Chapter 44
“Ah, then did you come out to catch some weakness of mine?”
“No, that’s not it. Please don’t misunderstand.”
What misunderstanding. When Mujin scoffed, Ryu Sehyeon repeatedly apologized saying he was sorry.
Eunseong bit his lips tightly. A hidden child, how absurd, yet it was undoubtedly a plausible rumor that somehow fit together. Three years of seclusion, discord with his father – if you said Baek Mujin had a marriage his family opposed, everything would fit together perfectly. Thus, smoke rose even from a chimney that wasn’t lit.
“What would we do by catching Hunter Baek Mujin’s weakness? If that had been our intention, we wouldn’t have accepted the commission at all. However, what we want to say in this situation where the misunderstanding has been cleared is that teaching adults is also troublesome…”
“It’s several times harder. What do you mean several times, it’s ten times harder. Core growth has probably already stopped too-.”
Park Jiwon chimed in from the side, giving Eunseong a look.
“Anyway, it feels like the job is getting bigger than expected, so we wanted to say that we can’t accept the commission under the contract conditions we mentioned before…”
Catch weaknesses for what purpose. They were planning to extort a lot of money.
“Then there was no need to sit at this table in the first place.”
“What? No! There’s room for negotiation!”
“Well, sorry, but I don’t have any.”
When Mujin tried to break up the meeting without a moment’s hesitation, Eunseong’s face turned red. He put his hand under the table and gripped Mujin’s thigh tightly, causing him to widen his eyes and look toward Eunseong. It was the most dramatic expression change since entering the boardroom.
Eunseong stood up abruptly and pulled Mujin along.
“If it’s alright, I’ll consult with Hunter Baek Mujin for a moment and return.”
“Huh? Ah… yes. I understand.”
When Eunseong, who had kept his mouth shut until now, moved, Ryu Sehyeon made a dumbfounded sound.
Leaving the Sayeong hunters behind, Eunseong and Mujin exited the boardroom. After looking around, Mujin soon found a small, enclosed space.
Confirming they were alone in the narrow space, Eunseong gestured for Mujin to bend down. Since Mujin was reluctant and not very cooperative, he had to stand on his tiptoes. Eunseong grabbed Mujin’s shoulders and put his lips to his ear. Since hunters had sharp hearing, it couldn’t be helped.
“Tell them you’ll pay double. No, triple is fine too. I’ll pay it back…”
Before he could finish speaking, Mujin straightened his upper body and moved far away. Eunseong had no choice but to close his mouth tightly. He waved his hands frantically asking for his ear again, but got no reaction from Mujin.
“Mujin.”
Feeling frustrated, he was about to take off his security glasses when his hand was caught.
“I got it.”
“Then you’ll just do it.”
“What’s so urgent. Hanyeong’s condition is stable, and you could find other guys.”
“You know well that people with decent buff abilities aren’t common.”
“So what are you going to do with those bastards who came with other ulterior motives?”
Perhaps because the space was narrow, Mujin’s voice sounded too low. For some reason, goosebumps ran down his spine, but Eunseong didn’t back down. He turned his head in the direction he felt the gaze and whispered carefully.
“It’s not just because of Hanyeong. What I said before was sincere. When you go to the great rift, I’ll definitely go with you. For that, I need to awaken all my skills. Time is running short.”
“…Who said they’d take you?”
“Don’t be like that.”
He wanted to protect Baek Mujin. Amidst all the confusion with his blurred memories, this was the one clear image and emotion. Like a sparkling lighthouse on a dark sea, it was a beacon for Eunseong to move forward.
Eunseong put strength in his voice.
“I can’t let you go alone.”
The hand Mujin was holding grew hotter and hotter. It wasn’t even like he was using his ability… Eunseong gently rubbed the back of his hand with his other hand as if soothing him.
“…I got it. If you want to go, then you have to go.”
When Eunseong smiled upon hearing the answer, Mujin turned his body away as if sulking. Unlike before, he walked away alone, leaving Eunseong behind, but having secured the promise, Eunseong was simply happy.
* * *
When they returned to the boardroom, a strange tension had been added to the previously unsettled atmosphere. As he walked in to sit in his chair, Hunter Ryu Sehyeon stood up and bowed his head deeply. Then he firmly pressed down on Park Jiwon’s neck, who was standing beside him.
“Earlier, from our first meeting, we were really rude. If you were offended, we’re truly sorry.”
Mujin narrowed his eyes and sneered.
“No. Well, such rumors are endearing. I understood that adult buffer education is difficult, and I also understood that civilian care was unexpected.”
His expression clearly showed he didn’t understand at all. Park Jiwon’s eyes rolled busily toward Eunseong. He seemed to have noticed that it was Eunseong who had helped clean up the mess they had made.
“I was thoughtless. I’m really sorry.”
“I’m also at fault for not keeping my subordinate’s mouth in check.”
Ryu Sehyeon pressed down firmly once more on Park Jiwon’s neck as he slyly tried to raise his head. Bang! He hit his forehead against the table so hard it made a sound, causing Eunseong to jump and shrug his shoulders in surprise. Only then did Mujin relax his expression.
“The apology is done, so let’s hear the conditions you want.”
After all the commotion passed, Ryu Sehyeon seemed to have pulled himself together completely. He quickly turned on his tablet and handed it to Mujin.
“Buffers capable of skill correction would be hard to find…”
At the sound of him peddling again, Mujin, who was looking down at the tablet, only rolled his eyes to glare at him.
“I, I wanted to say it wouldn’t be bad conditions.”
The newly written conditions in the contract were 1.5 times the amount they had exchanged online. For someone who had acted up about hidden children and whatnot, his boldness was pathetic. Mujin recalled the information he had heard from Yeon Seokchun before coming to meet Sayeong.
‘The amount these guys are offering now is already quite high, but once they sit at the table, they’ll attach all sorts of complaints and try to add more money. Sayeong’s financial situation is a bit bad these days. They probably accepted the commission thinking Hunter Baek Mujin had something fishy about him.’
‘I expected it. Aren’t I the unfilial son who ran away from Huiseon?’
‘Still, they’re guys with decent skills, so just play along moderately. They’re better than those hunter bastards who won’t even acknowledge you while watching Huiseon Guild’s mood.’
Having thought that far, Mujin looked at Eunseong and said.
“I’ll give you 50 percent more on top of the amount written here. That much is money our Geumseum is giving, so please understand it that way.”
Mujin scribbled his signature and pushed the tablet toward Ryu Sehyeon. The two hunters from Sayeong Guild widened their eyes and gaped.
“Actually… our guild’s condition is terrible these days. Ever since our guild leader got involved with changgui… we’re completely drained from trying to handle the situation.”
It seems the whole world everywhere is in chaos with changgui. Eunseong put strength into their clasped hands under the table. Mujin answered in his place as if he understood well.
“You’ve had such an incident. I’ve met Sayeong Guild’s leader several times in rifts. I hope this will be helpful.”
“Didn’t you contact us knowing all this? Knowing all about our difficult situation… that we couldn’t refuse, I thought you were making an illegal commission.”
Mujin sighed quietly and touched his temple.
“It seems there are many misunderstandings.”
“Our guild leader is currently hospitalized, and all the guild’s core personnel have been drafted to the changgui specialized team, but! We will take responsibility for educating Hunter Han Geumseum. We’ll also take care of the sick person with all our heart.”
Park Jiwon’s eyes lit up as he jumped up from his seat.
“Once you properly awaken, let’s wipe out all those changgui bastards together with me. Those things that just mimic humans should literally be slaughtered. I think we should just kill them all, forget about capturing them alive or anything.”
“That’s enough of the personal remarks. I’m pleased that our mutual understanding seems to match well.”
The voice bursting with indignation was somewhat uncomfortable. Mujin patted Eunseong’s knee and summarized the situation.
“The conditions I want are exactly three things. First, strict confidentiality. Second, one buffer to help with treatment. Third, one buffer to help with Geumseum’s skill awakening.”
“Good.”
When Ryu Sehyeon nodded, Mujin extended his hand requesting a handshake.
“I won’t ask what intentions Sayeong had in coming to this meeting after this moment.”
“Thank you, Hunter Baek Mujin.”
Park Jiwon clapped noisily clap clap clap, then jumped up saying it went well. He swiftly came around the table and arbitrarily grabbed both of Eunseong’s hands.
“Please take care of us from now on, Hunter Han Geumseum!”
The force with which he shook their hands was so vigorous that it shook Eunseong’s entire body. In the midst of his confusion, not knowing what to do, Mujin intervened and harshly swatted away Park Jiwon’s hands.
“Fourth condition. No unnecessary physical contact.”
“Huh, what?”
“Do you understand?”
The atmosphere of the smoothly concluding negotiation disappeared, and a cold wind blew fiercely. When Mujin pulled Eunseong’s shoulder strongly into an embrace, taking a defensive posture, the thought crossed Park Jiwon’s mind that perhaps the future might be difficult.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
