Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: 13. Needle in a Satchel (7)
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The atmosphere in the meeting room was frigid.
In a situation where even the sound of breathing seemed to draw attention, Jung Min-hyuk, who had arrived late, rolled his eyes and scanned his team members. Strangely, no one met his gaze. Even the former team leader from his Castle Management days hurriedly looked away the moment their eyes met.
Anxiety gnawed at him.
As the ominous feeling crept up and intensified, Jeong Hye-mi entered and spoke without taking her seat at the head of the table.
"Is everyone here?"
"Yes."
"What about Manager Jung Min-hyuk?"
"He's at the end of the table there."
"Ah, you're the one?"
His heart plummeted.
It was certain now.
Something had happened.
As Jung Min-hyuk shot her a bewildered look, Jeong Hye-mi said coldly,
"I've heard that when discussing the recruitment of a tanker named 'Kang San' recently, Manager Jung Min-hyuk strongly opposed it. Can you explain the reason precisely?"
"That is..."
He swallowed dryly.
Kang San, of all people.
Why was that name coming up again?
He couldn't comprehend it logically, but the room's atmosphere made it clear he needed to 'explain' himself well.
"Those who were there will know, but Kang San and I have a personal connection. He awakened late and got F-Rank, then spent years drifting as an Arrow Sponge with no achievements. I thought he didn't fit Heavenly Firmament's standards. Even if a high-ranking executive's son recommended him, as a Heavenly Firmament manager, shouldn't we uphold our recruitment standards with conviction? I still don't think my judgment was wrong."
He went on the offensive.
It was probably Jeong Chan-woo who had complained about that incident.
The moment he admitted fault, he'd have no excuses and would bear all the blame. So he refused to concede from the start. His actions were justified, weren't they? The rest of Team 5 had agreed with rejecting the recruitment because his opinion made sense.
"How amusing."
Jeong Hye-mi smirked.
She took a step forward.
She manipulated the computer, and a video appeared on the screen.
"Then let's verify it. Whether Kang San is truly worthless for recruitment, as Manager Jung Min-hyuk claims."
At first, no one understood the situation.
It didn't make sense to summon the entire Team 5 over an issue with some E-Rank hunter.
But by the time the video ended...
Tension was palpable on everyone's faces.
Someone swallowed dryly, the sound echoing loudly, and Jeong Hye-mi looked at the Team 5 members.
"Go ahead, one by one. Share your impressions after watching the video."
They all hesitated.
Then one team member met Jeong Hye-mi's eyes and spoke up hastily, as if volunteering to take the lead.
"...In my judgment, it was outstanding. Beyond the party's overall quality, an E-Rank tanker stably held aggro against over a dozen D-Rank monsters. It's actually quite shocking. It didn't match Manager Jung Min-hyuk's description at all—the person in the video seemed like someone entirely different."
He led the way.
Sensing the dire mood, the other team members chimed in one after another.
"Judging purely by results, he's more than qualified for a solo C-Rank promotion. There's no reason Heavenly Firmament shouldn't recruit him."
"I can't understand what basis Manager Jung Min-hyuk had for calling his skills 'pathetic.' As you all know, Kang San's tanking has real detail—positioning, the instincts to protect allies in a pinch. Is he really an F-Rank Arrow Sponge?"
"This is embarrassing. Actually, back when I was with Castle Management, we once tried to recruit Kang San but dropped it. Even then, Manager Jung Min-hyuk insisted on how worthless he was. Seeing this video now, I'm disappointed in myself for not checking sooner. I'm sorry. This is all my fault for not training my juniors properly."
The last one.
The former team leader from Castle Management days.
Everyone quickly distanced themselves, emphasizing they had no involvement.
Jeong Hye-mi's gaze turned to Jung Min-hyuk.
"You have some explaining to do."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Dizziness hit him.
He wanted to make excuses, but even in his eyes, the Kang San in the video shone with brilliant talent. When had he gained such skill? Trapped in past memories, he hadn't properly assessed Kang San's current level. This was an undeniable blunder with no room for excuses.
Could he muddle through?
Probably not.
Heavenly Firmament teams didn't interfere with each other, so for Jeong Hye-mi to come like this meant the issue was grave.
Jung Min-hyuk spoke in as subdued a voice as he could muster.
"...I'm truly sorry. I should have judged the recruitment more carefully, but I erred by relying on past impressions. If you give me another chance now, I'll push for Kang San's recruitment immediately. With our old connections, my word might carry more weight than others'."
"I think differently."
Her attitude shifted.
Having maintained courtesy with the others, she now fixed him with a gaze as cold as an icy gale.
"It's already beyond what you can handle. Giving a negative review despite your personal ties means those connections aren't that helpful for recruiting Kang San anyway. And you went around acting like your claims were fact before even checking the video. That's the problem. Managers have to evaluate not just current value, but future potential—yet idiots like you always muddy the waters."
Jung Min-hyuk froze.
To him, unable to defend himself...
"What are you waiting for? Get out. There's no place here for someone like you."
Jeong Hye-mi passed her death sentence.
Jung Min-hyuk left.
The staff watched a subordinate get fired on the spot, the atmosphere turning murderously tense.
Some might call it an overly emotional response, but surprisingly, Jeong Hye-mi remained quite composed.
This judgment.
It was a calculated move.
'To push for Kang San's recruitment, it's better to first remove any potential obstacles.'
Think about it.
If someone with ties to Kang San from school days spreads such negativity, their relationship must be poor. And if Kang San ever learned Heavenly Firmament had internally rejected him... they'd need a plausible story. Like, the idiot who made that call is already gone, and Heavenly Firmament isn't dumb enough to repeat mistakes.
Finally.
Jung Min-hyuk was expendable.
No reason to keep paying someone who botched things with personal grudges and excuses.
Jeong Hye-mi addressed Team 5.
"Sorry for causing a commotion in a team that's not mine. I knew it was overstepping, but I had to act since there was a cancer eating away inside. Kang San's recruitment will be transferred to Team 3. Does anyone think that's unfair?"
"No."
"That's the right call."
The situation resolved.
Jeong Hye-mi left the meeting room.
With the root problem handled, it was time to focus on recruiting Kang San.
Team 3's meeting room.
Everyone was buzzing with fervor.
The moment Jeong Hye-mi entered, reports flooded in.
"The current party is Kang San, Jo Han-byeol, Yeon Woo-bin, and Jeong Chan-woo—four members."
"Yeon Woo-bin's father is the director of the 'Hunter Emergency Center.' Their family is extremely wealthy, so standard offers won't work. Same for Jo Han-byeol's family."
"It's confirmed Kang San wandered as an F-Rank Arrow Sponge. We don't know how he improved so fast, but even back then, he had over a hundred raid records. Someone like that with real skill? He's more than worth recruiting."
They compiled data.
Full preparation was key.
Instead of wasting time because contact failed, Jeong Hye-mi pondered offers that would appeal to Kang San. Truthfully, recruiting him wasn't earth-shattering. A- to B-Rank signings made headlines, but they couldn't neglect lower ones.
This industry.
The future was unpredictable.
An A-Rank hunter could plummet, an F-Rank could surge.
Extreme cases were rare, but managers had to foresee potential.
Amid the heated discussion...
[Sis. What's up?]
Jeong Chan-woo, finishing his review, finally made contact.
She met Jeong Chan-woo separately first.
To gauge the situation, but his unexpected reply furrowed her brow.
"...Daeyang approached first?"
"Yeah. Not long after the test, some Daeyang Management team leader contacted me. How'd they even get our numbers? Anyway, the offer was insane—7:3 split for the whole party, 100 million won signing bonus each."
'They're really crossing the line.'
Her stomach boiled.
Daeyang, not content with sabotaging the test, was swiftly snatching talent.
This confirmed it.
Moving faster than Jeong Hye-mi, who acted almost immediately, meant insiders had personal ties to Daeyang Management. The contacts alone proved it. No way they had Kang San's info that quick without getting numbers from someone inside.
She was furious.
But she wasn't dumb enough to call Daeyang out.
This world worked that way—the one who lost talent was the incompetent fool.
The silver lining: they rejected Daeyang's offer.
But it wasn't pure good news.
Jeong Chan-woo said,
"...I don't think they'll accept Heavenly Firmament's offer. No matter how great we are, we can't top Daeyang Management's deal. We'll hit limits against C- to D-Ranks eventually. And from what I know, Kang San hyung doesn't flip decisions easily. He doesn't need management help right now, so he could turn down that huge sum."
Do they realize?
Ever since donating over 100 million for the trials...
Money wasn't Kang San's absolute criterion anymore.
Sure, more was better, but surviving each day's trials took priority.
"You should've listened when I told you. I yelled about buying low, but it fell on deaf ears."
"...Let's not go there."
Jeong Hye-mi ruffled her hair.
It looked tough, just as Jeong Chan-woo said.
Rushing in blindly could backfire, planting a negative image.
Especially since he knew about the internal rejection—putting them at a disadvantage even against Daeyang.
'The more I hear from Chan-woo, the more appealing he seems. If the skills Chan-woo showed during the test improved thanks to Kang San, it wasn't coincidence. It means Kang San accurately self-assesses and knows the right path. So I need justification to keep recruitment options open while building the best possible rapport with him.'
This industry.
Triple persistence was standard.
Salespeople who backed off after one rejection didn't survive.
Suddenly.
A flash of inspiration.
Jeong Hye-mi straightened up and looked at Jeong Chan-woo.
"...Do you think we could invite Kang San-nim as a temporary instructor for Project B Team?"