‘The resemblance of their appearance isn’t the problem.’
Raon muttered inwardly and unconsciously stared at the Chairman Han’s face.
Regardless of whether the two looked similar or not, one thing he could be sure of was that Han Myunghoon couldn’t follow even half of this presence.
“All my life, I have only looked down on others, and the reverse has never happened.”
“Ah, I apologize for my rudeness.”
Startled by the low voice, Raon quickly bowed his head.
He was momentarily embarrassed that he had been staring blankly, overwhelmed by the Chairman’s dominance.
“Hello, Chairman. I am Han Raon. And this is…”
“It’s fine. I know who you all are.”
“…Yes.”
Chairman Han waved his hand dismissively as if he was bothered.
Raon cautiously raised his head.
“It’s an honor to meet you.”
Raon smiled wryly, offering a compliment.
Chairman Han scrutinized Raon with sharp eyes.
Before his transmigration, Raon was fine even when he met Chairman Min, the head of the M&K Group.
Although he was younger and quite rebellious at that time, perhaps it was because Chairman Min had a gentle impression.
‘It feels like I’m facing a tiger.’
He felt like a tiger that was hiding its claws and only watching for now, but once the inspection was over, it would immediately reveal its sharp claws and pierce his nape with its fangs.
In reality, he was an old man with a chronic illness who had difficulty moving on his own, but Raon couldn’t understand why he kept feeling this way.
“Why did you want to see me?”
“That is…”
“Did you come late to be treated as a grandson, just because you performed a little bit well in that Guide Team or whatever?”
“…”
Chairman Han abruptly insulted Raon. Raon stared at him without answering for a moment.
A look of weariness could be vaguely seen on the charismatic face.
It wouldn’t be visible to others, but it was the hidden true face of others that Raon often discovered.
‘Han Myunghoon has over twenty illegitimate children, I heard.’
Unlike Han Myunghoon, Chairman Han was reluctant to have illegitimate children just to obtain high-grade Guides.
The reason Hanmyung had not gained momentum in its business despite having such capital and skill was due to the owners’ inherent incorruptibility.
Han Myunghoon started to change that, and the company began to gain momentum in earnest with the opening of the Gates.
Even Chairman Han couldn’t stop that enormous tide.
Eventually, he had to be reduced to an old man sitting in the back.
The only thing he could hold onto was the position of the Group’s head.
It was a position he barely maintained by using his chronic illness as an excuse to recuperate.
If that, too, fell into Han Myunghoon’s hands, the Hanmyung Group’s karma would become much greater.
“Well. If I had wanted to be treated as a grandson, I would have visited you much earlier. Just like the other illegitimate children.”
“Hmm.”
Chairman Han frowned at Raon’s indifferent reply.
Among the over twenty illegitimate children, there were quite a few who awakened as Guides, though not as highly graded as Raon.
Among them, some had awakened as A-class earlier than Raon and had been dispatched overseas with Hanmyung’s support.
There were also many others, and they wanted to be recognized as members of the family by not only Han Myunghoon but also Chairman Han Chanmyeong.
‘It was surprisingly unexpected that the real Han Raon didn’t approach Chairman Han Chanmyeong.’
He did everything Han Myunghoon told him to do, but he had absolutely no interest in anything else related to the Hanmyung Group.
So, it was convenient for the transmigrated Raon that he didn’t have to worry about Chairman Han Chanmyeong, but on the other hand, it was a little unexpected that the greedy Han Raon showed no interest in the Chairman.
In any case, thanks to that, he had grounds to counter the Chairman’s negative remarks, which was fortunate. Raon continued.
“It seems to me that you, Chairman, accepted a meeting with me so quickly because you need something from me.”
“Huh.”
“Am I mistaken?”
Raon pulled both corners of his mouth up, asking confidently, which might have seemed slightly rude.
Chairman Han let out a slight laugh, as if he was dumbfounded.
“That fellow is quite audacious.”
But the look in his eyes changed a little.
Although the intense wariness had only slightly subsided, it was still a positive change.
A person like Chairman Han would hate the foolish type the most.
“Well, I’m not sure how much help you can be to me.”
Having said that, Chairman Han again blatantly scanned Raon.
And he spoke in an indifferent tone.
“Sit down first.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Raon had been facing Chairman Han while standing the entire time.
It didn’t matter since he always stood when reporting in front of Seokyeon at the Center, but it was certainly odd to do so in a private setting.
‘Secretary Hwang was right. He said that if I answered vaguely, the Chairman would kick me out before I could even sit down.’
He heard that Secretary Hwang had personally dragged out more than ten illegitimate Guide children who clung and refused to leave, crying and wailing.
Whether Secretary Hwang said that to help him or simply to frighten him, his words were right anyway.
“Excuse me.”
As soon as Chairman Han gave permission and Raon sat down, a maid timely brought tea and refreshments.
He finally felt like he was formally accepted as a guest here.
“So, it seems you’ve been quite active in the Gates recently.”
Chairman Han, who was drinking tea, opened the conversation first.
Raon also pulled his lips away from the teacup and faced him.
“Did you come to see me because you have a problem with the Gates or the military?”
“Yes, that is the case, actually.”
Raon did not hide what he wanted. Instead, he revealed it more boldly.
“The Commander-in-Chief wants to give the command authority to Team Leader Seo Dojin, not me, a Guide. I want to reclaim it.”
“I see.”
Chairman Han merely nodded once at Raon’s words.
When he began drinking tea again, silence filled the room.
After a moment passed like that, Chairman Han chuckled and opened his mouth again.
“Well, well. For a Guide to be competing with an Esper over command authority.”
“Anyone who can take responsibility for the unit should lead it.”
“And you are saying that person is you, not Team Leader Seo Dojin?”
“That is correct.”
At Raon’s confident answer, Chairman Han leaned back on the sofa.
And he quietly stared at Raon, then spoke.
“Team Leader Seo Dojin is an Esper with a promising future. And an S-class at that.”
“I am also S-class.”
“How can an Esper and a Guide be the same?”
“What is certain is that if Team Leader Seo Dojin takes command authority, the unit will be in danger, as in the case of previous Irregular Gates.”
“And if you command, they will be safe?”
“Yes, I can guarantee it.”
Raon answered with a firm tone.
Chairman Han pondered for a moment at that.
“If you gain command authority through my influence, what can you do for me?”
“The world you desire, Chairman.”
“What?”
This time, however, Chairman Han looked taken aback, as if it wasn’t the answer he had expected.
It was a bewildered expression he hadn’t shown in front of Raon before.
He asked again with that same expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Whether the outcome of the Irregular Gate is positive or negative, the world will change greatly.”
Raon continued calmly.
If they fail to suppress the Black Gate that is about to appear, the world will be destroyed.
But if they stop it, the world will become much more livable than before.
An era will open where no one has to be sacrificed to the Gates, and people can live peacefully.
The privileged, who don’t care about the countless sacrifices, will reject the new era, but Raon planned to drive them all out.
And if his guess was correct, Chairman Han would surely be someone who would agree with that.
“I will create a world where people are no longer terrified of the Gates. Those who have accumulated power and wealth by using the Gates will dislike it, but I believe the Chairman also desires such a world.”
“…”
“I will certainly create such a world. So, please help me.”
Raon bowed his head.
Chairman Han remained silent.
After a little time passed, Raon slowly raised his head.
“None of the things you have said here match my expectations.”
“Is that so?”
Raon asked slyly and smiled wryly.
Chairman Han let out a hollow laugh.
“Only people who constantly pestered me to do this or that have come to me. And no one has ever talked such nonsense before.”
“Haha, it is not nonsense, Chairman.”
Raon laughed softly at the Chairman, who dismissed his purpose as nonsense.
But the atmosphere wasn’t entirely good because of that.
It seemed Chairman Han regarded him as some sort of con artist.
“Of course, it would be good if such a world came, but what does that directly have to do with me? Do you think a negotiation is possible with just that?”
“Of course not. Because it’s not just the world that will change.”
“If not just that, then?”
At Chairman Han’s question, Raon answered in a low voice.
“The President.”
