Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Face
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“Wow, bro. But is that even possible?”
After Park Jong-pal and the group of agents left the house, Raffaello asked Hae-jin.
Hae-jin knew exactly what he meant by asking if it was possible.
It was about whether Park Jong-pal would meet the conditions Hae-jin had demanded.
Hae-jin answered flatly.
“If not, then we kill him. Whatever.”
“By the way, they're finally moving on player crimes?”
Finally moving on player crimes.
Hae-jin knew that wasn't the case.
Ever since the second Trials' Arena, villain crimes had started happening on a small scale, and every nation was already handling them breathlessly.
However, the further one progressed through the Trials' Arena, the stronger the villain players became, making it impossible to cover with national forces alone. So, the nations had only just begun recruiting famous players.
That was why they had come to Hae-jin.
Because among all players, Hae-jin was publicly recognized as the strongest.
Hae-jin explained it to Raffaello.
“Well, they've been moving. But they've probably just realized that their own recruited players aren't enough on a national level. Not all players are the same.”
“Like you, bro?”
“I'm the exception.”
“True enough. Shall we eat, then?”
“Yeah.”
“Sure!”
After that, Hae-jin ate the meal Raffaello prepared and spent a few more days passing the time.
After those few days, Hae-jin thought.
‘Hmm, CEO Kim Min-su should be finishing the insurance processing and releasing the article by now.’
With that in mind, Hae-jin quickly scanned the news.
And there it was.
“The article's out.”
Most of the articles Hae-jin saw covered Chocolate Enter's deal with the insurance company, their outlook going forward, and how they planned to operate the company.
Anyway, after seeing the article, Hae-jin called CEO Kim Min-su.
[Ah! Major shareholder! Thanks for taking my call.]
CEO Kim Min-su, reacting overly eagerly just because it was Hae-jin's call.
Hae-jin brought up what he'd seen in the article.
“From the article, it looks like things went smoothly with the insurance company?”
[Yes, exactly. We proceeded just as you instructed, Major Shareholder. And we're moving forward with the 20s and 30s celebrities we've contracted, in the direction you suggested.]
“I see.”
Since they were properly following his instructions, Hae-jin had nothing more to say.
CEO Kim Min-su asked Hae-jin, who had simply acknowledged it.
[Yes. Is there anything else you'd like to instruct us on?]
CEO Kim Min-su, inquiring if there was more work for him.
Hae-jin told him there wasn't.
He also mentioned, as an aside, things CEO Kim Min-su might worry about.
“No, I was just calling to check that you're doing well. And to tell you not to stress too much.”
[What do you mean?]
CEO Kim Min-su asked what Hae-jin meant by suddenly telling him not to worry too much.
When CEO Kim Min-su asked what not to worry about, Hae-jin explained.
About the events to come.
“This article will make Chocolate Enter's stock dip a bit more. But it'll recover in a month or two, so I called to say don't stress.”
[Ah, that! Well, I've prepared myself for it. Besides, if you say so, Major Shareholder, then it must be true.]
CEO Kim Min-su, who now fully trusted Hae-jin's words.
After showing that trust, CEO Kim Min-su suddenly addressed Hae-jin.
[By the way, Major Shareholder.]
“Yes, go ahead.”
[The Chairman wants to meet you.]
“The Chairman?”
Hae-jin reacted by unconsciously tilting his head at the sudden mention of the Chairman.
The Chairman probably meant the head of the Chocolate Group, which owned Chocolate Enter as a subsidiary.
Hae-jin wondered why he was being brought up now.
CEO Kim Min-su explained why he mentioned the Chairman.
[Yes, well, our company is under the Chocolate Group as the parent company. The Chairman contacted me saying he's curious about you, Major Shareholder.]
“And?”
[Uh?]
CEO Kim Min-su feigned surprise at Hae-jin's completely unexpected reaction.
After all, the Chairman of Chocolate Group was one of the top ten richest people in Korea.
Everyone regretted not being able to meet him.
So, one might expect interest if he wanted to meet, but Hae-jin showed none.
His reaction felt like a softened version of “So what?”
Hae-jin spoke to the flustered CEO Kim Min-su.
“I don't really have any reason to meet the Chairman of Chocolate Group, do I?”
[Well...]
CEO Kim Min-su couldn't respond to Hae-jin's question.
Truthfully, there was no benefit for Hae-jin in meeting the Chocolate Group Chairman.
He already held the major shareholder position in Chocolate Enter, so whatever his wealth, Hae-jin didn't need to beg from others.
Moreover, Hae-jin was known as the strongest player in the Survival Game that had shaken the world.
What meaning would the Chocolate Group Chairman have for such a man?
In reality, Hae-jin had no money worries, and as a player, no enemy worries.
So, CEO Kim Min-su couldn't explain why Hae-jin should meet the Chairman.
At that moment, Hae-jin spoke.
“Well, if it would put you in a tough spot if I don't, I can meet him once.”
[Really? Are you sure?]
“What, it's not like this Chairman guy is meeting me to kill me.”
[... Is there anyone who could kill you right now, Major Shareholder?]
CEO Kim Min-su wondered if Hae-jin was serious.
Who could kill Hae-jin at this point?
No one.
In the Trials' Arena, the man called “Massacre” who slaughtered an absurd number of people, the strongest player—that was Hae-jin.
Hae-jin answered CEO Kim Min-su's retort.
“Nope.”
[Then you don't need to worry about that...]
To CEO Kim Min-su, who was essentially saying “Who would you even worry about killing you?”, Hae-jin replied curtly.
“I was joking.”
[Pardon?]
CEO Kim Min-su was momentarily bewildered.
He hadn't expected Hae-jin to joke.
But Hae-jin had no intention of repeating himself.
He simply instructed CEO Kim Min-su to schedule it if the Chocolate Group Chairman wanted to meet.
“Anyway, let me know when the meeting is set.”
[Got it!]
After ending the call with CEO Kim Min-su, Hae-jin said.
“Hmm, time to gather everyone and talk.”
Gathering everyone meant his party members.
With the article out, Chocolate Enter's stock would drop soon.
He had already told Lee Sang and Kwon Na-ye, but said the exact date would depend on the situation.
Along with that, he planned to gather the party members and share info on the fifth Trials' Arena.
Having decided to gather the party, Hae-jin messaged Lee Sang and Kwon Na-ye to come to his house, and told Anna to wait since he'd pick her up.
After contacting everyone, Hae-jin used Shadow Blink to bring Anna over.
Soon after, Lee Sang and Kwon Na-ye arrived.
Hae-jin then spoke.
“Alright. Now that everyone's here, shall we start the party meeting?”
““Yes!””
As everyone responded energetically, Hae-jin shared two pieces of information with the party members.
The first was short: buy Chocolate Enter stock.
The second was the most important info for Hae-jin's party—the fifth Trials' Arena.
After gathering and hearing about the fifth Trials' Arena, they all pledged to Hae-jin to do well and survive this time too.
Watching their reactions, Hae-jin thought.
‘They have to stick with me to the end. Of course, they'll do well this time and survive too.’
While thinking that, Hae-jin also recalled something he needed to settle.
‘I need to recruit one more...’
The spot that should have been Nam Joo-hyuk's by rights.
That position was now vacant since Nam Joo-hyuk no longer existed.
However, he had pretty much decided who to bring in.
‘Yeah, Manager Kim.’
Back when Nam Joo-hyuk was leader, he had mentioned one person he pondered with.
That was Manager Kim.
Hae-jin had considered many people too, but it came down to two.
One was the Manager Kim he just thought of, and the other was Joker.
But Hae-jin's heart leaned more toward Manager Kim, who was basically Korean.
Moreover, there was something off about Joker deep down.
‘He's crazy, but too crazy.’
Hae-jin had seen Joker with Nam Joo-hyuk once.
The guy wasn't just arrogant as a chaebol heir; he had narcissism thinking he was the best in the world.
And the biggest issue was that he was a sociopath who felt no guilt whatsoever about crimes.
That's why, among the members Nam Joo-hyuk had agonized over, he excluded Joker and chose between Hae-jin and Manager Kim.
After agonizing, he judged Hae-jin better and passed on Manager Kim, picking him as a party member.
Now Hae-jin had to choose, and no matter how he thought, Manager Kim was better than Joker.
The problem was.
‘Where is Manager Kim...’
To meet Manager Kim, he had to wait until the current zone's population dropped sharply and zones merged.
Because in reality, Hae-jin didn't know where he was.
The reason was simple.
Nam Joo-hyuk had zero interest in players who weren't party members.
He considered them early on for the party, but ultimately ignored anyone not in his own.
So, there wasn't much info on Manager Kim.
‘Hmm, should I ask the Chairman when I meet him? No, I heard Manager Kim was originally a National Intelligence Service agent turned errand center president... Maybe ask Vice Director Park?’
At first, he thought of Chocolate Talk, the messenger everyone in Korea used.
Asking the Chocolate Group that managed it to find him—they could probably do it quickly.
But upon thinking, Hae-jin recalled an even closer connection he'd made recently.
Park Jong-pal.
He probably knew about Manager Kim.
Hae-jin thought about it.
‘First, meet the Chocolate Group Chairman, then contact Vice Director Park to help connect with Manager Kim.’
With that decided, when CEO Kim Min-su informed him that the meeting with the Chocolate Group Chairman was set, Hae-jin moved to handle that first.
The Chocolate Group Chairman called him to the chairman's office in their headquarters.
But there, Hae-jin encountered a completely unexpected person.
‘What? Why is Manager Kim here?’