Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Tycoon's Daughter
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"What?"
The criminal reacted to Hae-jin's declaration that he'd come to catch him.
Was he surprised at the words?
No.
He simply couldn't understand Korean.
But whether the guy understood or not was none of Hae-jin's concern.
He tightly gripped the wrist of the flustered American player.
"Argh!"
No player could withstand Hae-jin's strength.
Of course, even a slight squeeze on the wrist was bound to hurt.
Because of that, the criminal let go of the woman he'd been planning to dump in the river.
Plop.
The woman dropped straight to the ground.
That was when it happened.
"Ugh..."
It was the criminal's signature—the same one who'd killed Assemblyman Park Sang-yong's daughter.
He would slash someone relentlessly right up until their last breath, dump them in the river, and let them turn into a corpse.
Hae-jin glanced at the woman who'd just collapsed.
She was truly on the verge of death, but not dead yet.
'I can save her.'
By inheriting everything from Joo-hyuk, Hae-jin had gained the ability to heal people as well.
So if there was still breath left in her, saving one person was no big deal.
To do that, Hae-jin first struck the back of the criminal's neck—the one whose wrist he'd just twisted.
Smack!
"Gah!"
The criminal let out a short scream and passed out on the spot after the blow to his neck.
With that, his invisibility magic, Invisibility, was released, revealing his appearance.
He was an American man with a completely shaved head—no hair, no eyebrows.
After knocking out the criminal, Hae-jin quickly approached the woman who was on the brink of death.
Once there, he used one of the recovery skills he'd inherited from Joo-hyuk.
Perfect Heal.
It was the ultimate skill in the priestly healing magic line, like Heal.
A heal that restored all damage.
Hence the name, Perfect Heal.
As soon as Hae-jin cast it, the woman who'd been collapsed on the ground was perfectly fine, as if she'd never been about to die.
But the sudden surge of restored vitality inevitably caused her to pass out.
In that situation, Hae-jin hoisted both the criminal and the woman he'd just healed onto his shoulders.
Then he activated a skill.
‘Shadow Blink.’ Whoooosh-! Hae-jin returned to the lodging where Manager Kim was, slipping through the shadows. Manager Kim jumped in surprise upon seeing Hae-jin return from the riverbank to the lodging.
"Whoa!"
He'd been watching Hae-jin via CCTV just moments ago, only for Hae-jin to vanish into a shadow and pop out from the sofa's shadow right in front of him. Hae-jin had shown him Shadow Blink once before, but even seeing it twice was shocking. Anyway, as soon as Hae-jin returned, Manager Kim expressed his admiration.
"That's an amazing ability."
"Players all have different abilities, don't they?"
Hae-jin shrugged it off nonchalantly. Seeing that, Manager Kim nodded. He was a player himself, so he couldn't deny that everyone had unique abilities. Of course, Hae-jin's abilities and movements had piqued his curiosity. But Manager Kim decided to handle the priority first.
"You're right. Anyway, based on my experience, this guy is likely the one who killed Chairman Park's daughter... Shall I handle the torture to make him confess separately...?"
Manager Kim spoke as if torture was his specialty. Hae-jin had no particular desire to do the torturing himself, so he left it to him.
"Sure."
"Yes, then I'll take this guy. But what about the woman?"
"She's just asleep for a bit. When she wakes up, send her home."
"Understood. I'll take him then."
"Go ahead."
Manager Kim dragged the criminal into one of the rooms. Chairman Park Sang-yong truly wanted to kill the real culprit for revenge, but he still needed confirmation that this was indeed the man who'd killed his daughter. That's why Manager Kim was going to use torture to verify if the captured criminal was the one who'd killed her. How much time passed after Manager Kim took the criminal into the room? Not even five minutes. In that time, Hae-jin furrowed his brow.
"Arrrrgh!"
The criminal's screams pierced through the room's soundproofing. The agonized cries from the torture weren't pleasant to hear. Then Hae-jin saw it. The woman he'd saved waking up and coming out of the room. The woman eyed Hae-jin warily upon seeing him. In a way, it was only natural to be on guard. She'd nearly been sexually assaulted and then murdered. After going through all that, it was natural to be cautious around an unfamiliar man. Looking at the wary woman, Hae-jin spoke.
"You're awake?"
"Who are you?"
The woman asked about Hae-jin's identity. But Hae-jin had no intention of revealing himself to her.
"Well, since we probably won't see each other again, you can just go home."
It was exactly as he said. Hae-jin figured he'd never see her again. So he just told her to go home since he'd saved her. At his words, the woman lowered her guard a bit and looked at him in bewilderment. She hadn't expected him to just tell her to go home. With a baffled expression, she asked Hae-jin.
"Just go home?"
"Yes."
Hae-jin nodded as if it really was that simple. At his response, the woman closed her eyes for a moment. Then she realized belatedly. That she'd originally been on the verge of death. Recalling that, she opened her eyes. She immediately checked her body's condition. The woman knew what she'd been through wasn't a dream. Her body had been torn to shreds by the criminal right before death. But now? It was more than fine—it was perfectly healthy. What was going on? The answer came quickly. She directed a question at Hae-jin.
"But you're the one who healed me?"
She asked if he'd been the one to heal her. At her question, Hae-jin nodded.
"I did heal you."
He confirmed he'd healed her. He'd probably saved her from the criminal too. But after saving and healing her, he was just telling her to go home? The woman made a face like she couldn't comprehend it.
"But just go home?"
"Yes, I said you can just go home."
"No! I can't do that."
"What?"
Hae-jin twitched an eyebrow. He was letting her go without any reward after saving her, but she wouldn't leave. What kind of nuisance was this? The woman raised both hands, as if telling him to calm down from his expression.
"No, it's not like I want to stay here or anything."
"Then what?"
"You helped me, so I have to repay you, right?"
The woman kept insisting on repaying him. Hae-jin told her once more.
"You don't have to."
"Really?"
"Yes."
When Hae-jin said he didn't want repayment, the woman suddenly brought up her father.
"My dad's loaded, you know?"
Her father had a ton of money. If the savior had been strapped for cash, he might have been swayed. But Hae-jin wasn't short on money. So he had no interest in her repayment. Why else would he tell her to just go home? Hae-jin made it clear to the woman talking about money that he didn't need any repayment.
"I have money too."
"No, my dad's really rich."
"I don't know how much, but I can get by without taking yours, so just go home."
"No, he's seriously rich."
"How rich exactly?"
Hae-jin wondered just how loaded her father was to keep bringing up money. He asked how much that made her keep insisting. The woman answered.
"He's number one in the business world."
"Hmm?"
Hae-jin wondered what she meant by that. She'd just said her father was rich, so he thought, how rich could he be to keep yapping about money? But number one in the business rankings. 'Who's currently number one in the business world?' His curiosity must have shown on his face, because the woman spoke up.
"My name is 'Ailet Mist.'" Ailet Mist. Hearing that name, Hae-jin thought of one person. Not that he knew her personally. It was her father's name, as she'd mentioned he was number one in business. The surname 'Mist.' Hae-jin checked with Ailet if her father was the person he thought.
"'Ailet Mist'... Is your father 'Aila Mist'?"
"That's right!"
The woman looked proud that Hae-jin knew her father. It was hard not to know. He wasn't just number one in business; Aila Mist was an American tycoon called the once-in-a-century innovator to succeed 'Steve Fox,' the creator of 'Kiwi.' Of course, he occasionally caught flak for his casual speech and behavior. But no other businessman had that level of recognition. Hence his nickname, the 'maverick entrepreneur.' His flagship company was Teseron, the American electric vehicle manufacturer and energy giant. The previous number one had been the chairman of a luxury brand conglomerate, but he'd recently risen to the top. 'But this woman's the daughter of Teseron's CEO, Aila Mist?' It was quite surprising. Ailet flashed a smug smile, seeing that Hae-jin knew her father. However, though briefly surprised, Hae-jin quickly regained his composure and spoke to her again.
"Yeah, just go home."
"Whaaat?!"
"Come on, off you go."
"Huh?!"
Hae-jin scooped up Ailet, who refused to go home, in a princess carry. Ailet was startled as Hae-jin approached in a flash and lifted her like that. Regardless, Hae-jin carried her to the entrance, shoved her out, and slammed the door. Bang! The front door shut forcefully. Suddenly kicked out, Ailet stared blankly at the door that had just closed, her face full of disbelief.
"What the hell..."
She was floored. Sure, the guy had booked the most expensive penthouse suite in Midtown's top five-star hotel, so he clearly wasn't hurting for money. But she'd revealed her identity, hadn't she? The daughter of Aila Mist, CEO of the number one business giant Teseron. Normally, even people with some money would cling to her once she revealed that. But the man who'd saved her showed zero interest. He'd just looked annoyed and kicked her out of his place. That's when Ailet felt something strange. Was she offended? 'No.' It wasn't offense. Moreover, she had no reason to feel bad about Hae-jin. He was her lifesaver. Still, her feelings toward him were oddly mixed. What was this feeling? Pondering it, Ailet realized. 'The first guy to treat me like this is making my heart race!' With that thought, Ailet spoke with a resolute expression.
"I need to go tell Dad right away!"