No Bond Lasts Longer Than One Born of Resentment
Kang Moo-hyuk hoped no unexpected variables would arise in his absence.
'The Chinese won't move right away. With their Dandong expedition force smashed to pieces, mobilizing more hunters would be impossible. No fame or profit in it.'
That left Seong Seon-je's movements as the biggest concern.
Handing Sinuiju to Korea's top guild—and the man who could maximize its influence—was, in plain terms, like leaving a fish in the care of a cat.
So he'd left Joo Se-ah behind in Sinuiju.
'She can't match his schemes head-on, but the guild master has a way to bulldoze right through them.'
It all came down to how well Seong Seon-je knew Joo Se-ah.
He could predict exactly how she'd react if things didn't go her way, which meant he'd be dealing with the aftermath and cleanup—exhausting fatigue included.
And Joo Se-ah knew Seong Seon-je just as well. She didn't throw her weight around with Slayer every time because she was reckless. It was simply the most effective method.
'Honestly, there's no guild in Korea that can go toe-to-toe with Slayer. Makes our guild master pretty incredible for picking fights with them anyway.'
To justify leaving Joo Se-ah in Sinuiju, Kang Moo-hyuk cited two issues as excuses.
"Guild Master, please stay and handle the prison village folks' food, clothing, and shelter issues, since you're close to the Guild Cooperation Department. For security, we'll ask Slayer Guild. As for the Sinuiju-only guild alliance we discussed before, we'll proceed once the city stabilizes. Any objections?"
"None from me. What about you, Team Leader Seong?"
"These people don't seem thrilled about making decisions without Director Kang here anyway, so we'll just have to wait."
Seong Seon-je flashed a meaningful smile, implying he'd already seen through Kang Moo-hyuk's intentions.
Kang Moo-hyuk hadn't minded if his counterpart saw through him from the start.
'He knows crossing the line would shatter their relationship. As long as they both have value to exploit, no need for outright hostility.'
It was an unspoken agreement.
With the Sinuiju matter temporarily sealed, Kang Moo-hyuk boarded a helicopter for Seoul.
Helipad on the roof of Taeseong General Hospital's main building.
No sooner had it touched down on the massive 'H' than medical staff rushed over and wheeled him into a chair.
After a battery of tests, Kang Moo-hyuk reached his VIP room and called his father to check on the injection production status.
"Can't you manage your meds properly? Lose them one more time, and I'll bill you extra."
"You've already got my paycheck account. Throw in that level of service."
"Your director salary wouldn't even make a dent."
"I'm pulling a pretty high salary, you know."
"Your med costs aren't 'pretty' anything."
"If it's short, sell my apartment. Or take out a loan."
"I'll handle it if needed. Meds will ship as they're finished."
Afterward, Kang Moo-hyuk received meds from the hospital to ease his mana addiction side effects and pain, if not cure it. He then asked Mr. Jo for intel on the chairman assassination attempt.
Fortunately, Mr. Jo had instructed his staff to watch Taeseong Group before heading to Sinuiju.
By the time Kang Moo-hyuk had spent a day in the hospital, the info arrived—along with a mild-mannered-looking man.
"Hello, Director Kang Moo-hyuk? I'm 'Mansur,' working under President Jo."
"Mansur? Arabic descent?"
"No. 'Man. Su. R.' As in, full of money—but I'm not rich. Broke, so the boss... er, President uses me."
"Didn't know there was a Mr. Man."
"Yes, Man clan from Kaesong. Maybe 100 or 200 in Korea. Not many know the name."
"But why you instead of Mr. Jo...?"
"President Jo pulled a sick day—er, vacation—after overtime in Sinuiju, so I came myself."
"Wondered where he vanished to after work... But did you really need to come in person? Phone works fine."
"He took his vacation without giving me the number."
"Ah."
"If it's okay, can I start the briefing? The boss's sudden vaca—er, break—piled up the work."
"Please do."
The briefing was brief.
Tae Jin-seong, the chairman whose villa Kang Moo-hyuk had visited before, had been ambushed by unidentified assailants—a standard failed assassination plot.
But what set it apart from the usual was...
"In short, Jeong Sil-jang, the chairman's bodyguard, took out the assassins?"
"Yes. From what we gathered, five B-rank hunters. Normally, the chairman would've been dead, but Jeong Sil-jang's A-rank. Assassins' affiliation unknown, but we suspect Baekho Guild. The odd part is Jeong Sil-jang himself. No one even knows his full name—just 'Manager Jeong.' Facial scan came up empty in the database. Suspect plastic surgery or face-altering item."
Kang Moo-hyuk had a hunch why Jeong Sil-jang's identity was untraceable.
'Kim Myeong-jun's collaborator. Hiding his ID means he's handled all the dirty work. Probably one of Kim Myeong-jun's closest from Ujungdo.'
But the real anomaly wasn't Jeong Sil-jang's identity.
'Kim Myeong-jun. What's his game? He linked Baekho Guild to Chairman Tae's eldest son, Tae Su-cheol. But then Jeong Sil-jang, Kim Myeong-jun's ally, blocks Baekho's request. Doesn't add up.'
Puzzling over Kim Myeong-jun's illogical scheme, Kang Moo-hyuk snapped to his location and unraveled it.
'Kim Myeong-jun... Taeseong... Tae Jin-seong... Ah, right. It's because of Guild Master Joo Se-ah.'
Kim Myeong-jun's identities: Slayer Guild cleaner, frontman for the Japanese Guild Federation (Guild Alliance), and broker in hunter underworld hits.
Top priority: Guild Alliance spy.
And the Guild Alliance used him because of Joo Se-ah.
'Kim Myeong-jun fears the Alliance discarding him. Even failure's grounds for disposal.'
In other words, Joo Se-ah's success or disappearance both spelled trouble for him.
To secure his safety, the status quo was key.
He'd confirmed this tendency during the prior 'Iga Group incident'—the Alliance's assassination arm.
'He's got both Tae Jin-seong and Tae Su-cheol in his pocket.'
He'd accommodate both sides' demands, steering the outcome to neutral ground both could accept.
That was Kim Myeong-jun's angle.
'No wonder No Song-rin called him cunning. Fits right in the 'deepest pits' of Ujungdo.'
As Kang Moo-hyuk organized his thoughts, Mansur, who'd been watching patiently, spoke up.
"Uh, briefing's done."
"Ah, yes. Sorry to keep you waiting. Clear briefing—very helpful. Thank you."
"No biggie. All paid work. Haha, please use us again, sir."
After Mansur left, Kang Moo-hyuk felt the need to tweak his plan.
"Looks like there's something to settle before seeing the chairman."
His target: Kim Myeong-jun.
'Not an easy mark, so prep is key. Ordinary blackmail won't cut it. So, how?'
Kang Moo-hyuk listed his usable or procurable cards.
After much deliberation, he devised a plan.
"Then I'll go with the unordinary blackmail."
He'd offer an irresistible deal.
"A man who hasn't even been in Seoul a full day calls—what's the occasion?"
This wasn't idle courtesy. Seong Seon-je was genuinely curious why Kang Moo-hyuk had reached out.
'Not worried about Sinuiju, and he trusts me enough not to check in.'
True to form, Kang Moo-hyuk made an unexpected proposal.
"Calling about a few things to confirm on the upcoming Sinuiju alliance."
"Urgent enough to settle now?"
"Not urgent, but need to clear it for guild planning."
"Go ahead."
Seong Seon-je's face brimmed with curiosity.
"You'll agree to pulling in other tier guilds, right?"
"Of course. And handing us their selection rights."
"What about Baekho Guild?"
"No need to invite a place with such a bad rep. Honestly, their quality's too low."
"That's why I'm calling."
"Baekho? Or the selection rights?"
"No. Claiming a whole city with just tier guilds. Including old North Korean hunters is one issue, but it looks like tier guilds monopolizing Sinuiju. People will cry 'their own league.' Government and public opinion take heat."
"We bled for land the country abandoned. Who'd complain? Besides, you nearly died. Biggest stake of anyone."
"Shamelessness thrives on greed in this world."
Seong Seon-je couldn't deny it outright. But touching his rice bowl was another matter. His voice cooled.
"If needed, we can shut up the government, media—everyone."
Kang Moo-hyuk knew Slayer, as Korea's flagship guild, faced both pressure and favoritism from the powerful—complications aplenty.
Leveraging that, he'd get what he wanted.
"Why take the hard road when easy's open? I'll steer smooth."
"No plans for rough roads either. Point out the pavement."
"Mix in some A-rank guilds."
"A-ranks?"
"And a bit of government stake."
"Not thrilled."
"Give them pretext: agencies restoring order in Sinuiju."
Seong Seon-je grasped it instantly.
"Surveil Sinuiju, not guilds? Bold—cutting off the nose to spite the face. What about Guild Cooperation? Cha Gil-ju's sharp."
"I'll handle them. No big issue."
Seong Seon-je hesitated briefly. Before he could overthink, Kang Moo-hyuk added,
"Team Leader. Mixing juice in booze doesn't make it juice. It's still a cocktail—gets you drunk anyway. Feed 'em this big, they'll all pass out. Key is we stay sober."
Seong Seon-je chuckled dryly at the persuasion.
"Pushing this hard? You want something. What? Now I'm curious enough to agree."
"Just recommendation rights for two of those A-ranks."
Titan Guild.
Ma Tae-su was irritated after a call from someone he didn't welcome.
"Long time, Vice Guild Master. All good?"
"We're past pleasantries—more 'alive or dead'? Still kicking, Director Kang? Heard you poked around Baekho. Since you're calling, not dead yet."
"News travels fast."
"Always ears open for your bad news."
"Then you haven't heard the good news yet."
"Good news?"
Ma Tae-su's face soured instantly.
"Took Sinuiju as of yesterday. With Slayer Guild."
Blunt result, no details—but Ma Tae-su knew its weight.
Irritation turned to shock, then eager anticipation.
"Not calling to brag. This 'good news' good for me too?"
"Depends on you, Vice Guild Master."
"Spit it out."
"Sinuiju as Makyung gateway base. Cleared with government and Slayer."
"Even Slayer's too early for Makyung push."
"Hence pulling tier guilds for alliance. Makyung ops only."
"And?"
"Add some A-ranks. Iron Will gets rec rights for two. Profitable spot in the alliance."
"Iron Will...?"
"We earned big stake in Sinuiju."
Ma Tae-su saw the play: Recommend Titan for the alliance.
But why?
"Our relationship's sour."
"I don't mix business with friendship. Need drives it."
"Hilarious. What's in it for me? Alliance fruits go to current guild master anyway. You're tight with him."
"Your project. I'll back it. Shareholders and members will love it."
"What?! Breaking from Guild Master Lee Cheol-jung?"
"As I said, need-based proposal. Lee Cheol-jung lacks what I need."
Ma Tae-su couldn't follow. He and Lee were both Titan.
'Offering me—not guild master—means non-guild assets. Only thing I hold that's valuable to him: my info. What?'
Ma Tae-su replied lightly, planning to hear demands first.
"When you poached Do Kyung-hoon and his crew from our guild, one company helped. Titan shareholder."
"Union Asset Management?"
"You know they stink."
"Hmph! Think I'm crazy to touch a shareholder?"
"You like insurance, Vice Guild Master. Japanese finance firm that sicced them on Iron Will. Regardless of hating me, you've suspected plenty. Right?"
Ma Tae-su neither confirmed nor denied.
"Hand over Union docs that'd hurt if leaked. Source irrelevant."
The proposal shook him.
'Damn devil. Hits right when conflicted. Perfect timing.'
Lately, shareholders eyed him warily after failed plots to oust Lee Cheol-jung.
Some now reevaluated Lee.
His window was closing.
A massive project now? With top-tier Slayer, no less.
Sinuiju details needed checking, but Kang Moo-hyuk wasn't one for lies like this.
'Annoying bastard aside, solid business partner.'
Sensing the waver, Kang Moo-hyuk pressed.
"We've shared Titan time. Not fondness, but resentment? They say no bond lasts longer than one born of resentment."
"Ours won't stick."
"Your answer?"
"Old email work?"
"Excellent choice. No regrets."