Chapter 760: Conditions for a Recommendation Letter (1)

And that morning.

Although I had somewhat expected it when Han Min-ah spoke to me this morning, President Seo Ok-hee, who greeted me when I visited the 13th-floor CEO’s office, looked at me like I was some kind of idiot from the start.

“Good morning, President-nim.”

“Oh, yes. It’s S-rank Hunter Taekyung, the one who requested a meeting using a meeting request form.”

“…….”

It was the President-nim, teasing me about the foolish act I’d committed right after we met for the first time in a while. It was already a morning where I had to commute with Han Min-ah teasing me the entire way, and now, as soon as I entered the CEO’s office, the target of the teasing switched to President Seo Ok-hee.

“Anyone can make a mistake.”

“I’ve occasionally seen people who just ranked up to A-rank fill out meeting request forms, but you know you’re the first among S-ranks to do this, right? For reference, there isn’t even one person who did something like you among A+ ranks.”

“It hasn’t been that long since I ranked up to S-rank either, considering the timing. It’s a mistake anyone could make.”

“Half a year is plenty of time. And an S-rank Hunter is important personnel not just for the guild, but for the country too. Didn’t you think it was strange that your meeting was scheduled three days after you submitted the request?”

“I just figured it couldn’t be helped since there are so many employees.”

“These days the company is a bit slow, so we found it quickly. If it were during a busy period, these things could get delayed for weeks. So next time, don’t do anything stupid and just come straight in. At your level, you can basically just knock on the CEO’s office door anytime and come in, you moron.”

As the short, twin-tailed President-nim wore a smile that seemed to mock me, I somehow felt reminded of some kind of mischievous brat character that was popular in my past life. Of course, perhaps because it was a completely different personality from the usual President Seo Ok-hee, she quickly returned to her normal demeanor.

“Ah, stop right there. Hold on.”

“Huh?”

“I told you not to come all the way up to my desk. Just sit at the very end of the reception sofa over there.”

“…Did I do something wrong?”

I don’t think I’ve even asked you to write a letter of recommendation for my S-rank Hunter qualifications yet. As I cautiously wondered where the rumor might have leaked from, President Seo Ok-hee quietly shook her head and replied.

“It’s not that. It’s because if you get too close to me, your thoughts can be read.”

“Huh? Didn’t you not really care about that?”

“…Of, of course I don’t really care, but wouldn’t it be burdensome for you? So sit over there, around that spot. If you’re there, even if you try your best to read my thoughts, they won’t be read.”

“It’s fine. Whether you read my thoughts or not doesn’t really matter to me….”

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Since the President-nim gave the command in a cold voice, as if it were a warning from the second time onwards, my body naturally reacted and sat down. Even though I had become an S-rank Hunter, there was a strange aura about President Seo Ok-hee, the senior-most S-rank Hunter in Korea, that made it difficult to easily defy her. With such charisma emanating even from that small body, it’s no wonder she has established the nation’s unrivaled top-tier guild system.

“Tell me the purpose of your meeting request. I have a general idea, but go ahead.”

“I came to ask for the S-rank Hunter recommendation letter needed for the former Chuncheon City Guild I mentioned last time.”

“I knew it. If Taekyung were to request a meeting at this time, that would probably be the only reason.”

Unlike Han Min-ah, who was surprised and called it shameless, the President-nim’s response was quite nonchalant. As if writing such a recommendation letter was no big deal.

“Are you going to write it?”

“Am I going to write it? I just confirmed again how much you exceed my expectations.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

“Think whatever you want. If you want to take it as a compliment, then do so.”

Since she told me to think whatever I wanted, I decided to just take it as a compliment. After all, I rather liked the title ‘Sung Taekyung, the comet-like talent who exceeds the expectations of SSS-rank Hunter Seo Ok-hee’.

“Is there absolutely no way?”

“…….”

“Still, we did explore that mystery dungeon together, didn’t we? Was all the time we spent there just a fling, President-nim?”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about, Taekyung. That mystery dungeon back then, we went in and our memories… Ah, no, didn’t we try to go in, but the gate didn’t activate, so we just came back?”

…Could she really be pretending to have lost her memory, still forgetting what happened inside back then? Seeing as she came out of the dungeon carrying the memories from that time, it undoubtedly meant it was a memory she didn’t want to forget either. Yet, seeing her stubbornly treat it like it never happened made it hard to understand the reason.

『Lust Fetish: Sung Taekyung, French Kiss, Fellatio, Helplessness, Insubordination』

Seeing as the Lust Fetish content is deeply related to the acts we shared back then, I can confirm that her memories are intact and she has some level of affection for me. Perhaps the President-nim is being cautious, worried that her age might be a burden, like Eunyoung Noona? But if that were the case, it’s actually President Seo Ok-hee whose physical age is the one that’s borderline…

“S, stop it… You, didn’t I tell you to sit at the end over there?”

“Huh? Ah.”

“W, where are you sneaking closer, taking advantage of the confusion? G, get back to your seat immediately!”

“Ah, I apologize.”

It seemed I had inadvertently entered the range where the President-nim could read my thoughts while trying to reconfirm the Lust Fetish content. And it had to be when I was thinking about President Seo Ok-hee’s most personal matters. She must have heard everything with her own ability. I hadn’t exactly harbored ill intentions towards the President-nim, so I didn’t feel guilty about anything, but seeing her face turn red suggested that it was quite an embarrassing topic for President Seo Ok-hee.

“A, anyway. I can’t just write the recommendation letter.”

“When you say you ‘can’t just write it,’ does that mean you’ll write it if there are some conditions?”

“…Yes, if the conditions are met, there’s no reason I can’t write it… I told you not to get close.”

“Ah, I apologize.”

I was the one whose thoughts were read when I got close, yet it was President Seo Ok-hee, the one who reads thoughts, who was desperately trying to distance herself from me. Well, I did have quite a few disrespectful thoughts about the President-nim when I was beside her last time. Could she really be wary of me because of that? Come to think of it, it’s true that I haven’t had any private time with the President-nim since receiving the land in the abandoned village last time. Perhaps she really has become uncomfortable with me because of that incident. She had been reading everyone’s thoughts, whether she wanted to or not, ever since she first manifested her abilities. I thought perhaps the inclusion of helplessness in her Lust Fetish was due to that reason. The helplessness she experienced for the first time, unable to read others’ thoughts and always having the upper hand with her awakening ability, might have actually been a source of relief for the President-nim. If I ever had the chance to enter Belle’s dungeon with President Seo Ok-hee again, I thought it might be good to recreate the situation from when we first entered together. If I could recreate the condition where the President-nim couldn’t use her awakening ability, perhaps she would secretly be pleased.

“What are the conditions for you to write the recommendation letter?”

“Nothing much. Just whether the guild you plan to create has the basic structure, and if it’s capable of generating enough profit for realistic operation.”

“Is that all?”

“And after that’s done, you’ll run an errand for me too. Since I’m spending my time writing this recommendation letter, I need to get something out of it for it to be worth my while.”

“Understood.”

“…Your straightforward answers are nice.”

I had fully expected that she wouldn’t just write it easily. And I also expected that she would check my guild establishment preparations along with these words. Since I believed that realistic guild establishment would be difficult if I couldn’t pass the President-nim’s scrutiny, I had no reason to refuse her offer to review my plans. I don’t know the details of the errand, but if it turns out to be completely unreasonable, I can just listen and refuse.

“Didn’t I tell you last time? The minimum three things needed to establish a guild.”

“Hunters, a dungeon, and a guild headquarters building, right?”

“Yes. You remember well. I trust that you came here confidently because you’ve prepared at least those minimum requirements. If you came here unprepared, you should be prepared to face the consequences for wasting my time.”

“…I’ve prepared everything properly, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Securing hunters is irrelevant since you yourself are an S-rank personnel, so let’s set that aside. How did you obtain a dungeon?”

“Just a moment, I’ll set it up now.”

“…Set it up?”

In front of President Seo Ok-hee, who asked back with a puzzled expression, I opened my spatial pocket and took out the warp gate I had stored inside. I thought it was fortunate that I kept it instead of placing it at the Chuncheon City Guild.

“This is a gate leading to a B-rank dungeon. I personally went to the dungeon gate, confirmed its rank and profitability, and then installed this warp gate.”

“…You secured a dungeon and a warp gate in such a short time? You’re not lying, are you?”

“If you find it hard to believe, you can check for yourself. Shall we go in together?”

“…Leave the gate there, and you step back a bit.”

“Huh?”

“A B-rank dungeon is something I can handle alone. There’s no need for both of us to go in.”

…Is she still wary of me reading her thoughts inadvertently? Even so, I thought it would be better to enter this dungeon together, but President Seo Ok-hee’s command was far too firm. Thinking it was best to follow the orders of someone who was going to write the recommendation letter, I took a few steps back, and she quietly stepped onto the white platform of the warp gate.

“I’ll be back soon. I’ll return in about 30 minutes and give you my evaluation.”

“Yes.”

With those words, President Seo Ok-hee disappeared beyond the warp gate amidst a light enveloping her surroundings. As she had said before entering, she returned to the company shortly after.

…Less than a minute after entering the Ice Lord’s snowy mountain.

“Y-you should have told me it was a snowy mountain dungeon beforehand…!”

Hugging her own arms with both hands, President Seo Ok-hee returned looking undeniably like she was shivering from the cold. Of course, I had intended to cast a warming spell on her the moment she entered.