Auto Hunting

Chapter 35

Episode 35

A lot of hunters had attended the buffet.

The show that Yoo-seong had given them had left them feeling hungry without knowing.

Besides, there were a lot of industry officials waiting to meet Yoo-seong.

Not everyone could approach Yoo-seong based on interest. The type of interest mattered.

Cha Jae-gil almost choked on his champagne the moment he saw Yoo-seong return to the hall.

“The son of a-” he began, but he stopped himself, realizing that people were watching.

He handed over his champagne flute to a waiter and was about to head out of the hall when someone called him from behind.

“Chief Director,”

He turned at the sound of the voice.

“Ah! CEO Chu!” he said in surprise as his heart fell. He didn’t expect to see him at the meeting.

Tenz was a Chinese conglomerate expanding its network throughout the Eurasian region, and Chu Seo-jin headed its Korean office.

They were very influential in the industry, with their by-product market size directly proportional to the China’s land area. They were known for marketing Chinese hunting by-products, but recently, they changed their posture and aggressively purchased products from other countries.

Of course, Tenz’s influence on Korean organizations wasn’t just because it was wealthy.

They were the gateway to the Chinese market.

The large number of beasts that came out of China’s vast territory allowed companies to maximize value for the by-products.

Besides, the government’s regulations were quite generous, allowing for more active operations. However, it was almost impossible for foreign companies to enter China.

Foreign hunters couldn’t even get a visa unless they through a company with enormous influence as Tenz.

And even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to get into the Chinese organizations.

What would those organizations do with foreign hunters when they had more than enough hunters in their own country?

Even though large Korean firms like Gung-On or QR send their hunters there to study, the arrangement was, at best, a short-term dispatch.

So far, there had only been one foreign hunter who had been welcomed in China: Lee Un-seol.

Cha Jae-gil thought of Lee Jae-hak’s younger sister.

She proved that it wasn’t impossible to be able to go to China.

With such hope, Gung-On- Cha Jae-gil, to be precise- had been in talks with Chu Seo-jin for a while now.

He wanted to go to China with the team he led. He had hoped for an opportunity to prove his skills before the man. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone very well that day.

He just hoped the man hadn’t gotten any wrong impressions.

“I think you did a really good job today,” Chu Seo-jin said.

The way he said it made it clear that he was not interested in Cha Jae-gil.

“You must be referring to Oh Yoo-seong’s performance.” He wanted to make sure.

“Yes. Thanks to you, I had a very good view.”

The words pierced the insides of Cha Jae-gil.

Still, he had to restrain himself from displaying his mood before Chu Seo-jin. Compared to the man before him, he was just a small-time group director.

“Well, it was quite novel in its own way. It can be said that he was quite excellent, but…”

“It’s more about people than technique,” Seo-jin said, cutting Jae-gil off.

“Besides, what you said… is that true? Has it been only half a year since the young man got his license?”

“Yes, but that hardly mea-”

“Good. Good. It is not easy to master such skill in half a year,” Seo-jin said.

What Cha Jae-gil had pointed out to cast doubt on Yoo-seong now served as a compliment. Cha Jae-gil’s eyebrows wriggled as he found himself in an absurd situation.

Even the Chinese didn’t know about the technique. It was truly a never-before-seen method.

Chu Seo-jin was both from Korea and China. Since his father was Chinese, he had studied and developed his talent in China.

Of course, he had learned a lot of techniques in China. However, even a man like him did not dismiss the ingenuity of Oh Yoo-seong’s display.

“I haven’t seen someone with such outstanding qualities in a long time. Don’t you think so?”

The second sentence was spoken in Chinese. It was addressed to someone else.

Only then did Cha Jae-hil notice the young man next to Chu Seo-jin.

He seemed to be in his early twenties.

He didn’t respond to Seo-jin’s words; rather, his attention was fixed on his phone.

Chu Seo-jin merely chuckled.

“Ah, this is my nephew, Chu-yeop. He is also a hunter in China.”

“Ah, nice to meet you,” Cha Jae-gil said, holding a hand out for a shake.

Chu-yeop remained silent, still staring at his phone.

“Sorry, he doesn’t know Korean.”

“Oh. Well then. I better get going. I need to speak with one of our representatives.”

“Ah, yes! Bye then.”

Cha Jae-gil walked away, sulking.

Seo-jin wasn’t interested in him; there was no need to stay any longer.

However, that was his mistake. If he knew who Chu-yeop was texting, he wouldn’t have left so suddenly.

…

The buffet was also almost finished.

Yoo-seong saw Seo Ji-young leaning against the wall near the exit.

From the time Yoo-seong returned inside, Seo Ji-young kept watching him without coming close.

Yoo-seong walked over to him.

“Hey,” Yoo-seong said.

“Hey,” Ji-young said.

Although she tried to manage his facial expressions, she couldn’t control her mouth.

She found himself smiling awkwardly. “I was impressed by your performance.”

“Thank you,” Yoo-seong said.

“So, why did you come here? You’re not expecting to swap business cards with me, are you?” Ji-young joked.

“Well, kind of. I’m going to give you my contact details.”

Seo Ji-young’s eyes popped wide open.

“Why in the world?”

“This is my business card.”

There were two numbers on it- Yoo-seong’s business number and Sung-wook’s number.

As Ji-young expected, Yoo-seong’s personal number was nowhere to be found.

Seo Ji-young stared at Yoo-seong for a second before receiving the business card.

“I look forward to contacting you. As a client.”

Yoo-seong nodded and waited to see if Ji-Young still had something else to say.

Ji-young shrugged, and so, Yoo-seong shook her hand and left.

Immediately after leaving the building, he removed the seal from his arm.

He heaved a sigh as he walked out of the Civic Center grounds. His hands slowly went to the cigarette in his pocket.

He couldn’t use it while he was in the hall, though his body needed it.

There was a park close by. He headed in that direction. When he arrived, he found an empty bench and sat on it for a while, allowing himself to rest.

“Will it be okay for me to speak with you now?”

Yoo-seong looked up towards the voice.

A middle-aged and young man in suits stood before him.

He recognized their faces from the venue, though he wasn’t too sure who they were.

“Well, I guess so.”

Yoo-seong sat up and straightened his face so that he didn’t look tired.

“Good. Don’t worry. This won’t take long. I am Chu Seo-jin, the CEO of Tenz Korea. This is my nephew, Chu-yeop.”

“Tenz Korea?” Yoo-seong asked in surprise before moving to pull out his card.

“Oh, don’t bother. This has nothing to do with business. I want a relationship,” Chu Seo-jin said, shaking his head.

“What?” Yoo-seong said, raising a brow.

Chu Seo-jin merely smiled cheerfully.

“Many people don’t know this, but Tenz is owned by a top hunter. He was one of the warriors, springing from an old tradition he inherited. This child and I are his disciples.”

Yoo-seong nodded, listening silently.

“As I watched you earlier, I thought you might be qualified to inherit our tradition and cultivate it. So, I took some liberties, excuse me,” Chu Seo-Jin pulled out his cell phone and showed Yoo-seong the screen.

“I filmed your performance.”

Yoo-seong’s eyes widened at that.

“And we sent it to our mentor and employer. Of course, he is in China now, but he wants to see you in person.”

“China controls the entry of foreign hunters,” Yoo-seong started.

“That depends on the situation. The criterion is not as much the hunter as it is the person that invites him,” he replied with confidence.

“The man in the most influential position in the world wants to see you, Yoo-seong. He thinks you have the qualities needed to become a disciple. Join us.”

He was sure there was no way that Yoo-seong would refuse.

“I don’t understand,” Yoo-seong admitted.

“I am one of them. Oh, of course, it’s a foreign secret, so you can’t breathe a word about it.”

Yoo-seong tried to talk once more, but Seo-jin interrupted him.

“There is one condition, though. It is not the standard of business to mention bad terms before an appointment, but this is not a business; it’s a relationship.”

“What is the condition?” Yoo-seong asked.

“If you come in as his disciple, you become submissive to him. Such a ritual seems a bit unfamiliar in this country, but the discipline among priests is strict.”

Yoo-seong’s gaze turned towards the younger man for a moment.

He was younger than Yoo-seong. His narrow eyes were glaring at Yoo-seong.

“Being taught doesn’t deprive you of your freedom. However, it restricts the skills you learn and use. You are not allowed to learn other teachings.”

Chu Seo-jin held up two fingers.

“The spider walk shown in the broadcast and the technique that you showed at the venue will be prohibited unless the master permits you. Also-”

It was Yoo-seong’s turn to cut the older man off.

“I think I can guess the next condition,” he said. “Maybe, cut off the relationship with the person who taught me that skill. It has to be something like that.”

“You guessed right,” Seo-Jin said with a smile.

“Thank you for your consideration. But no. I can’t join you,” was the unexpected reply.

Everything about the offer was appealing- China, serving under the most influential man, being in the heart of the world market.

However, they were asking him to cut off his relationship with Sung-wook.

Yoo-seong couldn’t do it.

“You said this is confidential, so I will pretend as though I never heard of it. Thank you,” Yoo-seong said with finality.

“Why would you say that? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You will regret your refusal,” Seo-jin said. He had become a little angry. “Of course, the fact that you cherish the relationships you made in the past deserves praise, but… think carefully.”

“You don’t have to press further. I won’t change my mind,” Yoo-seong said.

Chu-yeop said something in Chinese before Seo-Jin could say another word.

A conversation ensued between Seo-jin and him in Chinese.

“May I interpret this child’s words?” Seo-jin said suddenly in Korean.

“You may.”

“He thinks you are a fool. You don’t even know how lucky you are to have been offered this.”

Yoo-seong remained silent.

While watching Yoo-seong, Chu Seo-jin continued to interpret the younger man’s insults.

“He’s not a polite kid, is he?” Yoo-seong asked, raising a brow.

“Unfortunately, no. However, he is only this way because he wishes you will join us,” Seo-jin said with humor in his voice.

“Thank you, but that’s not a very good way to invite someone,” Yoo-seong said as he stood up to leave.

Chu-Yeop didn’t stop talking even as Yoo-seong began to walk away. Before he went far enough, the kid said something Seo-Jin found funny enough to interpret.

“Even with a technique that couldn’t even last till the end of a battle, we thought that something could be done about your pathetic hunting. But, alas, you’re a hopeless case.”

That struck Yoo-seong. He turned and replied.

“If I received ten years of teaching from the man who taught you both, I doubt things would turn out any differently.”

Seo-jin seemed pleased to have Yoo-seong’s attention again, though he was surprised that Yoo-seong had become angry at that.

“Sorry. But honestly, my thoughts haven’t changed either. If you experienced our technique once, you would change your mind right away.”

Chu-yeop and Chu Seo-jin didn’t realize how much they had done.

Yoo-seong’s self-control had reached its limit. How many years had it been since someone’s words had made him react?

“Good. I’d like to see it then,” he said as he strode towards them.

Yoo-seong approached them like a jaguar stalking its prey.

He made eye contact with Chu-yeop.

“Show it to me, right now.”