Episode 23
#9 Entangled Relationships (3)
A statuesque handsome man sat in a high-rise building overlooking the heart of Gangnam, a symbol of success.
His gently curved eyes that seemed to smile crafted an aura of benevolence. A man so renowned that virtually no one in Korea didn’t know him—yet beloved by the entire nation.
The face that normally wore a smile now showed not a trace of one.
“Yes. That’s how it turned out.”
Naturally, discussing the complete destruction of the illegal gate he’d spent months nurturing left no room for smiles.
Seol Rok-jin tapped his desk as he continued.
“I did suspect something like this might happen someday. The guards stationed there were… lacking in quality. Though someone insisted that team was perfectly adequate.”
At these words, Manager Cheong’s face paled. After all, he was the one who’d made that claim.
“M-my apologies! I never imagined something like this would—”
“Well, I didn’t expect anyone to find my carefully hidden back pocket either. If even I was unaware, how could you have known, Manager?”
Manager Cheong’s mind raced. Was this forgiveness? No—Seol Rok-jin didn’t believe in forgiveness. What twisted game was he playing now?
“From the reports, he doesn’t seem to be an exceptional Awakener.”
Manager Cheong nodded frantically.
“They say he’s B-class at best. His only notable skill is lying. Graduated from Babel Academy but too weak in combat to earn stars. Naturally, he failed to become a Hunter.”
“And yet this nobody robbed us. Isn’t that right?”
The manager’s enthusiastic chatter died mid-sentence. One shouldn’t call the man who breached their warehouse “incompetent”—even if true.
Seol Rok-jin leaned forward.
“Still no leads?”
“N-none regarding the leak’s origin.”
“The broker?”
“We interrogated him briefly before the police took him. He knew nothing. Said Kang Ishin approached him first, begging for work.”
“Which you provided.”
“Y-yes.”
Cold sweat dripped down Manager Cheong’s forehead. The memory of that oblivious fool—enemy in plain sight—still made his teeth grind.
“The information containment?”
“Thorough. They learned nothing—about me or otherwise. Should we… send someone to silence him permanently?”
“Wouldn’t eliminating a police-protected witness be… risky?”
Manager Cheong swallowed hard. This wasn’t a question—it was an order to clean up the mess, consequences be damned.
“We have the perfect tool for delicate jobs.”
“Then I’ll trust your judgment.”
Thus, Im Hyun-soo’s fate was sealed. While the rat might believe silence would buy freedom, only a ticket to the afterlife awaited him.
“We’ll erase our traces. My losses from this debacle are hardly trivial.”
Bullshit, Manager Cheong thought. While Seol Rok-jin had lost a revenue stream, he’d milked this crisis for all its PR worth—prime-time news slots, talk show appearances. The man had gained far more in public favor than he’d lost in cash. But voicing this? A death sentence.
“Understood,” he muttered.
“Gates can be replaced. Money rerouted. But another lapse…”
“It won’t happen! Never again!”
The manager’s reply came sharp as a blade. Sincerity, not empty words—his frail heart couldn’t survive another catastrophe.
“I trust you’ve learned from this.”
Just as Cheong thought the ordeal ended:
“However… I believe lessons require… consequences.”
His heart plummeted.
“What should I take from you, Manager Cheong, to make this lesson stick?”
The manager’s face turned ashen. Seol Rok-jin’s gaze traveled slowly down his trembling form.
“Though for someone handling external affairs, visible flaws are… problematic. A missing finger? Ear? Hardly befitting my representative.”
Cheong dropped to his knees.
“F-forgive me!”
His forehead pressed to the floor. He almost wished for shouted threats—anything but Seol Rok-jin’s calm, detached tone.
“Preventing messes simplifies life. For both of us. Taking from you feels… crude.”
Seol Rok-jin rested his chin on interlaced fingers, observing the groveling figure.
“Was this your first mistake?”
Cheong’s shoulders trembled. He’d witnessed predecessors vanish for lesser errors.
“Y-yes! First offense!”
“A magnanimous superior should pardon a subordinate’s… maiden folly.”
Gulp. Could mercy truly come this easily?
“But unconditional forgiveness breeds complacency. I’d like to meet… an acquaintance of yours.”
“Acquaintance…?”
“The hospital patient connected to our warehouse thief.”
Cheong’s mind blanked.
“Jung Ho-san? But provoking the Red Dog Guild—”
“The other one. Currently… hospitalized.”
“H-Han…?”
Seol Rok-jin sighed.
“Han Jo-hee.”
“Ah, yes! That one!”
“I’m curious how deeply he’s entangled with our thief. While catching the culprit himself would be ideal…”
The thief had vanished without trace. But old associates? They might know secrets.
“I’d appreciate meeting him before the Yeongjong Island matter unfolds.”
Seol Rok-jin’s cheerful smile chilled Cheong to the bone.
I should check on the Baek Do-san situation.
The Yeongjong Island incident would erupt soon. If Baek Do-san fell to Seol Rok-jin, all hell would break loose. I’d hoped he’d heed my warning—delay the deal or abandon Yeongjong entirely.
My raid on Seol Rok-jin’s gate was a pinprick. If he secured Baek Do-san, it’d erase all my efforts.
Time for a status check.
Leaving the inn, I encountered the guard I’d duped previously.
“You—!”
He pointed accusingly.
“Been well?” I asked innocently.
His scowl deepened. “What did Dr. Kim say?”
“Let him through.”
Though displeased, he stepped aside. Good—Dr. Kim hadn’t blacklisted me yet.
I entered the familiar workshop. Dr. Kim glanced up from his phone, annoyed.
“Back again? Thought you’d vanished for good.”
I shrugged. “Passing by. Wondered if my advice proved useful.”
He grimaced. “Delivered your warning. Baek Do-san’s more stubborn than expected.”
“Proceeding with the deal?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t question my knowledge. Seers knowing things was… expected.
“Called clairvoyance ‘nonsense for fools’.” Dr. Kim’s jaw clenched. “If I had the power, I’d split his thick skull!”
His rant confirmed Baek Do-san’s nature—a self-made man distrustful of intangibles.
“Ah well. Can’t be helped.”
I turned to leave.
“Wait! You’re leaving?!”
“Yes.”
Panic flashed across his face. Ray buzzed in my ear:
━You came to save Baek Do-san, didn’t you?!
“My friend said Korea’s doomed if he falls to Seol Rok-jin!”
“True. But I can’t stop this alone. Unless…”
Baek Do-san was underworld royalty. Approaching him directly? Suicide.
━Helping others requires staying alive first.
Exactly. Barging in shouting warnings? Suspicious. The more I push, the less he’ll trust.
Hence this bluff—making them desperate.
Dr. Kim bit. “What… cooperation?”
“If you ask for help, maybe. But warning an unbeliever? He’d have my head.”
The doctor paled. “If you leave now—”
“You should flee too. Once Seol Rok-jin brainwashes him, friendship won’t matter.”
“But you must help!”
“Why? He’s a stranger.”
“The country will collapse!”
“I’ll manage.”
“I can’t!”
Dr. Kim gripped his hair. “Name your terms! Just come with me!”
Suppressing a smirk, I sighed.
“Ugh. Fine. What’s in it for me?”
