Chapter 386 – Part 2 – Welcome Party

Choi Seong-min’s gaze lingered on Park Hui-jun for a while.

“Um… is there something on my face?”

“No.”

Choi Seong-min answered immediately.

“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“Haha, I do have a pretty common face.”

Though Park Hui-jun answered nonchalantly on the surface, his thoughts were different.

-He thinks he’s seen me before? It’s not from there, is it?

Even without reading his thoughts, it was easy to guess where “there” meant.

‘This bastard is the one.’

As they say, a guilty conscience needs no accuser. When he threw out the bait, Park Hui-jun immediately thought of the human trafficking gang.

‘He was a customer at a human trafficking gang.’

Since he had memorized the face from Han Sae-bom’s memories, he was certain.

‘From his perspective, this would be the first time seeing me.’

Choi Seong-min knew him, but Park Hui-jun didn’t know Choi Seong-min.

Since he had only seen him in memories, it had to be their first meeting.

Eventually Ryu Jong-ik continued the introductions, and Choi Seong-min pretended to lose interest and turned his gaze to other people.

But his attention was entirely focused on Park Hui-jun.

‘To think such a bastard is an executive of Revolution. How absurd.’

Weren’t only trustworthy people supposed to gather in this place?

Knowing the truth, there was no way his first impression of Park Hui-jun could be good.

“Well, I think that’s enough introductions, so let’s go outside. We’ll hold a simple initiation ceremony.”

Led by Ryu Jong-ik, the members went outside.

“Everyone pay attention! I’ll introduce a new member who will share our destiny from today. Hunter, please come next to me.”

Ryu Jong-ik skillfully introduced Choi Seong-min in front of the audience.

“This is Hunter Choi Seong-min, with 10 million combat power and world ranking 2nd place.”

“10 million combat power?”

“That young man?”

“That’s insane.”

“Wow…”

Everyone’s reaction was unanimous.

They either gaped in surprise or dug in their ears, doubting what they had heard.

That’s how no one anywhere took the number 10 million lightly.

* * *

After the initiation ceremony ended, a modest party was held.

It was a celebration party welcoming Choi Seong-min’s joining.

But the protagonist himself wasn’t interested in such things.

“Excuse me, Leader?”

“Ah, Seong-min.”

Ryu Jong-ik smiled warmly.

It wasn’t a fake smile.

Reading his thoughts, he genuinely liked Choi Seong-min.

“Does the food suit your taste? We hastily called a catering service, so I’m not sure how it is.”

“Honestly, I haven’t tried it yet.”

“Why not? You must be hungry since it’s nighttime.”

“I had a hearty dinner.”

“Ah, you ate with Eun-jeong, right?”

Ryu Jong-ik’s face was slightly flushed, as if he’d had some drinks.

“I heard the finances aren’t very comfortable, is it okay to do this?”

“Haha, it’s fine. We’ve welcomed the world’s 2nd ranked hunter, so we should at least hold this much of a celebration party.”

“Are you planning to accept me as a member just like this?”

“Of course. We even finished the initiation ceremony, brief as it was.”

“No interview? No skill test or personality test?”

“What’s there to confirm about skills? The system tells us everything. As for personality, didn’t we check that earlier? You can tell after just a few conversations. Seong-min passes in every aspect.”

“You’re accepting me as a member based on just that? Isn’t that too careless? What if I’m a spy from the association president?”

“Of course, that possibility isn’t entirely absent. Honestly, it’s true that we lack time to build trust. It hasn’t even been an hour since we first met.”

Ryu Jong-ik spoke honestly.

“Actually, such concerns came up in yesterday’s meeting. Whether recruiting Hunter Choi Seong-min wasn’t too risky. Whether we could trust you with work.”

“…”

“To be frank, if you turn your blade on us, Revolution will disappear that very day. Overwhelming force is reassuring only when it’s on our side. If we face it as an enemy… I don’t even want to imagine.”

“Then why…”

“It’s a kind of gamble. A gamble based on the belief that Hunter Choi Seong-min will be our ally. Of course, it’s not a baseless gamble. As I said, we’ve confirmed your character to some extent, and most importantly, our member vouched that you’re an ally. I trust our members.”

“Have you heard the saying ‘the trusted axe strikes the foot’?”

“Hahaha, that’s an interesting saying. Even so, our members don’t apply to that. They’re comrades who’ve shared life and death for years.”

“…”

From this conversation, Choi Seong-min roughly understood what kind of person Ryu Jong-ik was.

‘He’s someone who sees only the trees and not the forest.’

His trust in the members is solid.

But believing that will last forever is a huge mistake.

Park Hui-jun, who’s been active for two years, is using human trafficking gangs.

Yet he’s spouting nonsense about trusting the members.

‘I was going to report Park Hui-jun’s criminal activities… but it would be useless to mention it.’

Looking at him, he wouldn’t believe it unless there was clear evidence.

‘Evidence…’

There’s no way such a thing exists.

He only saw it through memories.

“Leader, I heard there are rebels in Westland too?”

“Ah, did Eun-jeong mention it? People live the same way everywhere, so they have organizations like ours there too. Their scale is a bit larger than ours though…”

“Is it true that you’ve decided to form an alliance?”

“Yes. The continents are different, but we share the same goal of eliminating Great Heroes, don’t we? We help each other mutually.”

“What about their leader? Have you met them?”

“Yes. A capable S-rank hunter named Melvin Hernandez. I heard his class is Holy Knight.”

‘That’s him.’

If it’s a Holy Knight, it’s definitely Christopher.

“I’m curious. What kind of person is their leader?”

“Actually, there’s an operation meeting scheduled for next week, so you’ll be able to see him then. Wings of Hope agreed to provide support.”

“That’s good. I’m looking forward to next week.”

“I’m looking forward to it too. To see what kind of performance Hunter Choi Seong-min will show during the operation… Ah, but don’t feel pressured because I’m not asking for anything difficult from the first day. I’ll tell you the details during the meeting, so let’s discuss it then.”

“Sounds good.”

“Then I’ll be going now, so please enjoy the party a bit more.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“A superior can’t stay uncomfortably at a place where members are enjoying themselves.”

With those words, Ryu Jong-ik was about to leave when he stopped and turned around.

“Seong-min.”

“…?”

“I welcome you joining our organization once again.”

Ryu Jong-ik smiled and used stealth before leaving.

He used it to leave quietly without the members knowing, but Choi Seong-min could see all his movements.

‘Hmm… He’s a good person without any ulterior motives, but…’

Choi Seong-min watched Ryu Jong-ik’s retreating figure.

He’s definitely a good person, but the problem is he trusts the members too much.

‘It’s not just the members. He trusts Wings of Hope too.’

He blindly accepted the alliance proposal just because they share the same goal.

‘That’s why he doesn’t know Christopher is a spy and easily allowed his approach.’

If things go wrong, both Revolution and Wings of Hope might be wiped out in an instant.

‘But how did that guy learn about the human trafficking gang?’

Choi Seong-min felt the need to learn more about the man named Park Hui-jun.

‘I need to have a conversation with him.’

Where Choi Seong-min turned his gaze, the party was in full swing.

People sitting at tables eating from the buffet.

People drinking beer and chatting with colleagues.

People quietly sipping champagne away from the crowd.

The person Choi Seong-min was looking for wasn’t among them.

However.

‘Do Eun-jeong?’

He could find someone he knew.

“What are you doing here alone looking so pitiful?”

“Ah, Seong-min.”

When he approached first and spoke, Do Eun-jeong smiled brightly.

She wasn’t happy because someone talked to her, but because the person who talked to her was Choi Seong-min.

“I was just thinking about various things by myself.”

He knew what she was thinking about since he had read her thoughts while walking over.

‘She wants to get closer to me but is worried that we’re actually growing more distant.’

Do Eun-jeong wanted to become closer now that he had become an official member.

But seeing his incredibly high combat power and watching him talk with the leader, it seemed difficult for her to approach easily.

‘In other words, she thinks we’re in different leagues.’

She’s worried whether someone who’s only D-rank like herself might muddy the waters by talking to him unnecessarily.

‘Unnecessary worry.’

When Choi Seong-min chuckled, Do Eun-jeong looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No, it’s just that your image is different from what I know.”

“What’s my image like?”

“At least it’s not the image of someone who would be lost in thought alone here.”

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not.”

“It would be more comfortable for you to take it as a compliment.”

“Pfft.”

Laughter escaped from Do Eun-jeong’s mouth.

The two exchanged several conversations afterward.

Do Eun-jeong felt comfortable.

Talking with Choi Seong-min made her unnecessary thoughts disappear.

‘Ah…’

Do Eun-jeong realized belatedly.

That being dejected in a corner wasn’t like her.

If she wanted to get closer?

She just needed to have conversations like this.

‘I was overthinking. Hunter Choi Seong-min is still Hunter Choi Seong-min.’

Choi Seong-min didn’t act arrogantly just because his combat power increased.

He treated her the same as always and showed an unchanged appearance.

It was Do Eun-jeong herself who had been creating distance.

Realizing this fact, Do Eun-jeong felt much more at ease.

“Eun-jeong. Isn’t it about time we dropped the formal speech? You’re even 10 years older than me.”

“Wait, dropping formal speech is one thing, but attacking my age?”

“It’s just a fact. But you already dropped it? Without any warning?”

“You said to drop it.”

“You should signal before changing lanes. Eun-jeong noona.”

Do Eun-jeong laughed and Choi Seong-min laughed too.

‘Now it seems things are back to normal.’

Seeing Do Eun-jeong return to her former self, Choi Seong-min felt relieved.

‘We’ll be seeing each other often from now on, so it shouldn’t become uncomfortable.’

That was more convenient for Choi Seong-min too.

She was the only person he knew in the organization.

‘Since Do Eun-jeong is a fellow member, I need to get closer to her.’

To get information about the organization, it was good to have at least one close person.

“But noona, where is Park Hui-jun?”

“Hui-jun?”

“He’s an executive, so I wanted to have a conversation with him, but I don’t see him.”

Do Eun-jeong looked around and shook her head.

“I don’t know where he went. I don’t see his sister either.”

“Sister?”

“Park Jin-hee. His sister is also a Revolution member. Unlike Hui-jun, she’s a civilian though.”

Do Eun-jeong, who was saying that, muttered.

“Did he go to the hospital with his sister? Or maybe he went to take her home because it got late…”

“Hospital? Is someone sick?”

“Ah, Hui-jun’s sister recently went through something bad and has been going to the hospital.”

“What kind of bad thing?”

“It’s not really something to gossip about…”

When Choi Seong-min pressed, Do Eun-jeong had no choice but to tell the truth.

“Until a few days ago, his sister was captured by a human trafficking gang. So he might have gone to take her home.”

“Ah… such a thing happened…”

While making a sympathetic expression, inwardly he couldn’t help but be astounded.

‘His sister was kidnapped by a human trafficking gang? While that brother was engaging in prostitution at a human trafficking gang?’

He could immediately understand how the sister was kidnapped.

‘They touched a customer’s family.’

Human trafficking gangs touch even customers’ families when they need goods urgently.

In other words, the sister was kidnapped because of Park Hui-jun, who was a customer.

‘The sister probably doesn’t know anything.’

What reaction would she show if she knew that her brother was a customer of the human trafficking gang and that she suffered terrible things because of that?

‘I want to have a conversation with Park Hui-jun first…’

But he’s nowhere to be seen.

Then a flash of light caught Choi Seong-min’s vision.

A car was parking and Park Hui-jun was getting out.

‘I wondered where he went, looks like he went to drop off his sister and came back.’

Choi Seong-min interrupted Do Eun-jeong, who was in the middle of talking.

“I’ll go talk with Park Hui-jun for a moment.”

“Ah, okay.”

Choi Seong-min approached Park Hui-jun and slightly bowed his head.

“Hello, Park Hui-jun.”

“Ah, it’s Choi Seong-min. Hello.”

“Did you go out somewhere?”

“I stopped by home for a moment.”

“Did you drop off your sister?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard about your sister.”

Choi Seong-min made a sympathetic expression.

“To think such a thing happened… Your sister must be going through a lot, and you too must be mentally struggling.”

“I’m more worried about my sister than myself…”

Though Park Hui-jun made a worried expression, his inner thoughts were different.

-Why is he bringing up my sister? Tsk. I’m already annoyed that I can’t use prostitution services.

It was a bit shocking that the reason for his annoyance was prostitution.

‘He’s definitely not someone who cares for his sister.’

If he cared for his sister, he wouldn’t still be thinking about prostitution.

“Still, it’s fortunate. That the human trafficking gang was annihilated. What would have happened if it weren’t for the black mask?”

“You’re right. Haha.”

-Fortunate my ass. Because of that bastard, I can’t even use prostitution services anymore.

Though he was laughing on the outside, Park Hui-jun’s mind was only thinking about prostitution.

-Should I ask Melvin to introduce me to another human trafficking gang?

‘Melvin?’

Choi Seong-min’s mind flashed.

He never expected that guy’s name to come up in Park Hui-jun’s thoughts.