Living a Normal Life (5)
“Oh ho?”
Should I call this fortunate?
He didn’t seem particularly bothered. Just as I expected.
The president of Hermes was one year younger than I had been in my previous life.
No matter how much of a golden spoon he was born with or how many connections he had, reaching that kind of position at his age meant he had to possess exceptional qualities.
His Awakener rank was only E-rank, lower than mine, so that exceptional quality was likely his intelligence. That was exactly what I had been aiming for.
“That’s good… Yeah, that’s a good attitude. This industry is one where you never know who might suddenly shoot up to the top. I personally know more than ten people who rose from nothing to become dragons. If I had secured all of them first, I’d probably own the biggest company in South Korea right now.”
“Isn’t your company already the best in its field?”
“Maybe if we’re talking about the hunter side. Not in other sectors.”
“So you’re giving me permission?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t say that for certain. My position doesn’t allow me to know when I’ll suddenly have free time. But if there’s something that would clearly benefit me, then yes?”
The president of Hermes didn’t back down. He liked confidence, but he was asking me to give him a reason. If I revealed that I was a wizard here, he would gladly accept.
Unlike others, he had no reason to lose anything by knowing my identity. Since he was interested in the contract itself rather than the fact that I was a wizard, if I asked him to keep my identity hidden, he would likely do so unless there was a special reason not to.
‘But… that’s not the only thing I have, is it?’
If I were still my previous self, Heo Donghyeon, I wouldn’t have had anything to offer him. But I wasn’t Heo Donghyeon anymore.
Even setting aside the fact that I was an Awakener and a wizard, Baek Sowol had far too many enviable qualities.
“Wouldn’t this be enough?”
I brought my hand right up to my chin.
◈ Unforgettable beauty that transcends human standards
◈ Capable of generating massive profits in any industry
◈ Primary differentiator from other Awakeners
The thing that set me apart from other Awakeners? It was this face.
Even if I went into the entertainment industry, assuming I had basic talent, there was no way this appearance would ever be overlooked. This beauty was, from a wizard’s perspective, my greatest asset.
“I think I can at least bring in enough money that you couldn’t ignore it.”
No matter which path I took, I would definitely give him a huge amount of money. Even if it wasn’t in the immediate future, forming a connection with me would absolutely be beneficial.
If he had that kind of certainty, the probability of him accepting was high. And that alone would be a huge gain for me, since it would give me a way to contact the president in case of emergency.
“Kwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”
Kim Jian burst into loud laughter at the sight. It wasn’t mockery—it was pure, genuine amusement.
“This is entertaining.”
He spoke with his eyes half-closed.
“Alright. Alright. Well, it is an era where looks can be a tremendous strength. But you see, my company isn’t the kind of place that steps forward based on appearance alone. Is there a reason why I should be the one handling this personally?”
“It’s because you’re the first high-ranking person I’ve met.”
“To be precise, I’m saying this because you specifically chose me. No matter where you go, having the president conduct a personal interview is something that only happens for extremely important matters. That’s why, no matter how outstanding a prospect is, I don’t easily schedule interviews?”
He continued speaking with a smile in his eyes.
“Unless it’s an SS-rank, a wizard, or a guild master within the top ten, that is.”
That was his way of asking if I had that much value. Baek Sowol was beautiful. She could join any entertainment agency she wanted.
But even then, the CEO of that agency wouldn’t personally conduct the interview.
Not unless my value reached the level of an SS-rank hunter, a wizard, or a high-ranking guild master.
But you know what? You underestimated me too much. You’ve already half noticed, haven’t you?
“Wouldn’t you be the one who knows the reason, Mr. President?”
No matter how much I thought about it, you must already know the reason.
‘This guy… there’s something about him.’
At first, I hadn’t thought much of it. It could have just been a coincidence. But when I thought about it, it was strange.
Why did he have to pass through this particular alley? There were plenty of other detour routes. And even if we chalk it up to him trying to create a nice story, why was someone who claimed to have no time willingly letting me drag him around?
My behavior just now had mostly been about leaving a strong impression. The chance of him feeling offended was low. Even if he left saying he was busy, the name Baek Sowol would remain in his memory.
Yet he was seriously playing along and investing his time. It was very un-wizard-like.
‘I don’t know the reason.’
Was he interested in my appearance? Had he fallen for me? Or was there some other motive? Did he know I was a wizard? Whatever the reason, my current information network wouldn’t be able to find out.
But there was definitely something.
“…Haa.”
He didn’t burst into laughter like before. But the look in his eyes as he stared at me had changed.
If it had been closer to curiosity before, now it was much closer to seriousness.
“I didn’t expect this at all? Haha?”
He avoided answering as if I had hit the nail on the head. But he didn’t seem upset. If anything, he looked delighted that I had seen through him.
“Here’s my business card. I’ll contact you when I have time later. It would be better if I adjusted my schedule.”
“Thank you!”
He handed me his business card.
This was acceptance of the proposal. I had successfully imprinted myself clearly in his mind.
“Let’s get going now, Balak. Fortunately, we won’t be late for the next appointment.”
“Understood.”
Apparently unable to delay any longer, he turned to leave the street. Just before stepping out of the alley, he looked back and said,
“This is your victory. Congratulations.”
And with that, he left.
Victory? I didn’t understand what he meant by that.
“Unnie… was that really okay?”
“Noona…?”
The kids seemed shocked by what I had done. Since they were high school freshmen, they already knew quite a bit. They would be well aware of Hermes’s influence and the power of high-ranking figures.
So they must have been shocked by my actions.
“Um… are you sure it’s fine?”
“No matter what, if they decide to retaliate…”
“It’s fine. If you’re really worried, go ask Yeseo unnie.”
Because a wizard could handle it.
‘Of course, looking back, it was pretty weird…’
I had calculated the risks before acting. I had clearly judged that it would be okay.
But I couldn’t deny that the risk had been excessively high. I could have just casually said I would repay the favor and asked for his number.
Or, since I stood out anyway, I could have said we should keep in touch later and given him my number. So why had I acted that way?
‘Is it because of the hormones…?’
The most likely reason was probably that this body was on its period right now. My emotions had been running wild earlier too. At the very least, there wasn’t anything else that could influence my mind like this.
‘I’ll think about it later.’
It was the kind of problem that wouldn’t yield an answer no matter how much I pondered it.
“Kids, let’s finish going to the café. We were going to go, right?”
Since it was already over, it was right to spend a fun time with the kids.
“Let’s go!”
We headed to the café we had decided on earlier.
“Kwa ha ha! So you really said that?”
“Yes! Noona! I’m serious, both Seoyeon and I almost had a heart attack back then!”
After all the day’s schedule was over and they had returned to the guild, Kim Seoyeon and Lee Jihu told Han Yeseo what had happened. She couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“So unnie, is Sowol unnie really okay? If it’s the president of Hermes… he’s almost on the same level as the guild master…”
“It’s fine. And from what I hear, the president of Hermes doesn’t really care about that kind of thing?”
“Even so…”
“And even if he did dislike it, there are plenty of people who would want to take her. Pretty hunters are in pretty high demand, you know.”
“Really?”
Of course, that was only half true. Just because pretty hunters were in demand didn’t mean many people would try to recruit one at the risk of offending the president of Hermes.
But Han Yeseo knew the truth.
Baek Sowol was a wizard. At that level, it was something that could be overlooked. In fact, the president of Hermes would probably just chalk it up to the typical abnormal behavior of wizards and let it slide.
“So you two should worry about yourselves instead.”
Baek Sowol would live well on her own. Even though she was still only D-rank compared to Han Yeseo, an S-rank hunter, a wizard like Baek Sowol held far greater value. So it wasn’t something we needed to worry about.
Rather than worrying about Baek Sowol, who had a bright future ahead of her, it would be better for them to focus on taking care of their own affairs.
Time passed, and evening fell inside the president’s office at Hermes.
There, Kim Jian was on the phone with someone.
“Yes. As you requested, I went to see her once, Assemblyman Baek Dohan.”
[So, what did you think?]
In the dimly lit president’s office, the conversation between him and the man called Baek Dohan continued.
“Well, she seemed to be doing fine. So may I ask now why you specifically made such a request to me?”
Kim Jian recalled Baek Sowol. He also knew why the man had made this request. But there was still one question that remained unanswered.
Why had it been him? He had some guesses, but he hadn’t received a clear answer.
[That child hates me. She probably never imagined I would ask the president to check on her well-being.]
“There were other people you could have approached.”
[But if it hadn’t been you, she wouldn’t have shown any goodwill. She’s that kind of child.]
Kim Jian thought about whether Baek Sowol was shy around strangers. It didn’t seem like it. But he had only met her for about ten minutes.
Baek Dohan’s assessment was probably more accurate.
[…Please look after her kindly.]
“Haha. You don’t need to worry about that. I got hit pretty hard. Your daughter seems quite clever.”
Kim Jian recalled Baek Sowol.
He had ordered his people to watch her after receiving Baek Dohan’s request. They had reported that she was in danger.
Because of the request, he had gone to see her himself and spoken with her. But Baek Sowol had noticed that he had approached her with a purpose.
She was no ordinary person. That was what Kim Jian thought.
[Even you, Mr. President… noticed…]
“Haha. It seems she didn’t realize it was at your request, Assemblyman, so please rest assured.”
[Then that’s a relief. I’ll speak to them about the breeding project as well.]
“Thank you.”
The call between Kim Jian and Baek Dohan ended there.
Kim Jian looked down at the forest of buildings outside once more and muttered,
“A strange wizard whose identity is unknown, and the daughter of a politician has become a hunter…”
There would probably be quite a storm for a while.
Thinking that, Kim Jian went back to handling the work that had piled up.
