Chapter 9: The Situation at the Silver Tower (2)
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
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Clang.
As Kim Myung-hee and Kim Myung-jin entered, the bell attached to the door rang, and Lim So-young called out.
“Welcome! Please have a seat anywhere you like!”
Although it was early, more than half of the twelve tables were already occupied.
Kim Myung-hee and Kim Myung-jin sat down at a table.
“What can I get for you?”
Lim So-young asked as she set water and towels on the table, and Kim Myung-jin said,
“Two bowls of jajangmyeon and one order of tangsuyuk, please.”
“Sure! Please wait a moment.”
Lim So-young placed the order in the kitchen, and Kim Myung-hee looked around the restaurant.
“By the way, has this place been remodeled?”
“No, I heard it’s been open for about five years, but there hasn’t been any remodeling.”
“Then the owner must be very diligent. The restaurant is very clean. The ceiling too…”
“Now that you mention it, it is.”
Just then.
Kim Myung-hee felt a chill and quickly turned around.
Her gaze landed on a young man with long hair tied back, sitting in a corner.
‘Did that man just make me feel that chill?’
As an A-rank awakened individual, Kim Myung-hee was a dual-ability holder.
A-ranks had two abilities, and S-ranks had as many as three.
It was unknown how many abilities Zero-rank awakened individuals had, and their abilities were immeasurable, hence the name Zero (0) rank.
One of her abilities was to detect magic and aura, and she was quite skilled at it.
Therefore, no matter how much someone tried to hide their power, she could accurately sense their aura.
So, the chilling aura that had startled her must have come from that man.
But something was strange.
She couldn’t feel that aura at all now.
‘Did that man momentarily hide his aura?’
The man was holding a male Barbie doll dressed in a fancy uniform.
And he was awkwardly playing with dolls with the girl in front of him.
‘They still have those dolls. I used to play with them a lot when I was a kid…’
Kim Myung-hee chuckled.
‘To make me feel a chill, he would have to be an S-rank awakened individual, and there’s no way that man is one. Am I just tired? I must have imagined it.’
The man was handsome, but he was undoubtedly an ordinary man.
Just then, Lim So-young brought the tangsuyuk.
“That’s my daughter and our new helper.”
“Your daughter is very cute. But a helper?”
Kim Myung-hee asked, and Lim So-young smiled and said,
“He’s going to be living and working here. We’ll officially hire him in a few days.”
“I see.”
“Enjoy your meal!”
“Thank you.”
Kim Myung-jin looked at the tangsuyuk and said,
“Noona, do you dip or pour?”
“Are you really my brother? You don’t even know your sister’s preferences?”
“Hahaha…”
“Your sister pours.”
“Then I’ll only pour the sauce on half.”
While Kim Myung-jin divided the tangsuyuk in half and poured the sauce, Kim Myung-hee mixed her jajangmyeon and took a large bite.
“Oh my!”
She was instantly surprised.
It was, without a doubt, the most delicious jajangmyeon she had ever tasted. She understood why Baek Eun-ho, who was known as a gourmet, had recommended this place.
“This is really delicious!”
“Right?”
Kim Myung-hee again twirled a large portion of jajangmyeon with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
She had a feeling she would become a regular at Yang Chun Gak.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the shop, Gang-so, who was still playing with dolls with Ha-young, smiled meaningfully as he looked at Kim Myung-hee and Kim Myung-jin.
‘Hmm, although their auras are slightly different, they both possess an aura worthy of being called a master. Could they be awakened ones?’
He had slightly released his aura to gauge their strength, and when Kim Myung-hee turned around as if she had noticed, Gang-so quickly hid his aura again.
‘She has good senses.’
Just then, Ha-young tapped the back of his hand and said,
“Oppa, the prince and princess are at a ball, so they have to dance.”
“Alright. How do we do that?”
“Like this, dum dum da-ra dum-da dum-dum-dum…”
Yoo Soon-tae was still in the kitchen with an expression that said he was dying of laughter, but Gang-so was watching Ha-young with a serious expression.
‘This doll playing… it’s actually quite fun once you get into it.’
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Sung Jin-ho was summoned and went up to the 69th floor of the Silver Tower.
The 69th floor, which could be considered the top of the Silver Tower, was the office of the head of the Awakened Association.
Four security guards in black suits stood in front of the chairman’s office.
Given the current state of affairs, the position of the head of the Awakened Association was, in fact, higher than that of the president of Korea.
Therefore, he was under more thorough protection than the president.
Although the chairman himself complained that it was stuffy.
“Who is it?”
“Support Division 1 Head, Sung Jin-ho.”
“Excuse me. Please wait a moment while we check.”
There was also an awakened individual stationed in front of the chairman’s office who could detect invisible things like stealth.
Several procedures were carried out, but Sung Jin-ho didn’t complain. Because they were necessary procedures.
He still got a headache when he recalled the attempted assassination of the head of the Awakened Association three years ago.
The culprit was a Blackman and was arrested on the spot and brought to justice, but the head of security had to resign.
And Inspection Division 1, Enforcement Division 1, and Support Division 1 had to work incredibly hard to clean up the mess.
He would rather strengthen security procedures tenfold than go through that again.
“You may enter.”
“Excuse me.”
The door opened, and Sung Jin-ho entered the chairman’s office.
The chairman was sitting at his desk.
He was a gentleman in his late fifties, with his shirt buttoned up to the first button without any dishevelment.
“You look terrible.”
The chairman looked up at Sung Jin-ho and said,
“You know, don’t you?”
“You said you worked টানা three days straight? So what did you find?”
“If I had found something, I would have reported it already.”
Despite the slightly impertinent tone, the chairman simply smiled.
There was a hint of pity in his smile.
“Just drop the investigation.”
“Huh? Drop it now! What are you talking about?”
“I know your abilities. Honestly, you may be weaker in terms of combat power than those single-minded Enforcement or Inspection guys, but you’re the most resourceful.”
“…”
“If you, who are like that, have been working for three days and still haven’t produced any results, it means only one thing.”
“Are you saying they’re deliberately hiding?”
“You already know the answer.”
At the chairman’s words, Sung Jin-ho bit his lip.
“That’s right. I knew. But how can I give up? This is an opportunity for our country to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States and China, so…”
“I’m sorry. I’m not good enough, so I burdened you.”
At the chairman’s self-reproach, Sung Jin-ho was startled and waved his hands.
“D-Don’t say that! If it weren’t for you, the Republic of Korea wouldn’t be what it is today!”
“No. I’m not good enough…”
“Chairman, I was wrong!”
At the chairman’s self-reproach, Sung Jin-ho finally had to raise both hands in surrender.
“Ahem, so will you listen to me?”
“Alright. I’ll drop the investigation.”
At Sung Jin-ho’s answer, the chairman grinned.
“You only listen to me after I act like I’m dying.”
“Ah, Chairman!”
“But always be prepared for any unexpected situations.”
“I understand.”
“And Ms. Kang said that the other member countries of the Military Cooperation Council are on edge right now. This alone will be enough to get what we want.”
“Then I’ll finish preparing the materials for the Military Cooperation Council.”
Sung Jin-ho hesitated for a moment and then spoke.
“But why would a Zero-rank awakened individual hide?”
“How would I know?”
Sung Jin-ho left the chairman’s office.
In the end, the investigation was stopped, but he couldn’t shake off a lingering feeling of unease.
He returned to his office and explained the discontinuation of the investigation to the staff.
“So, the investigation is being called off. Finish up what you’ve done so far and go home.”
“Woohoo!”
“Finally, we can go home!”
“I can go home now!”
“Mom! Your son is coming home!”
Hearing the cheers of his staff, Sung Jin-ho felt a bit bitter.
“Aren’t you guys too happy?”
“Hahaha, sorry.”
Sung Jin-ho got up from his seat.
“Then I’ll be leaving first.”
Even though he told them to go home, they would feel uncomfortable leaving if their superior was still there.
But he had nowhere to go.
If he went home, he would just watch TV in a cold, empty room and fall asleep.
“Sigh, I feel lousy. Should I go get some tteokbokki?”
He headed to his favorite tteokbokki place, but the shop was closed.
[Closed Today]
Sung Jin-ho, who had been craving something spicy, sighed in disappointment.
Just then, he remembered the Chinese restaurant that Team Leader 3, Baek Eun-ho, had recommended.
“I’ll have some jjampong. But are they open at this hour?”
He turned around and headed for Yang Chun Gak.
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“Welcome!”
Lim So-young greeted Sung Jin-ho, who opened the door and entered.
“Can I have dinner here?”
“Of course. Last order is at 8 PM.”
“That’s a relief! One bowl of jjampong, please.”
“Sure. Please wait a moment.”
Sung Jin-ho looked around the restaurant while waiting for his food.
The restaurant wasn’t big, but it was clean and had a nice atmosphere.
‘Hmm?’
A young man with his long hair tied back was setting a bowl of tangsuyuk, a glass of soju, and chopsticks on a table.
But his gaze kept going back to that young man.
“Your food is ready.”
Lim So-young brought out a bowl of jjampong. The food came out quickly.
“Please give me a bottle of soju too.”
At those words, Yoo Soon-tae, who came out of the kitchen, said,
“If you’re going to have a drink, would you like to join us?”
“Huh?”
“We were going to have a drink after work too. I might be overstepping, but drinking alone isn’t as enjoyable, is it?”
“That’s true. Sure, why not.”
It wasn’t a bad offer.
Sung Jin-ho didn’t like drinking alone either.
Gang-so sat down next to him, and Yoo Soon-tae and his wife sat in front of them.
As they clinked glasses and chatted, Sung Jin-ho found himself complaining without realizing it.
“There’s someone I’m looking for. But I have no idea where that person went, and it’s driving me crazy.”
“Oh dear!”
“But my superiors are telling me to stop looking… They say the person is deliberately hiding… so I should stop looking…”
“That must be frustrating.”
“Sigh, what can I do? Anyway.”
Sung Jin-ho took a swig of his soju and said,
“But why would they hide? It’s a chance to become really famous and make a lot of money!”
“They must have their reasons.”
Following Yoo Soon-tae, Gang-so continued.
“If it’s meant to be, you’ll meet someday.”
“I guess so.”
“It’s best to be patient, as being too hasty can ruin things.”
At Gang-so’s advice, Sung Jin-ho nodded.
And so, they shared drinks and conversation.
Meanwhile, Gang-so tilted his head.
‘How great a person must they be for such a strong man to be unable to find them?’
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As morning dawned, Sung Jin-ho opened his eyes.
He recalled the events of last night.
‘Yang Chun Gak, huh… Team Leader Baek recommended a good place.’
Although he couldn’t talk about many things due to security reasons, he was able to relieve some stress by complaining.
He muttered, recalling what Gang-so had told him yesterday.
“Yeah, well, if it’s meant to be, we’ll meet. I shouldn’t be too hasty.”
He believed that the heavens would never abandon the Republic of Korea.
Even during the Great Clash ten years ago, Korea had safely overcome the crisis.
Sung Jin-ho stretched.
Just then, his phone rang loudly.
“Yes, Sung Jin-ho…”
– Head! We have a situation! The hunters who entered Gate B-0136186…
As always, the Silver Tower was never peaceful.
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