NOVEL NEXT Chapter 191
Chapter 191: Let the Games Begin
“Did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
“They say the Sun Guild and the Yangji Guild are going for another round?”
“Really?”
“This is gonna be popcorn-worthy! Hahaha!”
“I wonder which side is going to eat dirt this time?”
“Obviously Yangji. While they’re scraping the bottom, the Sun folks are spending cash like crazy. Money doesn’t lie.”
“I think Yangji is going to take a dive this time. Strange things don’t happen twice.”
“But I heard the Yangji folks have some real skills?”
“That’s just the usual rumor mill. If you’re running a business, you gotta embellish a bit.”
“Anyway, I’m betting on Yangji. Underdogs often come out on top! Hahaha!”
“Underdogs? Did private betting go up?”
“Yep, Yangji’s odds are over five times. Major score!”
“I put a hundy on the Sun Guild. Low-risk plays are sweet.”
“….”
Si-hyun shook his head in disbelief while scrolling through the Hunter community bulletin board.
Seriously, these private betters are the worst….
It’s spread so much that it’s a societal issue, but having gamblers in the Hunter scene is hardly surprising.
Well, that aside.
Tomorrow is the day.
The joint raid with the Sun Guild at the Gate.
Si-hyun couldn’t participate this time.
It was a weekday.
But maybe it was for the best.
This competition among the guild members led by Guild Leader Cheol-hyung would be a valuable experience.
Si-hyun felt that the guild members could handle major challenges without him during Choi Gang-hyuk’s raid.
Of course, Rachel was there this time, but unlike with Hyris, it wasn’t likely to be that kind of vibe where help was required.
There was no way the guild members would let that angel work her magic like that.
“What’s an underdog?”
A cute girl’s voice piped up from behind, filled with curiosity.
Turning around, Si-hyun saw To-ya looking at him with wide eyes like a rabbit.
“…Huh?”
Si-hyun responded a beat late, caught off-guard.
“Private? Low-risk? Sweet deal?”
To-ya continued to throw questions at him.
Si-hyun wore a perplexed expression, pondering how to respond.
Then he just blurted out whatever came to mind.
“Uh, it’s… adult terminology….”
“Adult terminology?”
“Uh, um… You’ll understand when you grow up.”
As he said that, Si-hyun quickly closed the internet window with his left hand.
“Hmm….”
To-ya looked at Si-hyun with an observing gaze, and he awkwardly avoided her stare.
“Well, it’s about dinner time, right? Let’s eat pizza! Your favorite, potato pizza!”
Si-hyun hurriedly changed the subject.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Oh, those reporters are really annoying.”
A member of the Association Staff grumbled displeasedly.
When Hunters enter the Gate, it was customary for the dispatched staff to chit-chat to pass the boring time.
That’s how one made the tedious waiting go by faster.
But with reporters camped out like that, such antics were impossible.
It could easily look like they were slacking off.
If photos of them gossiping got online, it would be a disaster.
The truth was that waiting was part of the job once the Hunters entered the Gate, but the public didn’t care about such things.
“Right? Thanks to them, today feels never-ending.”
The staff member next to him echoed the sentiment.
Instead of casually sitting around, they were standing by the Gate, holding their positions.
They’d received orders from above about the heavy reporting presence.
Apologies aside, they were told to tough it out just for today for the sake of the Association’s image.
A mere staff member had to comply with orders from above.
“Come on, hurry it up. Let us live, too.”
The first disgruntled staff member glanced at his wristwatch.
It felt unbearable to just stand there without any action, like a soldier on guard duty.
No matter how they felt about the situation, the reporters would be focused on the upcoming joint raid between the Sun Guild and Yangji Guild.
It was a joint raid named as such, but it was, in fact, a fierce competition known to everyone.
There was no way they’d come out embracing each other.
The traditionally strong Sun Guild versus the currently popular Yangji Guild.
Their matchup promised to be good drama.
An unmissable scene.
If a reporter missed such action, they’d be failing in their duty.
Regardless of the outcome, exciting headlines would guarantee clicks from netizens.
“Hey! They’re coming out!”
One of the reporters shouted.
As predicted, figures began to emerge from the Gate entrance.
Cameras started whirring into action.
“It’s the Sun Guild!”
“Guild Leader Kim Sung-jin is here!”
The first to appear was Seong-jin, the head of the Sun Guild and a member of the wealthy IK Group’s Royal Family.
He was a far cry from your average spoiled third-generation chaebol.
Flashes fired off repeatedly.
His usual confident expression was noticeably twisted.
He seemed unsettled, looking as if he couldn’t maintain his composure even before the cameras.
The reporters buzzed in astonishment.
“Whoa, looks like the Sun Guild is in shambles!”
“Wow… he looks like someone who just lost their country.”
“What’s this? Did the Sun face another setback? For real?”
“Hey, hey, get it on camera! Shoot it fast!”
As if pushing the already agitated figure further, camera flashes burst.
In that instant.
Seong-jin stopped his stride and glared at the reporters with a fierce expression.
“Don’t shoot! Fuck! I said don’t take pictures! Seriously! Can’t you move those cameras out of my face?”
Seong-jin yelled loudly.
While some reporters recoiled at his fierce demeanor, others, fueled by excitement, clicked their shutters even more.
This was bound to explode with clicks.
Literal explosion!
“Hey, fuck! Which outlet are you with? Should I have the Chairman strip you of your ads?”
Seong-jin accusatorily pointed at one reporter and shouted threateningly. Such threats were the most effective.
Advertising was what kept media outlets alive.
It was why many media companies were at the mercy of big corporations.
The dependence of media revenue on these corporations was severe.
It wasn’t without reason that they sang praises for these conglomerates.
The atmosphere became intensely hostile.
The Association staff felt hesitant to intervene.
As mere salaried employees, they were reluctant to confront a wealthy third-generation chaebol.
Other Sun Guild members who followed Seong-jin merely watched the scene unfold, feeling in no mood to intervene.
They were already in a foul mood, so stepping in was the last thing they wanted to do.
Meanwhile, the reporter who was pointed at by Seong-jin stood frozen in fear, trembling visibly.
“Hey, speak! What’s your name? Which outlet are you with?”
Seong-jin pressed the reporter aggressively.
The reporter beside him, appearing equally intimidated, didn’t utter a word.
Then…
“That’s enough.”
Finally, someone stepped in to calm Seong-jin down.
It was none other than Si-hyun, who had rushed over to the spot after work.
Seong-jin shot a tense glance at Si-hyun.
“And you are…? Another reporter?”
Seong-jin spoke in an accusatory tone.
Though Si-hyun’s face was already known far and wide, it seemed his cap hid his identity.
“I’m Correctional Officer Lee Si-hyun. Oh, and a Yangji Guild member too.”
Si-hyun replied nonchalantly.
In an instant, the reporters buzzed.
“Wait, Lee Si-hyun?”
“The correctional officer?”
“It’s him!”
“Hey, who cares. Just shoot fast, quick!”
Excitedly clicking away, the journalists captured the scene.
The wealthy chaebol and the heroic correctional officer created an interesting dynamic.
Not a warm one, but an intense one.
It resembled a scene from some movie depicting the clash between the wealthy and the cops.
Well, the cops were cliché, but a confrontation between a correctional officer and a chaebol was quite a rare picture indeed.
“Ah, so you’re Lee Si-hyun?”
In a moment of chaos, Seong-jin continued on, refusing to back down.
Being hot-tempered by nature was making him blind to everything else, but it was clear he regarded reporters and correctional officers as lowly individuals beneath his notice.
“Exactly. You seem quite worked up. How about we calm down?”
Si-hyun replied coolly.
“Who do you think you are to tell me what to do? I can’t believe this.”
Seong-jin provocatively shot back at Si-hyun in a challenging tone.
However, Si-hyun remained perfectly composed. He discreetly glanced at the cameras.
He knew arguing with someone like Seong-jin was an exercise in futility.
It would be best to employ his powers swiftly to de-escalate the situation.
Si-hyun decided to use the Executor’s Gaze.
It was a skill that gave off a strong sense of intimidation to those whose eyes met his.
That should suffice.
“I’m telling you once more. Let’s end this now.”
He spoke politely but intentionally.
With cameras around, he had to consider the Heroic Correctional Officer image he portrayed.
Nonetheless, he didn’t forget to exert the Gaze of the Executor.
“W-What? You… Ugh!”
The moment Seong-jin met Si-hyun’s gaze, he suddenly gasped in surprise.
His heart raced wildly, and his body trembled.
Suddenly, he felt like a giant had loomingly grown before him, while he shrank down to nothing.
A chill ran down his spine, and goosebumps erupted all over. In that brief moment, his entire body became drenched in cold sweat.
The fear he rarely felt bore down heavily upon him.
Though he had told himself to stand firm, his body refused to obey.
Survival instincts stifled his proud arrogance.
“Uh, um…”
Panic made his words stammer out unevenly.
“Are you serious about stopping this?”
Si-hyun asked, maintaining an air of innocence.
“Ah… um, yes… I guess we should… take a break, right? Heh heh.”
Seong-jin used honorifics, sporting an apologetic smile that could hardly be imagined from a wealthy third-gen.
The reporters stared in wide-eyed shock at the astonishing and bizarre change in the atmosphere. Meanwhile, they continued snapping shots instinctively.
“I… I need to go now. Heh heh. See… see you next time.”
Mumbling incoherently, Seong-jin found himself bowing deeply, almost like a secretary to a boss rather than a chaebol heir. He then awkwardly hurried to his car, looking like he could fall apart at any second.
“Shoot! Don’t miss a single moment!”
“This is gonna blow up! Epic!”
“Make sure to get the correctional officer in there!”
“Officer Lee Si-hyun! Can you smile at us over here, please?”
The situation erupted into complete chaos after that.
◈ ◈ ◈
– Heroic Correctional Officer brings a chaebol heir to kneel! An unprecedented happening!
– Heroic Correctional Officer declares all wrongdoers can be rehabilitated. This is the reason behind his audaciousness.
– Lee Si-hyun, I want you to call me the God of Rehabilitation.
– The heroic officer effortlessly subdues the chaotic behavior of the chaebol heir! Lee Si-hyun, a true superhero of Korea.
– Lee Si-hyun says, “Bow down, BatX! You’re laughable.”
“….”
Si-hyun cradled his head in his hands, overwhelmed by the flood of absurd headlines.
“Seriously, these damn reporters.”
They slap together whatever they want without a second thought.
“Reporters?”
To-ya’s voice drifted in from behind.
“Yeah. They’re the kind you need to be careful of.”
“Uh-huh.”
To-ya nodded.
“How am I supposed to go to work tomorrow?”
Si-hyun grumbled, envisioning colleague staff giggling at his misadventure.