Chapter 107

Episode 107

“Is there a problem?” Yoo-seong now broke the silence.

“No…”

At this, Yoo-seong smiled. The Superintendent was obviously flustered.

“Then, I think I’d like to eat alone. I know you’re very busy,” Yoo-seong added.

The Superintendent’s lips trembled with humiliation and shame. It was clear Yoo-seong was sending him out because he was disturbing his meal.

“It’s not your responsibility to deal with me, right?” Yoo-seong added.

The Superintendent’s face hardened.

Yoo-seong stared at him before speaking. “I can see on your face that you’re very upset about this.”

The Superintendent felt the same as Oda. After all, he had only been sent here, by someone higher ranked, to entertain Yoo-seong until the real person-in-charge arrived.

If the Superintendent had felt friendly to Yoo-seong from the start, Yoo-seong wouldn’t be in a detention cell in the first place.

“You’re obviously uncomfortable, and you must have a lot of work to do. I don’t care; it doesn’t matter to me if you leave,” Yoo-seong told him.

As he spoke, Yoo-seong continued to eat gracefully with his chopsticks.

At this point, the Superintendent didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t engage Yoo-seong with small talk. After all, Yoo-seong was busy eating, and besides, there was nothing to talk about.

He couldn’t go and leave a guest alone either. And so, he just sat there, watching Yoo-seong eat, like a waiter watching a customer.

More time passed.

Slurp-!

Just as Yoo-seong slurped the last of the soba noodles, the Superintendent’s redemption came.

“Ah… Mr. Kodama…!”

The door opened, revealing a short man standing at about 160 cm. His thin hair was gruesomely oiled, and he was wearing a suit that looked too big on him. To finish off the typical Japanese office worker look, he had thick eyeglasses on.

“Thank you.”

Kodama politely bowed his head to the Superintendent.

Like a person escaping from a hot place, the Superintendent rushed out of the prison cell. Kodama sat in the seat he’d left.

Yoo-seong stared at him, then spoke. “Shall I call you Mr. Kodama?”

“Call me whatever makes you feel comfortable,” Kodama laughed coyly. “My name is Yasuhiko Kodama. The Director of the Disaster Management Bureau.”

Disaster Management Bureau.

Unlike most countries where the term ‘special defense’ was used to describe the institution handling crack management, Japan used its existing Disaster Management System to respond to cracks.

In other words, the man in front of him was Japan’s Yang Chang-guk.

“Oh, you’re the director…”

Kodama touched his forehead. “I often hear I don’t look like one.”

Compared to Yang Chang-guk, who appeared authoritative, he looked insignificant.

However, his appearance didn’t matter at all to Yoo-seong.

‘This person,’ he thought. ‘He has CE.’

Yoo-seong could feel it.

Unlike Oda and the armed forces who had deliberately displayed their Aura to him, Kodama’s CE release was natural. Unintentional, even.

It was as if the trace of his CE Yoo-seong had felt was nothing but a drop of water that had fallen from a moving bowl full of water. Perhaps, considering the amount of CE this person had, he could match the top hunters Yoo-seong met so far.

“I don’t know how to apologize for this,” Kodama began. “You’ve just arrived in Japan, and despite that, you prevented an accident and saved civilians. To get this kind of treatment here…”

Kodama got up from his chair and bowed ninety degrees. “It was very wrong of us.”

Yoo-seong was pleasantly surprised by the gesture. “I was just there. I did what I had to do.”

“In that case, we must compensate you for your contributions. First off, do you already have accommodations here?”

“No…” Yoo-seong responded without thinking.

“Then, the first…”

“Sorry,” Yoo-seong cut him off. “I won’t be here for long. Just a day or two. I’m on vacation, but I’m also a hunter. I need to be available to protect people.”

“Sure, that’s the right mindset!”

“So you don’t need to worry about special accommodation. I’ll be out of this place in no time at all.”

“Then… may I know what your business is here?” Kodama looked at Yoo-seong from behind his thick glasses before adding, “Because we may be able to help you.”

Yoo-seong looked as if he had found an unexpected shortcut. “I need to meet with the Leto group because I have something to talk about with them.”

“Yes? Do you have an appointment set already?”

“No. I was going to visit without prior consultation…”

“I see… okay. Thank you for speaking openly.” Kodama nodded.

“If it’s okay with you,” he then continued, “it seems like a problem we can help you with. Because the current chairman of Leto is my friend…”

“Oh my. It would be great if you could do that,” Yoo-seong almost yelled with delight.

“Then, shall we go?” Kodama stood.

Yoo-seong felt stunned. “Right now?”

Kodama was already up and holding the door open for him.

“I’m glad that your problem is something I can help with right away.”

Somehow, strange confidence seemed to have sprouted from the timid-looking Kodama.

“But of course, we can do it anytime you want.”

Yoo-seong found this strange.

Even Yang Chang-guk wasn’t this powerful or influential. Was it this easy to connect with the giant Leto’s current chairman?

Nevertheless…

“The sooner, the better,” he told Kodama and went out the door.

Following Kodama’s lead, he walked down the hallway. After walking for a few minutes, he felt a harsh gaze directed towards him.

Oda.

He mouthed a curse word at Yoo-seong just as they passed by. However, it only made Yoo-seong smile.

They continued walking until they reached Kodama’s limousine in the parking lot.

Once inside, Kodama began talking more confidently.

“Japan is a good country,” he began. “Of course, Korea is a good country, too. In fact, it’s up to anyone to decide which country is better for them.”

“I agree.” Yoo-seong nodded.

“Still, even with that said, Japan can be considered a more suitable country for main characters.”

“Main characters?” Yoo-seong was confused. “Like in the movies?”

“That’s right. Someone like Oh Yoo-seong.”

Kodama smiled before continuing.

“This evening, everyone will know about your achievements. More than half of the media have devoted their time to writing articles about you. There are already videos taken by civilians, all uploaded on the Internet and gaining views as we speak.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“It is but natural. It’s just that the other country you visited was… let’s say it’s quite a poor place.”

Kodama was, for sure, talking about China.

When he’d been there, Yoo-seong had also managed great achievements, much larger than what he’d done today. However, he didn’t get much attention for it.

Until now, the Chinese government hadn’t even officially acknowledged him for hunting one of the Four Perils. It was only through eyewitness accounts and promotions made by Tenz that Yoo-seong had gotten the credit.

“Of course, I understand that for someone like you, fame and wealth are not that important. Regardless of where you are, you can get both with your skills… but there may be people who hate what you’re doing.”

Yoo-seong felt that Kodama’s voice was rising. He kept silent and looked in the direction the car was heading.

“Of course, they won’t dare offend you by mentioning those things…”

The car was now beyond Tokyo’s city center. It was driving away from Leto’s headquarters.

“Don’t worry,” Kodama laughed as if he’d read Yoo-seong’s mind. “I’m taking you to the chairman. However, we’re meeting him somewhere farther away.”

“It seems like you have a very close relationship with him,” Yoo-seong remarked.

“Ah, I do.” Kodama nodded as if it were no big deal. “The chairman’s eldest daughter is my wife.”

“I see…” Yoo-seong leaned back against his seat.

This was where the confidence had come from.

From the beginning, Kodama had planned to bring him to the Leto chairman.

“It’s amazing,” Yoo-seong remarked.

“What is?”

“The Leto Group is so strong that they have the whole industry in their hands…”

For someone like Yang Chang-guk to be linked with a company would surely mean the end of his career. However, here in Japan, his counterpart was the son-in-law of the largest enterprise’s chairman.

“The chairman must be someone who has a very meticulous personality.”

Kodama shook his head.

“On the contrary, he’s good at developing people. I have risen from the bottom to the highest position through the grace of the chairman.”

Yoo-seong sighed. Then he took out his cellphone.

“Is there any problem?” Kodama sounded concerned.

“No, a message came.”

“You look tired.”

“Ah, the sigh? Rather, I’m excited.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

“I don’t worry about anything.”

As they spoke, Yoo-seong’s eyes remained on his phone. Then he added, “I have a magic button. I can get out of any crisis simply by pressing it.”

“Hahaha!” Kodama laughed as if he had heard a really funny joke.

‘If you realized it was true, it wouldn’t be so funny,’ Yoo-seong thought as he turned his gaze out the car window.

He saw a towering building against a deserted winter landscape.

‘Like a lab,’ he thought. ‘Or a hospital.’

“What’s inside,” Kodama’s cold voice came from behind him, “will surprise you.”

Yoo-seong turned his eyes on him.

“As you said earlier, there are conditions that drive the main character, and it’s not wealth or fame. To be able to show off my skills on a good stage…”

Kodama stared at him intently. “This will be a private visit, not a public display.”

“Well,” Yoo-seong said. “It seems they knew in advance that I was coming, so won’t the chairman blame you if I don’t arrive on time?”

“Uh… well. Do you need to use the bathroom or something?”

Beep-!

Kodama’s words were drowned by the winter wind.

Yoo-seong opened the car door.

“Mr. Oh Yoo-seong?”

“Sorry.” Yoo-seong stuck his tongue out playfully.

It was the mask he intended to use against Kodama and the Leto Group.

“You said I’d be surprised by what’s in that building. I can’t stand it!”

Then…

Yoo-seong jumped out of the vehicle. However, his feet never touched the ground.

Ta-ang-!

Against the cold, winter mountain air, Yoo-seong ran toward the building, using footholds made in the air.

‘They are waiting for me,’ Yoo-seong thought.

Kodama had led him here because the Leto Group wanted to show him something. That meant this must be a top-secret building.

He knew this because, when Yoo-seong brought up the navigation app on his phone, his location was not recognized. This place was not supposed to exist.

If so, he thought it would probably be best to see Leto’s real face before they could show him their made-up image.

“It’s… cold,” he muttered to himself as he landed on a tall tree.

Yoo-seong stared at the white building in front of him.

What happened now was not something he needed to think about.

Rather, like the joke he made…

He pressed the button.