Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: If You're Going to Sell Patriotism, Pay the Right Price—The Country Isn't a Beggar
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Mentally shut out at the firmly closed front door, Director Jeong Seonghwan stood there in a daze.
The top hunters in Korea bowed their heads before him.
Even the president listened closely to his opinions on hunter-related matters.
Yet here he was, getting the cold shoulder from an F-rank—no, not even ranked—production-class nobody?
"Hah... Haha..."
He could only let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
His pride stung, Jeong Seonghwan hit the intercom button again.
Ding-dong— Ding-dong—
[Hey, why do you keep ringing? We're done here.]
Woojin's voice came through the intercom, dripping with irritation.
"Mr. Kim Woojin, this'll only take a moment. It's a critical national security issue. Please open the door."
[National security? I'm just a small business owner. I'm swamped just keeping track of sales. I don't know anything about security. Busy—click.]
Click—
"H-Hey! Mr. Kim Woojin!"
The line cut off again. Jeong Seonghwan's face flushed red.
He couldn't just leave like this.
Now that he knew the Benedict family had made contact, he had to bring Kim Woojin under government control.
That was when Jo Ayoung stepped forward to the intercom with a determined look.
"D-Director, hold on. Let me try."
Ding-dong—
[Ugh! I said no!]
She took a deep breath, then shouted desperately into the intercom.
"P-Packing! I'll pack for you!!"
Jeong Seonghwan wondered what the hell she was talking about.
"Officer Jo...?"
Then Woojin's voice came through, a bit less guarded.
[...Packing?]
"Yes! Just like last time! You saw me do it, right? You don't even have to buy me jjajangmyeon this time!"
A brief silence followed, and Woojin's tone softened considerably.
[Oh? For real? For free?]
As Jo Ayoung had said, her packing skills were pretty solid.
Thorough, fast, and precise.
"Yes! Yes! Totally free!"
[Hmm... But this time there's a lot more volume. New products too. You'd probably need at least two full days...]
"T-Two days...?"
Jo Ayoung's face went pale.
It was just bait to get the door open, but two days?
[Yeah, using you for free for two days feels a bit much, right?]
As she hesitated, Jeong Seonghwan urgently jabbed her side.
"I don't know what it is, but say yes! Hurry!"
Under the director's pressure, Jo Ayoung choked back tears and agreed.
"I-I'll do it!"
Beep—
Finally, the fortress-like front door swung open.
Before opening the door, Woojin first dealt with the 'Sacred Sofa of Repose' in the middle of the living room.
"Sangjin, cover that thing up. Nothing good comes from showing it to government types."
"Got it!"
Sangjin quickly threw a blackout curtain over the sofa.
With the holy glow hidden, the living room reverted to an ordinary home.
Woojin led the two visitors not to the living room sofa, but to the four-person kitchen table.
"Have a seat."
"......"
Jeong Seonghwan felt a strange mix of emotions.
He was a director treated like a vice-minister, yet here he was at a kitchen table instead of a sofa.
But since he was in the beggar's position, he sat silently.
"No time to waste, so cut to the chase. Why are you here?"
Woojin asked with his arms crossed, not even offering a glass of water.
Jeong Seonghwan cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ahem. Mr. Kim Woojin, I'll be direct. The government highly values your abilities. We'd like your cooperation for the good of the nation."
"Specifically?"
"Simple. Provide your abilities to the government. Submit periodic reports on them, and follow the Management Bureau's guidelines otherwise."
Classic bureaucratic thinking.
Woojin smirked.
'These guys are straight-up robbers.'
"Why should I? I'm not military or even a hunter."
"It's not just imposing duties. If you come under the government's umbrella, we'll offer treatment befitting that."
Jeong Seonghwan pulled out cards one by one with a relaxed smile.
"Military exemption as a baseline, government-level personal protection, and even an exclusive supply contract for Woosang Shop items. Honor, wealth, safety—all guaranteed. No better deal in Korea."
Sweet carrots. But Woojin muttered with arms still crossed.
"I'm already exempt from service as an orphan."
"......"
Jeong Seonghwan's voice dropped lower.
"Ahem! Outside the system is like the Siberian tundra, Mr. Woojin."
"...Keep going."
"Under the Awakener Special Act, unverified artifact distribution is strictly limited. We've overlooked your small scale so far, but as business grows, that's over. Safety inspections, sales permits, export restrictions... The legal net is too tight for an individual."
Jeong Seonghwan rested his clasped hands on the table and leaned forward.
The eyes of a seasoned negotiator toying with his opponent.
"To prosper, partnering with the government that holds 'permits' is the rational choice, no? No need to stir up trouble."
He'd come prepared.
Tempt with carrots, pressure with the system's might.
A typical ability user would be sweating and stamping the contract by now.
But Woojin was different.
Far from scared, he burst into incredulous laughter.
"Ah, so... if I don't play ball, you'll shut down my business? Cut my lifeline? That kind of threat?"
"Threat? Just advising on legal procedures and reality in a rule-of-law state."
"Reality, huh... Fine, then I'll make a realistic choice too."
Woojin shot up from his seat.
"I'll just leave Korea now."
Jeong Seonghwan's brow furrowed at the unexpected response.
"...Pardon?"
"Like you said, Korean laws are a pain for small businesses. Might as well go to the US. They keep begging me anyway—perfect timing."
"The US? What do you...?"
"You know the Benedict family? They're offering citizenship fast-track, family-level legal protection, and their global distribution network. No threats with paperwork there."
"Be-Benedict...!"
Jeong Seonghwan's composed face crumbled in an instant.
He hadn't imagined the Benedicts making such an offer.
Kim Woojin's abilities were still unknown. But if they were game-changing? That changed everything.
And if word got out later that a talent of immense value defected to the US due to government red tape?
This wasn't just brain drain—it was a scandal that could topple the administration. Higher-ups would demand heads roll.
"While someone's dangling 30 trillion and begging me to come, my homeland tries to flex with a mere sales permit... Kills my patriotism dead."
"30—30 trillion!?"
Jo Ayoung gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Jeong Seonghwan was speechless too. The scale was worlds apart.
'Not a lie...'
The Benedicts moved money on a national budget scale.
And he'd tried to strong-arm someone they'd personally scouted with mere regulations.
He realized how pathetic his hand was.
"I'm not unpatriotic, but this sours my mood. No more cooperating with the Korean government. Please leave. I need to pack for emigration."
As Woojin turned to head to his room for real, Jeong Seonghwan desperately grabbed his sleeve.
"W-Wait! Mr. Woojin! Misunderstanding! I didn't explain well enough!"
The mighty Director Jeong Seonghwan bowed his head frantically.
No time for pride.
If rumors spread that the Benedicts stole talent from under them, he'd lose his job—and face hearings as a traitor.
"Threat? Absurd. My phrasing was rough. We just... need your abilities so badly, we got ahead of ourselves."
Jeong Seonghwan caught his breath and shifted strategy. Coercion failed—offer real benefits.
"If full control feels burdensome, how about a 'partnership'? Government backs your business from behind the scenes, and you prioritize supplying us when needed."
"Pretty words, but it still feels like I'm taking the loss."
"No. Pride as a Korean citizen, and the nation's guarantee..."
"D-Director. That damn patriotism again."
Woojin sat back down, propping his chin. A cynical smile played on his lips.
"The country's not some beggar—stop forcing unpaid passion labor. If you're selling patriotism, pay the market price."
Rude, but utterly realistic and capitalist.
Jeong Seonghwan actually felt relieved. It meant they could talk business.
He swallowed hard.
"What... do you want?"
Woojin's eyes gleamed.
'Gotcha.'
Woojin leaned in like he'd been waiting.
"I'm running a little business right now. Just registered under a month ago."
"Yes, we know. Woosang Shop."
"Exempt that business from taxes."
Jeong Seonghwan's eyes widened.
"...Taxes?"
"Yeah. Hunters get tax breaks on dungeon byproducts and income, right? I'm an ability user selling stuff I make with my powers—same deal. Corporate, income, VAT—all of it."
Jeong Seonghwan's mind raced.
Outlandish? No.
[Hunter Special Act Article 4 Paragraph 2 - Tax Exemption Limits for Strategic Goods Production and Special Ability Ventures.]
Woojin's ability was 'production.'
Classify his products as 'strategic materials,' designate Woosang Shop as a 'special venture firm'?
Perfectly legal scenario.
Not demanding cash—just tax breaks.
Compared to losing national wealth to US defection, a dip in tax revenue was nothing.
"...Possible."
Jeong Seonghwan nodded.
"We'll designate Woosang Shop as a 'National Strategic Venture.' That lets us legally grant tax exemptions equal to—or better than—hunters'."
Only then did Woojin smile in satisfaction.
"Now that's more like it. Give and take makes me want to help. Should've led with this."
The deal was sealed.
But Jeong Seonghwan couldn't stop there.
Just tax breaks made the government look like suckers.
'Need a leash. Something to monitor, manage, block Benedict poaching...'
Then his eyes fell on Jo Ayoung, huddled at the table corner watching nervously.
And he recalled the intercom exchange earlier.
'Right... something about packing?'
A brilliant idea flashed in Jeong Seonghwan's mind.
Monitor him while winning favor—two birds, one stone.
"Mr. Woojin, business booming means you're short-staffed, right...?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Sangjin and I are running ragged."
"Hiring costs money, and finding trustworthy help is tough?"
Woojin eyed the director curiously.
"True... Why?"
Jeong Seonghwan pointed at Jo Ayoung with a grin.
"We'll dispatch Officer Jo Ayoung."
Jo Ayoung jumped in shock.
"Whaaat!?? Me!?"
Jeong Seonghwan ignored her and pitched.
"Government 'administrative support' initiative. Her salary's on the state. You get her labor 'free.' Fast hands, diligent, and she'll handle all the annoying paperwork."
Woojin's eyes lit up.
Free.
The two most beautiful, sweetest words in the world.
He was already planning to hire amid mounting work.
Plus, a government agent as staff? Offload permits and admin hassles.
Woojin tapped his mental calculator and grinned wickedly.
'Spying on me, huh... Fine, I can live with that.'
"Oho... Free slave—er, employee. Director, you know business."
Woojin looked at Jo Ayoung.
"Alright, she's hired. Officer Jo's not bad anyway."
Jo Ayoung stared at her director with a betrayed, tearful face.
"D-Director... I'm a civil servant...?"
"Ahem. This counts as public service, Officer Jo."
"Th-That's ridiculous..."
And so, Jo Ayoung's 'Woosang Shop unpaid slave' life was set.
Leaving Woojin's house, the two stepped out.
Jeong Seonghwan lit a cigarette.
"Whew... Not an easy mark, as you said."
Jo Ayoung, meanwhile, slumped in defeat.
"Director... This is too much..."
Seeing her so down stirred a twinge of guilt in Jeong Seonghwan.
"Don't take it too hard, Officer Jo. This is an opportunity. Prime chance to extract intel from Kim Woojin's inner circle. Who knows? If your info helps the nation, promotion's a sure thing."
"But... Can I really do it...?"
"Of course! He seemed to like you. And don't worry about commute— we'll set your quarters here in the building."
Jo Ayoung's head snapped up.
"Here? This apartment?"
This was the crown jewel of Gyeonggi's new city.
Full amenities, great school district—everyone's dream.
Jo Ayoung was a girl supporting two younger siblings.
That's why, despite being an awakener, she avoided dangerous hunter work.
What if something happened to her?
She always felt bad cramming with her siblings in a tiny villa. Official housing?
Jeong Seonghwan read her mind and drove it home.
"Full maintenance fees covered. Bring the whole family."
Life returned to Jo Ayoung's eyes.
"I-I'll do my best!"
Jeong Seonghwan smiled warmly and opened his smartphone.
"Good. Might as well make surveillance easy—right next door."
He called his aide.
"Yeah, me. Need you to snag something now. XX Apartments, 1104. Buy it by any means. Premium? Toss on 1-2 billion more. That'll settle it."
But Jeong Seonghwan had no clue.
That unit had already gone, through a bloody auction, to the world's two strongest women.
Hanging up, Jeong Seonghwan whistled.
"Answers are always in the field."
Whoosh—
A chill wind blew behind him, foretelling doom.
"Getting pretty cold. Let's go, Officer Jo Ayoung. Time to prep the move."