult to get a grasp on this matter.
According to Gaia Guild's vast intelligence network, Jonghyeon had annihilated the Redrose Guild after they had destroyed the orphanage he sponsored.
He had just cause on the national level, but it was clearly personal vengeance. Additionally, Gaia's intelligence network surmised that Jonghyeon was also responsible for eliminating the Black Dave Guild.
If they were to oppose such a Jonghyeon, Gaia Guild would certainly not lose, but they had to keep in mind that they would suffer considerable damage.
Therefore, Waver's current mission was far more important than any other casting or meeting. Depending on his abilities, the guild could either kill or recruit a promising talent.
Having booked a flight to Korea, Waver began searching for articles related to Jonghyeon.
He was already a star in Korea.
A country known only for Gangnam Style and a famous figure skater.
Of course, there was Mr. Choe among his 'company' executives, but he held no fondness for Korea.
He harbored something close to ill will, stubbornly keeping silent about his homeland.
A star of such a country?
Waver could form no preconception of Jonghyeon.
And the most absurd thing was the headline emblazoned in huge letters:
-Ryu Jonghyeon Bodyguard Audition Begins.
An audition?
Naturally, there was no country that recruited bodyguards through auditions.
Let alone holding an audition to hire a personal bodyguard? Waver boarded his flight to Korea with a strangely skewed image of the country.
---------= Author's Afterword ---------=
Now earnestly recruiting servants to guard a dragon!