Chapter 227

“Thank you for all your hard work.”

A man in a rumpled suit held out his hand.

His skin was dry and his eyes were sunken. Apparently, the investigator hadn’t been exaggerating when he said the man hadn’t been home in a week.

“You’re the one who worked hard, Prosecutor. Me? Not really.”

I shook hands with the prosecutor in charge and looked around.

The spacious room had a soft bed, a sofa, and even a state-of-the-art wall-mounted TV.

When I was first summoned by the prosecutors’ office, I had imagined a cold, dark interrogation room. Instead, they had put me up in a hotel suite.

“I didn’t expect to be treated this well.”

“The higher-ups are very interested in this case. Would you mind if I sat down for a moment?”

“Oh, sure.”

“Thank you.”

The prosecutor answered wearily and collapsed onto the sofa.

“There was some debate, to be honest. We had quite an argument over whether your actions constituted self-defense or excessive force.”

That part had been bothering me, too.

I had killed Won Myunghoon when I could have subdued him. It went beyond the bounds of self-defense.

Of course, even if I went back a week, I would make the same choice.

“So I assume the issue was resolved in my favor?”

“Of course. Do you think I would’ve come alone otherwise? I would’ve brought Hunters from the Ministry of Justice.”

The prosecutor spoke jokingly, but then his eyes fell on the morning paper lying on the table.

The Black Wyvern’s carcass filled nearly the entire front page. He eyed it and smacked his lips.

“Though even if I had brought them, they probably wouldn’t have been much help.”

“I’m a model citizen. The kind who could live just fine without laws.”

“There was a movie called Law Abiding Citizen. The protagonist killed a prosecutor and even a judge.”

“……”

What was this? Was he asking me to hit him?

The prosecutor let out a quiet laugh at my expression and stood.

“I should get going. I have an incredible backlog of work.”

“I’m glad I could lend a hand.”

“You didn’t lend a hand. You created the work. Once we started digging, every lead pulled up another, like sweet-potato vines.”

I had suspected that Won Myunghoon had plenty of skeletons in his closet.

But once the investigation began in earnest, so much filth came pouring out of his past that I found myself wondering what kind of bastard he had been.

Among his countless crimes were several cases similar to what had happened a week ago.

The incident eight years ago was no different.

Won Myunghoon had been a monster created by the media.

When his brief burst of popularity faded and the spotlight moved on, he tried to stir up scandals himself to draw the public’s attention back to him.

But in the process, the most popular star Hunter of the time died. Under suspicion from the Association and uneasy scrutiny from the public, Won Myunghoon quietly faded from memory.

“He covered up everything thoroughly. With money, with power, and sometimes by making people disappear in what looked like Gate accidents.”

Naturally, there had also been extensive lobbying to minimize the incidents.

In the end, the political and business figures connected to him had to appear before the cameras in wheelchairs and masks.

Along with their favorite line:

I will cooperate fully with the investigation.

Whether the investigation would be conducted properly, or whether they would cooperate in good faith, remained to be seen. But one thing was certain.

The prosecutor spoke with conviction.

“At least half of them are going down.”

The wildfire was already spreading out of control. Putting it out would take more than uprooting a weed or two.

Won Myunghoon’s death had only been the beginning.

“I hope that’s what happens.”

“It has to. It will.”

He offered what sounded like a farewell and reached for the doorknob. Then he paused and turned around.

“I’ve been so busy that I forgot to say this.”

“……?”

His previously straight back bent in a deep bow.

“Thank you. All of this is thanks to you, Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

I’m a simple man. I killed the raid monster because I had a grudge to settle, and I killed Won Myunghoon because he was my enemy.

But the world called me a hero who had prevented a major catastrophe and brought justice.

It was a little burdensome, but…

Well, this isn’t so bad either.

I smiled and nodded. A faint smile crossed the prosecutor’s exhausted face.

I followed the investigator I had gotten to know over the past week down to the basement.

“You don’t need to worry. Security is airtight.”

Just as he had said, there wasn’t a reporter—or even a camera—in sight in the underground parking lot.

Instead, some familiar faces were waiting for me.

“Son!”

“Oppa!”¹

Two people rushed at me with shrieks, and I hugged them both.

No, let me correct that. I hugged Mom and pushed Hayeon away with my palm.

“Son! Are you all right? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches.”

Looking as if she’d just had ten years scared off her life, Mom ran her hands over my entire body. Then she sucked in a breath.

“S-Scratches? Where? You’re hurt?”

“No, I misspoke.”

“You said you got scratched!”

“I said I wanted some of your saengchae muchim.² The words just came out wrong.”

“Taekyung, you’re lying again, aren’t you? You fought a terrifying monster like that. How could you not have a single injury?”

“It was big, but it was a gentle kid.”

“Son, are you going to keep playing word games? Mom is being serious, so hurry up and take off your clothes.”

“……How am I supposed to do that here? This is driving me crazy.”

I had the reflexes to dodge bullets, but somehow I couldn’t evade Mom’s hands.

Had she learned a grappling technique or something?

As I struggled helplessly, my household-register mate with the other set of chromosomes asked with a shocked expression,

“……Why did I get pushed away?”

“You really have to ask?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“Then you deserve a hit.”

Flick!

“Ow! Mom! Oppa¹ hit me!”

“Can’t either of you behave?”

Hayeon clutched her forehead with a wounded expression while Mom shouted at us.

In the middle of the chaos, I noticed someone watching us with a smile.

“Don’t just stand there smiling. Please stop them.”

“Isn’t this proof that your family is close? I’m actually jealous.”

His legs were long and straight, like a model’s. He looked as though he had just stepped out of a magazine shoot as he gripped my shoulder firmly.

“You’ve been through a lot, Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

“You too, Team Leader Choi.”

But where was everyone else?

Team Leader Choi noticed me looking around and spoke.

“They all wanted to come, but I stopped them. There are too many eyes watching us.”

“Oh.”

“Reporters are camped out everywhere. I’ll take you home first. We can talk on the way.”

An underground parking lot wasn’t exactly the best place to catch up. Especially not with a prosecutor’s investigator watching us.

We climbed into a high-end sedan with heavily tinted windows. The car purred pleasantly as it wound through the forest of skyscrapers.

“A great deal happened while you were being questioned, though I assume you know most of it.”

“I saw it all on TV. I turned off my phone because I was getting so many calls.”

Network TV, cable, radio.

These days, wherever I turned, I heard my name and Won Myunghoon’s.

Politics, the economy, the Hunter industry—the whole country was in an uproar.

I’ve heard it so much I’m sick of it.

Even the national anthem got tiring after the second verse.

Team Leader Choi glanced at my expression and smiled.

“There’s one important thing I should tell you.”

“It’s not about what we’re having for dinner, is it?”

“No. It’s related to what happened.”

“Team Leader, please. I’m begging you.”

“It concerns the processing of the Named Monster’s byproducts.”

“Please tell me. I’m begging you.”

“……”

I sat up straight in the passenger seat and gazed at Team Leader Choi with sparkling eyes.

Mom and Hayeon, sitting in the back, perked up their ears as well.

“Byproducts? Are they really that important?”

“Mom, what are you, someone from the Korean Empire?³ Of course they’re incredibly important!”

“Oh, please. Mom knows that much. I just don’t have any idea how important…”

Plenty of products made from monster byproducts had been commercialized, but they were still luxuries reserved for the wealthy.

To Mom, who had spent her entire life tightening her belt, they might as well have belonged to another world.

As Mom trailed off, Team Leader Choi explained in a gentle voice.

“It depends on the monster. But in the case of the Named Monster Mr. Jin Taekyung killed, its value is astronomical.”

“R-Really? I only saw it in photographs, but it did look terrifying.”

“As you saw, it was an extremely powerful monster. That’s why it was valued at three hundred billion won.⁴”

“Oh, I see.”

A brief silence followed Mom’s answer.

There wasn’t even the sound of breathing. In the complete silence, I blinked without a word, then barely managed to speak.

“How much?”

“Three hundred billion won.⁴”

Team Leader Choi added in the same calm tone,

“Oh, that’s the auction’s starting price.”

“T-The starting price?”

“Yes. The processing was completed three days ago, and Christie’s has already…”

“Wait. Who’s Christie?”

Hayeon stared at me in disbelief.

“What do you mean, who’s Christie? You don’t know Christie’s?”

What an idiot. And he’s my brother.

That was exactly what her expression said.

I racked my brain to preserve my authority as her older brother, but the only thing the name Christie brought to mind was a beautiful blonde woman.

“A-American billionaire’s daughter?”

“……”

“O-Or someone from Hong Kong? European royalty? A Hollywood actress…”

Team Leader Choi came to my rescue as I broke into a cold sweat.

“It’s a famous auction house. Along with Sotheby’s, it competes for the top position in the industry.”

“Oh.”

Maybe I had heard of it. Or maybe I hadn’t.

I had spent my childhood doing nothing but exercising and my adulthood working like an ox. How was I supposed to know about things like that?

Team Leader Choi, who was knowledgeable about such matters, continued smoothly.

“Christie’s approached us first. They offered to charge a much lower commission than Sotheby’s if we entrusted the auction to them.”

“S-So?”

“Christie’s appraisers assessed the value of the byproducts. At present, the starting price is three hundred billion won.⁴ Since the decision requires your consent, we’ve put off finalizing it.”

Was this really happening?

I sat there dazed with my mouth hanging open, then smacked Hayeon on the forehead as she poked her head between the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

Smack!

“Ow!”

“It’s real.”

“Why did you hit me?”

“Because I’m precious.”

Only after hearing her scream did it finally sink in.

Before long, I would be an incredibly wealthy man.

“S-Son, what does this mean? Three hundred billion won?⁴”

“Calm down. It’s not all mine.”

I didn’t know how high the final bid would go, but the Hunter industry had clear rules for dividing the proceeds. Raids were team efforts, after all.

Even if I had killed it entirely by myself, the same principle applied.

But Team Leader Choi’s next words left me stunned.

“It’s your share, Mr. Jin Taekyung. Every last won.”

“……Pardon?”

“The others all agreed. So I hope you won’t say anything more about it.”

“They all agreed?”

They could each have received anywhere from several billion won⁵ at the low end to tens of billions of won⁶ at the high end.

For an ordinary person, it would have been an irresistible temptation—and clearly their right to claim.

As I stared at him in shock, Team Leader Choi smoothly turned the steering wheel and replied,

“Neither I nor the others are shameless enough to take money for standing around and watching. We have at least that much conscience and conviction.”

“You really didn’t have to go that far…”

“It wasn’t something that required any consideration. You’ve shown us enough consideration already, so think about what you want to do with the money.”

Team Leader Choi’s firm words left me speechless.

Three hundred billion won.⁴ Christie’s auction.

The words swirled through my head, leaving my thoughts in chaos. Mom and Hayeon had been frozen like statues for a while now, so they were probably even worse off.

This is surreal.

I rubbed my stiff face with one palm.

An unimaginable fortune would soon come rolling into my hands. What should I do with it?

One fantasy led to another. A private jet, a luxury yacht, bundles of cash stacked like mountains, a leopard wearing a collar…

Before long, every one of those fantasies faded like fog.

Only then did my head clear. I finally knew what I should do with the money, and I could see the world around me clearly again.

“Team Leader Choi.”

“Yes?”

“May I ask you for a favor?”

The corner of Team Leader Choi’s mouth lifted slightly.

“Anything.”