Chapter 27: Park Ye-na, Year 2 Class A (3)
The top floor of the Ignis Guild Headquarters.
The door to the Guild Master's office, which rivaled a penthouse, opened.
A determined stride headed straight for the innermost part of the room.
The footsteps passing over the marble floor stopped in front of the desk.
Secretary Kim, who had briefly bowed her head, placed the bundle of documents she was holding onto the desk.
“Is it today?”
“Yes, Guild Master.”
The gaze that quickly scanned Secretary Kim’s pale face moved toward the documents on the desk.
[Namyangju Underground Illegal Fighting Ring Report]
“Are you sure this time?”
“Yes, Guild Master. Based on the information gathered from those we captured at the Illegal Underground Fighting Ring in Pungdong, Ilsan, five months ago, and the information the surveillance team has obtained while staking out the Namyangju Cafe Street for the past month...”
Guild Master Cho Sang-geun continued to flip through the documents while the secretary's voice continued.
His eyes shifted to the secretary.
He didn’t speak, but the secretary instantly understood the meaning of his gaze.
“Yes, we are certain this time. I believe we can arrest individuals equivalent to the executive level.”
At the secretary’s confident voice, Cho Sang-geun placed the documents back down.
He had only read halfway, but it was enough.
The years they had spent together.
And the secretary's confident voice and expression, coming from someone who did not speak flattering words.
With Secretary Kim's expression utterly devoid of hesitation, Cho Sang-geun was finally able to relax his rigid face.
“Fine, if you say so, we should have some significant yield this time.”
The underground illegal gambling den.
Specifically, the Goblin Fighting Ring.
Gambling, well, it was a massive social issue even before the Age of Awakeners.
But the Goblin Fighting Ring was incomparably more problematic than that.
The dopamine rush was incomparable to general gambling.
Betting money, where a huge sum could be gained in a short time depending on your choice—that alone made it inescapable once tasted.
But this was a scene of slaughter.
Since people were betting on fights where lives were on the line, where opponents killed or were killed, it completely captivated people more than any other form of gambling.
Its speculative nature and addictiveness were beyond comparison to any other gamble.
As a result, the businesses spread far and wide, and the fighting rings, which were once only one or two, became too numerous to count.
Just as people flock to water, people flock to money.
Naturally, a massive number of people gathered at the gambling dens, and the personnel managing the dens also increased, turning it into something like a large corporation.
It was closer to an organization than a corporation, but its size and the money it earned rivaled that of any large enterprise.
“Ensure the deployed personnel are properly armed. For a business of this size—no, for a business where executives are involved, as you mentioned—they might be employing freelance Hunters or using wanted criminals.”
“I will keep that in mind. This time, the preparation period was long, and even after identifying the address, we didn’t move and watched for a long time. There are no signs of information leaking, so this time we should truly be able to arrest the executives.”
In the past, before the Age of Awakeners, this kind of work would have been done by the police.
But now, such major problems were being handled by guilds through requests.
Well, the position of police still existed, and there was a special team separately organized by the government.
But in the era of Hunterization, good resources gathered in large guilds rather than among civil servants.
Thus, it was common for the government or the Association to commission guilds.
Furthermore, for such a major problem and an organization whose depth was unknown, it was more rational for a top-class guild in the country to step forward.
That was why the Ignis Guild was handling this case.
In truth, from the perspective of those in the industry who knew the reality, it was also the government and the Association passing the buck.
Still, the Ignis Guild had no choice but to do it.
There were money, honor, and unavoidable pressures, but now there was an even greater reason than that.
“If we handle this job, we won’t be bothered for a few months.”
“That’s the goal. That’s why we took the request. Besides... now, more than ever, we have to succeed in this job.”
The chair facing the secretary turned sideways.
Ignis Guild Master Cho Sang-geun rose from his seat and moved toward the panoramic window.
He looked past the nearby forest to the distant city.
And the clear sky with no clouds.
Cho Sang-geun paused his gaze there and began to speak, envisioning what lay beyond.
“If we want to protect the Returnee... no, our lives.”
At the low-ringing voice, the secretary tightened her lips into a straight line.
She thought it best to say nothing right now.
And so, only silence lingered in the large Guild Master’s office.
A considerable amount of time passed within the silence.
Cho Sang-geun, who had been staring at the sky for a long time, turned around.
“I’ve taken up your time. If the report is finished, go out and see to your work. I’ll see you again at the time of entry.”
Hiding the expression laden with many emotions, Cho Sang-geun sat back down.
Secretary Kim, who was about to bow her head, paused and spoke cautiously.
“But... what about the Vice Guild Master? Is it truly alright for the Vice Guild Master to be absent from this operation? Originally, the Vice Guild Master always went as the overall leader of the suppression.”
“Let him be. He’s probably busy enough as it is.”
“Is it because of Teacher Yoo jin? I’m still not sure if it’s right to use such a high-caliber asset like the Vice Guild Master that way.”
“Well, you could think that. No, that’s right. He’s sitting as Vice Guild Master because of me, but Si-wang is talented enough to be the Guild Master of a major guild, or even more.”
“But why exactly... We could just put together a surveillance team with the elite. I still don't understand why you put the Vice Guild Master next to Teacher Yoo jin.”
She thought her reasoning was sound.
Cho Sang-geun nodded.
However, the words that came from his mouth were unexpected.
“But it’s certainly stuck in your head now, hasn’t it? The term, Teacher Yoo jin.”
Secretary Kim’s eyes slightly wavered at the Guild Master’s voice.
“Ah, n-no, that... I thought it was better than letting his status as a Returnee be known. T-The, and when we talked about it last time, you said it would be better to call him that way...”
Cho Sang-geun smiled faintly at Secretary Kim’s awkward manner.
“Why are you so surprised? It was just a joke.”
“Hmm...”
Secretary Kim regained her composure and returned to her usual self.
“I-I wasn’t all that surprised.”
Cho Sang-geun, who pulled his lips up a notch further, said to the secretary.
“I see. Well, I understand what Secretary Kim is thinking. But just remember this: I sent him because I thought Si-wang was the only one who should be by his side.”
A voice containing many meanings.
The image of the Returnee she had met previously came to Secretary Kim’s mind.
‘If he’s known to be a Returnee, whether it’s the President or anyone...’
‘He’ll have to kill everyone.’
He was certainly a man who made one feel tense just by being near him.
Well, there would be countless reasons besides his strength, but this was the will of the Guild Master himself.
A conclusion reached after more thought and deliberation than anyone else.
She just needed to follow.
It was just that she couldn't help but be a little curious.
“Tailing, uh, dealing with Teacher Yoo jin’s aftermath isn't easy work. But exactly what kind of work is he doing?”
“He’s doing something incredible.”
Secretary Kim’s eyes narrowed into a straight line.
“Something incredible... what kind of...”
Cho Sang-geun, who was resting his chin on the desk with a serious expression, looked at Secretary Kim.
“Surveillance.”
“......”
Silence returned to the Guild Master’s office once more.
Time again passed through the silence.
This time, the one who broke the silence was Secretary Kim’s voice.
“I feel sorry for him... the Vice Guild Master...”
“Then go help him.”
“Excuse me?”
“You said you feel sorry for him, so why don't you go and help him? I like that kind of thing. It feels like comrades, and it’s nice, right?”
“......”
Secretary Kim, who only blinked while facing him, straightened her posture and bowed her head.
“Then I will take my leave.”
“Alright, I’m not sending you. It’s a joke.”
Secretary Kim needlessly cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
Cho Sang-geun smiled lightly.
At the consecutive jokes, Secretary Kim, whose eyebrows were slightly raised higher than usual, bowed her head.
“I will come back when it’s time for the entry. I instructed the field team to transmit video, just in case, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“I don’t worry about things like that. We prepared so well. What could possibly happen? In just two hours?”
***
“Teacher, what are you doing?!”
“Why here...”
Jin-ho and Ye-na, who followed him in, tried to stop Yoo jin.
“Why? Since I came for a home visit, I should see the father. Ye-na’s father! Are you here?!”
Yoo jin had an expression that said, ‘I don’t know anything.’
“You said it was somewhere in this area, not here specifically...”
“That’s right, Teacher. Even if we grant that this is the right place, there would be a different entrance, at the very least.”
Despite the children’s voices, Yoo jin continued to call out for Ye-na’s father relentlessly.
The commotion at the entrance caused everyone’s gaze to be fixed on Yoo jin.
Jin-ho and Ye-na shared those stares.
The children's faces gradually flushed with embarrassment.
“Who is that person?”
“A home visit? Does that still exist?”
“No, did he even come to a cafe for a home visit?”
“Does the owner have a child? He looked like a young man just now.”
The voices of the customers were added onto the cold stares.
Perhaps due to the customers’ reactions, one employee who noticed the commotion at the entrance was approaching Yoo jin and the children.
“Excuse me, customer, we would appreciate it if your party would search quietly.”
Eyes curved into a crescent shape and a friendly smile.
The employee, who was equipped with maximum service mindfulness even in this situation, spoke to Yoo jin.
At the employee’s expression and voice, which was considerate enough not to offend.
“See, Teacher.”
“I think we got the wrong place. Let’s go out and talk again first.”
The children grabbed and shook Yoo jin’s sleeve.
“Ye-na’s father! Are you not here?! I came for a home visit!”
Despite this, Yoo jin only shouted louder.
“There are other customers, so we would appreciate it if your party would search quietly. Instead of shouting, why don’t you come inside and look around?”
As Yoo jin’s actions didn’t stop even after the employee’s words, it was the children who became increasingly self-conscious.
“Teacher, I really think we got the wrong location. Let’s go out and talk first.”
“No. There’s no need.”
“...Yes?”
Yoo jin slowly released the children’s arms, who were trying to pull him out, and placed a hand on his head.
“This is the right place.”
He might look like a nuisance.
And it was normal for the employee who approached Yoo jin to look like a normal employee with a strong sense of professionalism, stepping forward simply for the sake of other customers.
So...
“Hey, if you’re going to act, do it properly, all the way through. How do you expect to run a business if you can’t hide your bloodlust like that? Especially in this day and age.”
The employee’s expression instantly darkened.
“Customer, if you say any more strange things, I will report you for obstruction of business.”
Although he couldn't hide his expression, the employee’s mouth still spoke a similar phrase this time.
“Are you going to keep acting this way? How many customers here right now know that this place isn’t a real cafe but a sandcastle built to hide a fighting ring?”
Yoo jin raised the corner of his mouth and turned his head.
Naturally, the employee’s head followed Yoo jin’s back.
In the employee’s sight, he saw a few customers holding up their cell phones among the customers who were whispering to each other.
His darkened expression became even deeper.
A small sigh escaped the employee's lips.
The employee quickly turned his head and sent a look somewhere.
Then.
Stomp, stomp.
Perhaps because they received his signal, a few employees standing further away began to move simultaneously.
In that short instant.
Yoo jin took note of the few people taking action.
Two employees approaching him.
One employee said something and then ran off somewhere.
The movement of the employees caused order-taking to temporarily stop.
The interest of the general customers, who did not know the truth of the situation, grew even greater.
Toward Yoo jin, who caused the commotion, and the three employees who had gathered in front of him.
“Oh my, ignoring the bloodlust is one thing, but now you’re not even hiding your expression?”
Three employees stood blocking Yoo jin’s front.
Now they seemed to have no intention of hiding anything at all.
No, they probably didn't need to hide it.
To anyone looking, this human being acting like a nuisance clearly came here knowing everything.
“Hey, it seems you came knowing something.”
“If you are a properly invited guest, show your admission ticket. Otherwise, just leave.”
The bloodlust that was leaking out, and the sharp masks only visible to Yoo jin as they turned their backs—it was clear they were Awakeners.
In other words, lackeys disguised as employees?
They spoke in low voices with their backs turned, trying their best not to reach the customers.
“Seriously, why is meeting a student’s parent so difficult? Did the difficulty of a home visit rise like the price of water, or what? Well, still.”
He had been mistaken for a nuisance.
And he had worried the children.
Smirk.
Indeed.
It seemed this was the right place.
“I wasn’t invited, so I don’t have an admission ticket, but...”
Yoo jin moved his legs.
“I brought your admission ticket. Though it’s a one-way ticket to hell.”
A more aggressive home visit began.