Chapter Title: Who the Hell Is He?
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"Good work."
"Good work? We didn't get a damn thing out of it."
Park Daehan slumped into his chair as he replied to his secretary, U Do-young, having just returned from the meeting.
He was an A-Rank hunter himself, after all.
It shouldn't have been this exhausting—just one meeting.
But fatigue didn't always come from physical strain.
It meant the mental stress from today's meeting had been immense.
"What's left on the schedule?"
Park Daehan gazed at his secretary with a thoroughly drained expression.
"You have a meeting with Scorpion Guild afterward."
"...Sigh, right."
"If you're too tired, should I cancel it?"
"No. It's starting soon anyway—can't do that. Proceed as planned."
He desperately wanted to cancel, but Scorpion Guild was one of the top ten guilds in the country.
Even if their reputation was spotty, guilds that got along amicably with the association were few and far between. Maintaining closer ties with as many top guilds as possible was the smart move.
"But, President, their demands are way over the line. If we give in to all of them, the other guilds will raise hell."
"That part... I'll try to negotiate it down when we meet."
"..."
From their attitude at the last meeting, they wouldn't budge an inch on their proposals.
But U didn't press further.
Above all, his boss's exhausted face was plain to see.
It had been a year and a half since he'd started serving Park Daehan after the previous secretary retired, and lately, his boss looked especially worn out. No need to pile on more stress.
"...Understood."
That was when it happened.
Ding!
U's phone rang.
"Huh? What's going on? ...What? Send someone like that packing. Why even ask me? No, whether he's some convenience store owner's son or whatever, just kick him out, got it?"
U answered with a hint of irritation and promptly hung up.
"Hm? What was that?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Another visitor?"
Hunters with hot tempers barging in to vent their complaints and demand "Get me someone in charge!" wasn't a rare occurrence. He could guess from the snippet he'd overheard.
"Yes. Just the usual."
"Jeez... By the way, convenience store son? What the hell does that mean?"
"He said if you relay that message, you'd know who he is. Haha. All kinds of weirdos out there. Apparently, he claimed you'd recognize the name if he said 'son of Tae Jongdae Convenience Store.'"
"Ha. Ridiculous. Now even convenience store brats are coming to see me? This is insane. Haha, ha..."
Suddenly, Park Daehan's laughter cut off sharply.
"...Wait. What did you just say? What convenience store?"
"Pardon?"
"What did you say just now!"
"Uh, it was Tae Jongdae Convenience Store."
Tae. Jong. Dae. Convenience. Store.
...Hm?
"Ack! Aaaah!"
Park Daehan's eyes bulged like he was having a seizure, his voice rising uncontrollably.
"Grab him!"
"Pardon?"
"N-no, wait! R-right now! Call downstairs immediately and tell them to hold him—er, escort him properly! Got it?"
"What..."
"No, scratch that. I need to go down myself right now!"
"P-President!"
"This can't be happening! Uwaaaah!"
Before U could even respond, Park Daehan bolted barefoot from the room.
U could only stare blankly after him.
No way... the son of Tae Jongdae Convenience Store... who the hell is he?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
A Rolls-Royce cruising down the road.
Two luxury vehicles trailed closely behind in formation.
"When do you think they'll finally accept our offer?"
A man with dark skin, massive build, and the flashiest suit imaginable leaned back in the rear seat, asking leisurely.
"Probably today. They'll bow their heads and take the deal."
The skinny, shady-looking man in the front passenger seat replied.
"President Park Daehan's in a tough spot both domestically and internationally right now. At a time when he could use any ally he can get, a major top guild like ours extends a hand first—how could he refuse? He's about to cave."
"Excellent."
The hulking man in the flashy suit—Scorpion Guild Master Jo Jinnam—flashed a satisfied smile.
"Then it won't be long before Scorpion Guild cracks the top five in Korea. Heh heh."
How long he had yearned for this.
To climb this far, he and Scorpion Guild hadn't shied away from any dirty deed.
They'd crushed and absorbed countless small and large guilds to bulk up.
Using every filthy trick and loophole in the book...
After years of that, Scorpion Guild had become one of Korea's top ten behemoths.
But he wasn't satisfied with that.
His goal was to devour Korea and bend it to his will.
And along with that, amass enough wealth and fame to bask in glory forever.
Of course, there were untouchable realms.
The immovable top guilds—and their masters—that had dominated for decades or even just a few years, exuding an aura no one could challenge.
The Four Great Guilds.
Jo Jinnam had learned bone-deep from one incident long ago that he lived in a different world from them.
But,
Just keep those monsters out of it, and no one can stand against us.
That was all it took.
And today, that reality felt tantalizingly close.
Yes, it was just a matter of time.
Greed flickered in Jo Jinnam's eyes.
Screech!
His car pulled up at the destination before he knew it.
"We're here, Boss. Time to get out."
Hmm.
Jo Jinnam stepped out.
He slowly looked up at the Korea Hunter Association headquarters.
Always an impressive building.
"Let's go."
Yes, sir!
They looked less like hunters and more like gangsters.
Striding into the association building like extras from an old crime movie poster.
But then,
"I told you, no way."
"No, they said upstairs has no idea who you are."
He spotted someone arguing in the lobby.
"Come on, just ask one more time. Please?"
The security guard clutched his throbbing head and repeated himself.
"Look, I asked just in case, and I got chewed out for it. Anyway, you're done—please leave."
"Man, that old guy's useless. He acted like he'd give me his liver and all before."
"I don't care what you're saying. Keep pushing, and I'll have to get physical."
Hah.
A chuckle escaped Jo Jinnam.
"What is this, some flea market?"
"Troublemakers like that pop up everywhere, Boss. Ignore 'em."
That was when it happened.
Ding!
The elevator doors opened in the first-floor lobby—the direct top-floor express reserved for the president only.
Someone came barreling out.
Face frantic and desperate.
And it was a face he knew well.
Following right after, U Do-young, the president's right-hand man, emerged from the elevator.
Sneer.
A smile laced with greed and satisfaction spread across Scorpion Guild Master Jo Jinnam's face.
He was looking right at them, face flushed with shock and delight.
If this weren't the lobby, he might've even bowed.
Looks like the deputy guild master was right—they really were desperate.
Seeing that, Jo figured today's negotiations would yield a haul.
Thud thud thud!
The president charged toward them at full speed.
Jo raised his hand in greeting and extended it toward the approaching Park Daehan.
"Well, well! How'd you know I arrived and come rushing down barefoot like this? Kahaha! Starting off this strong, I'm already pumped for today's meeti—"
But,
Whoosh!
Park Daehan blew right past without a glance, as if they were irrelevant.
And soon, his eyes locked on a certain convenience store son—and the security guard trying to muscle him out.
"Stoooop! Waaaait!"
Park Daehan shrieked at the top of his lungs without realizing it.
The burly security guard holding Tae Ihyeon up turned his head.
There stood Park Daehan, face beet-red and panting.
"A-Association President."
"You—you—you! P-put him down. That, that hand—let go!"
Park Daehan pointed a trembling finger at the guard's hand gripping Tae Ihyeon.
"Pardon?"
"That hand! That filthy claw!"
No need to go that far.
"Ah. Yes, sir."
Tae Ihyeon dusted off his clothes after escaping the guard's grasp.
"..."
"Ahaha... Well, well, if it isn't you. H-how've you been?"
Tae Ihyeon—the not-so-convenience-store son—glared back with clear annoyance at Park Daehan's forced smile and greeting.
"Eh, I've been fine enough. Right up until I was about to get kicked to the curb."
"My apologies. Never dreamed you'd drop by like this. And I think I gave you my direct line."
"Lost it. Figured I'd never need it again."
"..."
Isn't that basically saying he threw it away?
"Ahem, ahem! W-well, whatever brings you here, why don't we head up and talk?"
"Sure. Got any of those? Throat's parched."
"Oh, that? Of course, of course. Your favorite drink—my office fridge is always stocked."
"No expired stuff."
"Don't worry about that. Hahaha!"
Soon, Park Daehan boarded the direct VIP elevator to his office with Tae Ihyeon.
And the deference was beyond polite—practically obsequious.
Once Park Daehan vanished with just Tae Ihyeon in tow,
Silence.
The lobby fell quiet, like the aftermath of a storm.
What...
Scorpion Guild Master Jo Jinnam and his crew looked even more stunned.
Jo, snapping out of his daze, turned to U.
"H-hey, Secretary U. Who the hell is that guy for the president to make such a fuss?"
"W-well..."
U's eventual response:
"Said he's some convenience store owner's son."
"...What?"
But U, Scorpion Guild, and even the security staff were equally baffled by the scene.
Who the hell really was that convenience store kid?
...Did he run up a tab or something?