บท 93: Chapter 93
In a single patient general hospital room, Byeon Gilsup perched on a chair. His gaze moved to the bed.
"Haah, this absolute dunce."
For some reason, Kim Taechun had turned monster-like and then was quickly dispatched. And via a back choke, no less. A combat class Player letting a non-combat class grab them by the back of the neck? That wasn't just a disgrace. It was utterly humiliating.
"If it were me, I woulda just bit my tongue and ended it."
Gilsup was only here because the Guildmaster, a freaking 3rd generation chaebol, told him to keep a good eye on this guy.
"How can you call yourself a combat class with shit skills like that? You might as well eat shit, dude."
Byeon Gilsup had watched Kim Taechun and Kim Hyukjin's fight on the 12th floor earlier. He was one of the people who were able to read Hyukjin's movements.
"It's cause you were so fucking slow that you got slammed by a non-combat class, idiot."
He sighed like he was frustrated. He was confident that if it had been him, he wouldn't have lost so pathetically.
"Bro, you gotta just loosen up there, and then move fast like whoosh and go wham wham! Like this, dude! Gah, so frustrating. Just like me, wham! Wham! Like this."
He was sure that if it were him, he could have easily taken Hyukjin down. He believed in his 'spearmanship'.
"All that weight you had on him, wasted. The heck was that? And when are you gonna wake the hell up? How long do I have to stay here babysitting your ass?"
He clicked his tongue as he continued to cuss out the unconscious Kim Taechun, calling the man an idiot to top all idiots.
But just then, someone came into the hospital room.
"Thank ya."
It was a white-haired grandma. Her face was full of lines that showed the passage of many years. She grabbed Gilsup's hand, looking quite composed.
"Thank ya, sonny. Thank ya for savin' our Taechun. Thank ya so much."
When she bent 90 degrees, Gilsup hurried to bend 100 degrees with extreme alacrity.
"Goodness, it's nothing, granny. This fellow fought really courageously and well. We were able to clear the flash gate because of him, too. He is a hidden hero."
The Gilpsup who had been cussing out Taechun moments ago was nowhere to be seen. He gazed warmly at the grandma's hand's grabbing his and spoke with a very sincere attitude.
"I owe my life to his efforts, granny. Don't worry too much. He'll get up soon. Our Taeguk Shield will do its best for his recovery. And you don't have to worry about the hospital fee."
They spoke for a while. After some time, Gilsup's face turned bright red.
'She wasn't his granny, but his mom?'
He had called a mom a granny. That was no different from telling her 'you look really fucking old'. Cold sweat ran down his back. Today… was a really tough day.
'I-I would be an even bigger piece of shit if I apologized now, right?'
The man who would one day become famous as the Spear Demon was forced to undergo a very difficult night.
* * *
At around the same time as when Byeon Gilsup was undergoing hardship, Kim Hyukjin and Song Kiyeol were conversing.
"Shall we start our conversation? There must be a lot you want to ask. I'd like this to be a useful time for me, no… for us."
Kiyeol definitely heard it. That 'for me, no… for us.'
'A slip of the tongue?' Had Hyukjin unintentionally misspoken? 'No. It wasn't a mistake.'
When he arrived at the police station, he was forced to completely renew his evaluation of Kim Hyukjin. He had devised this situation, but it actually felt like he was the one getting played like a fiddle.
'A trick to unsettle me. Or to sound me out.'
He was sure of it.
"Oh right," said Hyukjin. "I should remind you that this is, of course, being streamed. She is transparent right now, but Senia is transmitting this footage to the Guardians."
The Guardians were watching. It was a veiled warning not to do anything foolish. That was how Kiyeol heard it.
Kim Hyukjin looked extremely relaxed. "I thought there was a lot you wanted to know about me. We have time, so I'll answer all your questions. Please, ask away."
Kiyeol nodded. For now, it was true that he was getting pushed back. He had also lost the initiative. However, since he could have his questions answered, the situation wasn't that terrible.
"First of all, I need an explanation about the sovereign class."
Hyukjin gave him a simple explanation. It was a class that allotted roles based on every Player's ability and maximized their skills and efficiency.
"That's the kind of class it is."
"You acted as if you knew that I would come to the police station. Are you a Precognitive Dream user?"
Hyukjin shrugged. "I have a similar ability."
"Ah…"
Taeguk Shield also had a Precognitive Dream user. Hyukjin grinned, saying, "Taeguk Shield has a person like that too, right? Someone with Precognitive Dream."
"That is a secret."
"I saw through Guildmaster Song Kiyeol's Eye of Truth. Do you think I wouldn't know about a Precognitive Dream user?"
"What?"
"It might even be that you were tardy to the Players Convention because of them."
"You are overthinking it."
"Shall I try guessing the name of the Precognitive Dream user?"
That person is Ham Sohyun, right? He didn't say that.
"..."
Kiyeol flinched. For a very brief moment, he felt a chill. It was almost as if… everything about him and Taeguk Shield was being 'observed'. It was actually more scary that the name 'Ham Sohyun' was left unsaid. It felt like Hyukjin didn't say it on purpose.
'Is it a trick?'
It was difficult to guess how much this man knew and how much of what he said was the truth. That made this conversation all the more confusing and difficult. This 20-year-old youth in front of him… almost made him feel like he was talking to his grandfather.
"I'm joking. Even for me, I can't know things in such detail."
"..."
"You are more timid than I expected."
He kept feeling like he was ensnared in Hyukjin's web. Kiyeol pulled himself together and moved to the next question.
"How did you suppress the Orcs?"
"I wasn't the one who suppressed them, but Taeguk Shield."
"Allow me to rephrase the question. How did you put them into a groggy state?"
"It is one of my special skills."
That was a lie. Hyukjin was only able to use the Spell of Submission because the Whispering Devil had helped him. However, he didn't show all his cards truthfully.
He made an idle remark. "You can't try to uncover all my trade secrets. There has to be give and take. I will only say that it is one of my special skills."
"..."
Kiyeol continued with what he considered a 'trump' question. "I heard that you treated my youngest sibling almost threateningly. From what I hear, you even wrapped up our grandfather in your denouncement."
"Ah. Is that how it was told?"
The truth was the truth. There was no use in talking to the underlings. Hyukjin had dealt a direct blow to the grandson so that his message would reach President Song Kiyoung without a filter.
"That wasn't what I meant."
"You seem to be confident you can deal with the aftermath."
"The aftermath?"
Sitting with his legs crossed, Hyukjin looked insively Song Kiyeol. The Guildmaster of Taeguk Shield still had a long way to go. That was why he would later lose to the second oldest grandchild, Song Junghye.
"Do you think that President Song would have sent his beloved grandson to me without any reason whatsoever?"
"..."
Kiyeol had a weird feeling. It felt like Kim Hyukjin knew his grandfather very well. Something was weird. It was like… Hyukjin knew his grandfather better than he did. For now, he decided to listen.
"What's more, an ordinary little kid who holds no position in the company and no responsibilities?"
"That's because Jinchul was insisting so much…"
"He is not the kind of person who would simply give in to his youngest grandson's begging. He only makes it seem like that. That, too, must be an intentional part of his act."
It was likely true that he did love his youngest grandson. Jinchul was a grandson he received in his old age. There was no doubt that he had a special fondness for the boy. But not to the point of being unable to separate personal matters from business.
"Try to see through the President's intent. He wasn't just convinced by a kid's cute tricks. He wanted to see how I would handle Song Jinchul." Adding to that, "I'm sure his desire to hear about the situation without a filter was part and parcel. I merely acted in accordance with what he wanted. There was no aftermath to consider in the first place."
Song Kiyeol's body flinched almost imperceptibly. The new perspective Hyukjin showed him gave him a slight shock.
"...You speak as if you know our president very well," he barely managed. "Though as far as I know, you have only met him once."
"There are things you only need to see once to figure out."
Hyukjin simply fixed Kiyeol with a leveled look. It was a very small clue, but he didn't miss it.
'He called him president instead of grandfather?'
It seemed this grandson felt a certain level of distance from his grandfather. After a slight pause, Hyukjin continued staring at Kiyeol.
'In other words… Do you think that President Song wouldn't know that you've come to see me?'
He didn't spell it out. If Kiyeol could realize that on his own, Hyukjin planned on cooperating with him, to a certain extent. To be more precise, he would move forward with bringing the guild under Song Kiyeol's leadership, Taeguk Shield, under him.
'He has to realize at least that much to have the qualifications of a business partner.'
If he was so clueless he couldn't figure this much out, there was no need to work with him. Hyukjin would discard him without reserve. It was because of Song Kiyeol's wealth and power, as well as his character that was considered quite decent even in the future, that Hyukjin gave him a chance. Kiyeol had to be a much better choice than the Blood and Iron Witch Song Junghye.
'Well, he's a 3rd gen chaebol, after all.'
He had things Hyukjin didn't have. Song Kiyeol and Taeguk Shield had access to nearly unlimited wealth and power. If they used each other and gave each other what was owed, then they would be able to establish a win-win relationship.
Thankfully, Song Kiyeol wasn't a fool.
'Ah…'
He understood Hyukjin's words and actions. If his grandfather had observed a situation involving Hyukjin via his youngest brother, then what about now?
'Grandfather is watching me, too.'
It was very simple, but it enlightened him. Actually, Kiyeol's main interest wasn't really 'Taeguk Shield'. Taeguk Shield was merely a tool and a stepping stone to solidify his position in the succession battle. His true goal was to be acknowledged by his grandfather and ascend to the position of the next president.
'This… wasn't me testing Kim Hyukjin, but Grandfather testing me.'
Hyukjin read that thought. "It seems that we can communicate more properly now."
"..."
"I would guess that the way the President sees you will be affected by the result of your negotiation with me and how your conversation with me progresses."
Song Kiyeol earnestly asked, "I apologize, but are you really 20?"
"Yes. Would you like to see my ID card?"
"No, there's no need for that."
How could a 20-year-old act like this? From his actions and speech, it would be believable if someone said Hyukjin was a 60-year-old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Kiyeol decided not to go around in circles. Hyukjin already knew exactly what the opposite party wanted and was aiming for, and was acting accordingly. Kiyeol understood perfectly well that Hyukjin was a level higher than him.
'I'm not the fiddler in this situation.'
He came totally convinced he was the fiddler, but he was actually the fiddle. If so, going around in circles was meaningless. He decided to advance directly.
"What do you want?"
"$100k per member of our team. And all the items that were dropped earlier."
"I have already promised you that. I will prepare it immediately. Useless oil items also came out, but do you want those as well?"
"I believe I asked for everything, did I not?"
"Understood. I will give you everything."
He didn't linger on that. Kiyeol already knew their basic personal details. Kim Hyukjin, Kim Sunhwa, So Yoohyun, Choi Sung-gu, Shin Yeonseo, Jo Sunghyun. A total of six people.
'$600k.'
It was that much money. Song Kiyeol could easily handle that much on his own.
He inquired again, "Beyond that, I am asking what you want in exchange for maintaining a cooperative relationship between my Taeguk Shield and your team."
Only then did Hyukjin flash him a smile of satisfaction. "It seems we can get to the true matter at hand."
As expected of the Guildmaster of Taeguk Shield, Song Kiyeol was still one of the people who wasn't eliminated in the future and continued to push forward on the front lines as the leader of one of the world's pre-eminent guilds. He did lose to his younger sister, but he wasn't a total idiot. No, in all actuality, Song Kiyeol belonged to the elite upper group.
It was just a little interesting that the person leading such an elite by the nose was Kim Hyukjin.
____
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