Chapter 61: A Swindler who can’t grasp the subject

Song Minchul had been some distance away when he received a request for assistance after the terrorist attack by Shim Jihyuk at the broadcasting station. He immediately headed there.

However, what Song Minchul saw was an already resolved scene and Song Mina running out of the building.

‘What on earth happened that she’s running out crying?’

Noticing Song Mina, Song Minchul quickly followed her. He arrived to find her sobbing inconsolably.

Seeing Song Mina with tears streaming down her face, smudging all her makeup, Song Minchul thought,

‘My daughter, showing such weakness.’

“Haa…”

Song Minchul sighed unconsciously. In this dog-eat-dog world, the principle of power was even more pronounced the higher one went in the guild hierarchy or among powerful groups.

Song Minchul had witnessed firsthand how the strong and the insane survived, and he himself had done all sorts of dirty deeds to survive. Of course, in his naive days, he had suffered at the hands of others.

That’s why he taught his daughter to use everything she could to gain an advantage and survive. He taught her not to rely on others and to use people as tools. He forced her not to trust anyone, as trust increased the likelihood of betrayal.

But contrary to his teachings, here she was, sobbing uncontrollably. And she was even wailing some guy’s name.

Even without knowing the details, it was easy to deduce from Song Mina’s mutterings that she had probably suffered heartbreak.

-Ch… Choi Juwon, Instructor!

Song Minchul carefully considered the name Song Mina had mistakenly uttered when he entered.

‘Choi Juwon… Choi Juwon…’

‘Ah, that instructor bastard from the academy.’

It didn’t take long for Song Minchul to recall who the name belonged to. It was the name of a man who had worked as an instructor at Helmunt Academy, where his daughter Song Mina attended.

“It seems you have some explaining to do to your father.”

Even as he spoke, Song Minchul felt a pang of annoyance. Was it even conceivable that she was crying like this over another man?

‘Tsk, I told her so many times not to get emotionally attached.’

Song Minchul knew that Song Mina had been somewhat involved with Choi Juwon when he was an instructor.

However, he had initially let it be. Because, from Song Minchul’s perspective, Choi Juwon was someone useful. Regardless of his personality, Choi Juwon’s abilities were considered top-notch at Helmunt Academy. In fact, it would be more accurate to say he was unrivaled.

That’s why Song Minchul had given her some leeway, seeing her growing close to him. He had given her time until she could fully exploit him.

However, Song Mina began to change. At first, she seemed to show no particular interest in Choi Juwon, but then she started contacting him regularly and meeting him privately. Like a girl in love.

‘Haa… I told her to use him and throw him away when she was done, but she didn’t listen. It seems even forcing them apart didn’t work.’

In the past, Song Minchul had always told Song Mina,

-Mina, I know you’re getting close to that instructor. If he were an ordinary person, your father wouldn’t allow it. But from what I’ve seen, he seems quite capable. I’ve investigated, and he’s accumulated a considerable amount of wealth. So, I won’t interfere for now. Absorb everything you can from him. His knowledge, his skills, and if possible, even his wealth. Make it all yours and use it. Do you understand?

Each time, Song Mina had simply replied that she understood and that she would handle things herself, telling him to leave Choi Juwon alone. That’s why Song Minchul had held off on interfering with Choi Juwon.

But on the day Choi Juwon was expelled from Helmunt Academy, an incident occurred.

On the day of his expulsion, Song Mina was lost in deep thought until the evening.

‘Instructor… He really seemed wronged…?’

Choi Juwon’s expression as he left Helmunt Academy, his cries of being wronged and pleading to be believed. It didn’t seem like an act.

That’s why Song Mina had only pretended to send the abusive messages from Helmunt Academy, holding off without actually sending them. After returning home, she agonized over how to contact Choi Juwon, debating it hundreds, even thousands of times.

Finally, late in the evening, Song Mina hesitantly typed a message on her phone.

-Instructor Choi Juwon… I… No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think you’re capable of doing such a thing… Was there a misunderstanding? You always donated and lived righteously… How could you suddenly commit such a crime…

“Mina, what are you doing?”

Just as Song Mina was typing the message, her father, who had come up beside her, saw the message she was about to send to Choi Juwon.

“Mina, how many times do I have to tell you? I told you not to trust people. I told you to exploit those who are useful and discard them when they’re no longer needed. What do you think you’re doing? That Choi Juwon instructor is practically expelled, accused of unauthorized Intranet use. Why are you trying to support him?”

“F… Father… Th… That’s not it…”

She tried to make excuses, but the message on her phone clearly showed her supporting Choi Juwon.

“Haa…”

Song Minchul had already received a call from Helmunt Academy and was aware of the general situation. President Baek Jooseok had even made a personal request. If Choi Juwon did anything strange, he asked for the guild’s help. He also asked that, if any problems arose later, they use their connections to spread negative rumors about Choi Juwon in the media. Therefore, he was fully informed about the current situation.

Song Minchul glared at Song Mina and said,

“Mina, delete everything you were about to send and write that you hope that dirty bastard kills himself. What are you thinking, trying to send a message like that to a criminal?”

-Tremble

Song Mina trembled and shook her head.

“I… If I send something that harsh, he’ll definitely be hurt. It’s not even confirmed that he committed a crime yet…”

“Have you truly gone mad?”

-Hooooong

Song Minchul gathered an immense amount of Mana in his hand and said,

“If you don’t send it right now, I’ll find that Choi Juwon bastard and personally tear him to pieces. If you don’t want to see him die, then write each word carefully and send it.”

After a few more minutes of arguing, Song Mina finally sent the message.

-Message sent.

“Sob…”

Song Mina cried, and Song Minchul wore a satisfied expression.

“Good job. That instructor will only fall further into ruin. President Baek Jooseok has made him his target, so he has nothing left but to live like a wreck until he dies. You’ll be very grateful to your father for not getting involved with that guy.”

-Pause

As he was about to leave the room, Song Minchul added as an afterthought,

“Oh, and if you try to send another message or call him and your father finds out, you know what will happen, right?”

With a chilling smile, Song Minchul left the room.

Inside the construction site where Song Mina and Song Minchul were.

“It seems you have some explaining to do to your father.”

Song Minchul’s cold voice echoed. Song Mina quickly made an excuse.

“F… Father… I… I was crying because I was sad to see people injured…”

Song Minchul shook his head and glared at Song Mina.

“I heard you say Choi Juwon’s name just now. Tell me the truth.”

….

Song Mina remained silent. She thought that if she told the truth, her father might harm Choi Juwon. No matter how strong Choi Juwon was as the Masked Instructor, Song Mina’s father was the leader of a high-ranking guild. He was not someone an individual could handle alone.

Even if he knew that the Masked Instructor, who had cleared an A-rank dungeon and defeated Baek Jooseok, was actually Choi Juwon, he would still struggle against hundreds of high-ranking guild members in the country. In fact, when you combined her father’s guild, W, with its allied guilds, the number might well exceed several hundred.

As Song Mina remained silent, Song Minchul said with a smile,

“If you won’t talk, then I’ll have to ask Choi Juwon directly. Do you think your father doesn’t have that instructor’s phone number?”

“F… Father, please don’t!”

“Shut up. Depending on what Choi Juwon says, I’ll decide whether to kill him or just cripple him.”

Despite Song Mina’s pleas, Song Minchul ignored her and called Choi Juwon.

-Ring Ring

-Ring Ring

After a few rings, he answered.

“Hello, who is this?”

Song Minchul replied,

“It’s Song Mina’s father, Song Minchul.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

-Click

“What?”

Song Minchul stared at his phone in disbelief.

-Ring

-The customer you are calling is currently unavailable…

Choi Juwon had blocked his number.

“You
bastard!”

Furious, Song Minchul took out another work phone, changed the number, and called again.

-Ring

-Click

-Hello?

Because the number was different, Choi Juwon answered the call again. Before he could hang up, Song Minchul hastily stated his purpose,

“You
bastard. Don’t hang up, and listen carefully. I’m Song Minchul, leader of the high-ranking guild, W. I’m not someone a lowly instructor like you can treat lightly! How dare you hang up on me. I could find you and kill you right now. I was going to just give you a warning, but your rude behavior has made that impossible.”

After a moment of silence, Choi Juwon spoke,

“Why are you doing this to me? You said you’re Song Mina’s father? Then, is this call about her? I told her we’re strangers now. I don’t care about her, so you take care of your daughter. I don’t want anything to do with you, so stop calling me.”

Just as Choi Juwon was about to hang up…

“I can see why President Baek Jooseok hated you. You’re arrogant and disgusting, intoxicated by your own সামান্য abilities. That attitude is exactly why you fell for Baek Jooseok’s games. You pathetic
. Your arrogant attitude is the reason your life is so
up now.”

Having already spoken with Song Mina and decided to remain strangers, Choi Juwon spoke calmly, as if he didn’t consider it worth getting angry about.

“Think what you want. I’ve already talked to Song Mina, and I don’t want anything to do with you. Stop calling me from different numbers.”

-Rage

His calm and indifferent response made Song Minchul feel disregarded, and he yelled, exploding with a bombshell,

“You pathetic
. Go ahead and rot in your room for the rest of your life. When President Baek Jooseok is found guilty and your charges are cleared, I’ll create new ones and send you back to hell. I’ll make sure you live like a cripple forever. I’ve already received a hefty advance payment from President Baek Jooseok to torment you, so I’ll make your life a living hell until you die.”

Suddenly, Choi Juwon’s voice changed.

“You received money to torment me? Were you in cahoots with President Baek Jooseok too?”

At Choi Juwon’s serious tone, Song Minchul scoffed,

“What are you going to do about it? A powerless, insignificant instructor with nothing but a big ego. What are you going to do, huh? You want me to kill you? Shut up, and from now on, live like a bug, holed up in your house. I’ll put a bounty on your head with the guild, so you better be prepared to die if you step outside. You know what that means, right? It means you’ll rot away in your room for the rest of your life.”

-Grind

Through the receiver, Song Minchul could hear Choi Juwon grinding his teeth. He spoke in a chilling voice,

“Let’s meet and talk. Where are you? I’ll come to you right now. Try to kill me if you can.”