Chapter 176. Who Is That Old Man?
Chapter 176. Who Is That Old Man?
After the Jay Tech CEO left the room, a heavy silence filled the space.
A government agent was the first to break it.
"Or, in the case of electric vehicles... a battery contact failure causing an explosion..."
Song Hoon chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
"You don't seriously think I'd put out a hit on someone, do you? It was obviously a joke. Relax your faces a little."
But the government agent did not laugh.
Instead, an even deeper silence settled in.
Every detail—Song Hoon's tone, his gaze, even his breathing—was being scrutinized for hidden sincerity.
The eyes watching Song Hoon held a delicate yet sharp analysis.
'Was he just being indirect...?'
'Was he hoping we'll take action on our own?'
Beneath the surface of the silence, quiet ripples of suspicion began to spread.
"It's just a joke... don't take it so seriously..."
Under their gazes, Song Hoon rose from his seat.
"The auction's coming up, so let's go see who's here."
Song Hoon adjusted his clothes.
Laila approached him from behind.
"Hoon, could you go ahead first? I have something to take care of."
At Laila's words, Song Hoon thought for a moment before nodding.
"I'll wait for you. Let's go down together."
But Laila shook her head lightly and smiled bashfully.
"Hehe, it's okay. I'll be down soon. There are probably a lot of people who came just to see your face once, Hoon~"
"Alright. Then take your time coming down since we still have time."
Song Hoon said nonchalantly and left the room.
"..."
That was the moment.
The smile of a lovesick girl gazing affectionately at her lover faded away.
Laila's face hardened, and a cold aura seemed to emanate from her.
"Hmm..."
It was an atmosphere distinctly different from usual.
The moment she shed her smile, it felt as if the room's temperature had dropped.
Her expression caused the government agents' eyes to waver slightly.
'Ah, should I have followed the Unknown Hunter...?'
'But this person was also in the same class...'
With the two of them splitting up, the government agents were caught in a bind.
As they hesitated and exchanged glances, Laila turned to them, flashing a bright smile again.
"Hehe, everything Hoon said was probably a joke. You agents know that too, right?"
She tipped her head slightly at the end of her sentence, smiling even wider.
A benevolent smile that put people at ease.
The government agents let out an instant sigh of relief.
'They said her concept was a Saintess... it really suits her beautifully...'
'Her heart was as warm as her appearance...'
'If only I had an older sister like that...'
Whether she knew their thoughts or not, Laila opened her mouth again.
"Killing someone just because they acted like a nuisance... isn't that a strange thing to do?"
Her smile remained, but her tone had a subtle edge to it.
As agents with long careers, they did not miss it.
Then came the next remark.
"But since we're doing good things here... hearing words like 'connections' and 'corruption' is a bit uncomfortable, you know?"
With that sudden shift, the atmosphere in the room grew tense again.
"I trust you'll handle it properly. We've looked into it ourselves... and there were so many scandals and accidents, it's a wonder how that company is even running."
The moment she finished speaking, one of the government agents nodded instinctively.
Seemingly satisfied with the agent's reaction, Laila nodded along and muttered to herself.
"I wonder what the police are doing, letting such trashy people roam free?"
A sentiment anyone might have said themselves.
But the weight of those words varied depending on who was speaking them.
"..."
Then Laila gently bowed her head, her smile restored.
"I'll head down first to prepare for the auction as well."
She bowed gracefully, turned around, and left the room.
The government agents left behind could not speak for a while.
"Wha, what do we..."
"First... find every charge against the Jay Tech CEO, indict him... and throw the maximum sentence at him..."
Those who had spoken with Laila felt it.
It was not Song Hoon who was truly terrifying.
A man who could slaughter every S-rank Hunter if he set his mind to it.
His power was undeniable.
'...'
But...
If Song Hoon could conquer the world, then Laila ruled Song Hoon.
Meanwhile, walking down the hallway, Laila smiled brightly and moved with light steps.
"Really, our Hoon is doing such good things... why do the people around him keep having such ugly thoughts..."
She was, after all, the ultimate devoted wife and wise mother supporting her husband.
"Heehee, I'm the only one who thinks about Hoon~"
---
A quiet tension flowed beneath the soft chandelier lighting of the hotel lobby.
For streamers, it was simply an auction, but for those attending, it was a place of politics and networking.
"Well, I know everyone's playing a part... but why did they bring such a huge entourage?"
Song Hoon was standing alone in a quiet corner of the lobby, next to an inconspicuous pillar.
"Hoon~!"
A familiar voice.
Turning his head, he saw Laila waving at him with a bright smile.
"You said you had something to take care of... why do you look so happy?"
"No, it's nothing~ I'm just always happy when I'm with Hoon... hehe."
He was at a loss for words...
He simply pulled Laila into a tight hug.
For a hotel frequented by couples, this level of skinship was nothing surprising.
"Saintess, shall we go in now?"
He spoke while lightly taking Laila's hand.
"Yes, Hero."
They walked toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
It was the same hotel as last time, but they had rented a larger hall considering the scale of attendance.
A well-built security guard stood in front of the door, but the moment he saw them, he bowed politely and opened the door.
"Hoon, that person..."
"Oh, you're right. I've seen him on TV a few times too."
That was the moment.
Inside the banquet hall, the sound of executives from various corporations, Hunter Association officials, and guild officers chatting and laughing in their groups.
The noise hushed the moment we entered.
'Hmm... this part was uncomfortable...'
That was when it happened.
A familiar, slightly awkward and desperate tone reached his ears.
Streamers who live off reading the room.
"Haha, bro! We, we're over here!"
"Whoa, Hero! There are seats here...! Come this way!"
"Big sis! Over here...!"
The streamers were testing the waters, putting on a desperate display of sucking up.
Exaggerated reactions, faces straining with forced smiles.
And the gazes asking, 'Who was this guy to the Unknown Hunter...?'
"Ah, so you were all here."
Once he sat among the streamers, the atmosphere slowly began to ease up.
Familiar, trivial jokes were exchanged, and laughter spread.
People at other tables also resumed their conversations... but their gazes still kept glancing sideways at this table.
The streamer who had first called out to him coughed dryly and spoke in a low voice.
"Br, bro... I thought my heart was going to burst..."
"Hmm? Why?"
He looked around, leaned his head in, and whispered.
"I mean, over there is an association executive... over there is a major company CEO... that person over there is a chaebol I always see on TV... I've never seen people like this before..."
Was that all?
The remark made him laugh for no reason.
It struck him that this might be an overwhelming combination for ordinary, small-town folk.
"Chairman..."
Just then, a familiar face entered his field of vision.
She was sitting quietly, picking at the light snacks.
"What, you were here?"
A completely indifferent reaction.
Lee Chae-hyun grumbled with cold, dead eyes.
"Haah... If it wasn't for the job the chairman gave me, I would've wanted to just rest all day today without a single thought."
"Keuheuheu... I'll give you a vacation later."
"If big sis wasn't here, I wouldn't have come either..."
"..."
The mood relaxed, and less than 30 minutes remained until the auction.
Ahead of the auction, he threw a question to the streamers.
"What are you all going to do when you get the money?"
"Well... it's such a huge sum we can't even imagine..."
"Me too... if I won the lottery, I vaguely planned to buy a house... but this amount..."
─ Creeeak...
The sound of the banquet hall door opening.
And the sound of many dress shoes.
"...?"
Turning his head to check, he saw an old man entering with a slow but firm stride.
The old man, his grey-white hair swept back, looked to be in his early sixties, his bearing steeped in years of experience and authority.
Behind him, there were people following cautiously, as if carefully reading his mood.
'Who was that?'
But the streamers around him seemed to know who it was.
Their whispers entered his ears.
"Huh... that person..."
"No way, someone from that company is already here... why did the chairman himself come?"
"I'm seeing him in person for the first time..."
'Who was that old man...?'
He looked like someone I've seen on TV...
Who exactly was he...?
---
The old man walked in, drawing every gaze in the banquet hall.
He walked silently and sat at the seat marked with the company's nameplate.
The people who entered with him maintained a cautious attitude and could not even think of sitting down.
"Everyone, take your seats. I do not particularly wish to attract attention."
At that one command, the entourage hurriedly moved and began taking their seats.
Even so, the surrounding gazes remained fixed on the old man to an uncomfortable degree.
A moment later, the old man's eyes paused on Song Hoon.
A curious, subtle interest peeked through the fine wrinkles.
"That man... is he the Unknown Hunter?"
At the old man's muttering, a man in his mid-to-late forties sitting next to him immediately responded.
"Yes, that is correct, Chairman. And the woman next to him is also an Unknown Hunter, Song Hoon's lover."
The old man nodded slightly, lifting the corners of his mouth.
"Isn't he a rather peculiar fellow? To possess such power and yet do nothing with it..."
"..."
The man merely bowed his head, listening to the words of the chairman he served.
"If the opportunity arises, I would like to have a conversation with him."
"Chairman... there are still about 20 minutes left until the auction. I will respectfully bring him over."
At that, the old man let out a hearty laugh and waved his hand.
"No. Is it not courteous for the person who wishes to see another to go to them first?"
"But... for you to go personally, Chairman..."
It was a loss of face.
Although he could not say it that bluntly.
But the old man, who ran a major corporation, had an almost supernatural intuition.
"I know what you are worried about... but is that man not the Unknown Hunter, someone even the President cannot treat carelessly?"
The old man smiled as if it was nothing and patted the man on the shoulder.
"Just because that fellow looks like a young man in his twenties, it would be troublesome to assume his standing is the same as any other twenty-something."
With those words, the old man personally rose from his seat.
Following his movement, the others sitting at the table also stood up.
The old man paid no attention to the surrounding stares and simply stepped forward.
His gaze and his steps were aimed precisely at Song Hoon.