Chapter 36 : A Trick of Fate. (6)
Chapter 36: A Trick of Fate. (6)
Kkalkki spread both hands and chattered nonstop.
“Today as well, to the great, revered, beloved, and respected…….”
Everyone sat with their trays in front of them, listening intently to Kkalkki’s words.
Each of them swallowed hard, but no one dared lift their spoon carelessly.
What in the world was this supposed to be?
Ever since I became president, this had become a kind of service creed we shouted before eating.
“……with grateful hearts to our president, who has great abilities, a great personality, and a handsome face.”
Now it was all finished.
The final highlight was—
“All together!”
As Kkalkki shouted the lead,
“Thank you for the meal! President!”
“Thank you for the meal! President!”
“Thank you for the meal! President!”
The foreign workers shouted the refrain.
The Fourth Factory workers, including Park Chang-seong, snickered.
“Wow. Someone might think this is a North Korean leader’s dining table.”
“Doesn’t it feel like it’s getting longer every time?”
“Well, so what. It’s fun.”
As soon as Kkalkki’s long speech ended, everyone rushed to eat.
The main menu was mixed-grain rice and curry.
In addition, squid tempura, bulgogi, kimchi, salad, and soybean paste stew generously filled with tofu were piled onto the trays.
For those who didn’t like rice, seafood jajangmyeon was also prepared as a side menu.
Compared to the previous meals, it was luxurious enough to put a five-star hotel to shame.
Rebuilding the cafeteria itself was realistically impossible in terms of cost.
Instead, I changed the meal service company.
The previous company had been run by the former president’s relative.
‘They must have been skimming money left and right, which was why they kept serving nothing but frozen pork cutlets.’
I tried to kick them out, but the resistance was no joke.
“What? How can you suddenly do this! Just because the president changed, you’re telling us to leave? We’re not leaving!”
They talked about suing, reporting to the labor office, violating contract clauses.
They dug in their heels with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
Honestly, moments like this were awkward.
No matter how much of a hero of justice I was,
I couldn’t exactly pull a purple mask over my head and mercilessly beat down the corrupt president’s relatives over something like this.
I was now, unmistakably, the president of a small-to-medium enterprise.
For a company representative to step in personally and get blood on his hands(?) would be like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.
So what did I do?
‘There’s no choice but to use the last resort.’
I headed to the Seventh Factory.
“What? If something like that happened, you should’ve told me earlier!”
“Yeah. Just don’t go too hard on them.”
“Got it. Leave it to me!”
Formerly of the Bombardment Gang.
Currently, the Yeong-cheol Guardian Squad.
Ki Yeong-cheol and his subordinates stepped in.
“Hey, ma’am. Did you line your belly with steel plates or something?”
“We decided to retire and live nice, but I guess that won’t work. Wanna see us dance with knives again?”
“Y-you think being a gang means you can do anything?! I’m not leaving! Let’s do this by the law!”
“Heh, the law?”
Ki Yeong-cheol slid his finger across a kitchen shelf piled with filthy food scraps.
“Oh my. Look at this dust. You can tell bacteria must be crawling all over.”
The frozen pork cutlets that had practically been the workers’ staple food were stacked high on grimy trays,
and the frying oil had been reused so many times it had turned a murky blackish color.
The plastic cutting boards were covered in dark blue mold.
When he nudged a bag of food waste on the floor with his foot, cockroaches crawled out.
“Eek! Boss! Let’s just report this as a food sanitation violation.”
“That might be better, huh? Oh? Isn’t that your car over there, ma’am? Man, why does it look like it’s going up in flames to me?”
“Aaah! My car!! You bastards!!”
Which was worse?
A restaurant with atrocious hygiene that skimmed money,
or Ki Yeong-cheol, who threatened and chased them out?
What an interesting world.
“You’ll leave, right?! I’ll leave, so please stop!”
In the end, thanks to the Yeong-cheol Guardian Squad’s efforts, the restaurant owner who had been squatting stubbornly finally raised the white flag.
Ki Yeong-cheol said to me,
“Hey. President Choi. I heard you bought the entire Fourth Factory? Let’s get along from now on. I quit being a gang member, but we’re the Guardian Squad protecting this place. If anything comes up, just leave it to us.”
And so, peace arrived.
I snapped out of my thoughts and slowly looked around.
“Man! This meal tastes great! The rice is perfectly fluffy.”
“Look at the sheen on this squid. Now this is real tempura!”
“These days, I only wait for lunchtime.”
“I even like working overtime. I can take care of dinner here.”
The tables where the foreign workers gathered were noisy too.
“Hey, Uzbek! Don’t stuff yourself with so much bulgogi.”
“What’re you saying! Two bowls more!”
No one sat hunched over their phone like before.
Everyone smiled brightly, chatting and enjoying their lunch break.
Once one of the essentials of food, clothing, and shelter was taken care of, workers’ rights and productivity rose.
And that wasn’t all.
The cafeteria ingredients used agricultural and marine products produced nearby.
“Wow. Thanks to you, President Choi, the local economy’s really coming alive.”
“Thank you so much, President Choi.”
A small flap of wings revived the Ilsan commercial district and opened a path of coexistence.
“Ugh. That was a good meal.”
“Let’s go smoke one.”
“No thanks. I’m gonna take a nap.”
Just as lunchtime ended and everyone was about to disperse for their breaks,
I called everyone together.
“Please gather for a moment.”
The Fourth Factory employees gathered in front of the cafeteria.
“Boss. Climb up here.”
Kkalkki brought over a shelf from somewhere and placed it in front of me.
“Thanks.”
I climbed up and looked down at everyone.
Various multinational races looked up at me with vacant, blank eyes.
“Raise your hand if you’re a high school graduate.”
Hands went up here and there.
Perhaps because fewer people didn’t raise their hands, attention turned toward them.
“Oh. Mr. Kim. You went to college?”
“No. I only finished elementary school.”
“Puhahaha! What a thing to brag about!”
“Who’s bragging! My dad didn’t send me to school—what was I supposed to do?”
Among those gathered at the Ilsan Hunter Industrial Complex, few had gone through a proper educational course.
Kkalkki was also a prodigy, but because of unfortunate family circumstances, hadn’t he given up his dreams and come to Korea?
I continued speaking.
“Nice to meet you all. I’m also a high school graduate.”
Solely to earn money.
To support my family, I drifted from one part-time job to another before entering a factory.
After that, this place became my lifelong workplace.
“What do you all do after work?”
At my sudden question, they stared at one another blankly, then chipped in one by one.
“What else? I go to the lottery shop with Professor Jang and hit some sports toto.”
“I go home, drink alone, then pass out.”
“I don’t really do anything either. When payday comes, I go to a hostess bar.”
I was the same.
Without dreams or hope.
Working like a machine, dragging my exhausted body home, staring at books before falling asleep—that was my daily routine.
“Good. Whatever you do after work is your freedom. But.”
I met each employee’s eyes in turn.
“If you want to move in a better direction, I will help you.”
“Help us? How?”
“If you’re thinking of attending a night college, I’ll cover the tuition.”
For now, everyone still looked indifferent.
Why wouldn’t they?
None of them had ever been connected to studying.
And there was probably no one who wanted to be connected to it in the future either.
This was why motivation mattered.
“If you safely graduate from college, I’ll give you a bonus.”
At that point, the eyes of the high school students out on practical training sparkled.
But the uncles over fifty just kept puffing on their cigarettes.
At that age, people don’t change easily.
Their hardened brains don’t work very well either.
In that case—
“If you obtain hunter equipment–related certifications, I’ll raise your annual salary. Depending on the difficulty and the number of certifications you hold, your monthly pay will increase even more.”
One of the uncles stubbed out his cigarette.
“Yong-gi, no—President Choi! Is that really true?”
“Of course. I never lie when it comes to factory work.”
I delivered the final clincher.
“If you hold a certain number of certifications, I’ll promote you as well. Depending on the final results, I’ll even consider distributing company shares.”
There is no guarantee that working hard in life will necessarily lead to success.
However, at the very least, for those under my umbrella, I wanted them to be rewarded for their efforts.
If individual achievements were acknowledged, responsibilities would increase as well.
And the entire Fourth Factory could develop.
“As I said before. This factory isn’t mine alone. Let’s all grow together and move forward.”
The moment I finished speaking, someone clapped—smack!
Then thunderous applause poured out.
“Wow! I should sign up for an academy right away.”
“Night school? College? Where is that? Tell me.”
“Starting today, I’m studying for Hunter Technical Engineer Level 1. Nobody stop me!”
The heated fervor swelled up.
Of course, I didn’t know how long this passion would last.
Human willpower wasn’t all that reliable.
Still, it didn’t matter.
If even just a few of them succeeded, a new wind would surely blow.
When I stepped down from the platform, Kkalkki approached me.
“Boss. Can I go to college too?”
Kkalkki had a strong thirst for learning and always yearned to acquire new knowledge.
He was smart as well, and his Korean proficiency was the best among the foreign workers.
I lightly patted his back.
“Of course.”
“Hehe. I got it, boss! Thank you!”
Kkalkki walked away, whistling and wiggling his hips.
Just like that, lunchtime ended, and the afternoon work began.
I met Park Chang-seong.
“I’ll go attend a guild interview.”
“Alright. Yong-gi. Be careful.”
Now that I had completed hunter association registration, it was time to join a guild.
Hunter registration was mandatory, but guild registration was not.
Whether one acted alone as an awakener,
or moved as a group as a guild member—that was a personal choice.
However, guilds would never leave a hunter with outstanding ability alone.
Guild members would often trail after high-ranked hunters, encouraging them to join.
But my expected rank was F. Not even just F, but F-.
Awakeners with low expected ranks like me didn’t even get a glance.
Since they were bound to be dead weight, even insignificant guilds hesitated to accept F-rank hunters.
Park Chang-seong asked,
“But Yong-gi. What’s your expected rank?”
“F-.”
“Ah…… really?”
He smiled awkwardly.
His expression showed he didn’t know what kind of reaction to give.
“Which guild are you joining? I don’t think you said it properly last time.”
Wiping sweat away, Park Chang-seong gulped down water.
“The Dio Guild.”
“Puhak!”
He spat out his water, eyes wide.
“W-what? Why, why there of all places? Why would you go into a den of trash like that!”
He was right.
A trash guild that gathered all kinds of riffraff.
That was where I was going.
“Does it really have to be there?”
“Yes.”
“……Alright. I’m sure you’ve thought it through. If you’re going, at least pass.”
“Yes. I’ll be back.”
I took a taxi and arrived in front of the Dio Guild headquarters.
A massive building standing tall on Gangnam Boulevard glittered as it reflected the sunlight.
‘It feels new.’
On a day when rain had poured down like a deluge.
I had come here to eliminate Go Ju-hoon.
Back then, I had been wearing a mask and a suit.
But not today.
I had come here not as the ‘Purple Devil,’ but as ‘Choi Yong-gi.’
As I entered, the place bustled with people.
“Please line up here. After filling out the documents, attach your name tag and go up to the fifth floor.”
When it was my turn, I received a name tag.
On it, clear letters were stamped like a brand.
< Choi Yong-gi : F- >
To print the expected rank this big.
It was bitter, but this was reality.
Most guilds recruited hunters during fixed periods.
The minimum requirement demanded of applicants was generally an expected rank of D or higher.
On top of that, if one possessed special talents, preferential treatment was applied.
In other words, an F-rank hunter like me had been unqualified from the start.
That was right.
There had been circumstances behind why I applied to the Dio Guild.
‘There’s nowhere else I can apply except the Dio Guild.’
Only Dio recruited hunters regardless of rank or criminal record.
‘That’s why every dog and cow ends up gathering there.’
There were two reasons I deliberately wanted to join a guild.
First, high-quality data.
Villain movements, real-time gate reports, monster appearance locations, and so on.
To obtain high-level information that was difficult to uncover alone, joining a guild was essential.
Second……
“Fuck. Aren’t you gonna move? You’re blocking the way and pulling this shit.”
A voice came from behind me.
When I turned my head, I saw a familiar face.
“H-hiiik!”
It was the bulky guy with the crew cut I had met at the Hunter Association before.
“Hello!”
He bowed his head to me at a full ninety degrees.
“You came too?”
“Yes. Hyung, what brings you here…….”
I pointed at my name tag.
“I came to apply.”
“Ah…… yes. I see.”
“But how old are you, calling me hyung all the time?”
“I’m twenty-one this year.”
“…….”
I might barely believe it even if he said he was thirty-one.
The bulky guy glanced around nervously, then continued.
“Hyung. By any chance, could you tell me roughly what your talent is? Ever since that day, I’ve been so curious I couldn’t stand it. Just to me…….”
“Wanna die?”
“N-no! I’m sorry! Let’s go. Move! You idiots!”
He shouted at the top of his lungs and cleared the path ahead.
I got on the elevator together with the applicants.
The bulky guy and I stood side by side, watching the floor numbers climb steadily.
“But why did you come to the Dio Guild?”
“Ah, well…… I got into trouble when I was young. I went to juvenile detention after a group fight.”
I could tell.
As expected, there wasn’t a single normal guy in the Dio Guild.
It was truly the problem child of the guild world, where every riffraff and nobody applied.
As I talked with the bulky guy, a question suddenly came to mind.
“What about the military?”
I had enlisted around this time too.
After I enlisted, Grandmother passed away, and my family fell apart.
He smiled faintly.
“My expected rank is B, isn’t it? I’m planning to really reach B-rank soon.”
When a hunter’s rank reached B or higher, several privileges followed—one of them being military exemption.
With monsters popping out almost daily, locking skilled hunters inside the military was a serious waste of manpower.
If someone awakened during service, the moment B-rank or higher was confirmed, they could be released from military status.
Because of that, if you received an expected rank of B or B-, everyone went all-out to raise their rank.
There were two ways to raise a hunter rank.
Either accumulate achievements and climb one step at a time on paper,
or earn an outstanding merit that drew nationwide attention in South Korea and jump two stages at once.
The second reason I came to the Dio Guild.
To build achievements and officially rise from F-rank to B-rank.
‘And properly skip the military while I’m at it.’
Ding.
With a cheerful sound, the elevator doors opened.
Outside the elevator, a massive banquet hall welcomed us.
Brilliant chandeliers glittered from the high ceiling.
A red carpet was laid underfoot, soft as if stepping on grass.
As we followed the guidance, I saw someone standing on a podium far ahead.
While the applicants found their places, the man who had been silently observing opened his mouth.
“Welcome to the Dio Guild. I am the interviewer for this examination.”
He moved briefly to the side of the podium, bowed, then continued speaking.
“I’m quite interested in fortune reading. Isn’t meeting all of you also the law of heaven? Now then, don’t just stand there—come forward.”
The law of heaven, huh.
I stopped Seo Gwang-pal’s atrocities.
I dealt with the Twins.
I killed Go Ju-hoon.
Right now, I was standing at the very base where the source of all that had occurred.
If all of this was fate—
“I’ll gladly accept it.”
The bulky guy beside me tilted his head.
“Huh? Hyung, what did you say?”
“Shut up and follow.”
“Yes, sir.”
I straightened my crooked name tag and blended in among the many applicants.