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At those words, Ho-cheol merely shrugged, his expression betraying no emotion.
"Well, it's obvious."
If the Director had asked to borrow money, even Ho-cheol might have been momentarily flustered, but this much was expected.
"Did you people ever come to me with a beneficial proposal or good news? You always come here looking to fleece me or exploit me."
He raised his coffee cup and added.
"But I'll let myself be fooled again. So, what help do you need?"
Е n̄ü ṁа .iď
"First, I should explain the current situation of the Association."
The Director’s elaborate explanation followed, but Ho-cheol distractedly stared into the half-filled coffee cup.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He could even taste a strange bitterness in the instant coffee, which was made simply by tearing open a packet and mixing the contents with hot water.
Did Ji-an add something extra?
While he didn't think Ji-an would do anything strange now, he felt he needed to figure out the source of this oddly bitter taste.
"…Are you listening?"
Ê n̆ üm а . і̃ď
The Director asked, seeing Ho-cheol only staring at his coffee.
But Ho-cheol still looked at the coffee and lightly waved his hand.
"Of course, I'm listening. It's just that the story you brought isn't as interesting as the bitterness of this coffee."
"You sound as if you already knew."
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Only then did Ho-cheol raise his head and meet the Director's eyes.
"Naturally. It's so obvious, it's practically transparent."
Е̊ nùḿǎ
The Director’s story so far contained nothing that would surprise Ho-cheol.
The events were a result of the unspoken cooperation between the Association and Byeong-hoo (Eclipse).
Hearing about their collaboration behind the scenes only warranted a response like, So what?
At most.
"They have lost their core cause. They justified this collaboration by citing their past cooperation with you, but that is a complete fallacy. They are not so stupid as to fail to distinguish between using villains as tools and being used as tools by villains."
The Director let out a long sigh.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"Their held power is shaking, and a new power is tempting them right before their eyes. Such distinctions seem meaningless to them now."
"Well, that's just how people are."
The Director asked Ho-cheol, genuinely unable to believe it.
"Then, are you really not planning to get involved in this matter at all?"
Ho-cheol heard the question and smiled with satisfaction.
At least the Association and Lee Byeong-hoo hadn't anticipated his external activity—the Sidekick gig—at all.
Ӗ num̊ а
Of course, when he created, spread, and masked his false alibi that thoroughly, if they noticed, they shouldn't be working as intelligence officers but setting up a fortune-telling stand.
That would be true Clairvoyance.
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"I wonder."
Ho-cheol trailed off, avoiding a definitive answer.
He raised the coffee cup to his lips but immediately set it down.
"Well, no one is asking for my help. If I unnecessarily meddle and end up hurting innocent people, then it would be a bit difficult for me to step forward, wouldn't it?"
Е nu̇ m̊ ā
He had no intention of telling him the truth until the end.
It wasn't a matter of whether he could trust the Director or not.
No matter how great and firm his resolve, there were countless ways to extract information—even without torture.
Ho-cheol was moderately satisfied with how the situation was unfolding entirely according to his plan, but he was startled by the Director's next comment.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"The alliance formed between the Association and Eclipse—they are planning to strike you."
"Ah?"
Е̃n̂üm а
He let out a rare, foolish sound.
What is this about?
Ho-cheol pondered for a long time, then asked.
"Why?"
Didn't we agree not to lay hands on each other?
This was a matter of common sense before it was a matter of principle.
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Wouldn't the entire plan fall apart if he got involved?
The Director frowned, as if he also had a headache.
"This is a condition proposed by the Association to Eclipse, not the other way around. They see you as that much of a burden."
Ho-cheol gasped, sounding utterly incredulous.
He couldn't believe the Association, not Byeong-hoo, was the one who conceived the plan.
"The 'strike' isn't just about throwing me in jail, is it?"
Ѐ n ŭ m̄ а̊ .і̂d
"…They plan to eliminate you clearly."
When the Association spoke of elimination, it always meant only one thing: ending his life and sending him to the grave.
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"Honestly."
Ho-cheol shook his head.
Their relationship was certainly poor.
He had made several attempts to genuinely dismantle the Association, and frequently provoked them and picked fights.
E ń u mа.і́ d̃
However, those were attacks directed at the organization itself, not attacks fatal to the individuals affiliated with it.
To see them run at him intending to kill over such a grudge was ridiculous.
And above all, hadn't they frequently cooperated for the public interest or common goals until now?
He never considered them allies, but he felt a strange sense of betrayal nonetheless.
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"That's absurd. I just…"
The Director reached into the bag he had brought.
Е n̄ u m̄ a . і̌d̆
But just before he took his hand out, he stopped.
The Director's gaze dropped below his neck.
Ji-an, who had approached from behind, was aiming a fork at his carotid artery.
"What are you trying to take out?"
At her chilling question, the Director's eyes twitched in panic.
He couldn't even react.
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Not just the moment the fork was aimed at his neck, but the entire process of her approach.
He had received reports that she was significantly weakened now, with her combat power exponentially decreased due to overusing her Trait in the previous fight.
Was that information wrong?
Or had she already recovered completely from that damage?
Ho-cheol looked at Ji-an with a strange expression and asked.
"Why are you suddenly overreacting like that?"
W̌_ѐ.b̌ n̊ о̀ v̀ еl Е n u_mа
"Because!"
Ji-an raised her voice, then mumbled.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
"You just said it. The Association is targeting you. This person is also affiliated with the Association. Maybe he has a bomb or something…"
"He's not crazy enough to self-detonate. Thank you for worrying, but you're a little scary."
"Hmph."
"Also, did you put something else in the coffee? It tastes a bit strange."
Ẅеb̌ n̆о̄ v̀ӗl Е ńu̇ m̌ á
"I added a little seasoning to make it taste better…"
"That's a figure of speech, right?"
"I added MSG(Mono sodium glutamate)…"
Ho-cheol silently pushed the coffee away.
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A deflated Ji-an returned to the kitchen.
Even as she walked away, her eyes remained sharply fixed on the Director.
Е̇ n̂ u m̄_а . іd
"There was a minor incident, but what were you going to take out?"
Massaging his neck where the fork had pricked him, the Director withdrew his hand from the bag again.
He placed a thick stack of papers on the table.
"Internal Association information. Specifically, the contract between Eclipse and the Association, and the details regarding the division of rights and interests after the fact."
"…You brought a gold bar, not paper."
This wouldn't be the kind of document that even a Bureau Director could easily take out.
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Indeed, the Director looked exhausted as he stared at the documents.
"I went through considerable trouble to get it out."
Since he was a figure of authority ranked highly within the Association, accessing the information itself was not difficult.
However, smuggling such confidential material out without being detected was another matter entirely.
"Hmm."
Ho-cheol interlocked his hands and rested his chin on them.
Ëń um̄а.ǐ d̈
He stared silently at the Director for a long time.
He came here directly to tell me everything and even handed over top-secret documents.
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Although he chose the early morning of a holiday to be discreet, everyone knew it was pointless.
The moment the Director left his location and the moment he entered this house, reports would have been filed, and the other Bureau Directors and Byeong-hoo would all be aware.
This house was likely under surveillance.
It wouldn't be strange if, just for contacting him, the Director were immediately fired, branded a traitor, and subjected to harsh consequences, let alone losing his influence.
W̊ e bn̊ о̃ v̀ е ĺ Е n̂u̇m̆а̄_
Ho-cheol eventually couldn't contain his curiosity and asked.
"Is this okay? If they catch you siding with me, you'll be fired immediately."
At the mention of retirement, the Director sighed deeply.
"If that happens…"
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He momentarily turned his head and looked around Ho-cheol's accommodation.
Then, for some reason, he smiled freely.
Е̌ nŭ mǎ .і́d̃
"I suppose I'll have to look for a new job. That is, if the Association lets the price of betrayal end merely with firing me."
"That's incredible."
Ho-cheol sincerely whispered a small comment.
He spoke nonchalantly, but the consequences would certainly not end with just losing his chair.
In the worst case, he could lose his life.
Despite this danger, he took the risk for one reason only.
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The current Association was not right.
Ho-cheol stood up and shook the stack of documents up and down.
"Anyway, I'll take a look at the materials you gave me. But that doesn't mean I plan to move the way you want me to."
"Even though a direct attack against you is planned?"
"The level of their attack is going to be obvious anyway."
The Director, realizing he couldn't persuade him further, also stood up.
Еn û m̂а
As the Director prepared to leave, Ho-cheol chuckled and offered advice.
"Still, don't die."
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"Such encouraging words."
After the Director left and a few minutes passed, So-hee, who had been hiding in Ho-cheol's room, cautiously poked her head out.
"Did he leave?"
"Yes. I chased him off. But wasn't he somewhat your superior? You should have said hello."
Ӗnū ḿ а . і̆ d
In fact, he wasn't just somewhat her superior, but a vastly senior one.
The problem was that it was quite early in the morning, and So-hee had been sound asleep.
She recoiled in horror and waved her hands.
"How could I go out looking like this!"
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Naturally, her appearance right now was too dishevelled to be shown to anyone.
Moreover, the Association still didn't know that So-hee and Ho-cheol had such a close relationship.
Е̃ n u.m а
If she were caught having slept at Ho-cheol's house…
The aftermath would be difficult to handle in many ways.
Ho-cheol briefly turned his head and asked So-hee.
"I asked you before. Do you want to be successful?"
"Huh?"
"Is your answer still the same as back then?"
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"The one about making me the Association President?"
"Yeah."
At that time, So-hee had said she wasn't interested in that level of power.
She was just a civil servant by chance.
She planned to maintain her position moderately and just endure until retirement.
Association President?
Ѐ nu m̈ ӓ .і ď
No way.
She knew her limits well.
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It was obvious she would quit from the stress after only a short time.
And even now, nothing much had changed from then.
That level of power was useless to her life.
"Ugh, I don't want it. Just getting a taste of being an executive is enough for me."
Е̂ň ǔ m ã
"Then. Well."
Ho-cheol, with his arms crossed, leaned his shoulder against the hallway wall.
"I'll have to make that guy the one."
"Make who what?"
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"The next President."
No one in the world is perfectly incorruptible anyway.
Еn ŭ m a
Why would such a person endure the hardship of holding power?
If so, shouldn't they at least have the spirit to risk their life for their own principles and conviction?
***
"Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. You're completely out of your minds."
Ho-cheol muttered as he flipped through the pages of the documents the Director had handed over.
Perhaps because it was information brought at the risk of his life, it contained substantial content.
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Ho-cheol particularly focused on the section: [Cooperative Raid Plan for Jeong Ho-cheol's Elimination].
This was the one.
Of course, the plan would be completely revised now that the Legal Department Director had contacted him, but the basic outline would remain.
And the content was quite astounding.
The plan was to completely evacuate a village with thousands of people, lure Ho-cheol there, fill it with villains and heroes, and overwhelm him with sheer quantity.
It was a truly crude, yet effective, method of attack.
Ěnu m̌ a..і̇d̄
Ho-cheol's strength and Trait were specialized for one-on-one combat.
If they exhausted his stamina and mental energy by mindlessly swarming him, then Byeong-hoo would likely step in afterward.
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And even Ho-cheol had never single-handedly faced over a hundred Awakened individuals.
While they might be mere scarecrows who could be knocked out with a single gesture, he couldn't afford to fight carelessly if A-ranks or higher were sprinkled among them.
If he maintained a certain level of tension while fighting, Ho-cheol would likely tire out and collapse before he could even defeat a thousand of them.
No, thinking about it, they didn't even need to go that far.
Е ńüm а̊
Byeong-hoo's Transcendence.
Its effect was to render every Awakened individual within range powerless.
With just that, Ho-cheol would be reduced to a normal human being, albeit a strong one.
If a thousand people rushed at him with weapons, he would be split into Jeong/Ho/cheol in no time.
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"It can't be helped."
Ho-cheol took out his phone.
Е́ n um а̄
If the other side was preparing such a grand reception, shouldn't he prepare a countermeasure commensurate with that level?
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