Successful Women Are Obsessed With Me - Chapter 169: Latent Awakener Choi Yunmi (9)
After hearing my entire story up to now, Choi Yunmi let out a deep sigh.
"To think all those things happened..."
Having laid it all out, I realized just how much had gone down. Time-wise, it was a ridiculously short span. It felt surreal that so many events had piled up in that brief window. Even if I hadn't fully grasped it at the time, the biggest shake-ups in Korea's hunter world had revolved around me—whether I'd caused them or just gotten dragged into them.
Choi Yunmi spoke as if she'd made up her mind.
"I think Sung-gi should become the center of the hunter world."
"The center?"
I echoed her words, wondering what she meant by that.
"Yes. Scum like Jo Dong-geun shouldn't be calling the shots in the hunter scene. We're lucky he got taken out when he did—if he'd grown even more influential and started dominating Korea..."
Jo Dong-geun had been Korea's most powerful figure, but he hadn't truly ruled the country. Sure, in modern society, one person dominating a nation was unlikely, but it was happening elsewhere. Even the U.S., seen as the bastion of democracy, was basically under one clan's thumb. In politically and economically backward countries, hunters were already wielding real power—straight-up dictatorships.
If Jo Dong-geun's influence had kept swelling, Korea might've gone the same way. Even though it was nipped in the bud before fully blooming, no one could say for sure what picture he'd been painting. And that picture would've had him smack in the middle, no doubt. I'd experienced firsthand what kind of bastard he was.
That was probably her angle. With Jo Dong-geun gone, I should take his place. Sure, there might've been a selfish wish for someone close to her to become Korea's powerhouse. But from what I'd seen, Choi Yunmi wasn't the type to think that narrowly.
Just wanting a company in Korea that could craft S-rank gear and weapons was a grand, national-scale vision—one a single person couldn't just pull off lightly. Even if I was new to being a hunter, I knew how this world spun. People with any real ability or power mostly schemed to grab as much profit as they could for themselves. Holding onto big-picture ambitions in that cutthroat environment was no easy feat.
"You want me to fill the void Jo Dong-geun left?"
It wouldn't be that hard, honestly. I hadn't explicitly planned it out, but if I set my mind to it, I could pull it off.
"No. Sung-gi, you're already Korea's top hunter. People just don't know it yet. What I mean is, you should become the world's center. If you take the helm in the hunter world, folks like me can live without worry. Anyone in the know probably thinks the same. The real terror isn't the monsters in dungeons—it's the hunters. You could give people hope. That'd bring back their original view of hunters: heroes saving humanity. Just imagining that world makes my heart swell. It's like rediscovering a lost dream."
Choi Yunmi nestled into my arms with the innocent expression of a girl chasing a dream. I'd pegged her as just a shrewd businesswoman, but I never imagined she harbored such grand, pure ambitions. I was glad I'd grown close to her.
If she hadn't shared this today, I might never have dared think I could—or should—become the world's center.
"Can I really do it?"
Korea's top spot? Absolutely. Jo Dong-geun had died by my hand, after all. Even if he wasn't at his peak then, neither was I as strong as now. Full-power Jo Dong-geun versus me? No contest.
But the world...? Before awakening, I'd kept my distance from the hunter scene—it was easier to cope that way. Still, even I knew the big names. They overshadowed presidents of superpowers, wielding massive influence and massive organizations. Could I rise above them? The battles ahead flashed vividly in my mind.
"You can."
Choi Yunmi said it with total confidence.
"I'll help you."
I gazed into her pure, innocent eyes—childlike for a twenty-nine-year-old, yet wiser than someone pushing thirty-nine. Her words filled me with faith and resolve.
"Yunmi..."
I didn't need to hold back anymore. This time, I kissed her lips without hesitation.
In a hotel on Seoul's outskirts, we could fuck our brains out with no one to stop us.
On the drive back, Choi Yunmi spoke up as if remembering something.
"Choi Nari might actually be relatively easy to recruit."
"Huh?"
Who the hell was Choi Nari? The unfamiliar name made me ask.
"Oh, you wouldn't know. She's huge among the younger crowd these days. Does tons of collabs with luxury brands and idol groups. Her design skills are on another level—legendary, really."
"Ah~ Yeah~"
The word "design" clicked it for me. We'd talked about technician Kim Yeonhwa earlier, but not designers. I'd gotten sidetracked spilling my own story and forgotten to ask.
"She doesn't work in the hunter world?"
"She's on a break now. Back in the day, she'd take commissions via personal SNS and design gear for some hunters—that's it. If I recall, Seol-bi has a piece made from one of Choi Nari's designs."
"Seol-bi does?"
Kim Seol-bi was an S-rank hunter. She was popular even among S-ranks, and now that we were close, it didn't feel off—but she was a superstar who popped up on TV and had no haters. Realizing I was banging someone like that made me swell with pride all over again. If she'd designed for Kim Seol-bi, Choi Nari had to be top-tier in her field.
"So why'd she stop? Hunter work seems way more lucrative at a glance."
Collabs with luxury brands or idol outfits would rake in cash, sure—but nothing compared to outfitting hunters. In this world, hunters sat at the absolute peak. Whatever you did, serving them meant top status and the fattest paychecks.
"Ironically, that name comes up again. Jo Dong-geun."
"Jo Dong-geun?"
"Yeah. He raped Choi Nari's best friend. Sure, the friend walked into his hotel willingly at first. But when she came out, she was barely clinging to life. She recovered, but they say she'll never be intimate with a man again. It's hearsay for me, but probably true. Hasn't touched hunter gear design since. Word is, with the right offer, she'll leave Korea. She's fed up with a Korea where two-faced bastards like Jo Dong-geun roam free. Though foreign hunters are often the same, so she's picky about offers."
"I see..."
Now I got why Choi Yunmi said recruiting her would be easy. She'd heard in the hotel how I'd killed Jo Dong-geun. Nothing would win Choi Nari over faster. But spilling that to a designer I'd never met? Tricky.
Reading my mind, Choi Yunmi said,
"I'll set up a meeting. If you show off your talents right, I think it'll work."
Her tone was loaded with meaning. I figured she shared a trait with Kang A-jin: the ability to suppress personal desires for the greater good. The "talent" she meant? My knack for making hotshot women obsessed with me.
Curiosity piqued, I asked,
"Is Choi Nari's design skill a hunter ability?"
"Of course. Designing hunter gear and weapons isn't just making them look pretty. You have to understand the mechanics inside out. No point in a gorgeous design if it can't be built. Even technicians can't pull that off. Different fields—fabrication versus design."
"Got it..."
There was still so much to the hunter world I didn't know. If she was a hunter like Choi Yunmi said, my ability had even more room to play. As she suggested, best to meet her and see.