By Zephyria 
The defense force was basically an organization that cost a lot to maintain. Most of the tools they used lavishly were disposable or required frequent maintenance, so the budget allocated by the city was nowhere near enough for the kind of extravagance they were used to.
Fortunately, they held regular fundraising events, and each time, the affluent figures of Central often made showy donations.
With some tax deductions, there was no more efficient way to flaunt their love and dedication to the city.
Anyway, for the defense force, these events were as important as physically protecting the city. Originally, it would have been just the higher-ups gathering to chat and laugh, but this time, with two recipients of the medal of honor, Mu-hae naturally joined the gathering.
Considering his position in the defense force and Park Tae-sun’s promise, Mu-hae would probably have to stay until the end of the event.
“Things you can’t do.”
“…Cling to Jin Mu-hae. Ask to be touched. Speak arbitrarily. Take all the food that others are going to eat.”
“Things you can do.”
“Stay next to Jin Mu-hae without attracting attention…”
So, as a condition for taking Joo-oh to such an important event, he imposed strict restrictions on him.
Now, he had to stay quietly by his side like a doll throughout the fundraising event. He couldn’t jump into conversations or gobble down food.
He didn’t tell him not to smile brightly at other guys. It wasn’t the place to control such things, and it would have been somewhat cruel to force a guy who could only watch to not even smile.
“I’m Jin Mu-hae.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I hear the new instructor is aiming for a different kind of training.”
“The veteran instructors are in charge of the important foundational training, so thankfully, I can take relatively light advice as training.”
His flattery was starting to become second nature. His usual terse and rigid behavior, tailored to his mood, seemed like a distant past as he spoke skillfully.
Even though he couldn’t entirely trust Joo-oh’s assessment, he said Mu-hae really seemed like a Central person. He almost scoffed at how confidently he claimed to know so many Central people.
“You’ve already met him, I see. This is Instructor Jin, who received the medal with my son this time.”
“He’s so tall that he stood out even from afar. I recognized him before I was even introduced.”
“Haha…”
Park Tae-sun, who appeared belatedly, introduced Mu-hae to the appropriate connections as expected.
There was some value to be gained from this, but it was also his way of showing gratitude for saving his son.
Every person who spoke to him was a notable figure worthy of being invited to the fundraising event. Thinking about the future, it would be good to appear as promising as possible in many ways.
“Being a mercenary must have been quite a dangerous job, how different is it from the defense force?”
“Ah, the differences.”
It wasn’t difficult at all. It was already the third time he’d been asked the same question, as if he were doing some kind of repetitive learning.
People were still curious about Mu-hae’s unique and distant background as a mercenary.
Mu-hae was actually glad for this reaction, which he might have found disappointing otherwise. He just had to recite the same pre-prepared lines over and over.
“Well, it’s similar in that you often travel around the external environment. Similarly, the threat of encountering Beasts or Aberrants is also a significant one.”
“Oh dear. There must be many opportunities to get hurt.”
“But when I was a mercenary, I usually ran away. I focused on erasing traces and getting as far away as possible to complete the request. If you’re not skilled, you die or get hurt, but the more experience you gain, the higher your survival rate becomes. On the other hand, the defense force…”
“Deals with Beasts and Aberrants, doesn’t it?”
“The decisive difference is that the safety of the city itself is the goal and mission. You fight for the citizens instead of money and feel a sense of nobility.”
After saying this, most people would become conceited and boast about their donations, feeling sufficiently satisfied.
If they showed more interest, they would hand Mu-hae their contact information and try to continue the conversation after separating from Park Tae-sun.
“However, mercenaries also deal with people. I find these situations more difficult.”
“Do you also fight with people?”
“As I mentioned earlier, I try to avoid harmful situations at all costs. I hardly ever confront them directly. However, if the client mixes lies into the mission, I have no choice but to take on the risk with them… In my case, I’ve even experienced a shooting.”
The really stimulating story began from this point. It was a strategy to subtly hint at the incident in Bay City, making the listener’s ears perk up.
The audacity to use even the life-threatening situation he escaped from as a story. If that thoughtless behavior reached the Vegan Society, it would bring both dismissal and reassurance that he was ‘just a mercenary.’
“I once accepted an unusual request through an agent. The amount offered was so high that, even though it was an exceptional situation where I couldn’t see the client directly, I headed to the designated city.”
“That sounds suspicious just hearing it.”
“I thought so too, but at the time, I didn’t have many options. As you might expect, it was a trap, and I was forced to listen to some strange presentation… I barely managed to escape with my life. Still, I was relieved that I had infiltrated using a pseudonym, thinking nothing would happen.”
“That sounds unsettling. Don’t tell me.”
“Yes. A few weeks later, I was suddenly attacked from the outside. I belatedly realized I had been caught up in something unusual. Fortunately, I’m safe now, but since then, I’ve developed the habit of rejecting any uncertain requests, no matter how urgent.”
Joo-oh, whom he glanced at, nodded silently. The anxious expression on his face, as if he had been there with him, was a bonus.
Joo-oh, in his perfect appearance, was persuasive in every way, playing the role of a hype man without even uttering a word.
“Being a mercenary is also an attractive profession, but for me, it’s more comfortable and fulfilling to dedicate all my efforts to protecting Goryeo City and its neighbors.”
By building up the illusion of a dangerous former profession and praising the defense force one more time at the end, the conversation would conclude with everyone satisfied.
A story that anyone who was interested in Jin Mu-hae could easily hear, even if they weren’t at this event. Now that he had talked this much, the meeting at the fundraising event would surely be conveyed to someone.
“You tell the story quite interestingly.”
At that moment, an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind. When he checked, it was an attendee he hadn’t greeted yet.
Park Young-chan belatedly approached and hurriedly introduced him.
“This is Woo Jung-sun, the bank manager of Goryeo Bank’s Central Main Street branch. He says he has a deep connection with the defense force.”
It was obvious that his father had told his son about this connection. His self-management was so good that, despite the age-revealing wrinkles on his hands, his face was taut and his black hair was thick.
As he took the outstretched hand and shook it firmly, Woo Jung-sun smiled, revealing his white teeth.
“I’ve seen you so much on TV and in articles these days that I feel like I’ve known you for a long time. Don’t think it’s strange if this person treats you too casually.”
“I’m just glad you’re welcoming me like this. Since I haven’t done much in the defense force yet, I end up talking about my mercenary days.”
After receiving the greetings skillfully, Joo-oh suddenly stepped on his foot for some reason. Even though he moved silently, his instep felt as heavy as if he had lifted a refrigerator.
Instead of screaming, Mu-hae scanned Joo-oh and then Park Young-chan, whom he was gesturing to, in turn.
When he made eye contact with Park Young-chan, he quietly blinked. At the silent signal, he recalled the task he had been assigned recently.
The request to find someone related to a suspicious religion…
“Perhaps it’s due to my age, but these days, I don’t feel much from seeing, hearing, or eating anything, but I’m interested in the story Instructor Jin was telling. Could I also hear that anecdote, if it’s not too much to ask?”
“…Of course. It’s actually not that old of an incident. I jumped in without knowing anything and felt like I had experienced some kind of urban legend, but to think I can use it as entertainment like this, it seems any experience has its uses.”
Park Young-chan had played a better role than expected. Now it was his turn to shake the Vegan Society’s judgment.
Jin Mu-hae took a sip of champagne to moisten his throat and created a somber atmosphere.
“My father passed away early, so I grew up with the help of those around me. One of them contracted an acute illness, making treatment unavoidable. As you know, proper hospital treatment for a member of the slums is a heavy debt. I wanted to help, but I didn’t have enough money saved up. At that moment, an email arrived from an unknown address…”
The rumors about Dmitri that Olga had told him were information sent by an unknown client, and the pseudonym and identity he had used in Bay City were obtained for an additional fee, with some skepticism.
He subtly twisted the parts that the Vegan Society wouldn’t have access to and completely deleted the battle on the beach.
Instead, he subtly inserted a thriller movie scenario about being imprisoned and escaping from a basement.
‘Not very interesting.’
‘An Aberrant came out, and you say it’s not interesting?’
‘Tell it without Jin Mu-hae fainting.’
Joo-oh’s opinion wouldn’t be of much help, but anyway, the one-Chapter story he had honed while listening to his evaluations was unfolding intriguingly in front of Schrödinger’s Vegan Society.
Except for Joo-oh, who was smiling contentedly with his arms crossed as he watched the scene, it was a perfect narrative with no suspicious parts.
“Oh my. Did you figure out where the group that attacked you came from?”
“Unfortunately, no. There’s a limit to the information you can get as a mercenary. Still, it seems the other party has given up on me since then, so for someone who doesn’t know anything, the first thing to do is to get out of the way.”
Was Woo Jung-sun really a member of the Vegan Society? Had this story really worked for her?
As his curiosity grew, Woo Jung-sun finally spoke again.
“It must have been a serious matter for the person involved, but it’s so spectacular that I’m sorry to say I’m eager to hear more. As it happens, after the main event, only those who want to can stay and enjoy a meal. Would you be willing to join us?”
That was it. Mu-hae slowly released his clenched fist and put on a mask-like smile.
Joo-oh, who had been watching the whole scene, quietly took his hand from the side.
He was about to shake it off quickly, but he soon let go on his own and returned to being a sidekick, muttering meaningless exclamations.