IH Ch 101

Chapter 101

Since it wasn’t feasible to continue the conversation standing, they changed locations. The private room, spacious enough to seat ten people comfortably, had light refreshments set out. There were warm teas, traditional sweets like yanggaeng (red bean jelly), hangwa (Korean confections), and tteok (rice cake), all arrayed in a pleasing presentation.

“It didn’t seem like mealtime, so I prepared a few simple snacks for you,” said Chairman Ma Jungseok.

Jae-i responded with a curt nod rather than words. He had never touched food at meetings in the first place—his hosts were probably aware of that and had kept things simple accordingly.

The revelation that the little girl was the chairman’s granddaughter held no particular significance to Jae-i. He figured she had probably begged her grandfather to let her come along. Just as Jae-i was about to pull out a chair for Dohwa, he paused. Dohwa, standing behind the chair, had his eyes fixed on the plate of hangwa placed in front of him.

“……”

Jae-i grasped Dohwa’s arm and guided him into the seat, then sat down beside him. Silently, Jae-i pulled the plate with the hangwa, tteok, and yanggaeng closer to them. He could feel Chairman Ma’s and Ahn Yuna’s gazes from across the table, but ignored them. Instead, he placed a fork in Dohwa’s hand and subtly checked whether his disguise—oversized glasses and a pulled-up hoodie—was in place. From the side, the lenses were nearly 0.5 cm thick and large enough to cover half his face. With the hood up, his face was entirely concealed. It wasn’t exactly the outfit for a formal meeting, but there were enough eccentric Hunters that it could pass unnoticed. Assuming the others would think of him as one of those types, Jae-i turned his eyes forward just as Dohwa picked up a piece of rice cake and put it into his mouth.

As Ma Joong-seok’s gaze shifted from Dohwa to Jae-i, a faint crease formed between Jae-i’s brows.

“……”

Despite not being an Ability User, the chairman had led one of the country’s most powerful corporations for nearly fifty years. Was it wise to expose Dohwa to someone like that?

At that moment, the chairman leaned toward the girl. Her name, as it turned out, was Hwa-young. The surname being different from Ma was briefly curious, but Jae-i didn’t ask. It was strange enough that the granddaughter of a chaebol like Hyeseong’s chairman was being treated in such a rundown hospital.

“This one’s called yanggaeng. Do you think you can eat it?”

“Yes. Mommy said this is Grandpa’s favorite. You like red bean, right?”

“…Yes. I suppose it does suit my taste.”

Hwa-young split the red bean yanggaeng in front of her and carefully picked up a piece with her fork, offering it to Chairman Ma.

“Ah.”

“……”

Glancing briefly at Jae-i across the table, the chairman then slowly opened his mouth to accept the offering.

“Does it taste good?”

She asked before he even started chewing. Chairman Ma nodded. Then, gesturing toward the remaining half as if to say she should try it too, he pointed with his hand. Hwa-young tasted it and clutched her fork with both hands; her eyes sparkled as she said it tasted good and smiled so brightly that her eyes seemed to disappear. That smiling face overlapped with her image from the hospital bed. Back then, even breathing had been difficult.

Just then, a small finger poked Jae-i’s side. Curious, he lowered his head—Dohwa was pointing at the treats in front of him, silently mouthing “Eat it. It’s good.”

“……”

This wasn’t a place meant for eating, but the Chairman had already accepted the rice cake from Hwa-young. Maintaining a stiff air in this kind of atmosphere would only come off as stranger, so Jae-i picked up his fork. Seeing this, Ahn Yuna seemed to relax a little. She poured tea into the cups in front of everyone—the Guild Master, Dohwa, even those across the table—before finally grabbing a piece of rice cake for herself.

“Oh my, this is delicious.”

The person who responded to that was Hwa-young.

“Right? Grandpa really paid attention when getting everything ready. Originally, he was going to prepare dinner at a really nice restaurant, but people found out.”

“……”

“Grandpa really went out of his way.”

Disappointed that they wouldn’t be eating at the original location, Hwa-young pouted a little, but then quickly smiled again and asked,

“Still, this place is nice too, don’t you think?”

Her question held a subtle plea for approval—“Please say yes”—and Ahn Yuna gave a kindly smile and nodded exaggeratedly.

“Yes. This place is really nice. And the Guild Master—he actually prefers light snacks over full meals, right? Isn’t that true? You like this kind of thing?”

Strictly speaking, his real preference leaned more toward pastries.

Jae-i, who had just placed a piece of green tea-flavored yanggaeng into his mouth, looked over at Hwa-young. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. As the soft jelly melted gently in his mouth, he gave a small nod.

“Hehe.”

Though his reaction was minimal, Hwa-young was delighted and quietly swung her legs from side to side. Chairman Ma, watching his granddaughter with soft eyes, reached out with his rough hand and gently patted her head before speaking casually.

“Grandpa has something important to discuss with Guild Master Hwang Jae-i. Would you be kind and step out for a bit, Hwa-young?”

“……”

For a moment, the corners of her lips downward. She clearly wanted to stay longer, but eventually nodded obediently. Getting herself out of her seat, she looked at Jae-i.

“Guild Master, please talk to Grandpa well. And you’ll tell me when you’re about to leave, right?”

“…Sure.”

She must’ve been worried that he would leave without a word. Her face brightened at the reassurance, and she bounced on her feet before scurrying out of the room. Calling “Mom!” as she went suggested a guardian had come with her.

“……”

The difference between when the child was present and when she wasn’t was significant. With just one person gone, a quiet awkwardness settled over the room.

Jae-i set down his fork and reached for his tea, rinsing his palate. Chairman Ma Joong-seok likewise sipped twice before beginning:

“I imagine this sort of meeting must feel sudden. To be honest, it is for me too. I’ve never once thought of contacting you myself, Guild Master Hwang, or offering you any kind of assistance.”

Ever since Jae-i had become a Guild Master, he had practically turned his back on large corporations. Naturally, major conglomerates like Hyeseong hadn’t looked favorably upon him. Like other companies with media subsidiaries, Hyeseong had hammered him with negative press and shaped public opinion against him. Even now that their stance had softened, that didn’t erase what had gone on for years.

“To put it briefly—since a long explanation will probably lose your interest—I didn’t know about that child’s existence. More specifically, after my son died in an accident, everything inside me crumbled.”

At that point, Chairman Ma looked directly at Jae-i. His gaze silently asked: Do you know what happened regarding my eldest son?

Jae-i nodded, answering without words.

Chairman Ma let out a long sigh and stared at the teacup before him. Vocalizing memories he barely wanted to relive made his insides churn.

“One day, my son brought someone home, saying she was the woman he loved. I disapproved and tried to keep them apart. My son’s response was to leave—with her—and they died in a car accident. That’s all I knew.”

“……”

“I didn’t even realize she had somehow survived that horrific crash. Back then, my thoughts were still entirely consumed by my son’s death.”

After his son’s passing, Chairman Ma’s health declined rapidly. His most loyal subordinates, sensing an opportunity, began plotting.

Only the son had died in the crash. No woman’s corpse had been found. Despite exhaustive searches, not even a trace. Upon realizing she had survived, the aides deliberately withheld the information from the grieving chairman.

They considered it unnecessary. Even if the woman resurfaced later, they assumed the chairman wouldn’t care anymore. This was their chance to expand their power within Hyeseong. Chairman Ma had become so frail that he hadn’t even questioned them when they fabricated her death, staging it as if both victims had perished.

And so, meaningless years passed.

Then one day, someone whispered to him that the woman had borne his son’s child. At the time, Chairman Ma was unmoved. To him, neither the woman nor child mattered—only his lost son. But perhaps, from the afterlife, his son had wanted to leave one final gift. One day, when he casually turned on a television for the first time in years, Hwa-young was there. Surrounded by flashing cameras, she resolutely defended Guild Master Hwang Jae-i, firmly silencing journalists.

“The moment I saw her, I saw my son. She looked exactly like him. It felt like my dead son was calling out to me.”