167 – 167. In the Black Dragon (1)
The vehicle Ahn Su-ho sometimes drove like his own was borrowed from Min Chae-ryeong. To be precise, it was a concept like a business vehicle for the 2 teams, but each other team member had their own vehicle, so it was practically a vehicle exclusively for An Su-ho.
However, I couldn’t borrow that car for today. The vacation An Su-ho received today was a kind of self-sufficiency concept, but from the first day, he couldn’t ask for a car to go outside. It was a matter of conscience.
Of course, if you care about that part, it would be right not to go out at all, but An Su-ho was going to meet Seol Ah-hyun no matter what. Because we had to discuss countermeasures against Seong Yu-jin, who started smelling this incident.
So.
Ahn Suho boarded a train heading to Seoul. In the original world, transportation from Sokcho to Seoul would have been inconvenient, but in this world, thanks to the Green House, there was a direct railway line from Sokcho to Seoul.
‘There aren’t many people.’
The trains on weekday mornings were empty. Thanks to this, Ahn Soo-ho was able to recline his seat as far as he could without having to notice others. He sits down comfortably and turns on his smartphone.
—–
-Unrest in Neverland is still under investigation. Police said, “Following the escape route was cut off in the slum area. Difficult to track”
-The police do not reveal the identity of victim A of the parasitic monster. “Reveal personal information for public safety” Petition exceeded 200,000 people.
– Surprised to be involved in an unprecedented S-class parasitic monster. Has the Gate Management Bureau’s management failed yet again?
-Q2 gate occurrence rate increased by 19% compared to the previous year. 34% Of B grade or higher. Gate handling difficulties due to manpower shortage, is it okay as it is?
-The catastrophe that happened on Children’s Day. Class A Dungeon Crisis in Donghae City. Estimated damage scale of 15 billion, more than 1,000 victims…
—–
“Hmm… ….”
Suddenly, five or six out of 10 articles on the news page I saw were related to Ahn Su-ho. Even though Min Chaeryeong used her strength, she couldn’t cover the sky alone.
‘It’s fortunate that the focus is on the fact that I am also a victim.’
If Ahn Soo-ho had been treated as the perpetrator in this situation, he would not have been able to go out as leisurely as he is now.
The media made a special mention of Ahn Su-ho’s identity and the extent of the damage he caused, and people all over the country would point fingers at him as a terrible criminal.
‘Still, seeing as there is no mention of the guards, it seems fortunate that nothing about me is known to the general press.’
Wanting just in case, Suho Ahn looked at the news page, inserting keywords such as the guards and academy.
Then, one headline caught my eye.
—–
-“I didn’t hit him, but when I stretched out my fist, he came and hit me and stretched me out.” American hero Chae-yeon Cha complains about being assaulted by paparazzi in front of her home.
—–
“Wow.”
Ahn Suho clicked on the article that had been posted ten days ago. However, the content was not much different from the article title. Chae-yeon assaulted a paparazzi who was hanging out in front of her house, and the paparazzi, who was a normal person, was injured for 4 weeks.
‘Chae So-yeon, isn’t this f*cked up?’
Ahn Soo-ho looked through the related articles in order with a feeling of uneasiness. In the most recent article, there was a content that the assault was groundless and that it was revealed that the paparazzi himself fell and was injured.
Fortunately, it’s fortunate, but An Su-ho couldn’t hide his uncomfortable feeling. It was because the unnatural paparazzi’s statement gave a strong sense of Min Chaeryeong’s efforts.
‘Min Chaeryeong is also having a hard time.’
Chae So-yeon and Ahn Su-ho cause trouble as a pair, so it must be a headache. Only then did Ahn Su-ho feel sympathy for Min Chae-ryeong. Min Chae-ryeong’s angry voice that resonated in her detention center that day was not a useless venting of anger, but a sincere appeal.
About two hours passed like that. Arriving in Seoul, Ahn Soo-ho headed straight to the Black Dragon Headquarters building. The headquarters building he had seen once before still stood tall among the dazzling skyscrapers that day.
As Suho Ahn entered, countless people were busily coming and going in the lobby on the first floor. Although it was a Hunter Guild building, not all of them were Hunters. Rather, if you look at the numbers alone, there were far more ordinary people working in related industries than superhumans, including Hunters.
‘From the outside, it just looks like a company building.’
It’s a matter of course, but the hunter guild doesn’t just return to the hunters who fight on the front line. Of course, the hunter guild also needs people who assist them in the field, as well as people needed in general companies such as finance, accounting, public relations, and planning. It was the same because the Hunter Guild was a company that eventually returned to the profit structure.
Thanks to this, a promising guild like the Black Dragon Society is a pretty good place to work for not only aspiring hunters but also general job seekers. In other words, Seol Ah-hyun is the guild master of the Black Dragon guild and also the president of a mid-sized company with the same name.
“Excuse me.”
Of course, you can’t go blindly to meet someone in that position. When Suho Ahn stood at the reception desk, the staff in charge responded with a friendly smile.
“Yes. What are you doing?”
Ahn Su-ho explained to the receptionist that he had decided to meet Seol Ah-hyun in the afternoon. I wondered what would happen if I threw out lines such as ‘Where is the boss from you!’ As in a drama or novel, but fortunately, as soon as the employee heard Suho Ahn’s name, he recognized him and responded politely.
“I have confirmed that Suho Ahn is scheduled to meet at 1:00. You are still in the middle of the meeting, so I’m sorry, but could you wait in the lobby for a moment? The person in charge will come down soon.”
“Yes. Then I’ll be waiting for you over there.”
Ahn Suho headed to the resting area on the left side of the lobby. The rest area was decorated with an open interior following the trend these days. Office workers in suits were sitting on sofas scattered around, waiting for someone.
An Suho also took a seat in one of them. Everyone around him was dressed in suits, but An Su-ho himself was dressed in a neat shirt and slacks, so he blended into the scene moderately. Rather, he looked like an internal employee thanks to his moderately relaxed attire.
‘Shall we have some coffee?’
It was a moment Suho Ahn pondered while looking at the cafe on one side of the lobby.
“Ahn Su-ho?”
Hearing the voice calling him, Suho Ahn wondered if the person in charge had finally arrived. However, the next moment he came into his field of vision was not the staff of the Black Dragon Society.
“Midsummer student?”
“That’s Suho. What did he come here for?”
Midsummer was wearing a suit as usual, and thanks to that, he was more immersed in this place than Ahn Suho. Her reddish hair, darker than her sister’s, had been trimmed recently and neatly cut at her shoulder line, and the tips of her hair were slightly wavy, bouncing bouncily as she walked.
“I have someone to meet. What’s going on with that midsummer student and the Black Dragon? I know the guild where Midsummer students intern is Asteroid…….”
“There is a meeting between Asteroid and the Black Dragon Society regarding the attack on the last knight’s tomb.”
“It’s been 15 days since the attack ended, but do you still have work to do?”
“Because clearing a dungeon doesn’t end just by killing the boss. There are a lot of jobs related to overrank dungeons, right? Thanks to that, everyone says that the day is far away, and the overtime is busy working out.”
That’s what he said, but his behavior in midsummer was full of composure. She sat down on the sofa across from An Su-ho.
“Don’t you drink coffee? I heard they use pretty good coffee beans here. Would you like to try it?”
“You said you were busy with work, but you seem quite relaxed.”
“It’s full-time workers who are busy, not me, an intern. Just today, the person in charge asked me to come along, so I came, but when I was about to go into the meeting, there was a saying that issues such as cost handling and profit distribution were not to be discussed with interns, so I had to wait below, right? Seriously, if it’s going to be like this, why did you call me…….”
When attacking, they were interns and nabal, and they hit it with the most important force, but now they say that they are treated as students. Midsummer twisted her hair with a disgruntled expression.
“First of all, since you are an intern, wouldn’t you have asked me to follow you on a field trip?”
“On field trips, you have to show the site to see or not see anything. It’s a corporate lobby, a place I come in and out of five or six times a day. It’s a waste of time, really.”
Midsummer hates wasting her time. That’s why Ahn Soo-ho fully understood her displeasure.
“…… Well, it’s not a total waste of time though. Because I was able to meet you because I came here.”
“Yes?”
“Sometimes I wanted to see Suho’s face, but I rarely had the opportunity.”
Midsummer said that with her meaningful smile. Ahn Soo-ho’s head turned quickly.
‘Midsummer wants to meet me?’
The first reason that came to mind was related to midwinter. During the midterm exams, in the ranking match, he lost to Ryu Tae-hyeon despite all his efforts. She wondered if she had come looking for her in connection with the matter.
“Suho. Aren’t you having a hard time these days?”
But that was not the purpose of midsummer. She scanned Ahn Su-ho’s body with sharp eyes like an eagle preying on her prey.
“Hard work? Not sure……. Well, that’s fine.”
“You don’t have to be so vigilant. Because I know everything.”
Ahn Suho’s expression hardened at those words. Midsummer whispered to him in a small voice.
“The parasitic monster incident happened this time. I heard you were the victim A who was parasitized by that monster?”
It was a confirmation kill based on conviction, not a question to ask. Ahn Su-ho felt intuition that it would be useless even if he tried to escape.
‘Yes. Seong Yu-jin and Seol Ah-hyun also noticed it, but it’s nothing strange that someone around midsummer knows.’
Originally, it is a rule to keep internal police information strictly confidential, but secrecy was particularly poor for superhuman-related crimes. It was because of the strong connection formed between the influential supermen who were in charge of one axis of the country’s vested interests.
And the midsummer in front of Ahn Soo-ho is the one who is at the pinnacle of that connection. Even Min Chae-ryeong, in front of her personal connections in midsummer, was about to give up on her, so she said everything.
“Life in a detention center, interrogation, various prosecutors and experiments… …. You’ve been through a lot too. I’m glad though. It was because I was able to get rid of the parasitic monster and be released like this. Isn’t it?”
While saying that, Han Yeo-reum looked down at Ahn Su-ho’s right hand. She held her right hand hidden by a black leather glove.
It was known externally that Ahn Su-ho, that is, victim A of the parasitic monster, was released from detention after succeeding in removing the parasitic monster. Because I couldn’t announce that the monster who destroyed the special lease was released to the civilian population. Even the front-line police were so notified for that part.
But what about the truth? The silver from the beginning was still clinging to Ahn Su-ho’s right hand. Even inside the police, some personnel knew the truth, but they had no choice but to keep quiet because of pressure from the top.
And Midsummer was the one connected to the upper line, or the upper line itself. Of course, I knew all the truth in detail.
“…… You know me very well.”
Such a midsummer was now pressuring Ahn Su-ho, revealing her hidden truth. Ahn Soo-ho felt a familiar scent from that attitude in midsummer.
‘Your actions are similar to Min Chaeryeong’s.’
Anyone who has risen to a certain level has no choice but to have a black stomach. Even if you think about it that way, Midsummer had a similar atmosphere to Min Chaeryeong. Thanks to this, Ahn Su-ho was not taken aback by the midsummer pressure.
“Yes. How many days have I been? After watching him for a few weeks, Suho became very entangled in complicated things. Do I have to say that there are a lot of incidents around me? Even if you are a superhuman, wouldn’t it be tiring and difficult to get caught up in an incident like that as a normal person?”
“It is difficult. Still, it’s bearable.”
“Because Suho has his own back. I was able to get out of here quickly thanks to the help of Suho’s team leader. However……….”
Midsummer coquettishly crossed her legs and said. Her slender thighs were pressed against her, creating her bewitching curves.
“Aren’t you a bit anxious? No matter how great that person is, he’s just the leader of the security team. From the looks of it, it seems that there are connections all over the place, but with only the connections, you might not be able to use your strength in an emergency.”
“What do you want to say?”
“Isn’t it necessary to have a stronger backing? For example, if I had worked hard on this one, Suho would have been released much sooner. Controlling the media is also an easy task if we use the power of our Hansung Group.”
“Are you saying that Midsummer student will look after me?”
“If you would be mine.”
From nob le mt l dot com
Like a devil’s whisper, the midsummer’s voice tickled Ahn Su-ho’s ears.
“Ahn Soo-ho. Would you like to work with me?”
Even before Midsummer attacked the Knight’s Tomb, she had her eyes on An Su-ho from the moment she obtained the report that An Su-ho fought one-on-one with Wilhelm to save the river.
And as time passed, various incidents took place, and that desire grew even more. In addition to its unique atmosphere, Midsummer was also similar to Min Chaeryeong in that it wanted outstanding talent. Because of her, similar to Min Chae-ryeong, she coveted a talent named An Su-ho.
“Let’s work together. Are you trying to hire me as a company bodyguard?”
“No. She will hire you as a Hunter.”
“Hunter?”
Ahn Suho tilted his head. Hansung Group was the No. 1 Conglomerate in Korea, but it did not enter the hunter industry. Of course, they are stepping into related businesses little by little, but they have never directly operated or invested in a guild like the Yeoil Group.
At least not yet.
“This is still top-secret, but…. This time, our group is thinking of creating our own hunter guild. Our competitor, the Winter Alliance, has an outstanding guild like its own, so shouldn’t we have at least one?”
“The hunter industry is narrow. And it’s tight. No matter how much Hansung Group is, it will have to endure a lot of bleeding to get into this market as a latecomer.”
“Of course it is. But, we all have our own ideas, so we want to enter this industry. So how is it? My suggestion was to join the Hansung Group Hunter Guild as a founding contributor. Suho doesn’t need anything else, he just needs to come. Then I’ll take care of it so you won’t be upset.”
Aren’t you tempted? Midsummer smiled.
‘Surely an attractive proposition.’
Ahead, Suho Ahn spoke pessimistically about Hansung Group’s entry into the hunter industry, but that was only a general opinion. If the No. 1 Group in Korea decides and injects funds, it will be able to quickly overturn the disadvantages of latecomers.
The only element of concern was the talent pool, but even that was half-solved. Since Midsummer is the youngest S-class superintendent candidate, and his younger sister Midwinter has already risen to the ranks of A-rank. Even with those two, it was a matter of course to settle in the top 10 in the industry.
However.
“Thank you for the offer, but I will decline it. I already have a job as a security guard.”
Ahn Soo-ho cleanly rejected Midsummer’s proposal. He doesn’t even seem to have to worry.
“Yes?”
Hearing that rejection, Midsummer’s smile cracked.
“…… Mr. Suho. Are you serious about that now?”