Chapter : 62
“Go and stop them immediately!”
Hearing the director’s roar through the phone, Choi Hyun-min moved quickly. As he made his way to the location, he cursed Bluebear in his mind. Why did they have to come to a Korean company to scout talent when finding skilled people should be easy for them?
It would have been one thing if domestic companies were poaching each other. But Bluebear was a team from overseas, from the U.S. Even if the U.S. maintained a close relationship with Korea, the moment they crossed over to America, it was fair to assume that they would no longer care about Korean government affairs.
It would be extremely frustrating if a promising new team got snatched away before they could even try anything.
By the time Choi Hyun-min arrived, the conversation was already in full swing. He steeled his expression. He didn’t know the exact situation yet, but the discussion had to be interrupted.
“Fancy seeing you here! What a coincidence!”
‘Terrible actor,’
Suhyun thought, shaking her head. Robert frowned after receiving Choi Hyun-min’s business card and hearing his introduction.
‘Ah… the Korean government… I see. That explains it.’
Once she learned Choi Hyun-min’s affiliation, everything made sense. The Uncle Joe Company team was working in cooperation with the Korean government. It wasn’t unusual for a government to partner with a competent company to explore uncharted areas. The U.S. did the same.
From the government’s perspective, it was natural to intervene quickly if there was a risk of losing a newly assembled team to an overseas company.
‘But that’s their problem.’
Robert wasn’t Korean. He had no intention of stepping aside for the Korean government. It wasn’t foolish to scout talent if the other side couldn’t manage it properly.
“Shall we end our discussion here for today?”
Robert rose from his seat with a heavy tone, handing a business card to Suhyun and speaking in a meaningful voice:
“Contact me anytime if you change your mind. And… if you want to work with government support, Korea isn’t your only option.”
“!”
Choi Hyun-min’s expression hardened at Robert’s blunt statement, even with him standing right there.
“We also have government connections. You can probably guess that much. If I were you, I’d side with the bigger party. There’s no loss in siding with the bigger party, right?”
After saying that, Robert smiled and walked out. Choi Hyun-min and Suhyun were left in the awkward atmosphere.
“Ha… haha…”
“You don’t need to laugh,” Suhyun said, and Choi Hyun-min stopped his awkward chuckle.
“Did you rush here because of the meeting with Bluebear? You seem unusually impatient.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Choi Hyun-min tried to change the subject but realized Suhyun had already noticed his intentions. He sighed. After acting so openly, pretending otherwise was impossible.
“Are you considering accepting a scout offer?”
“I’m not sure,”
Choi Hyun-min’s expression darkened. Suhyun smiled lightly.
“Don’t worry. If it happens, we’ll make sure it won’t interfere with our work and give notice beforehand.”
‘That’s not the issue!’
Suhyun clearly knew exactly what she was doing. Choi Hyun-min said no more. Clumsy persuasion would have been counterproductive.
“I’m not disloyal. If the government handles things properly, I won’t go anywhere else… probably.”
He thought, At least threaten openly. That would have been less frightening. This was far scarier—he could leave anytime if conditions weren’t right.
“…Understood. We’ll do our best too.”
“I believe you.”
Feeling much weaker than when he had arrived, Choi Hyun-min left. Suhyun went upstairs, reflecting on the day’s events.
‘This is getting interesting.’
She hadn’t expected Bluebear to approach so aggressively. She assumed they would merely send another representative with compensation to give thanks. But the CEO himself came and openly made a scout offer.
‘I wonder what happened inside… There must have been some conversation with Robert and the surviving members of Team 2. That must be why Robert was impressed. Otherwise, his attitude doesn’t make sense.’
Some people judged others by measurable data, while others relied on instinct and impression. Robert was clearly the latter.
Even so, Suhyun had no intention of moving now. Keeping Korea as her base had advantages.
Most of her past work was tied to Korea. Even collaborations with the U.S. were led by the Korean side.
Moving to the U.S. would mean doing whatever the American government demanded, which might not overlap with Suhyun’s expertise. There was no need to give up a well-known advantage.
If anything, having competition like this would push the Korean government to offer more…
‘Anyway, thanks to Bluebear, the government will be more eager. How thoughtful of them.’
“How’s it looking?”
“I thought it was rushed, but it’s okay…”
Suhyun nodded, approvingly. Jo Seung-hyun clenched his fist. They were standing in front of the newly completed Uncle Joe Company headquarters.
“But you know it’s too big for the number of staff, right? Even with government support…”
“I know. We’ll recruit fast, so don’t worry. And you wouldn’t stand still if I brought in just anyone, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Ah, seriously…”
Although Suhyun wasn’t picky about whether someone had powers, talent with good character was rare. Suhyun had strict standards for character.
‘How many mercenaries actually have good character…’
She grumbled internally, but her requirements were valid. Jo Seung-hyun shared similar philosophy, which was why he had assembled Team 1 that way.
“Take your time recruiting. We can handle a few missions with the current team, and more will come naturally later.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even if the first success was luck, the second will prove their skill.”
Uncle Joe Company’s current position was delicate. The government recognized their capabilities, but there was also some unease. Could they handle the next mission as well?
It was reasonable. Apart from Suhyun and the newly added Kim Chang-sik, her team had no superhumans. If they solved the next task smoothly, the government’s unease would turn to trust.
“By the way, Choi Hyun-min hasn’t answered my calls. What’s going on? I wanted to consult about the next mission.”
“He’s probably busy. The Development Planning Bureau must be in chaos right now.”
“?”
“There was an incident. In the Redwood Forest.”
“Let’s hear the full story.”
Technically, the incident hadn’t occurred in the Redwood Forest. Suhyun initially thought it was another terrorist attack but relaxed after hearing the explanation.
‘They wouldn’t recklessly push forward if they’d been exposed.’
Continuing obvious attempts after being discovered would have been a declaration of a national-scale conflict. That wasn’t the Cameron Planet way.
“We handed over authority to the corporation, and then the Korean military advanced around the area, cooperating with Jindo Dog.”
“Of course. But if Jindo Dog was there, nothing should’ve gone wrong. The Calcutta Gorilla was gone, and the military…”
Suhyun assumed there was a problem with the Korean military. Being ordinary humans, issues could easily arise.
But Jo Seung-hyun shook his head.
“No. The problem arose with Jindo Dog’s team.”
“?!”
This was unexpected. A company like Jindo Dog having an accident here? Nothing was absolute on Cameron Planet, but still…
“After securing the Redwood Forest and establishing supply lines, they got greedy. They’d gone through losses to break new ground.”
“That makes sense.”
Adapting to new areas on Cameron Planet was tough, especially for Jindo Dog, who had suffered more losses than expected.
“So they planned an additional expedition.”
“If it’s an extra mission, is it the Kebaswak area?”
“How did you know? Already heard?”
“If it was already known, I wouldn’t ask. The Ames Plains are widely explored, and the only place left to profit from nearby is Kebaswak.”
Going deep southeast from Calcutta, only a few teams had been there, with no meaningful reports returned. Jindo Dog now planned a proper expedition.
‘The orcs are there… Oh, that guy too.’
“So, who got into trouble and how?”
“I don’t know the details. It’s their affair. But the rumor is… Team 1 seems to have gone missing.”
“Damn it. The Jindo Dog CEO must have fainted.”
Of all teams, it had to be Team 1, the company’s core force. Suhyun could imagine the chaos.
“Not only that, but the managers of the Redwood Forest were likely about to faint too. Given the gravity, the Development Planning Bureau probably got involved.”
They had entered the Calcutta Jungle, connected the Redwood Forest, and cleared nearby monsters, but it remained dangerous. The Korean military likely advanced trusting Jindo Dog’s presence.
The military was cautious with uncharted territory, having faced issues before. And now, chaos within Jindo Dog itself?
Team 1 and other teams had been rotating to maintain balance, but with this, things went wrong. With Team 1 missing, Jindo Dog had no choice but to act—either send full strength to find the missing team or give up to prevent further losses. Both options were poor for managing Redwood Forest. They had already established a foothold in the Outerf area.
‘It must be chaos. They either send a rescue or abandon it… If Team 1 disappears, Redwood Forest…’
They could focus on the Calcutta Jungle over Outerf, but Suhyun thought it unlikely. Jindo Dog’s scale came from Outerf operations.
“They might escalate to the Resource Management Office, or even the Planet Management Department. Is it to help Jindo Dog?”
“Where’s the capacity to help? Probably asking them not to abandon Redwood Forest management.”
“That’ll be hard. With Outerf, and Team 1 gone, managing Redwood Forest too is unlikely.”
Chasing two goals with one leg gone is foolish. Jindo Dog may be in chaos, but they could still judge that.
“They really stepped in it. With Team 1 missing, no one will help, and they have to figure out the situation. That’s why it’s chaotic. So, what mission did we have again?”
“Plans changed.”
“?”
“We’ll help them.”
“?!”
Jo Seung-hyun stared at Suhyun in disbelief. Did she ignore that Team 1 had gone missing? Their disappearance meant extreme danger and uncertainty.
“Business is best done with those desperate and eager, not those with plenty of time.”
