Episode 45
Meanwhile, the rumor that Ryu Jonghyeon had attended Chairman Lee’s year-end event had reached Gaia Guild as well.
“By Chairman Lee’s side. That is troublesome.”
The personality Weaver had seen in Jonghyeon was definitely not one to serve under another. Yet the fact that he had attended Chairman Lee’s event was evidence that they were quite close.
Chairman Lee’s influence was far greater than expected. From the time dungeons first began to appear, he had invested tremendous sums in universities across various countries and established Hunter departments.
Not only that, but he had separately founded private schools—that is, schools that taught more professionally than universities—and reaped enormous profits from them as well.
And what he gained was not merely profit. After all, half of those who graduated from there and became Hunters were on Chairman Lee’s side.
Who had ever said Korea had no talented people? Chairman Lee was at an age where calling him a “talented person” felt somewhat strange, but when it came to business and making money, he was a tremendous talent.
Moreover, by adding a grand, righteous cause to his endeavors, he was gradually expanding his Hunter-related business even further, to the point where there was practically no room left for other entrepreneurs to squeeze in.
That was the man beside Chairman Lee. The conclusion was that no matter how strong Gaia Guild might be, it would be difficult to touch him carelessly.
The next time they visited him, they absolutely had to win his favor.
That was the final conclusion Weaver had reached. He judged that Ryu Jonghyeon was no longer ordinary not only in strength but also in his surroundings.
Weaver ground his teeth but let out a hollow laugh as if he were overreacting, and said,
“Still, there is no one who can ever beat Gaia Guild. Hmph. Who could there be?”
★ ★ ★
“So you were here.”
Jonghyeon spoke as he pulled out a lighter.
After a few words of greeting, Gang Jeong-u suggested Jonghyeon go out for a smoke.
Jonghyeon, thinking it would be good to shake off his drowsiness from boredom, agreed, and the two stepped outside.
Click—
The cigarette caught fire, and he took a deep drag. Smoking a cigarette at the top of the V Group headquarters felt quite good.
“The view is pleasing. Standing here, I mean.”
Jonghyeon felt the same. But the other man had not called him outside merely for a cigarette.
“It certainly is.”
But Jonghyeon was not impatient. The fact that the other party had business with him meant, conversely, that Jonghyeon had nothing urgent. If it was necessary, the other party would broach the subject.
And as if to prove Jonghyeon’s thoughts, Gang Jeong-u cautiously spoke up.
“I’ve heard that you are quite strong, Jonghyeon-nim. How far have you cleared dungeons, if I may ask?”
Light probing. The other was seeing him as a rival right now. Jonghyeon could have spoken boastfully here. He had merely rushed through dungeons, but he had once infiltrated an A-rank dungeon and slain a Poggwi.
When he had eliminated the Red Rose Guild, the Poggwi dungeon he had found with difficulty already had a guild in charge of it.
Therefore, to obtain the Poggwi essence, Jonghyeon had infiltrated like a shadow, snatched only the boss, and slipped away.
Of course, to catch the Poggwi simultaneously, he had crossed the brink of death twice during that roughly ten-minute span.
“Well, I’m at the level of having barely cleared B-rank once or twice. What about you, Gang Jeong-u-nim?”
But Jonghyeon had no intention of revealing that fact. Setting aside that it would obviously become a social issue, the other was testing him right now. Not even an E-rank Hunter would do something so stupid as to kindly explain everything here.
Meanwhile, Gang Jeong-u was dumbfounded upon hearing Jonghyeon’s clearing record.
‘As expected, rumors can’t be trusted.’
“I’ve cleared B-rank dungeons over forty times. Of course, with my team.”
There seemed to be a slight sneer on his face. Though his smiling appearance looked good-natured, Jonghyeon had encountered this type of person more than once or twice. The meaning behind that smile was clearly scorn. But that much couldn’t provoke Jonghyeon.
“You truly are remarkable. Your team members must all be quite skilled as well.”
Jonghyeon praised him—neither too long nor too short, but in a way the other would clearly enjoy. Of course, inwardly:
‘B-rank forty times? Team play? Laughable.’
If Jonghyeon were willing and had the time, B-rank dungeons posed no problem at all. And a team, no less? He had always been alone.
“Haha. Oh, it’s nothing. If there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask. Hahaha.”
As the other laughed, pleased, Jonghyeon also smirked. To the other man’s eyes, it would merely look like a smile, but had Bori seen it, it would have been a rather revolting sneer.
They returned to the banquet hall without any particular trouble, and the banquet was just beginning as Chairman Lee started his congratulatory address.
Tch-tch—
“Aah. First, thank you all for coming.”
At Chairman Lee’s words of gratitude, people clapped their hands raw.
‘To receive applause merely for a word of thanks. Truly, the ways of the world.’
These were people who, frankly speaking, had probably never clapped once for their own employees’ birthdays. Those present were mostly entrepreneurs, high-ranking Hunters, or political figures. Their applause was quite valuable—at least to ordinary people. But seeing them clap like that for a mere greeting before the speech was even finished, the sight seemed rather absurd.
There wasn’t a single person in the world who would clap for Jonghyeon upon completing a request, even if the world were turned upside down.
Chairman Lee’s congratulatory address was quite short. The events of the past year, and the fact that he had received help. A very simple message that he had held this banquet with a heart grateful for those things.
But at the very end, there was one unexpected thing.
“And. Someone who gave me much help in reaching this position has finally come to my banquet. Ryu Jonghyeon? Could you please step forward for a moment?”
Chairman Lee looked at Jonghyeon as he spoke, and Jonghyeon nearly spat out the cold green tea he was drinking but barely held it back as he stared at Chairman Lee.
Jonghyeon’s gaze was simple.
‘No. What are you doing right now?’
And Chairman Lee’s gaze in return was equally simple.
‘I’m telling you to come forward, what else.’
The surrounding gazes were already focused on Jonghyeon, so he had no choice but to step forward.
“Say a few words.”
The request from Chairman Lee seemed more difficult than any commission he had ever entrusted to Jonghyeon.
But the sight of Jonghyeon ascending the podium was filled with curiosity. Without exception, everyone was focused on Jonghyeon, and the banquet hall was so quiet that Jonghyeon felt awkward.
Nevertheless, Jonghyeon pulled himself together. In his heart, he wanted to smash the banquet and everything else, but conversely, there was no better stage to make an impression on others.
“First. I have done nothing at all. To put it plainly, Chairman Lee is under a delusion all by himself. What could a mere Hunter have done?”
At Jonghyeon’s words, a slight chuckle erupted from the audience. The opening pace was quite good.
“Well, I… Until recently, I was treated like a criminal, yet unintentionally, I ended up like this.”
Laughter burst here and there at Jonghyeon’s words, and even Chairman Lee beside him was smiling.
“Well. Anyway, it’s my first time at an event like this, so I honestly don’t know what I should do. I see a few familiar faces here, but… I won’t mention them. Client confidentiality is paramount. After I ended up like this, some people completely cut off contact with me, but I am still a solver. So feel free to entrust requests to me without any burden. I’m a bit busy these days, but I’ll at least give you priority.”
The crowd was all smiles, but Jonghyeon saw those who were clearly forcing bitter smiles the moment he mentioned seeing familiar faces. Thinking of them being on pins and needles, Jonghyeon felt quite pleased.
‘Aah. So tormenting others was this amusing. I shouldn’t make a habit of it.’
“Anyway, I am a Hunter, and I don’t think I’m someone who can say anything helpful to you all at an event like this. I will simply do my best as a solver, and since the protagonist here is Chairman Lee, I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the banquet. That’s all from me.”
Jonghyeon had not said anything particularly great. And if someone didn’t know Jonghyeon, they would clearly pass off his words as mere jokes nine times out of ten.
But those who knew Jonghyeon’s true value—especially those who had previously bossed him around indiscriminately—had clearly twisted expressions. Of course, they were veterans at events like this as well. They would never maintain that expression for long.
Nevertheless, the fact that their moods were soured enough for Jonghyeon to catch that look meant his intention had worked exactly as planned. Jonghyeon knew dozens of problems that could become social scandals. Keeping one’s mouth shut was fine, but harboring hostility toward him was quite troublesome.
Jonghyeon had expressed that meaning simply through his speech.
Before long, Chairman Lee returned to the table where Jonghyeon and Bori were.
“Your speech was quite impressive. Does that apply to me as well?”
Chairman Lee was also one of Jonghyeon’s major clients. Of course, he hadn’t had Jonghyeon commit murder, but it was true that Jonghyeon held quite a few of Chairman Lee’s secrets.
“Well. You always just probe me and then handle everything yourself, so why do you ask?”
Recalling that he had been put on the podium, Jonghyeon answered bluntly.
“Hehe. Look here. Still, you need to be able to say a word at events like this for your enemies to dwindle. There aren’t many who can make use of me. Yet given such an opportunity, are you going to just nag me like that?”
In fact, Chairman Lee was right. Although it was a banquet held in Korea, quite a few dignitaries from around the world were gathered. A sharp person would have immediately caught on to what Jonghyeon had expressed here.
Chairman Lee had willingly offered such an opportunity. And its meaning was not simple, either. It was precisely because Chairman Lee regarded Jonghyeon as being in a position almost equal to his own.
Of course, Bori was still too innocent to understand their conversation, and the two started chatting again with sly smiles.
The banquet concluded as it was, and Jonghyeon had teatime once more in Chairman Lee’s reception room.
“Bori begged me so much to serve you another cup of tea.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t had a chance to see the Chairman lately anyway, so it’s good to see you like this after a long time.”
In the reception room sat Jonghyeon, Bori, and Chairman Lee.
Chairman Lee deliberately asked Bori,
“Bori. So, has your skill improved lately?”
Bori immediately began to boast to her father just as any daughter would proudly show off her grades, while Jonghyeon quietly sipped his tea and smiled.
“So. Do you have any intention of joining the A-rank dungeon clearing team?”
A sudden question. But he had expected it to some extent.
“As you might have expected, that team is something I pushed for. With a newly discovered A-rank dungeon in Korea, I pushed for it strongly. A few good-for-nothing fellows seem to have barely set foot in A-rank with guilds overseas. That can’t be considered cleared in Korea. Officially it’s the state doing it, but in the end, I’m the one who pushed for it.”
Jonghyeon said he would think about it a little more, and Chairman Lee nodded as if he had nothing more to ask.
That was because the Jonghyeon Chairman Lee saw was pure, but also one of the best at weighing profit and loss.
Chairman Lee’s intention was simple as well. Though it was a state undertaking, everyone who mattered would eventually know that Chairman Lee was behind it. The intangible benefits that would bring—not only would his own authority rise, but he would also be able to wield influence within the state in practice.
After about an hour of small talk, Jonghyeon said his goodbyes and stepped outside to go home.
And Bori followed him out, saying she would see him off.
“It’s cold, why don’t you just go inside? Why did you follow me out?”
“Come on, you’re my teacher, so of course I should see you off.”
Bori smiled unnecessarily and said, and Jonghyeon got in his car and waved his hand.
“Yeah, you worked hard today too. Wear that dress more often. Don’t come to my house looking like a bandit every day.”
At Jonghyeon’s joke, Bori puffed out her cheeks, but soon she was waving at Jonghyeon as he departed.
After returning home and parking his car, as Jonghyeon stepped into the yard, snow began to fall upon his shoulders, as if to prove that true winter had finally arrived.
Jonghyeon looked up at the snow falling from the sky for the first time and stood there briefly, and the sensation of the snow touching him felt unexpectedly quite warm.
---------= Author's Afterword =---------
???: Jonghyeon did that by himself. Who did you take after to turn out like this?