Chapter 36 - America's Offer (2)
TL: Boko
Editor: Frost
At daybreak, Hyun Sung received an urgent call, and departed to the Hunter Bureau headquarters building. Because it was too early to go to work, there were barely any cars on the road.
"I need to go to work at this hour…"
Hyun Sung griped as he took the elevator, but it was no use. If the Bureau had urgent business he needed to take care of, he would have to be on standby for twenty four hours. He had gone to work this early a few times before, but he couldn't get used to it easily.
"I'm tired. So tired."
He complained, and when he raised his head, he had already arrived on the floor with the Investigation Chief's office.
He sighed briefly and began walking towards the Investigation Chief's office.
Knock. Knock.
He knocked, and carefully entered the office. Byung Seo, Hunter Bureau's Investigation Chief, and was standing at the window, speaking to someone on the phone.
"I understand. We'll do what we can."
It seemed as though he felt Hyun Sung's presence, as he hastily cut off his conversation and turned his attention to Hyun Sung.
"You're here?"
"You said it was urgent, so I came quickly."
"Well, sit down," Byung Seo said, suggesting that he sit. Hyun Sung nodded his head, sitting on the sofa, and Byung Seo sat in front of him.
"What exactly is the matter?" Hyun Sung carefully asked. Byung Seo opened his mouth with a stiffened expression.
"Some agents from America's Central Hunter Bureau have entered Korea."
"From the Central Hunter Bureau? Then, are they Delta agents?"
"Our National Intelligence Service hasn't found out exactly, but the only ones who would secretly come overseas are either Gamma or Delta. Though it's ultimately just a guess."
"They wouldn't have come to assassinate an allied nation's Hunter, would they?" Hyun Sung said. Byung Seo nodded his head and opened his mouth.
"They probably didn't come for that. It's probably like what happened with Hunter Park Kyung Seok; it's likely that they're trying to get one of our S-rank Hunters to defect to America."
"If that's the case, then it's highly likely that their target is Mr. Kang Sung Joon."
"Yeah. Since he's gotten famous worldwide after killing the Winter Sovereign all on his own."
"If Mr. Kang Sung Joon hadn't killed the Winter Sovereign quickly, the damage would've been considerable. North Korea is currently undergoing a Raid much like ours with the Winter Sovereign, and I've heard that there's chaos since they haven't been able to deal with it swiftly."
The Winter Sovereign raid hadn't just occurred in South Korea. Ironically, a Raid occurred in North Korea on the same day.
Though they occurred on the same day, Sung Joon was able to quickly take down the Winter Sovereign, so the damage was minimal; comparatively, North Korea couldn't defeat it, so the Winter Sovereign had moved southwards, from the North Hamgyong Province all the way down to the South Hamgyong Province[1].
"The Raids were similar in scale, so it seems like they were compared."
"They only sent two S-rank Hunters, right? It would've been tough even if they sent all six S-ranks they had," Byung Seo said, shaking his head. Seeing that, Hyung Sung smiled and opened his mouth.
"You're well aware that out of the six S-rank Hunters North Korea has, four of them must always stay in Pyongyang, right? That foolish and cowardly dictator created this situation."
Though there was a stipulation in the international treaty stating that countries couldn't recruit Hunters into their armies, North Korea was clearly violating that.
All the Hunters in North Korea were part of the army and obeyed the orders of their dictator. Therefore, the world was afraid of North Korea.
Using Hunters as part of an army was outside common sense, but it was possible in North Korea.
"If Delta was mobilized, they're most certainly aiming for Mr. Kang Sung Joon. Would it not work if we sent a written complaint to America?" Hyun Sung said.
"Well, we're not sure if that'll work. The problem is that Gamma could've sent their investigation team because of the Winter Sovereign."
"Are you saying that they sent their investigation team through unofficial means?"
"It sounds crazy, but this kind of thing happens from time to time. But I think we shouldn't draw attention to this," Byung Seo said, and Hyun Sung nodded his head.
"For the time being, you should keep in touch with Kang Sung Joon. You can do it, can't you, Team Leader Kim?"
"I'll do my best," Hyun Sung said, his voice overflowing with confidence. Seeing that, Bung Seo opened his mouth with a satisfied expression.
"We won't skimp on the support, so don't lose Kang Sung Joon to America."
* * *
'It was a good decision to participate in the Winter Sovereign Raid,' Sung Joon thought, as he travelled in a car the Bureau had provided back to Seoul. There was a lot he'd gained from participating in the Winter Sovereign Raid.
He had cooperated with an assault team, and felled several monsters, so his synchronization rate rose by as much as 2%; also, his rating rose, causing his rank to become thirteenth.
'I also got famous.'
He had also acquired some fame from defeating the Winter Sovereign all by himself. And above all, he acquired a fortune of more than $300 million.
The more money one had, the better. And Sung Joon whole-heartedly agreed with that statement.
"Hunter? We've arrived."
The car came to stop and the worker holding the steering wheel, slightly looked back at Sung Joon through the rear view mirror and spoke. Sung Joon disembarked from the car, and walked away.
He entered the first floor lobby and walked towards the elevator. As he did so, he saw a foreign woman constantly checking her watch; she was so beautiful that he couldn't take his eyes off her.
She was a foreign woman, possessing golden bobbed hair, and wearing glasses, eliciting the feeling of an intellectual.
'Is she from America? Or the United Kingdom…?'
Her blue eyes beyond the glasses were clear, as if they contained the sea. He briefly stood vacantly and gazed upon her, but he got a hold of himself and began walking towards the elevator again. Then…
The woman with blue eyes, who had been checking her watch, raised her head and looked in Sung Joon's direction, and smiled.
"A Hunter. An rank at that."
Sung Joon had finally felt the clear mana within her and smiled. And he glanced at Rishubalt, who stood before him, and spoke extremely quietly.
"She's definitely an rank Hunter. It's possible that she's a foreign agent as well," Rishubalt said.
"Couldn't it also because she's interested in my looks?"
"I suppose, but it's unlikely."
"That hurts."
While they exchanged sarcastic comments with each other, the woman with blue eyes walked towards Sung Joon, slowly closing the distance.
"Hello, my name is Jennifer. You're Mr. Kang Sung Joon, right?"
Jennifer, the special agent from Delta's team two, spoke Korean, which didn't match her blue eyes, but Sung Joon wasn't surprised.
If she's an agent that was sent to come into contact with him from a foreign country, then they would fundamentally have to be familiar with Korean.
"Who sent you?" Sung Joon said straightforwardly, and Jennifer seemed slightly flustered, but opened her mouth with a calm expression.
"I was sent by Delta, of the Central Hunter Bureau."
Jennifer had revealed the organization she was a part of. Because she realized that he had already somewhat ascertained her intent, she decided she would be better off just telling him the truth.
"If it's the Central Hunter Bureau, then are you talking about America?" Sung Joon asked.
Jennifer nodded her head and replied, "That's correct."
"It seems like I'm in for a lengthy talk."
Sung Joon could somewhat guess what she wanted. Because of Sung Joon's role in singlehandedly defeating the Winter Sovereign, his value had gone up significantly.
And a person from the Central Hunter Bureau came at this time? Their intent was much too obvious.
"Would you like to go up with me?" Sung Joon suggested. It was definitely an offer to defect from Korea. He was interested in what their offer might be and was also curious, but because he didn't like gossip, he wanted to talk in a quiet location.
"Is that alright with you?"
"It doesn't seem like a conversation that we should be having in a cafe."
"Then, excuse me."
Sung Joon went inside his home with Jennifer, and placed two hot cups of coffee on the table.
"I'll say this in advance, but I don't really like long introductions. I'll like you to get straight to the point," Sung Joon said. Jennifer smiled and opened her mouth.
"We'd like for you to defect from South Korea."
"What are your conditions?" Sung Joon asked. When asking to defect from one's native country, they would usually offer to permanently increase one's compensation.
Park Kyung Seok, an S-rank Combat Hunter who had defected to America, had received several benefits, but the typical offer would be a permanent 5% increase in compensation.
'Will they offer about a 10% increase…'
Sung Joon didn't value himself less than Kyung Seok. Therefore, he expected her to offer him a 10% increase.
"We've already prepared several benefits for you, but you're probably most curious about the permanent reward increase, yes? We're willing to offer you a 20% increase in compensation," Jennifer said. Sung Joon's eyes narrowed and he organized his thoughts.
20%.
When thinking about a permanent increase, it definitely wasn't a small amount. Just looking at this value alone told him how much America valued him.
"You're probably already well aware as you've already heard, but Park Kyung Seok's permanent reward increase is 5%, so it's an exceptional offer."
Jennifer took out a small document envelope from her chest. And she took one document from within and placed it atop the table, pushing it towards Sung Joon.
"I'll take a look."
Sung Joon grabbed the document and quickly read it. Just as Jennifer said, the benefits were great. The terms were favorable to a Hunter, befitting of an offer from America.
"You don't need to decide immediately. I'll be in Korea for the time being, so please slowly make your decision."
As soon as she saw Sung Joon pondering, Jennifer smiled softly and spoke.
"The conditions are outstanding. Why are you treating me so specially?"
"Because we see your potential, Mr. Kang Sung Joon," Jennifer replied, and Sung Joon smiled. Compliments would make a person feel happy. And it seemed as though Jennifer knew how to use those compliments properly.
"If I may be forward for a moment and give you some advice, patriotism is a luxury for a Hunter," Jennifer said. To be completely honest, there weren't many Hunters like Na Joon Yeol who were extremely patriotic to their country.
Most of them were interested in money and if there were better conditions elsewhere, they would often change their citizenship.
"My family will be naturalized as well, right?"
Hunters usually used the word 'defecting', but those who didn't used the term 'naturalization'. He didn't know the reason behind it, but that's how it was.
"Of course. You'll know if you take a look at the conditions, but you'll be naturalized, and at the same time, you'll be tax exempt."
"It's not bad."
Sung Joon's eyes were conflicted, and Jennifer had noticed that.
"I heard that your father is unwell. There are a lot of the best doctors in America. If you come to America, we promise that he gets the best treatment available."
As soon as Jennifer finished, Sung Joon immediately put down the document. And he looked at Jennifer and opened his mouth.
"I'll review it optimistically. But it's a bit too much for me to make a decision immediately."
"Then we'll be looking forward to a favorable response."
And Jennifer left Sung Joon's home. Then, he picked up his phone and called a certain someone.
"This is Kim Hyun Sung."
"This is Kang Sung Joon."
It was time to weigh his options.
[1] To put it into perspective, the North Hamgyong Province borders China, and the South Hamgyong Province is pretty much in the middle of North Korea.
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