Chapter 555: Rebellion (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 555: Rebellion (3)
From a young age, my parents always told me.
“Remember this. Everything you enjoy now was built on the sacrifices of others.”
I ate expensive food that others could only dream of trying as if it were my daily fare, and I was dressed from head to toe in luxury brands.
I easily surpassed others with private tutoring that cost millions of won a day, and I got whatever I wanted.
Having enjoyed so much, I was certainly happier than children born into ordinary families.
It was a clear advantage not having to throw a tantrum to get something, or worry about how to obtain it; things just fell into my hands.
But it wasn't all happiness.
‘I can’t fall behind.’
I had to live with the obsession that, because my starting line was different, I could never fall behind.
I felt like a duck.
On the surface, I looked endlessly serene, but underwater, my legs were kicking and struggling frantically.
And that wasn't all.
‘I have to look like a good person.’
Dramas had completely ruined the image of chaebol families.
If a child from a wealthy family also had a prickly personality, they were immediately labeled a hooligan.
So, I had to socialize with as many people as possible and present myself as a kind girl.
Sadly, only by doing so could I barely be considered average, not a good child.
‘Someday, I’ll have to repay it.’
The abundant wealth passed down from my grandfather’s generation.
But if you only spend it, even a chaebol family will eventually see its end.
So, what was I to do?
The answer was simple.
I had to earn back for the family as much as I had spent—no, more than that.
That’s why my parents always said it.
That everything I enjoyed was built upon the sacrifices of the family elders.
Therefore.
“The day will come when you too must strive for the family.”
That I, too, must follow in their footsteps.
When I was young, I hated hearing those words.
Of course I did.
Where in the world would you find a child, merely ten or twelve years old, who would naturally accept the idea of sacrificing for their family?
But once I matured a little, I began to understand the meaning behind their words.
‘It’s only natural that I do something for the family, just as they’ve done for me.’
Just as one should repay the grace of the parents who gave birth to and raised them, I felt it was my duty to repay the family that had spared no expense in supporting me.
So I wanted to repay them.
Fortunately, my talent was outstanding, and I was born in the right era.
I also had a good teacher.
One who fully accepted my repressed, oppressed, and twisted disposition, and even helped my talent grow.
S-rank started to feel within reach.
The value of an S-rank Hunter, measured in money alone, was equivalent to a walking small-to-medium-sized enterprise, or even more.
Considering their influence on the nation, they were a priceless treasure.
That’s why I thought that if I just went a little further, I could repay the grace I received from my family several times over.
Or so I thought.
Only recently did I find out.
That my idea of repayment and the family’s idea of repayment were different.
The family wasn't just looking for a return on the money they had invested so far.
‘Now I understand.’
I realized it too late.
Why my parents always emphasized the word ‘sacrifice.’
How the wealth passed down from my grandfather’s generation had been accumulated.
After seeing the deep, dark shadows hidden behind the brilliant family, I lost all motivation.
I listlessly raised my head.
Beyond the small window, the only opening in this prison without bars.
Looking up at the serenely shining moonlight, she remembered.
“Master…”
The one who, for the first time in my life, affirmed and accepted me for who I was.
The one who quenched the parched thirst and longing that had been burning me up.
The man I met by fate when I was breaking down so helplessly that even I couldn't stop it.
My light, my salvation.
Knowing he wouldn't hear me.
Knowing I would never see him again.
I unknowingly wished.
“Please… help me.”
For another miraculous meeting.
And for salvation.
*
It wasn't hard to sense that something had happened to Im Na-eun.
She couldn't continue her Hunter activities anymore?
Fine, I could concede that was a possibility.
But a farewell message at the same time, as if she never wanted to see me again?
“…Some idiot who doesn’t know a thing must have written this.”
She wasn't that impolite, and our relationship was far from simple.
The possibility that she was leaving due to a belated sense of doubt?
Not a chance.
I could say that with certainty, having seen the look on her face as she melted at my touch time and again.
No, even if that were true, I wouldn't allow it.
How could she try to settle everything between us with just a single message, after all we've been through?
“She’ll only come to her senses after getting slapped with a massive penalty fee.”
Fuming, I left the house as soon as the sun rose.
My destination was a women-only officetel in Jongno.
Getting in wasn't difficult.
“One of my guild members hasn't been reachable lately. Would it be alright if I went in for a moment?”
“Oh, of course!”
I contacted the landlady and showed her my face, and the door swung wide open.
I was even escorted inside the officetel.
Arriving in front of her apartment, I pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
“…”
Even after some time, there was no response.
“…Is she not in?”
To check, I spread my mana like a net and scanned the interior.
A vivid image of the inside formed in my mind.
But there was no human form within it.
She had either left long ago.
“…Or she hasn't been home for a while.”
Which one was it?
To find out, I snuck up to the building's rooftop, completely erased my presence and aura, and waited.
From morning to afternoon.
From afternoon to evening.
And finally, until late at night.
Quite a few people came and went, but none of them were Na-eun, nor did anyone visit her apartment.
The weight of evidence was slowly shifting toward the latter possibility.
“…I have no choice.”
I guess I’ll have to be a righteous thief for a moment.
Still concealing my presence, I went down and unlocked the firmly locked door.
Security systems using magic and mana are safer than any existing lock.
Except, to one person—me—they are utterly useless.
I read the mana pattern set within the device, copied it, and channeled it through.
Click!
The door opened with surprising ease.
I quietly slipped inside, closed the door, and looked around.
The scenery and layout were familiar, as I had visited several times before.
Nothing seemed much different from before, except for one thing that caught my eye.
I lightly swiped my finger across the top of a piece of furniture.
Swoosh.
A fine layer of gray dust coated the first joint of my finger.
It was too much to have accumulated from just a day or two of not cleaning.
That meant something must have happened around the time I left for Romania.
“…Dammit.”
Maybe I was too careless.
Na-eun would never have made a choice that involved not going.
I shouldn't have just let it go, worried that I might be pressuring her and rushed by the approaching flight time.
“Hoo…”
I slowly exhaled the breath that had filled my ragged lungs and collected myself.
“It’s okay… it’s not the worst-case scenario yet.”
I still didn't know anything for sure.
What had happened to Na-eun while I was away.
But one thing was certain.
Judging by the message I received last night, it wasn't an irreversibly critical situation.
So, at times like this, I needed to dig in more calmly and rationally.
“…I need more information.”
My gaze, now even colder, swept across the room.
Other than the thick layer of dust, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Opening the wardrobe in the master bedroom, I saw the bag Na-eun often carried.
Inside were her personal belongings, like her wallet, completely untouched.
Which meant.
“She left without taking any of her belongings…?”
Even if you're just stepping out for an errand or rushing for something urgent, you usually take your wallet.
But the fact that she took nothing could suggest a kidnapping.
“…No, that’s not it.”
But kidnapping was also unlikely.
If she had been kidnapped, this room at least should have been in disarray, but it was far too neat.
And if someone had cleaned up after the kidnapping, some of Na-eun's habits I'd noticed on my previous visits were still present.
In that case, the most likely scenario was…
“She followed someone willingly, without taking any of her belongings…?”
There wouldn't be many people she would follow so easily.
For Na-eun, that would be me, or our guild members.
Or her family.
“…Family?”
Right, family.
Na-eun never really liked talking about her family.
All I'd heard was that her family was very strict.
“A strict family…”
From time immemorial, haven't problems at home always arisen in strict households?
Could her family have taken her?
If so, why?
Because they didn't want their daughter doing a dangerous job like being a Hunter?
Or was there some kind of emergency?
I didn't know.
To be precise, any explanation seemed plausible, making it difficult to narrow down the possibilities.
To reduce the number of scenarios, I'd have to visit Na-eun's family home directly.
“…Where is it?”
I had no idea.
*
Another day passed.
After leaving Im Na-eun’s dusty apartment, Kim Do-jin continued his investigation.
He checked if anyone in the officetel was close to her.
He also asked the guild members if any of them knew about her family home.
“Na-eun? I don’t know. You know she doesn’t like talking about her family.”
“Family home…? What is a family home?”
“Umm… sorry. I haven’t really talked to Na-eun personally that much.”
“I don’t know either…”
As expected, they didn't know either.
So I widened the scope a little.
Korea University.
I spoke with those who were reasonably close to her, aside from the guild members.
But they also knew nothing about her family history or home.
However, there was just one thing.
“I’m pretty sure she’s from a super-rich family.”
“…A rich family?”
“Yes. The bag Na-eun always carries? It’s incredibly expensive.”
“Oh, right! Isn’t that thing over ten million won?”
“It’s a limited edition, so you probably can’t buy it now even if you have the money, right?”
Her bag, along with her clothes and accessories, were all expensive.
And not just expensive.
Most were limited editions or items produced in fixed quantities that were hard to get even with a premium.
She apparently had a ton of things like that.
It was the first I'd heard of it.
“…They looked pretty expensive, but I never imagined they were on that level.”
I thought she was just born into a well-off family. Could she be the daughter of a chaebol family?
Should I consider this a successful outcome?
Or that I'd gained nothing at all?
I returned to the guild headquarters in a state of confusion.
As I was about to head straight to the guild master's office to rest for a bit after running around all day yesterday and today, one of the receptionists, Rachel, stopped me.
“Just a moment, Guild Master!”
“…What is it?”
As I turned to ask, Rachel nodded.
“Actually, a guest arrived a little while ago.”
“A guest…? I didn't have anything scheduled for today, did I?”
“No… He didn’t have an appointment, he just showed up, but…”
She trailed off, a slightly troubled expression on her face.
It seemed the visitor was no ordinary person.
“Who is it?”
“Well… you know Mirae Corporation, right?”
“How could I not?”
It was one of the subsidiaries of the Mirae Group, the top-ranked conglomerate in our country.
They were called the pioneers of magic engineering and were the driving force that made the Mirae Group what it is today.
“The Vice President of Mirae Corporation is waiting for you. He’s been here for an hour already.”
“……?”
The Vice President of Mirae Corporation would be a key figure in the Mirae Group.
No, to be precise, he would be a direct descendant of the Mirae Group's chairman.
Someone like that just shows up without an appointment and waits for an hour?
“…Where is he now?”
“He’s in the reception room on the 5th floor.”
“Alright. I’ll go see him, so stop worrying and get back to your work.”
I took the elevator straight to the 5th floor.
The Guild Master’s office, the nutritionist’s office, and the reception room.
Click.
As I opened the door and entered, a man was tilting a cup of coffee.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties.
A solid physique, meticulously maintained.
A suit that fit him perfectly.
His friendly eyes, which made a deep, favorable first impression, reminded me of someone.
He stood up from his seat and bowed his head slightly toward me.
“Hello, Hunter Kim Do-jin.”
He handed me a business card.
As Rachel had said, the name Mirae Corporation was written on it.
The title was Vice President.
The name was.
“I am Im Ji-hoon, Vice President of Mirae Corporation.”
Im.
A strange sensation pulled taut at the back of my neck.
Forcing myself to hide it, I asked.
“What business does Mirae Corporation have with our guild?”
To which he replied.
“I’m here to request the termination of Hunter Im Na-eun’s contract.”
“…”
It seemed her family was even more powerful than I had imagined.