"Then, see you tomorrow."
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"Yes, thank you for the ride. Have a good night."
By the time they were returning to Seoul, it was already near the end of the workday.
After dropping Su-ho off at his house, Jeong Cheol-min returned to the Association alone.
Su-ho could have gone home right away, but since he was responsible for handling various follow-up tasks as his supervisor, he needed to stay a little longer.
Su-ho understood this, so he didn’t ask any further and just watched as Jeong Cheol-min’s car drove away.
‘Then, I guess I should start making some moves myself.’
He had already given orders to Jo Jin-hwi, but there were still many others he needed to contact.
The most important of these were Park Gyu-min and Pi Seong-yeol.
Even though his relationship with Jeong Cheol-min had become stronger, it still felt a little off to make a call right in front of him.
Su-ho called Pi Seong-yeol first.
"Oh, junior. What's up?""Senior, I needed to report something."
"What is it?""During the Gate Management Department’s field evaluation today..."
Su-ho gave a brief report to Pi Seong-yeol.
He explained that he had conquered a sealed gate and why it had happened.
After hearing the explanation, Pi Seong-yeol chuckled lightly.
"That's impressive. This makes it the third sealed gate, right?""Yes, that's right."
"You’re really something. Good work. Are you injured?""No, I’m fine. I treated all the wounds myself."
"Haha, it’s nice when the inspector can also heal. Alright, understood."Su-ho didn’t receive much of a response about the sealed gate conquest, just a few words of acknowledgment.
It made sense, though. To Pi Seong-yeol, the cleared sealed gates weren’t a big deal.
Su-ho knew this very well, but since he was now required to report everything, no matter how small, he reported it anyway.
Just in case something came up later and they tried to make a big deal out of it.
‘There’s a high chance that someone will hold a grudge for being the last one to know something that everyone else already knows.’
That was the kind of person Pi Seong-yeol was.
Next, Su-ho called Park Gyu-min.
"Oh, Hunter An. What’s going on?""I have something to tell you."
Su-ho repeated the same details to Park Gyu-min that he had shared with Pi Seong-yeol.
"You cleared the sealed gate?!""Yes, it should have been reported to the military by now, and I think the dismantling of the square will begin in a few days."
"What the... So, is there anything else I should know?""Yes, there is. Up until now, I’ve just been reporting, but now I have something important to say."
The mention of "something important" made Park Gyu-min start to tense up.
Su-ho continued.
"First, Senior, are you aware that there’s been talk within the company that I’m considered 'royal'? And that after my training period ends, I’ll likely start at the Deputy Team Leader level, probably in the Special Forces?"
"Well, it would be odd if I didn’t know about that. Why?""I’m asking if you’re okay with me going to the Special Forces."
"...What do you mean?""It seems that we need to start keeping an eye on Pi Seong-yeol’s influence. He’s been openly saying that he’s bringing me to the Special Forces, but no one dares to say anything because they’re all trying to please him, right?"
"That’s true, but how exactly are you planning to check Pi Seong-yeol’s power?""I’m thinking of stirring up some media coverage about the existence of 'royals' within the Association and rumors surrounding the Special Forces. The term 'royal' implies favoritism, and if it gets into the public’s ears, people will naturally think that the Special Forces are involved in corrupt appointments."
After hearing Su-ho’s words, Park Gyu-min thought for a moment before responding.
"I see. Even if it’s normal for top performers to get good positions, using the 'royal' label will definitely turn it negative. But do you think Pi Seong-yeol will even care about public opinion? He probably won’t acknowledge it."Pi Seong-yeol was indeed the type who would ignore any media backlash.
He had a strong sense of superiority and often looked down on others.
Su-ho nodded.
"He won’t care, but the Association Chairman will."
"Ah!"Park Gyu-min’s voice revealed a hint of realization.
He wasn’t completely naive.
As soon as Su-ho mentioned the Association Chairman, he understood the plan immediately.
"So, you want me to fan the flames and get the Chairman’s attention to make sure Pi Seong-yeol’s influence gets checked?""Pretty much. But I need you to ask for a placement in the Gate Department. If you try to get me placed in the management or awakening departments under your line, Pi Seong-yeol will suspect you, and that could cause trouble. You haven’t wrapped up your own personal matters yet, right?"
"Hmmm, true... but Gate Department is Pi Seong-yeol’s line. If I put you there and the public opinion dies down, I’ll call you back to the Special Forces. Wouldn’t it just undo the whole point of this?""It’s fine. The media buzz around 'royalty' will lay the groundwork for checking Pi Seong-yeol’s power. The Gate Department placement is something I specifically requested. There’s something I need to do there."
"Something you need to do?""Yes. But don’t just place me in the Gate Department for that. Going there first will give me the chance to help you later. In the meantime, you need to keep aligning yourself with the Chairman."
"The Chairman?""Yes. The Association has two factions—the Chairman’s faction and Pi Seong-yeol’s faction. The Chairman isn’t going to be interested, though."
"That’s true.""But once the royal controversy starts, the Chairman won’t be able to ignore it. If unnecessary noise arises now, it’ll be troublesome for him, especially when he’s trying to rise to an even higher position."
Park Gyu-min fell silent for a moment, considering the logic. He had never really thought about aligning himself with the Chairman before, but now the possibility was clear to him.
"So?""From the moment the royal controversy starts, you should act like a loyal advisor to the Chairman. If you play this right, he’ll come to see you as an asset. And when the time comes, the Chairman will naturally support your ascension."
"Heh... I get it.""Exactly. But to truly gain power, you need to be someone who helps the Chairman. Keep pushing those issues that will help him, and he’ll eventually back you up. Don’t worry, I’ll prepare those issues for you."
Su-ho didn’t believe that Park Gyu-min could overcome Pi Seong-yeol’s influence, even with all his efforts.
‘The difference in natural ability is too vast. No matter how much he tries, he’ll only be breaking the smaller pieces.’
That’s why Su-ho was considering using the Chairman.
But Su-ho wasn’t just planning to use the Chairman to promote Park Gyu-min.
He continued.
"Do you know the easiest way to gain popularity and power in the world?"
"What?""It’s by attaching yourself to a star. Get close to a popular star and do things that their fans would appreciate. Then the fans will naturally start liking you too."
"Are you talking about yourself as the star?""Yes. Think of it like politicians campaigning before elections. In the end, it’s all about who has the popularity."
Whether through appointments or elections, popularity heavily influenced the outcome.
The Chairman wouldn’t be unaware of this, so if Park Gyu-min aligned himself with the Chairman, Su-ho knew that he would get the Chairman’s backing.
‘Then, my power and Park Gyu-min’s power will grow. After that, I’ll start to slowly remodel the internal structure of the Association.’
Su-ho was relying on Park Gyu-min to be a key part of this plan.
Even though Su-ho had advanced quickly, as a young man in his early twenties, he still had a long way to go to reach the top.
The same applied to Jeong Cheol-min.
So for now, the best way to achieve quick results was to utilize the existing infrastructure.
‘Even if I discard them later, I’ll use them efficiently for now.’
Park Gyu-min nodded fervently.
"I understand. But what kind of issues are you preparing? If you tell me early, I can start making moves.""I’ll tell you when the time comes. For now, focus on preparing for the royal controversy. I’ll be in touch."
With that, Su-ho ended the call.
Even though Park Gyu-min had asked to know more details, Su-ho didn’t share them.
The reason was simple.
He didn’t trust Park Gyu-min’s judgment fully.
‘I can’t even trust him with one task, so there’s no reason to tell him everything in advance.’
Mistakes, especially verbal ones, could explode at any moment.
After ending the call, Su-ho finally started heading home.
