Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Rewards and Changes (3)
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Suhyun figured it was for the best. He was the team leader now, in a position to give orders to Lee So-hee. Even if he issued incomprehensible commands related to the Black Bear later on, she would surely understand to some extent.
After hearing all the explanations related to Lee So-hee, Suhyun stepped outside. The easiest way to help the team members adjust to this change was, of course, through work. Once they tackled missions together, anyone who wasn't an idiot would adapt on their own.
Uncle Jo Company currently had no scheduled jobs, but Suhyun sensed that something would come up soon.
Redwood Forest.
If the Jindo clan was eyeing it, there had to be a good reason. And on Cameron Planet, places like that were always at the center of incidents.
‘It’s not going to pass without something happening.’
No matter how it unfolded, an incident was bound to erupt. The key was gathering information and preparing for it. Jo Seung-hyun could handle the negotiations and intel gathering. Suhyun didn’t know the details, but his connections seemed substantial.
“Ah. Hello?”
* * *
“Well, it’s nice to see you again like this. How’ve you been?”
“Of course, I’ve been well. Glad to see you’ve been doing fine too, Team Leader. Everyone else is okay as well, right?”
“Those guys... what have they even done? It’s all the same as what you pulled off. Isn’t it?”
“Haha. What are you talking about...”
Two men, each with their own ulterior motives, met at a café. Choi Jae-ho had made the first contact. He had no reason not to. Originally, he’d planned to approach only Kim Chang-sik, not Suhyun, but seeing Suhyun’s abilities had changed his mind.
‘An outstanding sniper with healing powers. Way more valuable than Kim Chang-sik—several times over.’
At first, he’d thought Suhyun was just some nobody full of bravado, but now he realized that wasn’t the case. Suhyun really had something solid to back it up. It was unbelievable that he hadn’t bragged about his abilities everywhere.
‘Family motto or whatever...’
What a ridiculous excuse. Thinking that Suhyun had caused all that chaos alone because of it made his face burn.
“Let’s order something first. Can’t just sit here empty-handed.”
“Ah, you’re treating?”
“With my income, how could I not cover this? After all you’ve done for us, it’s only right. Honestly, even this feels a bit insufficient...”
“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
Suhyun walked to the counter and spoke up.
“Green tea Frappuccino, grande size. Add one extra shot, lots of hazelnut syrup, heavy chocolate drizzle, half the java chips ground and half whole on top. Four pumps of powder, light ice. Oh, and swap the whipped cream for espresso.”
“...??”
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Choi Jae-ho stared in disbelief at Suhyun, who looked like he’d order a plain Americano but rattled off an elaborate order instead.
Suhyun didn’t have many hobbies. A special forces operative worked more days than he had off, leaving little room for them. Foodie pursuits were one of the few he enjoyed.
“Ah. So, about that talk from last time.”
Slurp—
Suhyun blinked expectantly as he sipped through the straw. The attitude irked Choi Jae-ho for some reason. Sure, he was the one in a position to grovel to Suhyun right now, but he wasn’t used to this kind of treatment.
He was always the one making the offers. He’d scouted talent before, but the Jindo name provided a solid backing, and even rookies being scouted respected that.
Yet Suhyun was treating him like some peddler.
“Don’t you remember the offer?”
“What offer was that...?”
‘This punk.’
“I said it’d be a waste to leave talent like you there, and that I’d find a way!”
He hadn’t said it quite that directly. He’d kept it vague for plausible deniability, but there was no need to nitpick now that he was making the pitch. What was good for both was good.
“Ah, did you find a way?”
“Of course. Got approval from the top. If you join our company, I promise top-tier treatment. How much are you making there now? Salary...”
“We don’t get a salary.”
“?!”
Choi Jae-ho realized his mistake. Small outfits sometimes split incoming funds that way.
“My bad, I assumed. Isn’t it better to get steady pay and work comfortably instead of that unstable split? And even if they split it, I doubt they can offer more than us.”
“Well, yeah, but I’m not particularly greedy for money...”
“Th-then what do you want?”
“A position.”
Choi Jae-ho chuckled inwardly. Some mercenaries prioritized cash above all, but others like Suhyun craved rank. It was an expected demand.
“No worries there. I can promise you a team leader spot.”
“A team leader position?!”
Suhyun exclaimed in apparent shock. Choi Jae-ho nodded as if it were only natural. The Jindo team leader role wasn’t for just anyone.
“Surprised, huh? I get it. That’s how highly we value you. Uncle Jo Company isn’t bad. But looking to the future, where do you think you can bloom your talents better? Talent matters, but so does the backing. A solid one that’ll push you hard!”
“But which team’s leader?”
“Huh?”
“Which team in the company matters.”
“Well, it’d be for a new team...”
No matter how impressive a healer, they wouldn’t oust an existing team leader for him.
Forget importance—even attempting it would spark internal fights. Everyone would fear getting axed anytime, even without fault.
Suhyun feigned disappointment, letting the offer cool.
“Eh, doesn’t that make it the lowest in the pecking order?”
“No, what did you expect—top spot? Those have leaders already!”
“I was confident I could outperform them.”
“......”
Choi Jae-ho barely swallowed his curses.
“By the way, Uncle Jo Company offered me the 1st Team Leader position.”
“What??”
Choi Jae-ho was stunned momentarily but quickly recovered. Uncle Jo Company only had one team!
“What’s ‘1st Team’ mean with just one team?!”
“The ‘1’ is what counts. Top, flagship, that kind of thing.”
‘He’s a healer, maybe a top sniper... but he’s clearly nuts.’
Choi Jae-ho shook his head.
“Think it over. Being 1st Team Leader there is nothing compared to leading our 10th Team. To be frank, since no one else is around, our 10th Team is bigger than your single ‘1st Team.’”
“Hmm. My dad always said better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox...”
‘What kind of family is yours?’
“1st Team Leader is impossible, right?”
“...Obviously.”
Choi Jae-ho admired his own maturity in dealing with this brat. Wow, I didn’t know I had this much patience.
“Then I’ll just take the thought kindly.”
“Do that...”
Scouting a healer was tempting, but if it was this megalomaniac, better to pass early. If he brought him in and trouble followed, the blame would fall on him too.
Seeing Choi Jae-ho give up cleanly, Suhyun smiled inwardly and stood. He had no clue what had just happened. He couldn’t imagine Suhyun had pried Redwood Forest intel from him.
‘He’ll freak when he finds out later.’
Jo Seung-hyun was probably requesting Redwood Forest info right now, so no word yet.
“Then, see you next time.”
Choi Jae-ho just nodded curtly instead of replying. No need to play nice after the deal soured.
‘Should’ve scheduled sooner if I knew.’
He had more fish to fry. Suhyun, the sniper-healer, was prime, but the Calcutta expert was tempting too. Choi Jae-ho contacted Kim Chang-sik.
* * *
“You’re scouting me?”
“No need to be modest. I’ve seen enough of your skills.”
“?”
Kim Chang-sik tilted his head, puzzled. Suhyun getting scouted made sense—he was impressive, superpowers and all. He didn’t know why he’d hidden it, but the guy was an oddball, so whatever. Plenty of mercs kept quiet about themselves.
But why him? Kim Chang-sik wasn’t dumb. He knew his own skills. He had confidence in combat, but a company like Jindo would have hordes of his level.
‘What’s the angle?’
‘Why’s he so guarded?’
Choi Jae-ho couldn’t fathom it. Suhyun was quirky enough to reject, but Kim Chang-sik’s experience should make him grasp the offer’s value.
“Here’s the detailed proposal. Take a look...”
“Nah, I’m good.”
“?!”
Never had the Jindo name felt so meaningless. Choi Jae-ho gawked at him, incredulous.
“You might change your mind if you read it?”
“Sure, your terms are better than ours. But I owe the boss a lot. Feels wrong to jump ship for better pay. And headhunting like this? Sure, everyone does it, but a big company poaching from a startup like that—how’s the little guy supposed to survive?”
“......”
“Then I’ll be off.”
Kim Chang-sik stood briskly and left, inwardly regretting it.
‘Damn, that stings!’
He’d rejected for loyalty, but human nature made it bittersweet. Whatever the reason, signing would’ve guaranteed top treatment. Good thing he didn’t read it—regret would’ve been worse.