“Director Pi.”

    “Yes, Association President.”

    “How much longer until Hunter An’s evaluation is complete?”

    “It should be finished within a week.”

    “What’s his score looking like?”

    “He’s expected to be the first and youngest candidate to achieve a perfect score.”

    “Hm.”

    Jang Kyung-hwan, the Association President, fell into thought.

    The sudden controversy over “royal favoritism” had blindsided him.

    He didn’t know why the issue had erupted so suddenly, but both he and Pi Seong-yeol were equally vexed by it.

    It was natural for any organization to grant privileges and priorities to top performers. It was a reward for effort.

    By that logic, Su-ho, the first and youngest perfect scorer in the Association’s history, deserved to join the best department—the Special Division.

    But now, with the uproar over “royal favoritism” and “unfair personnel decisions,” the situation was a headache.

    “This is maddening.”

    Normally, Jang Kyung-hwan didn’t concern himself with the minor personnel decisions handled by department directors.

    But with the media clamoring incessantly, he had no choice but to pay attention.

    Such controversies could hinder his future ambitions.

    It was then that Park Gyu-min stepped forward.

    “Wouldn’t it be better to weather the storm for now? Transfer him to another department temporarily until the public outrage subsides, then move him back to the Special Division once things calm down.”

    “Then where should we send him?”

    “I wouldn’t suggest the Management or Awakening Departments at a time like this. Instead, how about the Gate Division? I’ve heard that Team Leader Jung Cheol-min there is close to Hunter An Su-ho.”

    “You...”

    Just as Su-ho had predicted.

    Even though Jang Kyung-hwan typically avoided office politics, he couldn’t be ignorant of the factions led by Pi Seong-yeol and Park Gyu-min.

    For Park Gyu-min to propose sending Su-ho to a department aligned with Pi Seong-yeol rather than his own faction, it forced Jang Kyung-hwan to reevaluate him.

    “Director Pi.”

    “Yes, Association President.”

    “You’re aware of the public uproar, aren’t you?”

    “Yes, sir.”

    “I understand your frustration. Putting aside the talk of favoritism, isn’t it natural to assign top-performing individuals to the best departments? It’s not as if they didn’t earn it.”

    “That’s true. I won’t deny it.”

    “Right... But as you know, people don’t care about right or wrong. They latch onto the immediate sparks in front of them. So, as frustrating as it might be, how about delaying the Special Division appointment for now? Once the public calms down, you can use rotational duty as an excuse to bring him back.”

    Damn.

    The very scenario Pi Seong-yeol had feared had come to pass.

    But did he have the authority to refuse?

    The one speaking was the Association President himself.

    All he could do was bow his head.

    “...Then where do you plan to send him?”

    “Since you were going to assign him to the Special Division, let’s go with the Gate Division or the Resource Division. How about the Gate Division? Team Leader Jung Cheol-min seems to value Hunter An a lot.”

    A small relief.

    At least Park Gyu-min hadn’t tried to push his own faction into the mix.

    Pi Seong-yeol nodded.

    “Understood. Starting as an assistant team leader there should be fine.”

    “Right. It’s unfortunate we can’t care for him directly in the Special Division from the start, but this will have to do for now. Just hold out a little longer, Director Pi.”

    “Yes, sir. I understand.”

    “Good. Let’s proceed with this plan, and we’ll issue a suitable statement to the media.”@@@@

    With that, Pi Seong-yeol quietly bowed and exited the president’s office.

    His mouth tasted bitter.

    Normally, he wouldn’t have cared one bit about the opinions of what he often referred to as the “sheep-like masses.”

    But with the president personally invested in the matter, he couldn’t voice his dissent.

    The only consolation was that Su-ho had been assigned to the Gate Division rather than falling into Park Gyu-min’s hands.

    “Tch, I suppose I should think of it as a win.”

    Pi Seong-yeol picked up his phone and dialed a number.

    The recipient of his call was none other than Jung Cheol-min.

    ***

    "That''s great news."

    "It really is. Just like Hunter An predicted."

    After finishing his call with Pi Seong-yeol, Jung Cheol-min immediately called Su-ho.

    Everything had unfolded exactly as Su-ho had said.

    Su-ho was assigned to the Gate Division’s Management Department, and he would even serve as Jung''s subordinate.

    This wasn’t a coincidence—Pi Seong-yeol had personally called and requested Jung to keep Su-ho under his watch.

    "Thank you."

    After ending the call, Su-ho leaned back and smirked.

    "Everything’s falling into place."

    Even though he had expected things to go this way, he couldn’t help but feel a little tense.

    Unforeseen variables could always arise.

    He immediately called Seo Gi-won.

    - "Yes, hyung?"

    "Where are you, Gi-won?"

    - "I was just about to head out to Paju."

    "For training?"

    - "Yeah."

    "You mentioned looking into Kim Goong-won’s hidden assets. How did that go?"

    - "...Huh?"

    This brat.

    Su-ho chuckled.

    "Spill it. I need it now."

    - "Haha... I was just about to tell you."

    "How much did you find?"

    - "So far, I’ve tracked down about 3.2 billion won."

    "Only that much?"

    - "Only? Hyung, this is hidden cash. 3.2 billion in liquid assets is massive."

    Is it?

    In his past life, hundreds of billions had seemed trivial, so 3.2 billion felt small by comparison.

    Su-ho nodded.

    "Where is it now?"

    - "It’s in my crypto wallet."

    "You emptied Kim Goong-won’s wallet?"

    - "Yes."

    "What do I need to do to access it right now?"

    - "I’ve got a physical card for withdrawals. Should I bring it to you?"

    Withdrawal cards—modern technology allowed cryptocurrency to be instantly converted for use like a debit card.

    "How long will it take to prepare?"

    - "Are you heading home? I’ll have it ready before you arrive."

    "Alright, I’ll see you at home."

    - "Got it, hyung. Oh, by the way!"

    "What now?"

    - "I swear, I was going to tell you about this. I didn’t mean anything shady by keeping quiet."

    "Who said you did?"

    - "I just didn’t want you to misunderstand, given the circumstances. Haha..."

    "As long as you’re honest, that’s all that matters. But don’t even think about trying to fool me. You know what my abilities are, right?"

    - "Of course, hyung. I always keep that in mind."

    "Good. Let’s do this right."

    - "Yes, I’ll see you soon."

    Ending the call, Su-ho chuckled to himself.

    "Such a cheeky kid."

    ***

    That Evening

    Su-ho spent the entire day driving towards North Gyeongsang Province.

    After hours on the road, he finally saw a familiar sign.

    - "Welcome to Cheongsong."

    Su-ho’s destination was Cheongsong.

    Once he entered the area, he headed straight for Cheongsong Prison—or more specifically, Cheongok Prison, which was located next to it.

    Cheongok Prison was perched atop a mountain.

    Built alongside a cliff, the prison was surrounded on the rear by steep precipices and flanked by rugged mountain ridges. Aside from the front gate, escaping seemed utterly impossible.

    Pulling up to the prison entrance, Su-ho parked his car.

    A man emerged from the facility to greet him.

    “Welcome. I am Kim Gil-yeon, warden of Cheongok Prison.”

    The warden, Kim Gil-yeon, bowed respectfully to greet the visitor.

    In response, a figure stepped out of the passenger seat and returned the gesture.

    “Thank you for your hard work.”

    The man stepping out and responding was none other than Pi Seong-yeol.