The Chairman's Secret Hobby
The Chairman of the Cheonghwa Gangrim Foundation was staring at his phone with the expression of a man who had completely lost his mind.
Seoul, Hannam-dong. The headquarters of the Cheonghwa Gangrim Foundation. Despite the mystical-sounding name, this wasn’t some superstitious cult that worshipped shamanism or spirit possession. It was the corporate conglomerate led by Han Shin, Chairman of the National Reconstruction Supreme Council and the man who held the real power in South Korea.
Han Shin’s eyes burned with a mad, ferocious light. His body, forged through years of brutal hunter work, strained against the fabric of his suit with thick, coiling muscle. He possessed enough raw strength to lift a girl the size of An Sion with just his pinky finger and give her a ride on his shoulders.
Not that he had that kind of taste, of course.
Which was why he was simply sitting in his office, scrolling through his smartphone.
-Got a pic of the counselor drinking milk. Thoughts?
-Where the hell does a creature like this even live?
-Counselor’s tongue ultra close-up shot
Han Shin wanted to be remembered not only as an outstanding hunter, but as an outstanding educator. He believed every hunter deserved treatment that matched their abilities and contributions. Rather than being miserably discarded once they became useless, they should receive proper rewards according to the achievements they had built. That was why, now that gate occurrences had decreased, he had founded the academy and even created a school community board… In short, he had been extremely busy.
But Han Shin was still only human.
Which was why he occasionally carved out bits of free time to invest in mental healing.
Just like right now.
Content: (Photo of An Sion sticking her tongue out slightly, carefully holding a milk carton with both hands and taking careful little sips)
— Comments —
Wow
I was born just to see this
I want to become that milk so bad…
Han Shin quietly clutched his head.
Still, he saved the photo anyway.
Next.
Content: (Photo of An Sion making a V-sign while staring straight at the camera)
— Comments —
How the hell did you even take this?
↳ I told her she was too cute and asked if I could take just one photo, and she happily agreed?
↳ Nah dude I secretly took it and she started tearing up saying I was taking creep shots
↳ That’s literally a creep shot you idiot.
A thick vein twitched on Han Shin’s muscular forearm.
Even if the posts were anonymous, as chairman he could find out exactly who posted them.
More importantly…
He pressed down hard on the photo and carefully saved it in a special folder.
That was when it happened.
“……Father. Did you really have to put your office on the top floor like this?”
“It creates a better atmosphere, doesn’t it?”
Han Shin turned around with a joyful expression. He glanced at his beloved daughter’s face. Because of how busy he was with work, he rarely went home. Thanks to that, he only got to see Han Yea’s face once or twice a month.
If I don’t create a plausible excuse like this to call her over, she won’t even come visit.
Feeling the sorrow of a gireogi father, Han Shin put on his most strict, serious, and solemn expression. After all, he still had work to do.
“How was An Sion? Is she doing well?”
An Sion was, like Han Shin, one of the first-generation hunters who had survived the early days of the gate crisis. Thanks to the government and military’s ruthless decisions, they had been ground down again and again until only a handful of comrades remained. Not only had she been thrown into that living hell, but even after the crisis ended, she had been thoroughly abandoned.
When Han Shin had found her rummaging through trash cans at the new Seoul Station, his reason had completely snapped.
So he had torn down the government. Everything. All of it.
However.
The answer that came from Han Yea’s lips was not what he had expected.
“She was cute.”
The moment she said it, Han Yea unconsciously recalled An Sion’s tiny frame, that fluffy, wavy silver hair that reached all the way down her back and made her want to touch it, stroke it, bury her face in it and sniff the shampoo scent, and those slightly closed eyes that looked so fragile…
She had the sudden urge to kidnap her and take her home.
Han Yea had unwittingly revealed her honest inner thoughts to her father. To the very same father who always wore that strict, serious, solemn expression toward her.
“T-that’s not what I meant! She seemed to be doing very well!”
Han Yea’s face turned bright red as she quickly corrected herself.
“She didn’t seem to need your concern at all, Father. For some reason, she also said she was grateful to you.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Han Shin nodded in understanding.
She really is cute.
With an appearance even more doll-like than his own daughter, it couldn’t be helped.
That said, Han Shin didn’t harbor any impure or sinister intentions. His eyes simply gleamed with pure obsession and madness.
“Let’s get to the main topic. What do you think? About that hybrid monster of a high-ranking entity discovered in Yeongwol. Do you think it would be good to entrust it to An Sion?”
Han Shin’s expression grew serious.
In response, Han Yea narrowed her eyes at him.
And said calmly,
“……It looks like you already decided on the conclusion beforehand.”
“Yep. That’s right.”
Whatever An Sion’s opinion was, whatever report Han Yea brought back—none of it had ever been a consideration. He had simply used it as an excuse because he wanted to see his daughter’s face.
“Then it seems the decision is made.”
As Han Shin began making a call in front of her, Han Yea swept her black hair back and left the office.
It was always like this.
“Hehe. It’s the weekend.”
Just think about it—six hours of hard labor every day, repeated for a full five days. Any normal person would go insane, legs going numb, drooling everywhere, completely losing their human form.
Leaning back in a fluffy chair and going “Next~ Next~ Next~” was an incredibly exhausting task.
That was why I had recently requested that they install a few beds with partitions in the counseling room “so students could rest freely.” Since they were using an empty classroom anyway, and the beds were large enough to fill the space, permission was granted immediately.
Hehe. But once the beds arrived, it wouldn’t be the students lying on them.
A more comfortable and leisurely life of collecting a salary while doing absolutely nothing was about to begin.
“Luna, what time is it?”
-Yes, Sion-nim. I will tell you the time. The current time is 12:13 PM. Would you like me to also provide the temperature?
“No no. You should rest too~”
-Understood.
Since I couldn’t see, the dormitory I had been assigned came equipped with the next-generation autonomous AI, Luna. She was the final work of Professor Milon, who had lost his life when a gate opened during the Mars landing commemoration event.
I had no idea why an electric car company had developed such an advanced AI, but… the dream and legacy the professor left behind had been inherited by me, his spiritual successor.
“But I’m hungry, Luna. Can you make me some ramen?”
-Understood. I will proceed with the same cooking settings as before.
“Good good. I’m counting on you.”
Then I heard a whirring sound as a mechanical arm descended from the kitchen ceiling.
The AI built into the dormitory could boil ramen, read books, play movies—basically do anything.
It’d be nice if it could go to work for me too.
Unfortunately, that seemed impossible.
Waking up in the morning was such a hassle. How nice would it be if the AI could wake up instead, wash instead, go to work instead, do counseling instead, and even earn money for me?
These days, that was all I ever thought about.
That was when it happened.
-Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
“Who is it, Luna?”
-It is Choi Jin-woo, a 32-year-old B-class hunter affiliated with the Foundation. He is currently holding a large special titanium cage designed for magic suppression with both hands. A prior visit request has been confirmed. Shall I send him away?
“Why is he carrying something that sounds so dangerous? Ah, no. I should at least hear what he wants first. Why is this guy so extreme?”
-I understand that Sion-nim hates being disturbed on weekends the most. Therefore, I determined that sending him away would be the rational choice.
“I… I see……”
I waved my hand dismissively, telling Luna to go ahead and boil the ramen. Then I hopped down from the bed.
I walked skillfully toward the front door.
“Open it, Luna.”
-Understood.
With a heavy hiss, the thick steel door opened.
I had said it was fine, but they had installed this ridiculously thick steel door out of security concerns. The fact that only my room in the entire dormitory had it made me feel a little embarrassed.
“Wow, it’s been a while, Sunbaenim. Have you been well?”
“Yeah yeah. Looks like you got promoted, you punk. Already B-class?”
“Haha! Not at all. Compared to the old days, my promotions have actually been quite slow.”
Choi Jin-woo.
The last time I saw him, he had been in charge of commanding civilians at a shelter… Time really had passed.
Though in reality, it hadn’t even been that many years.
The memories of us rolling around together in the mud, going absolutely crazy inside a gate themed around a jungle where squalls poured down every few minutes, were still vivid.
I had clutched my stomach laughing when his once-decent looks had transformed into a completely worn-out middle-aged man in just half a year.
“So what’s going on? And what’s that thing you’re carrying?”
“Didn’t you receive the explanation beforehand? The Chairman said he definitely told you.”
“Huh? I didn’t hear anything? What is it?”
Was this another one of those world-is-against-me hidden camera pranks made just to mess with me?
Back in my miserable homeless days, I hadn’t been able to adapt to the strict hierarchy among the homeless at New Seoul Station and had suffered all kinds of bullying. They said I couldn’t even beg properly and harassed me nonstop.
Those bastards……
“It seems there was some kind of misunderstanding. What I’m carrying is a living organism that the Chairman is entrusting to you in absolute secrecy……”
“A living organism? Entrusting it to me?”
Choi Jin-woo’s voice grew slightly heavier.
As if he were trying to set the mood.
“I was told that this is currently a situation that only you, Sunbaenim, can resolve—not just in Korea, but in the entire world. I don’t know anything beyond that.”
I see……
Feeling awkward, I instinctively reached for a candy. Back before I fell into that manhole and came to this world, it used to be cigarettes.
“So… what exactly is it?”
“……It’s a monster.”
“What?”
“It’s the offspring of a high-ranking S-class monster.”
Wait, what?
Are you insane?
Why the hell are you giving that to me……?
What the hell am I supposed to do with it?