Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Ceremony's Aftermath
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That was basically everything I wanted to say. While you all sat around doing nothing, just slacking off and wasting time, the enemies were making every preparation imaginable to rip Korea to shreds.
And now the results are in. If you still sit there twiddling your thumbs after this, you're all idiots.
"Headhunter said from the start that taking down the Great Eight was the goal. I can still vividly picture the reporters' faces back then. They shot us these looks like, 'Have these bastards lost their minds?'"
I scratched my head with a grin.
"I'm not here to point fingers at who's right or wrong. We've just been doing what we believed in all along, and finally, we've got the results to show for it."
The rest of the speech wasn't anything groundbreaking. I'd already said my piece. I rambled on appropriately for another five minutes or so, then wrapped up with a bow.
The crowd, thick as clouds, erupted in cheers as soon as I finished. I quickly returned to my seat on the podium.
"You sure know how to talk."
At Jeong Oh-hoon's comment, I flashed a toothy grin.
"The content doesn't matter. Even if I'd droned on about eating breakfast and getting seven hours of sleep a night, they'd all have looked moved."
These people came just to see me yap. Jeong Oh-hoon nodded slightly at my words.
"Yeah, probably."
As we chatted idly to kill the dull time, the event host spoke up.
"Next up is the medal ceremony."
Medals. That meant being officially designated a national merit recipient. We'd be receiving military medals, and in my case, my contributions in Seoul had been highly rated, earning me the Taeguk Order of Military Merit.
Seemed like fewer than ten people currently enjoyed those perks.
The benefits guaranteed by the current Taeguk medal were nothing like the paltry junk from old Korea.
Just the monthly payout alone was lottery-jackpot level, and even summarizing the major perks came to nearly twenty items.
"Now it's really over."
With the medal ceremony as the finale, the official event wrapped up. All that was left was having waiting ladies drape flower leis around our necks and snapping commemorative photos with the president and the assorted government bigwigs.
"It's been a while, President Jo Won-hoon."
No need for honorifics anymore, right? I extended my hand with a smile, and Jo Won-hoon nodded as he clasped it firmly.
"You've done a great service for the Republic of Korea, Hunter Yoo Chan-seok."
We locked eyes, beaming wide smiles at each other. Of course, the emotions simmering in those gazes were equally brazen, no contest on who hated the other more.
Soulmates in villainy. Perfect fit. Jo Won-hoon's grip tightened just a bit on my hand.
"You can say that again. Hahaha."
That must piss him off royally. He'd probably planned to chew me up the second I got back from China, but I'd returned as Godzilla instead of a mere lizard. President Jo couldn't touch me.
Not ever.
"Come on, let's get the photo op over with."
I said that and sauntered off ahead. I could feel the sting of his glare on my back.
Back in the day, I'd have fretted over a look like that. Now? Screw it, ignore.
We posed smiling for the cameras. I even scored a plaque and some gifts as a bonus.
A set with Andong soju, salted duck eggs, pine nut shortbread, Geumyang Jiri mountain stone mushrooms, and jerky, plus a watch dubbed the "Blue House clock."
Once we'd collected our parting gifts, it was time to head back to Seoul.
"How about transport...?"
I glanced at Han Sang-ah as I said it.
"I'd like to borrow a ride from Chairman Han Sang-cheol."
Government cars weren't great for private chats. Same with Hunter Association vehicles. At least for now, our interests aligned with Han Sang-cheol's, so a car from his side felt safer.
"I'll make the call. He'll probably send one."
Han Sang-cheol readily agreed to provide a car. A short wait later, our ride arrived, heading straight for Geumyang Group's headquarters as if it were the most natural thing.
Looked like our Chairman Han had some urgent business to discuss with us.
We were escorted into Han Sang-cheol's office upon arrival.
"You're here. I heard all about it. Must've been no small ordeal."
"Ordeal? Nah. Judging by the vibe, looks like you've got something for us to handle too, Chairman."
Han Sang-cheol nodded as he brewed a cup of instant coffee.
"You promised you'd handle it. You're not backing out now, are you?"
I grinned cheekily.
"Thing is, even if we did back out now..."
Han Sang-cheol groaned.
"Yeah, you little shit. At this point, there's no stopping you if you welch."
"I've got principles and credit. No need for that look."
So, based on the data we'd handed over at the Playchip Hotel last time, what had Han Sang-cheol dug up?
"I found the connection between the Playchip smugglers and Blue Wrench Scrap Dealers."
Han Sang-cheol projected files onto the front projector. I studied the floating data with a dubious expression.
"Wow, Sang-ah wasn't kidding when she ripped into you, Chairman... Spot on, actually."
The USB we'd secured listed various clients. Han Sang-cheol had sent people to make contact.
And he'd unleashed every dirty trick in a tycoon's playbook.
Even a fictional chaebol boss from a trashy drama would've been impressed.
Media manipulation was child's play. If a company dealt with Blue Wrench, Geumyang Group would undercut their main products at half price.
Or he'd lean on the landlord to double the rent and evict the bastards. Sure, actual eviction might spark lawsuits...
But trials take time—no business as usual until then. And it wasn't just rent hikes.
He'd bribe landlords by offering Geumyang scholarships to send their kids to top universities in exchange for the boot.
Han Sang-cheol wielded every sleazy, cowardly tactic a chaebol could muster without batting an eye.
Unable to withstand Geumyang's pressure, the targets spilled everything they knew.
"Still no link to the Korean government."
"That's what you want us for, huh."
Blue Wrench's involvement in smuggling was now 100% confirmed. But that alone didn't tie to the government.
"To crack this, we'd need to raid Blue Wrench HQ."
Blue Wrench wasn't pushover material. Even Geumyang couldn't just beat info out of them like the small fry.
No way Han Sang-cheol expected us to break in illegally.
"If the super-famous Headhunter gets caught trespassing, it'll be a shitstorm."
"What are you on about? Your image is tied straight to Geumyang profits now. I wouldn't ask for something that stupid."
With that, Han Sang-cheol pressed a small button and spoke.
"Tell them they can come in now."
A moment later, a foreign woman I'd never seen opened the door. She spotted us and greeted warmly.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Shriya Aggerwal, owner of Sandra & Gupta."
She looked pretty young. I knew Sandra & Gupta—originally a top Indian pharma firm, relocated to Korea after the Erosion Zones hit.
They produced most recovery potions for hunters and refined monster byproducts into elixirs.
"Pleasure to meet you. We use your products all the time—super useful."
"Music to my ears! Oh, mind if I use that in an ad? Bonus if you tell me your faves."
Cheerful, confident, and money-savvy. Given the company's history and her age, probably inherited from the folks.
"My company's doing great. Growth's exploding, and we've hit some research breakthroughs lately."
With that, Shriya pulled a small pouch from her bag.
"Bandages?"
"Not just any bandages, handsome hunter."
She winked and unveiled black bandages.
"Our rapid recovery agents can cause misaligned bones or twisted muscles if used in hopeless cases. So we developed these—commercial launch imminent."
She boasted they could hit shelves anytime if pricing worked out.
"Smart compression bandages. Scan and input the user's normal bone structure beforehand, and it reshapes to that when wrapped. Not as good as a surgeon slicing in to realign by hand, but..."
Still, Shriya claimed they slashed rapid recovery side effect risks by about 78%.
"A souvenir for meeting the famous Headhunter. FYI, not single-use—recharge and reuse."
Free and useful, so I pocketed it.
"You're not here for a sales pitch, I hope."
Shriya laughed "Ahaha" and glanced at Han Sang-cheol.
"Uncle, chai for me. Extra cloves."
"You rascal. Living in Korea and craving Indian chai."
Grumbling, Han Sang-cheol still ordered the waiting staff to fetch Shriya's drink. She sipped, nodded approval, and sat.
"Alright, everyone sit. I've got a pitch."
As we settled on the sofas, Shriya dove right in.
"You all know Embargo Tower, right?"
As if we wouldn't. We even had ties—Jade from the Trans-Siberian train ride, for one.
Shriya took another sip of chai and continued.
"I've got proof linking Embargo Tower to Blue Wrench and the Blue House."
Info brokers gonna broker. Not shocking. The issue was Embargo Tower itself.
"They deal in all sorts of classified intel. No way we can just shake them down."
Shriya pointed at me.
"Exactly. But I can make a request. Call it an info trade. I've got something valuable to offer Embargo Tower—important enough for an even swap."
Hearing that, I turned to Han Sang-cheol.
"Got any cold water?"
He nodded. I gulped down the glass when it arrived.
"Shriya, you know what Headhunter does, right?"
"Of course."
"Then you probably get what proposals we accept... and which we don't."
Shriya replied,
"There are massive pirates based in Senegal. Call themselves the Barbary."
"Ah, those headaches."
Han Sang-cheol seemed in the know too. Not your average pirates, apparently.