Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 044
Chapter Title: Kang Ha-neul (5)
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After entrusting the request to Iliana, I headed back to the Special Countermeasures Division office. There was still time before quitting time, and I wanted to ask Min Chae-ryeong about this incident one more time, as a bonus.
"On a business trip?"
However, Min Chae-ryeong wasn't in the office. According to Chae So-yeon, she'd gone on a trip to another academy.
"Another academy? Where?"
"Ye-il Academy in Incheon."
"Ye-il?"
It was a name I'd heard before. Ye-il Academy was Korea's second-ranked academy, located in Incheon, and it had formed a rivalry with Green House as a private institution. It properly appeared in the mid-story arc about inter-academy exchanges, if I remembered right.
But why had Min Chae-ryeong gone there?
"Do you know what the business trip was for?"
"Nooo cluuue?"
Chae So-yeon peeked her head over her cubicle partition and shrugged. Yeah, it was my mistake to expect anything from her.
I turned my gaze to the other person in the office. Most were out on external patrols or missions, so aside from me and Chae So-yeon, only one other remained.
"Yuri sunbae."
"Eek?"
Jo Yuri flinched at my call, shoulders jumping. Even after more than a week working together, she still seemed wary of me. According to Lee Tae-ho, it'd be like this for about a month.
"What business took Team Leader to Ye-il on her trip?"
"W-Well, I don't know the details..."
At least she wasn't using formal speech with me like a junior anymore, the way she had at first. Considering her androphobia, that alone was huge progress.
"I-I heard it was something related to a scholarship foundation? But I don't know what exactly..."
"Scholarship foundation?"
That word brought the scholarship officer who'd approached Kang Ha-neul flashing back into my mind.
Min Chae-ryeong must have been aware of that scholarship officer's existence. Yet she hadn't told me about it. And now, without a word to me—the one handling the mission—she'd gone on this trip to make contact with Ye-il's scholarship foundation.
It was too coincidental to dismiss as chance. So it made sense to assume some connection between the two events.
'Does that mean the scholarship officer Kang Ha-neul mentioned belongs to Ye-il, not Green House? If so, then their purpose in approaching her probably wasn't to stop her from dropping out.'
There was no reason for a Ye-il scholarship officer to prevent a Green House student from dropping out. Nor for Ye-il's foundation to provide financial aid like scholarships to one.
'Then, scouting.'
I knew next to nothing about how academies or foundations operated, but that was the only possibility that came to mind.
It was entirely plausible. Kang Ha-neul's superpower was objectively exceptional. If someone like her tried to drop out of an academy, it wouldn't be strange for a rival academy that had been eyeing her abilities to make a move.
'Is that why Min Chae-ryeong went to Ye-il? To stop them from poaching Kang Ha-neul?'
It didn't seem like Academy Security Force business, but Min Chae-ryeong was the one spearheading this mission. If she coveted Kang Ha-neul's avatar ability and wanted to keep her under her thumb in the future by blocking dropout or transfer, it wasn't incomprehensible.
'But something feels off.'
One thing I couldn't understand: why hadn't she explained any of this backstory to me?
Min Chae-ryeong had given me strangely little information for this mission. No detailed action plan either. Just block Kang Ha-neul's dropout, ad hoc. That was her entire order.
It didn't make common sense. Whatever her reason for assigning me this, if she wanted me to stop the dropout, wouldn't it be more effective to provide max info and detailed instructions?
'Two possibilities come to mind. She's hiding something, so no info for me...'
Or she never expected me to succeed in stopping Kang Ha-neul's dropout in the first place.
'My head's gonna explode, damn it.'
No matter how I puzzled it out, I couldn't guess that snake of a woman's true intentions. I had way too little info. At least Iliana's investigation results would let me judge properly.
"What're you brooding over so hard?"
I looked at Chae So-yeon as she asked. Come to think of it, I needed to ask how she could leave the safehouse while guarding Ji Ye-won.
"Chae So-yeon. Come here a sec."
Mindful of listening ears, I took her to the locker room. Mission deployment time had long passed, so no one would come here for a while.
Just in case, I locked the door tight and asked her in a hushed voice.
"Chae So-yeon. You're back at the office starting today, right? So what about Ji Ye-won?"
"Ji Ye-won? She left."
"What?"
"She left. She's not at the safehouse anymore. So no need for me, the surveillance, to stay."
News to me. Ji Ye-won was no longer at the safehouse—what the hell did that mean?
She'd been placed there originally to shake off Dawn Corps pursuit. We'd caught Yu Hyun-ho and his crew, but for someone tied to their core project, that chase wouldn't end so easily.
Ji Ye-won was still in danger. So how could she just leave the safehouse? It didn't add up.
"What do you mean? Explain in detail what happened—"
"Hear the details from her yourself."
From her herself? Call Min Chae-ryeong? Or—
"You mean from Ji Ye-won directly?"
"Yeah. Right. I don't know the full story either."
"You said she left the safehouse. Where is she now?"
"Dunno."
"What the...?"
Didn't know this, didn't know that—knew absolutely nothing.
But I couldn't just blame her outright. Just like with me, Min Chae-ryeong might've pushed this solo without explaining jack to Chae So-yeon either.
"How am I supposed to hear it from her if I don't even know where Ji Ye-won is? Team Leader said nothing?"
"She did."
"What'd she say?"
"You'll find out where Ji Ye-won is naturally after work today."
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
Like a scheduled text at quitting time? Or a secret note in my mailbox?
Whatever it was, why make it so complicated instead of just telling me? When I vented that, Chae So-yeon shrugged.
"She called it a surprise of sorts."
"Surprise my ass."
I pictured Min Chae-ryeong with her hand over her mouth, smirking foxily. Surprise, bullshit—just spit it out straight, for crying out loud.
'Naturally after quitting time?'
Today was on-time quit, no night shift. So about an hour left.
Not long, but her words via Chae So-yeon made me antsy anyway. Bluntly, I was anxious. Ji Ye-won leaving the safehouse meant her location could leak to Dawn Corps.
Min Chae-ryeong wouldn't release her without measures. But anxiety won out. As a key character, her life was still tied to mine.
Just one hour. Unlikely anything happened to Ji Ye-won in that time. Unlikely, but sitting tight didn't suit me.
'Alright, decided.'
Didn't take long to decide. I unlocked the locker room door right away.
"Yuri sunbae."
"Eek!"
Jo Yuri, at her desk, flinched and looked my way.
"W-Why call me?"
"I'm clocking out early."
"What?"
"Huh?"
My bold announcement drew exclamations from Jo Yuri and Chae So-yeon.
"Got something urgent at home."
Sitting still for a whole hour? Not my style.
***
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Training hunters costs money. It was common knowledge for any Korean citizen, and the general perception of hunters.
In Korea, hunters are divided into four types: 1st, 2nd, 3rd-grade hunters, and private hunters.
Basically, all graduates of private hunter academies receive nationally certified 3rd-grade hunter qualifications. Green House national academy grads get 2nd-grade certs, while private grads can take extra exams for 2nd-grade. 1st-grade is for a select few superhumans designated by the state; non-academy folks who complete special training get private hunter certs.
Excluding special 1st-grade and private, average training for 2nd/3rd-grade takes 4.7 years, costing about 500 million won per person.
Most of that is covered by national subsidies or corporate sponsorships. But about 40%—200 million won—falls on the student themselves.
200 million isn't pocket change. Only a tiny fraction of students can pay it. So most take out "scholarships"—aka debt—from their academy's foundations to fund hunter training.
The Ye-il Foundation under Ye-il Academy, where Min Chae-ryeong headed, was one such. Funded by Ye-il Group—rivaling Hanseong Group—it supported scholarships for Ye-il Academy and seven others, making it one of Korea's largest.
As if to show its scale, the headquarters was a 25-story skyscraper. Frowning at the sunset glaring off the glass facade, Min Chae-ryeong strode in confidently.
"You're here, Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong."
The desk clerk recognized her and stepped up. But Min Chae-ryeong didn't even glance her way, snapping curtly.
"Is Scholarship Officer Kim Yo-han upstairs? We had an appointment today."
"Sorry. Mr. Kim Yo-han has unavoidable circumstances today..."
"Circumstances?"
Min Chae-ryeong's icy gaze swept the clerk, who shivered instinctively.
"After brazenly trying to poach another academy's student, circumstances? You really gonna play hardball with us?"
Min Chae-ryeong hadn't meant to intimidate. It was just blunt words with emotion. But for a civilian clerk, even that was overwhelming.
"S-Sorry. Mr. Kim Yo-han is currently at Yongin Corporation for a meeting with foundation board members..."
"So why's the scholarship guy I was supposed to meet today at a meeting in Yongin instead of Incheon?"
"Th-That's..."
The clerk felt wronged. The "appointment" Min Chae-ryeong mentioned was one she'd unilaterally set and notified yesterday. She had no right to make such a fuss.
Yet the clerk fawned because of orders from above.
'A guest from Green House today. Rude and arrogant, but cater to them. Do not offend.'
Mysterious directive, origin unknown, but a lowly clerk had to obey.
Apparently Green House security team leader. Why special instructions from board level for some guard captain?
The desk clerk knew nothing of the inside story. Ignorant, she just tried to soothe Min Chae-ryeong per orders.
"When does Scholarship Officer Kim Yo-han return?"
"Scheduled for 9 AM tomorrow..."
"Ha. Make me wait a full day? I said I'd come ready to talk, and this is how you treat it?"
Not aimed at her, but the clerk's palms were slick with cold sweat. Who was this woman to act so bold? Why did the board care about her mood? Curiosity at first, now irrelevant. She just wanted this awkward encounter over ASAP.
"Enough taking out your anger on a clueless desk clerk, Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong."
Was that wish granted?
Turning at the smooth voice behind her, the clerk sighed in relief, face relaxing.
"Director Seong Yu-jin...!"
Seong Yu-jin. Executive in S-Rank guild Winter Alliance, Ye-il Foundation board member, 1st-grade hunter who'd conquered countless dungeons, rising superstar superhuman in her twenties—one of Korea's rare S-Ranks.
The clerk rejoiced at his arrival. Min Chae-ryeong shot him a 'well, well?' look.
"Who might this be? The elusive Seong Yu-jin Hunter? What brings you here?"
"Precious guest deserves a proper welcome. Don't you think, Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong?"
"Drop the team leader bit. This ain't Green House. Just call me sunbae like old times, casually."
The clerk's eyes widened. Seong Yu-jin, famous nationwide. And this woman bantered so freely with him—what was her deal?
"Haha. Too many eyes here."
Seong Yu-jin chuckled awkwardly. He gestured to the elevator behind and told her,
"Welcome to Ye-il Foundation, Team Leader Min Chae-ryeong. Let's head to the reception room."
"Fine."
Min Chae-ryeong's irritation had vanished by then.