Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: The Chairman Appears
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"......Do you not need to take that call?"
"Be quiet."
At Han Se-yeon's firm words, I shut my mouth.
The phone call ended shortly after.
"Hmm. This isn't coming off easily. It's not dust—looks like some kind of powder."
Rustle, rustle.
This time, a commotion came from outside the door.
Wondering what was going on, I started to turn toward the door, but Han Se-yeon grabbed my head.
"Wait. It hasn't come off yet?"
Creeeak...
That was when it happened. The door to the vice president's office, where Han Se-yeon and I were, swung open.
Han Se-yeon and I turned our gazes toward the door in that exact position.
An elderly man in a wheelchair stood there, with someone who looked like his secretary behind him.
"......Huh?"
Han Se-yeon spotted them and pulled away from me with a shocked expression.
I was just as surprised.
I hadn't anticipated this situation at all.
And the man was looking at me with a puzzled gaze.
"Ah, Father?"
The man's identity was the head of the Han family.
Chairman Han Dae-hyeon.
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Dinner with the Chairman
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Luxurious, high-end Korean dishes filled the table.
There were a whopping thirteen plates just laid out.
It was a generous amount even for three people.
This was a premium Korean restaurant somewhere in Seoul.
Sitting across from me right now was Han Dae-hyeon, the chairman known to wield the second strongest influence after Chairman Kim Jin-cheol.
Next to him, Han Se-yeon wore an uncomfortable expression, glancing warily at me.
I still had no idea how we'd ended up in this situation.
In the awkward atmosphere, Han Dae-hyeon spoke first.
"Kim Jin-woo, was it?"
"Yes, that's right."
"You're a sorcerer, right? How long have you known Se-yeon?"
"Cough, cough!"
Han Se-yeon, who had been sipping water, started coughing as if it had gone down the wrong way.
"Father. It's not like that."
"Don't play innocent. I saw you two stuck together all cozy. Where's this sudden denial coming from?"
"That was because there was something weird on Jin-woo-ssi’s head..."
Han Dae-hyeon cut off Han Se-yeon's words and spoke firmly.
"Let me ask again. How long have you known Se-yeon?"
Han Se-yeon looked at my face with a flustered expression.
I nodded to her reassuringly.
"I'm not dating Han Se-yeon."
At my polite response, Han Dae-hyeon narrowed his eyes.
"These days, young people don't even call it dating, but they still stick that close?"
"Father, I told you it's not like that. There was something strange on Jin-woo-ssi’s head, so I was just helping remove it."
Han Se-yeon jumped in again.
At her desperate cry, Han Dae-hyeon seemed to sense her sincerity and fell silent for a moment.
"Ah, so you're not officially dating yet—just the stage before that. What do they call it these days? 'Talking' or something?"
Han Dae-hyeon stared at me intently before speaking.
"Well, even if it's not that, I did want to meet you at least once."
He wanted to meet me?
As I looked at him questioningly, Han Dae-hyeon continued.
"I heard from Se-yeon. You advised against the dungeon business and the Pioneer's Night event, right?"
Ah, so he knew about that after all.
"I only gave advice. Han Se-yeon was the one who actually took action."
"Advice, huh. Wasn't the basis for that advice pretty flimsy at the time? It felt like a gamble."
"That's..."
"Father. So what brings you here?"
At that moment, Han Se-yeon cut into the conversation. She seemed to be trying to steer it away so I wouldn't be put in a tough spot.
"I had some business at headquarters, so I stopped by. Figured I'd see my daughter's face while I was at it."
"What business at headquarters?"
"You don't need to know."
"......If you were coming, couldn't you at least give me a heads-up?"
"I did contact you."
"When?"
Han Se-yeon made a face like she'd never heard of it before.
"I sent a call to your office. You just didn't pick up."
A call? Han Se-yeon tilted her head, then suddenly remembered and gaped.
"You don't mean the call that came one minute before you came up, do you?"
"Yeah."
"No, that's one minute before! At least give ten minutes' notice."
"Why are you making such a fuss? Do you have some scheme you're hiding from me?"
"No, it's not that..."
Han Se-yeon trailed off.
I watched their father-daughter exchange with interest.
It was fresh and amusing to see Han Se-yeon, who always came across as so confident, fumbling like this.
Then Han Dae-hyeon turned his gaze to me. He stared at me with an inscrutable look.
"But I didn't get an answer to my earlier question. The advice you gave Se-yeon—what was it based on?"
At Han Dae-hyeon's words, I closed my mouth for a moment.
The advice he meant was warning against the dungeon business and the Pioneer's Night event.
How should I respond to this?
Of course, I could easily spin a plausible excuse.
Like, I predicted it based on recent global dungeon generation cycles, or the sword 'Hokcheon' displayed at Pioneer's Night—wielded by Jin Cheon-woo—was something Jaun could easily target.
He'd probably accept that without suspicion.
But that wasn't what I was pondering right now.
Should I brush this off with a smooth answer?
Or would it be better to give a more unique response to pique Chairman Han Dae-hyeon's interest? That was my dilemma.
In the end, I finished deliberating and answered.
"I have good instincts."
"Instincts?"
Han Dae-hyeon furrowed his brow.
Han Se-yeon also looked at me with slight surprise.
"Yes, I've always had sharp instincts. They're rarely wrong."
"Are you making fun of me right now?"
Han Dae-hyeon said to me with a hardened gaze. Despite rumors he was on death's door from illness, that look was fierce.
But it was the only choice I had.
The Han family dominated the world economy and used their vast capital to collect countless 'mysteries.'
Their collection probably numbered in the hundreds.
The Han family's immense power.
It would persist even after Han Dae-hyeon's death.
Through his son, 'Han Se-jin.'
If I could uproot or weaken that root of evil before it grew, the only chance was now, while Han Dae-hyeon was still alive.
"I'm serious."
"That's too much of a joke."
Han Dae-hyeon said in a stiff voice.
But there was no disappointment in his eyes.
Instead, he was looking at me with intrigued eyes.
To that, I responded with a soft smile.
"Believe it or not, that's up to you. I don't mind either way."
There was no need to convince him now. Piling on unnecessary words here would only backfire.
Piquing just a tiny bit of interest was enough.
"Then, may I test that 'instinct' of yours?"
"I'm no fortune-teller, so no guarantees it'll work on command. But I'll try reading Chairman's troubles with my gut."
At my words, Han Dae-hyeon chuckled.
"Fine. What's my trouble?"
"Are you perhaps regretting something from the past?"
At that instant, Han Dae-hyeon's expression hardened rapidly.
A sleek luxury sedan glided smoothly through a dark tunnel.
Han Se-jin sat in the back seat, speaking on the phone with a tense face.
"Father's having dinner with Se-yeon?"
[Yes, that's correct.]
"Why would someone too ill to move properly do that?"
Did he have some important conversation in mind?
Han Se-jin felt a sudden unease. A talk excluding him?
For him, whose goal was to become the head of the Han family, this situation didn't sit well.
[We don't know the exact reason. And there was one more companion.]
"Companion? Who?"
[Sorcerer Kim Jin-woo.]
"Kim Jin-woo? Ah."
Han Se-jin recalled the name Kim Jin-woo.
The man who had dined with Han Se-yeon at a restaurant in the past. He'd also attended the recent social event with her.
"Why's that guy there?"
[We don't know either.]
Han Se-jin fell into thought for a moment.
Kim Jin-woo...
Why was that man there?
Was he introducing a boyfriend to Father?
A boyfriend, huh.
Thinking about it, their relationship didn't seem like mere business.
Considering she brought him to social events, they were probably closer than he thought.
She'd denied it last time, but maybe they really were that close.
"Se-yeon's all grown up."
If a boyfriend was involved, it was probably casual.
Seemed like he didn't need to worry much about their meeting.
"Got it. Contact me if anything unusual happens."
[Yes, sir.]
Click.
The call ended, and Han Se-jin gazed out the window.
The city lights that pierced the darkness faded, revealing mountains and trees.
The urban scenery had long vanished.
"Vice Chairman, we'll arrive in about ten minutes."
"Understood."
Then, a message alert rang from Han Se-jin's phone. Not his usual one, but the secretive device he used for covert matters.
[Running about 40 minutes late today]
It was from Elrin.
After failing to subjugate Jaun in Atlantis, they'd assembled the mercenary group to discuss future plans and schedules.
The villa in Gangwon Province he was heading to now was the gathering spot.
[What's the reason?]
[Nothing major. Got caught up investigating someone personally. Sorry.]
Making him wait 40 minutes for personal business? It soured his mood considerably.
He'd have to add a new rule regarding time commitments.
He despised people who didn't keep promises.
[Who were you investigating?]
Curiosity got the better of him, so he asked.
But no reply came. She'd responded in under 20 seconds just moments ago.
As he moved to close the chat, another message from Elrin arrived.
[Sorcerer named Kim Jin-woo. Know him?]
"......Huh?"
An unexpected name popped up.
Kim Jin-woo.
Kim Jin-woo again. Second time today already.
Was this really coincidence?
Han Se-jin stared blankly at the name Kim Jin-woo.
A strange premonition hit him.
He had a feeling he'd keep crossing paths with this guy...
After the meal,
Han Dae-hyeon returned to the main house. Perhaps the rare outing had been too much; he leaned back in his chair, breathing heavily.
"Hoo..."
"Chairman, are you alright? You overdid it today."
"I'm fine. Don't treat me like I'm about to drop dead."
He waved off his secretary. A gesture to leave him alone.
The secretary bowed and exited the room.
Left alone, Han Dae-hyeon slowly closed his eyes.
Kim Jin-woo, whom he'd met today.
He was more peculiar than expected.
He could see why his daughter kept him close.
And their conversation lingered in his mind.
—Are you perhaps regretting something from the past?
—......What did you say?
—Just what I said. Your face shows deep worries, and for a chairman who has everything in the world, there aren't many possibilities. Illness, an uncertain future, or an irreparable past. I picked one based on instinct.
—Your instincts are sharp, it seems. Can't dodge a sales pitch like that.
—If there's some circumstance you can't share with others, I might be able to help you, Chairman.
Han Dae-hyeon suddenly recalled a memory from the past.
His own blood kin, his older brother.
The betrayal driven by the greed in his veins.
Long ago, to seize control of the Han family, he had betrayed and crushed his own brother.