Chapter 46
A barbecue restaurant.
It looked like an ordinary beef place with no special features — nothing you’d expect from a place frequented by a chaebol.
‘I thought a chairman would only go to ridiculously expensive places, but… there’s a lot that’s surprising.’
From the outside, there weren’t even any private rooms.
The noisy, bustling atmosphere made him worry that someone might recognize him the moment he walked inside.
Still, Juhyuk pushed open the door and stepped in.
A waiter wearing an apron approached with an apologetic expression.
“Sorry, we’re fully booked right now…”
“I heard there’s a reservation under the name Ahn Young-sik.”
“Oh!”
The moment he heard the reservation name, the waiter smiled brightly.
He opened the same door Juhyuk had just entered through.
“Right this way, please.”
Then he stepped outside the restaurant.
The waiter led him down a set of stairs right next to the building.
‘What? Is there another restaurant downstairs?’
Without understanding what was going on, Juhyuk followed him down the steps.
The interior felt completely different from the first floor.
More luxurious, yet subtly elegant.
When the waiter opened the door at the bottom, it revealed a place on a completely different level.
A lobby decorated with liquor bottles that practically screamed expensive.
The waiter guided him to a room, opened the door, and inside, Hyunsoo greeted him warmly.
“You’re here?”
“Uh… yes. Hello.”
It was all such a first-time experience that Juhyuk was momentarily stunned.
He rose from his seat along with Hyunsoo as an elderly man with a kind smile approached.
Knowing exactly who the man was, Juhyuk bowed politely.
“Hello, I’m Jung Juhyuk.”
“Haha, no need to be so formal. Please, have a seat.”
After exchanging greetings, they sat.
The room had a refined interior and a mysterious aroma he’d never smelled before.
It felt less like a barbecue place and more like a quiet café.
“Nice to meet you. Was the trip here tiring?”
“No, not at all. It wasn’t far.”
“That’s good. Shall we eat first before talking?”
The staff grilled the meat silently, almost like they didn’t exist.
They cut and served the meat without giving any instructions, focusing only on the grilling.
More like servants than employees.
The whole atmosphere of this overpriced hidden barbecue spot rubbed Juhyuk the wrong way.
‘I can’t even tell if the meat is going into my mouth properly.’
But the moment he took a bite—
It was impossible to describe simply as delicious.
The beef melted the moment it touched his tongue, assaulting his senses with a rich flavor he’d never experienced.
The meal felt more magical than tasty.
When his stomach was finally a bit full, the chairman broke the silence.
“First, I need to thank you. Thank you for saving my grandson.”
“I simply completed the job as agreed.”
“True, but neither of us expected it to become that dangerous.”
Who would imagine an armed criminal sneaking into an A-rank gate?
No one here would have reasonably predicted such a thing.
“If it hadn’t been for your quick judgment and response, I don’t know what would’ve happened to him.”
Chairman Ahn Young-sik sighed as he glanced at his grandson.
Hyunsoo looked embarrassed.
It was his own insistence on going to an A-rank gate that caused the incident, so he probably felt guilty.
“So, as a token of gratitude, I’d like to make you an offer…”
An offer.
He was getting straight to the point not long after Juhyuk arrived.
Juhyuk quietly perked up his ears.
“I heard you plan on creating a guild.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The chairman nodded once, then continued.
“You haven’t found any sponsors yet, have you?”
Normally, no one starts a guild alone.
The costs were astronomical.
So guild founders usually planned out everything first, then visited company after company seeking sponsorship.
Since Juhyuk hadn’t finalized how he wanted his guild to operate, he obviously hadn’t sought sponsors either.
“I’m not looking for sponsors.”
More than anything, he’d never intended to find one.
Financial help was nice, but sponsors would inevitably meddle.
Juhyuk didn’t want interference from anyone. He planned to start a small guild with only his own funds.
“You’re not looking for sponsors?”
Chairman Ahn seemed genuinely surprised.
Juhyuk replied calmly.
“I plan to run it very small with only a few members, so a sponsor isn’t necessary.”
If he wanted a large guild, then yes, sponsorship was essential.
But Juhyuk only needed a guild in name — not a massive organization.
“I see… but even creating a guild, and continuing to run it, will cost money.”
“That’s why I go into gates nonstop.”
He entered gates like a madman to earn funds.
Guild, artifacts…
Everything required money. Rest was a luxury he couldn’t afford.
“I plan to enter an S-rank gate soon.”
S-rank gates opened maybe once a year.
Korea only had dormant S-rank gates right now, so he’d have to go overseas — a complicated process.
It would be tough, but he had no choice.
“…You’re going to enter an S-rank gate?”
“Yes. If I want to save money, I need to work hard.”
“…”
Working hard wasn’t the issue.
A mere F-rank hunter talking about S-rank gates?
The chairman knew how capable Juhyuk was from the reports, but S-rank was on another level entirely.
Thinking maybe it was a joke, he checked Juhyuk’s eyes — but there wasn’t even a hint of humor.
“S-rank…”
Hyunsoo muttered, then cautiously spoke.
“Um… maybe I could go wi—”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Chairman Ahn immediately cut him off.
He glared at his grandson.
“You were barely scraping by in an A-rank. S-rank? Forget it.”
“…I was just saying.”
Hyunsoo’s voice shrank under his grandfather’s stern tone.
Chairman Ahn cleared his throat and continued.
“In any case, if you ever need anything, feel free to contact me.”
“Thank you.”
Juhyuk hesitated a moment.
Then he looked between Hyunsoo and the chairman.
“Actually… may I also make a proposal?”
“A proposal?”
He refused sponsorship, yet now he wanted to make a proposal of his own.
He had been thinking about this since the day the dinner was arranged.
Juhyuk turned to Hyunsoo.
“Do you have any knowledge in business management?”
“Me?”
Hyunsoo pointed to himself, confused.
He hesitated, then answered.
“I was forced to study it a lot when I was young…”
“Perfect.”
Juhyuk smiled faintly.
“I need someone to handle management for the guild.”
“…”
Hyunsoo stared blankly.
As if he must’ve misheard.
He asked again, carefully.
“You don’t mean… you want me to do that, right?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
A guild was useless without someone to manage it.
He himself had no experience in that area, and any time spent studying management was time he could spend training.
He knew the basics required of a guild master, but running a guild professionally was beyond him.
He had too many other things demanding his attention — so he needed someone capable, someone with exposure to the business world.
He chose Hyunsoo.
“Even if I studied, I’ve never worked in the field.”
“Then you can start now.”
If you lack experience, then you gain it.
Neither of them had guild-running experience anyway — they were even in that regard.
“You don’t need to feel pressured. It won’t be a big guild. Just something small and manageable.”
“No, even so…”
Hyunsoo hesitated at the unexpected offer.
Understandably so.
When he was younger, he studied management only because he was supposed to inherit the family business, but after becoming a hunter, he’d neglected that side completely.
He constantly fought with his grandfather about refusing to inherit the company.
He never imagined someone would ask him to manage their organization as a hunter.
He struggled to find a way to refuse.
Before Hyunsoo could answer, Chairman Ahn suddenly stood.
“This is fate.”
He slowly approached Juhyuk and grasped his hands.
“I never imagined my foolish grandson would come across such a benefactor.”
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
His previously calm voice now trembled with energy.
“I’ll make sure this kid becomes useful, so don’t you worry.”
“I haven’t heard his answer yet…”
“He’ll say yes.”
The chairman turned to his grandson.
“If he says no, he can pack his bags and get out of the house.”
“…”
A threat disguised as encouragement.
Hyunsoo, of course, didn’t want to waste his life on boring business work — but against his iron-willed grandfather, he couldn’t resist.
“…I’ll… think about it positively.”
It was the closest he could get to not outright accepting.
