Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 371

373

“Yeah, I’m alone right now. I had someone with me, but I sent them back ahead of me for some business.”

“Really? Would you like to join us then? We’re just heading out for dinner.”

Beom-seok looked troubled at Rezaris’s question. Now that he had all the information, there was no need to have dinner together. To avoid the eyes of the media, it was better to minimize his encounters with her.

“Well, I should be heading back now. Everyone will worry if I’m late.”

“You can just let them know you’ll be a bit late. Don’t do that, come with us.”

Beom-seok subtly glanced at Rezaris’s managers, hoping they would intervene and stop her impulsive behavior. However, having been informed by the team’s trade manager that Beom-seok and Rezaris would be meeting at the restaurant, they felt they couldn’t interfere.

“Don’t do that, let’s go together. It’s just a quick meal, surely nothing else will happen.”

At this point, Beom-seok couldn’t refuse. Everyone was asking him to join, and he couldn’t be so cold-hearted. Besides, it was just a meal, so he didn’t anticipate any major problems.

In the end, Beom-seok had a short meal with Rezaris that day and had to return to Lima City late at night.

“Master! We’re here!”

One day in late June, Beom-seok personally went to the parking lot to welcome the team members returning from the national team. During the three-week journey of the World Cup final qualifiers, they had achieved a record of 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, securing their spot in the finals.

As a result, the gladiators belonging to the team who participated in the final qualifiers were scheduled to have a car parade in downtown Lima City soon. They were returning to the training camp today following the team disbandment ceremony.

Nikita, the oldest member of the team, came forward as the representative and said to him.

“We got the Avand national team to the finals as you said, Master.”

“Yeah, I saw it too. Everyone worked hard.”

“Oh, it was nothing. Most of them were weak teams, so we won easily.”

“Hehe. Is that so? Anyway, let’s all go to the dorms.”

Beom-seok patted her on the shoulder and walked towards the unmanned electric car parked nearby. Everyone must be tired from playing in the World Cup final qualifiers, so he wanted to ensure they had a comfortable rest.

As he was about to get into the electric car, Rebecca cautiously approached him.

“Excuse me, Beom-seok. I have something to say for a moment.”

He turned to look at Rebecca, who had boarded the car.

“Hmm. What is it?”

“Are you busy tonight by any chance?”

Beom-seok smiled and gazed at her. It seemed like a date request. She had completed the conquest [referring to a game-like system where relationships are built] and raised her favorability to the extreme, so she occasionally asked for dates first.

“Hmm. I don’t have anything special planned. But why do you ask?”

“My father called me a little while ago. He said he wants to have dinner with you tonight.”

“Your father? You mean the president of Chaplin Sports?”

“Yes. Do you have time today?”

Beom-seok readily nodded. Her father was his prospective father-in-law. He couldn’t dare refuse when he asked to meet his future son-in-law. Moreover, Chaplin Group was the equipment sponsor and main sponsor of Gods Knights. There would be things to discuss in terms of business, so it would be an important meeting.

“If your father wants to see me, I have to drop everything and go. Okay, what time and where should I go?”

“Come to the Rainbow Hotel’s Western restaurant by 6 PM.”

“Okay. Tell him I’ll see him then. Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Yes. Then I have a lot to prepare, so I’ll be going now. See you at the hotel later.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Rebecca seemed so happy that her steps were very light as she turned around.

That evening, Beom-seok put on a fancy suit and headed to the Rainbow Hotel. He usually enjoyed casual wear, but he needed to dress formally since it was his first time meeting his future father-in-law.

As he entered the hotel lobby, a female hotelier approached him, intending to guide him personally. He was the benefactor of the Rainbow Group and the lover of the chairman, Gloria, so he always received VIP treatment when he came to the Rainbow Hotel.

“Beom-seok. What brings you to our hotel?”

“Hmm. I have an appointment. I’m meeting with the president of Chaplin Sports today.”

“Ah, is that so? Excuse me, but where are you meeting?”

“We’re supposed to meet at the Western restaurant.”

“I see. Well then, please follow me as I guide you.”

Beom-seok scratched his head awkwardly. He had visited the Rainbow Hotel often, so he knew the internal structure well. He could easily find his way even without her guidance. But there was no reason to refuse when a beautiful lady offered to guide him. Soon, he followed the female hotelier up to the 3rd floor.

The female hotelier, who had guided Beom-seok to the Western restaurant, inquired with the counter staff about a room reserved under the name of the president of Chaplin Sports. And after confirming everything, she turned towards him.

“Okay. Please follow me this way.”

Beom-seok, who had passed by a row of luxurious dining tables, arrived in front of a door made of antique wood.

“Is it inside here?”

“Yes. But it seems the president of Chaplin Sports hasn’t arrived yet, so you’ll have to wait for a while.”

He nodded. He had come a bit early since it was a meeting with his future father-in-law.

“Okay, thank you.”

“Then, have a pleasant time.”

As the female hotelier turned away, Beom-seok opened the door and stepped inside. After admiring the interior for a moment, he murmured softly.

“Hmm. Not bad.”

Inside, there was a table covered with a white lace cloth, and four seats were arranged. Various ornaments were displayed on the walls, blending well with the surrounding scenery to create a decent atmosphere. However, it felt a bit empty since no one had arrived yet. But soon, President Chaplin and Rebecca would arrive, so it wasn’t a big deal.

He sat across from what appeared to be the seat of honor and poured water into a glass and drank it. He must have been thirsty from rushing here on this hot day.

After a while, the door opened and Rebecca entered. Behind her followed a blonde young man who looked to be in his early 30s and an elf with green hair wearing a fancy dress. Beom-seok, who had turned his head to look at them, stood up from his seat with a nervous look. The elf woman was none other than his rival, Amelie.

“Oh ho. Who is this? Isn’t it Beom-seok? I’ve been seeing you on TV from time to time.”

Beom-seok’s upper body bent 90 degrees at the blonde young man’s greeting. He looked young, but he could tell well enough that he was Rebecca’s father.

The president of Chaplin Sports was a former professional gladiator. Of course, he would be a modified human [genetically enhanced individual], so it was natural that he maintained his youth.

“Hello. My name is Oh Beom-seok.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Fritz, Rebecca’s father.”

“Yes. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

“Hahaha. What honor… Anyway, let’s take a seat.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Beom-seok escorted Chaplin, who might become his father-in-law in the future, and sat back down. But his gaze was always directed at Amelie.

She, who was sitting demurely in the seat next to Fritz, said with a calm smile.

“It’s been a while, Beom-seok. This is the first time since we met at the opening match two years ago, right?”

“That’s right. I suffered quite a bit of humiliation back then.”

“It can’t be helped. There was that much of a difference in skill.”

Beom-seok slowly lifted the glass of water on the table and murmured softly.

“But it’s different now. I’m not the me of the past.”

Amelie stared at him with a deeply sunken gaze. Certainly, Beom-seok was no longer an easy opponent like in the past. His physical abilities were already approaching her own, and recently he had come out with new spear techniques and flashy swordsmanship. Having made progress in many ways, it seemed there would be quite a few difficulties in facing him.

“I guess so. But you still won’t be able to beat me.”

“Hmph. You won’t know until you try.”

“Well, I don’t know if you can even compare. You may or may not know, but there is a clear difference in power between our Chaplin Whisper and Gods Knights that cannot be overcome.”

Beom-seok wore a faint smile on his lips. The reason why Chaplin Whisper was such a strong team, ranking 2nd in last year’s World League, was partly because they had spent a lot of money to recruit gladiators, but Amelie’s existence was an even greater factor.

In fact, when you think about it, Chaplin Whisper’s power, excluding her, was only enough to rank in the mid-to-upper ranks of the league. Gods Knights could soon have this level of power as well.

It was just a matter of the promising players in the team growing and the team being steadily reorganized for several years.

“Hehe. That kind of difference is only for a year or two. Our Gods Knights has many promising gladiators, so the power is low now, but if they all grow, they will have a squad no less than the current World League champion team, Ancient Warriors. Let’s see if you’ll say the same thing then.”

Amelie’s face stiffened at those words. She had heard the exact words he had just said from Director Vincent during a conversation before.

The director had said at the time that the easiest time for Chaplin Whisper to lift the championship trophy was only this year and next year. After that, they would have to engage in fierce battles with the grown-up Gods Knights, so winning would not be easy.

But she soon relaxed her expression. She didn’t want to show weakness to Beom-seok.

“Hehe. I’ll be looking forward to that day too.”

As the atmosphere turned cold, Fritz hurriedly stepped in. The reason he had arranged this meeting today was not to cause a conflict between Amelie and Beom-seok, but to talk about Rebecca. There was no point in making the atmosphere unpleasant for no reason.

“Hahaha. Aren’t you two getting too heated at a meal? Compete in the Colosseum in the future, and let’s have a pleasant meal here.”

“Ah. I’m sorry.”

“Master. I’m sorry.”

Beom-seok and Amelie apologized at the same time. They couldn’t deny that they had created too heavy an atmosphere in front of their future father-in-law and master.

Fritz patted Amelie on the shoulder and looked at Beom-seok.

“Well, you don’t have to apologize… Anyway, I apologize too. Actually, our Amelie has a bit of a fierce side.”

“Ah. Yes. Is that so?”

“That’s right. She may look docile on the outside, but she’s so ferocious that I almost died when I was on the same team in the past. So, I bought her for a large sum of money when she retired to avenge myself at that time, and I’ve been using her ever since. Hahaha.”

Amelie lowered her head deeply. Her face was still burning when she thought about that time. She had been ordered by the director to train the rookie intensely, but later that person became her master. If she could only go back to the past, she would desperately want to correct that one thing.

Seeing her like this, Beom-seok glanced at Fritz.

“Ah. Come to think of it, you said you were a professional gladiator too, Fritz?”

“That’s right. Not as much as Amelie, but I made quite a name for myself in the World League. And I was recognized for that career by my father and became the president of Chaplin Sports today.”

“Ah. I see.”

Fritz said as he drank the water in front of him.

“But I wasn’t as good as you. Hmm. When was the first time I saw Beom-seok? About 7 years ago? I think I remember it as the Osaha Tournament…”

“Ah. I remember too. I faced Rebecca in the finals back then.”

“That’s right. At that time, our daughter asked me about you, and Amelie and I were horrified when we saw the data. It’s impossible to build that level of swordsmanship at your age. So I’ve been watching you closely ever since.”

Beom-seok, wearing an embarrassed expression, scratched his head.

“It’s nothing. I just worked hard and it happened.”

“Hmm. With that level of skill, you’ve gone beyond the level of effort. It can be said that it’s a realm that can never be achieved without an excellent teacher and talent. But where did you hone those martial arts skills?”

He avoided his gaze as if he was embarrassed. It was something he couldn’t tell the truth about.

“I, I just learned it at a small martial arts gym near my house.”

Fritz threw a dumbfounded look at Beom-seok. His skills were not something that could be learned at a gym.

“That’s nonsense! How can a prominent gladiator like you come from a neighborhood martial arts gym!”

“But it’s definitely true. The reporters have all figured this out, so how can I lie?”

Fritz folded his arms with a dumbfounded expression. If so, Beom-seok was an unparalleled genius. He had achieved a realm that even professional gladiators who had received systematic training from specialized facilities and capable coaches had not achieved in a neighborhood gym.

“I, is that so? Well, you can’t make up things that will be known soon.”

At that time, elf hoteliers wearing black suits entered the banquet hall and began to place plates full of food on the table. The first course was a steamed dish containing a small glass of seafood.

Beom-seok, who took a spoonful of the dish, opened his mouth to change the subject. The previous conversation was too sensitive, so it was better to stop there.

“Ah. By the way, why did you want to see me today? If you came to see me today despite your busy schedule, there must be an important reason.”

“Hmm. My daughter is on your team, and Gods Knights is a valuable customer of our Chaplin Sports, so I thought it was necessary to meet you once.”

Beom-seok nodded as if he understood. It was natural for a father to worry about his daughter, and it was also true that Gods Knights was an important customer of Chaplin Sports. Currently, there are only two World League teams using Chaplin Sports products, one is Chaplin Whisper and the other is Gods Knights.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Ah, Gaksital [Bridal Mask, a Korean superhero comic and drama] is fun. Maybe it’s because I saw Heo Young-man’s Soettungso and Gaksital in comics when I was young, so I’m roughly familiar with the story, but it’s subtly appealing. Anyway, Heo Young-man is amazing.

Every work he releases recently is a hit, and the comics he drew decades ago still resonate in this era. Hmm. In the past, he was a cartoonist who wasn’t recognized because he was pushed back by several prominent writers… Maybe the modern sensibility and his work are a good fit.

Then everyone, have a nice day. I’ll see you again tomorrow.