Chapter 157
Chapter 157
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: An Old Acquaintance
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Knock, knock.
"Mr. President. The Suppression Corps' Chief of Information Operations is here to see you…."
Song Jeong-eun cracked open Jeong In-gon's door and asked.
Jeong In-gon, his face etched with fatigue, looked at Song Jeong-eun's troubled expression and gave a slight nod.
"I'll send him in, then."
A moment later.
Kim Hwan-soo, dressed in the uniform of the Suppression Corps, strode into the room with a brisk step.
"It's been a long time, senior."
"Indeed. Has it been about ten years?"
"About that, yes."
"How time flies… Just a moment."
"Of course. The coffee hasn't arrived yet, so please, take your time."
Kim Hwan-soo settled comfortably onto the sofa.
He looked remarkably at ease, as if he belonged there.
*'This guy. He's as fearless as ever.'*
Jeong In-gon glanced at Kim Hwan-soo while signing the documents.
He hadn't changed a bit from ten years ago.
Somehow, while he himself was getting older, Kim Hwan-soo had put on some weight and actually looked younger.
*'I wonder how much he's been lining his pockets for his face to glow like that…'*
Jeong In-gon recalled the leaner Kim Hwan-soo of the past.
The Kim Hwan-soo who had been rail-thin, radiating a venomous aura.
The man who had once been filled with malice, like a wild dog stalking its prey after days of starvation, had now filled out and even learned how to smile.
But even with the passage of time, his sharp gaze remained unchanged.
"Is something wrong? Your staring is making it hard for me to sit comfortably, senior."
Kim Hwan-soo smiled as he looked at Jeong In-gon.
When their eyes met after his furtive glances, he didn't look away at all.
Instead, he stared back without so much as a blink, his intentions completely unreadable.
*'A snake of a man. Is it impossible to read what he's thinking?'*
To Kim Hwan-soo, Jeong In-gon also seemed no different from the past.
Back then, Jeong In-gon had been a difficult man to read, with an eccentric side.
His habit of making people wait to sound them out was exactly the same.
Still, it seemed time had changed him in some ways; the man who had once ignored his wife and daughter to bury himself in work now had a family photo on his desk.
*'Our positions are the complete opposite of what they were back then.'*
Kim Hwan-soo recalled the old days.
Just ten years ago, Kim Hwan-soo had been a hunter, not part of the Suppression Corps.
And Jeong In-gon had been in the Suppression Corps, not a hunter.
Specifically, Kim Hwan-soo had been a hunter in a mediocre guild, while Jeong In-gon had held a fairly high rank in the Suppression Corps even then.
*'I can still remember the first time we met.'*
Their first meeting was not a particularly fond memory.
Fifteen years ago.
The two had first met during a massive dungeon break incident.
The meticulous and seasoned Jeong In-gon and the spirited, reckless Kim Hwan-soo had clashed at every turn.
In truth, what reason would a high-ranking officer of the Suppression Corps have to clash with a hunter from an ordinary guild?
But fate seemed to conspire to bring them together, and though they initially bickered and argued, a strange affection grew from their animosity. As time passed, they came to acknowledge each other.
Over the next five years, they developed a close senior-junior relationship and met often.
Surprisingly, they got along exceptionally well over drinks, finding common ground and cheering each other on.
*'If it hadn't been for that incident, would the senior and I still be on good terms…?'*
The incident ten years ago that had driven them apart.
The two had argued over the Awakened Discrimination Incident, which had caused a major conflict between the Suppression Corps and the Hunter Association.
The incident itself was resolved relatively quickly, given the Association's immense power, despite the controversy it stirred. But it served as a catalyst that completely reversed their positions.
Literally reversed their positions—Jeong In-gon went to the Association, and Kim Hwan-soo joined the Suppression Corps.
From the beginning, both had felt disillusioned with hunters and the Suppression Corps, respectively. Their time together only solidified these feelings, and the incident prompted them to walk opposite paths.
As a result, they hadn't seen each other since, but with South Korea in peril, they were meeting again as men who held top-tier positions.
*'He didn't really come all this way just for a cup of coffee…'*
Jeong In-gon wondered what Kim Hwan-soo was waiting to talk about.
He was certain it wasn't just to discuss compensation for the Mana Accelerators.
They hadn't just been given the Mana Accelerators for free; all financial matters had been settled.
Besides, Kim Hwan-soo wasn't fond of discussing money.
Or perhaps he'd changed in the last ten years.
As he ran through possible scenarios of what Kim Hwan-soo might say, a knock came at the door.
Knock, knock.
"Here's your coffee. It seems our Chief of Staff was just dying for a cup."
"Haha, thank you. Would you like to join us for a cup, Director? It seems the Association President still has work to do."
"I'm fine. The President doesn't like having people around when he's working."
"Is that so? I suppose I'll have to sit here as quiet as a mouse, then."
After setting down two cups of coffee, Song Jeong-eun shot Kim Hwan-soo a glare.
But she left without another word.
For a good while after that, Jeong In-gon continued to shuffle through his papers, and Kim Hwan-soo waited in silence.
*'Persistent bastard.'*
Jeong In-gon finally rose from his seat.
He slowly approached the sofa.
"My apologies. I had some documents that needed urgent approval."
"It's quite all right. A moment like this is a break for me, isn't it? If you have more urgent matters, please, continue."
"Haha, you've softened up a lot since the old days, Hwan-soo. I guess that's what time does, eh?"
"It has been ten years, after all."
Jeong In-gon and Kim Hwan-soo looked at each other without a word.
Though they were smiling on the surface, their minds were racing.
*'The Chief of Staff position isn't exactly a leisurely one, so why is he here? Is he trying to get something out of us just because we took a few of those damned Mana Accelerators?'*
*'If you think I came because of the Mana Accelerators, you're mistaken, Senior Jeong. Our facilities and equipment are complete, so we can provide as many as you need.'*
Jeong In-gon didn't have a clear picture of how much research and production had gone into the Mana Accelerators.
That was how thoroughly Kim Hwan-soo had been managing it.
Moreover, research was complete, allowing the accelerators to be created by extracting them from monsters, not humans, and boasting a performance far superior to the samples brought from China.
Furthermore, the mass production facilities were fully operational, capable of producing the truckload given to the Association in just a day or two. It was a negligible amount.
"If you have something to say, just say it. We know each other well enough for that, don't we?"
"Is that so? Then I'll get straight to the point. How did you win over Jeong Hoon-hyeon?"
"Hmm? Jeong Hoon-hyeon?"
Jeong In-gon was slightly taken aback by the unexpected question.
*'Jeong Hoon-hyeon? That name sounds familiar…'*
Seeing his reaction, Kim Hwan-soo was also a little flustered.
He couldn't tell if Jeong In-gon's reaction was genuine or a flawless act.
"Jeong Hoon-hyeon. The Guild Master of the Guardian Guild."
"Ah…! Now I remember. The Guild Master of that rapidly growing guild… But what do you mean, 'win him over'?"
Kim Hwan-soo stared at Jeong In-gon, his eyes wide.
It's human instinct not to make direct eye contact when hiding something.
But Jeong In-gon didn't avert his gaze.
No matter how skilled an agent, it's impossible to completely hide the subtle emotions reflected in one's eyes.
As the Chief of Information Operations, Kim Hwan-soo had been trained to read such things and could do so with expertise.
*'Does he really not understand what I'm getting at? Or is he deceiving me? I really can't tell.'*
Kim Hwan-soo was both impressed and frightened by Jeong In-gon, on whom his skills had no effect.
He had always been a difficult man to read, but now he felt it was even more so.
"Whew. I'll just ask you straight out. It's impossible to read your intentions, senior."
"What is it? If the man I'm thinking of is the same one you mean… then I don't know either."
"You don't know either, senior…?"
"I should be the one asking you. Weren't you the one who sent him out of the Suppression Corps and to that small guild?"
This time, Kim Hwan-soo felt that Jeong In-gon was telling the truth.
No matter how well Jeong In-gon might hide something, for Kim Hwan-soo's own intelligence network to find absolutely nothing was as unthinkable as plucking a star from the sky.
"Jeong Hoon-hyeon has refused to tell me anything about Lee Do-jae's whereabouts. I thought perhaps you had ordered him to do something, senior. I'm aware your daughter maintains a rather close relationship with him."
"It's the same for me. She may be my own daughter, but her lips are sealed… Eun-hee won't tell me anything either."
"Is that so…."
"But why are you looking for him? What are you planning?"
Kim Hwan-soo didn't answer.
There was no need to tell Jeong In-gon.
This was an internal matter for the Suppression Corps.
Instead, Jeong In-gon asked why he was looking for Do-jae.
"Then why are you looking for him, senior?"
"I'm not exactly looking for him. He's a hunter. As the Association President, it's my job to manage hunters. Is there a problem with that? Moreover, he's not just any hunter, but an S-rank. It's only natural for the Association President to be concerned about him."
"...You have a point."
Kim Hwan-soo downed his coffee in one gulp.
If he couldn't get any information about Do-jae, there was no reason to stay any longer.
In the current climate, the Suppression Corps and the hunters weren't on the best of terms to be spending time together.
"I should be going. Please tell the Director that I enjoyed the coffee."
"Leaving already? You came all this way. Won't you stay and talk a bit more?"
"That's all right. What is there to talk about? Well then…."
"Wait. I received a fine gift, I can't just let you leave empty-handed."
Kim Hwan-soo, who was about to leave, stopped.
Jeong In-gon returned to his desk and rummaged through something.
*'A gift… Is it alright to accept it?'*
Watching Jeong In-gon suspiciously, Kim Hwan-soo accepted a file envelope from him.
"What is this?"
Kim Hwan-soo took the documents out of the envelope and immediately read the first page.
As he skimmed through them, a strange light glinted in his eyes.
"Well? Is that a good enough gift?"
"Hmm… What's the reason for giving me this? Am I allowed to take it?"
"They're people we were going to get rid of anyway. We've already done some house-cleaning on our end."
Kim Hwan-soo slid the papers back into the envelope and smiled.
"I've received a gift far greater than the one I gave."
"Haha. The Mana Accelerators the Suppression Corps gave us, the documents I've given you—they're all for the good of the country, are they not? I trust you more than you think."
"Is that so? I thought it was quite the opposite."
"Though perhaps not on a personal level."
Jeong In-gon said slyly.
But to Kim Hwan-soo, those words felt more sincere.
"Then I'll really be on my way now."
"Alright. Make sure you convey my intentions well."
"I'll see you again. Please take good care of the Association, senior."
With those final words, Kim Hwan-soo opened the door and left.
The file envelope was clutched tightly in his hand.