#31
"A request form? Of course, I brought it. I even got our company's official seal stamped on it beautifully. Here, want to see?"
"You… already brought it? Has this been discussed within the guild?"
"Of course, of course. Besides, I'm the boss, so is there really a need to go through the hassle of a separate discussion? I've already scanned the request form and sent it by email. As for the contents, hmm, I'll read it aloud for you. Wait a minute."
"There's no need for a reading. If you have the original, please give me that first."
As if to mock Yonghyun, who had cut him off firmly, Hyeonil pulled a paper envelope from his coat with a triumphant expression. The logo of the Black Star Guild was luxuriously stamped in gold foil on the surface of the envelope.
Yonghyun swallowed a sigh that rose from the depths of his heart. He had to check it first, after all.
The Bureau's Dispatch Department not only handled the task of sending dispatch requests to each guild but also played the role of receiving and processing requests from guilds wishing to handle a specific gate.
So occasionally, when a gate appeared that guaranteed a large reward upon raiding, various guilds would rush in to compete for the dispatch and raid bidding rights.
In the case of this gate, due to the Chief Director's foolish order, they had decided to form a party within Bureau to raid it. He had been at ease, thinking it would proceed smoothly as no other guild seemed interested in the gate, but to think a variable like this would pop up.
Under normal circumstances, Yonghyun would have welcomed Black Star's intervention with open arms, but not now.
'If it were Esper Han Jinho, who I spoke with yesterday, I wouldn't mind, but Esper Kim Hyeonil and Black Star are a bit troublesome. No, very troublesome.'
Yesterday, after seeing Wonwoo's PowerPoint presentation about the Guide, Yonghyun had gotten an idea and had already formulated a plan. It was to organize the information about the Guide's existence and abilities to a level that Bureau could publicly announce, and then hold a press conference to reveal Wonwoo's existence.
The fact that someone had appeared who could strengthen Espers' abilities, a key figure in solving the gate problem.
He planned to make Wonwoo's abilities known, give him an official position, and solidify his standing. And with this as an opportunity, he intended to recruit Wonwoo into Bureau.
He judged that this was the only way to protect Wonwoo from the greedy individuals who prioritize private interests over the public good, like the old, pot-bellied, raccoon-like Chief. For someone like Wonwoo, who had lived an ordinary life, public attention would act as a form of protection.
But thanks to Hyeonil, all his plans had been ruined.
'Black Star is… greedy. Very much so. They are people who wouldn't hesitate to commit illegal acts for their own benefit.'
Yonghyun picked up his phone and called Yihyun from the Guild Cooperation Department. Hyeonil nodded, giving him a look as if to say, "go ahead and call."
-Yes, this is Shin Yihyun, Head of the Guild Cooperation Department.
"Chief, did you happen to receive an email?"
-What email? Just a moment. Assistent Manager Park, did any emails come in for the team? Uh-huh. Ah, from Black Star?
When a raid request form from a guild wanting to participate in a gate raid arrived at the Guild Cooperation Department, they had to proceed according to procedure.
First, they compare the conditions proposed by the guild with the conditions desired by Bureau. Bureau would consider the dispatch fee they could pay, while the guild would consider the percentage of the gate's byproducts they would give to Bureau as a raid fee.
If these conditions aligned with each other's interests, the gate raid would be centered around that guild.
If the conditions didn't match during that process, the negotiations would be repeated.
In such cases, it was usually the guild that gave up on coordinating. The Bureau was always a state agency strapped for time and budget, needing to extract maximum efficiency with minimum cost.
Because of this, if discussions between the two groups didn't go as well as expected, The Bureau would often use the magic spell, 'Then it's alright. Our Section Chief Shin Yonghyun will go and raid it.' Of course, even if Yonghyun had five bodies, it wouldn't be enough to make it 100% possible, but a little exaggeration was necessary in negotiations. In that sense, it was an excellent spell for gaining the upper hand.
-Chief, could it be that Kim Hyeonil has finally lost his mind? No, I mean, he always had a few screws loose.
"What is it?"
Therefore, unless it was a gate that screamed 'This will be a huge jackpot if we raid it!' at a glance, guilds didn't actively step up to raid them. Responding to dispatch requests from Bureau was sufficient enough.
So, for Hyeonil, who usually ignored even dispatch requests, to actively want to participate in a gate raid was an unprecedented situation in itself.
-Yes. An email came in saying he wants to proceed with the Anyang Gate raid with a dispatch fee of 0 won, and as for the profit distribution... they want to proceed by giving over 90% of the gate profits. I've confirmed the company's official seal... Assistent Manager Park. Are you sure this was sent by Black Star? ...It is?
As soon as Hyeonil felt Yonghyun's disapproving gaze, he shrugged his shoulders, sending a look that said, 'You heard that, right?'. A proud smile was a bonus.
Yonghyun clicked his tongue softly, "Tsk," and ended the call with Yihyun, saying he would call back later. Then, in a voice as cold as his ability, he asked.
"What are you scheming?"
"Huh? I told you. I wanted to raid the gate with my Guide friend. I figured if the conditions weren't this good, Chief Shin wouldn't accept."
How did he find out about the Guide? Could it be, did Esper Kim Hyeonil also receive some kind of message? Or was it wiretapping? Did the stories from yesterday's meeting or the base camp leak out?
There was much more to consider now. Yonghyun let out a deep sigh internally and opened his mouth.
"Ah, you know exactly what's going on. In that case, I should hold you accountable for the illegal activities I just heard about right now."
If the conditions had been ordinary, Yonghyun could have cut it off at his level and rejected Black Star's raid request.
But an official document stating they wouldn't receive a dispatch fee and would give up most of the raid's profits was a different story. This was a situation that couldn't be easily dismissed.
'What? Black Star did that? Hey, what are you doing right now, Chief Shin? With conditions like that, you should say okay immediately. The profit is 9, nine! A guide ability assessment? Can't we just do that with Black Star?'
As if he could hear the old raccoon's grumbling, Yonghyun felt a throbbing headache and pressed his temples.
"Esper Kim Hyeonil, what is your scheme? For someone who didn't even respond to AA-class dispatch requests to suddenly participate in a gate raid."
"Ah, I told you earlier. I'm curious about what kind of ability this 'Guide' friend has. Why, isn't that why you were planning to raid the gate too, Chief Shin?"
"......"
"What's with that disgruntled look? Were you, by any chance, planning to wrap him up tight and monopolize him? Or perhaps, package it as a top-secret matter?"
"That is not true."
"Our Chief is quite good at lying without batting an eye."
"I could never compare to you, Esper Kim Hyeonil."
While Hyeonil and Yonghyun created a strange tension, staring each other down, Wonwoo couldn't hide his trembling eyes between the two of them.
These people… no, what are these Espers doing with the person in question right in front of them? Don't tell me they forgot I'm right here?
No, seeing as they're talking about a Guide, I don't think that's it. And they keep glancing at me from time to time. But why do they keep talking amongst themselves...?
It felt like his future was being decided by those two's conversation, and the fact that he, the person concerned, was completely left out made Wonwoo feel very, extremely anxious and frustrated.
-Bbirong bbirong!
[Those two, they're like that, you know!]
[Counting their chickens before they hatch! (* ￣︿￣)] (*T/N: A Korean proverb meaning to get ahead of oneself.)
"Right? I'm not the only one who thinks so, am I?"
[Yes! I do not like it one bit! ( 。=Д=)o]
[When we should be raiding the gate as soon as possible!]
[What a waste of time! (╬▔皿▔)╯ These Espers have gotten lazy!]
…That sounds a bit like a nagging old man. But worried the System might get angry, Wonwoo barely managed to swallow the thought.
However, thanks to the System getting angry on his behalf, he felt the frustration that had risen to his chin dissipate. Feeling as if he had downed a glass of cool milk after stuffing a whole dry baguette into his mouth without any water, Wonwoo looked at the two men who seemed to be glaring at each other.
If this continued, it felt like they wouldn't even get near the gate entrance for hours, let alone leave this van. Receiving a message of encouragement from the System, Wonwoo clenched his fists.
'Right, let's say it. Let's tell them to go raid the gate. That we don't have time for this.'
He had finally made up his mind to work hard, but those two Espers weren't helping.
'Chief, you brought me here like you were kidnapping me because time was tight… if you do this… Manager Kim Jaesung's time spent speeding all the way to Anyang will be wasted.'
Should I just butt in and shout, 'Let's just all go in together, Bureau and Black Star!' Or should I say, 'If you keep this up, I'll go with just Jinho-ssi and leave you two behind?'
Wonwoo pondered this very seriously. It was then that Hyeonil approached. He got so close it seemed like he would come right through the van window, allowing Wonwoo to see Hyeonil's eyes more closely and clearly.
His own face was reflected in the light-colored, grayish eyes.
"What about you, my dear Guide? raiding the gate with me."
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