Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: A Father's Fury
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"Hoo."
Manager Kim walked out of the room with a fairly weary expression.
Hae-jin, spotting him emerging from the room where he'd tortured the criminal, asked,
"Did he confess?"
"Yes, he remembered Chairman Park's daughter. I've got the evidence on video for now."
"I see. So, are you going to kill him now?"
"I contacted him about it, and he asked if I could do it right in front of him."
Manager Kim had finished the torture, gotten the captured criminal to admit to assaulting Chairman Park Sang-yong's daughter, and recorded it all on video.
He'd asked Chairman Park Sang-yong how to handle the guy.
But in response, Chairman Park had demanded that the man who killed his daughter be executed right before his eyes.
From Hae-jin's perspective, there wasn't much to react to about that.
He'd just go with the flow.
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then we should head back."
"Understood. I told him I'd brief you first, then bring the guy straight back."
"But is it okay to just take him like that?"
"Well, his ability makes him invisible, so I could torture him into activating it and then drag him along."
Manager Kim spoke of torturing the man as if it were no big deal.
Utterly matter-of-fact.
Watching him, Hae-jin thought,
He's not enjoying the torture—he's just doing it as a job. Having spent time with Manager Kim, Hae-jin could tell. He didn't have a sadistic streak. It was purely professional. And through casual chats over the past few days, Hae-jin had realized something else. Above all, the man was a 'father.' A father living for his daughter. That settled it for Hae-jin. The last party member has to be Manager Kim. But first, he'd wrap up Chairman Park's request before bringing it up. Anyway, having heard Manager Kim's update, Hae-jin thought, The nuance... It felt like there was more to the story.
"Is there more to it?"
"No need to force invisibility. Chairman Park's side said they'd handle everything in the meantime while we transport him."
"Really?"
"Yes."
They could've made the captured criminal go invisible to sneak him out, but Chairman Park had said he'd take care of that too. Hae-jin responded to Manager Kim, "Then we can just focus on getting there."
"Exactly."
"Alright, shall we head out right away?"
"That works."
"Let's go, then."
"Yes."
They'd tied up all the loose ends that needed handling in the US, so there was no reason for Hae-jin and Manager Kim to stick around. The two returned to Korea the same way they'd come. * "Daddy!"
Ailet arrived at the family home in Beverly Hills. She called for her father the moment she stepped inside. It happened to be right around the time her father, Ayla Mist, was home. But the instant his daughter Ailet came in shouting for him, Ayla frowned.
"You ditch your bodyguards to run around wild, and now you waltz in calling for Daddy like nothing happened? Our little princess is feeling awfully bold, huh?"
"It's not boldness—I've gotta go to the hospital right now!"
"The hospital? Why?"
"Uh, well..."
Ailet panicked. The reason she needed the hospital. It was because she'd been victimized. On the way home after Hae-jin kicked her out, she'd been so fixated on seeing him again that she'd completely forgotten. That she was a victim of a crime. Only after getting home did it hit her, and she realized she needed to go to the hospital first to deal with it. But how was she supposed to explain this to her dad? She froze, at a loss for words. Ayla tilted his head as his daughter burst in dramatically but then clammed up.
"What's wrong, sweetie? You gotta tell me so I can take you to the hospital or whatever."
"Ugh, Daddy... promise you won't get mad?"
"What kind of mess did you get into this time?"
"It wasn't me causing trouble—I was the one who got hit with it!"
Suddenly, his daughter claimed she'd been attacked. And she looked perfectly fine on the outside. He stared at her, baffled. He had no choice. The wounds that had nearly killed her—from being hacked to pieces—had been so thoroughly healed that even a full medical exam would show nothing wrong. Ailet's body was in pristine condition. But his daughter wouldn't make up something like that. Ayla asked her, "Attacked? What do you mean?"
"Well..."
Ailet explained everything that had happened to her father, Ayla. He shot up from his seat. His pale face flushed beet red in an instant, excitement or rage bulging veins across it.
"What?! So what happened to that bastard?!"
Ayla spoke as if he'd tear the guy apart with his bare hands right then. Seeing her father's reaction, Ailet scratched her cheek with one finger.
"Uh... no idea? Maybe the guy who saved me knows?"
She had no choice. Right before dying, Hae-jin had healed her, and she'd passed out. She'd been kicked out of the same suite without even knowing the criminal who'd assaulted her was being tortured. So she mentioned Hae-jin. Ayla asked at her words, "Who's this guy who saved you?"
"Huh? I don't know his name, but he seemed East Asian. And since he healed me when I was literally on the brink of death, he must've awakened as a Player with healing powers."
"He healed you when you were that close to death?"
"Yeah! I was right on the edge, but he fixed me up perfectly!"
"Right on the edge?"
"Yeah!"
"..."
Ayla scanned Ailet at her words. By her account, she should've been a corpse right now, but anyone looking at her would just see a daughter back from a fun outing. So it was one of two things. Is she making excuses after ditching her guards to go play? But no, that didn't fit. No, Ailet wouldn't lie like that. So it must be true. If so, everything his daughter Ailet said was the truth. Having reached that conclusion, Ayla asked her, "Tell me the place and time it happened, sweetie. And do you know where your savior is?"
"Uh, okay, so..."
Ailet laid it all out, answering everything her father asked. Without missing a beat, Ayla mobilized every contact at his disposal to track the criminal who'd assaulted his daughter Ailet and learn about the Hae-jin who'd helped her. The criminal's wanted status was handled quickly, leaving only the matter of her lifesaver, Hae-jin... Having heard about Hae-jin, Ayla called to Ailet.
"Sweetie."
"Yeah?"
"They say your savior's gone."
"Huh? What do you mean, Daddy?"
"He checked out and flew to Canada."
Hae-jin had already caught the criminal Chairman Park Sang-yong requested with Manager Kim, so they'd gone to Windsor International Airport to return to Korea. That's how they learned he'd checked out and headed to Canada. Ailet cried out at Ayla's words.
"Ah! No way!"
"No way about what?"
"I haven't repaid him yet!"
Ayla chuckled at his daughter's lament about not thanking her lifesaver.
"Ah, don't worry—Daddy'll handle that. I'll look into your savior, so you come with me to the hospital first."
"Okay!"
And so the Mist father and daughter headed to the hospital. Because of what Ailet had endured. She underwent various tests, and the doctor reported the results.
"Ailet's body is in incredibly good health right now. Her psych eval came back completely normal too. It's hard to believe there was any crime involved."
"Is that right?"
"Yes."
Ayla glanced at his daughter as the doctor noted how perfectly fine she was.
"Sweetie, that's what he says."
"So I really am all good."
"Huh?"
What was this now? He couldn't understand his daughter seeming to accept her pristine condition so casually. Ailet explained to her puzzled father.
"Look, even I thought it was weird. After something like that, how am I totally fine? That savior's Player healing must be insane."
"Hmm, if everything you said is true, then yeah, that guy's got some ridiculous power."
"I told you it's true!"
Ailet yelled, as if he'd implied she might be lying. To clear up the misunderstanding, Ayla told her, "Ah, yeah, it is true. I just got word from the police too—the places you mentioned all have traces of the crime."
The doctor who'd just shared Ailet's results reacted with amazement at the Mist father-daughter exchange.
"Amazing. So Players have abilities that potent? If there were more like him, my job might be in jeopardy."
Before examining Ailet, the doctor had heard the full story from Ayla. Yet the results made it seem like nothing had happened to her. It was impossible to believe otherwise than that Ailet was lying. But then Ayla got the police report confirming the incident. So it was all true. Someone had fully healed a person on the verge of death as a vegetable. No wonder the doctor felt obsolete. But that wasn't what mattered to Ayla.
"Looks like we need to meet the man who saved and healed our girl."
He wanted to see his daughter's benefactor, sure—but if she was right, this was a Player with absurd abilities. Naturally, he was curious. Ailet's eyes sparkled as Ayla showed interest in her savior Hae-jin.
"You're gonna go see him, Daddy?"
"Better to invite him here. Just got word—he took a private jet from that Chocolate Group bigwig in Korea back to his home country."
"He's Korean?"
"Probably, if he went to Korea."
"I see. But he probably won't come."
"Huh?"
Ayla wondered what she meant now. He wouldn't come even if invited? Ayla Mist—who did he think he was? The head of the world's top conglomerate, someone countless people dreamed of meeting once. And he'd be snubbing an invitation to repay a debt of gratitude? Ailet explained what had happened, seeing her father's utter confusion.
"Well..."
By the end of Ailet's explanation, Ayla burst into hearty laughter.
"What? Hahaha! That guy's a riot!" * "Hmm, is someone talking about me?"
As Ayla laughed upon hearing Ailet's story, Hae-jin was digging in his ear aboard the Chocolate Group's private jet back to Korea.