Chapter 38 – I Do Not Want to Interfere

As the lights in the banquet hall dimmed, the people fell silent.

The lights rose on a stage located to one side. When the letters ‘Geoseong Metal Industry’ rose in a hologram, the people clapped.

A voice flowed from the speakers installed in the banquet hall.

[The pride of domestic products, Geoseong Metal Industry.]

Along with that voice, the hologram changed.

A simple form of an iron sword appeared.

[The beginning of Geoseong Metal Industry was humble. Geoseong Metal Industry entered the raid weapon industry for the first time by developing the budget longsword for Raiders, the KLS-1.]

It was the product they made first.

Soon, the hologram changed and showed the history of Geoseong Metal Industry.

There was also the shape of the claymore that Se-min had used before it broke, and they manufactured and advertised various types of weapons such as spears and maces to suit people’s preferences.

[Still, the Raider weapon industry is mostly occupied by developed countries such as Europe, the United States, and Japan. However, Geoseong Metal Industry is expanding its share of the global market with low prices, excellent quality, and after-sales management that realizes customer satisfaction.]

A world map unfolded. Arrows extended from South Korea toward the countries they had entered.

[Recently, we entered the Chinese market, which was the company’s long-cherished wish, and our representative product, KLS-S, received a successful response from Chinese Raiders, even gaining the nickname ‘People’s Longsword.’]

A man estimated to be a famous Chinese Raider appeared. In the hologram, he held a weapon from Geoseong Metal Industry.

[But we are not satisfied with this. We will leap once more. The pride of domestic products, Geoseong Metal Industry, combines the latest magic crystal technology and metal polishing technology to launch Geoseong Metal Industry’s new luxury premium brand, Stargazer!]

The banquet hall buzzed.

It was known as just a new product presentation, but they declared the launch of a new brand.

The English calligraphy trademark of Stargazer rose as a hologram. It spun round and round.

Soon, another light illuminated the stage, and a man walked out.

He held a sword.

He suddenly swung the weapon in the empty air.

The energy of aura spread out and discharged in the empty air. Watching its lingering resonance, he grinned and bowed to the people.

His voice was transmitted through the microphone to the speakers.

[Hello. I am Managing Director Jeon Woo-yeon of Geoseong Metal Industry. You must have been very surprised, right?]

The people clapped and cheered at Jeon Woo-yeon’s appearance. He bowed his waist once more.

[Thank you for welcoming me. Hahaha.]

Jeon Woo-yeon was new brand launch announcing, introducing the weaponry of the new premium brand one by one.

He drew people’s attention by executing weapon techniques himself.

The introduction of business plans and their ambitions followed. As if they had poured their heart and soul into the project, the product line was outstanding.

Jeon Woo-yeon took an unexpected action at the end of the presentation.

[As most of you probably know, I served in the military. Are there any among you who have been to the military?]

Since most of the people here were of Raider origin, laughter flowed out.

[Hahaha. Yes. The military that everyone hates to go to, I served there. And there was a cool friend I met there. He was a junior far below me, but I remember liking him a lot.]

Se-min smirked.

[I told that junior to use domestic products in the future once he discharged. I just said it. But it seemed those words worked, because that friend used our Geoseong Metal Industry’s claymore. There was a huge incident not long ago, and that friend using our company’s product was caught significantly there too. Thanks to that, we saved a lot of advertising costs.]

People laughed and buzzed at the same time.

A Raider who uses Geoseong Metal Industry’s claymore, and among them, a Raider famous enough for people to know is only one person.

The fact that the two men, rising stars of the raid industry, met in the military was a completely unknown story.

Jeon Woo-yeon continued his words.

[Unexpectedly, that friend came today. He is indeed the Raider you all know.]

A new light rose. It scanned the audience seats and stopped at one spot.

Gazes gathered.

The arrogant eyes that looked down on people, the dragon-embroidered Sukajan that became a symbol, and the pommel and guard of the claymore always carried on his back.

[Se-min. Thanks for coming.]

Se-min shrugged his shoulders. The people clapped. Jeon Woo-yeon waited until the noise quieted down.

Soon, a dim light illuminated the entire banquet hall.

[And I express my gratitude to all the attendees who came here. We will become Geoseong Metal Industry and Stargazer, the pride of domestic products that never disappoints. Thank you.]

The new product introduction was finished. The time was not very long. A formal presentation and demonstration targeted at reporters were scheduled separately.

Lights came on in the entire banquet hall, and Jeon Woo-yeon stepped down from the stage. Associates of Geoseong Metal Industry appeared and welcomed the attendees.

“Did you know Woo-yeon?”

“You’re a Raider, but you went to the military?”

Once the stage was over, questions were focused on Se-min.

Among them were difficult questions.

“Why don’t you move to a large company, Se-min?”

The woman who said that also seemed to be a Raider, but she did not seem to know at all that Yoo Sang-heun was the president of Se-min’s agency.

When the surroundings became quiet, she tilted her head, and soon, as Yoo Sang-heun introduced himself with a pathetic face, she apologized repeatedly. The atmosphere lightened with Yoo Sang-heun’s self-deprecating joke.

Occasionally, workers in the raid-related industry stopped by the seat to greet Yoo Sang-heun and Se-min.

And soon Jeon Woo-yeon came.

Se-min felt his presence from the moment he approached. The energy of aura felt from Jeon Woo-yeon was no different from before.

In the past, Jeon Woo-yeon was strong, but now he was incomparable to Se-min.

Se-min grinned toward Jeon Woo-yeon.

It was no longer the military. They were in an equal relationship. Se-min called his name.

“Jeon Woo-yeon.”

He also grinned.

“Lee Se-min.”

Jeon Woo-yeon held out his hand to Se-min. The two shook hands. The handshake soon led to a hug. Jeon Woo-yeon, who had shared the emotion of meeting once, spoke abruptly.

“Se-min.”

“Yeah.”

“I am two years older than you…”

“I-is that so?”

He was not just Jeon Woo-yeon, but Brother Woo-yeon.

“Anyway, it is a relief to meet like this. You seem to be doing well. I heard rumors that you had a hard time. I felt bad because it seemed to be because of me.”

“It wasn’t because of you, Brother. I decided it myself.”

Seeing Jeon Woo-yeon brought back memories of military life.

The two began to heat up with stories of their military days.

The surrounding people who did not know about the military could not access their own world and stared blankly.

“The military lately has gone soft.”

“It’s not military. That’s a barracks camp.”

“In our days, we had to catch magic beasts and go out on duty every day, unable to sleep…”

“The salary too, compared to our days…”

Their conversation did not stop until a person who seemed to be Jeon Woo-yeon’s secretary whispered something to him.

Jeon Woo-yeon cut the conversation short as if disappointed.

“I have many people to see, so I must go now.”

“Right. Good work.”

“If you have time, shall we meet separately for a moment after the event?”

“I’m fine with that.”

The secretary said something again, but Jeon Woo-yeon shook his head. Soon, the secretary nodded and touched his cell phone. It seemed he was modifying the schedule.

Se-min smiled.

“I also happened to have something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

He approached Jeon Woo-yeon and whispered in his ear.

Jeon Woo-yeon’s face stiffened.

“Just curious.”

Se-min grinned.

Jeon Woo-yeon, who stared at Se-min’s face for a while, smiled faintly and nodded. The atmosphere was different from before. He smiled coldly.

“Sure. Good.”

Jeon Woo-yeon glanced like that and left.

***

Although he had not obtained Raider qualifications, Jeon Woo-yeon was the darling of the industry whose ability alone was at the Green Mark level and whose business talent was evaluated as superior to that. The fact that there was a connection between him and Se-min was something no one knew.

A woman asked Se-min.

“Was it because of that person that you used a worn-out claymore all this time?”

“Maybe.”

There were several reasons, and Jeon Woo-yeon’s weight was not non-existent either.

However, that sword broke while fighting the Triad assassin. As if a symbol of the story, the container of Geoseong Metal Industry stood in that spot.

“You still have that, right?”

“No, it is a different one now. The one I originally had broke. It lost to a Chinese one.”

“Pardon?”

Se-min shrugged his shoulders.

Yoo Sang-heun was talking to the woman standing next to him. She also seemed to be a Raider, and listening to the content, she was thinking of retiring soon and jumping into another business. As a senior who walked that path first, Yoo Sang-heun was advising her.

Sure enough, one must push people in first.

“Unni, don’t believe Se-min oppa’s words. He is extremely good at lying.”

Suddenly, Bang Yu-bi was saying such words.

Se-min glared with fiery eyes.

Learning under Kim Seon-ha, she had really mastered framing people.

“Why do you keep spreading rumors?”

“It’s the truth, though? You lie well, don’t you?”

“What lie did I tell?”

Bang Yu-bi smirked and drank a glass of wine.

“Someone said that. That there are many handsome oppas in your company.”

“Which bastard?”

Se-min let out a hollow laugh.

“Of course, one handsome oppa.”

At this point, Se-min pointed to himself.

“There is one, but since it’s not multiple, it’s not right to refer to it in plural. Who said that? Did the president say so?”

“See. He says he is handsome. You can see he is lying even now, Unni.”

They laughed. Se-min shook his head. He was a man who did not know lies.

Se-min was about to argue, but this time Yoo Sang-heun spoke.

“You went around doing that, you punk.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t you remember coaxing a kid by saying there are many handsome oppas in the company?”

Se-min tilted his head.

Did they conspire while he was talking to Jeon Woo-yeon?

Se-min looked at Bang Yu-bi and Yoo Sang-heun alternately. There probably was no connection between the two. Even now, they did not look close.

The answer was given by the woman next to Bang Yu-bi.

“Se-min, don’t you know Yu-bi’s sister?”

“How would I know her sister?”

“You two met, didn’t you?”

The moment he heard those words, something like lightning passed through Se-min’s mind.

It was a memory from the not-too-distant past.

He had had this conversation with someone.

‘Raider-nim.’

‘What.’

‘If I join SH Company, what do you think is the biggest advantage?’

He was a kid with delicate features just like Bang Yu-bi. The atmosphere was different, but the eyes that looked proud were the same. At those words, Se-min answered like this.

‘You can guess by looking at me, but it probably means there are many handsome oppas in the company.’

‘Really?’

‘Of course. Look at me.’

And he had forgotten about it because he had been busy catching Kesia, staying in the hospital, getting promoted, catching Odoros, and doing this and that.

“Could she possibly be…”

Her name was also Bang Jin-yeong. She was a Bang.

The surname Bang is not common. If even the appearance resembled, what did that mean? Se-min looked at Yoo Sang-heun in shock.

Yoo Sang-heun nodded.

“Jin-yeong joined our company. She came believing your words, and she keeps chanting that she was deceived. You don’t know because you only crawl into the company at night.”

Flustered, Se-min looked at Bang Yu-bi and asked.

“She is your sister, so why didn’t you guys take responsibility and instead hand her over to us?”

The atmosphere grew cold at those words.

Everyone cast blaming glares at Se-min.

“A person is not an object, your words are too harsh.”

“As expected, the righteous Raider was just an act…”

“Disillusioning…”

Se-min waved his hand and made an excuse.

“Mistake. A slip of the tongue. Everyone. My tongue got twisted. Dehet.”

He tried acting cute, but it did not work.

Bang Yu-bi was grinning from behind. She was the spitting image of Kim Seon-ha. When Se-min twitched his lips, she shrugged her shoulders.

“My sister must have her own thoughts. Since she joined because of you, Oppa, I thought you would look after her, but it is a big disappointment that you didn’t even know she existed.”

“Why didn’t you tell me…”

“I was going to tell you before, but you ruined the atmosphere of the after-party and left, Oppa.”

“…”

He did leave after delivering a man’s lesson to Jin Bu-sik.

Se-min cleared his throat.

“Well, that can happen.”

“Because of you, Oppa, the Limitless Association people also left, and only we remained, turning it into a company dinner. Miserably.”

“That bastard deserved it.”

“Raider Jin Bu-sik is not a bad person either.”

Se-min narrowed his eyes while looking at Bang Yu-bi.

“Yu-bi. Even villains are good to the people around them.”

Bang Yu-bi stuck out her tongue and laughed.

“I get it.”

“If you also turn into someone like him, there will be no more seeing me in the future.”

At Se-min’s words, Bang Yu-bi’s face turned slightly red. It was a strange reaction. When Se-min tilted his head, Bang Yu-bi said.

“Then what, did you originally intend to keep seeing me?”

“We are in the same industry, so we can’t avoid seeing each other, can we?”

“I don’t really want to see you, though?”

Saying so, Bang Yu-bi set down her glass.

“I’ll go handle some business.”

And she left the seat.

Once Bang Yu-bi left, the atmosphere became strange. Everyone began to look at Se-min and laugh strangely. When Se-min looked at Yoo Sang-heun, even he smirked with sly eyes.

“I should have a drink with the president of the Iron Horse Company.”

When Yoo Sang-heun said so, everyone burst into laughter.

Only Se-min scowled, not knowing the reason.

“What is it?”

“I’m doing this because you’re admirable, you punk.”

The woman next to Bang Yu-bi said while suppressing her laughter.

“You didn’t look like that in the raid videos, but you’re cute, Se-min.”

“That is a fact, so I will not deny it.”

Se-min spoke brazenly and ate a canapé.

The surroundings were noisy with the sound of conversations. Jeon Woo-yeon went around here and there, greeting people. Colleagues he had seen while raiding were also visible, and there were famous figures who appeared on television.

When Se-min first bought Geoseong Metal Industry’s claymore, it was merely a cost-effective brand pushed into a corner by foreign weapons, but it seemed the scale had grown.

While looking around, Se-min’s senses caught someone approaching.

He was a well-dressed man in a suit. An aura of a substantial stage was felt. He walked over, looking straight at Se-min.

Se-min also watched him and waited for his arrival.

“Nice to meet you.”

When he arrived, he held out his hand. Se-min also shook it. Both held each other’s hands firmly with their waists straight, within limits that were not rude.

“I was planning to apologize for the matter from the other day, and I happen to meet you here.”

“The matter from the other day?”

He only smiled strangely and did not explain further. Instead, he introduced himself.

“I am Director Seomun Hyo of the Limitless Association.”

Se-min realized it was about the tailers who followed him. This man was someone higher up than Jin Bu-sik.

“You are President Yoo Sang-heun, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He exchanged business cards with Yoo Sang-heun.

“Our president is also quite interested in you, Se-min. He said he would like to have a meal if there’s an opportunity.”

President of the Limitless Association, Seol Mu-jin.

Currently, if one names the best Raider whose skills are at their peak in South Korea, Joo Ho-san is counted.

However, the most influential person is definitely Seol Mu-jin. He created the organization called the Limitless Association, propagated numerous aura methods and martial arts, and was still an active Raider.

His martial artist spirit of never stopping training until death was famous.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Seomun Hyo whispered to Se-min. Se-min nodded.

The two stepped out of the hall into the hallway for a moment. Outside, attendees of the event were also making calls or catching some fresh air. They stood in a spot where there were no people.

Seomun Hyo raised his aura. At that, a barrier unfolded around them. It was a technique to prevent sound from leaking to the outside.

“I am sorry for the unpleasant incident not long ago.”

“Was it done by the Limitless Association?”

“Didn’t you go to Incheon after guessing everything?”

He already knew everything.

“Since a disciplinary action was imposed on Jin Bu-sik, you don’t have to worry.”

“So it was his private revenge, then.”

“Yes. Although it seems you, Se-min, thought otherwise and poked a hornet’s nest.”

Seomun Hyo smirked. Se-min was annoyed by his calm demeanor. Even while knowing Se-min had annihilated the Triad’s subgroup and handed them over to the police, he merely smiled.

“The president wants to meet you.”

“President Seol Mu-jin?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I cannot tell you everything, but the president thinks very positively of you, Se-min. He laughed heartily upon hearing what happened with Jin Bu-sik. It has been a very long time since the president laughed like that.”

Se-min’s head, which had cleared after annihilating Park Seo-geon and his gang, became complicated again.

He could not know how things were turning out.

“If you wish, you may meet in an open place. Nothing will happen.”

Still, he was meeting one of the five strongest in South Korea. Moreover, around him were numerous subordinates of Platinum Marks. If he harbored other intentions, Se-min would be in danger.

“Let’s do that.”

However, Se-min was also a Platinum Mark Raider, and at the same time, a disciple of Dokgo Cheonma.

Even if Joo Ho-san, not Seol Mu-jin, targeted him, he was confident he could flee without being easily defeated.

Furthermore, the South Korean public authority called Kim Gyu-jin was also behind him.

“Then I will contact you again later.”

Seomun Hyo smiled, withdrew the barrier, and turned around.

Looking at his back, Se-min suddenly called him again.

“Excuse me.”

He looked back.

Se-min asked timidly.

“Ahem, hm. You really aren’t planning to harm me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Yes. Then take care.”

Still, he was a Black Mark, so it was a little scary.

Aura was the gangster.

Ending the conversation with Seomun Hyo, Se-min returned to the banquet hall. The group of Bang Yu-bi he was talking to earlier was not seen, and only Yoo Sang-heun was having an intimate conversation with the woman from before.

Without interrupting, Se-min went to the buffet table and ate food.

“You are Lee Se-min, right?”

“Right now my hands are dirty so I can’t do autographs, but I can take selfies.”

When Se-min said so, people giggled and took photos with him.

“The photo cannot capture my real looks.”

“Pardon?”

“You think so too, right?”

“This is a correction app, though…”

“Make sure to write that my real looks are better when you upload it. In the hashtags, write ‘Jang Dong-gun style’…”

“G-good luck with your work.”

After taking photos with a few people, some individuals who spoke to him also emerged. They were boring people bragging about the size of their company or their high positions.

***

Se-min got tired of crowded places and waited outside for Jeon Woo-yeon’s schedule to end.

Since he was getting bumped by people coming and going at the entrance, he just headed to a nearby convenience store.

While he bought candy inside and held it in his mouth, a familiar face suddenly appeared outside the window.

It was Yoon Woo-jae.

Se-min bit and crushed the candy.

Above his black suit, the badge of Geoseong Metal Industry was visible.

He was accompanied by dark-clad men, and when he said something, they all bowed their heads and listened intently. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“He seems to be doing well.”

Se-min smirked and dusted off his Sukajan.

He stepped outside the convenience store. It was the moment their movement lines overlapped. His gaze met Yoon Woo-jae’s, who was glancing forward.

At first he tilted his head, but soon his expression froze.

Se-min watched Yoon Woo-jae’s face. There was no difference from memory. His hair had grown and he had shed his military uniform, but the playfulness in his eyes and his shoulder-shaking stride remained the same.

Was he also the same in his eyes?

Se-min put his hands in his pockets and smiled.

“Woo-jae. Long time no see.”

“You…”

“You aren’t older than me or anything either, right?”

He did not reply. His eyes trembled. Since he had a face with such diverse emotions, why was he so frozen that day?

It was a land of death surrounded by enemies.

When Se-min grabbed his collar, Yoon Woo-jae kicked him and pushed him away.

That cold face did not blur even as time passed.

“I came to meet Brother Woo-yeon, but I see you too. This is indeed a connection.”

Se-min scanned the men standing behind Yoon Woo-jae. They were bulky, and the faint sign of aura was felt. They were not Raiders, but looked like security staff consisting of aura-compatible individuals like Yoon Woo-jae.

Yoon Woo-jae’s party scanned Se-min with strange faces.

It was a gaze measuring who on earth this arrogant guy was.

Se-min smiled at them too.

He had not come to harass them.

“You’ve been well, right?”

Yoon Woo-jae barely opened his mouth to answer.

“Yeah. I heard the news. It’s a relief you returned.”

“Indeed.”

Se-min approached and reached out to Yoon Woo-jae. He flinched. Se-min merely fixed Yoon Woo-jae’s messy tie. He felt his body stiffening.

Se-min patted his chest and winked.

“Why are you so awkward? Sergeant Yoon Woo-jae. You weren’t like this before, were you?”

“I’m sorry about the matter back then.”

“I’m not doing this to get an apology.”

Even while saying so, Se-min was confused about his own mind.

He had no great resentment toward Yoon Woo-jae, but he just wanted to poke him once like this.

He survived.

He met Noh Hak-jae, fell into another world, struggled there for three years, and barely returned alive in the end.

He considered the pains of that time as important periods that made him who he was now. If you didn’t die, it became a memory. So he thought it was nothing.

But there was also a part of his mind saying otherwise.

If Noh Hak-jae had not been there back then, if there had been slightly more enemies, Se-min would have died there.

He wished for him to realize what meaning the thing he did to him had. Even if he could not pay the price, he wanted him to regret his action.

Se-min asked in a low voice.

“Do you regret it?”

Yoon Woo-jae’s eyes wavered once.

During the time Se-min spent with Noh Hak-jae, Noh Hak-jae spoke about many things. He told Se-min that the eyes are the window to the soul. Se-min could not accept it.

He believed that it was actually the tilt of the eyes and the shape of the expression that reflected the inner thoughts, and that the eyes could not convey anything by themselves.

But at this moment, Se-min also thought he was right.

He saw many things in Yoon Woo-jae’s eyes.

Se-min grinned.

“It’s fine. I understand.”

Saying so, he passed him by.

Because the expressions of the men following him were unpleasant, he bumped shoulders with them once. At an impact unimaginable from Se-min’s build, their bodies stumbled. One fell and looked back at him with a shocked face.

Se-min giggled.

“Walk in a single file on the sidewalk, you bastards.”

Yoon Woo-jae remained stopped in that spot.

Se-min walked toward the banquet hall, putting another candy in his mouth.

Yoon Woo-jae would regret it.

At the same time, he would not regret it.

Because he shook off Se-min, he survived. But at the same time, there would be a sense of guilt that he abandoned him. The two were not different. Only the weight of the situation tilted the scale to one side, but what was placed on the opposite side did not disappear and remained in that spot.

So Se-min, again.

Wanted to become strong.

He asked himself.

Do I resent him?

No.

Se-min bit and crushed the candy once more.

It was like that back then, and it was not now either.

He does not leave choices to the scale.

Se-min stood in front of the venue again. It was a building that stood out by far even in the scenery of Cheongdam-dong.

Jeon Woo-yeon he saw in the military and the company successor Jeon Woo-yeon who conducted the presentation were similar yet different. Did he also weigh his situation and hold hands with the Triads, or not?

“The director is waiting. I will guide you.”

The employee standing at the entrance said to Se-min.

Se-min nodded.

Soon he headed inside the building, toward the second floor. Entry was controlled at the stairs. As he crossed the landing, the commotion of the ground faded.

In the room, Jeon Woo-yeon was sitting. He was alone. On the table, there was only a cup of coffee and nothing else.

“Aren’t there even gifts?”

“Do you want one?”

“I don’t need it.”

He sat in a chair and faced Jeon Woo-yeon.

Se-min said abruptly.

“Yoon Woo-jae was there.”

“Did you see him?”

“Yeah. He was swaggering around with muscle men.”

He laughed.

“How do you feel seeing Yoon Woo-jae?”

Se-min looked at him. His expression was smiling strangely. Se-min tilted his eyebrows.

“How did Woo-jae enter your company? Did you propose it first?”

“Yes.”

He took a sip of coffee.

He was a gentleman who slurped soup from a metal plate in the military, but now there was elegance in his hand movements.

“They say he was injured while saving my cherished junior, Lee Se-min, and that was about all I could do for him.”

Saying so, Jeon Woo-yeon observed Se-min’s expression. There was no change in Se-min’s expression.

Jeon Woo-yeon burst into laughter.

“How is it?”

“What.”

“If he’s a guy with that much loyalty, isn’t he worth accepting into the company?”

“Like hell he is.”

Se-min fiddled with the handle of the coffee cup. He knew Yoon Woo-jae would not speak honestly, but he did not expect him to say he was injured trying to save him. He contemplated whether to cancel all the forgiveness he gave earlier and beat him up.

“I know it’s not the case.”

The corners of Jeon Woo-yeon’s eyes curved even more.

“What?”

“Far from stepping forward to save you, he probably left to live alone. Right?”

Se-min looked into his eyes. He could not read them. In a shaded place, there is no reflection.

“That’s why I hired him.”

It was a statement contradictory to what he had just said.

“Not such a guy who steps forward to save a junior, but a guy who discards everything to save himself. But a guy who even tells lies after returning. Because he is such a guy, I hired him.”

He grinned at Se-min.

Se-min felt the Jeon Woo-yeon in his memory and the current one connected yet disconnected. Part was similar, but another part was not the same.

“Those fellows are easy to read.”

Se-min drank the coffee he had not touched. It was sweet. Only then did Se-min smell the aroma of the Caffe Mocha.

“Unlike you, they don’t suddenly hit the Triads either.”

Now the main point came out.

After his presentation ended, Se-min spoke about the container to Jeon Woo-yeon, who came to his seat. At that time, Jeon Woo-yeon had a calm face. They too must have already obtained the information.

Se-min leaned back.

“Did you hold hands knowing what kind of guys they are?”

“Then do I look loose enough to cooperate without knowing anything?”

“Not really.”

He gestured. Then, a man who was waiting outside brought something and held it out to Se-min.

It was a large box.

“It’s a new product. I heard it broke back then, you need one more, right?”

Se-min shook his head.

“Let’s continue the story we were having. What did you get in exchange for smuggling the Triads’ drugs?”

“You probably know without me saying, but if you insist on hearing, they helped our entry into China. The Triads are not just an organization, but guys who control the Chinese raid industry. They are the real power holders. I am disappointed if I looked like a third-rate who cooperates with mere gangsters.”

“You can be even more disappointed. Because you look below third-rate.”

Jeon Woo-yeon opened the box on the table, still with a smiling face.

A claymore shone white under the light. While following the traditional shape of a claymore, the texture of the blade was strangely foreign.

Jeon Woo-yeon raised it.

“It’s a good item. It doesn’t fall short even compared to European or Japanese ones. Numerous prototype works were discarded to make this.”

Scanning the light of the sword here and there, Jeon Woo-yeon said toward Se-min.

“You must be disappointed in me, but it is just that our paths are different. A sword whose blade is dull and soft has no choice but to go into the furnace. I also cast away useless things to survive like that. The things that were right back then have turned wrong now. I also have a position I cannot give up.”

Se-min nodded.

People have diverse faces.

On his scale, different Jeon Woo-yeons stood, and eventually the weight tilted to one side.

In that case, does the remaining one still exist in that spot?

“I understand.”

Se-min rose from his seat.

Jeon Woo-yeon was looking at him while stroking the claymore with his hand.

Did he say it was Stargazer? It was the product introduced through the presentation. It was definitely a good item.

In an instant, Se-min’s claymore became light.

The series of processes of drawing from the scabbard carried on his back, breaking the sword Jeon Woo-yeon held, and returning to its place was completed in a single breath.

The sword was broken in half.

Even Jeon Woo-yeon, who had been composed all along, opened his mouth.

Se-min grinned.

“You should throw that into the furnace.”

Security guards rushed in from outside. They tried to block Se-min, but Jeon Woo-yeon gestured with his chin and cleared the way. Se-min pushed past them and left.

Jeon Woo-yeon sat in that spot and stared at the cross section of the broken sword.

It was hard to believe even while seeing it directly.

Se-min’s sword did not touch Jeon Woo-yeon, nor the table. It was struck down with exactly enough force to break this sword, and was immediately retrieved.

It was a chilling skill.

“He really became a monster.”

Jeon Woo-yeon threw down the two-piece sword.

The secretary who was waiting outside asked Jeon Woo-yeon while retrieving the sword.

“Director, why did you just tell him?”

He did not answer and drank coffee again. For a while, he appreciated the taste with his tongue. It was sweet.

Jeon Woo-yeon closed his eyes and whispered like a sigh.

“That fellow must hate me so that I won’t have guilt either.”

***

When Se-min came down to the first floor, Yoo Sang-heun was waiting for him.

“What were you doing, not even answering calls?”

“I talked for a moment.”

They headed to the company in Yoo Sang-heun’s car.

Se-min also sat in the passenger seat this time.

“Did you get the number from the person you were talking to earlier?”

Yoo Sang-heun did not reply. However, judging by the slightly raised corners of his mouth, the number seemed to have been exchanged easily. Se-min laughed out loud.

“It is thanks to me.”

“You also benefited from me.”

“What help would you give me, President.”

“That friend, is it Bang Yu-bi, was cute. Right?”

Se-min made a shocked expression.

“I think you are misunderstanding…”

“Come to think of it, you don’t have dating experience, do you? Who is helping whom. Even if I am like this now, Brother was flying in the past. In my view, you and she are at the stage right before some. It is already as good as some. The moment someone sends the first text, the some starts.”

“Let’s focus on driving.”

“Wait. That’s right. This bastard said useless things to Jin-yeong too, isn’t this trash throwing passes at sisters?”

“I haven’t even seen her since that day.”

“You’ll see her today. She scheduled to come to the office later.”

Se-min shook his head.

“I have a raid.”

“Ah, right. A great fellow who earns in a few months what others earn in a year.”

“Helping you date, making you money, I only lack wings; I am practically your guardian angel, President.”

Yoo Sang-heun giggled.

There was no Raider in the company who treated him equally like this. Even the high Green Mark Raiders kept their distance and showed politeness to Yoo Sang-heun.

Perhaps because of that, he came to laugh often when he was with Se-min.

“What did you talk about with Director Jeon Woo-yeon? If you knew him, you should have given a hint at least.”

“I knew him in the past, but I don’t know him well now.”