IH Ch 102

Chapter 102

At that moment, Chairman Ma Jungseok realized what he needed to do. Without delay, he entrusted trustworthy individuals with securing the safety of the child and his daughter-in-law. Instinctively, he had sensed that someone was targeting the two. Sure enough, the daughter-in-law was incredibly guarded upon seeing him. Wrapping her arms tightly around the now miraculously recovered child, she firmly drew a boundary, saying the child was hers and had nothing to do with the chairman’s son.

In his grief over losing his son, he hadn’t paid attention to things around him, and during that time, others had been pursuing the daughter-in-law. Whoever they were, it was unlikely they’d gone after her and Hwa-young for benevolent reasons. Though he had stepped away from day-to-day matters for some years, his mind was still sharp. Once he grasped the situation, he made their protection a priority and began attempts to find out exactly who had been after them.

Reconciling with his daughter-in-law would have to come later. He considered the imminent danger the more urgent matter and had been preparing to concentrate fully on that—until Hwa-young approached him. Holding tightly to her wary mother’s hand, her eyes—identical to the ones his son had—looked straight at Ma Joong-seok and said,

“Grandfather, please help Hunter Hwang Jae-i.”

It was sudden. Chairman Ma remained silent, unable to react. The child repeated herself,

“Please. I’m begging you.”

In that moment, he recalled his son, cautiously confessing that he had someone he loved.

What if, back then, he had begrudgingly accepted it? Perhaps his son would still be alive, standing beside him now. Maybe he would have built a happy family with his daughter. The thought alone removed all hesitation. He said okay—and that brought them to this point now.

“I’ve stepped away from the frontlines, so full control is still difficult. This incident happened because of that.”

He was referring to the last-minute change in the meeting location.

“……”

Chairman Ma studied Hwang Jae-i’s expression.

Would this explanation suffice to justify why they had shielded him from the media attack recently? But Jae-i’s gaze and expression were indifferent. With his eyes alone, he seemed to ask: That can’t be the only reason you helped me, can it?

Chairman Ma was now sure—even though Jae-i was young, he was not an easy opponent.

Despite having just turned twenty, he was an S-Class Hunter. Even before becoming Guild Master at seventeen, he had entered and exited countless gates, both large and small. People might assume that someone of his grade wouldn’t get hurt, but Ma Joong-seok knew better. Regardless of level, Hunters put their lives on the line each time they entered a gate. Hwang Jae-i had returned from the brink of death more times than anyone could reckon.

After a moment of thought, Chairman Ma spoke again.

“I want to pass Hyeseong down to Hwa-young. The only thing in the way is how old I’ve gotten.”

“……”

“No matter how much money I spend or what methods I try, I can’t double a human lifespan. At best, I might have ten more years, if I’m lucky.”

His abrupt confession didn’t stir any reaction from either Hwang Jae-i or Ahn Yuna. Now reassured that they were still open to listening, Chairman Ma said, “Let him in.”

The door opened, and a man in his mid-50s entered the room. After greeting Hwang Jae-i, he placed a tablet on the table before Chairman Ma and exited again. Placing one hand atop the tablet, Chairman Ma continued.

“While I was out of commission, some people were slowly eating away at Hyeseong. But I intend to reclaim everything within half a year. Then, during what remaining years I have, I plan to raise Hwa-young properly. I’ll further train those I can trust so that betrayal won’t even cross their minds, and I’ll recruit new talent on a massive scale. I’m going to make sure that no one dares lay even a finger on Hyeseong or Hwa-young.”

“……”

“Of course, just because I set these as goals doesn’t mean things will go accordingly. Those who tried to blind me and cover my ears won’t back down easily. That’s why I plan to add multiple layers of protection.”

At this point, Jae-i, who had been silently listening, finally spoke.

“You want me to be that protection.”

“……”

Neither he nor Ahn Yuna looked pleased.

They understood Hyeseong’s current situation, and they could sympathize with the grandfather-granddaughter bond between Ma Joong-seok and Hwa-young. Even so, asking Jae-i to serve as Hwa-young’s shield on the basis of a few favors seemed excessive. No matter how tenderhearted—or not—Jae-i was, accepting such conditions meant he’d have to serve as Hyeseong’s backup for at least the next ten years, possibly longer.

Hyeseong might be a major corporation, but should Hwang Jae-i, of all people, really go that far? As Ahn Yuna tallied up the possibilities from every angle, her head tilted sideways slightly. Not going to work. Her conclusion showed clearly on her face, but before she could speak, Chairman Ma pushed the tablet in front of them.

“Take a look at this.”

Ahn Yuna was the first to reach out. She intended to screen the contents before showing it to Hwang Jae-i. But the moment her fingertips activated the screen and the image appeared, her expression hardened.

“……”

She quietly glanced sideways, and Hwang Jae-i, who had evidently already seen the screen, wore a completely blank expression.

“Hwang Ha-jin seems to be back in the country. Did you know that?”

“……”

“Looks like he’s already made some deals with local politicians. Right now, Hyeseong is taking a hit, but if high-ranking government officials step in to defend him, the company’s image will recover quickly.”

Even as Chairman Ma spoke, Jae-i’s eyes remained glued to the tablet.

It had been ten years since Hwang Ha-jin was last seen. Though his exit from the country was essentially forced, he had rebranded it as the start of a new career as a freelance Hunter and disappeared. Since then, every time opportunities presented themselves to see his face again, Jae-i had gone out of his way to avoid it. But this time, he couldn’t.

His smug face was unchanged. If anything, he looked healthier—like he’d been living well all this time. Looking at him now, Jae-i finally opened his mouth.

“He’s already back?”

He muttered, and his expression wasn’t all that grim. He just kept murmuring, “Already returned a few times, huh,” as he stared at Ha-jin’s face on the tablet. Instead, it was Ahn Yuna, whose face had noticeably shifted, who quietly excused herself and stepped outside. Dohwa simply continued staring at the screen.

“……”

There wasn’t a single trait of Hwang Jae-i to be found in that man.

Pretending to be a decent person, but with that arrogant air as if trying to flaunt his weight, his lips curled up in a faint smirk—nothing about him was likable.

“It’s unlikely that he returned to Korea so quietly just because government officials are backing him from behind.”

“……”

“Even if he declared himself a freelancer, he’s still a Hunter. Management of a Hunter still falls under the Association’s jurisdiction.”

Finally taking his eyes off the tablet, Jae-i looked at Chairman Ma. Having lived a long life full of diverse experiences, Ma Joong-seok continued calmly.

“I’m sure you, as Guild Master, could resolve this on your own. But if my assistance cuts down that burden by even half, then wouldn’t that be a good thing?”

He was offering to shoulder half the trouble that was bound to come.

“You don’t have to answer right away. Just take time and think it through. In our arrangement, I won’t ever ask you to do anything that isn’t related to my granddaughter. That much—I can promise you.”

“…I’ll be taking my leave now.”

It seemed the conversation was winding down. There was no reason to sit there any longer.

Though he hadn’t received an answer, Chairman Ma didn’t stop him. Instead, he gave Dohwa a polite nod—who, up to that point, had quietly continued nibbling on sweets.

He might have looked gentle, but as the man who had led Hyeseong, there was surely a cunning snake coiled in his gut. And yet, he didn’t brush aside Dohwa’s presence. Having quietly taken note of Dohwa’s significance, he acknowledged him as well. Dohwa returned the nod and followed Jae-i out.

As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Jae-i tilted his head all the way back. He’d barely managed to maintain his composure inside the room—he couldn’t hold it together anymore.

The mere fact that that bastard had already entered the country, and that the government and Association were involved—it infuriated him. Shaking his head slightly side to side, Jae-i sighed deeply and muttered:

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…”

Ahn Yuna was probably trying to assess the situation, but that wouldn’t be enough. Mentally flashing back to Hwang Ha-jin’s cheerful, crowd-pleasing smile, surrounded by people, Jae-i clenched his jaw.

Yeah. What’s the point of going through intermediaries? Why not go right to the source? There was no need for conversation. Just go, look him in the eyes, and say:

What the hell do you think you’re doing, showing up here like you own the place?

And then—

Should I kill him?

“……”

He didn’t know when it began, but somewhere along the way, he had started fantasizing about ending that bastard’s life with his own hands.

If he actually did it, even he wouldn’t be able to escape the consequences. It would stir up a frenzy. People would run their mouths off. But so what? Since when did he care about all that? When he wanted to do something, he just did it.

And clearly, judging by Ha-jin’s provocations—

Maybe he really wanted to die by Hwang Jae-i’s hands.

Jae-i narrowed one eye.

And at that moment, a warm, gentle touch brushed against that very face.