Korea's Strongest: Kang Sung-gi (15)
Baek Seonghun did exactly as I said. He immediately made a call, seemingly checking their identities. He looked at Kim Se-in and Kim Eun-bi with shocked eyes. Letting his arms drop limply, he spat out the words.
"It's true..."
"If there's nothing more to say, let's move on with the agenda. We're all busy people."
Baek Seonghun's face turned pale. He'd been confident of victory before, and it showed in his expression. But now, with this new variable, his mind seemed a tangled mess.
That's when someone raised their hand.
"I have an objection."
He was a burly hunter with a ponytail. I knew his last name was Kang, but his first name escaped me. Anyway, he raised his objection like this.
"We're gathered here to vote on our leader. This is a continuation of the last meeting. So, it seems fair not to give voting rights to the two who are attending for the first time today. That way, the vote will be fair."
What the hell is this bullshit? As I scowled at him, Seo Na-yeon shot to her feet first.
"What the fuck? Any S-rank at an S-rank meeting has voting rights. What kind of logic is it to question that just because it's their first time?"
"Don't raise your voice. Let's act with some decorum, please."
"What? You slimy fatass! You think no one knows you're sucking up to Baek Seonghun for real estate gains?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
The ponytail guy panicked at being called out by Seo Na-yeon. I didn't know the details, but it looked like she was spot on. He was panicking so obviously that even someone like me, who knew nothing, could tell she was right.
"Quiet down, everyone."
Seizing the opening like a lifeline, Baek Seonghun plastered on a smile again.
"Mr. Kang Dong-gwon is right. This meeting is about reaching a consensus after delaying the unresolved issue from last time. The newcomers won't know the context, so it makes sense for them to sit this vote out."
"Are you fucking crazy? Who the hell decides that!"
Seo Na-yeon kept arguing, veins bulging in her neck. Seeing her stand up for me so fiercely, some of my prejudices against her started to crack.
Baek Seonghun ignored her and asked me directly.
"What do you think, Mr. Kang Sung-gi? Are you so unsure of beating me without those two new votes?"
The intent was clear. A provocation. I wouldn't waver over something so petty, but I decided to play along just this once.
"Of course not. Who'd lose to a druggie like you?"
"Wh-what did you say?"
Baek Seonghun staggered in place at my words. If it had been baseless, he'd have just been baffled, but like Kang Dong-gwon earlier, his face showed he was clearly guilty.
"Isn't that a bit harsh for fellow S-ranks?"
Another hunter on Baek Seonghun's side spoke up toward me. They must have been desperate too. They could only profit if Baek Seonghun took power.
I flashed him a grin.
"Just kidding. Unless you're really a druggie?"
Baek Seonghun's face twisted in rage.
"Ahem, enough of that. Mr. Kang Sung-gi, this is only your second meeting, so maybe you're not adjusted yet, but we S-ranks need to respect each other. A vote's a vote, but basic manners matter, don't they?"
"It's funny coming from someone trying to rig the vote with cheap tricks, but fine. I agree. Let's proceed without the two newcomers."
"Oppa!"
Seo Na-yeon, who'd been standing up for me with bulging veins, looked at me in confusion. But seeing my relaxed demeanor, she seemed to sense something was off. Plus, Kim Seol-bi looked confident too.
Kim Eun-bi quietly whispered to me from the side.
"Oppa, you okay?"
I nodded to Kim Eun-bi and told Baek Seonghun.
"Let's start."
Seo Na-yeon let out a frustrated "Damn it!" and plopped back down. All she could do now was glare at Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol.
"Okay."
Baek Seonghun declared with a refreshed expression.
"No more long talks. Let's proceed with the vote."
Two face photos from the last meeting appeared on the screen. Seeing my face blown up large was still embarrassing.
"I'm number one, Mr. Kang Sung-gi is number two. Vote for who you want as leader."
The vote began just like last time. As each hunter pressed the button on their device, the numbers under the photos ticked up. The number of voters was the same as before.
Baek Seonghun looked relaxed at first, but panicked when it hit 4-4. His gaze shifting to Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol confirmed my hunch. He'd approached those two first, and they'd promised to vote for him—but at least one had betrayed him now.
And... the number under my photo hit 5 first.
"This..."
Baek Seonghun's eyebrows furrowed. Then 6. The final tally: 6 to 4.
The rest had voted the same as last time, but Park Hye-na had switched from Baek Seonghun to me.
"Yes!"
Seo Na-yeon, who'd been worried, jumped up with a fist pump as the result she wanted came in.
Meanwhile, Baek Seonghun and his three allies couldn't hide their shock.
"You fucking bastards!!"
Baek Seonghun openly cursed at Park Hyun-jun and Kim Hyun-cheol. The two avoided his gaze, pretending ignorance, and Seo Na-yeon shot to her feet again.
"What? Got something to say to them?"
She'd threatened to expose their castration before, but now she was protecting them. In a situation where an actual fight's outcome was uncertain. Sure, I had her back, but she charged ahead without a care.
What can I say? She was reliably on our side.
"The results are in."
I stood up. Walked to the podium and stood beside Baek Seonghun.
"Thank you for choosing me, despite my shortcomings."
"You..."
Baek Seonghun glared at me like he wanted to kill me.
"Show some respect between fellow S-ranks."
"Fuck! Bullshit!"
Baek Seonghun seemed to lose all reason.
"No way! I don't accept this!"
He swung his fist at the large monitor.
Crash!
Of course, the monitor shattered under an S-rank hunter's punch.
"You'd better watch your back."
With those final words to me, Baek Seonghun stormed toward the door. The three who'd voted for him stood abruptly and followed.
So it ends like this, huh.
I'd expected Baek Seonghun wouldn't accept the results. He'd been aiming to stand at the absolute top of Korea's hunter world with this vote. Not for some greater good or to lead the upcoming S-rank dungeon raid, but for his own ambitions.
"Thank you to those who voted for me."
I scanned the meeting room. Excluding Park Hyun-jun, Kim Hyun-cheol, and Seo Na-yeon, everyone was close to me—or at least not needing to be here.
"Let's end today's meeting here. We'll discuss the S-rank dungeon raid later."
"Oppa!"
Seo Na-yeon pleaded.
"You're just leaving today too? It's been so long since we met?"
"I'll call you."
"Huh?"
Her face flushed red at my words. As I headed for the door, she yelled at my back.
"You promised! You better call for real!"
Just as the three who'd sided with Baek Seonghun had followed him, Kim Seol-bi, Park Hye-na, Kim Se-in, and Kim Eun-bi followed behind me.
"It's really just a few days away now."
I was having dinner with the four women at the hotel restaurant. Kim Seol-bi mentioned the time left until the S-rank dungeon raid.
"What's the Hongcheon Dungeon like?"
"The three dungeons in Korea have similar raid difficulties overall. They're S-rank, so not easy, but we've raided them often enough that the patterns are known."
But only Kim Seol-bi and Park Hye-na knew those patterns. This would be my first time, as well as the other two women's.
And as we'd seen in the meeting, cooperation from the other S-rank hunters was unlikely now.
Meaning we'd have to clear it ourselves. And the raid date was just days away.
"Sounds fun~"
Kim Eun-bi said it like a kid excited for a picnic, slicing her steak.
"I'm looking forward to it too. Please tell me as much detail as possible—monsters, raid routes, and what to farm."
Kim Se-in seemed thrilled for her first S-rank dungeon too. In terms of hunter awareness and passion for raids, she was probably the most driven among us.
I sent Choi Yunmi a quick update on the meeting results. A reply came right away, as if she'd been waiting. Covered in hearts, it read: