Chapter 160
The atmosphere in the press conference room turned cold in an instant.
People didn’t understand what Park Cheol-oh had just said.
Everyone was silent, when the reporter who had asked the question stuttered.
-W-what did you just say…?
[We said that the Collector Association will impose severe punishment for the atrocious act that the Twilight Veil committed.]
-T-that is…
The screen showed the reporter who had asked the question earlier.
His face was pale, and he was sweating.
He could tell by intuition how the situation was unfolding.
‘D-did they do something inside?’
There was no way he could know what the Twilight Veil had secretly done.
He had just taken money.
He was told to ask a sharp question during the conference to embarrass them, and to make public opinion negative towards the Association.
The pay was good, and it wasn’t a difficult job, so he agreed.
‘I’m screwed. I didn’t just take money, I took the most dangerous kind of money.’
He couldn’t accept Park Cheol-oh’s words, but he had already asked the question.
The reporter racked his brain as much as he could.
It was too stupid to say ‘Oh, I see’ and move on now.
He had to somehow win this far-fetched argument.
He had taken money, but it was also related to his image.
-Are you sure about that? About what happened inside…
[Anyone would think so. But we only tell the truth. In this world of thoughts, the Twilight Veil clan did not send an exploration team, but spies. They hoped that this world of thoughts would fail, and if they tried to succeed, they would ruin it.]
-T-that’s!
-What? Is that true?
The quiet space was stained with shock.
Emotions spread like a plague from person to person.
Yu-hyun, who was watching the scene, couldn’t help but feel happy.
‘They tried to mess with us from their side, but we blocked them by hitting them first. They worked hard. Anyway, there is no evidence for either side, so whoever speaks first has an advantage.’
The Association stamped a strong mark on the Twilight Veil, who tried to subtly protest and undermine them.
It wasn’t only valid for the Twilight Veil.
The mark was also a warning from the Association to other clans that had victims.
‘If they dare to ask why our collectors died here, they might be treated like the Twilight Veil.’
They said that the Twilight Veil’s criminal act, not that they suspected it, but that they were sure of it.
How would the clans feel when they heard that the people who had been criticizing them together were actually murderers?
They must have known and tolerated each other’s bad deeds until now, but in this situation where they crossed the line, they had no choice but to shut their mouths.
‘They’ll try to be careful. We don’t know them. We have nothing to do with them. They’ll deny it like this.’
The Twilight Veil had fed money to the reporter and suggested that they protest together with other clans.
But with this incident, other clans would turn their backs on them.
Yu-hyun was sure of it.
-H-how can you be sure of that?
The reporter’s voice trembled.
He desperately tried to hold on to his reason and somehow tear apart Park Cheol-oh’s words.
[Of course, we can’t be sure of what happened inside. The devices don’t work inside the world of thoughts, so it’s hard to leave evidence.]
-T-then…𝔫𝙤𝑣ℯ𝙡𝗯Ꭵ𝙣.𝖓𝚎𝚝
[But we have evidence that can capture the circumstances. It’s the list of three people sent by the Twilight Veil clan. They were mid-level collectors, but when we investigated their past actions, they were strangely clean. We couldn’t tell what they did, how they did it, or how they rose to mid-level. And all three of them. Isn’t that strange?]
The assassins sent by the Twilight Veil to ruin the exploration inside the world of thoughts.
Their opaque past was physical evidence that supported the Association’s statement in this situation.
-H-how does that relate to causing an incident inside…
[How does it not relate? Then I’d like to ask you, reporter. How do you think they sent three people with unclear pasts from one clan so perfectly?]
In a flash, he countered like a courtroom debate.
The reporter closed his mouth. His eyes shook without hesitation.
-T-that…that is…
[We’ll say it clearly here. The Twilight Veil deliberately planted spies to ruin the third exploration, and because of that, the number of survivors who could have lived decreased. I’m saying this on my position.]
“Hahaha!”
Yu-hyun couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
He wondered why Choi Jung-mo told him to look forward to it, but it was because of this.
More than anything, that clever rhetoric that provoked the other side and shifted the blame was one of the scripts that Yu-hyun had suggested to Park Cheol-oh in advance.
When the assassins sent by the Twilight Veil failed to ruin the exploration and were all eliminated.
Yu-hyun had separately advised Park Cheol-oh.
‘If we survive and get out of here, I have a way to get back at them.’
‘What is it?’
I did listen to what Park Cheol-oh said back then, but I didn’t expect him to act on it the very next day.
‘Heh. I’ll have to pay him back properly later.’
Yu-hyun was satisfied with his own scheme.
Especially, he had completely turned the Twilight Curtain into public enemy number one.
-What? You mean, because of those three, there were more casualties?
-Then, are you saying that there were more people who could have survived?
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The sharp eyes of the people gathered at the press conference were directed at the reporter who had received money from the Twilight Curtain.
Yu-hyun had skillfully twisted the truth.
In fact, the three assassins had failed their mission.
They died without even trying anything.
They didn’t kill anyone.
Everything was just an attempt.
But, so what?
‘The important thing is, they were very bad guys.’
So he taught him how to distort the truth cleverly. Because of those three, there were more victims.
There could have been more survivors.
Like this.
‘Well, it’s not a lie, right? If those three had helped Moby Dick when they fought, maybe one more person could have survived.’
It was nothing more than a ‘what if’ scenario, but it looked completely different to the other people who didn’t know the truth.
The Twilight Curtain had planted a spy inside and tried to ruin the exploration.
The clans that had been hostile to the association’s lax attitude until now also turned against the Twilight Curtain from this moment on.
“Is this your doing?”
Kwon Jia realized right away that this method was familiar somewhere and asked Yu-hyun.
“Who knows? I don’t know.”
“Hmph. I wondered what you were going to say when you stayed behind, but this was it? You did something interesting.”
“I’m the type who can’t live without getting back at someone.”
“Hmm? What’s going on?”
Kang Hye-rim, who had been lying on Yu-hyun’s thigh, opened her eyes.
She lifted her head and saw Yu-hyun close by and jumped up from her seat.
“Uh, umm?”
She realized that she had been sleeping with her head on Yu-hyun’s thigh until a moment ago.
Kang Hye-rim’s fair skin turned red.
“N-no, I, that, that is…”
“Hye-rim. You were tired, so don’t be embarrassed.”
“…Yes.”
Kang Hye-rim woke up completely.
She still cooled her hot face with her hand and glanced at Yu-hyun.
‘I, I put my head on Yu-hyun’s thigh…’
She swallowed her saliva unconsciously. She scolded herself for doing something so manly. But she couldn’t help feeling regretful and kept looking at Yu-hyun.
Yu-hyun ignored Kang Hye-rim’s one-man show and focused on the press conference.
‘It’s over. It’s a complete checkmate.’
It was a big deal that the association used the press conference to make that statement.
Above all, there was already a difference in image.
The Twilight Curtain had always been a controversial place in the industry, and they actually secretly monopolized the world of events and tarnished their image to the public.
Park Cheol-oh had done a disservice to his clan.
It was a perfect example of shooting oneself in the foot.
-Uh, uh…
The reporter couldn’t say anything anymore and slumped down in his seat.
He looked pitiful as he gave up everything, but there was no sympathy for him.
He was someone who wrote articles or spread false information to slander someone for money.
He had to pay for his actions.
And he had to be an example for other reporters.
Those who try to harm someone with a pen must pay more than that.
Yu-hyun glanced at his tablet.
The criticism of one clan that happened at the press conference was already spreading quickly by word of mouth.
Most of them believed the association’s words and wrote articles condemning the Twilight Curtain.
The giant that had taken root in the country and secured its position
was slowly being eaten away and collapsing.
***
Before long, the press conference ended.
“Oh, Jia. You have a new nickname.”
Yu-hyun marveled at Kwon Jia’s nickname that was already spreading by rumor.
“Nickname? What is it?”
“They call you Mad Wolf. I guess your appearance when you fought Moby Dick left quite an impression.”
Yu-hyun thought that Mad Wolf suited Kwon Jia quite well.
She bit her teeth even as she bled, pushed her mouth into the beast’s mouth and tore Moby Dick apart without stopping.
Her appearance felt like a crazy wolf indeed.
“Both of you have increased your rank and made our White Flower Management more valuable. Well, unfortunately, people’s attention seems to be focused on the Twilight Curtain clan, though.”
It couldn’t be helped, because what the Twilight Curtain did was too big of an event.
Conversely, what Yu-hyun and his team did was somewhat overshadowed, but they still saw the effects.
“Now Jia is also a respectable mid-level collector recognized by the state. Until now, there were some who said you were half-baked or something. But from now on, no one will disagree with you.”
“Hmph. It was only a natural outcome.”
Kwon Jia snorted, but if you looked closely at her, you could see that her ears were slightly red.
“Yu-hyun, what about me?”
“Hyelim, don’t you already have the nickname of Black Sword?”
“Ah.”
“It’s not the nickname that matters. You both got a huge boost in stats and a new skill as a reward for clearing this world of thoughts, right?”
The two nodded. They had already felt that they had become much stronger.
A fusion-type world of thoughts where three stories were mixed.
The difficulty was hellish, but the reward for clearing it was also lavish beyond anything they had ever experienced.
Yu-hyun nodded with satisfaction.
“Now that everyone is on the right track, I guess I should start working on the next thing.”
“The next thing?”
“What is it?”
Baek Seoryeon, who had been listening quietly, also asked curiously.
“What are you up to now?”
“It’s nothing. I just have to find the third one.”
***
“Mister. You did a great job.”
“Oh, is that you, Seonga?”
Park Cheol-oh, who had finished the press conference, returned to the waiting room and let out a breath he had barely held. He wiped off the sweat that was belatedly flowing and sat down.
Yu Seonga, who had come early and waited for him, laughed and giggled.
“Wow, mister. You spoke so well. I didn’t know you had such a way with words. I found out for the first time today.”
“I just did what I had to do.”
“By the way, who told you that? Huh?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The words you said at the press conference. That’s not your style, and it wasn’t something that our association would have told you. Right?”
Park Cheol-oh nodded as if he couldn’t fool her.
“I got some help. He suggested that this might be effective.”
“Help? Who from?”
“Kang Yu-hyun.”
“Huh?”
Yu Seonga widened her eyes.
“Kang Yu-hyun, the teller? He told you that? He said it would be effective?”
“Huh. That guy?”
Yu Seonga closed her mouth as she recalled Kang Yu-hyun’s appearance.
She felt somewhat convinced when she thought that Yu-hyun was involved in this.
“Hey, mister. You saw him in person and acted with him. How was he?”
“He was amazing.”
Park Cheol-oh answered without hesitation.
“At first, I didn’t think much of him because he was a teller. Even if he was a fighting teller, I thought he would be carried by collectors. But when I saw his actions inside, I realized I was wrong. He’s not just a simple teller. He’s different from other tellers.”
Park Cheol-oh still couldn’t forget the sight of Yu-hyun fighting Moby Dick with his life on the line.
At the moment when everyone gave up, he never lost his will until the end.
He ignited a hot flame in his heart that was now coldly cooling down.
If it weren’t for Yu-hyun, he wouldn’t be able to have this smooth conversation here either.
“It’s the first time I hear you praise someone so openly.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ve always been like that. Even when I first came in as a newbie and taught me, you never said a word of praise. You’ve changed a lot, changed a lot. Is it because you’re old?”
“That might be true.”
“It’s interesting. You’re saying that much about him.”
Yu Seonga thought of Kang Yu-hyun. The man who saw through her [trait] and honestly complimented her for being pretty.
Hug.
As she recalled what happened then, Yu Seonga unknowingly blushed.
She remembered that she was bare-faced then.
