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Chapter 31
“How did I end up being captured and locked up by Jang Seong-yeong?”
“I don’t know. I was secretly hiding and capturing Jang Seong-yeong’s every move on camera…”
“Suddenly Jang Seong-yeong disappeared, and when I came to my senses, I was in the trunk. That must be what happened.”
“That’s right!”
The man in my arms spilled out exactly the answer I had expected.
He was a journalist specializing in news about Awakeners.
A rookie at that. A young puppy who recklessly followed an A+ ranked Awakener.
“You should consider it fortunate that you didn’t die on the spot. It seems I brought you here to find a somewhat decent burial site.”
I said this while recalling the skeletons I had seen in the abandoned mine.
Fortunately, the journalist’s bleeding stopped quickly.
What I thought was blood dripping from the trunk was apparently another liquid.
I hadn’t particularly intended to save him, but I felt somewhat proud for saving a life.
“Thank you so much for saving me! I’ve been through hell. I thought I could secretly track without being noticed, so I boldly got close…”
“That’s all part of the design. When the target enters a point blocked from CCTV or surrounding gazes, they immediately take care of them.”
“Oh…”
“Let’s go together until outside the Red Zone. From there, you can catch a taxi or whatever to escape.”
“Thank you so much. Excuse me, but what is your name? I’m Park Hyeon, a trainee reporter from Choin Ilbo.”
“Kang Shin-hwa.”
“Kang Shin-hwa? Oh! Are you perhaps that rookie who recently contracted with the Yanghwa guild?”
“I’m not sure about being a rookie, but I am that person.”
“Oh oh oh! So you’re the hero who saved Jin Bo-mi, and you’ve now saved me too. Right? This is a scoop!”
Park Hyeon, who had just been at death’s door moments ago, seemed to have his unique journalistic spirit reignited now that he thought he was saved.
“I have no plans for interviews or coverage. That’s not why I saved you.”
I shook my head.Â
In fact, the image of a man hugging my neck with both hands while I looked down seriously was also horrifying.
It was exactly the kind of scene that could be misunderstood.
“Anyway, I sincerely thank you for saving my life. I’ll absolutely never follow anyone recklessly again.”
“The problem starts with illegal filming without consent. Being a journalist doesn’t give you immunity.”
I pointed out the core issue. While Jang Seong-yeong was also a problem for trying to kill the journalist, Park Hyeon had ultimately provided the cause.
“I’m ashamed. I thought if I could track an article about the Black Cross Squad’s third-ranking member, it would definitely be a solid story…”
He looked pitiful.
Such is the life of those born into poverty.
The lowest-ranking porter in the Awakener world wasn’t much different from trainee reporter Park Hyeon.
When they find a good guild or a capable guild leader, they try to take root somehow.
They lobby financially to become the guild’s fixed porter or volunteer as an attendant first.
Park Hyeon probably risked danger to follow Jang Seong-yeong to land a big story.
‘I might need some moderate connections in the journalism world.’
A good idea suddenly came to mind.
From the high-grade magical potions I’m about to sell to the products I’m planning, I have quite a few.
The potion is just the first step.
The next planned product is a reinforcement potion called a ‘Stimulus’.
In my previous life, it appeared in January 2022, a drug that could increase combat abilities by nearly twice without side effects.
It was a drug made by the ‘Abe Research Center’ in Japan, which had already caused backlash just by its manufacturer’s name.
‘To spread rumors about such products, marketing is important, but articles are very important too. It would be even better if I could have an article written from my perspective.’
I was thinking of a dedicated journalist.
From my perspective, it’s good to use articles for self-PR, and from the journalist’s perspective, they get an exclusive story. A win-win situation.
“Mr. Park Hyeon.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t need anything today, but would you be interested in writing a deep, in-depth article about me sometime?”
“Really?”
At that moment, our eyes naturally met and sparkled.
Though an accidental connection, it seemed like a connection with substantial use value.
* * *
After parting ways with Park Hyeon, Kang Shin-hwa returned to his house in Seoul and spent almost a full day lying in bed, rolling around all day until that night.
He rested thoroughly.
He paid for and watched classic movies he had been wanting to see, and also checked out some popular entertainment shows recently.
His smartphone was turned off, so it was quiet, and no visitors came to his house.
<Choin Ilbo
Trainee Reporter Park Hyeon
010-4583-XXXX>
Kang Shin-hwa confirmed Park Hyeon’s business card on the table and placed it back in a visible spot.
Park Hyeon had bowed several times because Kang Shin-hwa, who had saved his life, was also offering him a story.
For Park Hyeon, who was thirsting for a differentiated, more attention-grabbing exclusive story, it was like a rain of hope during a drought.
“First, this will be two high-grade magical potions.”
Kang Shin-hwa took out a water bottle and made a magical potion, just like yesterday.
He had a meeting at midnight.
It was a big gathering involving Yanghwa Guild’s chairman Jin Seong-tae, Jin Bo-mi, Seo Ye-hee, Yoon Tae-ho, and guild executives.
He didn’t go into details.
He just said he was planning to sell magical potions and needed to discuss distribution channels.
“Still, it’s my first large-scale meeting, so I should pay attention to my clothes. The casual suit I bought before should work.”
He headed straight to the shower.
Showering, getting ready, changing clothes – everything would be just right.
There was even a dedicated driver coming to pick him up right on time.
“Convenient. It’s really convenient.”
Now he understood why important people hire attendants, drivers, secretaries, and advisors.
They handle all the troublesome, trivial tasks, making everything extremely convenient.
‘Maybe when I retire, I’ll develop a device that automatically feeds me,’Â
Kang Shin-hwa’s imagination was spreading out comfortably.
* * *
Just before midnight.
The Yanghwa Building, the guild’s headquarters, was bustling with guild members moving busily despite the late hour.
If you didn’t look out the window, you wouldn’t know if it was day or night – it was so vibrant.
“Is that Kang Shin-hwa?”
“Yes. Looks like Director Jeong-hoon brought him.”
The Yanghwa Guild members waiting for a dungeon expedition on the first floor simultaneously turned their gazes to one man.
It was Kang Shin-hwa, who had just appeared in a neat suit.
At 189cm, with distinct features, his muscular body hardened from years of being a porter and subsequent physical changes was impressively revealed even while clothed.
“He’s handsome.”
“They say he’s an ultra-special rookie? The guild has huge expectations.”
“He’s just D- rank, right? Like how universities welcome all new students at the start of the semester. After a few weeks, the excitement dies down, and they become just another student.”
“I’ve heard your self-introduction.”
“It sounds ridiculous coming from you, an E- rank.”
“Anyway, it’s nothing. You need to be at least B- rank to be considered a top Awakener.”
Envy and jealousy about Kang Shin-hwa crossed various conversations.
‘In my previous life, I used to be so influenced by such comments, but now I’m kind of enlightened.’
Kang Shin-hwa was listening to the envious remarks pleasantly.
Deep down, it was proof that they were actually very jealous.
Life is inherently unfair.
Some are given extraordinarily brilliant wisdom and talent, while others are not.
In his previous life, he was always dissatisfied with such inequity, but after living for half a century, his perspective had changed.
“Hello, I’m Kang Shin-hwa. Nice to meet you.”
“Hello!”
“Nice to meet you!”
“Tch, acting all cheerful.”
“Our guild finally has a handsome man who enters and smiles while greeting, how nice!”
“Ha, damn it. Squid should just keep his mouth shut.”
Kang Shin-hwa moved to the elevator, receiving everyone’s gaze pleasantly and greeting them politely.
After all, these were his guild colleagues.
He didn’t want to create enemies, as they might need to work together someday.
Of course, he also had confidence and composure that such a situation would never arise.
* * *
“Master, honestly, at D- rank, shouldn’t a handler be assigned from a lower tier instead of us?”
“Originally, that would be true. But he’s a special management target of the chairman, and Bo-mi is also very curious about Kang Shin-hwa.”
“I’m a bit worried that guild members might raise issues of fairness or feel disappointed.”
“Rank is just an alphabet. What you see and actual ability are different for Kang Shin-hwa.”
“I’m not sure what he’s planning to sell, but is it really necessary to have all the executives present?”
“He said it’s a magical potion.”
“At best, it’s probably just a high-grade magical potion obtainable from a blue-long-nosed lizard.”
“Well, maybe…”
Seo Ye-hee and Yoon Tae-ho were thinking only within conventional limits, completely unable to imagine Kang Shin-hwa’s high-grade magical potion.
While high-grade magical potions were difficult to obtain, their existence itself wasn’t particularly surprising.
Yoon Tae-ho didn’t like Kang Shin-hwa. He felt Kang Shin-hwa was expecting too special treatment.
Although it was true that Kang Shin-hwa had saved Jin Bo-mi and showed various talents that raised expectations, Yoon Tae-ho felt jealous because Jin Seong-tae, the guild’s primary sponsor and founder, was showing interest only in Kang Shin-hwa, overlooking Seo Ye-hee and himself.
“There’s no need to overthink. If there’s something to learn, something extraordinary, we should bow and learn. Don’t get caught up in ranks.”
-Arriving.
At that moment, through their earphones, Jeong-hoon’s soft voice came from the terrace next to the conference room.
“Looks like Kang Shin-hwa has arrived.”
“The water has met the fish. The chairman will be very pleased.”
“Yoon Tae-ho, your jealousy looks quite cute.”
“Oh, never mind. Let’s go. Let’s see what amazing thing he’s brought.”
Yoon Tae-ho chuckled and headed to the conference room with Seo Ye-hee.
One minute later.
Kang Shin-hwa arrived at the conference room with Jeong-hoon.
Jin Seong-tae and Jin Bo-mi, who were already waiting for Kang Shin-hwa, along with the executives, all simultaneously focused their gaze on him.
Shin-hwa lifted two water bottles from the rough backpack he was carrying.
Jin Seong-tae asked, “Is this the potion you’re planning to sell through our guild?”
“Yes, that’s correct. A magical potion.”
“If it’s not high-grade, hasn’t Arisu Chemical already established mass production of mid-grade? Individual production would be woefully insufficient in quantity.”
Jin Seong-tae spoke calmly and coldly. Everyone present shared his sentiment.
Kang Shin-hwa smiled slightly and continued with a confident voice, “Words should always be heard to the end, and everything must be verified directly. Isn’t seeing once better than hearing a hundred times? Please check what kind of potion this is directly.”
Until that moment, no one had recognized the true value of the magical potion in these seemingly ordinary water bottles.
At least not until they directly confirmed the potion’s concentration using a concentration measurement device.
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