207 – HGL 207

207

The venue was enveloped in silence.

Ash-gray hair gleaming white in the light, an inscrutable black mask concealing his expression and face. A neatly tailored suit that fit his body perfectly. The sound of his shoes hitting the marble floor was clear. His footsteps were neither too fast nor too slow.

A man who deserved to be the center of attention. A chilling and oppressive aura of unknown origin.

“……”

He was proving it. That he was the strongest.

By his very presence.

Tap, the sound of his shoes stopped. J, standing still, looked around the interior. Han Baek suddenly wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking that he didn’t belong in a place like this?

Surprisingly, his thoughts were half right.

Cha Eui-jae thought.

‘Fucking hell… why is the conference room in this state?’

As if a round table conference hall straight out of some medieval fantasy movie that had some money invested in it wasn’t enough, the sight of prickly Rankers sitting around it was too much. No matter how much Jung-bin and Ham Seok-jeong were there, gathering super hamsters together was bound to cause problems.

‘I want to go home.’

Eui-jae glanced down at the suit that fit him smoothly and sighed. Considering the trouble he went through to get this suit, he couldn’t easily go back home. Why?

Because a crazy bastard had made a fuss getting it tailored!

Eui-jae glanced at Lee Sa-young. His eyes behind the Gas mask lenses were smiling.

Before the General Assembly, Sa-young and Min-gi Seo were busy calling various places and asking questions. Only Eui-jae was free. He sat on the sofa, hugging a cushion, and looked back and forth between the two. Just then, Sa-young’s phone call ended. Eui-jae didn’t miss the opportunity and asked. Very sullenly.

“Can’t I just wear the suit you gave me last time?”

“Of course not…”

“That’s right, customer… I mean, J. Don’t say such nonsense. It’ll tear if you move even a little vigorously.”

“It didn’t tear though.”

The suit and shoes that Lee Sa-young had sent were carefully stored in the Hanover Soup Restaurant’s single room. He even had them laundered just in case! There was no need to waste money unnecessarily. He could just wear what he had worn before. This guy seemed to have no sense of money just because he earned a lot. As Eui-jae continued to grumble, Sa-young sighed deeply as if to make him hear. And he narrowed his eyes.

“You must not know how good Jung-bin’s eye for detail is.”

“……”

“Be quiet and come with me.”

“……”

“Unless you want that secretary and Hyung being the same person to be exposed.”

“Hmm?… Ahem.”

Min-gi Seo glanced at Eui-jae over his sunglasses and nodded silently. His gesture of saying he understood without being told was infuriating. A moment later, Min-gi Seo took the phone away from his ear and said.

“Mr. Park’s shop has an opening. A customer canceled their reservation, so there’s a spot available.”

“What time?”

“In an hour.”

“Let’s go.”

Immediately, blackness seemed to cover his entire body, and when he opened his eyes, he was inside a van. Sa-young sat next to Eui-jae with his legs crossed. As if he was used to moving like this. Was it okay to move him like this, as if kidnapping him? Unfortunately, the van started without asking for his opinion.

The van drove for about 30 minutes and then stopped in a narrow alley. There was a door with a sparkling vermilion light in the dark, narrow street. Was it a back door? Someone tall and lanky was standing in front of the door. A woman with her long hair tied up in a bun and a shawl over her shoulders. Min-gi Seo got out of the driver’s seat first, and Sa-young whispered to Eui-jae.

“Wait a moment.”

When Eui-jae nodded, Sa-young got out of the van. A cheerful voice could be heard through the slightly opened door.

“Very Small Miracle Mingi Seo Hunter, and Lee Sa-young Hunter. It’s been a loooong time! Hehe, I was sad you didn’t come often.”

“It’s been a while, Mr. Park.”

“Mingi Seo Hunter! Long time no see. I’m enjoying Inheart. How is it, your dark circles seem to have gotten darker? I didn’t think they could get any darker than before.”

“Is that so?”

Eui-jae glanced out the tinted window. The woman, Mr. Park, was covering her mouth and chatting with Min-gi Seo with a smile. Sa-young, who had been waiting with his hands in his coat pockets, tilted his head.

“The completion. How quickly can you do it?”

“Oh, my goodness, look at my mind! A suit and a pair of shoes, right? You’ll be choosing the fabric and materials yourself again this time.”

“Yeah.”

“Seeing as you’ve come to the back door in such a hurry, hmm, it must be an urgent job…”

Mr. Park closed her eyes as if pondering, and then smiled.

“I’ll try to have it done by the day after tomorrow. How does that sound?”

“Okay. And…”

Sa-young glared at the slightly open door of the shop. Judging by the many signs of people inside the shop, the staff seemed to be waiting at the door. Sa-young cocked his chin.

“Clear everyone out.”

“Everyone?”

“Everyone but you.”

“Is it a job that requires discretion?”

“The most of anything I’ve ever commissioned.”

“……”

Mr. Park knocked on the door, and all signs of people disappeared in an instant. At the same time, Min-gi Seo surrounded the van and the entrance with shadows. In the sudden darkness, the only light was the lights on either side of the shop door. Sa-young, who had approached the van, opened the van door. Their eyes met. His eyes behind the Gas mask lenses narrowed slightly. As if to reassure Eui-jae. He opened the door wide.

“Come on out.”

Eui-jae got out of the van. His hair, dyed a light vermilion by the light, fluttered in the wind. Mr. Park’s eyes widened as she saw the ash-gray hair and the black mask beneath it. She covered her mouth and couldn’t speak.

“Oh my, oh my…”

“I’d appreciate it if you could make it as quickly as possible.”

“You really surprise me every time. Bringing such a big shot this time…”

Mr. Park, who had been fussing, opened the door wide. Compared to the narrow door, the world inside was very wide and vast. Was it a door connected to a warehouse? Something was packed tightly into each shelf that reached the high ceiling. The smell of Monsters was strong.

Mr. Park glided quickly inside. Her voice echoed as if she were speaking from a very far place.

“Since a big shot has come, we’ll have to use materials that are worthy of him, oh dear… what do we have?”

They passed several warehouses and arrived at a room with a large desk, several clothes racks, mannequins, and a fitting room. Min-gi Seo, who was looking over the desk, asked.

“Did the Kraken material come in?”

“The Kraken material was used by another customer a while ago~”

“Who?”

“Honeybee commissioned it~”

“I figured.”

Eui-jae blankly looked around. Did a normal shop really stock up on Monster materials like this? No, but are they really making clothes? Eui-jae poked Sa-young’s arm, who was standing side by side, and whispered.

“Wasn’t Hong Ye-seong the only one who could make equipment?”

“Uh… it’s a little different.”

Sa-young gestured to Min-gi Seo as if to have him explain instead. Min-gi Seo readily answered mechanically.

“The Artisan creates something from nothing. These shops change the appearance of existing equipment or add Monster materials to custom-made clothes. Leather, feathers, hearts, claws… things like that. It’s closer to the concept of modifying something that already exists.”

“That’s right~!”

Mr. Park, who appeared with her hands full of something, chimed in. She laid out what she had brought on the desk. And she held up a scale leather with red flames flickering on it to a mannequin.

“Like this~ we choose the materials and add them to custom-made clothes and combine them. Hehe. Each Monster material has different characteristics. Items from Dungeons are often… bizarre~?”

Certainly. Eui-jae rummaged through his memories. The Poisonous swamp Dungeon reward equipment where Poison toads roamed was… a thick coat with purple, yellow, and green patterns overlapping. The mucus was dripping. It was an A-grade item, so its gas protection performance was certain, but no one wanted to wear it.

“More and more Hunters want both fashion and performance. Hmm, would it be easier to understand if I said it was a kind of bulletproof vest for Hunters? With a focus on design as well.”

Certainly. As Eui-jae nodded, Mr. Park leaned her cheek on her palm and muttered.

“Creating equipment is the Artisan’s domain… We’re staying in the realm of modification and reinforcement, not creation.”

I see. As Eui-jae nodded quietly, Mr. Park laughed, hehe.

“You’re more gentle than I thought? J Hunter.”

“Excuse me?”

Eui-jae’s eyes widened. But Lee Sa-young, with his arms crossed, quickly interjected.

“Is this all? The materials.”

“Ah! There’s a little more. I’ve only brought the most noticeable ones that are A-grade or higher for now. This is Velociraptor leather, which is light and flexible, so you can move nimbly without discomfort.”

Sa-young expressed his opinion with a tilted head and a chin gesture. Mr. Park’s hands were nimble, but Sa-young’s expression of his opinion was even more nimble. He evaluated it meticulously, as if he were a judge.

“The fabric is bad.”

“What am I supposed to do with 3rd grade monster hide.”

“Something else.”

“The color doesn’t match.”

“It doesn’t suit you.”

“Is this all you have?”

“Hmm…”

“Not worth spending money on.”

The smile gradually disappeared from the face of the professional Mr. Park at the criticisms that came out like breathing.