Episode 29. Just Like a Drama.
Songdo International City, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon.
Blank.
Man Saseong had arrived here an hour ago after receiving a certain phone call.
The place that contacted him was none other than,
“The Hunter Association…?”
He had no idea why the Hunter Association had called him here separately.
All he felt was anxiety.
Is it true that you become more timid as you age?
Unexpected events like this aren’t good for the heart.
‘Why did they call me here, anyway? Did I unknowingly commit a crime? Or maybe… could it be that the Thunder Emperor was displeased with something? Hmm.’
Recently, a series of unfortunate events had piled up, making it hard for Man Saseong to see anything in a positive light.
Anyway, he decided to brace himself for whatever might come.
Even if you’re dragged into a tiger’s den, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
But then,
“What… what is this?”
Staring at the two keys placed in his hand, Man Saseong was dumbfounded. The middle-aged man facing him smiled broadly.
“One is the key to the top-floor apartment with the best view in this complex, and the other is the key to the car you see behind me.”
Instinctively, Man Saseong looked up at the top floor of the apartment and then at the luxury van in front of him.
This was known as the most luxurious apartment complex in Incheon, famed for its excellent view. It seemed to face south, promising a beautiful sunrise.
And that van, capable of seating up to eight people, was known for its excellent ride quality—a car he had always wanted but had to give up on due to circumstances.
Wow. Riding that with the guild members would be amazing… Oh, wait, that’s not the point.
“Why are you giving me these things…?”
“Oh, and there’s more.”
The middle-aged man continued coolly.
“You no longer need to pay the office rent. We acquired it yesterday. You can use it for free from now on.”
“What?”
“To be honest, we wanted to set you up in a place as splendid as this apartment, but someone insisted they liked the current office, so we had no choice. And lastly.”
What? There’s more?
Man Saseong felt like he was dreaming.
“It’s about Jiho.”
“Ah, yes.”
Man Jiho.
The name of Man Saseong’s beloved son, whom he cherished more than anything.
“You no longer need to worry about Jiho’s treatment.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“You know that a specialized hospital dealing with Gate-related diseases, including Jiho’s illness, is being built in Suwon with the largest scale and facilities in Asia, right?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard.”
Of course, he had heard.
He always sought out and memorized information related to his son’s illness.
As Man Saseong answered with a trembling voice, the man continued.
“It’s already completed and will open in a month. Jiho will receive treatment there. Of course, all treatment costs and additional expenses will be covered by us.”
“Re-really?”
“Yes.”
“No, how… I’m sorry… No, thank you…”
Man Saseong couldn’t form proper words.
Overwhelmed with emotion, his voice trembled, and tears welled up uncontrollably.
He kept wiping them away, trying to say something, but it wasn’t easy.
While the previous stories were astonishing and bewildering, hearing about his son brought tears to his eyes.
How many nights had he and his wife spent in tears, worrying about their son?
But now, they said he could finally receive proper treatment.
Though the disease was still difficult to cure, the mere possibility of a higher chance was enough for Man Saseong to feel grateful.
How happy would his wife be when she heard this?
A day that felt suffocating now seemed entirely different. Wasn’t this magic?
With his head bowed, wiping away the tears that kept coming, Man Saseong finally looked up. His face had turned red.
“But who are you…?”
Apart from the call from the association, Man Saseong had been receiving things without knowing who the man in front of him was. Who was he, really? He seemed familiar, but…
He was too overwhelmed to remember where he had seen him.
“Oh, I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Park Daehan, the president of the Korea Hunter Association.”
“Wh-what? The president?”
Ah.
He suddenly remembered seeing him on the news.
No wonder he looked familiar.
He never imagined meeting the president here.
He felt like he was meeting someone too important for him.
Was it even appropriate to be standing here talking like this?
“Um, but…”
Man Saseong cautiously looked at Park Daehan.
“Why are you doing all this for me? I haven’t done anything to deserve this.”
He was curious.
The only reason he could think of was the Thunder Emperor.
But he hadn’t done anything for him.
If anything, he had received from him.
During the Gate Change, the Thunder Emperor had saved everyone who entered the Gate, including himself and Ki Seungho. Only he and Ki Seungho knew about it.
Yet, he didn’t boast or care that no one knew.
If it were an ordinary person, they would have been itching to tell everyone they saved so many lives, but perhaps that’s what made him one of the 12 Apostles who saved humanity.
And later, when they were troubled by unknown interference from the Scorpion Guild, it was Tae Ihyun who stepped in to resolve the issue.
In this way, he and the Harmony Guild had received much from the Thunder Emperor without giving anything in return.
Receiving all this made Man Saseong feel burdened.
He felt like an ungrateful person.
But then,
“You’re saving the country, didn’t you know?”
“Me?”
“Of course.”
Park Daehan smiled broadly.
Half-joking, but also half-serious.
What did he mean?
Tae Ihyun’s return, which might have been a one-time event, continued because of the Harmony Guild.
He wasn’t sure what exactly appealed to him, but he could tell they were good people.
If it weren’t for them, Tae Ihyun might have quickly finished his research and retired again.
That was the most dreadful scenario Park Daehan could imagine.
Yet, the Tae Ihyun, who only worked solo and shunned guilds, voluntarily joined a guild and started taking care of its affairs?
Park Daehan realized it wasn’t just for research.
Ultimately, the reason Tae Ihyun didn’t retire and remained as the Thunder Emperor was largely due to the Harmony Guild.
So, from Park Daehan’s perspective, Man Saseong was practically saving the country in real-time.
Of course, not all the money came from the association.
The amount of money generated from the tasks the association requested from Tae Ihyun was enormous.
Even the incident where Tae Ihyun dealt with a giant monster in Denmark Copenhagen had a huge bounty from Denmark when they initially requested global support.
The request was made by Park Daehan to Tae Ihyun, but neither the association nor Park Daehan was greedy enough to take all the money. The association took only 10%, and the rest belonged to Tae Ihyun.
But every time, Tae Ihyun found it bothersome to receive the money and requested it quarterly, so his money kept accumulating in the association.
He couldn’t understand why it was bothersome when the deposits were made automatically, but anyway, the time had finally come to use the money that had been sitting in the association. Of course, it was at Tae Ihyun’s request.
“This is my business card.”
Park Daehan handed over a card, which Man Saseong received cautiously.
“Feel free to contact me if you ever face any difficulties. Don’t hesitate.”
“Oh. Yes.”
Don’t hesitate? No matter how he said it, how could a C-rank guild leader casually contact the president of the Korea Hunter Association unless he was out of his mind?
Man Saseong nodded vaguely.
He couldn’t exactly say no.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Yes. Take care. And, thank you!”
Park Daehan smiled as he got into the car.
The car soon departed.
Man Saseong could only stare blankly at the car as it drove away.
Too many things had happened at once.
“…Haha.”
Looking back slightly, Park Daehan chuckled at the sight of Man Saseong.
Woo Doyoung, who was driving, also wore a warm smile.
But then,
“Wow! Haha. Secretary Woo, how did I do? Huh? Was it like a drama?”
“Sorry? A drama?”
“You know, like the magic club thing.”
“Oh.”
“Wow! I’ve always wanted to try something like this. Haha. It’s nice to do this with someone else’s money. Haha!”
“…”
Watching the overly excited Park Daehan, Secretary Woo couldn’t help but shake his head.
He felt a bit regretful for briefly thinking their president was cool.
Was it just his imagination, or was he becoming more childish?
The wave of emotion that had been creeping up vanished in less than a second.
Give me back my emotions.