Chapter 4
Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Savior
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Guseong Group Headquarters.
People were waiting as he stepped out of the taxi.
Four bodyguards in suits and a woman with a cold expression.
She wore a neatly tailored beige suit with light makeup, yet she exuded a strong, sharp aura.
Her beauty made one forget her age, and at a glance, she wore a gentle smile. This was the woman currently making waves in the Korean business world—the Iron-Blooded Empress.
“Welcome. I am Han Young-im.”
Despite her position as the head of the group, Han Young-im bowed a full ninety degrees in greeting.
“Bae Wang-sik.”
“I will show you the way.”
As she led him to the chairman's office, countless eyes turned toward Wang-sik.
Some, having already heard the rumors, looked at him with fascination. There were looks of curiosity, bewilderment, and even whispers, but the atmosphere remained cautious, mostly due to Han Young-im's presence.
When they arrived and the door to the chairman's office opened, someone rushed toward Wang-sik with the clatter of shoes.
“Mister!”
The child who ran to Wang-sik was Han Yu-ra.
Han Yu-ra saw Wang-sik, bowed deeply, and held out her fist.
She remembered the greeting from yesterday.
Wang-sik didn't refuse and bumped fists with her.
“Hehe.”
“That’s a relief. You're looking well.”
“I was a little scared yesterday, but when I heard you were coming, I felt all better.”
“Good. That's why people like me are around. If you get scared, just think of me.”
“Please, have a seat.”
As Wang-sik sat, Yu-ra immediately sat right next to him.
Seeing that Wang-sik showed no signs of discomfort, Han Young-im didn't bother to scold her daughter for her behavior.
“You mustn't be rude.”
After a light warning, Han Young-im bowed her head to Wang-sik once more.
“On a personal note, thank you again. Thanks to you, Yu-ra is safe.”
Her expression was still cold, but one could feel the sincerity in her gratitude.
“Is there anything you desire personally?”
“I have no personal desires. Please give more attention to the Hunter Management Bureau.”
“I heard you're not an official agent, yet you seem quite fond of the Bureau.”
The information she had just mentioned was classified.
While it wouldn't have been difficult to track him from yesterday's incident since he used a Hunter Management Bureau vehicle, the details of Wang-sik's contract were not public knowledge.
As Wang-sik's expression sharpened, Han Young-im carefully added.
“My apologies if I've overstepped. I was just wondering if you might want a position where you could receive proper treatment.”
“Are you trying to make me an offer instead of just thanking me?”
Han Young-im's red lips curved into an alluring smile.
“I have no intention of burdening the person who saved my child. It's just that after this incident, I was thinking it might be a good idea for the Guseong Group to officially support a hunter guild. And of course, I would want the guild leader to be someone I can trust.”
The guild leader she wanted was Bae Wang-sik, the man at the end of her gaze.
As befitting the head of a massive conglomerate, she had likely checked all the classified information on Bae Wang-sik before making this offer.
Wang-sik answered without hesitation.
“A guild is too small.”
“Is that why you work with the state-run Management Bureau?”
*Is his goal to become the Bureau Director?*
As she was thinking this, Wang-sik continued.
“A country is too small as well.”
“Then what scale are you looking for?”
Wang-sik didn't hide his dream.
“I believe a man should protect the entire planet.”
As Han Young-im laughed in amusement, Wang-sik spoke in a gentle tone.
“I'll gratefully accept the thought.”
“It seems I've made an uncomfortable proposal. I apologize.”
Han Young-im didn't press further and changed the subject.
After leaving the Guseong Group headquarters, Wang-sik got into a taxi and immediately made a call.
“I just met with her and I'm on my way.”
—*You didn't cause any trouble, did you?*
“Nope.”
—*Did she say anything special?*
“She said she'd like to see me often.”
—*Well done! How about I adopt you into my family? I'd have no greater wish than to have a son like you.*
“I'll pass. A father like you, Bureau Director, would be exhausting.”
After hanging up, Wang-sik leaned back in the taxi seat.
Just then, a song came on the radio.
—*Tonight's final song is beloved not just in Korea, but all over the world. 'Fishnet Stockings' by Seo I-ryeon.*
The taxi driver, who seemed to like the song, turned the volume up slightly.
Following a restrained piano accompaniment, a beautiful woman's voice flowed out.
The song, murmured like a confession in an enchanting voice that commanded one's attention, pained the hearts of its listeners.
When the song ended, the driver spoke in admiration.
“You like this song too, don't you, sir?”
“Yes. I do.”
“I mean, who doesn't like Seo I-ryeon these days? I heard she even made it onto the Billboard charts this time. Isn't she the pride of Korea?”
“I'm proud of her too.”
“But why is the title 'Fishnet Stockings'? It doesn't seem to fit the lyrics.”
“There must be a story behind it.”
“Well, who can understand the mind of an artist? Anyway, how can someone have a voice like this? It doesn't even sound human.”
“You have good instincts.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah. It's nothing.”
Wang-sik put down his smartphone and shifted his gaze out the window.
The scene outside came into view.
People just walking down the street.
Friends chatting with each other.
Such everyday scenes—waiting for the bus while looking at their smartphones—appeared nothing but peaceful to Wang-sik's eyes.
They probably didn't know what a precious gift such peace, which anyone could enjoy, truly was.
*'Could I have lived like that too?'*
While he was lost in thought, a message arrived on his smartphone.
—*Variant Gate appeared.*
Wang-sik immediately pressed the call button.
Before the first long ring had even finished, a voice came through.
—*Hunter Management Bureau, Jung Mi-seon speaking.*
“Hello, Mi-seon.”
She was the Hunter Management Bureau agent in charge of all of Wang-sik's calls.
—*You've been well, Wang-sik? Can I send the helicopter first and then we can talk?*
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Wang-sik got out of the taxi and told her the tallest nearby building.
—*Location acquired. ETA is eight minutes. The destination is the south warehouse of the Gimpo Air Logistics Center, where Team Leader Lee Jeong-jin is on standby. Agent Kim Chang-seon, who is aboard the helicopter, will provide a detailed report on the operation site.*
After quickly relaying the necessary information, the agent's stiff tone finally relaxed.
—*I heard you just came back from a big operation. Are you okay?*
“It was nothing. I'm more worried about you. I heard you're pregnant again? That's the fifth, right?”
—*Yes. It happened. My husband got drunk and turned into a monster again. I swear, he's scarier than any gate monster.*
“I'll pray for a daughter this time. You already have four sons.”
—*I hope so. If it's another boy, I'm going to kill my husband.*
“Ah. Is that really something to kill your husband over?”
—*Well, I can't kill my son, can I?*
“Right. You can't do that…”
While making small talk, Wang-sik went up to the rooftop of the designated building. A few moments later, a helicopter approached and lowered a rope.
After hearing a summary of the situation and arriving on-site, he found Lee Jeong-jin, the Management Bureau's support team leader, waiting for him as he'd been told.
He was a man in his mid-forties, dressed like an ordinary office worker, with a characteristically good-natured smile.
He and Wang-sik met often, so Lee Jeong-jin waved while ducking his head to avoid the helicopter's downdraft.
“The Black River Guild took this one?”
“Yes. Their elite Team 2 went in two hours ago.”
The Black River Guild was one of South Korea's top ten guilds, and sending in an elite team meant a guaranteed clear.
At least, that's how it had been until now.
“It's pretty noisy here.”
The atmosphere was different from a typical gate raid. There was an excessive number of people outside the control zone, most of them in their teens and twenties.
“Min Ha-na is on Team 2.”
“Ah.”
That one name explained everything.
She was one of the most popular hunters in South Korea.
This was not only due to her stunning looks, which could make one believe she was a celebrity, but also because she was a world-renowned A-rank fire mage.
She never shied away from dangerous gates and had a clean private life, so she had followers who trailed her like a religious cult.
This was also a testament to the fact that many other famous hunters had problematic private lives.
“So why did you call me?”
“An hour ago, the gate's rank rose from B to A. The Black River Guild insists there's no problem, but there's something strange.”
Lee Jeong-jin said, looking at the gate being controlled by members of the Black River Guild.
“The gate that changed to A-rank has now returned to B-rank.”
“Hmm. That means there's something inside capable of changing the gate's rank.”
It wasn't common, but it happened from time to time.
“Furthermore, the Black River Guild's response is strange. Two support teams have gone in, but none have come out.”
“That means the situation isn't easy.”
Just then, the gate began to vibrate.
The onlookers outside the control line started to murmur, and the expressions of the Black River Guild members hardened.
“It's about to collapse…”
At Lee Jeong-jin's words, Wang-sik moved first.
A member of the Black River Guild blocked his way at the outer control line, but they were able to pass with Lee Jeong-jin's ID.
As they walked quickly toward the trembling gate, another person blocked them.
“What brings the Management Bureau here?”
He seemed to know Lee Jeong-jin, as he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“We're here to investigate the gate. Please step aside.”
The man, in his late thirties with a sharp expression, grabbed Lee Jeong-jin's shoulder as he approached the gate.
“We can handle this.”
“Hunter Sa Il-jun! The collapse is in progress!”
“We will stop it. Elite Team 1 is on its way.”
The hunter called Sa Il-jun was the support team leader for the Black River Guild, and he was known for his strong pride.
“This is no time to be concerned with the guild's pride. If a Dungeon Break happens here, all these people will die!”
A break occurring at a gate they were raiding was a fatal blow to a guild.
In fact, it was common for the responsible guild to be disbanded if a break occurred.
The Black River Guild had never once failed a raid, an achievement shared by all of South Korea's top ten guilds.
If a Dungeon Break were to happen today, the Black River Guild would be removed from the ranks of South Korea's top guilds.
“I need to check.”
Lee Jeong-jin tried to move again, but Sa Il-jun didn't release his shoulder.
“What's going to change if you go in? Are you going to fight by yourself? Stop getting in the way and back off.”
Sa Il-jun said, grinding his teeth as if he could kill him, but Lee Jeong-jin was no pushover either.
“In a crisis situation related to a gate, the Hunter Management Bureau has the authority to issue necessary instructions and orders. This is legally guaranteed. An imminent Dungeon Break constitutes a crisis, so I have both the duty and the authority to investigate. If you have a complaint, file it formally. With paperwork, not force like this.”
Lee Jeong-jin shook off Sa Il-jun's arm and guided Wang-sik forward.
Only then could Wang-sik check the gate's condition.
“If we don't go in now, it's going to collapse soon.”
“Elite Team 1 is still nowhere in sight.”
“Then there's no choice. Make sure to demand proper compensation from the Black River Guild.”
“Leave that to me. In exchange for hiding the fact that they received outside help, I'll make them give up a pillar of their guild.”
Wang-sik nodded and was about to enter the gate. But Sa Il-jun blocked his path again.
“You. What do you think you're doing?”
“Move. There's no time.”
“Who do you think you are…”
Wang-sik pushed him aside and said.
“A savior.”
Wang-sik stepped into the gate, which was on the verge of collapsing.