The Beggars' Sect of Pan-On
"Haha, I think there's been a misunderstanding. It's not like I particularly wanted to team up with Lee Se-yeon."
"What? But Ms. Lee Se-yeon said..."
"She must have been mistaken."
"She sounded far too certain for it to be a mere mistake..."
"Then maybe she's just lost her mind?"
"Excuse me?!"
"Haha, just a joke."
That didn't sound like a joke at all...
Bae Jang-wook wiped the sweat from his forehead. No matter how he looked at it, Tae-hyun's eyes were one hundred percent serious.
"A-anyway, thank you so much for participating. It will be a massive boost for the ratings. And about what you mentioned last time...?"
"Right. This guy here, Kim Deok-su..."
Annoyed that Tae-hyun kept insistently calling him by his real name, Cain chimed in from the side.
"Cain! It's Cain!"
"Alright, you punk. I'd like to include Kim Deok-su—I mean, Cain—in the team."
"Hey!"
Watching Tae-hyun and Cain bicker, Bae Jang-wook wiped his brow once more. They were speaking casually, but the topic itself was anything but light. The authority to skip the brutal qualifiers of the Arena Pro League and seed directly into the main tournament! It was a highly sensitive issue that would draw fierce criticism of "special treatment" if the public found out.
"Mr. Tae-hyun, this isn't a decision I can make so easily—"
"If Cain isn't on the team, I won't be participating either."
Tae-hyun spoke with absolute finality.
Please say no! Just say it's impossible! That way, I can use you as an excuse to tell Lee Se-yeon I can't make it!
Tae-hyun's eyes burned with intensity. Bae Jang-wook flinched at the sight. Those were the eyes of a man who had made an unbreakable resolve!
He... he really came prepared to risk everything!
Honestly, Bae Jang-wook hadn't thought it necessary to include Cain. Compared to Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon, Cain was in a completely different, lower tier. While he was somewhat popular, there were plenty of other domestic players far more famous than him. To insert someone like Cain... Even though Tae-hyun was the one asking, Jang-wook had hoped he could persuade Tae-hyun to understand if he handled the conversation delicately.
But seeing Tae-hyun in person, his attitude was extraordinary. A sheer, uncompromising determination that left no room for negotiation! It was a strict yes-or-no ultimatum.
The rumors that Kim Tae-hyun fiercely protects his own people are true. To think he's willing to walk away from the tournament just to get Cain on the team!
Please reject it. Let me use this as an excuse to back out. I don't want to be on a team with Lee Se-yeon!
Kim Tae-hyun, you magnificent bastard... doing all this for me... Wait, something feels off.
The meeting room was silent, but the thoughts of the three men were racing at a deafening speed. Bae Jang-wook swallowed hard. What mattered now was making a decision.
No, there's no need to overthink this. When I look at it, it's actually a very simple equation.
Did the weight of Kim Tae-hyun's name justify swallowing the bitter pill of letting Cain in? It was a simple question. And Bae Jang-wook's answer was...
"Understood, Mr. Tae-hyun."
"Right. I suppose it can't be helped—"
"Exactly. It can't be helped. I will include Mr. Cain as well. It reduces our available slots by one, but I'm sure Ms. Lee Se-yeon will understand, so we'll make it work somehow."
"?!?!"
"!?!?!?!?"
Both Tae-hyun and Cain gasped in shock, albeit for entirely different reasons.
"What on earth do you mean by that?!"
"Really?! Wait, hey, why are you reacting like that?"
Cain realized something was amiss and nudged Tae-hyun, but a panicked Tae-hyun ignored him and pressed Bae Jang-wook.
"No, you can't just say okay to letting him in without any proper screening! That's highly unprofessional!"
"Mr. Tae-hyun, since it's just us here, I'll be completely honest with you."
"...?"
"If you don't participate, Ms. Lee Se-yeon won't participate either. How could we possibly take that risk?"
"..."
Lee Se-yeon was dragging him down even here! Tae-hyun gnashed his teeth inwardly. What a meticulously calculated, spider-like trap!
In truth, this had absolutely nothing to do with Lee Se-yeon; it was entirely a grave Tae-hyun had dug for himself... but he certainly didn't see it that way.
"I look forward to working with you."
"I-I look forward to working with you too!"
"..."
Leaving the despairing Tae-hyun behind, an ecstatic Cain eagerly discussed the contract details with Bae Jang-wook.
"I-I'm finally no longer unemployed...! I can finally hold my head high when I go home!"
"..."
"I don't usually say things like this, but... th-th-thank—"
Thwack!
"Gah!"
"You punk, I'm dying of anxiety over here and you're just celebrating by yourself. Are you happy? Huh? Are you happy?"
"O-of course I'm happy! Why have you been so incredibly pissed off this whole time anyway?!"
"Forget it, man. Just go home."
"Sheesh, taking his anger out on me for no reason..."
Cain grumbled, rubbing his stinging back. But even his complaints couldn't dampen his spirits. He had secured a ticket to the inaugural Arena Pro League team! Others might criticize or call it unfair if they found out, but Cain didn't care in the slightest. This was a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
"By the way, where's Lee Da-bi?"
"I know, right? We agreed to meet in front of the station, but she's still not here."
"Seeing how she hasn't shown up yet, something must have come up. I'm heading out first, then."
"You selfish bastard... leaving without even waiting for her?"
"...W-well, then I'll wait."
"You fool. The meeting time passed ages ago. How long are you planning to wait?"
"Why, you...!"
After bickering with Tae-hyun for a while longer, Cain finally left for home.
Left alone, Tae-hyun checked his watch and sat down on a bench in front of the broadcasting station.
Did something really happen to her?
There were no messages or calls on his phone either. He was starting to get genuinely worried.
"Puff, pant, gasp..."
"?"
A bicycle sped toward him from the distance. The woman pedaling furiously on it stared intently at Tae-hyun.
"Are you... Master Tae-hyun?"
"Could you drop the 'Master' when we're out in public? People will look at us weirdly."
"Who cares!"
Lee Da-bi hopped off the bicycle. With her youthful face and her hair tied back in a neat ponytail for easy movement, she was undeniably beautiful. Aside from her hairstyle, she looked almost identical to her character in Pan-On 2.
"By the way, you look exactly like your Pan-On character..."
"Look who's talking. More importantly, why are you so late?"
"Ah, I miscalculated."
"Do you live nearby? Since you rode a bike?"
Tae-hyun tilted his head, looking at the bicycle she had brought.
Lee Da-bi held up a single finger.
"Ten minutes?"
"An hour."
"...If it takes that long, why didn't you just take the bus? Is there no bus route?"
"To save on bus fare!"
Lee Da-bi declared proudly. Tae-hyun felt a headache coming on. She was completely drenched in sweat. Pedaling at full speed for an hour... Normally, wouldn't someone just take the bus?
"By the way, where did Cain go?"
"He left a while ago."
"Leaving you behind and going first? How petty!"
"Right? Totally petty."
Poor Cain, getting criticized just because he wasn't there!
"So, are we done with our plans for today?"
"Take a look at the time you arrived."
Lee Da-bi offered an awkward smile at Tae-hyun's remark. Even she had to admit she was terribly late.
"Get in. I'll give you a ride."
"?"
With a double-beep, the doors of a Ferrari unlocked.
Lee Da-bi tilted her head. She pointed a finger at the Ferrari, then pointed it back at Tae-hyun.
"Is it mine?"
She nodded.
"It's my father's."
"Same difference!"
"Is it? My father seemed to have a rather different opinion on the matter."
"More importantly, if you were this rich, you should have told me sooner!"
Lee Da-bi said, grabbing Tae-hyun's hand.
"Would it have changed anything if I did?"
"I would have tried even harder to become close friends with you!"
"...I really appreciate your honesty."
"That's a compliment, right?"
"It is. I'll drive you home, so get in."
"But I have my bike."
"You're not seriously planning to pedal another hour back home, are you? Leave it here. There's a bike rack over there."
"What if someone steals it...?"
Lee Da-bi's bicycle looked far too shabby and worn for anyone to bother stealing. It was the kind of bike even a thief would pass by!
"I'll buy you a new one if they do."
"In that case, I'm in!"
She immediately locked up her bike and hopped into the passenger seat. Sitting beside him, Lee Da-bi sniffed the air.
"Ah. Come to think of it, do I smell like sweat?"
"It's fine. It's not my car anyway."
"..."
Tae-hyun narrowed his eyes. When he drove to the address Lee Da-bi had provided, he found himself in a hillside shantytown.
This car sticks out like a sore thumb here. I shouldn't have driven it.
Tae-hyun was well aware that Lee Da-bi was constantly hustling in Pan-On to make real-world cash. He had naturally assumed she wasn't well-off, but he hadn't expected it to be this severe. Yet, Lee Da-bi herself looked completely unfazed.
"Here is fine. Please let me off here."
"Sure."
"You're surprisingly quiet."
"About what?"
"Usually, when people I know come here, they have a lot of things to say..."
"I just don't have anything particular to say."
Lee Da-bi looked at Tae-hyun and smiled faintly. Most people who saw where she lived would stammer in embarrassment or look at her with pity. A look that said, I had no idea you were this poor!
It wasn't that she couldn't understand their reaction, but she was thoroughly sick of it.
My poverty is my own business. Why are you looking at me like that?
To Lee Da-bi, who accepted her circumstances and proudly did her best with her head held high, those pitying glances were nothing but offensive. But Tae-hyun didn't give her any such look. He merely spoke with calm indifference. And that, ironically, made her feel grateful. If Tae-hyun had tried to make awkward small talk or looked at her with pity, she would have felt a prickle of annoyance, no matter how much she liked him.
"If you ever need my help with anything, just let me know."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Lee Da-bi's voice carried a slight edge.
"Don't tell me you feel sorry for me just because of where I live..."
"I didn't think anything of the sort. One of my family's mottos is 'Never pity others carelessly.'"
"What kind of family motto is that? But if that's the case, why bring it up all of a sudden?"
"Offering help isn't out of pity. It's purely for my own sake. If you suddenly have to quit Pan-On due to personal circumstances, it would be a huge headache for me. So if you need help, just ask. It's mutually beneficial."
"...Oh, please. What could someone like you possibly need from me?"
Lee Da-bi's voice returned to its usual cheerful, friendly tone.
"No, I'm serious. Everyone else looks down on the Power Warrior Guild, but I hold it in high regard. A guild like yours is actually far more useful than those so-called elite guilds. Only idiots fail to realize that."
Tae-hyun truly held a high opinion of the Power Warrior Guild. Hearing this, Lee Da-bi was slightly taken aback. Even she, the guild master, didn't rate her own guild that highly.
"I-it's really not a guild worthy of such high praise..."
"And since you're the one who built it, I think highly of you too."
"What makes us so great, then?"
Lee Da-bi's eyes sparkled as she asked. Hearing someone else praise the guild she had built was far more gratifying than she had expected.
"It's basically like the Beggars' Sect."
"The Beggars' Sect? What's that?"
"Have you never read wuxia novels? It's an organization that always appears in them. A massive gathering of beggars."
"..."
Lee Da-bi's gaze turned ice-cold in an instant.
"Beggars?"
"Ah, no! They're beggars, yes, but they're a righteous and incredibly powerful group of beggars!"
"You're still calling us beggars!"
"No, they're only beggars in name! Usually, those guys have tons of hidden wealth and treasures stashed away!"