Chapter 297

Chapter 297

The appointment was easier than I thought.

"Hahahaha! Yes! An elder of the Aura Order should be able to do that! Don't worry, just relax.”

I didn't think he'd want to make an appointment right away.

And the president's swift response, "Today?”

And so, like lightning striking beans, I had dinner with the president.

This time, however, the dinner was not held at the Blue House like last time, but at a Korean restaurant that Kwak Chun-sik usually frequented.

It was a small room of about 5 square meters. I was sitting in silence with the old man, staring at the food.

"Am I too late? Mmm? It smells great!"

President Kang Sangrok opens the door and smiles broadly.

For some reason, his clothes were a mess and his hair was disheveled, but his unique soft charisma still remained.

I stand up and bow my head at his entrance.

"Thank you for coming a long way."

"Never mind. It's your disciple, not anyone else, who needs to see me."

Before entering the room, he pats the twigs and dust off his clothes.

Kwak Chun-sik chuckles and opens his mouth.

"What's wrong with you, little guy? Did you go to Vietnam or something?"

“What can I do when the entire security team is chasing me with their teeth clenched to catch me? I just ran straight down the mountain path!”

You ran from the Blue House’s security team to meet me? And with your bare body?

......Was the president an awakened?

As if reading my expression, the old man chuckles and replies.

"At your age, it's no wonder you don't know. This guy is actually a former war hero, so he's pretty good at this kind of thing."

"What are you talking about? If you talk about the old days to kids these days, they’ll call you an old-timer.”

“Who is an old-timer?”

Kang Sangrok sits down across from me, leaving Kwak Chun-sik, who looks shocked.

Of course, only a fearless person would talk with Kwak Chun-sik like that, so it's not like I couldn't understand his shock.

"So, what did our student Eugene want to talk to me about, and why did you arrange this meeting?"

As soon as he sits down, he quenches his thirst with the green tea in front of him and gets right to the point. If you're so curious, I'll tell you right away.

"First things first. I'm here today not as Eugene Han, the Aura Elder, but as Eugene Han Corleone, the executive officer and heir apparent."

"Hmph. You're Corleone?"

I don't remember mentioning that I was Corleone at the Blue House last time, but his relaxed expression suggests that he already knew.

Rather, he straightened his clothes once more as I revealed my identity.

It's a shame, because a moment of embarrassment would have been fun.

"Yes, Corleone...... Eugene's father and I have had dinner and talked a few times, and each time there have been some very interesting incidents......." Diiscover new stories at novelhall.com

The corners of his mouth lifted as if he was reminiscing.

His expression slowly turns serious, and his voice takes on a weight that hadn't been there before.

"Eugene Han Corleone, what amusing incident are you about to tell me about?"

Indeed, this is the head of a nation. The president.

I don't feel any aura or mana, but the air seems to have gotten heavier with each word.

However it's clear that he's interested in this story.

The corner of my mouth twitched up slightly at his demeanor, and I continued.

"If the Korean Peninsula was divided in half by war in the past, it can be said that it is now divided in half by dungeons. The DMZ and the area above it are the most prominent examples, because now it's called the land of monsters, not the land of people."

The government didn't have to touch them.

The monsters weren't going south on their own, and South Korea was still enjoying a new heyday, capitalizing on the dungeons and magic gems that kept popping up.

Well, until now.

"The number of new Awakened keeps growing, and the dungeons are becoming limited, to the point where it's not uncommon for the Awakened to fight over the same dungeon."

In other words, the more people who want a dungeon, the more conflict there is.

So what can be done about this situation?

There is only one answer. Age of Exploration.

"So it looks like all of your concerns have been addressed, Mr. President. How do you feel?"

The corner of his mouth curls up at my words.

"Kwak-hyung."

"Yeah."

"......This isn't just any bear, is it?"

"It's a fox-like bear."

"......They're the worst kind of people to deal with in politics. But," he continues.

"I'd rather have you on my side."

With that, he extended his hand to me, his face again showing the same smiling face I'd seen at the beginning.

"I wish you well in your future endeavors. Eugene Han Corleone."

"You have my best wishes. Mr. President."

I took the outstretched hand and shook it, then turned to the food on the table.

"Come, the food is getting cold, let's eat quickly, I'm starving."

* * *

After a successful dinner I returned to the mansion, composed a new report based on my conversation with the President and delivered it to my father.

"Sir. The Don and the Consigliere wish to see you."

I was summoned by the two highest in our Corleone.

"How was the atmosphere......?"

I ask Alessia cautiously as she comes to the room to inform me of my father and godfather's summons.

"It was pretty serious. What kind of report did you post that got you two so serious?"

"Secret, for now. I hope I don't get in too much trouble."

You know, I feel like I pushed this one.

While meeting with a high-ranking person called the President, I did not submit any reports to the organization, and in the process of negotiating with the President, without permission from father and Consigliere, I freely expressed my intention to take responsibility for Corleone.

While this could not have happened at any other time, these actions......were in fact a violation of organization discipline.

Of course, in the end, Corleone benefited greatly, but.......

‘That's not what organizations are for.’

Besides, are my father and godfather normal people?

I'm nervous.

"...... I'll be right there."

Slowly, I get up from my seat and start walking.

My destination: my father's study.

"Don, Consigliere. This is Eugene."

I knocked softly on my father's study door and heard my father's low voice from inside.

-Come in.

The mere sound of his voice gave me a sense of gravity. It was nothing compared to the gravity of the president's words earlier.

I bowed my head and entered the study, where I saw my father sitting at his desk, reading a report, and my godfather leaning back against the bookshelf, facing me.

I felt the back of my neck get damp.

I hadn't expected to break out in a cold sweat just walking into the room.

"Don. What do you want me to do?"

Godfather asks father first.

What is he going to do? Scold me? Punish me?

"It's......done. I'll do it."

With that, my father stands up from his seat.

With each step he takes toward me, I feel my body grow heavier and heavier, as if a rock is on top of my head.

Is he going to discipline me at the organizational level?

I look down and see my father's shoes, and the pounding of my heart reaches its peak.

"Huh?"

"──I'm proud of you, son."

For some reason...I was hugged.