The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 530: Before the Party (3)

‘Oh god, I’m dying…’

As soon as I entered the break room, I collapsed face-down on the sofa at full length. Gyeol and Peace approached me, asking if I was okay. Of course, Peace only whined, but still. I answered that I was fine while pulling over a cushion to use as a pillow and rolling over to lie down.

‘…This is a bit demoralizing.’

I’d prepared as best I could, but there were few parts where I could actually interject. When consulting with our lawyers, they’d been considerate and explained things simply for my sake, but the other side naturally didn’t offer such consideration. They even shoved English-language materials at me as if it were obvious. They did give me translated versions, but since they wielded English freely, I often missed the timing while searching through the translations.

On the other hand, their lawyers could immediately read Korean. Then just use Korean! Of course, they had no reason to give up an advantageous tool.

—Dad, are you very tired?

—Kkyaang.

“No, it’s just… I’m realizing the world of professionals is very different.”

It felt like the basic threshold was different. Well, Team Leader Kim had said before we started that this was why people hired lawyers for these matters, so Director Han didn’t need to worry too much. Of course—experts were experts for a reason. Even experts would probably fumble like me outside their own field.

Still, I thought maybe I should learn English. No, clinging to Myungwoo and Rookie might be faster… Why don’t people just use the same language? Let’s unify languages in this global village era. With Korean.

—You seem to have a fever.

The fairy dragon touched my forehead with his tiny hand.

“It’s probably from being on edge all day. I’m fine.”

How many hours had they held me captive? Starting from morning, it was already near evening. It wasn’t even completely finished yet. Good grief. So this was why they called it a battle of stamina. After eating lunch and entering the afternoon, I was so tired my brain wouldn’t work properly. They must have been concerned enough to send me to rest first. Though it was also the timing to finish up and meet again tomorrow…

Were they seriously insane? How many pages came out of content that wasn’t even that long when summarized? It was enough to turn a single-page document into a thousand-page book. Scary. Lawyers are scary. It was a different kind of fear that even Fear Resistance was useless against.

Gyeol, who’d been watching me, picked up the phone on the table. Since he seemed to want one after seeing Peace’s phone, I’d gotten Gyeol one too. It was a flip phone so he could easily use it even in fairy dragon form. She opened the phone halfway, set it up on the table, and began tapping at it quite skillfully.

—That bad guy is getting expelled today.

“I told you not to surf the web if possible.”

—It was the main article, so I saw it.

Maybe I should have blocked the internet even when giving her a phone. Unlike Peace, Gyeol could read Korean. I also took out my phone and checked the organized files I’d saved. There had been much discussion about compensation, with many added clauses.

‘Will not directly demand sacrifice from participants.’

This was newly added content too. Seong Hyunjae and Noah had brought it up. For example, it meant they couldn’t create situations like “one participant must die to pass.” This situation would be most disadvantageous to the weak—to an F-rank, so it was essentially a phrase to protect me. And another one.

‘Cannot disadvantage participants through majority vote either.’

This was also content I needed most. There were at least some people on my side among participants, but imagine if viewers voted. Just imagining it was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

‘I really did well to leave it to them.’

I’d nearly been shredded from the start of the party if I’d handled it wrong. However, they said I shouldn’t feel at ease even after digging this thoroughly and blocking things. People who exploited legal loopholes kept appearing. Breaking through was easier than blocking, apparently.

Then the door opened and Seong Hyunjae entered. With his neatly styled hair, glasses, and formal suit much more subdued than usual, he looked less like a Guild Leader and more like someone prominent in legal circles. Especially corporate law. They said the atmosphere was important for occasions like this. It would be convenient to just pressure them with S-rank intimidation, but that was naturally forbidden.

“Totally, what’s it called.”

—Like a nerd.

Gyeol said with a snort. Where did you learn words like that?

“Your complexion still isn’t good.”

As Seong Hyunjae approached me, Gyeol snapped the phone shut and blocked Seong Hyunjae’s path as if protecting me. Peace, who’d been lying under the sofa, also raised his head.

—Peace, bite him!

—Grrr.

Peace looked at Seong Hyunjae with displeasure. But naturally, he didn’t bite.

“It’s good to consume some sugar.”

Saying that, Seong Hyunjae held out the box he’d been carrying. He couldn’t have gone out and back already, so he must have had a subordinate prepare it. Soothing the reluctant Gyeol, I opened the box. Colorful macarons were neatly arranged inside.

“Here, Gyeol.”

—Gyeol won’t be won over by something like this. Though I’ll eat it since Dad’s giving it to me.

Gyeol said coldly while accepting a mint-colored macaron. Sweets were good when tired. Seong Hyunjae sat beside me and removed his glasses. His vision naturally wasn’t bad—like Noah’s case, he wore them because it was too good. It wasn’t as extreme as Noah’s level, so he normally didn’t need them, but today he’d had to stare at densely packed text all day.

Thanks to that, today not only Noah and Seong Hyunjae wore glasses, but Chief Song and Hyunah too. They didn’t need them, but having them was still convenient, apparently. Yuhyun probably had some too, and I should buy Yerim a pair. Once she became a high school senior, wouldn’t Yerim also study all day? Though maybe not.

“I wanted to restrict indirect sacrifices in addition to direct sacrifice demands.”

“That would make the scope too broad. They could argue that just placing two snacks in front of two people makes them yield, calling it an indirect sacrifice demand.”

“Usually each person would eat one, but Han Yujin wouldn’t do that.”

“I would eat too, though.”

“If eating the snack raised stats, and the young master or little miss were beside you?”

“Well… the kids eating would be better long-term.”

Right? Me raising my stats to become E-rank or D-rank was far worse than making Yuhyun or Yerim SS-rank. Seong Hyunjae looked at me as if to say “see?” No, but this really is a rational judgment.

“With those marks on your neck, all the more so.”

I reflexively touched my neck. I’d displayed the still quite distinct bruises to Chatterbox’s representatives as if to say “look at this.” It was damage I’d suffered because of Chatterbox.

“…The kids already nagged me about it.”

“Even so, Han Yujin would act the same way in the same situation.”

“But really, it was a genuinely good opportunity. It wasn’t even dangerous.”

—…Dad, don’t make me side with him.

Gyeol grumbled with a sulky face, and Seong Hyunjae made a disgustingly benevolent expression.

“Seonghan—”

—Aaaaah! Ah! Ah! Ah!

Gyeol threw the half-remaining macaron forcefully at Seong Hyunjae. Seong Hyunjae lightly caught the macaron and offered it back to Gyeol with a gentle attitude. The fairy dragon shuddered and fled to my shoulder on the opposite side from Seong Hyunjae.

“I told you not to tease.”

“I’m treating her kindly. I even accepted her as my team member for a paltry price.”

Gyeol’s groaning sound could be heard faintly. Good grief.

“As her guardian, I haven’t given permission yet. Gyeol doesn’t have to go, you know?”

Chatterbox wasn’t the King of Harmless, but still, you never knew. They might be curious about the existence of an unusual fairy dragon. Gyeol had even contributed to the King of Harmless’s death… I wanted to tell her absolutely not to come, but Gyeol’s stubbornness was formidable. She insisted she had to follow along all the more because I was going alone.

At first, she’d insisted on going with me pretending to be a pet monster rather than a team member. Though it was impossible since the invitation counted other species as one person too.

“Director Han, are you okay?”

The door opened again, and following Moon Hyunah, Song Taewon also entered the break room.

“What about Noah?”

“Seeing off Chatterbox’s representatives. He said he’d be better than Chief Song, so he took over.”

Noah had shown unexpectedly skilled handling of this matter. French Hunter circles also had laws similar to Anglo-American systems, and as a support-type Guild Leader, he’d been frequently entangled in legal matters because of Liette. Among domestic Hunters, he was probably as knowledgeable about that side’s Hunter laws as Seong Hyunjae.

Liette… didn’t seem like she would’ve solved things legally. So Noah must have suffered all the more.

“What did Seong Hyunjae say this time to make our baby dragon’s cheeks so puffy?”

“I was in the middle of proposing to Director Han Yujin.”

“Hyung-nim, more than a twelve-year age gap makes you a dog.”

Moon Hyunah said with a laugh while sitting beside me.

“That’s obviously barking nonsense. And I’m thirty.”

“Really? You like younger people?”

What’s this suddenly—I thought, then my eyes met Hyunah’s. Her eyes gazed down at me quietly with a smile. Younger, so, since I’d said I was thirty… I felt my nape flush hot.

“Ah really, I told you not to tease.”

“Don’t like it?”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… anyway. Really, seriously.”

I knew it was a joke, but still, it was bad for my heart. If Hyunah said “younger” with that face and expression…

“Um, Chief Song also knew an incredible amount about foreign Hunter law. I was a bit surprised.”

“…There was a need to know.”

Song Taewon said with a sigh mixed in. It must be because of Seong Hyunjae. Seong Hyunjae said “Chief Song is competent,” playing innocent as if he knew nothing about it, and Moon Hyunah laughed heartily.

“Chief Song really suffered when Seong Hyunjae first started causing trouble abroad. I even gave him a ride on my private jet once.”

“You did, Hyunah?”

“I happened to have business going out too. What could non-S-rank civil servants or Association staff do when Seong Hyunjae caused trouble? It was all Chief Song’s responsibility. He was cute back then. Didn’t you even have a face like a lost child for a moment?”

Though sorry to Chief Song, I wanted to see that too. Chief Song must have truly felt lost when first going abroad and running around because of Seong Hyunjae.

“Hyunah is also really good at English.”

Since Yuhyun had entered dungeon conquests he’d postponed, originally Yerim was supposed to accompany me with Noah. But Yerim had asked Hyunah, saying “Unnie, I’ll conquer your dungeon instead!” and entrusted me to her.

“I’ll have you know, many places abroad wanted me to come too. Before awakening, I mean.”

“…Should I study too after all?”

“It wouldn’t hurt. But for now you can just delegate, though go to university.”

Moon Hyunah said seriously.

“It really would be good to go now. If the party results are bad, postpone it a bit, but if you think you won’t get criticized, definitely go.”

She wrapped her arm around my shoulder, saying to at least prepare since not much of this year remained.

“People can’t be perfect, but it’s better to have no weaknesses. If you can reduce them, you should.”

“There’ll be talk of special treatment.”

“That’s temporary. And hyung-nim deserves special treatment.”

Well, yeah. Should I really go? There was still some time until next year, but I was already feeling anxious. When do university entrance ceremonies happen? The college entrance exam was over, and people were probably submitting applications now? They said early admissions were common these days. I didn’t know the details since Yuhyun awakened before becoming a high school senior.

Meanwhile, Noah also returned to the break room.

“Noah, you worked hard.”

“Not at all. You’re the one who worked hard, Yujin.”

Noah was also in a neat formal suit. It really suited him well. The word “aristocratic” was perfect. Yet during negotiations, he’d been incredibly sharp. I was newly grateful that Noah was at the Breeding Facility.

But if I went to university, would Noah and I become classmates?

“Since the party schedule announcement is three days away, please prepare thoroughly.”

Song Taewon said to us.

“The location will be announced tomorrow.”

We’d heard in advance through the representatives. The location where Chatterbox’s party would begin was none other than America. I’d suspected it might be, since everything kept connecting to that area, but America for real.

“Are Hunter Seong Hyunjae and Hunter Liette’s attendance confirmed?”

“So it seems. Since an SS-rank bow is at stake.”

“Chief Song, do you think permission will come through? America is far.”

“Since Hunter Yun Yun is available, it should be fine.”

“Right, of course.”

Even if it was America, she could come to Korea in an instant. Then Yun Yun would have to go to America at least once. She hadn’t been to America yet, right? It was my first time too, of course.

A brief situation discussion continued a bit longer, and we rested early today for tomorrow’s continued negotiations.

And three days later, Chatterbox’s party schedule was announced.