The Identity of the Middle-Aged Woman?
Park Hae-soo could not hide his astonishment. Eating monster meat increases stats? It felt as if the very foundations of his existing common sense were crumbling. This was nothing short of a new discovery.
"H-how is this possible? S-stats increase?"
Park Hae-soo’s voice trembled slightly. Until now, everyone had focused solely on utilizing monster hides; the thought of consuming the flesh itself had never even crossed their minds.
Yu-shin grinned and nodded. "Now you get it, right? It’s meat that tastes good and is good for your body."
A whirlwind of questions swirled in Park Hae-soo’s mind. He chose the one he was most curious about and voiced it.
"Surely, not all meat is the same, right?"
Yu-shin shook his head. "That would be a disaster! If you just pick up and eat any monster meat, you’ll get sick. In the worst case, you could even die."
"How on earth did you find this out?"
His eyes were full of questions, desperate for the truth. However, Yu-shin had no intention of telling him.
'Even if I told him, he wouldn't believe me anyway.'
That he had survived in the Abyss for 400 years. And that the only thing to eat there was monster meat. After all, he couldn't exactly eat other humans. Though, there were some humans who practiced cannibalism.
"I just know it when I see it."
"...When you see it?"
"Yeah. Just like that! I just know when I look at it. Why? Is that not possible for you?"
Just as Cheon Yu-shin was teasing Park Hae-soo, the TV, which had been left on, showed Assemblyman Park Tae-seok. He was wearing a solemn, grave, and serious expression.
"Oh?!"
Seeing this, Park Hae-soo frowned. 'What is that guy trying to pull now?'
Cheon Yu-shin also began to focus on the TV with an intrigued look in his eyes.
In front of the National Assembly building. Under the scorching sun heating the asphalt, Assemblyman Park Tae-seok stood tall before a podium, his arms and legs wrapped in bandages. With a microphone in front of him, he spoke to the reporters staring at him with a resolute expression.
"Today, I stand here having made a grave decision. I intend to strongly protest the government's pardon of the hunter who assaulted me. Therefore, I solemnly declare that I am entering an indefinite hunger strike starting today."
His statement caused a stir among the reporters. One reporter raised a hand.
"Assemblyman! What is the specific reason for this?"
"Doesn't everyone already know? The current government's attitude of justifying violence and turning a blind eye to crime simply because the perpetrator is a hunter is undermining the sacred rule of law they are supposed to protect. This is a grave matter that shakes the very foundation of our society."
Another reporter continued the questioning.
"According to the Hunter Special Management Act, the general pardon was a matter stipulated by law. It states that pardons are possible in unavoidable cases for national security and public interest. What are your thoughts on this?"
Park Tae-seok’s eyes sharpened. "Condoning violence under the pretext of national security and public interest will only lead to greater dangers in the long run. We must be equal before the law. No matter who it is, especially a hunter, there can be no exceptions."
Yet another reporter raised a hand.
"Then how long do you intend to continue this hunger strike? Is it truly indefinite?"
"Yes. It is indefinite. My lonely struggle will continue until the government withdraws its misguided decision and promises strict law enforcement against Hunter Cheon Yu-shin, even now. I will risk my life to fight against this unjust situation alone. I need the support and encouragement of the citizens."
Staring into the camera with a solemn gaze, Park Tae-seok continued.
"I will not take any more questions. Thank you."
Having finished his speech, Assemblyman Park Tae-seok slowly descended from the podium with the help of his aide. And the flashes of cameras capturing his retreating figure went off incessantly.
The air in the conference room was filled with palpable tension. Section Chief Lee Eun-soo and the Director of the National Magic Stone Research Institute, Lee Ho-jong, sat facing each other across a table. Between them lay a yellow magic stone emitting a brilliant glow.
Lee Ho-jong swallowed hard as he stared at the yellow magic stone.
'I-it really is a yellow magic stone.'
He couldn't easily believe it when he first received the call. A yellow magic stone, of all things. A yellow magic stone that was so hard to obtain—it was right in front of him. As the head of the National Magic Stone Research Institute, he had been receiving flak for failing to produce any decent results lately. But if he could secure this yellow magic stone and make a new discovery... all the criticism he had received until now might turn into cheers. His hands were sweating.
It was Lee Eun-soo who spoke first.
"Director, you are well aware of the value of this yellow magic stone, aren't you?"
"Of course I am. I am truly grateful that you gave us priority."
The research director was fawning. If it meant getting his hands on that magic stone, he would kneel a hundred times over.
"Then let's get straight to the point. We should talk about the most important part: the price. Oh! And this is a rental, not a sale. You must use it strictly for research purposes. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I've already heard that. But as for the price..."
"I'm thinking 10 billion won."
10 billion won? It was a much larger amount than expected. Through internal meetings, the rental fee had been decided at 1 billion won. Lee Ho-jong’s brow furrowed.
"Section Chief, isn't this too much between fellow government agencies? 5 billion won? We aren't even transferring ownership, it's just a rental."
"I gave you priority because we are fellow government agencies."
Director Lee Ho-jong sighed. "We don't have the budget. We don't have the budget."
"Is that so?"
A stack of documents emerged from Section Chief Lee Eun-soo’s briefcase. Lee Ho-jong asked with a suspicious look.
"...What is that?"
"This is the institute's budget for this year. The budget allocated to the institute is quite enormous."
Director Lee Ho-jong’s eyes widened. "Isn't that an overreach? Another department's budget is classified information!"
Section Chief Lee Eun-soo smirked. "Do you not know who I am? This is the authority granted to our department when it was first established."
Director Lee Ho-jong bit his lip. "So, how much do you want? You can't possibly be thinking of 10 billion won, right? Even for a research institute, 10 billion is impossible. I believe you know that as well, Section Chief."
Tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair, Section Chief Lee Eun-soo said, "5 billion won. Anything less than that is absolutely out of the question."
"That's too much. Let's make it 3 billion. It's just a rental, after all."
"5 billion."
"3.5 billion!"
"5 billion!"
"Ah, no..."
"5 billion!"
Watching Lee Eun-soo, who only chanted "5 billion," Lee Ho-jong shook his head vigorously.
"This is ridiculous. 4 billion, that is our institute's final offer."
The gazes of Lee Eun-soo and Lee Ho-jong collided in silence. Lee Eun-soo smirked and stood up from his seat.
"Then there is no deal. I will look for another client."
At Lee Eun-soo’s stubborn attitude, Lee Ho-jong shouted urgently.
"A-alright! 5 billion! We'll rent it for 5 billion. Are you happy now?!"
"Thank you for the good deal, Director."
Director Lee Ho-jong, who had been glaring at Section Chief Lee Eun-soo for a moment, sighed and shook his head.
"Fine, 5 billion. Ha..."
A triumphant smile spread across Section Chief Lee Eun-soo’s face.
"Director, don't feel too bad about it. It’s a yellow magic stone. A yellow magic stone. Just being able to research it will be worth the 5 billion won monthly rental fee. Hahahaha!"
The factory lights illuminated the interior 24 hours a day. Deadlines always pushed the machines to their limits, and in this endless cycle, the lives of workers in the manufacturing industry were pushed to their limits just like the machines.
Due to the nature of the job, which required standing for 10 full hours except for occasional breaks, they were bound to be exhausted both mentally and physically.
However.
'It’s so strange.'
Cheon Yu-shin’s mother, Yoo In-sook, fiddled with her necklace while watching the parts endlessly descending on the conveyor belt.
The necklace her son gave her. The son who told her to wear it because he had picked up an item that would keep her from getting tired.
At first, she was half-doubting. Would it really keep her from getting tired? But it was the first gift her son had ever given her. Whether it worked or not didn't matter. She just cared about her son's heart.
However, Yoo In-sook realized the effect. When she woke up the morning after receiving the necklace, Yoo In-sook felt a sense of vitality flowing through her body for the first time in decades.
Due to the nature of shift work, she had always suffered from chronic fatigue. She had told herself it was because of her age, that it couldn't be helped, and didn't even take common vitamins. Of course, it was partly because she hated spending money on supplements, but she also didn't think taking them would make any difference.
But the necklace her son gave her was different in its efficacy.
The faces of the employees on both lines were already soaked in fatigue. But unlike them, Yoo In-sook was still not tired.
Meanwhile, there was a man secretly watching Yoo In-sook’s back. It was Park Jae-hyung, the team leader in charge of the manufacturing team Yoo In-sook belonged to.
'Look at that ass.'
Park Jae-hyung swallowed hard, imagining himself touching Yoo In-sook’s firm buttocks with lustful eyes. Even though Yoo In-sook was in her late 50s, her firm figure was no less than that of a woman in her 30s.
There were many other female employees here, but they... had protruding bellies, hunched backs, and thighs so thick they made an orc's thighs look like nothing. But Yoo In-sook was different. Perhaps her body type was naturally excellent; she had curves in all the right places. So, Park Jae-hyung, a divorcee, couldn't help but have his eyes on Yoo In-sook.
'But it’s not easy.'
He had known her for over a year now. But she never gave him a single chance. To him, the king of the work team...
And there was someone else watching her. It was Planning Team Leader Kim Jeong-hyun.
'Why on earth?'
He had been secretly watching her for the past few days. But he couldn't find anything special. She was just an extremely ordinary middle-aged woman. She was pretty for her age, but she was still just an old middle-aged person.
'Why is the Hunter Management Department paying attention to that woman?'
But there was something. Something he didn't know. Unable to solve the mystery, Kim Jeong-hyun returned to his office. Then he called Assistant Manager Joo.
"Did you call for me, Team Leader?"
"Organize a company dinner with the manufacturing team."
"Pardon?"
Assistant Manager Joo blinked as if he had misheard. Which team? The manufacturing team?
"Yes, the manufacturing team. I'm saying to organize it for the sake of harmony. Get it done."
Assistant Manager Joo’s expression turned sour. There was the accounting team right next door, full of young and curvy women, and the HR team too. But he wanted to have a company dinner with the manufacturing team?
'No, why would he want to have a dinner with a place full of only those middle-aged men and women?'
But he didn't have the courage to ask the Planning Team Leader again.
"Then when should I organize it for?"
"What do you mean when? Do it today. Tell them to attend the dinner after work. Without a single person missing. Do you understand?"
"A-ah, understood. I will announce it to our team and the manufacturing team."
Watching Assistant Manager Joo’s retreating figure, Kim Jeong-hyun fell into thought.
'Well, once the alcohol starts flowing and we talk a bit, I'll find out. Why the Hunter Management Department is paying attention to her.'