I Woke Up as the Villain

ing my last years very peacefully.

“Your grandchild is so cute.
When are you going to show him off?”

-Ah, I’ll show him off for sure, since it’s you who asked.
I, Baek Joon-Kyung, have accomplished all that I have because of you.

If Choi Yu-Seong heard this name—Baek Joon-Kyung—he would have understood Choi Woo-Jae ’s unfamiliar behavior while looking surprised.

Baek Joon-Kyung was the Republic of Korea’s former President, who was once an S-rank hunter.
During Choi Woo-Jae’s heyday as a hunter, Joon-Kyung had been the hunter who was the team’s leader.
Now, Joon-Kyung had taken a step back from the hunter world and retired from politics but was still called one of the living legends of the country.

“It wasn’t a big deal.
By the way, why don ’t we meet and play golf? That way, I can see your grandchild as well.
I’ve not seen you in a long time.”

-Golf?

Perhaps it was an unexpected word, because Baek Joon-kyung uttered that word in an unreadable tone from the other end of the line.

-Ahhh… Now I see.
You called to brag about your son! Yes, Choi Yu-Seong.
This clever one caused a serious accident this time, right?

Choi Woo-Jae shook his head from side to side at his quick-witted friend ’s words.
He said, ”It’s not a big deal and just a small thing to talk about.
Oh, well, there was an annoying call yesterday night just when I was going to sleep.
Has it been 10 years? You know, King Kai. ”

-The Chinese President? You mean that old python? Come to think of it, he’s still alive.
But what about him?

”Oh, well, he said if I send Yu-Seong to China, he will drive sales profits of about 30 trillion won to the Comet Group every year.”

-That scoundrel’s very generous.
He seems to like your son very much.
So what did you say?

”What do you mean? You think he’s worth only 30 trillion won? It makes no sense.”

-Of course not.
If that rascal had said so, he would have asked you to transfer your ninth child ’s nationality.
But no way.
I ’ve heard a rumor, but that child—he’s our country’s treasure.
Don ’t even think about giving him away.
Otherwise, even I won ’t forgive you.

Woo-Jae nodded while somehow feeling better at Baek Joon-Kyung’s rigorous words.
He replied, “Of course not, even if he said he would give 300 trillon won, I wouldn’t send Yu-Seong to China.
Not even if they treat him as a King or something.”

Find the original at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

-Hahaha, now I see that you have a lot to brag about.
Yeah, golf—we should play sometime for sure.
When do you have time?

”If you ’re free, I can go meet you right away. ”

-Right now? We ’re in Goseong right now.
Wouldn’t it be afternoon when you arrive?

”Oh, it doesn ’t matter.
It’ll be a perfect time to go there by car, have lunch, and play golf. ”

-Hahaha.
You are certainly an active hunter—-full of energy.
Yeah, I’ll go meet you when you arrive.

“Then, hang in there.” Woo-Jae hung up the phone with a snap and rose from the warm chair that supported him.
Then, he connected the intercom to the secretary ’s office.

-Yes, chairman.

”I ’m going to go to Baek Joon-Kyung.
Tell them to get ready at once. ”

-Yes, sir.

After the intercom was cut off, humming, Choi Woo-Jae dressed in a tracksuit that looked several times lighter than what he wore to the company.
He also wore a thick padded jacket on top of it.

Then, he suddenly trembled and said, “…If Kim Pil-Doo, that friend, was here, he would be nagging me.”

Choi Woo-Jae briefly recalled his right-hand man, who was currently in England due to his work.
Then, he shrugged his shoulders.

“Thanks to Yu-Seong, I’m on cloud nine these days.
I should think of a gift for him while playing golf today.” Woo-Jae decided so, and left the chairman ’s office with a light step.

***

In a sunless eight-story building located somewhere in Jong-ro, Seoul, there was a new signboard hanging on the fifth floor.
There was not even an elevator, so it could only be reached by climbing the high stone stairs on one’s two legs.
The writing on the signboard said— ’The Hunter Guild, Eclipse.’

Inside, Kim Do-Jin tilted his head.
He had entered a little more than thirty pyeong of space that has not even been organized yet.
”Is this all? ”

Right behind Kim Do-Jin, Baek Ah-Rin replied in a depressed voice while putting her hands together as if she were a sinner.

”…Yes. ”

”I think you said you wanted to build a company building. ”

”Well… That’s the goal.
But this land in Seoul was more expensive than I thought.
The building I originally aimed for was exactly ten times more expensive than this! Wahahaha! ” shouted Ah-Rin as she burst into laughter.
Then, she scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

”So, you only bought one floor of this building? ” asked Do-Jin.

”No.
I only bought this room.
At least, I can see my goal building out of the window here, ” Ah-Rin replied.

Kim Do-Jin once again glanced around the inside of the room and nodded lightly.
”It ’s not bad.”

”Okay.
Sorry for my greed…
What? ” Ah-Rin blinked in surprise.

”If you and I had put our names on the line, there would have been quite a few places to support us.
Doesn ’t it mean that you rejected everything that started in a small place like this? ”

“Well, that ’s true…
But usually, people prefer to start with support, ” Ah-Rin said.

”Well done.
Once you start borrowing someone else ’s hand, you’ll have to repay them in any form.
And I can ’t give you such a small sum of money for what I ’m doing myself. ”

”But you know, the price of the building I ’m going to buy is over 80 billion won. ”

”I ’m Kim Do-Jin.
From now on, my ransom will be ridiculously over ten times that.”

”Um…
You’re so full of yourself.”

Whether Baek Ah-Rin cried or not, Kim Do-Jin looked at the city scenery filled with quite a few buildings that looked somewhat suffocating while he was standing in front of the room’s sunny window.

‘So there’s an area that only the guild can buy…’

Do-Jin could roughly predict where it would be.
However, that was all, so he didn ’t pay much attention.

‘Baek Ah-Rin is a good colleague.
I’m not getting the short end of the deal.
‘ 

Anyway, now, the two were in the same boat.