Chapter 556: Rebellion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 556: Rebellion (4)
My mind went blank at the appearance of such an unexpected powerhouse.
Mirae Group.
The undisputed number one conglomerate in all of South Korea.
I never would have imagined that Na-eun was the daughter of the Im family, the very people who led Mirae Group.
“…Excuse me, but what is your relationship with Na-eun?”
Vice President Im Ji-hoon smiled bitterly at my question.
“Oh dear… It seems she hasn’t spoken much about her family.”
Right.
Na-eun was always particularly reluctant to talk about her family.
She’d said they were strict, so I’d just assumed she didn’t have fond memories of that time. But it seemed there was more to it than that.
I didn’t feel any sense of betrayal for being kept in the dark.
Frankly, if I were in her shoes, I would have hidden it too.
Even the daughter of an ordinary chaebol family would attract hundreds of flies, so I could only imagine the chaos that would ensue if it were known she was the daughter of Mirae Group.
He continued.
“I’m her brother. Her eldest brother.”
“Eldest…”
I tried to recall what was publicly known about the Mirae Group’s family tree.
I was pretty sure I’d heard that the chairman of Mirae Group had three sons…
That was precisely why I could never have guessed she was the group’s daughter.
“Hmm… that’s strange. As far as I know, Chairman Im of Mirae Group has three sons. Am I mistaken?”
Im Cheol-ho, the chairman of Mirae Group.
It was officially known that he had only three sons.
So how could Na-eun suddenly be his daughter?
If they were hiding a daughter who was a rising A-rank Hunter in her early twenties, there had to be a good reason.
“Doesn’t every family have a few unavoidable circumstances?”
Im Ji-hoon replied, his tone suggesting it was a difficult topic.
Unavoidable circumstances.
I could roughly picture what that meant.
There was usually only one reason for a chaebol family to hide a child’s existence.
Na-eun was most likely a child born out of wedlock.
Not that it was particularly important in this situation.
Whether she was or not didn’t change anything.
“Getting back to what we were just discussing… you’re requesting to terminate Na-eun’s contract.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Contract termination.
I stared intently at Im Ji-hoon’s face, which wore a smile so similar to Na-eun’s, and asked.
“Why are you suddenly requesting a contract termination?”
“It is the Chairman’s will.”
Chairman Im Cheol-ho himself ordered the termination of Na-eun’s contract?
Sensing the question in my gaze, he added an explanation.
“As a father, he does not wish for his daughter to be engaged in such dangerous work.”
“Is that so.”
It didn’t exactly ring true.
I found it hard to believe he cared so deeply for an illegitimate child whose very existence was hidden from the public.
“It seems you’re misunderstanding something.”
Reading my skeptical attitude, he spoke again.
“We may have hidden Na-eun’s existence due to unavoidable circumstances, but the Chairman genuinely cherishes her. The same goes for me and my younger brother. Although we have different mothers, we have never once thought of Na-eun as anything other than family.”
“……”
I could feel the sincerity in his calm words and expression.
Of course, you can know the depths of the water, but never the depths of a person’s heart. Only he knew if it was an act or his true feelings.
But to me, at least, he didn’t seem to be lying.
“I’m asking you, please.”
He bowed his head.
“Please try to understand our family’s feelings. Of course, we will pay any penalty fees, whatever the amount.”
This felt strange.
His words were clearly a sincere request, but why did they sound like a veiled threat?
“I understand your family’s feelings well.”
It was a fairly common occurrence.
The conflict between a child who wants to be a Hunter and parents who don’t.
Being a Hunter was certainly an attractive profession.
If things went well, you could grasp not only money and fame, but even power.
But that was only if things went well.
The number of Hunters who reached that point was infinitesimally small.
So what happened to the rest?
It was obvious.
They either died or retired due to injury.
Parents, especially, had lived through times even more chaotic than the present.
So they didn’t want to see their son’s or daughter’s life thrown away in vain.
It was a cliché argument that could happen in any family.
Which was precisely why it bothered me.
To be specific, the timing.
Why now, after all this time?
If they truly hated their daughter working as a Hunter, they should have made her quit long ago.
“But I don’t think I can make a decision so easily.”
He nodded as if he understood my response.
“I suppose so. For a small, elite guild, losing a member must be a significant blow.”
“No. That’s not what I’m concerned about.”
This guy was misunderstanding something.
“It’s true that Na-eun is a vital part of our guild’s strength.”
I couldn’t deny that.
When given enough time to prepare, Na-eun was practically invincible.
The instantaneous firepower she could unleash by packing all sorts of magic into her ‘Bubble’ trait was something even I couldn’t match.
But it wasn’t because I was reluctant to lose that ability that I couldn’t easily agree to the termination.
The reason I was hesitating was purely because…
“I’m postponing the decision because I don’t know how much of this is Na-eun’s own will.”
That was it.
A dispute with her family, who disapproved of her work as a Hunter?
A demand to terminate her contract?
I could understand all of that.
But only if it was a decision made by Na-eun herself.
“Before we terminate the contract, I’d like to speak with Na-eun. Please arrange a meeting.”
At my request, the man’s expression hardened slightly.
“I’m sorry, but that will be difficult.”
“Difficult?”
“The Chairman does not wish for Na-eun to be involved with her past connections any longer.”
Past connections.
A wave of irritation began to rise in me.
It seemed he was trying to subtly pressure me by repeating “the Chairman this, the Chairman that” with every answer.
You picked the wrong guy, you bastard.
“In that case, I can’t terminate the contract either.”
“……”
“To reach an amicable agreement, I believe we both need to take a step back. Vice President, your words sound plausible, but you haven’t yielded on a single thing, have you?”
He talked about ending things amicably, but his actions showed he expected me to be the one to concede and give up everything.
If that wasn’t the mindset of a thief, what was?
Yeah.
I knew it too.
With the wealth and power of a group like Mirae, it was easier to take than to give.
But you had to pick your opponent.
“Contract termination? If you want it, you can have it. I don’t even need the penalty fee. But.”
I made it clear I was taking a step back.
Contract termination?
I’ll do it.
I won’t even take the penalty fee.
But the one requesting it shouldn’t be you.
“Bring the party to the contract. If she says just one word asking to terminate it, I’ll do it right away.”
Bring Im Na-eun here, you son of a bitch.
* * *
The conversation with Kim Do-jin was a very unfamiliar experience for Im Ji-hoon.
He had always been the one in the absolute position of power.
His polite tone and requests were merely a form of respect and consideration, designed to allow the other party to bow their head with at least a little less damage to their pride.
Today was no different.
Saying things like “I’m asking you” or “please understand our feelings.”
He’d said the words, but in reality, it was a notification.
A way of saying, give me what I want while I’m still being nice.
But the other party had refused.
“…Interesting.”
It was refreshing.
Was it because he was young?
Or was it because he had risen to a fairly high position at a young age?
“Full of spirit, huh.”
He wasn’t offended.
How should he put it?
It felt like watching a big neighborhood dog that thinks it’s tough, growling.
That made it all the more amusing, more enjoyable.
Because in his eyes, Kim Do-jin was just another cute puppy.
Leaving work right then and there, he returned home and knocked on the door of the second-floor study used by his father, Chairman Im Cheol-ho.
Knock, knock!
“Come in.”
Click!
Opening the door, he saw a middle-aged man sitting with his back ramrod straight at a large desk.
Im Cheol-ho.
The head of Mirae Group.
He asked.
“The result?”
“He says he won’t terminate the contract until Na-eun says so herself.”
The chairman’s whitish eyebrows twitched.
“Insolent brat.”
After spitting out his assessment of Kim Do-jin, he asked again.
“What do you think we should do?”
“I plan to give him what he wants.”
“That could lead to troublesome complications.”
“I know. But it’s better than eliminating him.”
Hearing his son’s answer, a strange light flickered in Im Cheol-ho’s eyes.
“Is he that outstanding?”
“Well… not quite to that extent.”
Eliminating him wouldn’t be difficult.
The problem was the aftermath.
“He’s getting a lot of attention right now, isn’t he?”
“Hmm… that’s true.”
“Well, don’t worry too much. I’ll talk to him and bring her back.”
“Alright. I trust you to handle it properly so there’s no trouble later.”
“Yes.”
“You may leave now.”
After leaving the study, he immediately went past the fourth floor and stood before the steel door blocking the stairs to the top floor, the fifth.
[Beginning user authentication.]
A mechanical voice sounded.
He brought his eye, then his index finger, to the terminal installed next to the door.
[Authentication successful.]
[Welcome.]
The door finally opened.
Clank!
As he walked up, lights turned on one by one, and the view of the fifth floor slowly came into sight.
The scenery itself wasn’t much different from the other floors.
It was what was kept inside that was different.
He headed toward a door that was being thoroughly guarded by a man.
“Open the door.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
The man bowed respectfully, immediately turned to unlock the firmly shut door, and then stepped aside.
Im Ji-hoon entered the room.
The room’s owner was sitting on a bed beautifully decorated with white lace.
“Hey now, you should at least acknowledge your brother when he comes to visit.”
He gently chided her as she stared out the window, despite having clearly heard the door open.
Only then did her head turn.
Her eyes were vacant, completely devoid of any will.
Finally facing his younger sister, he opened his mouth.
“Let’s go out for a bit tomorrow with your brother.”
“…Out?”
“Yes. Your guild leader… he’s not very easy to talk to.”
Saying so, he approached his sister, who was trembling slightly, and whispered in her ear.
“So I need you to persuade him yourself.”
“…Okay.”
All she could do was nod her head weakly.