Chapter 166
Korea’s major guilds were massive entities. Founded by powerful players, each guild was the embodiment of its founder’s vision, with its guild members’ cohesion being as solid and unified as any aristocratic family’s... At least, that was how they began. The guilds—as any sufficiently old and bloated organization—had largely grown fat and festering.
Good hearts changed with wind and rain, new members entered, old alliances split, and new factions formed...
Unknowingly, the guilds changed.
The Guardian Guild was one example. The Guardian Guild had become so large that it represented South Korea, but internally, it was more divided and splintered than ever.
This result was all but inevitable for any guild because, unlike aristocratic families or religious sects—which bound their members through either loyalty or faith to a single person—guilds were held together by shared interests alone. Thus, guild politics were the most chaotic. Some guilds dissolved overnight, while most “restructured” their leadership frequently.
For example, Gale, one of the five major guilds, no longer had a single founding member left. To that end, the Guardian Guild was a rare case in that the current master was a third-generation member of its founding family.
This outcome was largely due to Park Hae-Rin’s great-grandfather, who strove for a family-like relationship among members. To that end, the upper floors of Guardian’s headquarters were designed as luxury apartments. It had originally been open for all members of Guardian to move into, but as the guild grew, the policy was changed to allow residence only for executives and above. Still, it was an effective policy.
The fact that the executives and their families were neighbors and often spent their leisure time together was a good opportunity to form strong relationships.
“Young Lady? Oh, the young lady came back on her school vacation.”
In the Guardian Guild’s main lobby, the guards recognized Hae-Rin and shared strange looks.
All the guild members knew that Jeong Jae-Uk would be their next master.
Hae-Rin had botched her awakening, and her bedridden father would soon pass—she was deposed in all but name, just a smear on Guardian’s reputation that the members waited patiently to fade. Ironically, the only ones who considered her to be familiar were Jeong Jae-Uk and his son, Jeong Ru-Han.
“The Master... No, the sub-master requests your presence in the office.”
Hae-Rin had just passed through the security checkpoint when she was ordered to the top floor of the building.
Hae-Rin circled the guard and continued on without reply. She stepped into the elevator, and only then did she hesitate, finger hovering over the buttons.
“The sub-master requests your presence... ”
Just the thought of Jeong Jae-Uk’s face made Hae-Rin want to leave and never come back. But where? She had nowhere to go, and she couldn’t leave her father.
Ding!
Hae-Rin watched through the elevator window as the people and buildings rapidly shrank away until what remained was a vague, moonless nightscape smattered below with city lights that looked like a sea of fireflies.
Even at a distance, the city center was beautiful.
The city center was an area that Guardian had protected for three generations. It had been an irreplaceable point of pride for Hae-Rin when she was young. She had promised again and again to protect everyone who lived there.
Now, looking down at the colorful lights below, Hae-Rin only felt worried.
Guardian would change once Jeong Jae-Uk took over. By then, who would care about the people?
The Jeong Jae-Uk she knew was a very ambitious man. He always looked further and higher. Had he been the type of man to look down and around, perhaps fewer of the guild’s veterans, who’d served for years and decades, would’ve walked away.
Maybe they didn’t leave, but were made to leave...
Ding dong!
As Hae-Rin’s face became gloomy, the elevator arrived at the top floor.
The guild master’s penthouse contained the master’s office, the main conference room, various banquet facilities, and the family living quarters of the master.
Now, Jeong Jae-Uk’s family dominated the floor.
At first, he had used the pretext of taking care of the master. But recently, Jeong Jae-Uk had grown blatant and taken over the office.
“Oh, Hae-Rin... ”
Jeong Ru-Han, who was nestled in his father’s arms, became upset when he heard that Hae-Rin had arrived.
“The end-of-semester ceremony was in the morning, but you only returned now. Where have you been all day?”
“......”
“You don’t even answer now? What? Is it that you have some shame left and are too embarrassed to answer? You were probably flirting with that pretty boy again, clinging to him, and... Argh! You’re filthy!”
Jeong Ru-Han’s face grew redder and marked with ever more bulging veins as he rambled.
Hae-Rin ignored him and stared straight at Jeong Jae-Uk.
“Hurry up and talk about your business.”
Jeong Jae-Uk’s face was flat, but although he didn’t show it, he was secretly surprised.
This girl is clearly different. He had spent ten years brainwashing Hae-Rin. Since then, Hae-Rin had always been like a pig before a butcher, terrified and meek, when facing him.
And now?
Jeong Jae-Uk still saw fear in Hae-Rin’s eyes, but she stood with her head held high and met his gaze directly.
This is what I get for being too kind. If only I’d been stricter, my puppet wouldn’t have mistaken itself for a person.
Jeong Jae-Uk shook his head. What’s done is done. He would have to change tack.
“Take a seat. Tell me how you’ve been doing at school.”
“Don’t you already know everything?”
Jeong Jae-Uk lounged in her father’s place as if it were his own. Hae-Rin was uncomfortable just breathing the same air as him.
Above all, she wanted to be done with Jeong Jae-Uk and see her father as soon as possible. She was impatient to test the medicine she’d received from the health store.
“No matter how much interest I have in my dear niece, I can’t monitor your every move. I have a mountain of work to handle on behalf of your sick father.”
Jeong Jae-Uk glanced meaningfully at the desk.
Hundreds of files and thousands of documents were piled high.
Jeong Ru-Han rubbed his eyes. “It is because Master didn’t take care of his body properly that my father had to suffer like this... ”
A chill went down Hae-Rin’s spine. For an instinctive moment, she’d almost fallen into the trap of feeling guilty. Their words were like odorless poison, subtly framing her father as the villain.
In the past, Hae-Rin would have been too intimidated to refute it. This time...
Hae-Rin replayed the image of Jae-Hyeok cutting down those adults who had more experience, and her chest swelled with courage.
“My father handled the guild’s paperwork while also conquering gates. Thankfully, Uncle doesn’t have to go on business trips like Father. Now that you see his burdens, I hope Uncle can learn well. That way, once Father recovers, you can support him so he won’t collapse from overwork.”
“You... Are you crazy?”
Ru-Han exploded in place of Jeong Jae-Uk, whose expression was blank.
“How dare you talk to an elder like that?”
“I just spoke the truth.”
In the first place, the role of the sub-master was to take over when the master was absent. Jeong Jae-Uk was only doing half the work, but he had the nerve to complain and blame others. Her father must’ve had a much harder time when he was healthy, yet not once had she heard him complain or blame others.
“Hmm... ”
Jeong Jae-Uk’s smile disappeared from his face as he touched his chin in an embarrassed manner.
It seemed Park Hae-Rin’s condition was more serious than expected. There had to be something more than just his son’s having lost control of her.
Kang Jae-Hyeok... He must be the root of this. Jeong Jae-Uk covered his mouth with his hand and clicked his tongue.
Just then, the light on the office phone blinked green three times.
The blood returned to Jeong Jae-Uk’s face. The corner of his lips lifted. No matter, it seems the scheduled guest will soon arrive.
At this late hour, there was only one person he’d set an appointment with, and that was Kang Jae-Hyeok.
Well... perhaps the word “appointment” was unfitting for someone he had unilaterally kidnapped, but who would know the difference? If he said it was an appointment, then even if a corpse were dragged to his office, who would gainsay him?
Jeong Jae-Uk smiled. Once Kang Jae-Hyeok arrived, it would be an easy thing to uproot Park Hae-Rin’s burgeoning confidence and return her to her function.
This time, I’ll instill a healthy dose of fear to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“Ru-Han.”
“Yes, Dad... Um, Father.”
“Your friend will be here soon.”
“That guy...! He finally arrived!”
“He is the one who ruined your long-standing relationship, right? Take this opportunity to set an example.”
“......!”
Friend? Who?
Hae-Rin was puzzled by Ru-Han’s excited reaction before her face paled in realization.
Jae-Hyeok!
The current Jeong Jae-Uk could mobilize many people in Guardian.
The moment he realized that Yang Jun’s team had failed their mission, he must’ve immediately dispatched another team and captured Jae-Hyeok.
“What are you going to do?” Hae-Rin questioned.
Just then, the elevator dinged. Hae-Rin’s eyes went wide; she darted toward the elevator, hoping to damage the doors so they wouldn’t open.
Too late—Jeong Ru-Han shot past Hae-Rin and reached the elevator a step ahead, giggling all the while.
“Today—”
The doors of the golden elevator slowly parted.
“—Kang Jae-Hyeok, that bastard, will wish he were dead.” Jeong Ru-Han’s distorted wildly. “I’m going to smash his face into a pancake. Let’s see if you still like him then. Hahahaha!”
Hae-Rin's eyes began to glisten.
Was she crying?
Because another man?
Filthy bitch!
You’re going to pay! Haha! You’ll be begging at my feet soon!
Hatred and joy twisted Jeong Ru-Han’s expression into something monstrous.
Hae-Rin’s blood went cold.
“It’s time～”
Jeong Ru-Han spun to face the now-open elevator, and there Jae-Hyeok stood. Right next to him was Yang Jun, as if warning Jae-Hyeok against trying to resist.
“Sorry... sorry...!”
Hae-Rin clutched her head and apologized. It was her fault that Jae-Hyeok was here. If only they had never met...
"You bastard! You can’t escape!”
Jeong Ru-Han grabbed Jae-Hyeok by the collar and dragged him to the middle of the office.
Jae-Hyeok snorted when he saw Jeong Jae-Uk behind the cluttered desk. “How lazy do you have to be to let papers pile up like that? Are you trying to reach the ceiling?”
Jeong Ru-Han shook Jae-Hyeok by the collar.
“Shut up! He isn’t being lazy. He has a lot of work!”
Jae-Hyeok smiled. “I guess my father was right: people who don’t work always have excuses.”
“Hah! You still call a half-dead corpse your father... Ack!”
No one saw what happened, but Jeong Ru-Han was on the ground, his twisted jaw rapidly swelling.
Yang Ju obediently stepped back as Jae-Hyeok casually stretched.
“Mr. Sub-Master, I heard you reached S-class only recently, yes?” Jae-Hyeok smiled at the baffled Jeong Jae-Uk.
“Well then, prepare to be punished.”