Generous Gifts
"Sorry about the long call. I've filed the report, so feel free to take Do-cheol with you when you head home."
"Haha, sounds good."
"Shall we grab some lunch, then?"
At Park Jun-tae's words, I glanced at my phone. It was already past noon. There were still some minor items on the schedule, so even after eating, I'd have to stick around for another hour or two.
"Where do we eat?"
"Subscribers to Cheonma Bio Farm can use our company cafeteria. Folks often drop by the center, so it's convenient. If you'd rather go out, that's fine too."
"Then let's eat here."
The menu looked pretty solid. Fried udon loaded with big shrimp tempura, meatballs, and a bunch of side dishes.
"Ah, bro."
Sujin whispered to me as if something had just occurred to her.
"Yelena... you think she'll eat properly on her own?"
"Probably. She's not a kid."
"Yeah... but still. She's abroad, not used to everything. And she said she wasn't feeling well today."
"Ugh."
This hassle. She should've just come along quietly. Yelena had skipped today's schedule, using her "illness" as an excuse. She wasn't actually sick. As an awakener, her body was tough to begin with, and it was more likely the "corporate" vibe made her uncomfortable showing her face.
Of course, Sujin had no idea and was purely worried about her friend.
Part of me wanted to just spill everything and be done with it, but that would put me in the middle—awkward with both of them. Yelena mad about me breaking her promise, Sujin mad I didn't tell her.
Now I'm the annoyed one.
"Bro, why don't you swing by home and make sure she eats? Please?"
"Argh. It's so far from here."
"Pfft. At your running speed, it'd take ten minutes tops?"
For a split second, I regretted ever telling her about that.
"If you really hate it, no big deal..."
Sujin put on her most pitiful face. They say no brother can resist his little sister, and damn if she wasn't right.
"Sigh. Fine. You can handle the rest alone, right?"
"Yup! Thanks! You're the best, bro."
I'd been itching to smack Yelena a few times just moments ago, but Sujin's smile softened me up a bit.
Still, she deserves at least one good whack.
"Sorry, but I have to head out early. Something annoying came up at home. Looks like my sister will finish the tour solo."
"Ah, sure. No problem."
I gave Park Jun-tae a quick bow. As I turned to leave, he added one more thing.
"As a token of appreciation for visiting Cheonma Bio Farm, we'd like to offer a small gift. Would that be okay?"
"...A gift?"
"Yes. One moment."
He beckoned, and staff appeared out of nowhere, hauling armloads of shopping bags. Three of them were grunting under the weight.
Who turns down free stuff? There were Cheonma-logo work clothes, various farming tools—all shiny and high-end looking.
"Whoa! What's all this?"
"Haha. Just a gesture for our future partnership. Did you drive? If not, we can deliver to your home."
I'd come by car, but it was Sujin's. Delivery would take until tomorrow at best.
"Nah, it's fine. I'll carry it."
"Hmm. It's pretty heavy."
"Haha. Don't worry, I'm sturdier than I look."
I hefted the load effortlessly, and Park Jun-tae's eyebrow twitched for a second. But that was it—no big reaction.
Yeah, makes sense. Lots of awakeners farm these days.
"Thanks for the gifts."
"Of course. Looking forward to working with you."
Park Jun-tae's gift offensive blew away any lingering thoughts of smacking Yelena. No, I couldn't go soft. She still needed that one hit.
Whistling cheerfully, I headed home. Then I remembered one thing.
"By the way, can I take that robot... I mean, Do-cheol, now?"
* * *
"Those the ones?"
"Yes, Executive Director."
"Hmph."
In the executive office of Building A at the Overcheon Agricultural Center, Executive Director Ju Ho-ryeong snorted at the new batch of Cheonma Bio Farm subscribers.
Beside him, his loyal subordinate, Manager Oh Jae-hyeon, bowed deeply.
"They don't look like much."
"......"
Oh Jae-hyeon didn't argue with the mutter. They did seem ordinary to him too. Two in their early twenties subscribing to Cheonma Bio Farm wasn't everyday stuff, but in this line of work, young landed rich kids weren't rare. Sure, growing otherworld crops raised an eyebrow, but that wasn't the point.
The real issue was Director Jin So-wol paying attention to them.
He'd heard it clear from the bug in her office: keep an eye on those two.
But why? Even Ju Ho-ryeong didn't know.
That damn bug cost a fortune in bribes just to plant it under her nose...!
And for what? No useful intel. It burned.
"What scheme is that sly bitch cooking up now..."
"......"
Oh Jae-hyeon stayed silent again. One might think sucking up with some trash talk on Jin would be smart, but Ju hated that. Not gossip per se, but nitpicking over nothing. His predecessor had badmouthed freely in front of him, only to get demoted for "poor manners."
Oh Jae-hyeon, a non-awakener rising to manager young, owed it to that insight.
"Everything set?"
"Yes. Sent the installers. For safety, one A-rank hunter and three B-ranks from Security C-Team are escorting. With the A-rank awakener woman there, it should be fine."
"...Do they know what's up?"
"No worries there. Confidentiality is ironclad for ops like this."
"Good."
Ju Ho-ryeong nodded with a sleazy grin.
"I don't care what that bitch is plotting. Long as I find out. Heh."
"I'll report any changes immediately."
"Yeah. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir."
Oh Jae-hyeon bowed once more and left. Straightening his tie, he dialed a secure line.
"Ready?"
[Yes.]
"As I said, this is pure escort duty. If shit hits the fan, we disavow."
[Understood.]
"Alright."
He hung up. One A-rank and three B-ranks—enough for a decent guild. But in Cheonma Group, with dozens of A-ranks, they were disposable. Especially on a non-awakener's order.
"Whew."
Finishing the directive, Oh Jae-hyeon sighed. Still, curiosity gnawed—who were those two that had Jin So-wol riled? Why fuss over some rural plot?
"Ugh."
A chill hit him. Jin's face flashed in his mind. He'd only seen her once, tagging along as Ju's secretary to the holding company. Beautiful, but those venomous eyes—like staring down a ripe poison apple. The urge to ditch Ju's faction hit hard.
"Work. Just work."
Luckily, he valued honor over that crap. Shaking it off, he got back to his desk.
* * *
Click.
Lee Sang-hoon stared at the abruptly ended call.
"That prick's got no manners."
"Right? Team leader didn't do shit wrong. Rides a good line and talks like that."
His team vented to cheer him up.
"Hey, is Oh Manager your buddy?"
"......"
"This ain't some hole-in-the-wall shop. Shut it and focus."
"But still..."
The team pouted, hurt. Not bootlicking—Lee Sang-hoon was Cheonma's A-rank hunter. No way he'd take crap from a non-awakener like Oh over money. His guidance had elevated them to B-rank.
They idolized him; seeing their hero dissed by a connected nobody stung.
After chewing them out, Lee Sang-hoon turned away and muttered low.
"...Hanwoo after this. Full course."
"Whoa, Hanwoo!"
"Heh! Let's crush it!"
Truth was, even he felt good. Pride kept him quiet.
Rattle!
"Almost there."
The partition blocking the truck bed and cab slid open.
"Got it."
"Roger!"
Rattle!
It shut again, silence falling. Military-grade truck—bulletproof, soundproof.
"Wonder what this gig is."
"Yeah, always 'escort' with zero details."
"......"
Lee Sang-hoon ignored the chatter. They were Cheonma's special ops, VIP Protection C-Team. Newbies under five years didn't know, but veteran team leads like him did.
Their work wasn't clean.
Anti-monster ops had clear foes—monsters itching to kill humans. Protection? Mostly people. Rookies hadn't seen it, but young Sang-hoon had done the opposite of protection.
This was tame by comparison. Needing escorts meant shady, sure.
Screw it.
He'd known since jumping from guild to corp. It was just a well-paid job. Very well-paid.