Chapter 67: Family Honor (2)
As Hyun Suho twisted the arm he was holding, Baek Sang-hyun toppled over onto the dining table, which was laden with food.
Crash!
“Argh!”
A loud noise echoed as the large man fell onto the table.
Naturally, everyone’s eyes in the vicinity turned towards the commotion.
This wasn’t just any place; it was a party hosted by the Jinryong Group.
No one with any sense would dare to engage in a physical altercation here.
However, Hyun Suho calmly said, “It seems he’s a bit anemic.”
It was an obviously absurd statement, but given that the incident involved the heirs, no one dared to intervene.
Everyone here was well aware of the fierce competition among the successors.
So, no one even thought of stepping in.
As the crowd’s attention focused on them, Jin Sa-geol also kept his mouth shut.
In a situation like this, causing a scene with Jin Seo-yeon would only ruin the reputation he had built up over the years.
Even though seeing Jin Seo-yeon after so long had caused him to lose his composure, he hadn’t completely lost his mind.
“You’re... that guy from before.”
Only then did Jin Sa-geol recognize Hyun Suho.
Wearing a black suit and sunglasses, his appearance was completely different from before, which is why it took Jin Sa-geol a while to recognize him.
His mind had been too preoccupied with Jin Seo-yeon.
“Light Bringer...”
Jin Sa-geol recalled the humiliation from that day.
The hunter who had easily blocked his control skill.
But Hyun Suho felt wronged.
At the time, all he did was just stand still.
Jin Sa-geol’s face twisted in anger but soon returned to his usual relaxed expression.
“I didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“I heard there was a good party, so I came to take a look. I also brought someone along.”
Hyun Suho took Jin Seo-yeon’s hand and moved her behind him, as if shielding her from something unsightly.
Jin Sa-geol’s eyebrows twitched when he saw them holding hands.
However, he judged that it would be unwise to linger any longer.
“I see... Then, please take good care of our Seo-yeon from now on.”
Instead of replying, Hyun Suho smirked provocatively and moved away with Jin Seo-yeon.
Despite the commotion, they acted as if nothing had happened, and soon enough, the guests returned to their business.
After all, this place was important to them as well.
As they walked through the crowd without a care, Jin Seo-yeon softly asked, “Why did you do that?”
Although she was relieved to have avoided a difficult situation, Jin Seo-yeon could have handled it herself.
No matter how agitated Jin Sa-geol was, there was no way he could have done anything to her in such a crowded place.
If Jin Seo-yeon had dealt with it herself, it would have ended as a minor incident, but Hyun Suho’s interference had only complicated things further.
It was clear that Jin Sa-geol wouldn’t let this slide after being humiliated in front of Jin Seo-yeon.
However, Hyun Suho remained nonchalant.
“Just wait and see. Something interesting is about to happen.”
His words were cryptic.
Although Jin Seo-yeon was puzzled by his words, she didn’t show it.
This place was a battlefield without gunfire.
The first to panic or show weakness would surely suffer in this fight.
Jin Seo-yeon knew that Hyun Suho wasn’t the type to act without thinking.
So, she remained silent.
If anyone else had caused such a scene at an important banquet like this, it wouldn’t have been brushed off so easily.
The table where Jin Seo-yeon and Hyun Suho arrived was filled with members of Jin Seo-yeon’s guild.
At the banquet, each candidate had their own table prepared.
While the tables were of equal size, Jin Seo-yeon’s was placed in a corner, reflecting her current standing.
However, she didn’t mind.
It was true that compared to other factions, Jin Seo-yeon’s was still weak. Complaining wouldn’t help; taking action was more her style.
'The next banquet will be different.'
With that thought, Jin Seo-yeon walked even more confidently.
“The lady has arrived!”
Whether they knew what she was thinking or not, the guild members welcomed Jin Seo-yeon and widened their eyes at the sight of her in a dress.
Hyun Suho glanced to the side, where a woman dressed as flamboyantly as a peacock caught his eye.
Though she was beautiful, what drew his attention wasn’t just her looks.
'Is she, gumiho?'
Gumiho, Gu Miso.
Rank 550.
The wife of Jin Min-seong, the second heir, and the one who had previously sent an assassin after Jin Seo-yeon.
She had committed such a deed and yet shamelessly attended this event.
Hyun Suho smiled bitterly.
'The world of chaebols is a scary place.'
As he was spending time there, he heard some commotion from one side.
//Wondering if something else had happened, he looked over to see that it was because Jin Seon-gil, the chairman of Jinryong Group, had arrived at the banquet.
“It’s the chairman!”
With the appearance of Chairman Jin Seon-gil, a tense atmosphere filled the room.
Chairman Jin Seon-gil still held all the power.
On the surface, it seemed as though he had delegated a significant portion of his authority to his successors, but in reality, he hadn’t fully handed over anything.
He retained the power to take back control at any moment.
He would only relinquish his authority to the winner once the succession battle was completely over.
The lively atmosphere of the banquet came to a halt with the arrival of Chairman Jin Seon-gil, but in truth, the real banquet was just beginning.
The previously mingling guests naturally grouped themselves according to their factions without anyone saying a word.
Unsurprisingly, the successors’ factions were the ones closest to the chairman.
They lined up by age, and with the exception of Jin Homin, who had no faction, Jin Seo-yeon’s group was positioned at the far end.
Seeing this, Jin Seon-gil spoke with a heavy tone.
“You all look well.”
As the full-scale succession battle began, each of the successors had been busy moving around.
The chairman, who had been sitting back, hadn’t missed any of the information.
There had been both brilliant achievements and disappointments.
While the official purpose of today’s banquet was to foster harmony within the group, the real intent was to announce the mid-term evaluation of the successors.
Depending on Chairman Jin Seon-gil’s decision, the hierarchy of the successors could change starting tomorrow.
For Jin Seo-yeon, who held relatively little power, this could be an opportunity.
Despite her small scale, she had successfully completed a series of quests.
And of course...
Jin Seo-yeon glanced at Jin Sa-geol and clenched her teeth.
He was a terrible person, but his abilities were undeniably the best among the successors.
He had already made numerous achievements and his faction was almost on par with the first and second heirs.
For Jin Seo-yeon, who believed that even if she didn’t become the successor, Jin Sa-geol should never take the position, this was certainly not good news.
However, no matter how she looked at it, she was the only one who could stop Jin Sa-geol’s solo rise.
'The first is arrogant, the second is a fool...'
On the other hand, Jin Sa-geol was like a greedy monster who was never satisfied.
He had both the ambition and the power and wisdom to achieve it.
Jin Sa-geol’s talent was so exceptional it could be called demonic.
If he were normal, Jin Seo-yeon wouldn’t have joined this succession race.
Chairman Jin Seon-gil made the customary greetings and praised the executives who had shown outstanding performance this year, while those who hadn’t met expectations were reprimanded.
The assembled guests experienced mixed emotions, and rewards and punishments were handed out accordingly. However, unless someone had made a major mistake, they were still given the chance to prove themselves next time.
Finally, it was the successors’ turn.
The successors, who were already CEOs of Jinryong’s subsidiaries, were deeply involved in the management of the company.
Jin Seo-yeon, like a student awaiting exam results, nervously awaited Chairman Jin Seon-gil’s next words.
The first person called was the second heir. Chairman Jin Seon-gil evaluated him with a single word.
“Pathetic!”
He was in charge of Jinryong Construction, but the once solid company was now faltering.
Being lazy and always avoiding even the slightest risk naturally led to poor performance.
Even Gumiho, who was a ranker, seemed to have no talent for management.
However, his pride was strong, and his face reddened at the criticism.
Next was the first heir. Once again, the evaluation was harsh.
“Fool!”
The first heir was in charge of finance, and unlike the second who acted timidly, he had put too much faith in his own calculations, leading to several disastrous investments.
Despite everyone’s warnings, his previous successes had made him overconfident, and this time, it resulted in significant losses.
Now, only Jin Sa-geol and Jin Seo-yeon remained.
Jin Seo-yeon felt relieved.
'At least that's a relief.'
The later you were called, the better your performance had been. Although Jin Seo-yeon had worked hard this year, she knew she still couldn’t match Jin Sa-geol.
Naturally, she thought her turn would be next, but then someone suddenly approached and whispered something into Chairman Jin Seon-gil’s ear.
Of all times, to whisper now—something felt off, but she kept silent and waited.
Chairman Jin Seon-gil, who had received the whispered message, showed an intrigued expression, nodded, sent the person away, and then resumed speaking.
“Sa-geol and Seo-yeon, you two are the best among them.”
At that moment, Jin Seo-yeon almost screamed with joy.
It was the moment she was officially recognized in front of the people of the group, and she was even being compared on equal footing with her greatest enemy, Jin Sa-geol.
But her face quickly stiffened at Chairman Jin Seon-gil’s next words.
“But we still need to determine who is superior.”
'What?'
It was a puzzling statement. While ranking them was understandable, there was nothing that could be done about it right now.
However, Chairman Jin Seon-gil said something completely unexpected.
"Sa-geol has achieved better results, but Seo-yeon has handled things exceptionally well, considering she joined the race late. When the results are similar, we must consider future potential."
Everyone was confused by Chairman Jin Seon-gil's words, except for Jin Sa-geol, who was wearing a sly smile.
Seeing this, Jin Seo-yeon sensed that something was wrong, and sure enough, Chairman Jin Seon-gil said something that no one had anticipated.
"I hear both of you have recruited excellent talents. While individual ability is important, the ability to gather outstanding talent is also a crucial quality for the next chairman. Therefore, each faction will choose their best member to compete, and the final ranking will be determined based on the outcome."
"What?!"
As soon as Chairman Jin Seon-gil finished speaking, the banquet hall erupted into chaos, and Jin Seo-yeon looked at Jin Sa-geol with an expression of disbelief.
“What kind of trick...?”
Chairman Jin Seon-gil wouldn’t handle things this way. Clearly, Jin Sa-geol had pulled some strings.
'But how?'
No matter how crafty Jin Sa-geol was, he couldn’t manipulate Chairman Jin Seon-gil at will. There must have been some kind of deal or something that piqued the chairman’s interest.
As Jin Seo-yeon thought it over, she started to suspect that the unexpectedly high evaluation she received during the ranking assessment might have been part of Jin Sa-geol’s scheme.
Even she knew that the first place should rightfully go to Jin Sa-geol.
At first, she was pleased to be evaluated on equal footing, but now it seemed that this was merely a card played by Jin Sa-geol to strike a deal.
Chairman Jin Seon-gil, fully aware of the situation, accepted Jin Sa-geol’s proposal.
The chairman knew well of Jin Sa-geol’s greed.
But Jin Seon-gil saw even this twisted ambition as a path to power and wanted to fan the flames.
Similarly, he wanted to give Jin Seo-yeon, the underdog, a chance to turn the tables.
However, Jin Seo-yeon was desperately trying to figure out the real intention behind this.
'The target?'
The strongest hunter in each faction.
Normally, it would have been Hong Chang-shik who stepped up.
But this time, he was absent due to an important matter.
As she scanned the room, Jin Seo-yeon’s gaze stopped at Hyun Suho, who was standing behind her.
And then she realized Jin Sa-geol’s true objective.
'That wretched bastard!'
Hyun Suho had readily agreed to accompany her, which allowed Hong Chang-shik to be absent.
If not for him, Hong Chang-shik would have been here no matter what.
Jin Sa-geol, unable to forget the earlier humiliation, had schemed to drag Hyun Suho into the arena.
Knowing Jin Sa-geol’s nature, he wasn’t just aiming to humiliate him. It was undoubtedly something bigger—he was after Hyun Suho’s life.
'I can’t let that happen!'
Jin Seo-yeon was racking her brain for a way out of this situation, but Hyun Suho casually greeted her and stepped forward as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“It’s my turn now.”
“W-wait a minute! This is a trap!”
Jin Seo-yeon tried to stop him, but Hyun Suho calmly replied.
“You know as well as I do, Seo-yeon. If he’s targeting me, he’ll find a way, now or later.”
Jin Seo-yeon hesitated at his words.
Hyun Suho wasn’t wrong. When it came to his goals, Jin Sa-geol was relentless.
But even so, it didn’t have to be now.
No matter who Jin Sa-geol chose, he would certainly send an extraordinary hunter to take Hyun Suho’s life.
Jin Seo-yeon wanted to prevent the immediate tragedy, but Hyun Suho remained resolute.
“Don’t worry. Besides, this is an opportunity. Winning here could bring us many benefits.”
Normally, Jin Sa-geol wouldn’t resort to such a gamble.
Right now, he had a much more advantageous position compared to the other successors.
There was no need to introduce any variables when he was in such a favorable position, but the humiliation he suffered in front of Jin Seo-yeon had clouded his judgment.
Conversely, this meant that Jin Sa-geol had exposed a weakness. A victory here could turn the situation around.
Chairman Jin Seon-gil knew this, which is why he accepted Jin Sa-geol’s proposal.
So, this was actually a favorable situation for Jin Seo-yeon.
The odds were in Jin Sa-geol’s favor, but if he lost, it would be satisfying to show him the bitter taste of failure in the midst of his winning streak.
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Hyun Suho slowly stretched as he moved forward.
'This is as far as the future I foresaw.'
[From here on, it’s crucial, Master.]
