Negotiating with the Association President
We took the elevator to the seventh floor and headed for the Association President's office.
The seventh floor was silent. Doors and frosted windows lined the corridor in every direction, but there wasn't a soul behind any of them.
We walked the hushed hallway all the way to the door, where a woman who was clearly the Association President was already waiting to receive us.
Her hair had gone naturally gray with age and was styled in soft waves. She carried the kind of poise and elegance that only years could confer, but she looked utterly exhausted — like one of those worn-out office workers you see on the subway during the morning crush.
"Thank you so sincerely for making the trip. I am Bae Ok-jeong, President of the Hunter Association's Seoul Gangseo Branch."
The Association President bowed her head the instant we stopped walking. I was about to tell her to raise it when Se-a stepped in front of me.
"You're a middle manager at the end of the day, aren't you, Madam President? So why isn't anyone else here?"
"Th-that's... the responsibility for this incident is entirely..."
"Don't even start with that nonsense about taking all the blame yourself."
Se-a cut her off sharp from the very first exchange. I hadn't expected her to come out this hard against someone she'd never even met. It caught me completely off guard.
"GOD maintenance falls under the Dungeon Management Agency, not the Association President. Isn't that right?"
"Th-that's correct."
The Association President stammered, clearly struck where it hurt. Se-a let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Haa... Let's go inside and talk."
The Association President finally lifted her head, apologized once more, and opened the door behind her.
I almost told Se-a to ease up a little as we stepped inside, then thought better of it. It wasn't the proper way to treat an elder — but this wasn't a social call. We were here as the victims, facing the person responsible.
"So where's the person actually in charge?"
Se-a asked the moment we sat down across the table from her.
"It really is just me."
"Ha!"
Se-a let out a short, incredulous laugh at the Association President giving her the exact same answer as before.
"Does the Dungeon Management Agency have nothing to say about this? Do you honestly expect us to believe that?"
"I'm sorry. There was nothing I could do."
All the Association President seemed capable of was bowing her head. But bowing wasn't going to fix any of this.
"If this gets out, you'll be fired."
Se-a said it plainly.
"But do you really think the public will believe this was your fault?"
"That's..."
The Association President couldn't finish the sentence. She already knew. It was a pathetic excuse, and she knew it.
A dog raised for the sole purpose of being thrown away. That was her position, and it was exactly what the entire country would conclude the moment this incident came to light.
"Well, I'm not part of your organization, so it's none of my concern."
"P-please, if you could just not make this public..."
For the Association, that was the worst possible outcome, and they would do anything to prevent it. Se-a watched her for a moment, then laced her fingers together on the table.
"The truth is, if we just keep our mouths shut, this all goes away nicely, doesn't it?"
"Th-that's right?"
The Association President looked thoroughly thrown by the sudden change in direction. I couldn't follow it either. We hadn't discussed any of this beforehand, so I had no idea what Se-a was planning.
"We have a few demands. Listen carefully, then go have a nice long talk with the people above you."
The smile Se-a wore as she said it was deeply, unpleasantly sly. I had never seen that look on her face before.
"P-please wait just a moment!"
The Association President shot up from her seat and hurried to her desk, returning with a laptop that she set on the table.
She's going to write everything down, then.
Her entire future was on the line. Of course she was desperate. If this went wrong, she wouldn't simply lose her job. The life of one of only four Grade 1 men in the entire country of Korea had been put in danger. Even if she was just the designated fall girl, her prospects after this would be pitch black.
"May I begin?"
Se-a asked once she confirmed the Association President was ready.
"Yes! Please go ahead."
"First..."
From that point on, it was Se-a's show. She laid out her points as if she'd prepared them in advance, every argument clean and organized.
First: protective measures for me. The Association would shield me from any contact by other Associations or guilds.
That had been our biggest concern from the start — every interested party in the country coming after a man who was both an S-class recovery-type awakener and a Grade 1 male. The plan was to have the Hunter Association itself step in and keep them off me. I had turned out to be a defense-type rather than a recovery-type, but since I could still heal, it didn't change much. If anything, being able to defend as well only made me more valuable.
"Second is protection from villains."
Unlike the first demand, this one meant protection from physical attacks — assaults, kidnappings, and the like. It wasn't a constant guard detail the way an Escort Officer would provide. It was a guarantee of support if something actually happened, closer to a rapid-response measure than a bodyguard.
"And third: in exchange for registering as a Hunter, complete exemption from every obligation that comes with it."
"That's..."
The Association President's face tightened at the last demand.
Even if I registered as a Hunter, there weren't many obligations a man actually had to carry. Entering a dungeon a set number of times each month, mostly. There were a few other clauses that applied to men and women alike, but none of them were particularly demanding or restrictive. Se-a wanted all of them waived.
The truth was, if I simply remained an awakener and never became a Hunter, I'd be free of those obligations anyway — but then the first and second demands would become much harder to apply. This was the Hunter Association, not the Awakener Association.
"And it's not a bad deal for the Association either, is it? You're not going to sit there and tell me you don't know what a man named Dan-woo is worth."
"O-of course not!"
In essence, it was a flesh-for-bone trade. We'd lend them my name; they'd provide material support in return.
"Th-the third clause, however, presents a problem of fairness. If word of this got out, the other male Hunters would..."
"Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose it can't be helped."
Se-a accepted it so readily that the Association President's face actually started to relax.
"How generous of you — deciding that tanking your Association's reputation is a hundred times better than letting our Dan-woo take the hit. You've got a good eye."
The Association President's face went from pale to paper-white. Se-a leaned in close and whispered.
"You still don't seem to understand the position you're in. This is the last chance we're offering you."
The instant Se-a finished speaking, the Association President bowed her head to the table.
"I-I'm sorry! I was a fool!"
"Then you'll accept the terms?"
"Of course!"
The conversation with the Association President, which I'd expected to drag on forever, was over almost as soon as it began.
"Wasn't that a little much?"
We'd made it back to the parking lot in the shopping district and were driving home. I asked her about what had happened in the Association President's office.
"That's because you don't know anything, Dan-woo. Do you have any idea how vicious that snake is? She's so far gone she's trying to leech off a man?"
Se-a shook her head in disgust.
"Leech off a man? Her?"
At least to my eyes, she hadn't looked like that kind of person.
"Hm? Oh — you haven't figured it out yet? I'm not talking about the Association President. I mean the Director of the Dungeon Management Agency."
Why was she bringing that person up all of a sudden? We hadn't even met her today.
"She was eavesdropping on our conversation and feeding the Association President instructions. With her awakening ability."
"Seriously?"
I hadn't had the faintest idea. I never would have guessed someone was doing that.
"You're too naive, Dan-woo. You have no idea how ugly women get once they've had a taste of power."
"Alright, I was careless this time. But how was I supposed to know that?"
"Exactly. Which is why from now on, you're going to listen to your noona. Got it?"
"When have I ever not listened to you?"
The way she said it made it sound like I never did what I was told. I'd listened to everything except during the dungeon break.
"At times like this, you just say, 'Got it, noona.' That's all you have to do."
She pinched my cheek lightly between her thumb and forefinger as she said it.
"Don't wanna."
I snapped my head to the right. She must have found that funny, because a small laugh slipped out of her.
"Are you sulking?"
"I'm not sulking."
"You are, though."
"I said I'm not."
She kept asking if I was sulking. The hand that had been stroking my hair slid down, kneading my ear, then crept along my collarbone.
"You are so sulking!"
"I'm not! I told you I'm not!"
She stroked my collarbone and my shoulder in turn until the light turned green and she had to take her hand back. She clicked her tongue, looking thoroughly disappointed.
"What are you so disappointed about? You're going to pet me all you want once we get home."
"That's different!"
She was throwing a tantrum like a child, and it was so cute I reached over and stroked her hair myself. I was careful about it, sweeping my fingers down the back of her head so I wouldn't interfere with her driving.
"Heh... hehe..."
"Feel good?"
"Obviously?"
The loose, blissful smile on her lips made me want to kiss her, but I held back. She was driving, for one thing — and even if we'd been at home, I had a feeling that once I started, she wouldn't be able to stop. I wanted to take it easy today, just like the healer at the Association had told me to.
"Are you staying over tonight?"
"Yeah. I'm worried about you, and we haven't even talked in three days."
"Just so you know in advance — we're not doing it today."
Sorry if she'd been looking forward to it, but I was genuinely exhausted.
"W-we're not! Who do you take me for, some kind of pervert?"
"Oh? You weren't? I had no idea."
"You...!"
Her brows shot together. I gave the nape of her neck a light squeeze, then stroked her collarbone the same way she had mine. Her shoulders jumped like it tickled, and I pulled my hand back in a hurry — it looked like it might actually be dangerous.
"Why'd you stop? Keep going..."
"No. You need to focus on the road. I'll do it until you're sick of it once we get home, so just hold on."
The way she pouted was almost painfully cute.
We pulled up to the villa, parked, and went inside. The house I hadn't seen in three days hadn't changed at all.
"Come here, Dan-woo!"
Se-a sat on the couch and patted her lap. I was in the middle of pouring myself a glass of water from the fridge, and I gave her a look of pure disbelief.
"Am I a dog? You think I'll just come because you said so?"
"Then why are you walking over here...?"
I stopped in front of her. She was grinning up at me with a face full of mischief, looking puzzled — probably wondering why I'd stopped.
"I'm going to take a shower first. Wait here."
"Huh? Why!"
She started to get up, and I pressed her shoulders back down onto the couch.
"I've been lying in a bed for three days. I feel disgusting. Our Se-a is a good girl, right? You're going to sit still for me."
I met those round eyes looking up at me and stroked her hair. She scrunched up her nose.
"What? You don't like that?"
"I don't."
"Why not?"
"I like how Dan-woo smells. Just come here!"
I stepped back as she tried to pull me into her arms.
"Even if you're fine with it, I'm not. I feel grimy."
"You do nooot!"
Apparently she'd decided reasoning wasn't going to work, because now she was throwing a full tantrum on the couch.
"Want to shower together, then?"
"Huh? Yes! Absolutely yes!"
Whatever happened to the childlike act from two seconds ago. Her eyes lit up and locked onto me in an instant. If I told her I'd been joking now, I was fairly certain I'd get jumped.
"F-fine. We'll wash together. Do you have a change of clothes?"
I followed the direction she pointed and found a bag sitting next to the TV stand. She'd packed clothes in there, apparently.
When did she even bring that over?
I had to hand it to her. The woman's preparedness was terrifying.
"Shall we, then?"
"Noona will wash you nice and clean. Every last inch of you. All of Dan-woo."
She wrapped her arms around me from behind and started sliding her hands down toward my lower half. I swatted them away.
At this rate, I wasn't sure we were going to make it through an actual shower.