# Chapter 58
It took quite a bit of back-and-forth with Kang Dongha just to set up one meeting. Lee Hwan almost felt hurt enough to put down the bread he was eating.
—On the weekend.
“Today.”
—…Tomorrow.
“Today.”
—Perhaps you don’t know the dictionary meaning of ‘busy’?
“The dictionary meaning of ‘today’ is…”
—Haa… Where to?
“7 o’clock, at that café from before.”
Kang Dongha, who used to come out even before being called, had started making excuses lately. Either because he knew Lee Hwan couldn’t easily run away anymore, or simply because he was busy as he claimed every time.
Where had the guy gone who used to tempt him with meat and somehow secure his cooperation despite his reluctance? Lee Hwan stuffed the remaining bread into his mouth at once, burning with displeasure. It seemed like a case of having different feelings when going in versus coming out.
However, when they met that evening, Kang Dongha’s hair looked somewhat dull and his eye circles were dark, like a pillowcase that had been scrubbed with laundry soap and then tossed in a dryer.
Maybe his claims about being busy weren’t entirely lies, as his vitality seemed completely drained. Lee Hwan found himself pushing a glass of water toward him and asked instead of greeting:
“…You really do look busy, huh?”
“When someone tells you something…”
“I need to be able to trust it. I’ve been backstabbed too many times.”
Having no rebuttal to that, Kang Dongha quietly furrowed his brow. Lee Hwan hadn’t stayed by his side just to keep some verbal contract; his original plan had been to stick with Dongha to investigate clues about the apocalypse… but of course, he wouldn’t know that. He probably thought he had majorly deceived Lee Hwan, who had somewhat trusted and followed him.
Of course, he wouldn’t say it directly, but his thoughts seemed clear enough—rationalizing that he wasn’t at fault since Lee Hwan had shown vulnerability first.
“I have something to ask about Kang Taesung.”
As soon as Lee Hwan continued, irritation spread across Dongha’s previously calm face. From his annoyed expression, which he didn’t even try to hide, Lee Hwan sensed something had happened before even hearing the answer.
“Since then… have you spoken with that guy at all?”
“No, thanks to you I just got strangled.”
As Lee Hwan snapped back while adjusting his chair, Kang Dongha began laying out the general situation, sizing things up as he spoke.
Lee Hwan had been curious about something all along: why hadn’t Kang Dongying taken charge of the Hunter department?
He hadn’t revealed his ability, but he was definitely an Awakened. Judging by how he kept sending Dongha to probe the Strike Team, he seemed interested enough. And he was THE Kang Dongying, after all.
Yet until the regression, the Strike Team had never fallen into his hands. Even if the world hadn’t ended, he probably wouldn’t have seized it anytime soon.
According to what Dongha was saying now, that was the case. It was because his father held onto that department and wouldn’t pass it over. So he had been subtly trying to push his people into the Strike Team, extending his reach.
Because of this, Kang Dongying was already displeased with that situation, and then suddenly Taesung appeared at the HPA, changing the dynamics.
“There was one of our executives at that meeting, did you see him?”
“I don’t know who’s an executive or not.”
“He’s Father’s closest aide… He doesn’t get along very well with my brother Dongying.”
Surprisingly, Taesung had sided with them. And working with the team leader, he was ostentatiously pushing out the people Dongying had painstakingly planted.
“Didn’t you say the executive is your father’s man? Isn’t Kang Dongying his son? Why is he laying obstacles instead of opportunities in his son’s path?”
When Lee Hwan asked impatiently, Dongha briefly gave him a look of contempt. As if wondering how someone who usually knew everything so uncannily couldn’t figure this one thing out.
“Well, since they’re father and son, when father eventually… sorry, anyway, when father passes away someday, won’t the son inherit everything? There might be two sons, but it definitely won’t be split equally. So why create this kind of opposition?”
Lee Hwan was irritated by how Dongha suddenly posed a quiz when he’d just asked to hear the story. Honestly, everything he said made sense, but his expression looked like someone had punched him in the solar plexus, making Lee Hwan wonder if he was deliberately trying to appear pitiful.
“And here I was thinking I’d get a straight answer since you agreed to come out despite being busy.”
“I’m busy too, but I’ve been running errands for you and getting beaten up…”
“Our old man is already healthy and vigorous, enjoying a long life without illness, but if this semi-Awakening thing succeeds, he’ll live far too long, won’t he? If he lives just 20 more years, Kang Dongying will be in his 50s.”
“With bad luck, the crown might go straight to the grandson.”
“Father will likely live that long, and I wonder how much patience the already unfriendly Dongying-ssi has left.”
Hmm. Lee Hwan paused and fell into thought for a moment. While he knew the ultimate end of that unethical project, these people from seven years ago did not. Now that the experiment was showing some progress, they were probably excited about the prospect of living as long as tortoises.
Having lived far away from all the tiresome politics and power struggles, this was something he hadn’t fully realized.
“Kang Taesung is the unfortunate one then. Caught in the middle.”
“…Is he crazy? You didn’t listen to a word I said, did you? HE joined them! If anyone’s unfortunate, it’s me getting stripped in real-time because of him. Why did I have to mess with that eye…”
While listening to his incredulous complaints, Lee Hwan quietly bit his lip. That “eye” clearly referred to Jade. The only person who had recently interfered and turned Taesung’s attention was Jade.
“Speaking of which, that experiment involving Jade. What exactly is it, and what happened?”
At this question, Kang Dongha briefly pretended not to hear and sipped his tea. Despite being the one who mentioned it first. He seemed to know he was at fault. But when Lee Hwan held his dessert fork in reverse and watched him silently, he finally twitched his forehead and spoke.
“Look, if you’re not actually going to hit me, stop doing that. Yes, I wrote and submitted the report, but that’s all I did.”
“Then why did Taesung say those things to me?”
“Things? What things?”
“That Jade was taken away…”
But as he said that much, he realized Taesung hadn’t actually said that. What he had talked about was only the content of the report.
The image of Sunglasses being dragged away by mystery agents who suddenly barged in existed only in Lee Hwan’s imagination.
‘Still… his expression was practically that of a grim reaper.’
Plus, given that he had been beaten up by Taesung, it seemed unlikely that Jade had walked into the research facility in a cheerful atmosphere.
‘Hmm…’
No, thinking about it again…
Except for the initial restraint, the guy had remained still when Lee Hwan wasn’t moving. He didn’t even apply pressure to the arm lock if Lee Hwan didn’t struggle. It was just that Lee Hwan wasn’t the type to be captured quietly, so he had made a fuss.
Moreover, though it couldn’t be taken entirely at face value, Dongha’s words seemed to hammer in the point.
“What do you mean ‘taken away’ and whatnot? I’m not a human trafficker.”
He picked up his already empty cup and bluntly said:
“There are better and stronger ways to make him come on his own, so why use force? Besides, even if it wasn’t me, the research facility would have excitedly gone to get him eventually.”
Well, it seemed clear that Jade was a semi-Awakening experiment subject, even if he hadn’t been physically abducted. Was this why he didn’t exist in the future where Lee Hwan had been?
If so, it meant that sometime before Lee Hwan and Taesung met, there had been an experiment-related incident involving Jade. However, because of Lee Hwan’s presence, that process had accelerated. Taesung couldn’t accept this and suddenly appeared at this strange gathering to engage in politics he hadn’t before.
Concluding that his existence was the problem after all, Lee Hwan sighed and cut the half-remaining raspberry mousse cake in half again. As the tangy mousse and soft cream gently dissolved on his tongue, the stress that had been building up subsided slightly.
‘Hmm. Should I get another one of these?’
His appetite stirred, oblivious to the situation. The flavor was rich yet not overly sweet, reminiscent of a cake specialty shop he used to visit before the regression. It had permanently closed just two days after the monster wave… He wondered if the owner was still alive.
It was a famous restaurant near Taesung’s home. Come to think of it, he had suddenly remembered it and sneakily visited the place recently, only to find that a Japanese curry shop had replaced the bakery. Lee Hwan had returned home with a sad face and takeout curry.
“Sigh. And here I was wondering what was going on because Kang Taesung kept getting intense with me.”
Lee Hwan blurted out as he put the remaining cake in his mouth and chewed. Then, feeling something strange, he raised his gaze to find Kang Dongha staring at him with triangular eyes.
“…Kang Taesung?”
Hmm. Maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned that.
“It’s nothing important.”
Lee Hwan evaded and changed the subject. Today he wanted to ask about both Taesung and gate entry, but he didn’t want to sour the mood further.
“Anyway, I actually called you today because… I wanted to ask for another gate. This one shouldn’t be difficult to arrange. It’s under Team 3’s jurisdiction.”
It was an insignificant gate. The monster regeneration cycle reached half a year, and all it offered were internal herbs or cheap minerals, so its importance was low.
However, on some future date, monsters had once overflowed, causing civilian casualties. Despite this, it had remained a Naru gate until the end. The fact that the company hadn’t given it up despite the risks suggested there were substantial benefits.
So Lee Hwan had selected this gate to kill two birds with one stone—preventing harm while also checking if there was anything worthwhile, plus getting some exercise. Dongha seemed to think this wasn’t problematic either, as he just nodded without much protest.
“Um, thanks for taking me to the Hongsamjeugjinhoe. I appreciate that.”
Lee Hwan hesitated before offering this insincere thanks as he stood up. Dongha looked at him with tired eyes and muttered:
“It’s Geongangjeugjinhoe.”
Still, the greeting wasn’t unwelcome, as an annoying satisfaction hung at the corner of his mouth.
