# Chapter 228
Jin Jeongwon opened her mouth. Her tone was as inorganic as her expression.
“I heard you were busy, but you still came on time.”
“I couldn’t miss an event commemorating Grandmother’s achievements.”
Heesu calmly responded to the barbed comment. Somehow everyone had been passing work off to him despite knowing full well about the Red Void Defense Day event—it seemed Jeongwon had pulled strings behind the scenes again. Her intention to not give Heesu time to focus elsewhere was obvious.
After being subjected to this treatment so many times, Heesu seemed to have gotten used to it. Instead of informing her that he would have to work overtime starting tomorrow as payment for postponing his mountain of tasks to come here, he made casual small talk.
“There are exceptionally many people this time.”
While this was a rare gathering that included socializing among high-ranking hunters, and most people would enter early to become acquainted with other hunters, the population density was particularly high this time. Considering the time remaining until the official event, it was notably unusual.
“Almost all the Mugunghwa Tier 5s have indicated they’ll attend. That’s quite rare.”
There were only nine people in the country who had received Mugunghwa Tier 5. Excluding Choi Heewon who had already retired, there were eight. In this industry where stronger abilities meant more dangerous work, those at the top had such tight schedules that even for prestigious events, the participation rate wasn’t very high. It was considered a good turnout if three out of eight attended—and that figure included Heesu, who attended every year due to his position.
But this year, as many as six had sent their intentions to attend. Considering that the remaining three people who hadn’t responded were the notably uncooperative first-ranked hunter who never revealed his whereabouts, the seventh-ranked who had been on a long-term mission abroad for years, and the ninth-ranked Choi Heewon who had retired, it meant that all domestically-based Mugunghwa Tier 5s had said they would come.
Their purpose was singular.
“Lee Taemin seems to be getting a lot of attention,” Heesu muttered in an irreverent tone.
Jeongwon lightly crossed her arms. “With materialization abilities, that’s to be expected. They say he’s almost certainly a Mugunghwa Tier 5.”
“I was under the impression that Taemin hasn’t undergone superpower evaluation yet. If so, he shouldn’t qualify to participate in the event.”
Whatever his intentions might be, Taejin had continuously expressed interest in taking the evaluation but hadn’t given a definitive answer yet. The Superpower Evaluation Committee’s frustration with this unexpected game of cat and mouse was already famous within the Superpower Management Office.
At any rate, Taejin wasn’t officially recognized as a superhuman, so it was too early for him to participate in a hunter event. Especially not one with such an elaborate venue prepared in his honor. Despite Heesu’s pointed remark, Jeongwon didn’t even bat an eyelash.
“That’s why the organizers extended a special invitation.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s just a matter of time anyway, so why play blind man’s bluff?”
She boldly admitted to the special treatment. As Heesu opened his mouth to say something in bewilderment, Jeongwon listened to a whisper from a secretary who had approached her, then turned away saying she had to go.
Her departing figure was irritatingly magnificent, showing no hesitation. Huh… Left alone again in an instant, Heesu could only let out a hollow laugh.
“What a bitch.”
D.S was the first to speak. Throughout the conversation, Jeongwon hadn’t even glanced at D.S, who had been there the whole time. She was treated as if she didn’t exist. Jeongwon seemed like someone who had done research on how to make people angry. Belatedly, Heesu comforted her.
“Don’t take it too hard. It’s not like this is the first time she’s acted this way.”
“I don’t care.”
D.S responded indifferently and, as if to prove her words, quickly changed the subject.
“More importantly, have you been in touch with Jung Iyeon?”
“Jung Iyeon-ssi?”
Heesu’s eyes widened before he shook his head. He deliberately avoided frequent contact with Iyeon. He had entrusted all contact with Taejin to Iyeon, and with many eyes watching, it was difficult to visit directly. Plus, due to hacking risks, he was minimizing the use of communication devices.
He had actually been in contact with D.S much more recently. Unlike Iyeon, who seemed completely unconnected to Heesu, she was his cousin and had Mirae as a plausible connection, making their interactions less restricted. Though observant people would notice, that couldn’t be helped.
At any rate, he hadn’t heard of any problems with Iyeon. The surveillance he had placed on Taejin hadn’t reported anything unusual either.
“Really?”
D.S rubbed her chin with a curious expression. Heesu asked with puzzlement, “Why Jung Iyeon-ssi all of a sudden?”
“I’ve been trying to reach him since this morning, but I can’t get through. He’s not the type to ignore messages…”
D.S trailed off, fidgeting with the pouch containing her phone. Something felt strange.
“Deokseon unnie, Heesu oppa!”
Just then, a young woman approached. Like many others in the hall, she was elegantly dressed and bore a striking resemblance to both of them.
“You’re here early, Jin Mirim.”
In response to D.S’s chiding, Mirim pouted. Though the three cousins had similar faces, they gave off completely different vibes.
“After you gave me the hardest task.”
“The hardest? I’ve been working until my hair fell out. Becoming a CEO when it wasn’t even in my cards.”
Jin Mirim and Jin Deokseon were the first cousins Heesu had contacted.
When D.S expressed her willingness to help, Heesu invited her to his home. When she arrived, she was greeted enthusiastically by another cousin, Mirim, who recognized her. Since their parents hadn’t been particularly close and D.S had cut ties with her own parents quite a while ago, it had been a long time since she’d seen cousins other than Heesu.
From their conversation, it seemed Heesu met with Mirim occasionally, just as he sometimes contacted D.S. Well, even as a child, he had been the most free from the adults’ contempt and often volunteered to be a shield for other cousins.
The three exchanged brief greetings before getting straight to the point. Heesu asked seriously, ‘Are you interested in stopping the adults?’
It wasn’t just Jin Jeongwon. Jin Jeonguk, D.S’s father, and Jin Jeongi, Mirim’s father. All three had used their children as pawns in the family’s power struggle. There were simply winners and losers.
What they had failed to consider was that their children were human beings with their own identities.
The looks of disdain toward siblings who weren’t superhumans, the discriminatory remarks against those with lower tiers—they had grown up witnessing such things. Cousins who had played freely together as children were forcibly separated at some point. The reasons given were always similar: They’re in a different league than you. They’re not at your level.
It was an incomprehensible reason. How could they not feel rebellious?
‘What are you planning to do?’
Even after becoming adults, the children still couldn’t understand these reasons.
So this was the fault of the adults who had failed to make them understand.
“Oh right, my brothers and sister said to let them know if there’s anything they can help with. Especially my younger brother, who was practically jumping at the chance.”
Mirim chattered. Unlike Heesu and D.S who were only children, Mirim was one of four siblings. However, the highest tier among them was Tier 3, with two at Tier 1 and one non-superhuman. Her father would constantly belittle all his children by comparing them to Heesu.
“Aren’t they busy?”
“I knew you’d say that. My sister says, ‘What does being busy matter now?'”
The sibling bond, particularly strong since childhood, had become even more solid in the face of a common enemy. Even Mirim, who had become an adult and rarely visited the main house, communicated with her siblings almost daily.
“It’s good that everyone agrees…”
Heesu muttered with a somewhat strange expression. In truth, he had considered the possibility that his cousins might not support him. What Heesu had done was essentially a declaration to overthrow his parents’ generation. He hadn’t thought many cousins would want to go that far, no matter how much they disliked their own parents.
But this wasn’t just many—it was unanimous approval.
“What kind of world are we living in to discriminate based on superpowers? It’s actually surprising that they still can’t abandon such old-fashioned thinking.”
Mirim’s normally cheerful tone became somewhat sharper. She had grown up watching how her Tier 3 sister, non-superhuman older brother, and Tier 1 younger brother were each treated differently. And she had countless times felt diminished standing before her aunt and uncle as a Tier 1 herself.
Only after entering society did she realize it was wrong. The world that had expanded never shrank again.
