IH Ch 112

Chapter 112

It had all begun with a single photograph.

When Hwang Jae-i appeared in a barrage of ads connected to Haeseong, saturating every corner of South Korea, people who had been bewildered by the sudden wave began buying Haeseong stock like mad. Shares of Haeseong and all its subsidiaries skyrocketed, and searches for the Jae-i Guild exploded.

People kept asking why Hwang Jae-i was suddenly everywhere—yet every product associated with him sold out instantly. The highest-end vehicle advertised had already reached its yearly shipping limit; even with a reservation, the wait time was said to be two years. And then the much-rumored promotional video finally dropped.

Hwang Jae-i walked slowly through a sleek, tastefully decorated living room. He wore comfortable trousers and a shirt rolled up to the elbows. Unlike his usual look, his hair fell naturally around his face, fluttering lightly in the breeze from a nearby air conditioner.

He tapped the refrigerator lightly with his knuckles; one side turned transparent, revealing a meticulously organized interior. His fingers glided slowly across the cool surface before he took a glass from the side and filled it with water at the sink. Standing at the island counter, one hand resting atop it, he drank while staring directly forward. His Adam’s apple rose and fell slowly. Then, lowering the empty glass, he whispered:

“The value of a brand.”

Across the screen, the words Jae-i × Haeseong appeared.

Hwang Jae-i smiled. Perhaps only three millimeters—but it was a smile. And this time, not in a still photo—this was a moving commercial. A true CF. People couldn’t contain themselves, losing their minds over the mere fact that Hwang Jae-i appeared in a video advertisement.

They had hardly ever seen him styled this way—and smiling, at that. His voice when he said “the value of a brand” was enough to melt ears. Until now, all he ever offered the media were curt responses: “What,” “No,” “Nothing to say.”

Everything was a series of shocks. He had been famous for refusing all advertisements, especially those by major corporations. Had he changed now? As if to answer that question, the guild members of the Jae-i Guild also began appearing in ads and CFs. Most were extensions of the ads Jae-i had filmed. His photos were complemented by video versions featuring the guild members. The response was overwhelmingly positive.

Although the most popular member of the Jae-i Guild was undoubtedly Hwang Jae-i, the other hunters also had significant fanbases. Fans had always found it disappointing that the guild followed strict rules disallowing advertisement appearances. Now, in what felt like a massive compensation for those years of absence, an enormous flood of content came pouring out.

Then on Friday evening, a group photo of all the Jae-i Guild hunters dressed in formal suits appeared on the side of a building. It was so large it covered an entire wall of the building next to the guild headquarters. People were ecstatic. Although the crisp, high-resolution photo circulated online, many deliberately visited the site to take commemorative pictures in person.

[Do you think Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i will appear on TV too?

Judging by what’s going on, he’s suddenly doing everything he refused to do before. In that case he might actually go on television. If he does… Wow. Just imagining it gives me chills.]

└ If he appears, he’ll easily break all viewer rating records. But I doubt he’ll go that far.

└ If he does come out, it’ll be insane. I hope he appears on Kim Seungyeon Show—Kim Seungyeon said he’s been a fan since debut.

└ Kim Seungyeon-nim, please calm down.

└ But why is Haeseong suddenly being so aggressive? Does the Jae-i Guild owe them something?

└ What nonsense—“the guild owes Haeseong”? The richest guild in the country is the Jae-i Guild.

└ I’ve wondered for a while. Unlike other guilds, they don’t do ads, yet they have the highest assets? Other guilds get corporate ads all the time.

└ Because they pass on gate exploration rights. The real jackpot is the byproducts from gates—corporations hated that it was Jae-i who exposed this. Depending on the attribute, some minerals can be used for pharmaceuticals—total gold mine. The Jae-i Guild has two of those gates.

└ What? Seriously? I had no idea.

└ They donate medical supplies to hospitals every year. Korean pharmaceutical companies hate it, so whenever people post about it, it gets wiped quickly. I said this before lol let’s see how long this lasts.

└ [Comment deleted]

[New official announcement dropped.

Chairman Ma Jungseok’s granddaughter has surfaced. Apparently the woman who met his late son secretly raised her in hiding. Recently, by a miracle, she reunited with Chairman Ma and is now under protection. But several relatives involved in trying to seize Haeseong appear to have been connected to the incident, so Chairman Ma has begun a massive purge. Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i is helping. He doesn’t even need to intervene directly; his presence alone is enough to scare most people into backing off.]

└ I work at Haeseong HQ, and this is true. Everything that almost got taken over is returning to its place, and even the chairman’s aides who were ousted from the front lines are all coming back. Some people will probably lose their shares through lawsuits.

└ Next week, Chairman Ma will transfer his shares to his granddaughter. Not selling—just handing them over. To support her position.

└ Chairman Ma may look vigorous, but he’s still old. It seems he wants Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i as a safeguard—to protect his granddaughter until she becomes an adult.

└ How old is she? Is he planning to marry her to Hwang Jae-i??

└ Are you insane? Is that really where your brain goes?

└ The granddaughter is five. Hwang Jae-i is twenty. I thought he was older because he’s been around so long, but he’s actually young. That’s a 15-year gap… I don’t know if that’s okay or not.

└ It’s NOT okay, you lunatic.

[Guildmaster Hwang Jae-i spotted at Haeseong.]

└ This is real-time. It’s Saturday so the building is empty, but he went up to the chairman’s office just now.

└ Saw with my own eyes, like one minute ago. Crazy.

└ He’s moving with Ahn Yuna, and two others. My god, how does a person look like that? He’s tall, built, wearing sunglasses—his aura is insane.

└ Should’ve asked for an autograph. Would he take a photo if I asked? Should I wait downstairs?

└ If you go near him you’re getting your neck sliced, stay ten meters away. And how is your phone still intact after taking a picture? The Hwang Jae-i I know wouldn’t allow that.

└ He wouldn’t, exactly. Calm down and go home. You’re about to do something stupid.

└ He wouldn’t 22. Do you really think he’ll sign an autograph because he filmed a few ads? That’s not who he is.

└ That’s not who he is 333.

└ That’s not who he is 4444.

Ahn Yuna raised an eyebrow as she read the sightings of Hwang Jae-i flooding her phone screen.

Ordinarily, she would have immediately requested deletion. It was always important to avoid exposing Hwang Jae-i’s location. But this time, their public presence had been deliberate to some extent, so she left it.

Putting her phone away, Ahn Yuna looked forward. There stood Hwang Jae-i, wearing a high-end outfit from one of Haeseong’s luxury clothing lines. Perhaps because the tailoring fit him perfectly, he looked better than usual. In the past, he had always chosen clothing based on comfort. His personality aside, he looked good in anything, but seeing him dressed like this made her think she should put effort into styling him more often.

Then Jae-i turned around. His expression was openly annoyed, as if saying, “What are you looking at?”

Pretending not to notice, Ahn Yuna glanced at Dohwa, who stood slightly behind Jae-i on his right. Immediately, Jae-i reached back and pulled Dohwa closer to him. So he could hold himself back for maybe tens of seconds while she stared at him—but couldn’t tolerate even a few seconds of anyone looking at Dohwa. Truly ridiculous, she thought, and stepped into the elevator as its doors opened.

“Welcome, Guildmaster. The chairman is currently in a meeting…”

Chairman Ma Jungseok’s meeting was running long, causing visible distress in the employee who seemed to think missing the scheduled time was a grave offense. Ahn Yuna stepped forward.

“It’s alright. We’ll wait in the meeting room.”

“T-then please, this way. I’ll guide you.”

They were escorted to a space adjacent to the chairman’s office.

A lounge-like area, cozy and comfortable. A wide table stood in the center, but the man pointed to the inner sofa seats.

“It’ll be more comfortable to wait here. If you need anything at all, please tell me.”

“No, we’re fine. Can I take something from the refrigerator?”

“Of course—let me get that for you.”

“Haha, we have hands, you know. Don’t worry—please go ahead with your work.”

“But…”

The employee hesitated, eyes shifting toward Hwang Jae-i.