Chapter 191: Chief Song (1)
“They call him the Seagull of the Back Mountain, and his skills are solid. He primarily focuses on finding missing family members or kids, and he’s come to me for help a few times. These days, even kids carry cell phones, so it’s easier to track them. He does dig up information on other people too, but from what I can tell, he’s a rich guy doing this as a hobby.”
Do Hamin pushed up his glasses with the tip of his finger as he spoke.
“So, the likelihood of him reselling the information is low. Plus, he owes me a lot of favors. If we cut ties, he’s the one who’ll be at a disadvantage.”
If I entrusted the investigation of the people I was searching for to just anyone, there was a high chance of rumors spreading later. I had thrown in a few fake names as decoys, but it was still better to have someone reliable and discreet handle the investigation.
“He’s trustworthy, right?”
“Well, he hasn’t sold my information yet. We’ve been dealing with each other for a while now, so he knows about my skills.”
In the previous timeline, Do Hamin hadn’t cursed this Seagull guy out, which suggested that he hadn’t betrayed him until the end. That meant I could probably trust him.
“Pass on the message to conduct as thorough an investigation as possible, covering a wide range of angles.”
Even if they were people I had dealt with before, circumstances could change depending on the current environment. They might be manipulated by emotional ties or secretly threatened. Sometimes, being a good person led to falling into traps and being forced to betray others.
To prevent such things, it was essential to provide them with a safe environment and build trust. If they had a generous salary, good benefits, and the assurance of lifelong stability, they wouldn’t betray that trust—not for the company’s sake, but for their own peace of mind. Unless they were excessively greedy or had a twisted personality, most people with average tendencies would prefer the comfort of secure safety over reckless challenges that pricked their conscience.
First, identify the surrounding dangers, eliminate them if necessary, and then place them in a warm and secure nest. …It might be a lot of work, though. Well, it was essentially a startup for now.
“When’s the golden hamster coming?”
“Oh, apparently an overseas guild tried to tame it recently, but since the team was composed entirely of high-ranking hunters, they couldn’t control their strength and ended up killing it.”
At my words, Do Hamin’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Our Goldie!”
…That name is a bit tacky, isn’t it?
“Don’t worry too much. It’s just the boss monster of a dungeon that’ll be repeatedly raided. Until it’s tamed, it’s basically no different from a dangerous pest.”
“Still…”
“They’ll probably succeed on their second attempt. It’ll take a bit of time, considering the dungeon reset period.”
The lower the dungeon rank, the shorter the reset time tended to be, so it shouldn’t take too long. This might even become the first overseas guild request for monster mounts. I’d heard that some overseas guilds had already obtained baby monsters, so they’d likely bring them over soon.
Blue should fully mature once I reapply the My Kid Is the Best skill, and I needed to raise Comet and the unicorns quickly too. Belare’s keyword application was already completed.
‘When Blue fully grows, I wonder if it’ll still be okay to keep her in the garden.’
Even now, we occasionally received complaints, and her size was going to more than double, so people would feel even more intimidated. Should I build a separate facility for adult monsters near the advanced hunter training center? That area had almost no residential houses and plenty of mountains, so they could roam freely. Knowing Blue’s personality, she’d probably get along well with the hunters training there too.
Of course, the ideal scenario would be for her to find a partner and go dungeon-raiding together. Or, like Peace, to gain a materialization skill.
“Well, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Got it, Sir.”
Do Hamin stood up, but as he turned around, he suddenly shouted.
“Minui! I told you to stop messing with Chiksun!”
“Our Sunie was giving me signals that she wanted to come out.”
“What’s that you just hid? You gave her drops again, didn’t you!”
Why was Minui doing this self-appointed part-time job here? According to rumors, keeping hamsters had become popular among the hunters who visited this building. Even Seok Hayan had apparently adopted one.
Do Hamin had even taken over another empty room nearby, saying they needed to offer “hotel services” for the adopted hamsters during dungeon raids. Given his habit of taking in abandoned hamsters under the guise of rehoming them, it wasn’t a bad thing that he was sending them out for adoption.
“Tone down the threats about how hunters who can’t take care of a hamster won’t be allowed to use mounts or get Myungwoo’s equipment.”
“Threats? I’ve never forced anyone to take one! If they volunteer to adopt, it’s basic responsibility to take care of them. It’s not like they live that long anyway!”
Well, it might actually be a good way to assess someone’s character.
“You’re keeping a record of all the hunters who’ve adopted one, right?”
“Of course. Every time they bring them in for hotel services, I jot down the condition of the hamster and their attitude toward them.”
“…That’s a little scary.”
Still, hunters with good evaluations were probably relatively trustworthy. I should refer to Do Hamin’s records when hiring hunters for the breeding facilities.
As for legal matters related to the breeding facility, I had left those to Seok Gimyeong, so I headed to Haeyeon to meet him. When I hinted that I wanted to independently operate the monster breeding facilities, Seok Gimyeong seemed surprisingly supportive. I had thought he might want to merge it with Haeyeon.
“Because it’s natural to favor your own group.”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s better to have two baskets to hold your eggs in. Officially, the breeding facility is registered as a mount breeding center.”
“Not a monster one?”
“There are already numerous facilities around the world dedicated to simply breeding monsters. Furthermore, with Breaker recently entrusting you with an S-Class monster, I recommend taking this opportunity to make an image overhaul. Shift away from the perception of dungeon monsters being dangerous and lean into something helpful and approachable for humans. I hear Japan has even developed a range of character merchandise around this concept.”
Seok Gimyeong suggested that promoting official character merchandise would be a good strategy. Well, Peace dolls were cute.
“But more importantly, you should start by getting your business cards made.”
Seok Gimyeong pulled out his phone with a sly grin.
“‘Han Yujin, Director of the Mount Breeding Facility.’ There’s a company that specializes in making paper products from dungeon byproducts. The cards should be ready by tomorrow.”
The title of ‘Director’ felt a bit overwhelming. Hearing such a formal designation suddenly made my shoulders feel heavier. Is that why he insists on starting with business cards?
“You’ll also need quite a few civilian employees.”
“I’ve got a few people in mind already. Though I’ll still need to hire specialists separately.”
“For now, Haeyeon will continue to support you, so don’t rush into hiring. Make sure you thoroughly vet whether they’re trustworthy. And Director Han Yujin, you’ll need to start managing things more seriously as well.”
“Me? Oh, you mean hiring someone to oversee the overall coordination?”
“That’s important too, of course, but I mean you, Han Yujin.”
Seok Gimyeong pointed to his own face.
“Your appearance.”
…Do I really need to?
“Fortunately, your skin is clear and there’s not much to fix, but maintaining that requires effort. It’d also help your image if your skin became a bit brighter and more radiant.”
“…Personally, I think a darker, healthier tone suits me better.”
“It doesn’t.”
Seok Gimyeong cut me off decisively.
“And the same applies to your physique. With the help of a professional, keep it in good shape. This isn’t a matter of beauty or aesthetics—it’s about whether you’re maintaining yourself properly or not. The first thing people notice when meeting someone is their visual appearance. Consciously or not, they’ll make assumptions about your personality, background, and competence based on your appearance.”
It wasn’t wrong, but it already felt exhausting. Didn’t I think about coasting through life when I returned? Well, compared to before, my life was significantly easier, both mentally and physically.
“You’re scheduled to meet with Guild Leader Sesung the day after tomorrow, correct?”
“Yes.”
“For now, Haeyeon will provide support, but you’ll need to hire a dedicated vehicle and escorts. Since this is the hunter industry, you’ll need a custom vehicle made with dungeon byproducts. As for the escorts, make sure to include at least two high-ranking hunters. Hunter Noah is a fantastic choice visually, but it’s unreasonable to expect him to always be available. You’ll need additional personnel as backups.”
“Ah… okay.”
“There’s no need to feel overwhelmed. Once you have a secretarial team, they’ll handle it for you. However, you still need to familiarize yourself with the basics. That way, you’ll know whether your subordinates are handling matters properly or not. You can’t afford to be completely in the dark and let yourself be manipulated, can you?”
He was absolutely right. It made sense, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking of Chief Song Taewon. Perhaps it was a sense of camaraderie in overwork…
“Yuhyun is lucky to have Manager Seok by his side.”
Thanks to him, my brother must have had an easier time. At my words, Seok Gimyeong smiled somewhat sheepishly.
“Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a big issue no matter who worked with him. Guild Leader Han already possessed enough power to handle things on his own.”
“Still, having someone trustworthy from the start must have been a relief in many ways. May I ask how you ended up helping Yuhyun?”
I had always been curious. Before his awakening, Yuhyun was just an ordinary high school student. Unlike other S-Class hunters who were adults with established social foundations, his starting point was entirely different. Even the massive guilds founded by S-Class hunters often relied on the support of major corporations, except for Seong Hyunjae.
“In short, I approached him first. A significant change had occurred in the world, and I couldn’t just sit idly by and watch. Before that, I had already met with all the other S-Class hunters.”
“What made you choose Yuhyun out of all of them?”
“The first reason was, of course, potential. Guild Leader Sesung didn’t need help, and the other S-Class hunters were already halfway to establishing themselves. If I was going to make an effort, I wanted to aim high. And… another reason was you, Han Yujin.”
“Me?”
It was an unexpected answer. Yuhyun had acted as though he’d cut ties with me, so why was I part of the reason? Don’t tell me it was because of my brother’s decisiveness in severing even family ties or something.
“Despite possessing strength greater than most hunters, and wielding it without hesitation, he seemed lonely. You wouldn’t have guessed it from his usual demeanor, but at times, he would blankly stare at his phone or lose himself in thought.”
Seok Gimyeong smiled wistfully, recalling the past Yuhyun.
“So, I thought he was someone worth helping. At the time, I believed that was just his youthful side showing. It was a trait that helped ease the sense of otherness people felt around him. It’s reassuring to see that even someone like him—someone who seemed almost inhuman—could feel lonely, worry about things, and occasionally seem sad. Those vulnerable moments made establishing and maintaining the guild much easier. After all, it’s hard to create a healthy organization based solely on fear.”
Because there were small but relatable emotions involved, and because that seemingly perfect young man showed a tiny crack, revealing that he actually needed others. That’s why they were able to form a stronger bond, Seok Gimyeong explained.
“It’s a pleasant feeling when someone extraordinary needs your help. And on top of that, he was so young. While Guild Leader Han’s age could be seen as a weakness, it also worked as a strength. Unfortunately, though, it led to more people harboring ill feelings toward you, Han Yujin. Many thought you were one of the reasons he struggled.”
Seok Gimyeong bowed his head toward me.
“In that regard, I sincerely apologize.”
“No, Manager Seok, you didn’t know, and you acted with Yuhyun’s best interests in mind.”
And at this point in time, it hadn’t been that bad. Things only turned truly nasty after I awakened. …To be honest, though, I still harbored some resentment because I remembered everything. But, since it was for Yuhyun’s sake…
Thinking that way, I found myself smiling.
“Thank you for taking such good care of my brother.”
“Well, I should be the one thanking you. These days, anyone can see that the Guild Leader looks truly happy.”
“Does he?”
“I’ve seen him smile more in half a day with you by his side than I have in the last three years combined. I’m genuinely relieved that you two reconciled. I can’t imagine how you managed to endure three years apart.”
Seok Gimyeong looked pleased, but my own smile faltered. It wasn’t three years—it had been eight. Eight long years.
“…It must’ve been hard for him.”
“It wasn’t easy. But in the end, everything settled into place like this, didn’t it? And now, even Director Han Yujin will be a strong support for him.”
“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”
“I’ll be counting on you, then. Of course, I trust that Director Han would never neglect Guild Leader Han.”
With those words, Seok Gimyeong stood up.
“It’s lunchtime. Let’s grab something simple to eat and continue our conversation.”
“Alright.”
Instead of going out, we decided to use the guild cafeteria. On the way there, we discussed various aspects of cooperation with Haeyeon.
“By the way, Chief Song Taewon seems very busy lately, doesn’t he?”
I wanted to ask about his situation, but I hadn’t been able to reach him. He still hadn’t replied to me as of today. He’d mentioned there wasn’t much civilian damage this time, so it shouldn’t have been too difficult.
“He’s likely busy monitoring the return of overseas S-Class hunters.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
And he probably had to keep an eye on the participants of Seong Hyunjae’s birthday party as well. Couldn’t they just hold the next one abroad? Give Song Taewon a break already.
“Mister!”
At that moment, Yerim came bounding over to me, hopping excitedly. Yuhyun was with her too.
“You were at Haeyeon? I was about to head home for lunch!”
“I’m just going to eat here with Manager Seok…”
…Wait, when did Seok Gimyeong disappear from beside me? What the heck?
“Then I’ll eat with you!”
Yerim latched onto my arm with a grin. Yuhyun, who had approached silently, attached himself to my other side.
“You two always stick me in the middle.”
“I don’t like being too close to another S-Class.”
Yerim nodded in agreement with Yuhyun’s remark.
“It’s too careless if we’re touching each other directly. It feels uncomfortable. Well, I don’t mind if it’s someone trustworthy, like Hyuna or… Guild Leader Han isn’t that bad these days, but─”
“I don’t like anyone except my brother.”
Yuhyun cut her off firmly, and Yerim’s expression twisted in frustration.
“Ugh, Han Yuhyun, seriously.”
“Yerim, put your finger down.”
I understood that she was annoyed, but that kind of gesture wasn’t appropriate.
“Park Yerim might say other people are okay, but for me, it’s only my brother.”
“Ughhh, I’m going to lose my appetite before I even eat.”
Haha, good grief.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
Since it was a cafeteria shared with other people, I hoped they wouldn’t pick a fight there.
–TL Notes–
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