Chapter 39: Not a Date

[Group] Seong Joo-an: If we don’t get another sudden guerrilla dungeon like before, how about we rest for about 3-4 days and then start clearing from Stage 1?

[Group] Gong Se-yoon: What? You’re saying we have to wait three days?!

[Group] Joo Ji-chan: Don’t be stupid. That’s better. If we go earlier, it’ll just push back the turn order.

For a moment, it seemed like Joo Ji-chan was actually persuading Gong Se-yoon for once, but his next words made Seong Joo-an dumbfounded.

[Group] Joo Ji-chan: My turn’s last, after all.

[Group] Seong Joo-an: ?

[Group] Joo Ji-chan: I mean… it’s not like I’m saying I want to see you or anything.

[Group] Seong Joo-an: …Anyway, let’s meet in front of the first Stage gate in three days.

The conversation ended with everyone agreeing.

By then, the car had already entered the parking lot.

The two got out immediately and headed into the National Assembly building.

The National Assembly was on a completely different scale compared to the Awakened Management Center.

The only notable difference was that, fitting for a world led by constellations, there was a separate cluster of offices for assembly members who were former Awakeners capable of communicating with constellations.

The assemblyman they were meeting today was also an A-rank Awakener, though he was said to be more interested in power than combat.

After walking down a long corridor and entering the office, a photographer was already there with a large camera.

Soon after, Assemblyman Baek Yong-seok appeared.

‘He doesn’t seem like a good person…’

Greed clung to Baek Yong-seok’s face.

And the way he looked down on others made him seem more like a stereotypical politician than an Awakener.

‘No reason to be intimidated. He’s faced constellations without backing down!’

Seong Joo-an met his gaze head-on.

Baek Yong-seok greeted them first.

“Hello. It’s an honor to receive such distinguished guests. Please, have a seat. We should help those poor people as soon as possible, shouldn’t we?”

Not even bothering to hide the insincerity.

While the photographer took some pictures, Baek Eun-hoo spoke first.

“We’re both busy, so let’s get straight to the point.”

Since enhancement magic stones weren’t easy to obtain, even after each party member kept ten for emergencies, 4,950 remained.

They had sold at a slightly higher price than market value, raising just over 500 billion won in donations.

As Baek Eun-hoo explained that the entire amount would be used for compensating the injured, Baek Yong-seok seemed more interested in the camera in front of him.

Noticing this, Baek Eun-hoo gave a brief explanation and struck appropriate poses to match his mood.

It would be difficult to personally visit over a hundred people to distribute the money, and handling any leftover funds would also be complicated.

To avoid bureaucratic trouble, it was better to involve a politician.

Seong Joo-an followed Baek Eun-hoo’s lead, matching the mood, shaking hands with Baek Yong-seok, and occasionally smiling.

“Thank you for your time. I believe we’ve taken enough photos.”

At the photographer’s words, the smile vanished from Baek Yong-seok’s face.

It seemed he was finally ready to show his true colors.

Leaning back arrogantly with crossed legs, he spoke.

“While gathering assembly members willing to participate in this effort, I was told that any undertaking requires operating funds. They asked me to determine the appropriate range first. After all, we wouldn’t want misunderstandings to arise while doing such a good deed.”

In other words, he was asking for a cut.

Not wanting a single penny of the hard-earned money to go to them, Seong Joo-an glanced at Baek Eun-hoo.

He had said he had leverage, surely he would just ignore such a demand?

But the answer that came from Baek Eun-hoo was unexpected.

“Uncle, how much do you need?”

‘…Uncle?’

So that was it.

No wonder they shared the same surname.

Seong Joo-an had assumed they were enemies because of the talk about leverage, but they were actually relatives.

Well, trusting someone as greedy as Baek Eun-hoo in the first place had been his mistake.

He wanted to ask what was going on, but with so many eyes on them, he held back.

“If we divide 500 billion among 100 people, that’s 5 billion per person. Isn’t that excessive?”

At that feigned reasonableness, Seong Joo-an couldn’t help but scoff.

Baek Yong-seok glanced at him, but Seong Joo-an shot him a glare before turning back to Baek Eun-hoo.

Surely he wouldn’t agree to such nonsense?

But once again, Baek Eun-hoo shattered his expectations.

“I think 500 million per person is sufficient.”

What?

Baek Eun-hoo… then does that mean only 50 billion goes to the victims and the rest…

Wouldn’t it be better for them to keep it instead?

Why give it to those people?

Has he lost his mind?

Baek Yong-seok’s lips curled up in delight.

“Haha, I knew it. Then the remaining funds will be used for-”

Baek Eun-hoo cut him off.

“Half will be sent to the Awakened Management Center, and the other half will be used to purchase ambulances for fire stations nationwide. Our guild will assign personnel to monitor all operations, so I suggest you don’t even think about embezzlement.”

Seong Joo-an’s jaw dropped.

He hadn’t expected things to unfold like this.

He had assumed being relatives would lead to corruption, but that wasn’t the case.

Baek Yong-seok’s face twisted.

Baek Eun-hoo continued without hesitation.

“So, Uncle. When I asked how much you wanted for operating expenses, you should have just named a reasonable amount. If you had, I was even considering giving you around 50 million won out of my own pocket for a nice dinner.”

Ah… so that’s how it was.

Seong Joo-an felt a twinge of guilt for doubting him.

He suddenly remembered thinking, when creating Baek Eun-hoo’s character, that if he were an enemy, he’d be the most frustrating person imaginable, but as an ally, he’d be incredibly reliable.

This was exactly that feeling.

Because of his greed, Baek Yong-seok, his uncle, an Awakener, and a politician, ended up with nothing.

Serves him right.

Baek Yong-seok stammered, his face pale with defeat.

“I-I wasn’t necessarily trying to take a share for myself. It’s just that with so many watching, giving such large sums to individuals might cause a sense of relative deprivation among the public…”

As expected of a politician, he spoke well.

But something felt off.

There was no way he’d give up so easily.

Baek Eun-hoo seemed to think the same, narrowing his eyes before letting out a short laugh.

“Uncle, drop the bad acting. What you should remember is what I’ve covered up for you, simply because we’re family. Keep that in mind.”

As Baek Yong-seok’s face turned pale, Seong Joo-an struggled to suppress a laugh.

He should have kept his greed in check.

Since Baek Eun-hoo’s guild would be monitoring everything, there was no way he could siphon off money.

Eager to leave, Seong Joo-an poked Baek Eun-hoo’s thigh.

Finally, Baek Eun-hoo stood up.

“Our personnel will collect the funds directly. Thank you for your time.”

As they headed back to the parking lot, Seong Joo-an asked,

“Can he be trusted? He doesn’t seem like someone who’d refrain from embezzling just because he was told not to.”

“Of course I don’t trust Baek Yong-seok. What I trust is-”

Baek Eun-hoo stopped walking and turned to him with a grin.

“-the leverage I hold.”

He was smiling, but there was something sinister about it that sent chills down his spine.

Baek Eun-hoo raised his hand, and Seong Joo-an instinctively squeezed his eyes shut before opening them again.

The hand simply ruffled his hair before dropping.

“So don’t worry. For now, I still want to make a good impression on you.”

Was that something to be pleased about?

Or not?

“I see. Well, that’s… reassuring.”

Seong Joo-an gave an awkward smile and followed him back to the car.

Whether from relief or lingering exhaustion, drowsiness washed over him as soon as he got in.

Maybe after a nap, he could start planning the Stage 1 dungeon strategy.

Not long after the car started moving, his eyes slowly closed.

****

When he woke up and casually turned his head, he saw Baek Eun-hoo focused on something on a tablet.

Curious, he leaned over slightly to check the screen.

<20 Recommended Scenic Walking Courses for Dates>

The title stood out boldly.

‘A date?’

So he was planning to ditch him and meet a woman?

What a disloyal guy.

Feeling strangely sulky, Seong Joo-an pouted.

“If you’re going on a date, wouldn’t it be better to just drop me off at the facility? The guild still feels unfamiliar.”

Baek Eun-hoo looked at him as if he’d said something ridiculous.

“A date?”

“Aren’t you scouting locations for one?”

Baek Eun-hoo chuckled.

“That’s right. There’s someone I need to impress.”

“Then just drop me off.”

“…Sure, I guess.”

The car started moving again.

So he really was going on a date.

Some people just had it easy.

While some were busy clearing dungeons for rewards, others had time for dates.

No matter the world, life wasn’t fair.

Seong Joo-an stared out the window, lips pressed tightly together.

Maybe it was because it was a weekday afternoon, or because of the recent incident, but the streets were quiet and traffic was light.

After a while, Baek Eun-hoo stopped the car at an unfamiliar place.

“Get out.”

“Where are we?”

“Where else? A date spot.”

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