Chapter 311
When I said I would come in the morning, didn’t Haekyung say something about that too?
'Well, I’m sure there’s something to talk about.'
In fact, Seok Jiwon had created something to talk about in the meantime as well. I calmly sent a reply.
I’ll come after I eat.
The conversation between Seok Jiwon and Do Yehyun had somehow already cut off. When I put down my phone and turned my gaze back toward the two of them, Seok Jiwon cleared their throat briefly.
“It’s good to get along. Uh, right?”
What the hell were they talking about?
I nodded, roughly pretending to agree with Seok Jiwon’s words, then asked Do Yehyun,
“Yehyun, are you going to a Dungeon this afternoon?”
“I’m going out on one support run.”
“Yeah.”
Even after joining Haeseong, Do Yehyun had continued going out on support. Haeseong did say it had enough healers, but healers who could casually enter high-rank Dungeons were definitely rare. After hearing Do Yehyun’s answer, Seok Jiwon hurriedly began praising him, as if they had found an opportunity to change the subject.
“You’re really diligent too. I like that our team is this diligent. When a Dungeon opens, we secure it faster than anyone else. Hunter Seo, do you have plans this afternoon?”
“I have something to tell the Guild Master.”
“Oh....”
“Yes.”
“Uh, that’s important.”
Only belatedly remembering that Im Haekyung managed an image, I added,
“For work.”
“Uh.... I wasn’t thinking anything else?”
This bastard had absolutely been thinking something else. Seok Jiwon briefly turned their gaze away to eat again, then instantly shoveled down all the plain rice and opened their mouth.
“Our Guild Master is still the best person. Before Haeseong, I went through one guild after another, and there’s no place as good as ours.”
Well, that was obvious, since Haeseong was Korea’s number one guild.
'It’s funny for someone to say after joining the best place themself.'
Seok Jiwon continued speaking on their own.
“When I was at other guilds before, even if I ran Dungeons all day, I couldn’t take any Dungeon byproducts, and the guild took all the money too. Yeah, there wasn’t any artifact support either, but Haeseong does all of that. The Guild Master also takes a lot of interest in the guild members. There are this many guild members, but the Guild Master memorizes all their names, you know? Incredibly smart too.”
The more I listened, the more ridiculous it became.
“And even if there’s a cold-headed side when things are dangerous, fundamentally, the Guild Master is affectionate and warm, right? Honestly, I thought everything in the media was a lie. Image management? That kind of thing. But after working together nearby, I realized it. The Guild Master’s true nature really is very good.”
Who exactly were they praising?
Maybe Do Yehyun had finished eating, because as he sat there looking down at his plate, his focus gradually began to drift.
After that, Seok Jiwon finished praising Im Haekyung in a variety of ways while telling all kinds of stories, then cleared their throat.
“Anyway, I want our Guild Master to do well.”
“The Guild Master is already doing well.”
“Even better than now!”
“Then how well does the Guild Master have to do....”
Were they saying a statue needed to be built or something?
I played along with my superior’s bullshit.
“I think the Guild Master will appear in biographies of great people around the year 2126.”
“I hope the Guild Master sees that.”
“......?”
At that, I could not even get a sense of how long they wanted Haekyung to live.
Then Seok Jiwon spoke to Do Yehyun, who was looking at the remaining food on his plate with his focus so warped it seemed like he might start seeing through it.
“Yehyun, what do you think about the Guild Master?”
Do Yehyun, who was still staring blankly at his plate, answered a beat late.
“I... don’t think about the Guild Master.”
“.......”
“.......”
Do Yehyun slowly raised his head, blinked his large eyes, and looked straight at Seok Jiwon.
“Think...? I don’t think about the Guild Master.”
“Uh.... You don’t have to think about the Guild Master. It’s not like people absolutely have to think. You can live without thinking!”
“Yes...? I do think.”
“Huh?”
“I live while thinking, but I just don’t think about the Guild Master.... Aren’t you supposed to live while thinking?”
“If you’re human... you should live while thinking.”
What was this, a conversation between idiots?
I cut off Seok Jiwon’s words at a suitable point.
“Don’t make Yehyun do difficult things.”
“.......”
Now Seok Jiwon also began staring at their plate with a strange look.
'It’s quiet.'
In the peaceful atmosphere, I calmly finished my meal, then left the two of them behind and got up first. Just then, Seok Jiwon suddenly lifted their head as if remembering something.
“Ah, right. I was thinking of taking Yehyun to the training too. That was another thing I came to talk about, but I forgot because I was saying weird things. Yehyun, do you want to go too? It’s a government-hosted event that gathers awakened people. You heard what we said earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“Since the two of you transferred from another guild, and public interest is focused on you, I think that in the long term, even if we have to endure some criticism, it would be better to use this opportunity to firmly appeal to the public as Haeseong Hunters. Of course, it depends on your choice, so if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. I’m not forcing you.”
After saying that, Seok Jiwon lightly patted Do Yehyun’s shoulder with a kind smile that really made them look like a good person.
“Then think it over carefully, and if you decide, based on your own judgment, that it’s all right to go, tell me by tomorrow... no. Today is Thursday, so you can tell me by next Monday.”
At that, Do Yehyun immediately stared blankly at me. I answered familiarly.
“Let’s go together.”
“Yes.”
“.......”
“I’ll participate.”
Seok Jiwon slowly lowered the hand from Do Yehyun’s shoulder and muttered with an expression that had turned strange again.
“Based on your own judgment.... Yeah, well, if it’s good, it’s good.”
As soon as Seok Jiwon returned the plate to the tray-return area, they hurried away as if something urgent had come up.
I stopped by the cafe inside the building, bought coffee for Do Yehyun and sent him off with it in hand, then bought two separate cups and headed to Im Haekyung’s office.
After knocking, I opened the door right away. Inside, I saw Im Haekyung and a Hunter carrying out secretary duties.
“...Yes. Gayeong, please look over the rest and handle it on your own.”
“Yes, understood. I will... report back to you later.”
The secretary, who kept glancing at me, answered in a composed voice, then lightly bowed and left the office. Even after the door clicked shut, Im Haekyung’s gaze continued following me. I struck first before Haekyung could say anything.
“I knocked.”
“Mr. Jehyun, why do you think knocking was invented? You knock, and when I tell you to come in, that’s when you come in. Do you think knocking is some warning light you press once before entering?”
I had roughly thought of it as that kind of performance.
I placed both cups of coffee on Im Haekyung’s table and asked,
“Which one do you want?”
“How are they different?”
“There were two types of beans, so I got one of each. This one is... just regular beans, and this one has some kind of fruit scent?”
I saw Haekyung’s hand smoothly take the regular beans. Taking a sip of the remaining coffee, I immediately brought up the topic.
“I heard about participating in the event.”
“Ah... that. Yes, I think it would be good for you to go with us, Mr. Jehyun. As Jiwon judged, even if there’s a little noise, it would be good to use this chance to establish your position as a Haeseong Hunter.”
“Yes.”
When I answered obediently, Im Haekyung’s gaze narrowed.
“Even if {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} you go, try not to talk as much as possible.”
“Why?”
“In this world, dozens of articles come out even when someone says something correct. But you say incorrect things, Mr. Jehyun.”
“I’ll answer well.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Then that was unfortunate.
Im Haekyung watched me quietly, then brought up something else.
“I thought about what you said, Mr. Jehyun.”
“Which thing?”
“What you said about trapping Mr. Taehan inside a Dungeon. Are you still communicating with Jin Haedo?”
It was still going splendidly. I was not going every week, but at least once every two weeks, or at longest once every three weeks, I was still doing the work of counseling believers interested in the Church of Heavenly Decree. Maybe because I answered realistically, strangely enough, the number of believers looking for me increased every time.
'Fuck, that cult den.'
Instead of answering right away, I examined Im Haekyung’s expression.
“That’s something I’d like to ask you, rather.”
“I’m not communicating with him. I’m simply monitoring his movements.”
“Then you should already know whether I’m interacting with him or not.”
“I can’t know exactly what you’re plotting. It’s not as if I’ve... opened up your head, Mr. Jehyun.”
Im Haekyung dragged out the end of the sentence in a strange place.
As if Haekyung could very well have opened it, but had generously chosen not to.
“I once received a report that you impersonated me at a Church of Heavenly Decree establishment, Guild Master.”
“.......”
“I’m the one who can’t know exactly what you’re plotting. Of course, I think I can predict the intention. As a result, you planted distrust in the captain of the Special Response Team, who had been on friendly terms with me, and secured eyewitness accounts and testimony that I was a believer of the Church of Heavenly Decree, so you could use it as a keyword for blackmail too.”
“I won’t use that.”
However, Im Haekyung answered as if it was nothing. Since the answer was firmer than I expected, I tilted my head slightly. Im Haekyung continued in a calm voice.
“At the time, I had less certainty than I do now. I needed one more reason to tie you down, Mr. Jehyun.”
“So it was for blackmail.”
“Are you upset?”
As if.
“No.”
When I replied without hesitation, Im Haekyung’s gaze lingered on me for quite a long time.
Im Haekyung added calmly,
“Now, in any case, we have the same goal, so there’s no need. For the same reason, I also won’t particularly restrain your independent actions, Mr. Jehyun.”
As Haekyung said, that was true. There was no need to get worked up over something from the past anymore. Even if I did not see all the cards Im Haekyung had laid out, I could roughly see the intention behind them.
Instead of answering Haekyung’s words, I returned to the thing I had originally meant to say.
“I want to monitor Kwon Taehan’s personal movements.”
“I’ll attach people to him and have them gather information.”
“Yes.”
I needed to check whether Im Haekyung’s information-gathering ability was better than Joo Seowon’s. Of course, this side would not move directly and would probably have people do it instead.
“Is there anything else you want?”
“Not particularly right now.”
“...I didn’t release all of your Mental Suppression, Mr. Jehyun. You can feel that too, can’t you?”
That would be true. What I had seen was, at most, the deleted rounds. And the things before Kwon Taehan began his Regression. After that, there should be at least four more rounds, and at most, as much story as the original work.
“Yes.”
“I can’t release it immediately. Your mind could be completely crushed, Mr. Jehyun.”
“I’ll wait a little longer, then.”
At my words, Im Haekyung nodded, then seemed to remember something and began with an ah.
“Mr. Jehyun. I don’t know whether you know this yourself, but are you aware that you have resistance to mental-type Skills?”
Was this referring to Mental Strength? Well, I had thought Haekyung would see through a resistance Skill of that level quickly. It was an S-rank Skill, after all. Of course, because of my awakened rank, I could not properly use such a good Skill.
'That’s actually a relief.'
If I had resistance to all of Im Haekyung’s Skills, then Haekyung would not be able to apply those Skills to me.
I answered Im Haekyung’s words lightly.
“I know.”
“You really do have only unusual Skills, Mr. Jehyun.”
“I suppose so.”
“Have you ever thought about what standard determines what Skills appear? Their categories are different. Fire-type, mental-type, ice-type... and there’s a healer too.”
“Isn’t it random?”
Was there some standard to that?
At my question, Im Haekyung looked steadily at me and smiled.
“It’s still a hypothesis.”
“.......”
Just how far was Im Haekyung thinking?
I looked at Haekyung in fascination, then lightly gripped the empty coffee cup in my hand.
“Then I’ll be going.”
I had asked everything I needed to ask, and I had conveyed the main point, so there was no reason to stay any longer. Instead of telling me to go, Im Haekyung called me just as I was about to move.
“Mr. Jehyun.”
“Yes.”
Was there still something left?
When I turned back and faced Haekyung, the faint smile had already vanished from Im Haekyung’s face.
After a brief silence, Im Haekyung opened the mouth.
“Guild Master Song has woken up.”
“.......”
“I heard not long ago too. I thought you might be curious, Mr. Jehyun.”
I had not expected this.
Then what happened to the original work? To be honest, for me, it was not a welcome variable. It was lower in priority, but only bothersome.
Maybe Haekyung had brought it up simply to tell me the news, because after that, Im Haekyung stayed quiet. I examined Haekyung calmly, then asked,
“Are you going to see her?”
“At least once?”
“Should I go with you?”
Would Song Hwayoung get angry if I met her after transferring to Haeseong?
Im Haekyung did not particularly answer my words. I waited for Haekyung’s silence for a very short moment, then corrected myself.
“Let’s go together.”
Im Haekyung sat on the edge of the desk, stared straight at me, and raised the corner of the mouth.
“Later.”
“Yes.”
With that answer as the last thing, I left Haekyung’s office.