Chapter : 70
Preparation (3)
However, Suhyun remained calm. He met Kim Chang-sik’s gaze with his own.
“Show me.”
“You want me to really show this superpower?!”
Kim Chang-sik couldn’t understand. Hadn’t he agreed that both Suhyun and his power were ambiguous? Showing his power in front of a real superhuman like Choi Jae-ho wasn’t something that made sense—unless he wanted to deliberately embarrass himself.
“What did I do wrong?!”
“Awakened, you said?”
“Yes, I was lucky.”
“Is that something luck can decide?”
He wanted to argue, but Choi Jae-ho was a patient man. Instead of questioning, he stayed silent, waiting for Suhyun’s next words.
“May I ask what kind of superpower it is?”
“Since I’ve worked with a Jindo dog before, it’s natural to ask something like that. Seeing it will make it easier to understand than words. It’s similar to Team Leader Choi Jae-ho’s power.”
“Ah, fire type.”
“Can you use it here? If you just awakened, control might be…”
Discovering a power that you could immediately control perfectly would be even more astonishing. Even awakened superhumans usually needed time to fully master their abilities.
“No. I’ve already mastered it completely. And if I make a mistake, I’ll take responsibility.”
The artifact storage room was not only secure but also extremely durable. Even using superpowers wouldn’t damage its structure.
The real concern was the artifacts themselves. Their durability wasn’t fragile like glass, but considering their value, they couldn’t be treated carelessly.
“No, no… still, I think it would be better to show it outside.”
“Really? Then I’ll show it outside, after this is all over.”
Suhyun pretended to give in to Choi Jae-ho’s suggestion. There was a reason for this conversation—it was to deceive Choi Jae-ho. After this discussion, he wouldn’t suspect that the power he would soon see was fake.
“Then, the Ring of Confusion?”
“Yes, I definitely want to have that.”
There was no reason to refuse when Suhyun chose. Choi Jae-ho exhaled in relief.
The Rock Spear power of the Rock Lance, and the Ring of Confusion. Suhyun could change his choice, but for now, these two seemed decided. Judging from his interest, the answer was clear.
If this ended smoothly, the company might be irritated internally, but at least the matter could be settled.
“Hurry up and pick the third one.”
“Hmm, Team Leader… but…”
“Yes?”
Suhyun suddenly spoke, causing Choi Jae-ho to stammer slightly. He felt a little caught off guard.
“He hasn’t noticed, has he?”
These weren’t all the artifacts the Jindo dogs had. Large companies often concealed even the existence of particularly valuable artifacts. Suhyun assumed they had no way of noticing, but caution was still warranted.
“I have a suggestion.”
“?”
“You mean giving up an artifact…?”
“Not giving up, but yielding. Honestly, having three artifacts might be a bit too much, don’t you think?”
“So he knows…”
Choi Jae-ho muttered internally while observing Suhyun’s expression. He couldn’t figure out what the young man was thinking. While Suhyun’s words made sense, the upper hand still belonged to Uncle Joe Company. There was no real need to yield.
“You’re probably wondering why we would yield.”
“!”
“I don’t want to leave things unsaid and cause unnecessary misunderstandings, so I’ll explain. We want to maintain a good relationship with the Jindo dogs.”
“…?”
“After all, you can’t work alone here, right? Sometimes you’ll need help—like when you gathered another team to hunt the Calcutta Gorilla. Companies like ours especially need that kind of support.”
“Hmm…”
Now Choi Jae-ho understood Suhyun’s intent. If this deal ended now, the Jindo dogs would likely never form a good relationship with Uncle Joe Company.
“But in that case, why not just say so officially from the start?”
“Exactly. I’m bringing it up personally to ask for your help, Team Leader Choi.”
“?”
“Telling the Jindo side that we yielded one artifact thanks to your persuasion… and in return, we hope you can assist us a bit in future matters.”
“…?!”
Choi Jae-ho, who had been listening casually, was suddenly surprised. This was an unexpected proposal.
“It’s not… a bribe or anything…”
“A bribe? No, we’re not giving you anything separately. The outcome is the same. The only difference is whose credit it is, which doesn’t really affect us. It’s better to have someone on our side with good feelings toward us.”
“Hmm…”
Suhyun’s proposal struck precisely at Choi Jae-ho’s weak point. Suhyun had already assessed him.
A man proud of Jindo Dog Team 2 but insecure compared to Team 1’s leader. For such a man, this was bait he couldn’t resist.
Originally, this matter started because of a mistake by Jindo Dog Team 1. Had Team 1 not gone missing, Jindo wouldn’t have made this blunder. If Choi Jae-ho could resolve it through persuasion, his evaluation would rise, unlike Team 1 Leader Lee Jung-woo.
“I’m curious about what you mean by ‘help a bit.’”
“He’s halfway convinced.”
Those uninterested wouldn’t have asked. Suhyun suppressed a smile and replied:
“Oh, it’s nothing. There will be a time when we conduct a joint operation with the Jindo dogs. If anyone internally objects emotionally, Team Leader, you can logically persuade them. That’s the kind of help I mean.”
Choi Jae-ho’s mind raced. His heart was already halfway convinced. A risk-free, evidence-free deal with a lot to gain—there was no reason to refuse.
Although he was concerned it was secretive, he persuaded himself:
“This doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“Ah, but in exchange for giving up an artifact, I’d like to receive something else.”
“What?”
“You can’t just give up an artifact. From our perspective, it’d be suspicious if we just yielded it.”
Even Choi Jae-ho thought yielding an artifact through persuasion alone didn’t quite make sense. He asked with a slightly deflated voice:
“What would you like to receive?”
“You already know what we need. A team member.”
“A superhuman?!”
Choi Jae-ho unintentionally raised his voice.
“You wouldn’t ask for a superhuman, right? That could be even more valuable than an artifact…”
“Oh, sorry.”
Choi Jae-ho scolded himself mentally. The member they would receive instead of an artifact naturally made him think of a superhuman.
“Then what kind of member do you mean?”
“Just an ordinary, non-superhuman member is enough. From what we saw, members of Jindo Dog Team 10 were fine, and we’d like to take someone from there.”
An ordinary member instead of an artifact. It was clearly a favorable trade. But…
“There’s no way anyone would go there…”
Unlike artifacts, members were living beings. Their consent was necessary. The probability of them joining Uncle Joe Company was low.
“Ugh…”
“Is that impossible?”
“No, it’s not impossible, but can you give us some time? If we’re sure we can take members instead of artifacts…”
“It must be Team 10, no exceptions.”
“?!”
“Team Leader, no matter how much I want a good relationship with the Jindo dogs, I won’t accept members we’ve never met instead of artifacts. Don’t do anything strange. I can revert the deal at any time.”
“…!”
He had forgotten—the initiative of the deal was with Suhyun. Choi Jae-ho, who had been planning to recruit new members to transfer, blushed at being caught.
Uncle Joe Company could safely receive the artifacts knowing that a disruption would worsen relations. The immediate loss was only Jindo’s.
“Then the members… it seems difficult.”
“Eh? Really?”
Choi Jae-ho slowly spoke, looking desperate, and Suhyun asked as if surprised:
“I think it’s a perfectly reasonable proposal, but… the members…”
“Ah, I see. Then it can’t be helped… How about this? Only those willing to come are brought.”
“…Would anyone come?”
“If not, there’s nothing we can do. As I said earlier, that’s the ideal situation for us. Even if it’s Team 10 members, we want solid members to strengthen our force and maintain smooth relations with the Jindo dogs. If that doesn’t work, we’ll just take one more artifact.”
Suddenly, a plan struck Choi Jae-ho. If it worked, he could redeem his earlier humiliation from Suhyun and resolve this deal.
“How about one by one?”
“Eh? One is a bit…”
“The number isn’t important. Besides, we don’t raise weak members. Even one is guaranteed to be strong.”
“We want someone we’ve seen before, not someone unknown.”
“No need to worry. They’re from Team 10.”
“Really? Still, one is a bit…”
“Uncle Joe Company’s main goal is restoring relations, right? If so, I can compromise on numbers… If allowed, I’ll make sure the relationship is restored.”
Because Uncle Joe Company wanted to restore relations with Jindo, this negotiation was possible. Suhyun paused briefly:
“Then…”
Choi Jae-ho swallowed hard.
“We’ll decide after seeing who it is.”
“Done!”
Kang In-gyu was brought in with a dazed expression. On his long-awaited vacation, the one who appeared was the leader of Team 2. Overwhelmed by someone of such authority speaking to him directly, he shrank in embarrassment.
After that, it became Choi Jae-ho’s specialty—coaxing through flattery. With a mix of persuasion and subtle threats, Kang In-gyu soon nodded.
“Stay sharp. Don’t look sloppy in front of me!”
“Yes, yes!”
Unlike Lee Jung-woo, Choi Jae-ho also paid attention to lower-ranked team members. Suhyun anticipated that by pressing the matter, Choi Jae-ho would eventually think of Kang In-gyu—and he was right.
“You’ve seen him before, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“He’s a promising rookie in Team 10. Our team is full, and promotion takes time. He said he can work anywhere if given the opportunity.”
“Sounds like me?”
“Exactly! Hahaha!”
Choi Jae-ho sweated internally. Even he knew asking for just Kang In-gyu to supplement their forces was greedy. He was the most struggling member of Team 10.
“You said you’d ensure smooth coordination with the Jindo dogs?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Then I’ll concede at this level.”
“Done!”
Information circulated frantically among the company staff. Choi Jae-ho had sought permission for the sudden change in the deal. Although chaotic, no one refused his request. By all accounts, the modified deal was advantageous.
“The discussion’s over; you may come in.”
Those waiting outside for the deal entered. Kim Chang-sik and Choi Hyun-min looked on curiously. They had been waiting silently in another room while the others negotiated.
“How did it go?”
“It ended well. Here’s the final confirmation.”
“…?”
Choi Hyun-min read the final confirmation and looked at Suhyun with a strange expression. It didn’t make sense logically.
But Suhyun seemed very satisfied.
“It was a good deal. Oh, if it’s alright, could you observe our member’s superpower outside? Since their abilities are similar, your advice could be helpful.”
With his current mood, he might even train them. Choi Jae-ho nodded.
