Chapter 171
Chapter 171
A stillness descended around them .
“… Are you saying s.h.i.+nhae might not be my daughter?”
“Yes . ”
Jimin gave an immediate reply .
“In truth, it is a possibility if we think about your ex-wife, isn’t it?”
Kwah-dook!
Jiyoon jumped in her seat .
The wooden armrest of the sofa was crushed by Sungyoon’s grip . However, Jimin didn’t even blink .
It was clear that this was a highly volatile situation . Sungyoon glared at Jimin, but Jimin looked right back at him . Jiyoon, who was stuck in the middle, was anxious . She didn’t know what to do .
“… I know you"ve been very good to me and my daughter . However, I believe you"ve overstepped your bounds . ”
“I know . But this is for Mr . Sungyoon and s.h.i.+nhae’s sake . ”
Silence descended once again . However, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen .
“Hoo . I would like to hear what you are thinking about, President . ”
Sungyoon relaxed his hands as he spoke . Jimin had always helped him so he decided to trust her one more time .
“Thank you . I hope you don’t misunderstand my intentions . I’ll never try to separate Mr . Sungyoon from s.h.i.+nhae . In fact, my goal is the opposite . I want Mr . Sungyoon and s.h.i.+nhae to live together in happiness . That is what I want . ”
Jimin took a small sip of her coffee to wet her lips .
“Also, I know you don’t care if s.h.i.+nhae is your biological daughter or not . Am I right?”
“Yes . ”
Sungyoon did have this thought before . He knew s.h.i.+nhae might not be his biological daughter as he was betrayed by his ex-wife after all .
However, it didn’t matter if s.h.i.+nhae was his biological daughter or not . It wasn’t important to him . Whatever the case was, s.h.i.+nhae was his treasure . It would always remain the same .
“You were able to live your life with your adorable daughter until now . You just want a happy life for both of you, but things are different now . ”
“… I see . I get where you"re going with this . ”
Sungyoon understood the implication within Jimin’s words .
He was famous now, and the fact that he had a lot of money was common knowledge .
The worst possible face flashed through his mind .
“Lee Miyun… . ”
“Yes . Your ex-wife might try to come back into your life again . ”
A torrent of anger and hate boiled up inside his heart . Sungyoon once again pushed those emotions back down into the depths of his heart .
If he wanted to protect s.h.i.+nhae, he couldn’t be hot-headed . He needed a cold and logical approach .
“If she does that, her goal will be your money . ”
“That’ll be the case nine out of ten times . The problem remains that she knows s.h.i.+nhae is your biggest weakness . She is also the one capable of using this information against you in the most effective way . She’ll probably do the same thing as before and threaten Mr . Sungyoon by taking s.h.i.+nhae hostage . ”
“… It certainly sounds like a plausible threat . ”
As long as Sungyoon was next to s.h.i.+nhae, he would never let Miyun approach either of them . However, he had to go to the Moon .
The fact that Miyun had acted in a rotten manner to induce the divorce wasn’t known to the outside world . Everyone else had thought that it had been an amicable divorce . So Sungyoon had no grounds to completely stop Miyun from meeting s.h.i.+nhae .
“… Do you have some kind of a plan?”
“I’m not asking you to take a DNA test because my plan hinges on it . However, the way I will deal with this problem changes depending on the result of the test . ”
“It seems you do have a plan . ”
When it came to his daughter, Sungyoon could move heaven and earth . He was willing to do terrible things . He was ready to do the worst . However, it seemed Jimin had a plan, so he decided to put such thoughts away for now .
“Alright . You just need my hair and s.h.i.+nhae’s hair, right?”
“Yes . I need to borrow your name too . ”
“Understood . If we are going to do this, let’s do it as soon as possible . I’ll bring everything tomorrow . ”
“I’ll make sure to finish all the preparations by then . ”
Their business was done now .
“I’ll be heading out now . ”
After this serious conversation, Sungyoon really wanted to see s.h.i.+nhae .
“Mr . Sungyoon . ”
He was about to leave when Jimin called out to him .
It seemed she had more to say .
There was a chance that his most precious treasure might be threatened by an unknown source . So Sungyoon once again became tense as he turned to look at Jimin .
“This is the last thing I want to confirm . Do you mind me using every possible means to protect s.h.i.+nhae?”
With a cold expression, Sungyoon spoke .
“Not at all . ”
“I needed to hear those words . ”
Jimin let out a beautiful smile . Jiyoon, who had witnessed the exchange, gulped . Jimin was a very good boss to her, and Sungyoon was a good person . However, currently, they looked very scary .
“Ah . One more thing . . . ”
Jimin raised her hand . Did she have something important she wanted to discuss further? Sungyoon focused on her words .
Jimin pointed at the sofa where Sungyoon had been sitting .
“Since you destroyed it, I’ll buy a new one out of your pay . ”
“… Please do that . ”
Sungyoon had no choice but to answer in a sheepish manner .
***
After Jiyoon left, Jimin once again sat in front of her desk .
‘Most of the preparation for my plan is done . ’
She had received consent from Sungyoon, and she had told Jiyoon what was going on . As Jimin had expected, Jiyoon cried as she promised to help s.h.i.+nhae any way she could .
‘I feel bad for using Ms . Jiyoon like this . . . ’
It was as she had said to Sungyoon earlier . She would accomplish her goals by any means necessary .
As an apology, she would make sure to set up a date between Sungyoon and Jiyoon at a later date . Jimin then took out a folder from the drawer . She had secretly investigated that woman, and she was looking at the report .
As Jimin looked through the files she found a picture stuck to the front page . The main subject of this investigation was Miyun .
Although Jimin had brought up the topic of Miyun to Sungyoon just day, she had already been working on it from the background for a while . She looked down coldly at the picture .
‘Lee Miyun… . ’
That woman had betrayed Sungyoon, and she had wounded s.h.i.+nhae . Before, Lee Miyun had only been an unpleasant existence to Jimin . However, it was different now .
‘She should know her place . I will leave her alone if she never approaches Mr . Sungyoon and s.h.i.+nhae . But if she once again approaches them to do something despicable again . . . !’
Jimin’s eyes turned cold . For a long time, she glared at Miyun’s picture . Then, she closed the folder and leaned back in her chair as she looked up at the ceiling .
[I’m still speaking as a father of a child . I would feel proud of having such a daughter like you . It would be proof that my daughter loved me very much . It would be proof that my daughter viewed me as an excellent, wonderful, and loving father . I would know she loved me . ]
Sungyoon’s words appeared in Jimin"s mind again, and her heart started beating faster . She let out a small sigh as she placed a hand over her chest .
She would never hand over s.h.i.+nhae and Sungyoon to that woman .
‘I’ll never allow that woman to do as she likes . ’
A coldness appeared in Jimin"s eyes .
***
Sungyoon was the hero who had defeated the Behemoth and saved the people of London . However, his life hadn’t changed too much .
He planned on having fun with s.h.i.+nhae until the Mana Stream in his labyrinth ended and then go to the Moon .
However, his plan was completely destroyed on that day .
“How is it looking on your side?”
Sungyoon had his handphone pressed against his ear as he asked the question . A deep voice came through the handphone .
- It"s too early to tell . The difference in opinions is too large .
Tim replied, and the frustration in his voice was clear . He wore his emotions on his sleeve .
- How about you, Mr . Sungyoon?
“Everything was fine when I talked to Ms . Grace . It seems the Korean government is taking my wishes into consideration since I’ve gained renown and fame in the battle in London .
- I’m envious of you . Anyway, we told the government that we are party members with Ms . Grace and Mr . Sungyoon . I think they will show some leeway considering our relations.h.i.+p with both of you . However, I do not think we can perfectly lineup our schedule with yours .
The high ranked Connectors of Earth had to be on standby .
When the Behemoth rampaged in London, every country made plans regarding the possibility of monsters appearing in their country .
Each country was searching their lands to check if any place was starting to emit magical energy . They wanted to be prepared so that they could defeat any unexpected monsters . One of the contingency plans was to put high rank Connectors always on standby . Of course, the countries couldn’t give up on acquiring moonstones, so they decided to schedule and rotate the duties of Connectors .
The problem was the order of the schedule . There were multiple Connectors in a party, and the Mana Stream period differed for each labyrinth . Therefore, it was very hard to come up with the perfect schedule . The process had become complex .
Of course, Grace was the granddaughter of the Queen, and she was one of the two heroes who had saved London . So her government listened to whatever she had to say .
As for Sungyoon, he had acquired great fame when he saved London, and it had brought great prestige to his country . That was why the Korean government tried to accommodate his requests as much as possible . However, the Ross siblings didn"t get to enjoy such privileges .
“It can’t be helped . Please contact me when you get some concrete news . We’ll discuss our plans further when that happens . ”
- Understood .
Sungyoon ended his call .
‘We won’t be able to go into our labyrinth for a while . ’
Sungyoon tossed his handphone, and he rubbed at his eyes .
If the Ross sibling arrived late, he couldn’t go deep into his labyrinth . He would have to hunt with Grace as his only companion .
However, Grace recently had a bad experience in a labyrinth, so it was a bit iffy going into his labyrinth with just the two of them .
His handphone rang at that moment .
‘Is it Mr . Tim?’
Did he forget to say something?
Sungyoon answered the phone, but he was greeted by someone totally unexpected .
- Sup, Mr . Hero . How are you doing?
Sungyoon heard an energetic and confident voice . He didn’t hide his surprise as he answered .
“What drove you to make this phone call, Mr . Hyunwoo?”
Sung Hyunwoo was on the other line of the phone .
- I saw you make the headlines . I wanted to check on how you are doing, and also make an offer .
“An offer?”
Sungyoon heard a half-playful suggestion from across the phone .
- Are you interested in the Great Labyrinth?
***
It had been a while since he had been up here, but the Moon remained the same .
The air was stale, resources were scarce, and everything was expensive .
Moreover, he thought there were fewer people here now . People were still spooked about the incident where magical energy leaked out from Grace’s labyrinth .
However, Sungyoon couldn’t think about any of that right now . He stood in front of the wide open entrance to a cave .
“Why are you so tense?”
Hyunwoo slapped Sungyoon’s back hard and laughed . Sungyoon coughed
“You aren’t a rookie . You"re the hero of London . You shouldn’t show any outward signs of nervousness . ”
Sungyoon became very embarra.s.sed when Hyunwoo spoke that way . Although, Hyunwoo had probably spoken that way because Sungyoon had reacted that way .
Still, it was true that Sungyoon’s popularity had spread far and wide . The Connectors near them kept glancing at him .
“Let’s go . You came up early for this . ”
Hyunwoo lightly pushed Sungyoon’s back . Sungyoon let out a sigh as he activated his Gems .
“Oh s.h.i.+t!”
The Connectors let out a sound of admiration . It seemed they were surprised when they saw Sungyoon’s Gems" activation speed .
Sungyoon didn"t pay attention to the reactions . He and Hyunwoo slowly entered the Great Labyrinth .
The entrance to the Great Labyrinth looked the same as compared to the other labyrinths . However, Sungyoon could feel it .
Hwoooooooong!
Unlike the calm flow of magical energy within regular labyrinths, the magical energy here was like a fierce gale .
Sungyoon was greeted by a constant Mana Stream, which was the special characteristic of the Great Labyrinth .
“I can’t believe you made it to the Moon . ”
Sungyoon had been tense as he looked at his surroundings when Hyunwoo, who had been walking in front of him, spoke .
“I’m sure the government didn’t want you to leave the country . ”
“They really didn’t . ”
Sungyoon sounded annoyed as he mumbled .
The government had praised his actions as being very heroic . They had praised him for enhancing the national prestige of Korea, but they also didn’t want him to endanger himself anymore .
They only wanted one thing . They wanted him to have a lot of children .
“Of course, I turned down their recommendations . ”
“This is normal with 1st Gens . You can live a comfortable life . There are a lot of benefits that come with being a ‘stud’ . ”
Stud .
Even as everyone praised him, the government only wanted him to take on the role of being a stud .
“It’s not my problem . I don’t care if I’m a 1st Gen or not . My goal is to raid the Great Labyrinth . I won’t go along with their wishes . It"s also the reason why I came here first . I did so by leaving behind my party members . ”
The Ross siblings still hadn’t received their rotation schedule . And Grace had to act as the hero of her country and direct the recovery of London, so she was still on Earth .
Only Sungyoon had come up to the Moon .
He had taken advantage of Hyunwoo’s offer of taking him to a field trip to the Great Labyrinth .
It seemed Hyunwoo liked what he heard .
“Yes . That’s good! Even if you"re a 1st Gen, you have the right to decide your fate! I knew I liked you!”
Hyunwoo turned around .
“This is your first entry into the Great Labyrinth . It"s a historic moment . ”
First entry . It was an odd choice of word . Sungyoon had already entered the entrance, and he walked forward . The crazy fluctuation of magical energy was proof that he was in the Great Labyrinth .
Hyunwoo had turned to look at him, and a light appeared behind him . At first, Sungyoon thought it was the light that summoned monsters . However, he was wrong . It was too bright to be a monster summoning light .
Sungyoon went to the place illuminated by the bright light .
“This is . . . !”
He became surprised . No, he was shocked . He had known this information, but to see it for himself was something else . Sungyoon saw a large gra.s.sy plain that had green gra.s.s that reached his thighs . He could see a creek to the side too .
Cl.u.s.ters of trees formed a small forest . A warm light fell down on him .
It was a sight that shouldn’t exist below the surface of the Moon .
Hyunwoo looked at Sungyoon and spoke .
“Welcome to the Great Labyrinth . ”