Chapter 823: Meal Meeting

After enjoying our own little afternoon date at the ice rink, the place we headed to was a certain restaurant located within the Ariel Foundation.

Unlike the handmade burger joint we went to for lunch, the atmosphere was so different, it felt quite expensive, a steakhouse.

It wasn’t a franchise family restaurant that commoners frequent, but a sign with some French words I couldn’t decipher. I had already given up trying to figure out why such a place existed within the Foundation.

‘It’s probably here because it’s a place that makes sense to be here.’

Either the Foundation’s hunter ladies frequented it so often it must be doing well, or perhaps it was so expensive that it could operate selling just ten plates a day. I suspected it was the latter, but for some reason, I was too scared to ask. Even though I had a lot of money now, having lived for about 40 years, including my past life, with the sensibilities of a commoner, this kind of atmosphere still felt unfamiliar.

“Is the food to your liking, Sungchul-ssi?”

“Yes, it’s very good. I didn’t know there was a restaurant with such a nice view inside the Foundation.”

“This is considered the restaurant with the best view among those accessible within the Foundation. It’s one of the ‘Seven Scenic Views’ of the Ariel Foundation’s Seoul Branch.”

“…….”

If I asked any more, I felt like I’d get explanations about the remaining six scenic views, so I stopped. At this level, it wasn’t just a hunter guild; it was practically a community facility. Since it was a guild that employed chaebol young ladies as hunters, the basic infrastructure must have been on a different level compared to other guilds. Moreover, the Korean Ariel Foundation only had two branches, one in Seoul and one in Busan, so it made sense that the infrastructure would be concentrated in those two areas. After all, the Foundation, with just two branches, had been ranked among the top guilds in Korea for decades.

“By the way, Sungchul-ssi.”

“Yes.”

“…Do you have any specific plans going forward?”

“What plans are you referring to?”

“You intend to do something about Geum Jangmi and Geum Dallae. Knowing your personality, Sungchul-ssi, you wouldn’t just leave them be. Just like you did to my sister… no, that woman.”

Sihee spoke as if she was inferring my next move based on what I had done to Geum Jangmi and Geum Dallae. This was Sihee’s demeanor.

Well, I did intend to do something, so Sihee’s prediction wasn’t entirely wrong. It was just a bit awkward to reveal the entire plan to Sihee.

‘It wasn’t exactly a peaceful or humanitarian method of resolution.’

At the very least, I intended for them to experience the same things that those women had done to Eunbyul, as far as I knew. And after that, through Eunbyul, I would have to ask roughly what situation they were in now and how it could be resolved. And I would have to make it possible for that to happen.

Ultimately, I had no intention of ending things on a good note. For starters, I had already envisioned the sisters’ punishment and the conclusion, to some extent in my mind.

Killing them would be difficult to cover up, and more importantly, it went against my beliefs, so of course I wouldn’t do that. But at the very least, I intended to make it so they could never defy me or Eunbyul again, so they couldn’t even think of it.

“I have something in mind, but I can’t really tell you the specifics. It’s not the kind of plan you can just tell people about….”

“It’s okay. Knowing that you have a plan, Sungchul-ssi, is enough for me. Whatever you decide to do, I’m cheering you on, and I’ll help you as much as I can within my capabilities.”

“…Perhaps soon, I might be able to fulfill what’s written in our contract.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. You told me I could write anything, so I just wrote down my small wish. You only need to help me as much as you possibly can.”

Since I intended to help only within my capabilities, I naturally had to do everything I could. The contract between Sihee and me was to help Eunbyul resume her hunter activities. At the very least, the sisters from Geumhyang were clearly Eunbyul’s biggest obstacle at the moment, and if they could be dealt with, Eunbyul’s return as a hunter would likely not be far off.

“And regarding Do Yehee, whom I mentioned earlier, it wasn’t that I particularly intended to step in first. It was just that by chance, what appeared before my eyes was Sihee-ssi and Eunbyul being harassed by Do Yehee, and I instinctively felt the need to help, so I ended up fighting her right then and there. And after that, the reason I condemned and punished Do Yehee was simply because she had done something deserving of it. Do Yehee, unable to let go of her lingering feelings, came all the way to my house, to test me as someone qualified to be Sihee-ssi’s acquaintance… hmm, cough.”

“My, acquaintance qualification?”

“…Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

…It seems I’ve put my foot in my mouth.

Do Yehee had appeared to test me, to prevent undesirable individuals from gathering around Sihee, and that was still a secret from her. Of course, we hadn’t explicitly agreed to keep it a secret, but I decided it would be better to keep it quiet. For one thing, the fact that her own associates were being tested by her sister would surely hurt Sihee’s pride. And besides, if Do Yehee didn’t mention it herself, it felt awkward for me to bring it up.

So, if possible, regarding the somewhat complicated relationship between the Dokyung Group sisters, I had tried not to get involved. Fortunately, Sihee didn’t seem entirely unaware of what Do Yehee had been doing up until now.

“Well, that woman probably didn’t approach you, Sungchul-ssi, with malicious intent. Considering what she’s done to me up until now.”

“What?”

“She probably approached you to test what kind of person you are, to see if you were a suitable person to be by my side. She’s the type who can’t rest easy unless she confirms things with her own eyes.”

“…Did Do Yehee tell you?”

“Surely that proud woman wouldn’t tell you herself? …It’s just that lately, my sister… that woman, I’ve been involved with her more often, and through that process, I’ve realized she wasn’t as terrible as I thought.”

So, she figured it out on her own in the end. Either way, it was pretty good news. It meant that Sihee and Do Yehee’s relationship was improving, even if just a little. As someone who managed both their libidos, I had no reason to object to them getting along.

“Actually, I did find it a little strange. When that woman hooked onto my connections, it was almost always when the other party was asking me for difficult favors.”

“Difficult favors?”

“Like asking me to show my face at official events, invest company funds in research projects, or acquire a subsidiary that felt a bit risky. Things like that. Even back then, when I was young, I hesitated because the requests felt unsettling, but now, it’s obvious to anyone that they were trying to use me.

“And back then, I thought losing connections in the succession race was more critical, so whenever someone made such a request, I tried to accommodate them partially. Like investing half the amount they requested, or agreeing to an informal dinner instead of an official appearance. But perhaps that was exactly what they wanted. They would make absurd requests that were impossible to fulfill, get what they wanted, and likely burden me with guilt.

“But each time, Do Yehee would approach my connections first and preemptively offer to grant their requests. This happened several times. Until recently, I thought her actions were aimed at stealing or snatching my connections, but lately, I’ve started to think that perhaps I was just naive back then. If she had truly intended to torment me, she would have gotten rid of Nari first. Nari is my oldest friend, and the one who helped me the most during tough times. However, in Nari’s case, she protected her until the end from those sisters of Geumhyang, and ultimately, I refused to admit that I had poor judgment of people, so I denied her actions.”

“…I can’t really say anything. While I am acquainted with both Sihee-ssi and Do Yehee, I don’t know everything that happened between you two.”

“It can’t be helped. This is a matter between my sister and me. Rather, I’ve made you worry unnecessarily, about things that don’t concern you, Sungchul-ssi.”

Although it was concerning, it was better to hear it than not.

“So, are you going to reconcile with Do Yehee?”

“No, that’s a different issue.”

“What?”

“Even if it was for my sake, acting without a word to interfere with people around me is something I still can’t understand, honestly. At the very least, they could have properly explained why they did it to me. If they had, there would have been no misunderstandings, and our relationship wouldn’t have soured. True?”

“…Well, I suppose that’s true.”

“My pride won’t allow me to approach such an unreasonable woman to initiate reconciliation. …Well, if she were to honestly confess her wrongdoings up until now and ask for forgiveness, it wouldn’t be impossible. But not yet, anyway.”

The day Do Yehee would be able to call Sihee ‘Unnie’ still seemed a long way off.