Chapter 31
Upon hearing those words, Chief Secretary Kim Yi-kang involuntarily opened his mouth to speak.
“Yes, you must have something you want to say.”
So Suho spoke first.
“Yes, of course, that’s only while I’m here. But a guild that relies solely on one person’s performance can’t grow in the long term. I’ll help Nexus grow as much as possible while I’m here—things like improving the recruitment and training methods. By the way, you know the person who ranked third in the recent hunter exam, right? He’s affiliated with your academy, a guy named Kang Dae-han.”
In response, Kim Soo-ae immediately replied.
“Yes, we have Kang Dae-han, who ranked third in the recent exam.”
“Didn’t he suddenly change his weapon? I was the one who advised him to do that. When I came by to sign the scholarship contract the other day, I happened to notice and correct it.”
“Ah? No way, was that you at the academy that time, Suho-ssi?”
Kim Soo-ae was genuinely surprised.
And for good reason—Kang Dae-han was an unexpected gain in this exam.
But to think that Suho was the secret behind that success.
Moreover, they were already looking for the ‘mysterious individual’ Kang Dae-han had mentioned.
They didn’t know who it was, but they had thought of rewarding him with a bonus for helping produce such an excellent result.
And to think it was Suho all along.
Suho responded.
“Yes, at the time, I wasn’t an employee or anything, so I just passed it off as being a ‘related party’. But by now, my face must be quite well-known, so people will probably recognize me right away. I think this is enough to prove my teaching ability, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course. Originally, our data and statistics suggested that it would be nearly impossible for Kang Dae-han to pass this year. But thanks to you, Suho-ssi, he achieved the remarkable feat of placing third… Truly impressive.”
Suho smiled, nodded once, and then shifted his gaze back to Bae Dong-hyuk.
“What do you think? Doesn’t this seem like a win-win strategy? What’s your opinion, Chairman?”
All eyes turned to Bae Dong-hyuk.
Though he seemed surprised by Suho’s bold proposal, he soon crossed his arms and, befitting the leader of a major guild, responded calmly.
“If what you’ve said is true, these are indeed excellent conditions. One would have to be a fool to refuse such an offer. But there’s one thing I’m curious about. If you can clarify that, I’ll agree to the contract as you suggested, Hunter.”
“What are you curious about?”
“You mentioned earlier that you plan to prove various things through Sealed Gates. But as you know, Sealed Gates are designated as special management targets by the government, making it difficult for individuals and even large guilds like ours to bid on them. The government prioritizes public safety over making money through bidding. So, how do you plan to obtain entry rights to a Sealed Gate?”
That’s what he was concerned about?
Suho answered as if it was no big deal.
“I’ll take care of that issue myself. In that regard, once I secure entry rights to a Sealed Gate, let’s publish the articles in sequence—starting with my joining the guild, followed by challenging the Sealed Gate, and finally clearing it.”
“Haha… Hunter, you truly have a plan for everything, don’t you?”
“Of course. And in that sense, let’s postpone the ‘real contract’ for now. As a way of proving my words, I’ll first clear a Sealed Gate. That way, you’ll believe that I’m not just all talk.”
Bae Dong-hyuk shook his head in amazement at Suho’s proposal.
“Hunter, you really do present us with offers that we can’t possibly refuse.”
“Well, I think this is how it should be. No matter how hot of a rookie I am in the country right now, and even though I cleared the Tower of Trials, I’m still a non-ranked hunter who hasn’t even reached Level 100. And even if I’m highly regarded, I’m still just a ‘rookie,’ right? So, I believe I should quickly prove myself and shed the ‘rookie’ label to become a true rainmaker in the scene.”
Bae Dong-hyuk was left speechless by Suho’s flawless response.
In fact, everyone present was equally astonished.
“Then, let’s discuss the detailed agenda after I’ve obtained the Sealed Gate entry rights.”
“Understood.”
As Suho rose from his seat, the others quickly stood up and escorted him to the building’s entrance.
After Suho drove off in his red Ferrari, Bae Dong-hyuk, watching it disappear into the distance, spoke.
“Chief Secretary.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“From now on, prepare all the necessary documents for Hunter Ahn Suho and set up a special team dedicated to handling him.”
“Already? Shouldn’t we wait until he secures the entry rights… or at least until he clears the Sealed Gate?”
“The timing doesn’t matter. But by preparing in advance, I want to show Hunter Ahn Suho that we’re serious. I have a feeling that he’ll keep every word he’s said.”
“Is that your intuition?”
“Look at his eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who has already seen the answer sheet. No hesitation at all.”
“True…”
Everyone agreed with Bae Dong-hyuk’s words.
***
The Korean Hunter Association building—
Jung Cheol-min sat at his desk, holding his head in his hands.
And for good reason—he had just been scolded over the phone by the Vice Chairman, who demanded to know why there was still no news.
‘Haah… So what reason do I give to bring Suho-ssi here?’
Regardless of whether the Tower of Trials was operated as a public gate for training new hunters, it was still a gate, which is humanity’s enemy, and should be commended for being cleared.
‘Should I suggest giving him a commendation or something?’
No.
It was obvious that the higher-ups would reject it.
They’d probably scoff at the idea of giving a commendation just for arranging a photo op.
Of course, Jung Cheol-min knew the real reason behind that excuse.
The visual impact of an official photo with a commendation versus a photo taken without any such item—something that looks more ‘friendly’—is entirely different in how people perceive it.
‘This is driving me nuts.’
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A call from an unknown number.
Who could it be?
Jung Cheol-min quickly answered the call.
“Yes, this is Jung Cheol-min, Team Leader of Gate Management Team 1.”
—Team Leader, hello? It’s me, Ahn Suho.
“S-Suho-ssi?!”
The owner of the unfamiliar number was none other than Suho.
Startled by Suho’s sudden call, Jung Cheol-min sprang out of his seat like a spring.
He noticed the curious gazes of his subordinates and quickly left the office to move to a quieter place.
“Suho-ssi, what’s with this number? Did you get a new one?”
—Yes, I was getting too many calls on my old number, so I just got a secondary number. From now on, you can contact me here.
“Ah, I see… By the way, thank you so much for reaching out. Honestly, after the Tower of Trials, I thought I’d never hear from you again.”
—No way that would happen. So, about that, do you have some time right now?
“Right now?”
—Yes, I haven’t eaten yet. How about meeting at Songrae Gukbap in front of the Korean Hunter Association? I’ve passed the exam and become a hunter, so can’t we meet up privately now? But if you’ve already eaten, we could just grab a quick coffee…
“No, not at all! I haven’t had an appetite, so I didn’t eat! I’ll see you at Songrae Gukbap. There are rooms there, so I’ll reserve one under my name and wait for you.”
—Thank you.
The call ended.
And Jung Cheol-min stared at his phone with a dazed expression.
He had the look of someone who couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.
‘Alright, let’s meet first and see.’
With that thought, Jung Cheol-min hurriedly prepared to meet Suho.
***
Songrae Gukbap.
It was a gukbap restaurant located in front of the Korean Hunter Association, a favorite spot for both Jung Cheol-min and Suho.
(T/N: Gukbap means literally “soup rice”, and it’s a Korean dish made by putting cooked rice into hot soup or boiling rice in soup.)
The restaurant had several private rooms, which made it their go-to place.
When Jung Cheol-min secured a small room and waited, Suho soon arrived.
As Suho entered, Jung Cheol-min stood up to greet him.
“You’re here?”
“Yes, I was nearby, so I came quickly. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, though.”
“Oh? You know this place?”
Of course he did—whenever he had to work late or pull an all-nighter on paperwork, he’d come to Songrae Gukbap to grab a meal.
But since he couldn’t say that, Suho answered vaguely.
“I used to come here often when I was working part-time nearby. Anyway, shall we order first? The boiled pork set is good here. I’ll have that.”
“Then I’ll have the same.”
“Excuse me, two boiled pork sets, please!”
After placing the order, Suho poured water first and then spoke.
“Have you been facing any difficulties lately? Like, for example, being asked by the association to bring me in?”
“Pff—! W-What?”
Jung Cheol-min nearly spat out his water.
He stared at Suho with wide eyes.
“What, what do you mean…?”
“After I cleared the Tower of Trials, I was curious why you were so insistent on bringing me to the association. Usually, no matter how difficult a gate is to clear, they just request related documents—they don’t insist on bringing someone to the association. So, I looked into it and found that in many cases like this, it’s often for taking a photo with the association chairman or vice chairman.”
Suho wasn’t just making a guess.
A quick search of the association chairman’s promotional materials would reveal many photos taken with star players who had cleared hard gates.
Caught off guard, Jung Cheol-min stammered.
“Th-that’s….”
“It’s fine. You could have just been honest with me. That wouldn’t have been a difficult request for me to fulfill.”
“I’m… sorry.”
Jung Cheol-min’s face flushed with embarrassment.
He felt like he’d been stripped bare.
Suho didn’t want to speak so bluntly, but his plan took precedence over sparing Jung Cheol-min’s pride.
Suho continued.
“So it was true. But I’m still grateful to you, Team Leader. I’ve heard that in cases like this, they often find some excuse to bring people in, but you handled it with complete professionalism.”
Jung Cheol-min responded with an awkward laugh.
“Haha… yes, well. I couldn’t exactly force you.”
“So I’m thinking of visiting the association soon. I’m grateful to you personally, and as someone whose goal is to enter the Korean Hunter Association, it might be beneficial to establish a connection with the chairman or vice chairman.”
“Oh… yes… that would be true.”
“Shall we visit right after we eat? Or would it be better to schedule a separate meeting?”
“No, we can go right after we eat! Just a moment!”
With that, Jung Cheol-min quickly got up to grab his phone.
It was clear he had been under a lot of pressure.
Suho felt a bit sorry for him.
‘Just hang in there a little longer, Hyung. After this year, I’ll take care of everything.’
A little while later, Jung Cheol-min returned with the news of Suho’s visit, now finally able to suggest they enjoy their meal with a bright expression.
“We can go after we eat. The schedule is clear. I’ll cover the meal, haha.”
“Shall we?”
The two enjoyed a delicious meal together, feeling content for different reasons—Jung Cheol-min for resolving the issue, and Suho for the nostalgic experience of sharing some gukbap with him.
