Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Creditor of 1.06 Trillion Won

This was just my feeling, but I doubted he was registered with the Association.

It's illegal not to register as a Hunter.

But in reality, plenty of Hunters secretly lived without registering.

Why?

Because nobody wants to live under constant surveillance.

That was why I hadn't registered either.

Especially people who worked in the shadows, like loan sharks.

They definitely wouldn't register.

"Boss, what's your nickname?"

"Friend."

"Friend?"

"Got a problem?"

"That's a rare nickname."

"Well, yeah."

For just a moment, the loan shark's shoulders rose proudly.

If he'd managed to claim "Friend" as his nickname...

He must've Awakened extremely early.

If he'd diligently climbed the Tower since then, he would probably be at least A-rank.

I forwarded Lee Jinho's attached files to "Friend."

The loan shark checked the message.

His eyebrow twitched.

"DivineMan?"

"Yes. Problem?"

"That's a rare nickname too."

"Oh, it's nothing special. If you want it, I'll sell the nickname for one hundred billion won."

The loan shark gave me that Would you look at this guy? expression again.

"No thanks."

But then his atmosphere immediately changed.

He seemed to become about ninety percent businessman.

"So? Think you can recover it?"

"What S-rank weapon did you give him?"

"I didn't give him anything."

"What?"

"He turned out to be a scammer. He tried to steal my item and run, so the deal fell apart."

"Then the transaction was canceled."

"He still owes me the deposit."

"Hmm. Then that's 160 billion won."

"Yes."

"You said this was a trillion-won deal."

"It is a trillion-won deal. It says 1.06 trillion won right there."

"Well... technically, yes."

For the first time, the loan shark looked genuinely confused.

Apparently even he'd never encountered a situation like this.

"So you want me to collect 160 billion won by any means necessary?"

"Of course."

"Now I understand why you came to me."

"Can you do it?"

The loan shark grinned.

"You came to the right place. Like I said, the fee is..."

"Fifteen percent!"

"The minimum is thirty percent."

"You'd make twenty-four billion won from this one job."

The loan shark paused.

Then he asked in a serious tone.

"Let me ask you one thing. What happened to Hunter Lee Jinho?"

He didn't seem to be asking whether the man was alive.

"He'll never appear again."

"You sure?"

"Would a scammer willingly come back to pay money?"

The loan shark chuckled.

"No. He wouldn't. Not even if his life depended on it."

"Then?"

"Wait here."

The loan shark pressed the intercom on the table.

Beep.

"You called, boss?"

Two men entered.

One wore a suit.

The other wore a leather jacket.

The loan shark made a rectangle with both index fingers.

"Bring that."

"Yes, boss."

The two subordinates soon returned with a contract.

The loan shark's signature was already written on it.

"Sign."

"I'll have a lawyer check it first."

"Do I look like I have that much free time?"

"My time is extremely expensive."

"Who the hell are you?"

"The man who's about to make you twenty-four billion won."

The intimidating atmosphere around the loan shark softened.

"...Fair point."

"Then I'll be back."

It didn't take long.

Coincidentally, there was a law office in the same building.

But...

"You can't meet our attorney without an appointment."

The office manager looked at my face and immediately tried to send me away.

"I'll pay double the consultation fee."

"He charges one million won per hour..."

The manager narrowed his eyes and looked me up and down.

I placed a bundle of cash on the counter.

"Here's two million."

"Y-You're really paying double?"

"At this point, I'm practically donating to charity."

"Oh my, this must be very important! You should've said so from the start! Please wait just a moment."

This was why money was so wonderful.

Two million won? Whatever!

I was worth four billion won an hour.

And this lawyer only charged a measly one million?

Generosity really does come from a full storehouse.

Who would've thought I'd ever donate to the less fortunate?

"This way, please, sir."

The manager guided me into a room.

A man in a suit and glasses was sitting there.

"I'm Attorney Kim Dongho. What can I help you with?"

"Please look over this contract. What do you think?"

The lawyer initially wore an expression that clearly said, Why is someone like this paying two million won for a consultation?

But the moment he saw the amount written in the contract, his eyes changed.

Money really is power.

Money was identity.

Money was honor.

Money was status.

"Hmm. There aren't any toxic clauses. But this is... Friends Capital?"

"Why?"

"That man is extremely dangerous, so be careful. If you want, I can even notarize the contract for you."

"How much would notarization cost?"

"Free."

It sounded like he wanted to establish an ongoing relationship.

Nothing good comes from seeing lawyers often, though.

Still, I accepted the business card he offered.

"By the way, do lawyers normally charge around one million won for consultations?"

"I'm rather expensive."

I see.

"Then can you get someone acquitted of murder?"

This consultation cost two million won per hour.

Not even ten minutes had passed yet.

I should ask everything I'm curious about.

Attorney Kim Dongho laughed.

"Murder? Hahahaha!"

"Hahahaha."

Kim Dongho pushed his glasses up.

The lenses turned opaque.

"Two billion won."

Friends Capital Office.

"Boss, why are you doing such a huge deal with a guy like that?"

"A guy like that?"

"Yes."

"What does he look like to you?"

"Hmm... Just some nouveau riche punk?"

"Based on what? Because he's young and dressed badly?"

"Yes."

"What did he look like when you first saw him?"

"Just some broke bastard."

"Exactly. Yesterday's broke bastard became today's nouveau riche. Then what do you think he'll become tomorrow?"

The subordinate scratched his temple.

"Good question."

"What's your HunVen nickname?"

"LuckyCharm."

"What did you originally try to use?"

"Lottery."

"Then why are you LuckyCharm?"

"Lottery was already taken."

"Exactly."

"Ah...!"

The subordinate exclaimed.

At last, he understood the true meaning of a "rare nickname."

A chill ran down his spine.

If I hadn't been careful...

His head could've been cut off before he even realized it.

Without thinking, the subordinate touched his neck.

"What's the number-one rule in this business?"

"Um... Money is heavier than your life?"

"Never judge someone by appearance!"

"Sorry, hyung. I mean, boss. But didn't you say you can tell just by someone's face whether they're the type to borrow money?"

"That's not something just anyone can do."

"Ah..."

"The real ones..."

The loan shark put a cigar in his mouth.

His gold ring glimmered.

"You can't tell by looking."

Even the loan shark, Friend, couldn't understand one thing.

Why did Choi Hyunwoo become hazier in his memory every time he tried to picture him?

Even when he first opened the door and walked in...

If Choi Hyunwoo hadn't called out "Boss" first, he might not have noticed him.

The young man definitely wasn't ordinary.

Damn it. What a waste of money.

I'd barely done anything and already spent two million won.

I acted generous earlier.

Now I regretted it.

Maybe all lawyers were scammers.

Click.

"I'm back."

"What did Attorney Kim say?"

"He said there aren't any toxic clauses."

"Of course there aren't. He reviewed that contract himself."

"You two aren't colluding, are you?"

Still, there was only one law office in the area.

"Then what? You want to go somewhere else?"

"No, it's fine."

I didn't see anything especially strange about the contract either.

"Whatever else you say about Attorney Kim, he's fair. He doesn't stab his own clients in the back."

"I see."

"But you should still be careful around him. He knows the law well. That doesn't mean he's a good person."

Attorney Kim Dongho had said something similar about him.

"So how are you planning to collect the money?"

"First, Hunter Lee Jinho's assets will be inherited by his son."

The loan shark spoke as though he already knew Lee Jinho was dead.

More importantly...

He already found out the man has a son?

As expected.

This loan shark was the real deal.

"And then?"

"We let him inherit everything."

"What?"

"The moment he spends even one won of the inherited assets, the debt is inherited too."

"What if he doesn't spend anything?"

"He won't be able to resist. The son took out a loan to buy a home in Seoul. On top of that, he's a young man who suddenly inherited tens of billions of won. You really think he won't spend any of it?"

He definitely would.

I knew this better than anyone.

There was no way he could resist.

"What if he inherited everything without knowing about the debt?"

"That excuse won't work. That's the law. And even if somehow it did..."

The loan shark exhaled cigar smoke and grinned.

"I'd collect the money anyway."