Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 398

398. Are We Negotiating?

The director of the National Certified Official Hunter Research Institute, and Woo Yeon-woo, a national hero despite recent controversies, had both affirmed the existence of a strange god they had never heard of.

One side praised this god as a ‘great god,’ while the other described it as an ‘evil god.’ Regardless, the nation was thrown into chaos when both acknowledged the existence of this previously unknown deity.

The difficult rescue of Rembrary was quickly forgotten. Instead, the bizarre phenomenon that occurred at the research institute and the massive form that briefly enveloped it were once again brought into the spotlight.

Because of this, Redrine Hunter Company’s image had strangely shifted, but their number of followers exploded.

The fact that they accepted ordinary believers in addition to hunter believers also played a significant role in increasing their membership.

Unexpectedly, the regular employees of Redrine suffered the most. They were overwhelmed by the sheer number of applicants, struggling with an overload of work and a lack of time and manpower.

In the midst of this, the director of the research institute, who had officially announced that he would join Redrine Company, finally made an appearance.

Accompanied by a group of reporters.

Whether he had personally invited the reporters or they had simply followed him due to the constant media attention, when the director arrived in front of Redrine Hunter Company’s headquarters, it was already crowded with onlookers and reporters eager to cover the story.

As the director stepped out of the car, flashes went off from all directions.

The director glanced around at the crowd, smiled confidently, and walked towards the main entrance of the headquarters.

“Isn’t that Daeju?”

“Wow, it really is.”

“He must have come out to greet the director.”

The fact that Daeju, known as the president of Redrine Hunter Company, was present in front of the headquarters, fueled the whispers. People were convinced that Redrine Hunter Company would treat the director very well.

With the director’s statements and impending arrival, Redrine Hunter Company, which had been treated as a cult, was about to shed some of its negative image. It seemed like something to welcome with open arms.

The director confidently strode forward, certain that Redrine Hunter Company would welcome him.

His appearance resembled a scene from a movie, making Redrine Hunter Company look even more impressive to those watching.

The director stood face to face with Daeju, smiled brightly, and extended his hand. Daeju shook it with a calm expression.

Even that scene looked like a movie moment, and people frantically snapped photos, as if this moment were the union of religion and science.

“I knew you were coming, but… I didn’t expect you to actually come.”

“Scientists don’t deny what exists.”

Flashes continued to explode, repeatedly obscuring and revealing Daeju’s features in the light.

The director confidently suggested amidst the gazes of the crowd.

“Shall we go inside and talk?”

The director naturally extended his hand towards the headquarters and walked ahead without waiting for a response.

“I’m sorry, but…”

However, instead of following, Daeju suddenly apologized. The director, hearing the words from behind, stopped walking and turned around, wondering, ‘Huh?’ Seeing Daeju standing still, the director asked, puzzled.

“Why aren’t you coming?”

“I apologize for your difficult journey.”

After two apologies, the director noticed something was wrong and his expression changed.

“What are you so sorry about?”

“The higher-ups told me not to accept you.”

‘Not to accept him?’ The onlookers were even more surprised and whispered among themselves.

They thought Redrine would welcome the director with open arms since his joining would help them shed their cult image. What was going on?

Besides, who were these ‘higher-ups’? Wasn’t Daeju the highest authority in this company?

The director was also momentarily taken aback by the unexpected answer. However, he soon smiled calmly and said in a joking manner.

“I thought Daeju was the highest authority here.”

“The highest ‘person’ in this company is me. But the highest ‘authority’ in this religion is not me.”

“Since you’re specifying ‘person,’ it can’t be Redrine [referring to the organization itself].”

Although he felt a bit upset at being rejected in front of so many people, the director maintained his smile and asked again.

“Then whose permission do I need to get to enter this company that seems to have such high standards for me?”

As the director finished speaking, Daeju turned his gaze towards one side: the main entrance of the headquarters.

People followed Daeju’s gaze, and the director also looked in that direction.

Just then, the semi-transparent glass automatic doors slid open to both sides, revealing someone in a black three-piece suit.

It was Rembrary.

People were surprised and murmured at the familiar face.

It seemed as if Daeju was referring to Rembrary as the ‘highest authority.’

Everyone knew that Rembrary had joined Redrine despite offers from Worldboom [a rival company], but Rembrary had joined Redrine Hunter Company after it had already established itself to some extent, regardless of its image.

Therefore, no one had thought that Rembrary would be higher than Daeju.

They had guessed that he was being treated well as the only healer, but Daeju himself saying that ‘he is higher than me’ was unexpected.

“Isn’t that Rembrary?”

“Isn’t it just a coincidence that he appeared at that moment?”

While everyone was confused, Rembrary walked towards the director with a blank expression. When he stood face to face with him, he smiled gently as usual and said.

“It’s me.”

* * *

Since there were too many people around, the two moved to another location.

Daeju guided them to a room with a good view that Rembrary used when he stayed there and then left. The director realized that Daeju wasn’t just using Rembrary as an excuse.

Rembrary didn’t seem burdened by Daeju’s actions. He calmly went to the sofa, sat down, and pointed to the opposite side, telling the director to sit as well.

As the director sat down opposite him, Rembrary lowered his hand and said.

“I can’t offer you coffee. I’m full right now.”

The director wondered what delicious thing he had eaten alone, but he didn’t mention it. He hadn’t come just to drink coffee anyway.

“Why did you stop me from joining?”

He got straight to the point.

“Would you like a latte anyway?”

Rembrary suddenly asked seriously, and the director frowned without saying a word.

“Do you like lattes?”

“I prefer Americano [a type of coffee].”

“What about lattes?”

“I dislike them.”

“That’s me. I dislike you.”

The director’s frown deepened. He was dumbfounded. Dislike him?

“You’re blocking my joining for such a reason?”

The director chuckled in disbelief. He understood why Rembrary disliked him.

He had put poison in his food, created a situation where he had to fight a monster one-on-one to observe him, and even drawn some of his blood when he came as an intern.

Besides, hadn’t he been in a life-threatening situation, though unintentionally? No one knew exactly what happened to Rembrary when he disappeared from the restricted area, but the fact that a god had to appear to save him meant it was no ordinary event.

But even so, the director still didn’t understand why Rembrary was blocking him.

“Don’t you know how much my joining will help here? Shouldn’t you be calculating such things rather than holding grudges when you’re in a high position?”

“There are positions so high that there’s no need to calculate such things.”

“!”

However, Rembrary was not someone who needed the director’s understanding.

People are often speechless when faced with stubbornness as much as when faced with a logical impasse. The director was momentarily taken aback by the confident answer from the high priest of a caste system world.

But Rembrary, who had said this, also knew that this place was different from his world.

In that world, Redrine’s position was that solid, but not here. Moreover, Redrine had lost much of its power and was weakened now, so the director’s joining would definitely be a great help.

Even just the director saying he would join had already caused a surge in membership. How many people would join if the director actually joined?

Yet, he deliberately said this because he found the director annoying. Although they hadn’t met many times, he could tell that the director wasn’t someone who would easily give up on a field he was interested in.

However, instead of trying to persuade him again, the director stared intently at Rembrary before getting up.

“I see. Then I’ll just have to cultivate this admiration for Redrine in my heart. It’s a shame.”

He got up without any regrets, acting as if he knew that Rembrary was being unreasonable. The director strode towards the door.

“Farewell.”

Rembrary took out his phone and said goodbye.

Before opening the door and leaving, the director turned back to look at Rembrary.

Rembrary was holding his phone and diligently moving his fingers, as if he had other busy schedules inside.

He was excessively beautiful, but other than that, he looked like an ordinary young man engrossed in his phone.

The director stared at him for a moment, sighed, and returned to the sofa he had been sitting near earlier.

But this time, instead of sitting on the sofa, he leaned against the back of the sofa with his hand and asked.

“What do I have to do?”

Rembrary finally looked up.

“What do I have to do for you to let me in here?”

“You said you’d believe only in your heart.”

“…….”

When the director gave him a look that said, ‘I took a step back, and you’re still like this?’ Rembrary put down his phone.

“The people hidden underground.”

The director raised his eyebrows at Rembrary’s words, immediately understanding who he was talking about.

“Release them.”

However, this was an unexpected request. Really. At Rembrary’s words, the director pushed up his slightly slipped glasses and replied.

“Those are monsters, Mr. Rembrary.”

They appeared to be human on the outside, but they were all those who had hatched from frog eggs [a reference to their origins or a specific experiment].

Some had been captured after rampaging like monsters, while others had been moved as eggs and hatched in the research institute, so they hadn’t rampaged yet.

However, the director couldn’t be sure when those who were currently in human form and acting like humans would revert to their monstrous forms.

And as the director of a research institute supported by the country, not just as a scientist, the director couldn’t recklessly release those dangerous factors outside.

“Are we now, negotiating?”

“!”