A Fool's Gambit
A week passed.
Naturally,
my grandparents did not return to the real world.
Since they hadn't entered the tower through the Hunter Administration Office, they were most likely classified as missing persons.
A fitting end for people who had driven their own child into the tower, wouldn't you say?
"..."
It wasn't like I felt particularly relieved or anything.
I just felt like I had done what needed to be done.
There was no room for guilt.
If they had been less greedy, if they had truly thought of me as family, or if they had felt even a shred of remorse, they wouldn't have made that choice.
In the end, their own greed had led them into the tower.
If they had even a sliver of a conscience, they wouldn't have sought me out in the first place, let alone demanded my wealth as if it were theirs to claim.
Instead, they chose to shamelessly leech off the grandson they had abandoned, just as they had done to their own children.
Well... I suppose I should thank them for letting me know how my parents died.
Though I had always turned a blind eye to it, deep down, I must have wanted to know why my parents left me.
Now I knew. They hadn't abandoned me.
On the contrary, they had entered the tower to secure a future with me.
Knowing the truth felt as if a heavy boulder had been lifted from my chest.
And...
"Sangjin, the thing I asked for..."
"Yes, Hunter-nim. I have prepared it here."
A neatly organized file sat on the desk. What I had asked Do Sangjin to investigate was none other than my grandparents' recent movements.
Wasn't it all over? Yes, it was. But at the same time, it was also just the beginning.
Had they really found me on their own? No, there was no way.
They had probably forgotten I even existed. They wouldn't have remembered my name, my age, or anything about me.
To them, the grandson they abandoned twenty years ago was hardly of any importance.
Yet, they miraculously recognized me on TV at first glance?
No matter how much thicker blood is than water, that was practically impossible. As I said, they would have forgotten my very existence.
Then how did they manage to approach me?
There's definitely someone behind this.
Someone who investigated me, dug up my grandparents, and pointed them in my direction to shake me up.
Tap.
The answer to who that was would be inside this file.
Rustle. I flipped open the folder.
"Ha..."
Sure enough, a familiar name caught my eye.
Subject: Han Myeongjin
Han Myeongjin, Team Leader of the GR Guild. Or rather, now that the GR Guild was ruined, should I just call him Han Myeongjin?
So the GR Group abandoned Han Myeongjin too.
It was only natural. Since Go Juhee had bridged the Typhoon Guild and the GR Group, the GR Guild was now nothing but an empty shell.
From what I heard, they only had two or three C- and D-rank hunters left.
Even they were only staying because of their contract terms, and C- or D-rank hunters couldn't even dream of participating in major raids.
With the GR Guild ruined like that, Han Myeongjin, who had staked everything on it, was left like a kite with its string cut.
Well... he could try to scrape by and make a comeback within the GR Guild, but that would be nearly impossible.
The moment the GR Group washed their hands of it, the GR Guild became a sinking ship.
Being dissolved and discarded in a year or two was the natural course of action.
Under those circumstances, it was only natural for Han Myeongjin, who had relied entirely on the GR Guild, to harbor a deep resentment toward me.
"Hmm..."
Should I have crushed him back then?
The reason I hadn't dealt with him back then was simple: he was too insignificant.
It felt like I didn't even need to lift a finger to deal with him.
In short, he was like a blade of grass or a pebble on the street—just part of the background, not even worth noticing.
If he were a bug, I would have crushed him out of annoyance.
But instead of being grateful and running away, he dared to mess with me in such a filthy way?
His methods were exactly the same. The way he first contacted me through Kim Jesik, and the way he approached me again through my grandparents.
This bastard. He's the type who uses people around you to slowly get under your skin.
*Flip. Flip.*
I slowly turned the pages. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the file contained everything about Han Myeongjin—perhaps even things he didn't know about himself.
I scanned the documents meticulously, like searching for a hidden item. And then...
◈ Multiple domestic hunters confirmed to be undergoing overseas naturalization processes.
◈ Han Myeongjin is suspected of operating as an illegal broker.
"This is it."
I found it. The perfect way to ruin Han Myeongjin.
*Tap, tap.*
I searched for a familiar number on my phone and dialed it.
"Mina, there's something I need you to do."
Manjo. It was a fine dining restaurant in Gangneung owned by Go Juhee, the only daughter of the GR Group's chairman.
It was an upscale establishment where the GR Group hosted only their most esteemed guests... and it was also the place where Lee Taepyeong's grandparents had vanished.
"..."
Waves crashed against the cliffs. Lee Taepyeong silently gazed at the scenery outside the window.
And a man approached from behind him. A man destined to disappear soon, just like Taepyeong's grandparents... Han Myeongjin.
"It's been a while, Hunter Lee."
He sat down opposite Lee Taepyeong with a smirk.
Lee Taepyeong stared back at him, his face expressionless.
"Yes. It has been a while."
"My, to think the famous Hunter Lee would seek me out like this."
"..."
"You must be quite anxious, aren't you?"
"I'll get straight to the point."
Despite Lee Taepyeong's cold tone, Han Myeongjin kept grinning.
"Sure, sure. Ask away."
"Were you the one who tracked down my grandparents?"
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
Han Myeongjin stifled his laughter.
"Man, I've thought this before, but you really are quick-witted."
"..."
"How did you know... Surely they didn't tell you themselves?"
"..."
"Well, not that it matters... Since those two..."
"..."
"...were sent straight to their graves by your own hands, Hunter Lee?"
"..."
"You're a truly terrifying man, Hunter Lee."
"..."
"How could you do that to your own family!"
Hmph. Lee Taepyeong let out a faint smirk.
"That was a choice they made themselves."
"..."
"You were a hunter too, Han Myeongjin, so you should know. It's impossible to force someone into the tower against their will."
"Well, that's..."
"Anyway, putting that aside."
Lee Taepyeong abruptly cut him off.
"I didn't call you here today to talk about Kim Jesik or my grandparents."
"..."
"Of course, I've wanted to address your filthy way of doing things for a while now."
"What?"
"But we can talk about that later."
"This bastard..."
"Today, I want to talk about something else."
Han Myeongjin's face contorted, his pride wounded. However, if one had to point out who held the weaker hand here, it was Han Myeongjin.
So even if Lee Taepyeong's attitude was arrogant, he had no choice but to shut up and listen.
Whatever. I'm the one winning this game anyway...
Of course, Han Myeongjin had his own plans.
You'll be singing a different tune once you find out what kind of hand I'm holding, Lee Taepyeong!
It was something big enough to shake Lee Taepyeong to his core!
This was information Han Myeongjin had obtained by running around like a headless chicken working as an illegal broker after being kicked out of the GR Guild.
With this single piece of information, sending Lee Taepyeong to the abyss would be a breeze.
*Smirk.* The corners of his mouth twitched upward at the mere thought.
"Haha. Sure, let's do that. What do you want to talk about?"
"I heard rumors that you've been digging into my information lately."
"Hehehe..." Han Myeongjin shook his head.
"Isn't that what everyone in this industry does?"
"I think you've crossed the line, so I'm giving you a warning."
"A warning?" *Pfft, haha.* Han Myeongjin couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Look here, Hunter Lee Taepyeong. You must not realize what kind of information I have on you..."
"I know. That's why I'm telling you to stop."
"You know? Then you must also know that I can ruin you with this?"
Han Myeongjin finally showed his true colors. This was exactly what Lee Taepyeong wanted.
"Just what kind of information do you have to make such claims?" Lee Taepyeong asked calmly.
And then,
"Tsushima Island."
Han Myeongjin fell right into the trap without a shred of suspicion.
Having brought up the keyword "Tsushima Island" of his own accord, Han Myeongjin bared his teeth in a grin.
Lee Taepyeong pretended to know nothing, putting on a flustered act.
"The Demonic Outbreak on Tsushima Island... Isn't that classified information, Han Myeongjin?"
Seeing this, Han Myeongjin grew even more arrogant, believing his attack had hit the mark.
"If you thought I was washed up just because the GR Guild is gone, you're sorely mistaken, Hunter Lee. I still have some pull, you know?"
"..."
Tsushima Island. With the conquest of the towers on the Japanese mainland stalling and various misfortunes piling up, Japan's tower raids had fallen into disarray.
After holding out to the absolute limit, Tsushima Island had undergone a Demonic Outbreak a month ago.
Japan was desperately trying to control the information, but neighboring countries had already caught wind of it. South Korea was no exception.
Currently, Japan lacked the manpower to dispatch to the demonized Tsushima Island. Consequently, they would soon request assistance from neighboring countries like South Korea, China, and Taiwan.
However, this was strictly a prediction. Since Japan had neither acknowledged nor disclosed the situation yet, the information regarding the Demonic Outbreak on Tsushima Island was top secret.
Han Myeongjin was poking at exactly that point.
"Why would Hunter Lee Taepyeong's name be on the list of participants for the Tsushima Island raid?"
"...Probably because I agreed to cooperate with Japan?"
"Wow, lying through your teeth without even blinking."
"..."
"If it were cooperation, shouldn't the names of other hunters, including Hunter Choi Muryeong, be on there as well?"
Han Myeongjin leaned back crookedly, staring at Lee Taepyeong.
"But on the participant list for the Tsushima Island raid, only your name, Lee Taepyeong, was listed."
"..."
"What do you think that means?"
Han Myeongjin smirked triumphantly.
"Who knows." Lee Taepyeong merely shrugged, still playing dumb.
"Since you seem to know so much, why don't you tell me, Han Myeongjin?"
"Naturalization."
"..."
"You're planning to naturalize in Japan, aren't you, Hunter Lee Taepyeong?"
*Snort.* Lee Taepyeong let out a chuckle instead of answering.
"Sucking up all the support in Korea..."
"..."
"...only to naturalize in Japan. Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
"..."
"If I leak this, just how much money do you think I'll make?"
"..."
"And what kind of hell do you think you'll fall into, Lee Taepyeong?"
Han Myeongjin had no idea he was walking straight into the trap Lee Taepyeong had set for him.
"What do you want?"
So,
"Finally, you're speaking my language."
Deeply.
"What I want is..."
Even deeper.
"One hundred billion won in cash."
"..."
"And a seat on the board of directors for the Typhoon Guild."
Completely delusional, believing he held all the cards, Han Myeongjin...
"Do that, and I'll let you off the hook."
He chuckled, looking down on Taepyeong.
"Hmm..."
And then, Lee Taepyeong, who had been watching him quietly, spoke.
"No thanks."
"...What?"
"I said no."
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong, you don't seem to understand the situation you're in—"
"I understand perfectly."
"...?!"
"So go ahead and do whatever the fuck you want, you bastard."