A Desperate Heart Can Be Bought Cheap - 5
"So, I'm saying you should think a bit more realistically. How long do you plan to keep clutching those kids so tightly?"
Lee Seoyeonn let out a deep sigh as she stared at the man before her. The world had sure gotten better. Trash like this could now stand tall in front of her and spout such nonsense.
"We don't have the right to interfere with your guild's rules, do we?"
"Our side wants to party with the Mukseong Guild members like real men—hot and heavy! But it's so damn hard. Everyone's griping that they can't because of guild rules... haha."
"Is the rule against calling in women to play such a big deal that Manager Kim has to come meet me in person?"
"Such harsh words..."
Lee Seoyeonn bit her lip hard. At the reality where she had to soften their degenerate culture with euphemisms like "calling in women to play."
"We always want to keep good relations with the hunters, but when you're watching everyone's eyes everywhere, it's... tough, you know? We just want to get close, so there's a lot we want to do for you."
"The women dragged in by force..."
"What are you saying? Hunters are popular by nature, aren't they? It's a group of folks hoping to snag one for even a single night."
Lee Seoyeonn knew full well his words were twisted. Girls from broken homes bound by debt, young women lured with promises of "meeting a hunter" and coerced into violent contracts under pressure. Some got tangled with crime syndicates against their will and couldn't seek police help. Others bowed to unfair treatment, overshadowed by the "hunter" name. In extremes, women were outright kidnapped and forced to sell their bodies.
The man before her, "Manager Kim," was trying to bring that kind of "entertainment" to Mukseong.
"We do it all. You know that, right? Clear it out when you need to, wrap it up clean—no loose ends. Even that guild that just did a great image makeover by playing squeaky clean—"
"Shut your mouth about that."
They were slowly forming a cartel. Those sharing dirty secrets and weaknesses turned brutally ruthless toward outsiders while covering for each other.
Making scandals disappear with cops and prosecutors in their pocket, painting non-aligned guilds as "hypocrites who hush up the same dirty deeds everyone does behind closed doors"—that was their specialty.
"You can't be defending them, can you? Lately—"
"I said shut it."
Lee Seoyeonn knew the truth. The recent hunter rape case blowing up the media was pure fabrication. But that guild's male hunter would still end up in front of a judge—and that judge would be in their pocket too.
"I make the decisions."
They were strong. But Lee Seoyeonn wasn't weak either. She was a pillar of Korea's hunter world in her own right, and with the connections and fame from the "previous generation" hunters she knew, no cartel could frame her easily.
...Maybe the old days were better.
There had been a time when hunters were free. A time when they flaunted and wielded their power without restraint. Lee Seoyeonn vaguely remembered it from her youth.
Businessmen, police, prosecutors, judges, politicians—none dared touch hunters.
But hunters had laid down those rights themselves. Fundamentally, because it wasn't right.
Being strong didn't prove you were good. Evil hunters rampaged unchecked by law, media, or politics. Hunters with conscience subdued them and surrendered those privileges.
"I'm not changing the rules."
If it were just plain old prostitution, she might have sighed and looked the other way. But she couldn't let this man "entertain" Mukseong hunters.
Once weaknesses started piling up one by one, Mukseong wouldn't trust itself anymore. Nip corruption in the bud at the first sign.
"Urgh... come on. Hunters gotta have some fun too, right? You powerhouses enjoying yourselves a bit—what's the harm?"
"If that's why you're here, get out."
"...We're good friends to Mukseong, aren't we? I had some info to pass along."
"Info?"
"Those magic stones from joint gate clears, right? At the next meeting... the distribution rules are getting tweaked a bit."
"What?"
Normally, one guild handled a gate solo and took all the byproducts. But national-scale mega gates required multiple guilds pooling forces.
Byproducts were split by agreed rules.
"And?"
They'd cite reasons to change the rules, but those changing them held power. Mukseong taking a hit was obvious.
"Seems guilds bringing lots of hunters are griping. 'Mukseong barely sends any but hauls off tons of loot.'"
"Mukseong deploys top-tier hunters, plus buffs and indirect support—"
"I'm not the one deciding that. Telling me won't change a thing."
Manager Kim flashed a greedy smirk.
"Low-grade magic stones might get harder to source... You okay with that?"
Lee Seoyeonn glanced at her watch. Appointment time.
She wanted him gone ASAP.
"Sorry. I have a meeting."
A moment later, the door opened. He stepped in.
"Pardon the intrusion."
"Oh, good to see you!"
Manager Kim played buddy-buddy with Jeong Isu.
"You're that guy... the one cozying up to the guild master lately?"
"Pardon?"
"Oh, everyone in the know knows. You pop into Mukseong all the time, even visit her home sometimes—"
Lee Seoyeonn let out a hollow laugh. Manager Kim was pressuring her. He knew Jeong Isu was her lover—or close enough. Play nice or watch this "scandal" leak maliciously.
Of course, it was blackmail far from the truth.
"You're young, so work hard and satisfy our guild master real good. I'm too old for that... heh heh."
Jeong Isu's eyes chilled as he caught the sleazy innuendo.
"You should head out now."
"Yes, I've overstayed my welcome. Have a fun time, Guild Master—and please reconsider our proposal!"
Manager Kim left. Jeong Isu, bag in hand, stared at the empty spot with disbelief.
"...Is he always like that?"
"I don't want to deal with him either."
How happy and grateful it was to talk to a normal person. Lee Seoyeonn felt thankful for small things as she eyed his bag.
"Same stuff again?"
"Yes."
The dull-glowing magic cores he'd brought.
"...No matter how I look at it, I should pay more for these."
"No. If you think you're getting them too cheap, just see it as a debt."
"That 'debt of the heart' might bankrupt me. Geez. Where'd my daughter find this lucky charm?"
"You're too kind."
"I mean it."
Of course, the cores' quality wasn't top-tier. But they were pure, stably supplied, and plentiful.
Even if miners swarmed dungeons to extract mana crystals, their output was limited. Labor wasn't cheap, and trustworthy miners who wouldn't skim were rare.
Without his cores, she'd have agonized deeper over Manager Kim's offer. Gear crafting and repairs might falter, shortages hitting connected workshops.
She'd have refused anyway, but the guild shaking from it would breed guilt: Did my choice cause this?
"Someday... I'll pay you back."
In these weekly trades, Lee Seoyeonn could relax fully. He wasn't Mukseong—not someone she had to responsible for or set an example to.
His cores brought smiles. Like pocket money once a week, reverting her to a kid.
Chatting casually, slouching with a grin—it was part of it. She treated him far easier than others thought—or even she realized.
"Not sure how I'd ever repay you, though."
Her expression darkened briefly. She wasn't like Manager Kim, buying loyalty with gains and desires. Neither were Mukseong's other hunters.
Basic hunters, they weren't pushed around by non-hunters, but compared to others, they indulged less. No lavish gifts, no fame from shows, no fleshly pleasures.
Just chasing her prestige. And the great challenges and triumphs she'd shared with past hunters.
Now meaningless values.
"You look tired."
"Busy lately. Plans in motion, stuff I thought would ease up hasn't..."
"Want to rest a bit?"
Lee Seoyeonn felt contempt for herself. She didn't want him to rest. Just an excuse to keep him here.
With him nearby, she felt she could rest too. This clueless guy selling at absurd prices, healing her daughter's pain out of nowhere, quietly aiding Mukseong.
So easy to use, so harmless—
Ha.
She was turning into them. The people she despised.
Receiving kindness and goodwill, not thinking of repayment but This'll tide me over for now.
"If it's okay, I'll rest a bit. The tea smells so good here—I wanna sip it slow."
But when the "exploited" guy said it like that—
"Herbs from the gate. Drink up and tell me more. I can give plenty."
It seemed fine. Her guard slipped away.
The man and woman sipped their tea.