# Chapter 227
“Noona Deokseon.”
Heesu approached D.S as she entered the entrance of the massive venue. He was dressed in a well-tailored suit with neatly styled hair. He had clearly put in much more effort than usual.
A fitting appearance for a host of the traditional Red Void Containment Day event.
“Where’s Mirim?”
D.S looked similarly polished. Countless beads on her dark dress sparkled under the lights. Her elegantly styled hair and heavy makeup created a stark contrast with her usual disheveled appearance.
“Not here yet.”
“Is she actually coming on time? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her keep a schedule properly.”
“She said she’d be here within the timeframe.”
The sight of the tall man and woman standing face to face created a picturesque scene. However, the constant glances from other attendees weren’t solely for this reason.
“They’re staring disgustingly. Have they never seen a nouveau riche before?”
D.S grumbled. Having no intention of selling DnY’s core technology elsewhere, she had established a company and hired management representatives. The business had boomed, attracting dozens of investment proposals before the product even launched. The daily flood of pre-orders far exceeded their planned production capacity. D.S had to urgently secure additional factories, even temporarily closing her workshop for a day.
Despite appointing representatives, there were aspects she couldn’t completely delegate during the company’s early stages. As a result, she was experiencing days as hectic as Heesu’s.
In the midst of her incredibly busy schedule, there was only one reason she attended this event out of the blue: Jin Heesu. Though she came to help, it wasn’t exactly with willing steps. Heesu patted her back reassuringly, noticing D.S looking particularly disgruntled today.
“It’s not because you’re nouveau riche, it’s because we’re the hosts.”
As news belatedly spread that the rapidly rising entrepreneur was of Choi Heewon’s bloodline—and a previously ostracized one at that—interest grew not only in DnY but in D.S herself. That was certainly tiresome. D.S muttered primly:
“Hosts? We didn’t provide any help.”
“That’s fortunate. We can freely enter just by sharing the same blood, without giving any assistance.”
Had it not been for that connection, D.S, as a non-superhuman, wouldn’t have been able to enter the Red Void Containment Day event, which was exclusively for superhumans, particularly high-tier hunters. D.S merely snorted, apparently unwilling to dwell on the benefits her bloodline provided.
“That bastard. Is he here?”
When Iyeon and Sano had infiltrated the Jin family mansion, communication had been cut off midway, so D.S hadn’t directly seen Taejin’s face. Additionally, Lee Taejin’s detainment had been conducted with complete confidentiality, so unless one was involved, there was no way to know about it. Therefore, she couldn’t tell whether Taejin had come here or not.
But Heesu was different. Naturally, since he was the one who had both detained and released Taejin. He was also someone who had unofficially received many reports about Taejin, enough to recognize his face.
“Not yet.”
Shaking his head, Heesu looked around the banquet hall. His mother, Jin Jeongwon, had always had extravagant taste, but this year was particularly excessive. There were so many crystal decorations reflecting the lights that it was almost difficult to keep one’s eyes open.
Typically, the Red Void Containment Day event was held at one of Chohosi’s prestigious hotels, but this year was different. It was just as luxurious as a hotel, but essentially a very spacious outdoor venue—or perhaps not quite outdoor, since the ceiling had been temporarily covered. Heesu glanced at the enormous chandelier. Elaborate ceiling patterns reflected the light and sparkled as if they had always been part of the building.
“I didn’t think the Superpower Management Office would allow something like this. What are they planning to do if mutants appear?”
In response to D.S’s sarcasm, Heesu gave a bitter smile.
“They took a gamble, I suppose. The hunters here could easily take down even a Level 1 mutant.”
Though he brushed it off as half-joking, her criticism was valid. This place wasn’t originally meant to be open for private events, even if it was for the Red Void Containment Day.
An emergency safety zone of the city that was always kept vacant. And among those, the First Combat Zone located in the deepest part of the city.
That was this year’s venue.
Even Heesu had checked the invitation several times when he first received it, thinking he must have misread. Unless it was government-sponsored, holding private events in a Combat Zone was prohibited. After all, the Combat Zone wasn’t a community center. Many companies had made requests over the years, but the Superpower Management Office had maintained a firm stance.
This became the first precedent.
Of course, terrain configuration functions were used to decorate the venue. From the outside, it appeared simply as a large, high rectangular building, but the inside felt completely different.
Upon entering through the large doors, there was another door leading to the main venue and a corridor encircling the entire hall. The corridor was lined with densely placed doors for restrooms, kitchens, preparation rooms, and temporary storage spaces. It was so well-constructed that it seemed almost a waste to use it for just one day.
And what about the main venue itself? Large, round columns reminiscent of Greek temples and walls intricately carved with delicate sculptures glowed softly under the lights from the high ceiling. The floor felt smooth, as if paved with marble. It was an elegant structure overflowing with sophistication, not overshadowed even by the elaborately dressed guests.
However, for an event that had received so much care, the layout seemed somewhat careless.
Fundamentally, the venue was empty. Given the timing of the Red Void Containment Day event, it included dinner and light drinks, but there were only benches far along the perimeter for guests to sit. Even those were so far away that it would take quite a walk from the center of the venue to reach them.
As Heesu recalled, the invitation clearly indicated table numbers with assigned seats. But no matter how much he looked around, the interior of the venue was strikingly bare. Surely they weren’t expecting people to sit on the floor to eat.
Moreover, the circular platform placed in the dead center of the venue was so large it looked like it could host a wrestling match. It could accommodate half the guests with room to spare. It was likely the space for the “special program” that took place during the Red Void Containment Day event.
The special program was a kind of surprise event planned around the Red Void Containment Day theme. Its content varied each year and was only revealed on the day of the event. Last year, they had commissioned a famous painter to create a large painting depicting the scene during the containment of the Red Void—that painting is currently displayed in the lobby of the Superpower Management Office.
Jeongwon’s events were always creative and spectacular, so people would be full of anticipation for this year as well. As evidence, people gathered around the platform occasionally glanced at the empty stage while chatting in small groups.
Anyway, even considering the special program, the venue was remarkably empty given its size. Despite the elaborate interior decorations and the significant number of guests, it felt sparse.
This made no sense given his mother’s meticulous character. What was she thinking? Heesu frowned, trying to suppress his growing unease. That wasn’t the only thing bothering him.
If, as Sano said, they planned to introduce Taejin here, there couldn’t be a more certain way to draw attention. The first official event attendance of the developer who created the Combat Zone’s core system, held in the First Combat Zone itself. It was a perfect pretext for power abuse, like a carefully arranged script. While he was disgusted by how eager everyone was to empower Taejin, a question lingered in his mind.
‘They’re opening the Combat Zone just for that?’
It was true that Taejin’s achievements were remarkable, and if he were evaluated using Iyeon’s superpower, he would certainly be confirmed as Mugunghwa tier 5, but that was only potential. Currently, he was just an ordinary person with nothing. It was perplexing that they would provide this much support even at the Jin family’s request. Maybe there was some other underlying—
“Director Jin.”
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his thoughts. Both Heesu and D.S turned around simultaneously.
Upon identifying the person, D.S’s brow twitched, though she managed to compose her expression before the other person noticed. True to the old saying, speak of the devil and he appears. Heesu, with his dry expression, bowed his head slightly.
“Mother.”
A woman with skillfully styled hair and a sparkling outfit that perfectly suited her age returned the greeting with her eyes. Her refined gaze contained not a hint of warmth for her son.
