The Way of Life for a Terminal S-Class Hunter - C53
$53
“It’s easier to move my body after all.”
Of course, I would be far inferior in efficiency and accuracy compared to the analysts. Some people said just seeing the results was enough, but I didn’t like that. You need to understand the exact cases to avoid freezing up when unexpected situations occur in battle.
It’s not good to keep entering dungeons without even realizing the dangers.
The bomb inside my body was already overwhelming enough. I didn’t want to create any more variables. Rubbing my tired eyes, I put on the clothes I had laid out and headed to the guild. I wanted to talk with Seo-heon too.
***
Several unfamiliar cars were gathered in the guild’s parking lot.
“Do we have guests at the guild so early in the morning?”
The atmosphere among the staff out front was quite unsettled. The guild member in charge of external activities, standing at the very front, replied with a troubled expression.
“We got a report 20 minutes ago that Assemblyman Kwon would arrive soon. They said guards came first to check for any potential dangers. Apparently he’s visiting after finishing his morning exercise schedule.”
The guild member was forcibly swallowing his displeasure at the rudeness of showing up early in the morning without notice.
“Is this how all high-ranking people are?”
“I guess so. Maybe they’re just busy.”
The men getting out of the cars were puffing out their chests, either wanting to show authority or trying to be intimidating. They didn’t seem to realize this made them look more cowardly.
I greeted the guild members who were sorting out the situation as I passed through the crowd. I headed to the guild master’s room first. It looked like it would be difficult to have a leisurely talk about yesterday.
“Come in.”
Seo-heon spoke before I even knocked. He must have figured out it was me from my footsteps, like a cat.
“Do you have outside schedules today?”
“No. Assemblyman Kwon said he’s just coming without an appointment. He has another schedule after finishing his exercise, so he’ll probably leave within 40 minutes.”
Seo-heon took off his watch and put on transparent gloves that clung tightly to his skin. It must have been a special item, as the transparent gloves soon changed to look just like skin to the naked eye. Seo-heon then put black gloves on over them.
“It’s not a welcome visit, is it?”
I said this, noticing his very slightly raised eyebrows and meaninglessly repetitive hand movements. His precise movements stopped abruptly, and Seo-heon turned his head towards me.
“Even though you’ve been so cold, you still recognize my habits.”
There were thorns in his words. In fact, if it weren’t for this anomalous situation today, I wouldn’t have come to see Seo-heon directly.
“We were together for a long time.”
Seo-heon changed into outerwear from his carrier.
“Who would welcome someone coming for a surprise inspection?”
Surprise inspection?
Not understanding, I stared blankly at Seo-heon as he buttoned up.
“Today, he’s coming to check if there are any problems with me, if there’s anything that could harm his affairs. It took a while to meet, but now that we’ve met once, he’s starting to manage right away.”
Does he mean coming to check as a business partner, or to check on his son’s lover? Either way, it wasn’t a pleasant situation.
“So that’s why he came suddenly.”
“He’s very cautious and suspicious. With that personality, it’s no wonder he doesn’t get along with his son, Ho-jun.”
It was the first time I heard that he doesn’t get along with his son. I thought he cared for him quite a bit, enough to have bodyguards, but it seems that wasn’t the case.
Well, how could I know the inner workings of politicians?
Seo-heon finished his preparations and faced me.
“I have an idea of what he’s coming to talk about. Still, I and the others need to at least pretend to welcome him. You should go to your office or…”
He paused and looked me up and down. It was his habit when thinking about something while I was in front of him.
“You could even go to the dormitory. I’ll come find you or something. You were planning to analyze data today anyway, right?”
“Is it okay for me to be absent when a guest is coming to the guild?”
Even though I was known as the vice guild master who’s often out, most people would know I was in Korea now.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Seo-heon’s unhesitating answer sounded like he would prefer if I were absent. I didn’t want to go to an uncomfortable place either. However, my response of understanding was cut off by the sound of footsteps approaching us.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
A wrinkle briefly appeared between Seo-heon’s brows.
“Um, they say the assemblyman will arrive soon. Could both of you spare a moment?”
The aide included me in his request. I felt puzzled about what business that person could have with me, but I didn’t ask and just moved along with them. Although Seo-heon composed his expression with the aide’s appearance, he was still visibly uncomfortable.
Assemblyman Kwon, who got out of the car, had a strange appearance that simultaneously conveyed benevolence and stubbornness. Though of average height, he had a good build that made him look much younger than his actual age.
Was he in his late fifties or early sixties? He gave a slightly different impression from what I’d seen on TV.
“Sorry for the sudden visit.”
“We understand it’s because of your busy schedule. Please come in.”
Seo-heon guided the guest in a manner that was neither subservient nor likely to offend. Assemblyman Kwon was led to the reception room along with his lined-up guards.
He really is quite paranoid about safety.
After dungeons appeared, politicians greatly increased their guards. Among them, Assemblyman Kwon was said to always keep about five trusted individuals close, and even then, out of anxiety, he changed security companies every month. When it became a topic of public discussion, he explained that he had anxiety symptoms due to being attacked by a hunter once, but even considering that, it seemed excessive.
“Please enter here.”
Assemblyman Kwon naturally sat down first, and Seo-heon sat opposite him. At a glance, it looked more like a meeting between people of equal status rather than a hierarchical relationship.
‘Considering Seo-heon’s usual behavior, he’s showing a lot of restraint. If someone else came at this time, he would have made them wait until the afternoon and then some.’
Seo-heon disliked unplanned, sudden events.
Even today, he must have moved naturally because he knew Assemblyman Kwon would visit someday.
You could tell just by looking at the gloves and clothes he had prepared.
“As I said last time, you’ve built quite an impressive guild at such a young age. The interior seems very systematically organized as well.”
“There are still many areas lacking, so we’re working to improve them.”
“That kind of spirit is necessary when you’re young.”
For a while, the two discussed recent trends among guilds and current affairs. It wasn’t a deep conversation. Though they were talking about various things, it was an exploratory dialogue without much substance.
If it’s going to be like this, why did they call me?
By the time I fell into deeper questions, about 20 minutes had passed. The conversation that had been flowing smoothly as if oiled suddenly stopped, and Assemblyman Kwon moved his head to scan the surroundings. Finally, he fixed his gaze on me.
“By the way, I heard this friend is the child of someone involved in the accident with your parents. You must be very close to maintain a friendship with the child of your enemy.”
“I apologize. I should have introduced him first. Assemblyman, this is our guild’s vice guild master. We go way back.”
Assemblyman Kwon’s mouth twisted.
“I heard from my child. That you’re close despite such an incident.”
“He’s a capable and good friend.”
Our eyes met with his snake-like pupils. It was quite burdensome as he stared as if evaluating whether I could be trusted.
“This old man spoke too much. Would you shake hands?”
“Yes. It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
There was a slight static electricity before our hands touched. Though I couldn’t refuse, the hand I slowly grasped was creepily cold. While my body temperature was higher than others’, it felt almost like a fake hand.
“By the way, you remember that incident.”
Seo-heon rejoined the conversation.
“It was a famous event.”
“Yes. The media made quite a fuss about it at the time.”
Assemblyman Kwon briefly scanned Seo-heon with eyes that seemed to be measuring something.
“I’ve worked with your father too, but I feel I can communicate better with you.”
“You flatter me. I’m still far behind my father.”
Assemblyman Kwon looked into his cooled tea, took a sip, and set it down.
“I’m sorry for keeping busy people. I should be going soon.”
“Thank you for coming. Next time, I’ll treat you.”
Seo-heon took off his black gloves and shook hands with Assemblyman Kwon again. Assemblyman Kwon grasped his hand with a satisfied smile.
Assemblyman Kwon took as long to leave as his grand entrance. It was impressive, beyond surprising, that he always moved like this while handling many schedules.
Seo-heon watched until the car carrying Assemblyman Kwon disappeared from view. Finally, when all traces of Assemblyman Kwon’s visit had vanished, he asked me.
“Since it’s come to this, want to talk for a bit before you go?”
The storm had passed. It was more efficient to have the conversation now than to make time again later, so there was no reason to refuse Seo-heon’s suggestion.
“Let’s do that.”
Seo-heon returned to his office and sat down, immediately taking off his gloves. I sat down opposite him and projected the organized file data into the air.
“Did you do this without sleeping at all? Why did you do that when the information team is handling it?”
It was ridiculous for him to question me when he was the same.