The Lie
The warm afternoon sun seeped into the office through the window. Park Hyeon-sik, a loan shark who aimed for legitimacy, was sitting at his worn-out desk, focused entirely on a mobile game. Just then, the office door opened cautiously, and a young woman peeked through the gap. Her eyes, belonging to someone in her early twenties, were filled with anxiety and desperation. Her long hair was tied up haphazardly, and her faded cotton pants and t-shirt were clear indicators that she was in dire straits.
Manager Kim, who had been dozing off on the sofa, jumped up quickly to greet her. "Oh, welcome, customer! How can I help you?"
The woman hesitated before opening her mouth carefully. "Um... I'd like to get some loan advice."
Manager Kim said with a gentle smile, "Hahaha. You've come to the right place. Ah! Look at me, I'm so scatterbrained. It’s a bit messy, but please, have a seat here."
After seating her on the old sofa, Manager Kim continued, "Coffee? Or tea?"
"I-I'm fine."
Park Hyeon-sik glanced at her for a moment before returning his focus to his mobile game.
"Is that so? Then, how much does our young lady need?" Manager Kim sat across from her.
"Fifty million won..."
"Oh my! Five 'sheets'? Understood. Just a moment! I'll go get the contract."
While Manager Kim went to prepare the paperwork, the woman's phone rang.
"Mom? Yeah. I came somewhere for a bit."
"Yeah. Don't worry. I think I can get the money. So, let's get Dad the surgery."
Her voice trembled. The call continued.
"Yeah? It's okay. I can take a leave of absence from college and go back later. I said it's fine. Yeah... is studying more important? Dad comes first. Hey... I told you not to cry, Mom, really."
She tried her best to hold back her sobs and spoke bravely. However, she couldn't stop the tears flowing from her eyes. Park Hyeon-sik, who had been listening, stopped his game at some point and was now focused entirely on her.
In the meantime, Manager Kim returned with the documents. "Where was I... oh? Customer, were you crying?"
The woman, who had hung up the phone, wiped her eyes and said, "I-I'm sorry. I was yawning and just..."
"Hahaha, our customer must be very tired. We should hurry and process the loan so you can go get some rest." With that, Manager Kim handed her the papers. "Now, what kind of collateral do you have? Precious metals or jewelry are fine, and luxury watches are okay, too. Cars or real estate would be even better."
"...Collateral? I-I don't have anything like that."
"Eh? You don't have any collateral? Then it's a bit difficult to proceed with the loan."
At Manager Kim's words, her eyes trembled. "U-Um..." She couldn't continue her sentence for a moment.
Her name was Kim Seon-mi. Six months ago, her father had suddenly collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage. The hospital bills had snowballed to an unmanageable level, and her mother had eventually collapsed from working day and night between the hospital and part-time jobs. Seon-mi had also taken a leave of absence from college, doing any and every job that paid, but their situation showed no signs of improvement. Then, a week ago, the doctor in charge of her father had said, 'If he doesn't have surgery soon, he won't last more than a few days.'
Faced with such a cold reality and the fear of losing her father, Seon-mi felt as if the world were collapsing. However, coming up with 50 million won for surgery immediately was nearly impossible for a 22-year-old college student. But she couldn't give up like this. She had to do something. The banks had already rejected her loan. Her relatives avoided her calls, and her friends didn't have a large sum like 50 million won. In the end, she had only one choice left.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she clenched her fists and said, "I heard you might lend me money if I write something like a body-forfeiture agreement."
However, her eyes trembled violently as she spoke. She was likely terrified. She must have been thinking of the movies where people write body-forfeiture agreements and get sold off somewhere. At the mention of a body-forfeiture agreement, Manager Kim's mouth clamped shut.
"P-Please. My father needs to have surgery. My mom can't hold on much longer, either. I... I'll do anything. Okay? Please..."
She pleaded earnestly. But Manager Kim sighed and said, "Customer, I'm sorry, but we are a legal lending agency. We don't handle things like... body-forfeiture agreements. No matter how heartbreaking your story is, there are no exceptions."
Manager Kim stood up and walked toward the office door. As he opened it, he said, "You'd better look elsewhere."
It was a clear dismissal. Manager Kim's expression, which had been full of laughter just a moment ago, was now cold. At his words, Seon-mi stood up. Her legs were shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "B-But..."
"I am truly sorry. But this isn't a method we can help you with. I hope you find a solution through legal means."
"..."
In the end, Kim Seon-mi began walking toward the door with heavy steps. It was the moment she was about to leave the office.
"Hey, wait a second!"
Kim Seon-mi turned her body toward the source of the voice. Standing there was a short, chubby middle-aged man, Park Hyeon-sik.
"Look here, Manager Kim. It's true that we're a legal lending agency. But what’s our goal? Isn't it to help people? Can we really just kick out someone in such a desperate situation?"
Park Hyeon-sik walked over, sat Kim Seon-mi back down on the sofa, and looked at her. "Listen here, customer. I’m going to lend you the money. But a body-forfeiture agreement is absolutely out of the question. That’s illegal and dangerous. Especially for a young woman in the prime of her life! Instead..."
Collateral was necessary. Unsecured loans were possible, but to raise a large loan of 50 million won, collateral was definitely needed. 'What would be good?' Park Hyeon-sik was lost in thought for a moment. Then, as if he had thought of something, he began writing something on a scrap of paper on the table.
#
Team Leader Park Hae-soo visited the department head's office to report that the Hunter Management Department had been involved in a fight.
"This is Team Leader Park Hae-soo of the First Raid Team, sir."
"Oh, right. What's up?" asked Lee Eun-soo, the Hunter Management Department Head, without taking his eyes off the TV.
Park Hae-soo sighed inwardly, watching him lounging like a slacker despite being in the office. He had been full of passion when he first took the position. But after all the hunters he had raised left for private guilds for big money, Department Head Lee Eun-soo had lost all his enthusiasm. He had become an ordinary civil servant just waiting for his retirement.
When Park Hae-soo reported what had happened yesterday, Department Head Lee Eun-soo smirked. "Team Leader Park, aren't we being too submissive?"
"That is not the case. He is an individual estimated to be at least a B-rank hunter. There is no harm in being on his good side."
"Being on his good side... in the end, he'll just go to a private guild, not our department. I wonder if this is all a waste of effort." Lee Eun-soo's eyes were still devoid of motivation.
"This time, I will do my best to ensure he joins our department."
"Right, Team Leader Park always has a hard time working under an incompetent department head."
"...No, sir."
"Heh heh. Right. Do whatever you want, Team Leader Park. All I can do is shield you."
"...Thank you."
Having finished his report, Park Hae-soo sighed as he left the office. "If only Hunter Cheon Yu-shin joins, the Department Head might become proactive again."
Although he was being criticized as a slacker now, Department Head Lee Eun-soo was the true civil servant he respected. Park Hae-soo wanted to run with passion once again. He wanted to be with that passionate Department Head who didn't care about rank and would charge head-on at anything against justice.
#
Since it was a fight between hunters, it should have been widely reported on the internet, but the web was quiet. Even on HunterNet. In reality, the Hunter Management Department had to keep its mouth shut, and the MNL Guild had to do the same. The Hunter Management Department had to hide the existence of Cheon Yu-shin, and the MNL Guild had to hide the fact that they had been defeated by an unaffiliated hunter.
However, it was a natural course of action for a report to reach the MNL Guild Master.
"Who did you say the opponent was?" asked MNL Guild Master Park Jun-pyo.
"It's a hunter named Cheon Yu-shin. His rank is E-class, and..."
"Wait, E-rank?"
"Yes. That is what it says."
"Hah! This is huge, this is huge. My lovely C-rank brother got beaten by a mere E-rank? And the whole team, too? Doesn't this mean our teams are just a bunch of idiots?"
"T-That might be some kind of mistake..."
"Hmm, no. You shouldn't use the word 'mistake,' Seong-jun. It's either our team is full of idiots, or the opponent hid his true skill."
Lee Seong-jun shut his mouth at Park Jun-pyo's sarcastic remark.
"Did you say he was unaffiliated?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"Then why is the Hunter Management Department helping him?"
"...We are currently investigating."
"Tsk tsk tsk, with situational judgment this slow..." Park Jun-pyo stood up and walked toward the window.
"Can't you tell just by looking? That they're pulling strings to get Cheon Yu-shin into the Hunter Management Department? Then what should we do?"
Lee Seong-jun had to rack his brain at Park Jun-pyo's riddle-like words.
"Tsk tsk tsk, still slow. Obviously, we should do our best to get him into our guild, not the Hunter Management Department. Whether we offer support or threats."
"But there was trouble with your brother..."
"Forget about that bastard, he's an idiot. I told you he's no help."
Even though his brother had been crippled, Park Jun-pyo didn't care. No, he would have been happy to let his brother die if it meant he could use that fact to entangle his opponent.
"I believe the Personnel Team Leader has already made contact."
"Is that so? That's good news. Bring the Personnel Team Leader here."
"Understood."
Before long, Personnel Team Leader Yang Jong-chan was standing in front of Park Jun-pyo at attention.
"I heard you met the guy?"
"Yes, I met him!"
"Don't talk so loudly. It hurts my ears."
"I-I'm sorry."
He waved his hand at Yang Jong-chan, who was about to bow his head.
"Well, that's not important. The recruitment of Cheon Yu-shin is going well, right?"
Shit. I'm fucked. Yang Jong-chan clenched his fists.
The fight with the Hunter Management Department that happened last night. Yang Jong-chan, who had heard the inside story, couldn't help but despair. A guy he had ignored as an E-rank hunter had defeated a C-rank hunter. Just as expected, it had already reached the Guild Master's ears, and he had been summoned. He could guess even without being tipped off. And his prediction had been exactly right. Unfortunately.
'I have to answer well here. Otherwise, I'm out.'
Being kicked out of the MNL Guild didn't just mean losing a job. It meant he wouldn't be able to do anything related to the hunter industry ever again.
"It's going well."
"Going well?"
"Yes! That's right. I even had a cup of tea with Hunter Cheon Yu-shin a few days ago."
Lies began to beget lies.
"Ho-ho, is that really true?"
"Yes! That's right. He even asked about our guild back then."
It wasn't the truth, but it was an instinctive struggle to get through this moment. Park Jun-pyo patted Yang Jong-chan on the shoulder and said, "Make sure to bring him into our guild. Then I'll double your salary next year. I'll raise your rank, too."
"R-Really?"
"Have I ever broken a promise?"
No. Promises were always kept. Because he had always thrown former guild members into the gutter so they could never recover.
"N-No, sir."
"Heh heh heh. He is at least B-rank like me. Maybe even A-rank. So you must bring him into our guild before others find out. You know what I mean? Just give him whatever he demands."
Sh-Shit... The E-rank has risen to at least B-rank. If I had known this, I wouldn't have been so arrogant even if the contract had fallen through. His vision went dark.