IH Ch 84

Chapter 84

Perhaps because he was more focused than usual, by the time it reached 3 p.m., there was nothing left for him to do. On any other day, he would have dragged his feet, reluctant to do anything, and only started scribbling an hour before clocking out. If he always worked like this, he could probably set his official quitting time to 3 p.m., Jae-i thought as he glanced to the side.

Dohwa, who had been eagerly reading the e-book, was now asleep, curled up in a ball and breathing softly. He looked uncomfortable, and Jae-i wondered if he should straighten his posture—but hesitated, worried he might wake him. Besides, why should he even care about something like that?

But Hwang Jae-i was already well aware that he cared far too much about Dohwa. If he hadn’t cared at all, he never would have brought him to the guild. He would’ve just left him at home.

“…….”

He suddenly realized that having Dohwa in the same space wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

He had always believed he was someone who simply couldn’t coexist with others.

Was it because he had done more work than usual? Or was it because he wasn’t alone in the Guildmaster’s office for once? Adjusting his posture, Hwang Jae-i opened his browser. Normally, he never even glanced at it, assuming it would be filled with nothing but criticism. But this time, he had something to check, so he casually logged in.

Yet even at a glance, all he could see were a string of corruption scandals involving Pungjin, and no mention of himself. A search of his name only brought up scenes from his recent gate exploration.

Strange. Jae-i frowned at the monitor and began checking the comments.

[Why does Hwang Jae-i look so handsome today?]

Has he been going through a tough time? His facial features have gotten sharper and more intense since I last saw him a few days ago.

└You can’t criticize him for his looks. That’s exactly how he looked a few days ago—you just didn’t notice.

└He’s such a sculpture of a man, it feels like he looks different every time I see him.

└You’re not even Hwang Jae-i himself, so why are you acting like you know if he’s been through a tough time?

└Why are we fighting here again? We’re just here to appreciate his face.

└Excuse you? I came here to check if world peace was still intact? The Guildmaster of Jaei Guild safely explored the gate. Still handsome as ever. Truly, a man should have both looks and physique. This is what welfare looks like.

└What is this person even saying. But I won’t argue with the opinion.

└Won’t argue with the opinion 22

[There was so much talk about how Hwang Jae-i explored the gate before it fully opened. I heard people are now volunteering in that area and donating funds to the region.]

My mom’s friend works there as a nurse, you know? At first, reporters tried to tear Hwang Jae-i apart, rushing in like vultures. But then, the cameras caught the poor hospital conditions and sick babies. Maybe that’s why so many middle-aged women started volunteering. But when they got there—

└Turns out the hospital runs almost entirely on donations from Jaei Guild. Kids without parents or family are receiving 100% of their treatment from that funding. There’s even a nearby orphanage, pretty unknown because of its small scale, but it’s been running on support from just one person—the Jaei Guild.

└Once volunteers started sharing that online, it spread quickly. More donations poured into the hospital and orphanage, and the community welfare fund filled up in no time. Now the area’s bustling, patching up all the damage caused by the gate, and people are working hard together. Funny thing is, none of this is on TV hahaha

└I’m attending after-school programs at a local welfare center, and I heard the Guildmaster of Jaei Guild is the biggest donor. Seems like he donates anonymously, but since he’s done it regularly for years, those in the know have figured it out. Thanks to that, we get snacks and even dinner.

└But why are posts like this suddenly popping up? Is Hwang Jae-i trying to improve his image? All the hate comments have suddenly disappeared. Something smells fishy.

└It’s just that no one paid attention before. If you do a bit of digging, you’ll find that the Guildmaster donates over 100 billion won every year.

└Yeah but why mention it now, who even cares lol

└If you don’t care, just scroll on. Don’t parade your pettiness around. ^^

[Is Hwang Jae-i running for office or something? The recent articles and comments are seriously weird.]

I mean, I’ve never seen anything positive written about him in the past few years, so why’s the atmosphere so different now? Did someone pay people off to bury the Pungjin scandal? Get it together, people. No matter what, Hwang Jae-i’s just a Hunter, while Pungjin is one of the nation’s top conglomerates. If a giant company in charge of logistics collapses, Korea is doomed.

└Hwang Jae-i vs. 100 Pungjin

└No contest

└Vote #1 no matter what

└Hwang Jae-i 111111

└Hwang Jae-i!! Hwang Jae-i!! Hwang Jae-i!!

└I’ve never seen the playing field so tilted. Shouldn’t we need at least ten thousand Pungjins to match this?

└Ten thousand or a hundred thousand, it’s game over if a gate opens over Pungjin’s head

└Lately, I’ve been questioning whether Hwang Jae-i is actually a terrible person. Even though recent articles and comments feel different, that only makes me realize just how biased and abusive past coverage of him was. What kind of country treats an S-rank Hunter like they’re public enemy number one?

[Let me tell you why Hwang Jae-i became media prey.]

No rebates with corporations. No ads or sponsored promotions. Doesn’t attend any of the fancy parties hosted by the chaebol families. You’d have to beg and plead before he might even show up at a political or financial event. After gate explorations, some companies used to monopolize the post-gate clean-up profits, but he disrupted that system. That’s why the Jaei Guild can sustain itself without corporate sponsorship. They directly sell the mana stones, monster bones, and by-products obtained from within the gates.

└Some companies used to monopolize gate clean-up contracts, but Hwang Jae-i intervened, allowing smaller companies to receive subcontracting opportunities. Most of them are based in small provincial cities, and after partnering with the Jaei Guild, tons of new jobs were created. Population growth and tax revenue surged, allowing these small cities to thrive.

└The Jaei Guild is also known for great employee welfare. As long as you have ability and work hard, they don’t care about your academic background or work experience. That’s why, in the past year or two, they’ve skipped all the middlemen and begun direct transactions with overseas companies. For example, they supply a famous German pharmaceutical company with high-quality materials and mana stones at the lowest prices, in exchange for medications that they then distribute entirely as free aid. Of course domestic pharmaceutical firms hate this, but they couldn’t stop it. Why? Because the largest shareholder of Korea’s top pharmaceutical company is Hwang Jae-i’s aunt. Her name’s Hwang Suhyeon—she’s quite well-known too.

└You can feel it just from that alone. Hwang Jae-i does not get along with domestic conglomerates. Even other guilds are starting to follow his example. The Jaei Guild continues to thrive without corporate backing. So of course the powers that be see him as a thorn in their side.

└I also think Hwang Jae-i is a pretty but nasty piece of work. I know he’s said to have a bad personality. But blindly beating him down without verifying facts just because of one article? That’s not right.

└Yeah, but only Hwang Jae-i could pull that off.

└Even being S-rank doesn’t make this easy. And he’s still doing it. Unless something major happens, I think I’ll be on Hwang Jae-i’s side till the end.

“……”

What is this?

The state of the comments was completely different from what he had known. Just as one commenter said, had Ahn Yuna gone behind his back and hired people without him knowing? If not, there was no way public sentiment about him could’ve shifted like this.

Even reading the positive comments only made him suspicious. Narrowing his eyes, Hwang Jae-i kept reading. After a while, he closed the browser, deciding he shouldn’t look anymore, and entered a site only domestic guildmasters could access.

It was a place that barely saw any updates. Everyone preferred a quick phone call over taking the time to post there. The most recent upload was from a month ago: a single photo of Lee Moon Guildmaster Park Jaehwan posing with the Hunters after finishing a gate exploration. With his thumb raised and his teeth-baring smile, he looked like a classic cheerful guy. Jae-i gave it a cursory glance and clicked into the Hunter Association’s page. All the events and schedules involving the Association President were neatly organized.

As always, Kim Wi seemed to attend every event he was invited to. Even events that would make most people go, “Why would you bother showing up there?” were not skipped. This week’s schedule was packed too. Despite the Hunter Association and the government being like oil and water, he still made frequent appearances at government-sponsored events. He probably smiled sweetly there too, all while scratching their nerves.

“……”

Why has someone like him been so quiet?

Considering he had brought Dohwa back, another attempt to contact him should’ve happened by now. Whatever the reason, leaving Dohwa’s unclear identity unresolved and allowing him to stay with Jae-i like this was strange.

Just then, Dohwa, who had been lying on the sofa, flinched and suddenly lifted his head. Looking around quickly, he spotted Jae-i sitting at the desk—and froze.

“……”

Jae-i, seeing that he was being stared at like some mindless person, stood up immediately. As he approached in long strides, Dohwa’s eyes followed him. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, as he stared blankly at Jae-i. The look in those large eyes seemed completely empty.