Chapter 177. Saving the Manager's Face
Chapter 177. Saving the Manager's Face
In an instant, the atmosphere in the banquet hall shifted.
Without anyone needing to say a word, all eyes turned in one direction.
An elderly man approached leisurely, his back straight without the aid of a cane.
His steps were slow but resolute, and soon everyone realized exactly who his gaze was fixed upon.
"The Chairman... is going himself...?"
Someone murmured quietly, and the soft voice rippled out, overlapping with the hall's ambient noise.
At the very center of that attention stood Song Hoon.
'...He's being rather overt.'
He felt the stares converging on him, the distinct sensation of someone striding directly toward him.
A wordless presence.
He slowly turned to face the newcomer.
Deep wrinkles born of age, yet eyes burning with a vigorous blue light.
The old man had already closed the distance to within a few steps, and their gazes met squarely.
'Hm... I've definitely seen him somewhere...'
A sense of déjà vu.
It was a face he had surely seen before, beyond a screen somewhere.
From the start, his aura was far from ordinary.
It was faintly, just slightly, reminiscent of the famed 'rulers' known as sage kings in the other world.
Right then, Lucia and Nudungji, who were beside him, bowed their heads and whispered.
"H-Hoon... that person... that's the Nova Group..."
"Right... Pajijik is under the Nova Group, so I know the face too..."
'Nova Group?'
In that moment, the corner of his mouth quirked up slightly.
He understood the situation now.
'Huh, the Chairman of Nova Group came here?'
Even so, he hadn't expected the chairman of a world-class corporation to come in person.
But it wasn't surprising.
Too many high-ranking officials wanted at least one photo with him.
The old man soon stood before him.
Beside him, a middle-aged man stepped forward, bowing his head politely.
"Unknown Hunter, this gentleman is the Chairman of Nova Group..."
But the old man raised a hand lightly to stop those words.
A voice, aged yet clear, resonated through the banquet hall.
"No, no. In a setting like this, one should introduce oneself."
The old man, who had momentarily bowed his head, lifted it again and extended his hand.
"I am Choi Byeong-gwon, who unworthily leads the Nova Group. To think I would meet the one said to be the world's strongest hunter face-to-face like this... I hardly know what to do with myself."
A stir went through the banquet hall.
That was only natural, given Nova Group's overwhelmingly high status in the Republic of Korea.
Any other title would have meant little, but the crowd's reaction was heated.
'He's greeting him personally...?'
'The Chairman was bowing his head?'
'He's no ordinary hunter, sure... but to that extent?'
Choi Byeong-gwon had been born a second-generation chaebol, the heir to a major corporation.
He was a man of stature, much like Association President Go Sang-cheol.
The Gate Incident, that period of chaos that befell humanity.
He had turned crisis into opportunity, and chaos into fuel for growth.
Then, he abruptly retired as a hunter and poured all his energy into management, building the Nova of today.
"..."
Despite everyone's surprise, Chairman Choi, the man at the center of it, was completely unfazed.
Instead, he chuckled heartily and wiggled his hand lightly.
"Perhaps it's because I've aged, but holding my hand out this long makes it ache a bit."
At that jovial pleasantry, people laughed awkwardly, and I, too, chuckled inwardly.
'He's a funny old man.'
I took Chairman Choi's hand slowly, yet without hesitation.
As I did, Chairman Choi nodded with visible satisfaction, his grip tightening.
"Please understand, this old man lacks strength."
Lacks strength?
That couldn't be...
Even now, I could feel a power that seemed capable of casually lifting and tossing an average person aside...
"You must have something you'd like to discuss?"
Chairman Choi laughed boisterously.
Then, glancing at his wristwatch, he shook his head.
"Regrettably... the auction takes priority. Once it's over, spare some time for this old man who doesn't have many days left."
"Why, you..."
He wasn't the rigid, stiff type of chairman often portrayed in the media.
He was jovial, yet not frivolous.
Rather, that composure made his presence feel even more substantial.
'Hm... He's like Kyle's father.'
Just as curiosity flickered in the Chairman's eyes, I found myself developing a peculiar interest in him as well.
---
The banquet hall buzzed with energy as numbers and shouts erupted at every moment.
"250, we have 250! 270!"
As the numbers were called out one after another, everyone's attention turned in unison toward the stage.
"The current bid is 270! 270, 270, 270..."
At that instant, someone stood up abruptly, breaking the silence.
"300."
It was a short, concise statement, yet the entire banquet hall was thrown into commotion.
"300, 300, 300... 300! Sold!"
A mixture of admiration and sighs rippled from all around.
The unit was a hundred million won.
A single bid had just reached 30 billion won.
To ensure fairness, the lots for this auction had been allocated separately to small, mid-sized, and large companies, yet it was still a place where massive sums of cash changed hands.
'Dragon bone...'
'Hmm... even taking just one of the Witch's Ornaments would be a jackpot...'
Even so, the majority of it fell into the hands of Nova Group.
Having secured most of the lots, Nova Group refrained from bidding further, as if conceding the rest.
But one thing was odd.
"Why is Hanul staying quiet?"
"Same for Max Hunter..."
"Even if Song Hoon supplies them... isn't it still a waste?"
The auction concluded like that, leaving countless ripples in its wake.
A staggering sum of money had been collected, enough to live on for a lifetime—no, for several generations.
I checked the list I'd prepared beforehand and distributed the profits to the streamers who participated in the auction at precisely the calculated ratio.
However, this was for the remainder, excluding the value of the dragon bone and the Witch's Ornaments.
- That's really... too much, I think.
- Yes... we didn't even do anything... I'd feel too sorry to accept this much.
- Wanting that much would just be greedy. Other people would probably curse us out too...
Originally, my plan was to neatly split all the proceeds, but the streamers firmly shook their heads.
Their expressions were genuine, so I silently nodded in agreement.
'I didn't expect that.'
The government was flexible for once, too.
They showed leniency regarding the related tax issues; the Hunter Association and the tax authorities implicitly extended a helping hand.
After the auction ended, the banquet hall returned to a cordial atmosphere.
People clinked glasses, exchanged business cards, and moved around, wholly absorbed in building their networks.
"Son."
It was my mother's voice.
When I turned my head, my mother and father were approaching.
My mother whispered into my ear.
"But... is it really okay to give all of this just to us?"
"It's my stuff, so I can do what I want with it..."
And then, another familiar voice reached me.
"Hoon!"
It was Max.
He walked over with his characteristic broad grin.
I grabbed his hand and asked,
"I actually thought you'd bid on more for yourself?"
He simply shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
"Haha! What's the point of having a good friend? He'll take care of me one way or another."
Even as he said this, he winked.
Max was now my parent's son's friend(?), not just a business associate.
My parents spoke warmly to Max.
"Come to think of it, Max Hunter... congratulations on your new daughter."
Max placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head respectfully.
"Haha, thank you."
Before that warm greeting could even finish, the deep voice of an old man rang out from somewhere.
"Ho ho, how long do you intend to keep this old man waiting?"
Turning my head, I saw the familiar silhouette approaching with the Chairman's relaxed smile.
"I was just about to suggest we talk for a moment once things were finished."
A small handful of people were chatting amongst themselves.
But considering who they were, calling it a mere 'gathering' was a vast understatement.
The two Unknown Hunters, undoubtedly the strongest; the S-rank hunter Max from the United States; the Master of the Hanul Guild; and Chairman Choi Byeong-gwon of Nova Group.
The very fact that such weighty figures shared this small space felt almost surreal.
Yet, paradoxically, the people nearby didn't dare approach them.
They only hovered at a safe distance, pricking up their ears carefully, trying hard not to draw any attention to themselves.
"Once we're done, let's move somewhere and chat over a cup of coffee."
"Ho ho, I'd like that."
It was then that I spotted Lee Chae-hyun lingering a little ways off.
"Why are you pacing around like a puppy that needs to poop?"
"Wh-What are you talking about!"
Her cheeks flushed red as she flustered, trying to refute it.
But soon, she bowed her head slightly and spoke.
"Actually, my parents and my brother also took part in the bidding... would it be okay if I went to say a quick hello?"
I remembered.
Lee Chae-hyun's parents had also submitted an auction application.
And I had pulled strings to let them participate as acquaintances of mine.
'Hmm... shall I help my manager save some face? Her family's company name was definitely...'
Grinning, I nodded.
Then, I looked around the hall to locate them.
"Ah, over here!"
At her words, all eyes in the vicinity instantly converged on them.
Lee Chae-hyun froze on the spot, and even those standing some distance away seemed flustered by the sudden call.
Among them, I spotted a familiar face.
It was her brother, the one who had come to pick up a drunk Lee Chae-hyun back when she, Laila, and I had been drinking together.
With a delighted smile, I extended my hand first.
"Haha, it's been a while. First time since that night at the bar?"
At that moment, a soft stir arose from the surroundings.
'Whoa, who's that... drinking with Song Hoon Hunter...?'
'Hmm... a new face. Who was he?'
'Huh... that guy got himself a good line. I'll have to remember him.'
It was a conversation that heavily implied he had shared drinks with Song Hoon.
Most people seemed to interpret it that way.
However, Lee Chae-hyun's brother, the actual person involved, quickly caught on that I was deliberately trying to boost his standing with that remark.
He smiled sheepishly and said quietly,
"Haha... truthfully, I only went there to pick her up..."
I casually threw an arm around Lee Chae-hyun's shoulder.
"Thanks to our manager here, I've been working quite comfortably these days. She's also doing well with the foundation work."
At that answer, Lee Chae-hyun's parents looked surprised.
"Ah... Hunter, actually, our daughter lately..."
Lee Chae-hyun.
A hunter personally raised by Song Hoon, his manager, and a core employee of the Seonghwa Foundation.
And the act of casually throwing an arm around her shoulder.
'No way...!'
'A young woman with a pretty face...!'
'Was that sort of thing possible in 21st-century Korea...!?'
'Well, I did meet my mistress quite often myself...'
Those who already knew the truth didn't think anything of it.
Even Laila, right beside me, naturally linked arms with Lee Chae-hyun.
'Huh... was that the confidence of the legal wife...?'
'Was the first wife putting things in order properly...?'
'I knew there were quite a few people here with secret lovers... but to be so blatant...'
An action intended to save the manager's reputation.
But for those who didn't know the inside story, it spawned a strange misunderstanding.