#32
Thinking about it now, it did sound similar to that man’s voice.
Which meant…
Seo Yi-young looked down at the phone in his hand.
The call had been to notify him of a meeting with Jo Tae-su.
The day after tomorrow was already a day with Seo Yi-young’s schedule packed from early morning. The ridiculous appointment time of 3:30 AM seemed to have taken that into consideration. Another reason was likely that it would be when the fewest eyes would be watching.
What business did he have to meet again?
He couldn’t begin to guess. According to information he’d gathered after his first meeting with Jo Tae-su, there was nothing to glean except that they appeared outwardly close. But meeting at such an hour clearly meant there was something beyond professional matters.
He needed to find at least some clue in tomorrow’s meeting.
*
Seo Yi-young arrived at the designated place at the designated time.
He walked through the empty building, listening to the sound of his own footsteps.
As he entered, a secretary greeted him. His face remained as cold as ever.
Inside, the rich aroma of coffee wafted gently through the air. Since the secretary didn’t seem like the type to leisurely drink coffee in this situation, it must certainly be the scent of Jo Tae-su’s coffee.
“You’ve arrived. Today you’re on time, I see.”
Seo Yi-young glanced at the man who pointedly added those words, without bothering to respond.
He idly wondered if this person ever smiled when seeing something amusing. But outwardly, he maintained his expressionless facade. The other man clearly found Seo Yi-young disagreeable as well. Knowing this, there was no need to be friendly. He wasn’t in a position to be that desperate.
Seo Yi-young was either equal to or above this man in standing. There was no reason to be cautious.
“He’s inside.”
Having received the message, Seo Yi-young nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded inside.
Jo Tae-su was sitting comfortably on a spacious sofa. An elegant cup of coffee sat on the table in front of the sofa. It appeared untouched.
In their previous meeting, Jo Tae-su hadn’t offered Seo Yi-young a seat. Perhaps he was still bothered that Seo Yi-young hadn’t sat down then. For Seo Yi-young, standing like this was much more comfortable anyway.
“Hello, sir.”
“Hmm. So you’ve come. It’s been so long I might forget your face, our Hunter Seo.”
Only after Seo Yi-young’s greeting did Jo Tae-su’s lips curl slightly upward before slowly parting his dry lips.
“I called you in because I was curious how you’ve been doing. You must be so busy these days that it’s difficult to even hear your voice.”
There was a sharp barb in Jo Tae-su’s leisurely words. Saying it was difficult to hear his voice implied that Seo Yi-young should have been personally contacting him. What business could the Seo Yi-young of this world have had to contact Jo Tae-su? He couldn’t know for sure, but facing Jo Tae-su’s displeased expression, Seo Yi-young opened his mouth without hesitation.
“I should have contacted you personally, but I was negligent.”
“Hmm. No, no. I’m well aware of how busy Hunter Seo is.”
That’s rich coming from someone who called out a busy person at this hour. While calmly raising this objection in his mind, Seo Yi-young realized his guess had been correct. Jo Tae-su was criticizing him for not contacting him first.
Previously, he might have been confused, unable to properly understand what was being said. But having spent time among high-ranking hunters who enjoyed sophisticated put-downs, he could quickly grasp Jo Tae-su’s true intent. He wondered why the man couldn’t simply ask directly why Seo Yi-young hadn’t called—would his tongue split in two?
What mattered was the purpose of this meeting. Meeting secretly at such an hour, it surely wasn’t just to check on his well-being. At the very least, it wasn’t something that could be handled over a phone call. This was something that required a face-to-face meeting without leaving any traces.
So what exactly was it?
He’d searched for clues at home but found nothing. Well, that made sense. It would be ridiculous to openly document such a secretive meeting.
For now, all he knew was that this meeting with Jo Tae-su was something others shouldn’t know about.
Even trying to think positively about Jo Tae-su, the suspicious nature of his involvement with Seo Yi-young didn’t inspire good thoughts. After all, Seo Yi-young himself was a party to this clandestine meeting. This wasn’t someone else’s problem.
While he didn’t know what kind of person the original Seo Yi-young had been, based on the information he’d gathered from various sources, it was clear he’d caused all sorts of trouble. Judging from the reactions of those around him, the unfavorable rumors about Seo Yi-young that he’d seen on YouTube were certainly not unfounded. But he never imagined he’d done something like this.
Especially that “affair.”
“…”
Just thinking about it made Seo Yi-young want to scream, and he struggled hard not to distort his expression. He parted his lips slightly, inhaling before exhaling slowly.
For now, he needed to focus on dealing with Jo Tae-su who stood before him. However, he couldn’t just say anything carelessly. If he spoke rashly, it would reveal that he wasn’t the same Seo Yi-young as before. As he was contemplating what to do, a brilliant idea flashed in his mind.
Yes, he could use ambiguous language.
Omitting the object and speaking in a way that was vague yet seemingly clear. Though he didn’t enjoy beating around the bush, he decided to employ that strategy now.
“I haven’t had anything worth reporting to you, Director.”
Seo Yi-young followed Jo Tae-su’s lead, speaking vaguely and ambiguously. Though he didn’t know what business required them to meet, he figured Jo Tae-su would understand if he spoke this way.
“Hmm…”
Jo Tae-su made a rumbling sound in his throat. With narrowed eyes, he slowly tapped the armrest of the sofa.
Tap. Tap.
The fact that he didn’t respond immediately and seemed to be taking his time made Seo Yi-young anxious. A chill ran down his spine as he worried whether he’d been found out. What should he do if Jo Tae-su became suspicious? His heartbeat gradually accelerated.
Had it worked?
Thud.
Jo Tae-su struck the armrest with his palm.
“I see. I understand. I got it.”
Seo Yi-young relaxed at Jo Tae-su’s words.
Though it was clear his response hadn’t pleased Jo Tae-su, it had been accepted as an answer. A hint of dissatisfaction could be sensed in Jo Tae-su’s low voice.
But from Jo Tae-su’s perspective, that was understandable.
“You must be busy, so go ahead. I’ll leave a bit later.”
Hearing the voice that had softened compared to his previous words, Seo Yi-young breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yes, then. I’ll contact you soon.”
Seo Yi-young turned around after leaving his farewell.
Just as he was feeling relieved that he’d successfully navigated the situation…
“Hunter Seo.”
Jo Tae-su’s low, heavy voice resonated through the settled air. Seo Yi-young stopped in his tracks at the sound of his name. Tension that made the air feel tight gripped him as he wondered if he’d been discovered.
“Yes. Please speak.”
Hearing Seo Yi-young’s response, Jo Tae-su continued slowly.
“Next time, you should bring me some useful information. You even entered the dungeon together, after all.”
Entered the dungeon together?
Asking for useful information… The purpose of this meeting was for Seo Yi-young to provide Jo Tae-su with information about someone. Moreover, that someone was a hunter who had entered the same dungeon as Seo Yi-young. He never expected to discover the purpose of this meeting—which he’d been unable to find any clue about despite his efforts—in this way.
Why were these two having such secretive meetings? He tried to calm the feeling that was hard to describe as either excitement or anxiety.
Could he find out who the target was here?
Seo Yi-young met Jo Tae-su’s gaze that was fixed on his face.
“That’s right. But he doesn’t seem to show any weaknesses.”
Jo Tae-su nodded slowly in agreement at Seo Yi-young’s words.
“Choi Do-jun is indeed a bit difficult.”
Choi Do-jun?
Choi Do-jun’s name comes up here?
Seo Yi-young barely managed to suppress his reaction that might have revealed his agitation. Jo Tae-su was watching. He couldn’t show any sign of surprise or disturbance.
“But vulnerabilities can be created, can’t they?”
“That’s true.”
“I’ll arrange for you to be on the same dungeon raid team again soon, so I have expectations.”
“Understood.”
After finishing his words, Seo Yi-young turned around.
Jo Tae-su’s gaze stuck to his back until he left the place.
*
Jo Tae-su kept his eyes fixed on the door through which Seo Yi-young had left. His finger continued to tap the sofa at regular intervals.
After remaining silent with his gaze unmoving for quite some time, Jo Tae-su finally spoke.
“Director Park.”
“Yes, Director.”
Park Sung-jun was a somewhat trustworthy person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been present at such a clandestine meeting.
“If a dog you’ve raised suddenly doesn’t recognize its owner, what would Director Park do?”
Despite the abrupt question, Park Sung-jun didn’t make the mistake of asking for clarification.
“I would either retrain it or get rid of it, sir.”
“Hmm.”
It was a satisfying answer.
When he’d asked Seo Yi-young the same question, he had answered that he would kill it and bring in a new dog. That bold answer had impressed him.
Jo Tae-su exhaled lightly.
“Our Hunter Seo Yi-young seems a bit strange these days.”
Park Sung-jun bowed his head in agreement.
“It seems like he’s hiding something from me. Which is hurtful, given our relationship.”
Jo Tae-su continued, gently massaging his temple with his index finger.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
