Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: An Unprecedented Proposal
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A strange sense of welcome.
And a rage greater than that.
Even if the man had helped him, finding him in his home uninvited was hardly pleasant.
Kanghyeok's expression bordered on hostile.
“You must be bored. I didn’t expect to find you lounging in my room.”
“I was passing by and stopped in. I have something to say, too.”
William jutted his chin toward the safe next to the desk.
“Still, for a man who received my help, you’re being quite rude.”
*Click, beep.*
Kanghyeok glared at William as he closed the door. Only after it was fully shut did he scowl and speak.
“I’m grateful for that. I am, but this is not okay.”
“I came because I have something to say. Sit.”
Even as he walked toward the bed, Kanghyeok shot a sharp glance at William.
He was grateful. Truly.
Without William's approval, Leila wouldn't have helped him, and he wouldn't have found the laptop in time.
In fact, he was grateful enough that he'd planned to thank him properly if they ever met.
But this sudden intrusion into his personal space had greatly soured that feeling of gratitude.
*Plop.*
Sitting on the bed, Kanghyeok spoke, his voice laced with displeasure.
“So you had a spare key.”
“That door is company property. Of course we have one.”
“Hand it over.”
As soon as Kanghyeok finished speaking, William pulled a card from his pocket and tossed it over.
Kanghyeok snatched the card and crumpled it. William chuckled and picked up a bottle of liquor that was sitting beside the chair.
He then poured some scotch into a paper cup and handed it over.
Kanghyeok took the cup without a word of thanks, and William filled his own.
People from headquarters would probably say they were crazy if they saw this.
Who could have imagined William and Kanghyeok drinking scotch from paper cups in such a shabby room?
“They were the neighborhood kids, weren’t they? You should have told me.”
William said after taking a sip of his drink.
“How much did you hear?”
“Is that any way to speak to the person who helped you?”
William said, looking at Kanghyeok with eyes that resembled a reptile's due to their yellowish whites. Kanghyeok exhaled sharply through his nose and sucked in his lips.
“My apologies.”
Even if he didn't like his actions, he was his former boss and, more importantly, his elder.
And since William had helped him greatly with the last incident, he could at least be polite.
“Good.”
William smiled with satisfaction and drank, wetting his lips.
“Those kids. Why don't you train them?”
“Anyone can pull a trigger.”
“How you pull it is another matter entirely. Frankly, I'd like to see you train them.”
The corner of Kanghyeok's eye twitched as he looked at William.
“I refuse.”
*As if I don't know what you're thinking.*
Kanghyeok swallowed the rest of his words.
He had two reasons for refusing.
One, he didn't think teaching those kids how to shoot would be of much help to them.
The other reason was that William seemed to covet them.
It went without saying, but if Yohan and his friend were trained by Kanghyeok, they would be trained by a former agent.
Kanghyeok had also lived as a mercenary.
He'd paid his own way to train at private institutions, and the combat experience he'd accumulated as an agent was not to be underestimated.
If someone like Kanghyeok were to teach anyone?
It was only natural that William, the HR Manager, would have his eye on them.
“I know what you're thinking. But that's not the only reason.”
William continued with a smirk.
“To survive in a neighborhood like this, you need to know how to handle a gun. You, of all people, should know what a great power a gun can be.”
“It's because I know all too well that I can't teach them.”
Was there any personal firearm more dangerous than a gun?
It could kill a person far more easily than a knife or a bow, a weapon that allowed even a three-year-old to instantly subdue a grown man.
“Well, if that's what you think.”
William crossed his legs and lowered the hand holding the cup to his navel.
“Let's get to the point. I received a report from Leila about the recent incident.”
When he brought up work, William seemed like a different person.
He usually exuded an intimidating aura, but when discussing business, it was so intense that even Kanghyeok found it difficult to meet his gaze.
“Your skills haven't rusted one bit, surprisingly. In fact, it seems some parts have even improved.”
“…”
Kanghyeok silently wet his lips with the scotch.
There had been moments like that during his fight with Johannes's gang.
Feats that even a Deputy Team Leader would find difficult to accomplish.
It was only natural.
He was now twelve years younger, but his memories and combat experience remained intact.
If not for the time limit to find the laptop and the year-long break, he would have fought Johannes's gang with much more finesse.
In any case, Kanghyeok not only found the laptop in time but also annihilated the entire gang.
And all within twenty-four hours of losing the laptop.
It was a feat not even a current Team Leader could easily pull off, and this point strongly stimulated William.
“I'd like you to come back to work.”
William said, his voice suggesting he already knew Kanghyeok's answer, and shifted his gaze to the wall.
The wall where the company suit hung like a family portrait.
After that, a long silence flowed.
Much longer than William had expected.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
William tapped his fingernails on the armrest of the chair, as if displeased with the silence. Kanghyeok took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“I refuse.”
“Oh?”
Looking at William's narrowed eyes, Kanghyeok continued.
“I'm grateful for your help. Truly.”
“That was the point.”
“But I can't return right now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
Kanghyeok brought the drink to his lips.
The liquor, feeling both cold and hot, filled his mouth, then traveled down his throat and into his chest.
On an empty stomach, he could feel exactly where the alcohol reached in his body. And he could feel it spreading, too.
Yet his mind didn't waver in the slightest.
On the contrary, it became clearer.
*‘I can't return right now.’*
The company's support and information-gathering capabilities were too tempting, but its binding power was also too strong.
Kanghyeok had other things to do.
Preventing the destruction that would come in twelve years.
Twelve years seems like plenty of time, doesn't it?
Time flows faster than you think.
A mere twelve years will pass in the blink of an eye.
Especially if you're tied to the company, living a busy life.
He might return someday.
But not right now.
“Hmm, I honestly didn't expect you to refuse.”
William muttered, rubbing his chin, and put a cigarette in his mouth.
His expression didn't change, but his eyes revealed his disappointment.
*Click.*
“*Hoo!* I thought you were a more reasonable man.”
“I will repay you.”
William's gaze snapped to Kanghyeok.
“Repay me how?”
“If you need my help, I'll help you.”
For now, it was the only way Kanghyeok could repay the company for its help.
William stared at Kanghyeok blankly for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“That's a funny thing to say. Are you offering to be a subcontractor for our company?”
“On a short-term contract, yes.”
William rubbed the back of his neck and watched Kanghyeok in silence.
In the company's long history, there had never been a single case like this.
Offering to help the company as a freelancer… setting aside whether it was even possible, it was an incredibly audacious idea.
“You've watched me for the past year, so you know I'm not the type to cause security problems.”
“Hmm.”
William fell deep in thought.
All the while, his gaze remained fixed on Kanghyeok.
*‘What is he thinking?’*
He seemed to have a reason for not returning to the company, yet his attempt to maintain a connection with it was incomprehensible.
Especially by proposing an unprecedented subcontracting arrangement.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Kanghyeok was somehow leading him on.
It was ironic.
A current HR Manager being manipulated by a former employee.
If any other former employee had spouted such nonsense, William would have laughed and walked away.
And he would have taken appropriate measures against the ex-employee who had insulted the company. Daring to negotiate with the company, after all.
But the one proposing the negotiation was Kanghyeok.
The skill he'd shown while recovering the laptop.
And the strange parts noted in the report tickled the back of his neck, making it impossible to just get up and leave.
William checked his watch and took out his phone.
“I need to make a quick call.”
Kanghyeok nodded. William made a call and brought the phone to his ear.
“It's me.”
Guessing who was on the other end, Kanghyeok waited silently for the call to end.
“Cancel all my upcoming appointments. This conversation might take a while.”
William hung up and, without even putting his phone down, fixed his gaze on Kanghyeok.
“Talk.”
“Is this alright?”
“No. I can't go into detail, but that call just cost me about eighty thousand dollars. In the long run, the loss could be even greater.”
That was the price William paid to hear Kanghyeok's story.
“I hope it's worth it.”
Kanghyeok gave a small nod.
William, who valued time more than gold, had chosen to postpone his schedule to talk with Kanghyeok.
“What I want is your reinstatement, but why are you insisting on a subcontract?”
“Personal reasons.”
William gave a cynical smile and fell silent.
He was busy running the numbers in his head.
How Kanghyeok would benefit the company as a subcontractor, how much it would save on costs, the long-term profits if hiring him became a positive precedent, and so on.
But the most important thing he considered was the possibility of Kanghyeok's eventual return.
Can a tiger give up meat?
Inevitably, fatefully, Kanghyeok was born to do this work, and even he would find it hard to deny.
William, who had done his background check, knew that Kanghyeok hadn't been satisfied with his life for the past year.
“Hmm.”
William narrowed his eyes and tapped his knee.
Then he tossed out a question.
“And what does our company get out of it?”
It was the most crucial question.
There was no reason for him to take on the risk of persuading his superiors and move according to Kanghyeok's wishes.
That's why a heavy-hitting bargaining chip was needed, and only Kanghyeok could play that card.
Kanghyeok looked William straight in the eye and answered.
“You get to use me.”
William looked at Kanghyeok as if he were absurd, then burst out laughing.
“Well, I'll be damned.”
Uncharacteristically, William laughed, showing his teeth.
Damn it all, only those who didn't know Kanghyeok could argue with his words.
*‘We get to use Kanghyeok.’*
The reason he'd wanted to reinstate Kanghyeok in the first place?
To give him work.
Although a subcontract wasn't the ideal picture, it wasn't a bad second choice.
For now.
Realizing he was laughing too much, William covered his mouth with his hand and stared at the ceiling, waiting for his smile to fade.
“*Hah!*”
“What do you think?”
William answered immediately, as if there was nothing to think about.
“Let's start with the contract.”