Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: A Reckless Proposal
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“Here. A housewarming gift.”
Upon entering the house, Kang Il-seop placed an object, about the same length as the table, on its surface.
It was a red staff.
“This was originally mine, wasn't it?”
It was an item Wang-sik had acquired from the Priest Archbishop he’d captured while rescuing Min Ha-na.
He had handed it over as evidence, and only now was it being returned.
“It felt awkward to come empty-handed. Surely you’re not going to kick me out?”
“Of course not.”
Not having expected much, Wang-sik picked up the staff, intending to put it in his inventory.
But then, Kang Il-seop spoke as if sighing.
“You know, that staff would really suit Min Ha-na.”
Wang-sik froze.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ah! Just thinking out loud.”
“It didn’t sound like you were talking to yourself.”
“It’s just that the red color reminded me of her.”
Ignoring him, Wang-sik placed the staff in his inventory and asked.
“How is Min Ha-na doing these days?”
“She’s doing well. A bit reckless, which can be a problem, but so far, she’s been excellent.”
“And her relationship with her teammates?”
“Her enthusiasm is a bit excessive, but not to the point of causing issues. She listens well to her team leader.”
“That’s good.”
“So, about that staff…”
“It’s still too early. Let’s watch her a little longer.”
“Alright.”
Once the topic of Min Ha-na was closed, Kang Il-seop began to recount the events of the past month.
“This morning, the Prosecutor General, who had been holding out until the end, resigned. With this, all the big players are out. And this afternoon, the first round of disciplinary actions against the corporations involved in the corruption will be announced. The penalties are quite severe, so the public should be satisfied.”
Kang Il-seop continued, detailing current events and his predictions for the future.
After he had been talking for a solid hour, a question arose in Wang-sik’s mind.
“Why are you telling me all this in such detail?”
Usually, he gave only a brief overview, but not this time. It felt like listening to a 24-hour, commercial-free news channel.
“I don’t think I need to know this much…”
“Hey, I can’t be the only one with a headache, can I? You have no idea how much trouble I went through because of you.”
“So this is revenge.”
“I’m not done yet. You have to listen for another five hours.”
“Instead of a reward, you’re doing this? Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“I doubt you did it purely out of a sense of duty.”
“It started as a personal matter, but finding the ledger was for the public good.”
“I’ll give you that. Isn’t that why I didn’t summon you for the past month?”
“It wasn’t because you got good hunters and didn’t need me? There weren’t any variant gates, either.”
Following Min Ha-na’s recruitment and the eruption of the corruption scandal, many talented individuals had joined the Hunter Management Bureau.
“Do you always have to one-up me? Do you know what my position in the government is right now? No one will even have a glass of water with me. Forget greetings, they curse me out behind my back, calling me an informant.”
“But in exchange, you have the absolute support of the people. How about running for president? The election is next year.”
“I’m not cut out for politics.”
“So you finally admit it. That’s why I saved you. No one will dare touch you for a while, so you should hurry and push through those legislative amendments you’ve been putting off.”
“I’ve already prepared everything! It’s all done! Don’t you think you’re being too hard on someone who hasn’t slept properly? I just came here to chat with you and get a good night’s sleep!”
Kang Il-seop said with an aggrieved expression. Occasionally, when he was exhausted, he would sleep over at Wang-sik’s house.
In truth, Wang-sik had anticipated this to some extent. He just needed to change the subject to cut the long story short.
“You should have just said so from the beginning.”
Wang-sik took something out of his inventory.
On the table sat a bottle of clear liquor.
Adorned with ornate gold leaf, the bottle was clearly of high quality.
“A gift. For all your hard work.”
At those words, a look of deep appreciation washed over the Bureau Director’s face.
“You bought this for me?”
“It’s a liquor that’s hard to come by even on the Azelan Continent. It’s strong, so you should be able to sleep soundly after a drink.”
“You’re the only one who gets me!”
Kang Il-seop carefully lifted the bottle.
“I’ll have to savor this.”
“You can sleep in my bed.”
“Heh heh. Alright. But aren’t you going to let me see that friend of yours? It’s been a while, I’d like to see him too.”
“Follow me.”
They went down to the basement together.
“Huh?”
“It’s been a while, Min-jae.”
Oh Min-jae had been briefly investigated during the gate return incident three years ago, so of course, he knew Kang Il-seop.
“I hope you’ve been well.”
Oh Min-jae also held a favorable impression of Kang Il-seop, having felt a certain warmth from him during the interrogation back then.
“It’s so bare in here. Do you just study all alone?”
Since the crystal orb was separated from the mana stone, all Kang Il-seop could see was an empty desk.
“I’m studying hard so I can give you a gift, Director.”
“Haha. I’ll look forward to it.”
After a brief greeting, Kang Il-seop went to the first-floor bedroom.
Before lying down, he uncorked the bottle with the care one would afford a treasure and filled a whiskey glass halfway. He then quickly sealed it again, as if to prevent the aroma from escaping.
“Well then, get some sleep.”
“Ah, Han Young-im wants to meet you. She contacted me because she said she didn’t get your contact information.”
“What about?”
“I didn’t ask. But it wouldn’t hurt to meet her. It seems Guseong Group’s gate business is going to expand quite a bit. They’ve signed exclusive contracts not just with the Hunter Management Bureau but with several other guilds. They’ve made good use of the recent public sentiment. Han Young-im’s drive is incredible.”
“I’ll meet her when I have time.”
Kang Il-seop savored his drink and drifted off to sleep.
*Ding.*
While Kang Il-seop slept, Wang-sik was in the basement reviewing the results of his gate research.
Deep in concentration, he heard a warning chime from outside.
“Who could that be?”
He went up to the first floor and opened the door to find a foreigner flanked by two men in black suits.
“It’s been a while. May I come in?”
It was Smith, the Bureau Director of the American Hunter Management Bureau, whose stubborn expression was his most memorable feature.
“Please, come in.”
Despite the sudden visit, Wang-sik did not refuse.
They naturally sat facing each other on the sofa, and the two bodyguards stood behind Smith.
“I didn’t hear anything about you coming to Korea.”
If he had entered the country, it was impossible for Wang-sik not to know. Kang Il-seop would have surely mentioned it.
That meant he had deliberately concealed his identity.
Or he had entered through other channels.
“I believe it’s time for an answer.”
“You mean your offer of naturalization.”
“That’s right. And to help you with your decision, I’ve revised a few of the contract terms.”
Smith held out a thick file of documents.
“We will permit you dual citizenship. And you will be allowed to reside in Korea.”
“That’s an unprecedented offer.”
Wang-sik was genuinely surprised. The United States had never once allowed dual citizenship when recruiting a hunter.
“There must be corresponding conditions, I assume?”
“Hand over all your information on Azelan. Everything, down to what the air and water taste like.”
Wang-sik’s gaze sharpened.
“So you know the name Azelan.”
“We have a great deal of information ourselves. We pride ourselves on being the best in the world.”
“Will you share that information as well?”
“Of course. We’ll share everything. And there is also information you absolutely must know.”
Smith’s leisurely tone turned serious.
“However, there is one more condition.”
Watching Smith’s eyes narrow, Wang-sik sensed that a difficult condition was coming.
“You must stop providing information to the Korean government. You may continue to work as a hunter under the Bureau, but we will have a monopoly on information from the Azelan Continent.”
“That sounds like you want me to be a spy.”
“Not a spy. I’m not asking you to steal information from the Korean government. Frankly, information from Korea is of no value to us.”
Smith opened a page of the document as if to tell him to look at the detailed terms.
“I promise you the best treatment in history. Just reading the first page will make you want to sign.”
“I’d love to take a look, but I’m afraid the situation isn’t ideal.”
“What do you mean?”
“Does American intelligence not do its job? You don’t even know who else is in this house?”
“I know there’s someone else besides you. A friend named Oh Min-jae. Did you think we wouldn’t know that much? He appears to be sleeping in that bedroom right now.”
Smith replied with an arrogant expression.
“Well, why don’t you see for yourself?”
The door opened.
Very slowly.
Inside the dark room was a man with the eyes of a predator, and the bodyguards instinctively moved to block the way.
“Smith. You son of a bitch!”
Kang Il-seop’s fury erupted.
Smith was thrown off Wang-sik’s island.
“Coast Guard! Open fire now! Launch a missile and kill them!”
“Calm down.”
Wang-sik soothed Kang Il-seop as he took the phone from his hand.
“Give it here! It’s illegal entry, so we can kill him! How much of a joke does he think the Republic of Korea is, to illegally enter and make a spy proposal?”
“He said it wasn’t a spy…”
“How is that any different from being a spy!”
“Alright, alright. Calm down. I had no intention of accepting anyway. But this is strange. Director, you didn’t know Smith would do something like this?”
“I didn’t think he’d be this persistent!”
“How could you not? I’ve been tailed ever since I got back from the States.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Sigh. You really didn’t know? You claim to care so much about me, yet you didn’t know I was being watched? I just assumed you would have taken care of it.”
The furious Kang Il-seop was now flustered.
“Th-that’s…”
“Wow. Maybe I really should go to the US. How are you supposed to protect your agents like this?”
The tables had turned.
Kang Il-seop was at a loss for words.
“You should go too, Director. I’ll contact the Coast Guard. You can dodge a missile, right?”
“Hey, no need to fire a missile over something like this. But I suppose I should get going. If I’m going to properly screw those bastards over.”
“You got the recording, right?”
“Glad this thing is useful for something.”
On Kang Il-seop’s suit was a Hunter Management Bureau badge. It had a built-in camera that recorded everything within a two-hour window.
It was mandatory equipment for all Bureau agents.
“You’ve been under a lot of stress lately. Use this to blow off some steam.”
Wang-sik said as he straightened Kang Il-seop’s disheveled suit.
“You’re just like my late wife. She used to fix my tie and clothes every morning…”
“Stop. That’s going too far.”
“You heartless man.”
It wasn’t clear who that last remark was directed at. Wang-sik patted down Kang Il-seop’s clothes and said.
“Alright. Now go out there and tear them to shreds.”
“Thanks. I’ll be home early…”
“Don’t cross the line.”
Wang-sik pushed Kang Il-seop toward the boat. But on his way, Kang Il-seop suddenly turned back.
“I have to take the liquor.”
He went back into the house, grabbed the bottle, and then boarded the boat again.
“Relations with the US are going to get even more awkward.”
He had intentionally left the surveillance in place because he saw no need to worsen relations with the United States.
But Smith had crossed a line with his proposal.
It was a result born of his characteristic arrogance and his country-first mentality.
“The Director will handle it for sure.”
Wang-sik decided to trust Kang Il-seop. But one thing Smith had said stuck in his mind.
“What is this information that I absolutely must know?”
Unfortunately, that was a question he couldn’t answer right away.