Chapter 70: Reward (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: Reward (5)
Park Seo-hee seemed momentarily flustered, but she quickly composed herself.
Her eyes had wavered for only an instant.
She soon regained her usual composed and placid expression before speaking again.
“Very well. Considering the monumental achievement of eliminating an Apostle, I believe it is right for us to accommodate you.”
Park Seo-hee seemed to ponder for a moment, but she soon pressed her lips together and nodded.
“Therefore, we will conduct an internal review within the Association to determine an additional compensation package and will contact you, Hero Jung Hae-in, once a decision has been made.”
“Please do.”
I replied with a nod.
She must have decided it would be difficult to offer more on the spot.
If they gave in too easily, it might look like they could have offered more from the start but chose not to.
Well, it didn't matter.
The Association was loaded, anyway, and they didn't shy away from any means necessary to get what they want.
Behind her expressionless face, countless calculations were surely running.
What should we give him? What will it take for him to accept it without complaint?
Something like that.
“Now then…”
Park Seo-hee gathered the documents they had been discussing, her expression growing more serious.
“From this point on, we will discuss reparations.”
Her gaze naturally shifted to the Old Man.
I leaned back in my chair and took a light breath.
The Association's responsibility, and the process of holding them to it.
Now, it was the Old Man's turn.
*
The Old Man and I were walking down a hallway in the Association building.
The negotiation was over. And the result… was satisfactory enough.
The Association, too, seemed to have fully understood their fault and the value of this battle.
Having watched the restored video footage from Maengju's 2nd Team, Maengho, they could no longer feign ignorance.
In the end, the Association willingly opened its vault.
I never thought I could make them open the Association's vault—known for being difficult to access even in the original story—so quickly.
I smiled faintly.
Fundamentally, South Korea's Hero Association is incomparably wealthier than its counterparts in other countries.
While most nations manage their associations as government agencies, South Korea's is strictly private.
It has simply continued to operate under the will of its original founder.
However, his will wasn't the only thing they inherited.
The massive legacy left by the founder came with it.
The Association's vault is on a completely different level from the Gaon founder's vault I visited before.
These guys are just plain rich.
As I was lost in thought.
"Well, I'll be. Seen it all now."
the Old Man said in a low voice, staring ahead.
"The Association promises to open Bulgaram's Workshop..."
He stopped walking and slowly turned his gaze toward me.
"...and I get to see some punk say that's not enough and demand more."
I stopped as well and looked at the Old Man.
I let out a small chuckle and said.
“If it's not enough, it's not enough.”
In my hand was a transparent cube with a crimson key embedded inside.
'We will inform you of the additional compensation soon, following our review. Nevertheless, the Association has no intention of retracting the key to the Workshop. We have determined it would be best for you, Hero Jung Hae-in, to open it as planned.'
Park Seo-hee had promised the opening of the Workshop, separate from the other compensation.
Supporting the path of a hero with outstanding potential was also the Association's duty.
That was the justification they gave.
This made it certain. The Association desperately wants me to open that place.
I rolled the transparent cube in my hand and chuckled softly.
Just then, the Old Man spoke, a note of interest in his voice.
"I heard Arcadia recently demanded the Workshop key from the Association... Looks like they'll be left high and dry."
He laughed mockingly and started walking again.
It seems the Cult has been putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes to support Yohan.
But if there was one unfortunate thing for them…
...it's that once the Workshop is opened, it remains firmly shut for a certain period.
And the time until it opens again is…
...at least ten years.
I don't feel particularly sorry for them.
The Association would never have allowed it in the first place, and even if Yohan had managed to enter the Workshop, he would've obviously been kicked out with a fiery roar from Bulgaram.
At the end of the hallway, two agents in suits were waiting.
In front of them lay a large, open metal briefcase.
“You can place it in here.”
I reached out and placed the key inside the case.
A crimson light flashed as the key trembled for a moment inside the transparent cube before settling quietly.
There was no need for me to carry it myself. When the time came to open it, I could just get it back.
I smiled lightly at the agents and said.
“Please take good care of it.”
Then, I turned and walked away with light steps.
*
After sending her grandfather and Hae-in up to the reception room, Ha Sion went down to the cafe on the first floor.
Sitting at a table, she glanced down at the Watch that had been vibrating continuously for hours.
Alarms had been going off one after another, and the moment she opened the screen, a deluge of messages exploded like a bomb.
She slowly scrolled up to figure out where the conversation had started.
The conversation began in the morning.
[Rin]: Everyone here? I have something to say.
[1000_y]: y
[Rin]: What about the other bitches?
[1000_y]: The Yu Family bitch is in seclusion training.
[1000_y]: That fucking Ha bitch? Don't even have to ask. She's probably lying in Hae-in's dorm bed.
Sion's fingertips trembled for a moment.
She thought she'd been hiding it, but it seemed they all knew.
To be fair, it had already been two weeks since he'd lost consciousness.
She had missed him so much she couldn't help it.
[Rin]: Oh, I see.. Anyway, it's just that my back hurts so much hahaha
[1000_y]: Getting old?
[Rin]: He hugged me so tight.. I guess guys really are strong
[1000_y]: ?
[1000_y]: What are you talking about?
[Rin]: (Photo)
Sion's fingertips, which had been scrolling down, froze.
And the moment she saw the screen, she furrowed her brow slightly.
“Damn it…”
A single photograph.
In it, Jung Hae-in was sitting on a hospital bed, hugging Kang A-rin.
Judging by the angle, it looked like Kang A-rin had secretly taken the picture by reaching her Watch behind her back while being held by him.
But what angered Sion wasn't the hug itself.
It was the posture, the proximity.
They were too close.
Sion's gaze turned cold.
Is she crazy?
In the photo, Kang A-rin had Jung Hae-in's thigh clamped between her legs.
Worse, her face was flushed as she rested her chin lightly on his shoulder. One of her outstretched arms was groping his back haphazardly.
[Rin]: Hae-in's awake. :)
[1000_y]: I'm on my way
[Rin]: Nope. Hae-in has to get checked out. Come when he's done.
[Rin]: We'll be having fun, hah
There was no need to read the messages after that.
It was just a one-sided stream of curses from someone.
“Tsk.”
Sion sighed quietly and scrolled all the way to the bottom.
She moved her fingers and typed a short message.
[Sion]: Hae-in went into negotiations
Sharing his every move, within the scope of their awareness.
It was what they always did. While respecting his privacy, of course.
So, that was all.
No need to say more.
She closed her Watch and took a sip of her cold coffee.
The bitter taste spreading across her tongue…
The photo.
…filled her mouth, creating a harmonious feeling with its aroma…
The photo.
“Ah, this is so fucking annoying.”
That photo.
That angle.
That proximity.
It wouldn't leave her mind.
Who initiated the hug? It had to be Kang A-rin, obviously. There's no way Hae-in would have…
It was getting on her nerves.
In the end, Sion opened her Watch again.
This time, she began typing quickly, without hesitation.
*
-Click.
The cheerful sound of the door lock engaging echoed.
I was back in my dorm room.
It didn't feel like it had been that long, but in reality, it had been almost three weeks.
As I stepped into the room, a familiar air greeted me.
The moment a heavy wave of fatigue washed over me, I threw myself onto the bed without a second thought.
“Ah, so soft.”
The mattress enveloped my body softly.
It felt like all the tension that had seeped into my body was melting away.
“Hooo…”
I let out a long breath and then inhaled.
Only then did it finally sink in.
That I had successfully overcome a major hurdle.
With each slow breath, a subtle fragrance brushed past my nose.
A sweet and gentle scent.
I placed a hand over my forehead, closed my eyes, and then slowly opened them again.
I stopped myself from sinking deeper into the comfortable bed and pushed myself up.
There was still work to be done.
I got up and walked over to my desk.
Right now, a war was raging inside my body.
The various elixirs I had suddenly taken were clashing with one another, competing to exert their own effects.
I had received a list of the elixirs each faction had fed me while I was unconscious.
[Arcadia—Moon Spirit Water (月靈水)]
A mystical elixir made from the concentrated essence of moonlight. The moon's yin energy (陰氣) stimulates the body's yang energy (陽氣), explosively boosting cell regeneration and growth.
[Yu Family (家)—Restoration Pill (亞還丹)]
A high-grade pill made from the secret formula of a legendary physician. It harmonizes the circulation of essence (精) and blood (血) to draw out the body's internal energy and accumulate strong yang energy.
And from Maengju…
What?
“A Millennium Fire Carp??”
I checked the list again in disbelief.
The elixir Maengju had given me was an inner core made from a dried and ground Millennium Fire Carp (萬年火鯉).
“Where did they even get this…”
A carp that has survived for over a thousand years in hot springs or lava. The moment it's consumed, the blood throughout the body erupts, forcibly drawing out deeply stored energy. It's the ultimate restorative, but also a drastic remedy.
It's basically a pure lump of yang energy (陽氣).
Its defining feature is its crimson color. I can't believe they fed this to me.
I opened the setting notebook on my desk.
The moment I was about to check the effects and usage of each elixir, a sense of unease flashed through my mind.
…Wait a minute.
I looked down at the list of the three elixirs again.
Normally, when administering elixirs, it's standard practice to coordinate them based on the desired direction of the body's growth.
Of course, I admit this was a desperate situation. Their first priority must have been to just keep me alive.
“What on earth were they thinking with this combination…”
I pressed my temples gently.
But the problem was that, coincidentally, these three elixirs went beyond just being effective and shared one thing in common.
They all induce an explosive surge of yang energy (陽氣)…
...elixirs of extreme yang.
In other words, they're good for men.
A little too good.
Of course, yang energy is fundamentally linked to vitality and recovery.
So it's highly likely they were prioritizing my recovery above all else.
“…”
No wonder my body's been feeling so hot.
"No, but still, this is a bit..."
For a moment, I imagined the worst-case scenario.
The disaster that could occur the next morning, unable to control the overflowing yang energy.
“…Ah, fuck.”
I put a hand to my forehead and swallowed a sigh.
This is insane.