The Secret Vault
After the morning meeting wrapped up, they were escorted to the restaurant, where they ate lunch boisterously, as if putting on a show for everyone watching.
Taejeong sat a short distance away from them. Despite the spread of exquisite dishes before him, he hadn't touched a single one.
"Boss, Boss...?"
"Huh? You called?"
"Are you okay? Your expression's been... like that for a while."
"What's wrong with my expression?"
"It's scary."
At Park Se-ah's words, he finally snapped out of it, letting out a sigh as he relaxed his face.
"Sorry. I didn't realize... I'm pretty pissed off, you know. Eat up. Don't hold back on my account."
Taejeong forced some food into his mouth. He knew she wouldn't eat if he didn't.
But even as he did, his mind was entirely consumed with thoughts of how to crush those bastards.
Around level 800—no, maybe 700—should be enough to give it a shot. But I need that cruise missile first.
Coldly speaking, there was nothing he could do in his current situation.
Complete quests to acquire powerful weapons, then more quests for even stronger ones—that was it.
One of those was the detachable cruise nuclear missile hanging right now.
A weapon that could potentially create deterrence in a conflict.
This missile, capable of striking parts of Seoul and the outskirts from a stationary position, might not help immediately, but combined with others, it could serve as a solid bargaining chip.
I have to find it somehow. But the odds are too...
He'd mapped every guild structure flawlessly via B6-1, but knowing that didn't mean he could find the skill stone.
It just secured infiltration and escape routes.
The rest meant scouring suspicious spots based on that intel.
And even that, with potential alarms or detection magic—who knew.
It was a pitch-black endeavor.
After finishing his meal, Taejeong headed to the terrace with the executives since time was plentiful.
Gold Lion had poured a fortune into this building—it was impeccably built.
"Come here for a sec."
His words were directed at Park Se-ah, whose hair was tousled by the wind.
"Your hair's a mess like this. Turn around. I'll tie it for you."
"I'm fine. I can do it myself..."
"Turn around. I can't even see your face."
As he tidied her hair, a familiar silhouette caught his eye in the distance.
Choi Da-som?
Their eyes met directly.
She walked toward him.
Park Se-ah stepped aside upon seeing her, and soon Choi Da-som stood beside Taejeong.
"Sending you again, huh."
"Yeah."
"Coincidence?"
"Who knows."
"How'd the meeting go?"
"Not looking good. You were right about everything. Thanks for the info, anyway."
"No big deal. Nothing special. So, what's your plan now?"
At her question, Taejeong paused briefly before shaking his head.
"No idea. I'm not influential enough in the guild for that."
"You don't trust me."
"It's guild business. I'm not in a position to blab. You get it."
"You've changed a lot."
"Me?"
"You seem more mature somehow. Not like the old you."
Taejeong chuckled at her unexpected remark.
"I'm turning 30 soon. You think you're any different? Compared to eight years ago, you don't match up."
"Really? Do I look older?"
"Come on. Eight years. Have some conscience."
"I see."
The conversation ended there.
An awkward silence as they gazed at the street below without a word.
Eight years was that kind of time.
Nothing left to say.
Standing side by side, admiring the view for a while, something caught Taejeong's eye.
"What's that over there?"
"Where?"
"That tunnel-looking spot. Some construction? A bunker?"
"Oh, that's the guild's underground warehouse. It's been under expansion for six months already—finally nearing completion."
"Yeah? Must be huge to take six months."
"It connects six floors underground. And that's the Grade 1 warehouse, so no regular workers allowed. No wonder it takes time."
"Six floors. Top-tier guilds really are on another level. Digging six floors deep for a warehouse. Grade 1 means it's packed with good stuff, right?"
"Probably. We only have two Grade 1 warehouses. One's west for equipment, and this one's for other things by floor—rare artifacts, magic stones, that sort."
At "magic stones," Taejeong naturally turned to her.
"So that huge space is full of magic stones?"
"No. Regular ones are stored separately. This place has rare stuff not seen on the market. Not many in number. Oh, last year we found a weird one. Haven't disclosed it yet. Shaped just like a cube."
"What? For real...?"
In that instant, Taejeong grabbed her shoulders.
She stared at him, startled.
Realizing his mistake too late, he grinned sheepishly and muttered,
"What the hell's a fly doing in a place like this."
"A fly?"
"Yeah. Lots of flies here normally?"
"Maybe 'cause it's next to the restaurant. Never seen one myself."
"Anyway, what were you saying? Oh, the cube thing?"
"Yeah. A rare magic stone—not registered in the world codex yet. You know cubes? Like the one Seok-ho played with back then. Identical shape. Just way bigger."
"Huh. Storing something that rare means security's airtight, right?"
"Exactly. You'd need high-level Abyss-tier to breach it. Even our guild's top assassins couldn't crack the identical system in the west warehouse. Though this one's emptied out for construction."
Taejeong inwardly cheered at her words.
In this hopeless situation with too vast a search area, the answer had popped up like manna from heaven.
A miracle, really.
But on the flip side, it was absurd.
This had to be classified info, yet she spilled it without hesitation.
He felt a twinge of suspicion.
Was she luring him on purpose?
But no—after thinking it over a hundred times, the odds were slim.
She didn't know about his cloaking.
"Anyway, your executives rub me the wrong way, but this spot's nice. Great view too."
"Think so? I actually live here."
"This building? Isn't it an office tower?"
"Floors 18 and up are residences. That's why there's a restaurant. More like company housing?"
"Nice setup. Gotta head out now. Afternoon meeting's starting soon."
"Oh, right. Yeah. Um... Taejeong."
"Yeah?"
"Can we meet again sometime?"
"If I have time. Coffee then."
The afternoon meeting yielded no progress either.
Both sides refused to budge an inch.
Amid the verbal sparring, only one thought filled Taejeong's mind.
I've gotta hit that place tonight. No matter what.
After two meaningless hours and dinner, they returned to the original hotel.
"Want to see the minutes?"
Park Se-ah asked, holding her handwritten notes.
Taejeong, arms crossed in deep thought, shook his head.
"Nah. Not the time."
Seeing his troubled look, she quietly sat and watched him.
Then, the terrace scene from earlier replayed vividly.
His gentle hands tying her hair, face impassive.
First time she'd felt a man's touch like that, aside from her late father.
It made her heart flutter.
Felt good.
But she knew better than anyone it was just kindness.
The scene shifted—another image: Choi Da-som and Taejeong's backs from the corner.
They looked so intimate, like lovers.
Does the boss still not forget her?
She hated the sight.
That woman.
Startled by her own thoughts, Park Se-ah shook her head vigorously.
Idiot. What are you thinking? You barely know her...
Her face flushed with embarrassment.
Taejeong stared and asked,
"What're you doing?"
"P-Pardon?!"
"Why shake your head? Face all red. You sick?"
"N-No! Just... hot..."
"Really? Doesn't feel that way to me. Anyway, I'm about to do something big. Don't freak out or scream."
"What are you—?"
"Something huge is coming out. Go to the bedroom."
Unsure what he meant, she obeyed and entered the bedroom.
Taejeong checked the living room and summoned Protector Armor.
In an instant, a massive machine filled the space.
Watching directly, Park Se-ah's eyes went wide as saucers, hands over her mouth.
Too shocked to even blink—like she'd seen a monster.
Taejeong's voice reached her.
"Shocked? This is my skill. Got something to do. Ignore it and do your thing."
She nodded, eyes still huge.
He called Gerard.
"We got those shots from today, right? Send 'em to the display."
Understood. Transmission complete.
Zooming and resizing the display images, Taejeong found the right scale.
Then he sketched onto Park Se-ah's diary he'd brought.
The process repeated several times, and after about an hour, a rough map of key buildings emerged.
"Perfect. This should get me there no problem. Real-time updates for the gaps."
Work done, he stowed the machine and approached the still-frozen Park Se-ah.
"Still like that?"
"First time seeing something like that. Why'd you bring it out?"
"Supplies."
"Supplies?"
Taejeong gently gripped her shoulders, meeting her eyes with grave seriousness.
"Park Se-ah, listen carefully. I'm sneaking out. Keeping it from Gold Lion and even the executives."
"Sneaking out of the building?"
"Yeah. Not sure how long—four hours if quick, longer if not. Your role's crucial."
"My role...?"
"No one can know I left. Patrols passed once already, so probably clear. But if anyone shows, you block them."
"But the guild master..."
"You can do it, right?"
His insistent gaze made her nod.
"Yes. I'll try."
"Good. I know it's a lot, but you're smart. You'll pull it off somehow. I trust you, Park Se-ah."
With that, Taejeong left the room.
Alone, she repeated his words.
"I trust you... Park Se-ah?"
A small smile tugged at her lips.