Chapter 142

 

Seong San-ha had a dubious expression but didn’t ask further. 

Shortly after, an Esper entered the waiting room. I unconsciously flinched and stepped back, and the Esper who passed by me with a strange look went straight to Seong San-ha and said. 

“Part 1 has ended. They said you can come in now.” 

“Tell them I’m coming.” 

As soon as the Esper nodded and left, I immediately asked Seong San-ha.

“What does that mean? Don’t tell me the meeting already started?” 

“It started quite a while ago.” 

“What?” 

When I arrived and was guided to the waiting room, he was calmly just fixing his hair, so I thought maybe it had been postponed. But it had started long ago and Part 1 was already over! 

As I tried to get up in surprise, Seong San-ha pressed my thigh to keep me seated. 

“I need to go quickly…” 

“It’s just pointless discussion anyway, you won’t find it interesting.” 

“It’s not about being interesting!! Even if I don’t go, what about you? Shouldn’t you be going? Aren’t you the representative?” 

Seong San-ha calmly brushed the hair off my shoulder and shook his head. 

“Meetings are just power struggles. Everything important has already been decided, and even if there’s something to be changed, they’ll work it out behind the scenes.” 

“Still, shouldn’t we be the only ones who aren’t late?”

This was the first official venue I was attending as ‘Kang Eui-jin.’ Since I grew up watching only Tae Jae-heon, I was quite worried. That guy has too many character flaws to be a good example.

Seeing my anxious face, Seong San-ha stroked my hair and asked.

“You’re being unusually cute. Are you nervous?” 

“Nervous? Not at all.” 

“It’s okay to be late. You’re Kang Eui-jin after all.” 

Seong San-ha said with a bright smile. Hearing those words, I felt a strange thrill tickling from deep in my chest. 

That’s right. I am Kang Eui-jin.

My shoulders straightened naturally. As I nodded with a grin, Lee Cho made a groaning sound and whispered in Seong San-ha’s ear. 

“San-ha nim. I think you just made a big mistake. This must be the first experience for Eui-jin nim…” 

“What’s the big deal? It’s just cute.”

After fixing my hair, that had become messy from his fiddling, Seong San-ha left the waiting room. Seong San-ha and I led the way, with Lee Cho and Cheong following behind. Before entering the lobby, Cheong quietly put on a mask.

As soon as we stepped into the open space, dazzling camera flashes went off, making it difficult to even open my eyes. 

“Ugh, what’s this?” 

When I instinctively covered my eyes with my hands, Seong San-ha lowered his head and whispered.

“Smile. This will be in the breaking news.” 

“But I can’t even open my eyes…”

As I grumbled and looked to the side, I saw Seong San-ha smiling picture-perfectly while staring directly into the light. I had no choice but to force my eyes open too. This would never have happened if I were with Tae Jae-heon. He would have destroyed everything in anger.

As I became somewhat accustomed to the flashes, I gradually noticed my surroundings. People with credentials were holding cameras outside the red belt. 

Unlike what I’d seen on TV, they all seemed to follow some unspoken rules, silently focusing on taking photos. Cutting through the sound of shutters, we finally reached the large door. 

Since only authorized people could enter the conference hall, Cheong and Lee Cho, who didn’t have permits, had to go to the observation area.

“We’ll go upstairs.” “Okay. See you after it’s over.”

After watching the two of them climb up the side stairs, Seong San-ha and I entered through the large door. Inside, a long corridor stretched ahead, with no lighting except for the glow of magic stones embedded in the floor guiding our way.

When the flashes and shutter sounds that had filled the space suddenly disappeared, the dark interior felt even more silent. As I walked steadily toward the door visible at the end of the corridor, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Seong San-ha looking at me.

“Isn’t it dark?” 

Was he planning to turn on some lights? It wasn’t so dark that we couldn’t walk. 

When I nodded, a voice tinged with amusement whispered.

“I bet no one would see if we kissed here.” 

“…You’re crazy.” 

We’re already late and he’s calmly spouting such nonsense… 

Shaking my head, I went ahead, leaving him behind. I could hear the sound of his leisurely footsteps following me.

When I swung open the door at the end of the corridor, bright light poured in. A wide-open space unfolded before my eyes. 

“Huh?” 

I thought there would be many people at the Tower Holding Nations conference, but only a few people were seated at the large circular table positioned in the center. 

‘Is everyone late?’

Hearing the murmuring sounds, I looked up and saw an observation gallery above the conference hall. Unlike the nearly empty conference hall, the gallery was packed with people. Cheong and Lee Cho were there too. 

As I tilted my head at the stares directed at me, a woman who had been sitting at the table stood up and approached us.

‘I definitely know that face from somewhere.’ 

I stared intently at her familiar face while searching my memory. But then, didn’t she also hesitate when she saw my face?

Seong San-ha, who had arrived late behind me, saw the woman staring at me and asked with curiosity.

“Is there a problem?” 

“Ah, I’m sorry. You look like someone I know, I think I was confused. You arrived just in time. Are you Potion Master Kang Eui-jin? I’m the branch director…” 

“…TF Chief Director. Han Seo-hyun?” 

I finally remembered. Han Seo-hyun narrowed her eyes at the words I blurted out without thinking. 

“How do you know that position?” 

I flinched at her sharp question, realizing my mistake too late. I had felt relieved at remembering who she was and spoke without thinking, but now that I thought about it, I had only seen Han Seo-hyun through a booth screen. And that was while trading for guiding potions!

“Ah, um, nice to meet you too.” 

Afraid of being caught, I hastily grabbed Han Seo-hyun’s hand, shook it, and took a step back to push Seong San-ha forward. Han Seo-hyun’s persistent gaze followed me, but I scratched my head and pretended not to notice.

“…Part 2 will begin in 90 seconds, so you should prepare. Most conclusions fell within the expected range, and we’re now in the final stage.” 

While following Han Seo-hyun who led the way, Seong San-ha lowered his head and said.

“Alesha is in hiding, and Regulus couldn’t attend due to injury. Everyone’s attention will be drawn to you, the only one with a constellation.” 

“…Okay.” 

He meant that many eyes would be looking at me not as ‘Potion Master Kang Eui-jin’ but as the respondent who possessed Hamal and Castor.

I stopped at her gesture to wait a moment. Seong San-ha pointed to the magic stones embedded in a line beneath our feet, glowing with light.

“Once you step inside this line, they will be able to see you too.” 

“That’s fascinating. So they’re all seated now?” 

“That’s right.”

I was curious about what skill was being used through the magic stones. Just as I was about to slightly bend my knee to examine them, I heard a voice telling us to come in.

I stepped inside the line formed by the magic stones. At that moment, my mouth fell open at the scene unfolding before me. The previously empty seats were now filled with translucent bluish figures, and my ears were filled with constant murmuring. All eyes turned toward me and Seong San-ha.

[It’s Mystic.] 

[That young kid is the Potion Master?] 

[I heard they possessed two constellations, but they don’t seem that special.] 

[There was also that recent issue of someone impersonating them, right? Thinking about it now, it must have been the work of followers targeting the constellations.] 

[They’ll need to protect the holder well. Korea has two towers, after all.]

It felt strange, like watching TV, perhaps because the words were automatically translated for me. While I was turning my head here and there, experiencing this for the first time, the figure of a woman who appeared to be the moderator appeared in the center of the table.

[We will now begin Part 2 of the Tower Holding Nations Conference. From Part 2, Mystic, the Guild Master of Cheon Rang, and Kang Eui-jin, the holder of Hamal and Castor and also a Potion Master from Korea, have joined us.] 

[We ask for your understanding regarding the delay for the safety of the Potion Master and the constellations.]

The audience stirred at Seong San-ha’s smile. I sat in the seat next to him and looked around. When our eyes met, most people smiled and nodded, but many among them showed hostility. Among the various foreigners, I spotted some familiar faces. There were famous hunters I had heard of in passing, as well as clients who had commissioned potion-making from me.

[Then the next agenda items are the priority and distribution of foreign aid, and whether to designate special tax rates for tower by-products. If anyone has opinions… Yes, please speak.] 

[We cannot accept distribution at the same rate. We must consider the damage when establishing…]

***

‘…When will this end.’ 

The meeting was boring. Incomprehensible terms were thrown around everywhere, and although I began to understand their meaning as time passed, the content itself was something I had no interest in to begin with. 

Taxes, distribution, aid – amounts on a scale I had never even considered…

The only reason I didn’t doze off was entirely due to Seong San-ha tickling my leg from beside me. I kicked his foot telling him to stop, but with a shameless expression, he continued without withdrawing his hand while calmly answering questions directed at him. 

When I tried to retaliate by kicking his leg, my movement was too large, and the moderator pointed at me asking if I wanted to speak, which left me sitting completely still in my chair afterwards.

I grabbed the back of his hand that was writing something incomprehensible on my leg. 

“Having fun?” 

When I whispered through gritted teeth, Seong San-ha merely shrugged his shoulders without looking back. To prevent him from moving any further, I interlaced my fingers with his, restraining him, then applied pressure while staring ahead. 

‘This should stop him from moving.’ 

I smiled, satisfied with having subdued him, but strangely, Seong San-ha also seemed to be enjoying it with a smile of his own. What’s going on? Is it my imagination?

[With that, we conclude the first Tower Holding Nations Conference.] 

At the moderator’s words, thinking it was finally over, I stretched my body while yawning.