Hoarding In Hell [EN]: Chapter 109

Assassination (1)

Do Won-kyung lit a cigarette.

The moment the cigarette tip burned red, a car stopped in front of her.

It was a foreign car she had never seen before. With many eyes on them, the back door of the car clicked open.

Do Won-kyung got into the car, regretting the cigarette she had just lit.

“Your timing is impeccable.”

“My team members often say that too.”

Kang Hyun-woo smiled and handed Do Won-kyung a pack of gum.

“Is this your last luggage?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing more to take.”

Do Won-kyung had nothing more to take from the Sejong Institute.

After confiscating some items and sending away the heavy ones in a truck, the only important things she could carry herself amounted to just one suitcase. Hyun-woo started the car.

“How have you been doing lately?”

“It’s incomparably more comfortable than before. If I had known I liked lazing around this much, I would have quit sooner. I’m thinking of going on a world tour next month.”

“Really?”

“I’m lying, you brat. I’m dying. I still can’t believe I have nowhere to go when I wake up. I didn’t know I liked the smell of disinfectant in the lab so much. You know what’s the most annoying thing? Lee Si-won keeps calling me crying every day. I think I need to find a job because of that guy, but no one’s hiring.”

“Even with Dr. Do Won-kyung’s experience?”

“Half of them are my enemies, and the other half are wary of Park Gyu. Rumors spread faster than new knowledge in academia.”

Do Won-kyung’s situation seemed bleak. Hyun-woo felt a little sorry.

“Enough about me, tell me about Yoo-min. How is she? Does she like it?”

“She loves it. She says the layout and arrangement are perfect.”

“Of course. Who do you think designed the lab?”

Do Won-kyung muttered with a proud expression.

One-third of the equipment in the Sejong Institute was brought in by Do Won-kyung at her own expense.

When budgeting, she used various excuses to fill it with domestic products, but Do Won-kyung emptied her life savings to fill it with high-quality foreign products.

Thanks to her taking all those machines, the Sejong Institute’s research has completely stopped, or so he heard.

“It seems like you cherished them quite a bit, seeing how well they were maintained. Are you sure it’s okay to give them away like that?”

“Who said I gave them away? I’m just leaving them there. I’m too lazy to rent a storage space.”

“I see… Oh, by the way, it turns out Yoo-min didn’t fail her thesis defense.”

“What? Then why did she drop out of school? That girl with such a strong goal orientation… Wait, you didn’t… You little rascal, did you imp–”

“Yes. She awakened as an ability user. But what were you about to say?”

“…She awakened as an ability user! Of course. That’s the only thing I can think of. No, wait a minute, she awakened as an ability user? Why? Why at this timing?”

“I have a hunch.”

More than a hunch, there’s only one possibility. For a regular person to awaken as an ability user, they need to be exposed to high concentrations of mana.

And Yoo-min has recently been exposed to an unprecedentedly high concentration of mana.

Through the highest quality crystal moss that Hyun-woo brought from hell.

He couldn’t store all those things in his inventory, so where else would he have put them?

Under the bed.

She’s been sleeping on a crystal moss mattress instead of a silver nano mattress for months, so it’s no wonder she awakened as an ability user.

Moreover, Yoo-min was exposed to the mana of difficulty: Hell, just like Hyun-woo, so there was a high possibility that her grade was also quite high.

“She’s an ability user… It doesn’t suit her at all… You’re not thinking of sending her to a dungeon, are you? Don’t even dream about it. She’s the type who should be wearing glasses and a white coat.”

“It’s up to Yoo-min. She doesn’t seem interested right now, though.”

“That’s good… But what star is she?”

Hyun-woo looked at Do Won-kyung in the rearview mirror, dumbfounded.

“Why does it matter if she’s not going to dungeons? She won’t be able to level up anyway if she doesn’t go.”

“Still, she’s my daughter, I’m curious. Hehehe.”

“Sheesh.”

“Stop laughing. It’s creepy.”

She acted all cool and aloof when she met Hyun-woo and Yoo-min again, but seeing her now, he realized how well she had been holding back.

It seemed like Do Won-kyung really wanted to get back on good terms with Yoo-min. This was good news for Hyun-woo, who was planning to bring her to his lab someday.

“Dr. Do Won-kyung, how about working with Yoo-min?”

“……”

There was no answer from Do Won-kyung.

Of course. It’s not Do Won-kyung who decides that, but Yoo-min. First, Yoo-min has to be able to forgive Do Won-kyung for them to work together.

“However, you won’t be able to tell Yoo-min what to do like before. Yoo-min will be in charge of the lab.”

“Then what am I? A senior researcher?”

“A senior bossing around? Or a senior *kkondae* [a Korean term for an older person who is condescending or preachy]? A senior know-it-all? Just put any appropriate name on it. It could also be called a co-leader. Or you could separate Yoo-min’s research field to avoid any clashes. If you’re okay with something like that, I’ll arrange a place for you to ask Yoo-min for forgiveness.”

Of course, creating a place also requires Yoo-min’s consent. Hyun-woo knows very well that there are cases where children can never forgive their parents. So he was prepared to accept whatever the outcome.

Setting up a separate lab for Do Won-kyung is also an option.

But Do Won-kyung didn’t answer until she arrived home.

Having arrived home, Do Won-kyung unloaded her luggage and prepared to go inside. But she didn’t leave and stood still, suddenly opening her mouth to Hyun-woo.

“Or maybe retiring as it is might be one way.”

“Is your pride that important?”

“It’s not pride, it’s fear. When you get to my age, one failure can mean eternal failure.”

Living with the hope that you might be forgiven is different from not being forgiven.

Do Won-kyung is not a fearful person. But everyone has something they fear.

Do Won-kyung didn’t say anything more and dragged her carrier into her house. The fairly large detached house looked cold, having been neglected all winter.

It would take time for it to be filled with warmth.

Hyun-woo thought so and started the car again.

***

“Ugh… I’m going crazy.”

“The situation is really bad.”

A high-end Japanese restaurant near Seoul.

This place, frequented by wealthy businessmen, was filled with groans from early evening. It was none other than the high-ranking executives of Jeonneungnyeon.

“As the difficulty increases, the prices of hunters’ equipment, accessories, and crystal moss are skyrocketing everywhere else, but only Jeonneungnyeon is suffering. What’s going on?”

Kang Seong-gyu, the second-in-command of Jeonneungnyeon, remained silent with a stern expression.

Jeonneungnyeon consists of the Five Great Star Line, made up of hunters, and the Kang Seong-gyu Line, which handles business aspects and consists of ability users who are not hunters.

Of course, the two are not in a competitive relationship but a complementary one, but in reality, the form it takes is closer to the Kang Seong-gyu Line’s businesses exploiting the Five Great Star Line’s cheap hunters.

This worked well when the dungeon difficulty was easy, but things changed as the difficulty increased. As dungeon raids became more difficult, fewer accessories were produced, and hunters had no choice but to be cautious.

It was a natural result of only exploiting hunters at a low cost without reinvesting in their equipment or growth.

“As things stand, shouldn’t we start providing hunters with proper equipment and potions from now on? People are even dying, so everyone is reluctant to enter dungeons or looking for places that will pay them more.”

“No, other places? If you’ve joined Jeonneungnyeon, you should be buried here. How dare you talk about moving or not?”

“This guy is still talking nonsense. Don’t even open your mouth outside. If you say that kind of thing these days, everyone will leave!”

“Our company processes low-grade crystal moss and supplies it to new material manufacturers. If we start investing in expensive equipment and 맞춰주기 [tailoring to their needs], we won’t be able to match the price range.”

The drinking party started to become noisy again. While a misfortune battle was taking place over who had been hit harder, Kang Seong-gyu frowned and just kept drinking.

At that time, an executive carefully raised his hand.

“I heard that Vice President Kang Seong-gyu is still doing well, though.”

As the executives’ attention turned, Kang Seong-gyu’s expression hardened. The executive who raised his hand said.

“I heard that you’ve been receiving material support from Kang Hyun-woo’s team, so it’s been quite easy. Kang Hyun-woo’s team collects materials while *dolmyeonseo* [running around] 3-star dungeons, but who else in Jeonneungnyeon has that kind of hunter?”

“Only CEO Oh Dae-sung’s team. But Oh Dae-sung’s team is mainly focused on search and rescue, so it’s not very valuable in terms of business… Come to think of it, I heard that Kang Hyun-woo’s team *dolmyeonseo* [running around] 3-star dungeons three times a day?”

A buzz grew among the executives. Only high-level hunters can *dolmyeonseo* [run around] 3-star dungeons multiple times. But the team members led by Hyun-woo were known to be 1-star, at most 2-star.

If so, it meant that they were raiding dungeons far exceeding their difficulty with ease. Only a month or so after Hyun-woo took over.

“I’ve seen Kang Hyun-woo’s team once. They were wearing equipment I’ve never seen before.”

“I heard they’re also *ppurineundago* [generously handing out] potions. Then they can *dolda* [run] 3-star dungeons as much as they want. It’s like carrying extra lives.”

“No, do they still make a profit even if they do that? If they collect that much and supply it to Vice President Kang Seong-gyu, are they surprisingly close?”

“Let’s stop!”

Kang Seong-gyu quickly cut off the conversation as it was flowing strangely.

It was true that he had received supplies from Kang Hyun-woo. At that time, Kang Seong-gyu was also struggling because the supplies from Jeonneungnyeon’s hunters had decreased, but when high-quality goods came in, he readily accepted them. But he never thought that this would cause conflict between himself and other executives.

‘But I can’t refuse.’

He was *ppalgo* [sucking] the honey from the difficulty increase to the fullest, and as his income increased, he was looking into real estate here and there to match it.

If he cut ties with Hyun-woo here, he would be in a position to *ppalayahal songarak* [suck his thumb] with the other executives here.

“It’s not the time for us to fight among ourselves. Vice President Kang Seong-gyu can’t help it, can he? If any of us were offered supplies from Kang Hyun-woo’s team, we wouldn’t be able to refuse, would we?”

The executive who had brought it up in the first place started to cover it up, as if he had made a mistake. There was no point in being disliked by Kang Seong-gyu, the vice president.

“But Vice President Kang Seong-gyu, it seems like we need to pay attention to Kang Hyun-woo’s team. I heard that some of us are already receiving supplies from Kang Hyun-woo.”

There were a few executives who didn’t come to this *jari* [gathering]. Most of them were executives who were receiving supplies from Hyun-woo.

They were executives who were helping hunters grow by paying them relatively conscientious prices, but they were being pressured by Kang Seong-gyu, who was worried about price competition, and were reluctantly complying. It seemed like they had completely turned their backs.

“Not only that, among the hunters, there are more and more hunters who are dissatisfied, saying that the treatment they receive is too different even though they are in the same Jeonneungnyeon. I heard that they are even leaving their existing teams to join Kang Hyun-woo’s team.”

“I heard that Seo Ji-hoo or something has already set up a 2팀 [Team 2].”

“Huh, is this okay? Vice President Kang Seong-gyu? Isn’t this completely setting up another clan within the clan? It’s a *gisaengjit* [parasitic behavior] that only *ppaemeokgetdaneun injae* [sucking out the talent]! What is CEO Oh Dae-sung doing? Didn’t he say we should kick him out right away?”

Kang Seong-gyu sighed deeply.

“CEO Oh Dae-sung told me to emulate even half of Kang Hyun-woo’s *jeolbanman* [half].”

“No, how can you say such a thing… Who has been *meogyeo salrin* [feeding and supporting] Jeonneungnyeon until now…”

The executives trailed off, but in fact, it was they who were *gisaengjung* [being parasitic]. Their business situation was so *makjang* [chaotic] that they couldn’t live a day without Jeonneungnyeon.

The executives lost their words and fell into silence.

Everyone was *seongtoing* [criticizing] Hyun-woo, but they envied the executives who were receiving supplies from Hyun-woo, and there was no way to keep him in check.

“…Then is there no choice but to watch with folded arms?”

“Well, we have to promise to treat them as well as Kang Hyun-woo, even if we can’t do as well… To attract hunters…”

“Hmm, still, everyone will have no choice but to be dissatisfied… But we can’t tell Kang Hyun-woo to support the hunters less.”

“A single *mikkeuraji* [loach] came in and *heuryeonoeuni* [muddied] all the water, geez.”

At that time, Kang Seong-gyu got up from his seat. The executives were flustered and stood up, following his actions as he put on his coat.

“No, why are you leaving already? The course meal isn’t even over yet.”

“It’s okay. It’s not an atmosphere where I can comfortably have a drink.”

Kang Seong-gyu headed out of the room despite their dissuasion, but stopped for a moment. Then, he glared at the executives and opened his mouth.

“I’ll find a way to deal with Kang Hyun-woo, even if I have to use external forces, so you guys better *dansok* [control] your affiliated hunters. Don’t let them get carried away and expect treatment that doesn’t fit their *bunsu* [status]. Make them have the mindset that I have to sacrifice myself to save the organization.”

As the executives couldn’t say anything, Kang Seong-gyu left as he was.

The drinking party without Kang Seong-gyu had no choice but to fizzle out. The executives whispered timidly and then *pahhaetda* [broke up] in a vague manner.

But they each began to ponder how to find a way to *mulkkoreul teul* [open a channel] with Kang Hyun-woo.

Kang Seong-gyu got into the car and said to the driver.

“Let’s go.”

But the driver didn’t move. Only then did Kang Seong-gyu realize that the driver, who should have been waiting in the driver’s seat, was not visible.

Did he go to the bathroom? In an instant, he spotted a pale hand in the driver’s seat.

“Eek…!”

Kang Seong-gyu, seeing the man’s hand with a cleanly cut surface, tried to jump out of the car. But at that moment, the ringtone of a cell phone began to ring. The cell phone was clutched on top of the severed hand.

Kang Seong-gyu hesitated for a long time, but eventually managed to pull the cell phone out of his hand and opened it.

[Jeonreungnyeon’s, Kang Seong-gyu ssi, doesipnika?] (Are you, Mr. Kang Seong-gyu of Jeonreungnyeon?)

Kang Seong-gyu, who had thought it might be Hyun-woo’s doing, realized it was different upon hearing the voice.

It wasn’t Korean. It was a foreigner’s pronunciation.

[We, can 협력, it seems.] (We, can cooperate, it seems.)