Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Actions from the Past (1)
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Luiril's expression fell. Seeing that, Kim Chang-sik clicked his tongue. Suhyun, who had never imagined receiving a look of pity from a guy like Kim Chang-sik in his life, stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you crazy?"
"Ah, no, it's just that Team Leader knows things that are truly impossible, so why don't you see the obvious solution right in front of you?"
"Cut the nonsense. If you're done with your work, go do some training. Have you been doing your superpower training lately?"
"What's the point of mine..."
Suhyun's eyes flashed, and Kim Chang-sik's mouth snapped shut.
"It'll be useful! I'll go do it."
As Kim Chang-sik scurried off, Luiril hesitated for a moment before speaking up again.
"I really think we could pull it off."
"No, it's fine. It's not that I don't trust you—there's just no need for it. I'm not in a disadvantaged position here; I'm negotiating from a position of strength, so why risk it? Ushankai might be a bit of a pushover, but he's not a complete idiot. And there'll be some tough guys around him. No need to put ourselves in danger if it's not necessary."
"You're worried about me?"
"Yeah. If it was something we needed, I'd make you do it even if you hated it, right? No need to go looking for extra trouble. You've more than earned your keep just by bringing this."
Luiril's face brightened. Her drooping ears perked up, and her usual confident arrogance returned to her expression. Suhyun immediately added,
"That doesn't mean you can go stealing whatever you want again."
"I wasn't thinking that! Anyway, if I don't go, will you invite me?"
"Either invite you or have you attend... one or the other. It's an official event, so they won't try anything shady behind the scenes. You can relax and go."
"Can I really go too?"
Suhyun's eyes narrowed.
"I just told you not to steal anything..."
"I won't steal!"
"Then do whatever. Having you there with me shouldn't be a problem."
She'd expected him to refuse because it'd be awkward or draw too much attention, but Suhyun surprisingly agreed without hesitation. Stunned, Luiril asked,
"Really? No take-backs?"
"The attention will be on me anyway. Having you there might even divert some of it."
If he attended the event, Suhyun wouldn't be going as some lowly Korean aide—that kind of disguise wouldn't fool anyone. Most people would recognize his face.
He'd go as a mage, of course, and it'd draw all kinds of stares. If Luiril was by his side, it might draw some eyes away from him, even if just a little.
Other races were still objects of fascination and curiosity, and regardless of her personality, Luiril was a beauty on the outside. Plus, an elf hanging around with Suhyun? People's curiosity would definitely spike.
"You calculator bastard."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
"Oh, right, there was something I wanted to ask you."
"What? What is it? Ask away."
Luiril perked up immediately.
"There's Lee So-hee. How good is she at handling teleportation?"
"..."
Of course, Suhyun had a reason for asking. Teleportation was one of the rarest and trickiest superpowers. There were plenty of reports of people who had just awakened struggling to control it properly.
In fact, Lee So-hee couldn't handle teleportation well yet, which was why Suhyun had forbidden her from using it on this mission. Using it without mastery was basically suicide.
'Two teleportation users would make things so much easier.'
But Luiril's expression darkened. Pouting, she replied,
"She's the worst. Teleportation requires quickly grasping coordinates on the move and maintaining balance when you arrive. But Lee So-hee is slow at pinpointing coordinates and can't keep her balance after shifting. She's got a long way to go before she's proficient!"
"Yeah?"
"?"
Luiril tilted her head at Suhyun's milder reaction than expected. She'd thought he'd be more upset.
'Doesn't matter? As long as she knows I'm better?'
"I didn't realize you had such a precise read on her. You're more observant than I thought."
"Huh? What?"
"Then I'll leave it to you. Train Lee So-hee on teleportation. It's so rare we couldn't find an instructor even if we wanted one. Perfect timing."
Suhyun patted Luiril's shoulder and walked out. Left trapped in her own words, Luiril stammered in bewilderment.
"B-but, I, I'm not confident teaching!"
"From the way you just broke it down, you are. You've got the talent."
Chasing after Suhyun down the hall, Luiril tried desperately to wriggle out. But Suhyun didn't budge.
"Do your best."
"..."
Left alone, Luiril let out a deep, heavy sigh.
She didn't dislike Lee So-hee. She was just tricky to deal with. If you divided up the people inside Uncle Jo Company, there were the toughest nut—Suhyun—the aloof other races who kept to themselves, then the squad members who fawned over the elf like she was a dream, and ones like Lee So-hee who treated her with serious, professional courtesy.
'Ugh, I hate this so much... Kim Suhyun doesn't even get jokes. It's like he wouldn't bleed if you stabbed him with a needle...'
But what could she do? She'd dug her own grave. With slumped shoulders, Luiril dragged her feet onward.
* * *
"Flawless execution—no excess, nothing wasted. I'm truly impressed. It's thanks to people like Team Leader Kim Suhyun that our Development Planning Bureau—no, our citizens—can live in peace in Pyongyang..."
Suhyun glanced impassively at his watch.
"Got an appointment?"
"No. Just curious how long you could drag out pointless flattery."
"..."
The director bowed his head deeply. Suhyun chuckled and said,
"It's not like praise hurts. But whether I hear it or not won't change what I do, right? Let's save time and get to the point. Choi Jae-ho mentioned you were leaving the evaluation to me?"
"What? That guy... He asked me to keep it secret."
Choi Jae-ho had evaluations dumped on him out of nowhere again.
"No, I picked up on it and pressed him. I get you didn't want to burden me, but why me specifically?"
"Then who else?"
The director asked with genuine curiosity.
"We had people like Choi Jae-ho for that, didn't we?"
"With Kim Suhyun around, handing it to someone like Choi Jae-ho feels... off. He's got a lot of slip-ups. Especially when it comes to judging people. I do have ears."
The director pointed to his ear and whispered.
'Choi Jae-ho. How the hell did it come to this?'
Before meeting Suhyun, he'd been praised for his ghostly intuition on people. Now, who knew how far he'd fall?
"Just give it to him next time. He's decent enough at it."
"Hmm... If Team Leader Kim Suhyun says so..."
But the director's expression remained uneasy, despite his words.
'Trust the idiot who handed a superpower user to another company?'
"So, what'd you think of this batch?"
"None of them impressed me."
The director gave an embarrassed smile at Suhyun's bluntness.
"I figured they'd fall short in your eyes."
"Forget my standards—they're just plain bad."
The director wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
"Can't be helped. We need to fill the gaps from the Dragon Slayer Project fast, so we have to push rookies even if they're lacking. Were they really all unusable?"
"If I had to pick one out of the three, Kim Joo-young's the best."
"And after?"
"Why rank them like this? Next is Lee Dan-seong. And the absolute worst is Goo San."
"Hmm..."
The bureau's internal rankings were the total opposite. Goo San, a solid superpower user from Omega, was top-rated, followed by the quick-thinking Lee Dan-seong, with hesitant Kim Joo-young at the bottom.
"May I ask why?"
"Superpower combat strength? Unless it's top-tier, it doesn't mean much—ignore that. Kim Joo-young's the most cowardly."
"...?"
"The most scared one lives the longest. Same in missions."
"Uh... Wouldn't being too cowardly be a problem?"
"If it's just cowardice, sure. You need some boldness too—which is why I said all three are tough to use? I only picked one by force..."
"Ah, no. Please, go on."
"Lee Dan-seong's smart and cautious enough, but he overthinks petty stuff. Fine for solo growth, but scheming on government ops? That's a headache waiting to happen."
"...And Goo San?"
"His superpower's decent, but he's fearless and arrogant. Fine if he screws up alone and dies, but team ops? He drags everyone down. Perfect recipe for disaster."
"Hmm... Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
"Rebuilding a government direct team?"
"Who knows. Honestly, not sure if it'll work out in this climate."
The director sighed, looking troubled.
"It's not flattery—Kim Suhyun's the only one I can trust."
"Finding talent's hard enough. Government-friendly talent? Even harder."
The director gave a bitter smile at Suhyun's pointed words.
"Korea's talent pool is too small. Russia, China, America—they're all on a base of 100 million. Superpowers pour out like magic fountains there, but not here. And Colonel Lee Jung-young's pushing to collar our superpowers... Even worse, some assemblymen agree."
"Citizens might buy it. Especially after monster attacks."
"Just pandering for votes. Dirty bastards. They stir shit up and walk away clean, but we handle the fallout! You think superpowers will sit still with collars? They'll bolt to America... Even without pushing, good ones get scouted there. Headache city!"
"Can't be helped. That's a free democracy for you."
The director's head drooped. He spoke slowly.
"But you didn't leave, Team Leader."
"Me? I love this country so much..."
"..."
"...Nah, I'd rather play baduk here than be a pawn in America."
Blunt as it was, the director didn't condemn him. Suhyun had the position to say it.
"Team Leader Kim Suhyun. If you want to play baduk, you need something."
"Keeping guys like Lee Jung-young from shaking the board?"
"...You really get it."
Suhyun extended his hand. Understanding, the director clasped it. Suhyun could be terrifyingly unpredictable at times, but allies like him were doubly reassuring.
"I'll cooperate fully on Lee Jung-young. You can count on the bureau."
"Reassuring."
Having the director hold firm against radicals like Lee Jung-young was vital for Suhyun too. He couldn't let some loach thrash around in the pond he'd stocked.
"By the way, Director. What I mentioned—is it ready?"
"Ah, that. Yes. There's a fitting spot. Modest, but international, so inviting or attending won't be hard. Just, Team Leader, it's official, so..."
"I know. No killing or anything there. Just talking."
"Starting a huge fuss just to talk is rare, but if it's only talk, fine. I'll contact you when it's set."
Suhyun nodded casually and asked,
"So, what's the event?"
"It's probably an international linguistics conference... Oh, and our presentation ties into you."