Chapter 42
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Under Jonghyeon’s fierce gaze, Waver flinched and became aware of his own actions.
*Right. What am I doing right now?*
The fact that Waver had instinctively tried to launch an additional attack was something unimaginable for his usual self.
Waver quickly made a judgment. He had to get through this situation first. Whether the opponent spoke down to him or glared at him, it wasn’t a big problem. The problem was that he was the one at fault.
*I have to bow down unconditionally. This isn’t the time to worry about pride or anything. It’s not about my pride!*
If this unpleasant situation of him being glared down was reported to the guild, it would become a huge problem.
“Th... that is, I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t know what I was doing. Are you alright?”
As Waver asked if she was alright and tried to extend his hand to Bori, Jonghyeon, who was beside her, violently swatted it away.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lay a finger on a single hair on her head. I’m in a pretty foul mood right now.”
If one could kill something with just a gaze, was that the kind of gaze one would need?
A chill ran down Waver’s spine.
“I’m fi—”
Bori had quickly tried to say she was fine. Even when the counterpunch came, she had deliberately positioned her body to take the hit and disperse the force, so she hadn’t been badly hurt. Though it hurt quite a bit.
But before Bori could say she was fine, Jonghyeon cut her off.
“You stay quiet. Secretary Jang! Send all the remaining participants back right now.”
Secretary Jang, too, went to send the participants back with a stiff expression.
From Secretary Jang’s perspective as well, this situation where Chairman Lee’s daughter had nearly been severely injured was by no means a pretty sight.
His opponent had ignored the fact that the match was over and tried to attack Bori.
The act was problematic both morally and socially, and had he been in that position himself, it would have turned into considerable anger.
“Come here. Let’s have a quick chat.”
With that, Jonghyeon had Bori go inside the house.
“There’s recovery powder in the cabinet, so go dissolve it in water and drink it quickly.”
Recovery powder was a medicine made by taking a very small amount of potion and solidifying it. It didn’t even amount to half of half of a potion’s performance, but it still showed excellent effects in recovery.
That was why Jonghyeon had purchased a considerable amount as soon as he earned money. Buying potions was more inefficient than one might think.
“Do you even know what you just did?”
At Jonghyeon’s sharp words, Waver couldn’t say anything. But he had to say something.
At this rate, the situation was irredeemably worse.
“I apologize once again. I can compensate you financially, and I’m willing to provide anything needed for recovery. Please quell your anger.”
From Waver’s standpoint, it was something he said while lowering himself as much as possible.
But those words became the trigger that angered Jonghyeon even more. From Jonghyeon’s perspective, putting aside the fact that he knew the opponent was a plant, Waver’s attitude made him look downright shameless.
“Money? That’s amusing. Are you trying to cover up a mistake with mere money? If you’re trying to mock me, I’ll commend you for it. Do you judge human lives by money as well?”
At Jonghyeon’s biting words, Waver came to his senses.
The Korean in front of him was absolutely not an easy opponent. No, rather, if he didn’t focus, it was obvious he would lose this verbal exchange.
“I’m sorry. I’ll apologize once again. But as for me…”
Waver tried to say something to change the mood. But Jonghyeon cruelly cut even that off.
“Enough. You’ve failed. I don’t need trash for my bodyguard detail. I’d like you to get out of my sight right now.”
Jonghyeon spoke as if holding back for the last time, then started to go inside without looking back.
For a moment, Waver felt considerable humiliation, but there was no sign that this situation could be resolved through force or conversation.
In the end, Waver could only watch as Jonghyeon entered his house.
Like a dog chasing a chicken, left staring up at the roof.
Even though Jonghyeon was an A-Ranker, Waver had slightly looked down on him due to his lack of background and the fact that he was Korean. Korea was a place with so little talent, and even though Waver himself was a B-Ranker, he was counted among the top ten Chakra Rankers.
Anyone could see they played in different waters.
That was why he had judged that if things really didn’t work out, he could resort to force to some extent.
But the reality was Jonghyeon had blocked his fist. And that grip strength.
Even now, Waver’s hand was tingling, and if he hadn’t been emitting chakra, his own hand would have burst instead.
Having definitively confirmed Jonghyeon’s martial force, Waver inevitably went outside and began booking a flight to England.
There was only one thought in his head.
*I’m fucked. (God damn it!)*
★ ★ ★
Jonghyeon entered the house and let out a sigh of relief.
*I nearly lost my temper there for a moment.*
To some extent, Jonghyeon had been genuinely angry.
With Bori’s skills, she couldn’t beat a B-Ranker. That was a given.
No matter how excellent her swordsmanship was, a B-Ranker who had fought in real battles possessed considerable physical power even without using abilities.
Therefore, Jonghyeon had been prepared for both cases from the beginning.
One was if Bori had won, even by accident. In that case, he could simply disqualify the opponent without issue. That method was actually the easiest.
Kicking out someone whose skills hadn’t been properly verified was a perfectly justifiable reason.
And the other case was the most likely one: Bori losing. This part was actually the most important, and Jonghyeon had prepared at least five different countermeasures for this scenario.
However, at the crucial moment, his opponent had graciously made a huge mistake. It was almost absurd, but that mistake pushed Jonghyeon onto very favorable ground.
Of course, he had been half genuinely angry, but even in that situation, Jonghyeon had tried his best to stay calm. The result was good.
He had succeeded in driving the plant away unilaterally without any conflict.
Furthermore, Gaia Guild would become more cautious because of this issue, and he had bought some time.
*The problem is that I feel quite sorry for Bori.*
Since he had touched a nerve, Gaia Guild would approach him cautiously for the time being.
Of course, there was a chance they might attack without regard for consequences, but since it was Gaia Guild that had made the mistake, and unless their heads were completely empty, he was confident that wouldn’t happen.
Was there really a fool who would try to attack out of nowhere without even exchanging words?
Especially since he had just shown his strength, he felt even more certain that they wouldn’t do that.
And now was the time to first deal with practical matters.
“Bori, are you okay?”
Jonghyeon hadn’t intended to, but he asked in a rather warm voice. Bori replied with a smile, as if it were nothing.
“I’m fine. I got a bit bruised, but after taking the recovery powder, I feel better. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Good. But if it hurts, take tomorrow off. There aren’t many left now anyway.”
Though she found Jonghyeon’s continued concern unexpected, Bori had something else she wanted to ask.
“But don’t you think I’ve improved a lot? I tried really hard to earn Master’s recognition. Hehe.”
Seeing Bori speaking with a cute smile, Jonghyeon felt even more troubled. Whether intentional or not, he had used Bori.
And in the process, Bori had gotten hurt. He had blocked it, of course, but if even a small variable had occurred, she could have been seriously injured.
To wash away this guilty feeling, Jonghyeon thought for a moment about something Bori would like. Then, half-doubting but thinking she wouldn’t hate it, he spoke with difficulty.
“Yeah, your skills have improved quite a bit. At this level, a D-rank dungeon should be no problem. Since we’re on the topic, once this is all over, want to try going to a D-rank dungeon together?”
Bori’s eyes widened.
“Really? I always worried that Master didn’t really care about me.”
So this child had been relying on him this much.
Jonghyeon was surprised anew. All he had taught her were the basic sword stances and breathing exercises.
He had merely offered to accompany her into a single D-rank dungeon, yet she was so happy.
Now Bori was no longer a burden to him as she had been before.
Her figure growing stronger through effort was quite impressive, and her behavior was always respectful. And she no longer caused trouble.
It was close to an excuse, but he had been too busy lately and hadn’t been able to find proper ways to look after her.
Above all, including that he had found it a bit bothersome, he had neglected her somewhat with various excuses.
“Yeah, let’s definitely go. For now, go home, finish taking your medicine, and sleep well today. Good work. And that last attack. You did really well.”
Jonghyeon rarely added praise for Bori. And seemingly moved by such acknowledgment, Bori’s eyes welled up slightly with tears.
Even as she got into the car to go home, Bori kept talking to Jonghyeon.
“I’ll really work hard. Thank you, Master. I’ll come again tomorrow!”
*I’ll work hard*...
Watching Bori grow like that, it was Jonghyeon who felt spurred on instead.
*Right. I’m a master in name, so I shouldn’t fall behind.*
It was the same training he did every day at the same time, but unusually, that day he didn’t stop until late.
And so, a few days later, the audition was completely over.
Not many among the crowd had beaten Bori, and Jonghyeon picked those with the lowest ranks among them.
Their names were Choi Hyeonseok and Ji Seongdae. Both were D-Rank, but their fundamentals were more solid than Bori’s.
The two selected were assigned as follows: one took charge of the house’s security during the late-night hours, and the other took charge of security during outings.
Jonghyeon’s house gradually began to fill with people. And though it surprised him, Jonghyeon didn’t dislike it.
★ ★ ★
“What are you saying right now? You failed? You call that a report? Right now?”
Waver had never seen the Guild Leader this angry. But he was in a state where he couldn’t lie out of fear of that anger.
“When I dispatched you, I had hoped you would create at least some point of contact. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Waver had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths.
“And yet you failed to properly subdue even one of his disciples, making such a mistake? You call that a report right now? I don’t know how you view your own existence, but can you imagine the expressions on the Gaia Guild executives’ faces if they learned of this?”
Waver, who was quite intelligent, couldn’t be unaware of that fact.
“I’m sorry. I’ll go back.”
Waver bowed at nearly a ninety-degree angle and apologized, and the Chairman continued speaking, suppressing his anger as much as possible.
It felt less like appeasing the Chairman’s anger and more like saving his own skin.
The aura the Chairman radiated was terrifying, as if it would send an electric current through Waver’s entire body.
“Since we are the ones who caused the incident, spend about a month gathering surrounding information first. Proceed with the work after that. Write a report organizing everything from his personality, lifestyle patterns, to relationships.”
The Chairman finished with those words and gestured for him to leave, and Waver was able to leave the Chairman’s office, patting his chest in relief.
*I have to somehow turn this situation around. Otherwise, my position will collapse.*
It went without saying that work performance in the guild was synonymous with one’s standing. The better one handled affairs, the higher one’s position; the worse, the lower it fell.
And position directly led to income and reputation.
Fearing that what he had built up would collapse, Waver went to his room and began looking into Jonghyeon in detail.
“It seems you have quite the headache.”
The one who spoke in a quiet voice was none other than Martin Elvis. He was the Chairman’s secretary.
“It hasn’t even been a year. Do you remember that before the Chairman took me in, I also ran a guild?”
At Martin’s question, the Chairman seemed to think for a moment. Shortly after, he spoke as if finally remembering.
“Ah. That’s right. But so what?”
“I met Mr. Ryu at that time. I tried to recruit him into my guild. I had been watching him for longer than you’d think.”
The Chairman waited with a curious expression for Martin’s next words.
“He was involved in quite dangerous work at the time. Was he a fixer? His occupation? Anyway, I once sought him out to warn him that the Red Rose Guild seemed to be targeting him. We tried to pull him out of a dangerous situation to recruit him. Even back then, he was quite the rookie. But do you know what he answered then?”
“*I hate beating around the bush.*” The Chairman said that, using it as an indirect way to hurry him along.
“He coldly ignored even my warning. And without looking back, he said, ‘If you continue to follow or watch me, I won’t stay still either.’ He said it was an occupation where security was important... That’s the kind of man he is. I don’t think the direction the Chairman desires will be easy. Though he is certainly too valuable a talent to eliminate.”
Though Martin laughed hollowly as he spoke, the memory seemed to have remained quite humiliating.
As evidence, Martin’s expression was slightly contorted.
“To cast aside someone who came to help him like that. He’s no ordinary man. In many ways.”
The Chairman roughly understood the intention behind Martin’s words.
But he didn’t mention it further. Even taking all that into account, there was still value in watching him for now.
“Given his personality, he probably won’t be swayed by money and fame. It might be better to prepare something else instead.”
The Chairman seemed to think deeply about Martin’s words, and Martin said no more.
And so, the Chairman’s office of Gaia Guild remained silent for quite a long time.
---------= Author's Afterword ---------=
If you don't remember who Martin is, please refer to Chapter 8, haha..
And with this, Bodyguard is over.
Mass releases are coming soon.
Thank you.