Hunter World Chaebol Household - Chapter 18 - The Truth of the Family

As she had hoped, So-Hyun’s funeral became an unusual funeral, where budae-jjigae was served instead of yukgaejang.

T/N: Budae-jjigae is a Korean fusion army base stew that incorporates American processed meats, while yukgaejang is a red hot-spicy beef and vegetable soup. Traditionally, yukgaejang is served in funerals due to its symbology of the red soup color. It is said the color wards off bad luck and evil spirits. Alongside this belief, there are nutritional reasons as well.

 

Thanks to this, Jeong-Hoon and Si-Eun, who were sitting as the sangju, had to smile bitterly throughout the funeral.

T/N: The sangju is the chief mourner or the person who organizes the entire funeral. This person is usually the male who is the closest in blood to the deceased.

 

“……she was someone who was like a storm.”

After finishing the samwooje, Jeong-Hoon, who placed So-Hyun’s belongings next to the urn, shook his head and said. Next to him, Han Si-Eun smiled.

T/N: Samwooje is an ancestral rite that is performed on the third day after the funeral. It is a rite to help guide the soul of the deceased to a better place.

 

“Instead of a storm, wasn’t she more of some mythical warrior of thunder?”

“That’s why I’m saying she was like a storm.”

Although he and Han Si-Eun had been hanging out for a while, Jeong-Hoon has yet to get along with her.

This is because So-Hyun was always at the center of their interaction, not Jeong-Hoon.

However, because of the amount of time they spent together, he felt like she was a friend.

 

“Good work, Chairman.”

 

“Not at all. You’ve done more than I did. You took care of it like it was your own business.”

 

“Isn’t that the same for you?”

At Si-Eun’s words, Jeong-Hoon was speechless for a moment.

The assignment was what was at stake, but in fact, the assignment ended with Lee So-Hyun’s death.

It is purely Jeong-Hoon’s good faith that he took over as the sangju, held the funeral, and organized the samwooje.

 

“And I now know for sure this time.”

 

“Sorry? What do you mean?”

 

“About how the chairman said that he would make the world remember his name.”

He had only said that on a whim, but when she said she understood what it meant, Jeong-Hoon looked rather puzzled.

 

“With this event, it has made the chairman’s reputation very good among the hunters. Everyone was impressed that the chairman took care of something that even the guild didn’t want to take care of.”

Listening to her words, Jeong-Hoon remembered that Butler Joo had said something similar during the funeral.

In any case, Jeong-Hoon’s position as the chairman made it inevitable for this event to be known, but to think that his reputation has risen as well.

Unlike the assignment with Shine Mall he took care of quietly, the funeral event has left rather a social aftermath.

 

“‘Since companies can’t own guilds, I will make the hunter who can create a guild rely on me.’ It was that kind of declaration, right?”

 

“What? Uh, I didn’t think about it that far. I just wanted a lot of people to remember my name.”

Jeong-Hoon quickly settled the topic because she was about to fall into some ridiculous misunderstanding.

 

“Will you continue to do volunteer work like this?”

 

“I’d like to do it if possible, but I’m still not used to seeing people die…”

It was a euphemistic rejection, but Si-Eun nodded because she had seen Jeong-Hoon biting his lower lip to bleed upon So-Hyun’s death.

 

“However, we will spare no support.”

 

“…then there won’t be any rooms left in Lumen.”

 

“…that’s a problem I didn’t think of. Do we need an extension?”

 

“If you wish, I’ll have them open a second location in Seoul.”

While lightly exchanging jokes with Si-Eun, Jeong-Hoon shook his head at Butler Joo’s intervention.

He didn’t really intend on opening a second location. He just wanted to expand the welfare of Myeongil Hospital.

 

“Then I’ll be on my way. Everyone is waiting for me. You did a great job.”

 

“Thank you for hanging out with us beyond our request.”

Since the FC guild, to which she belongs, revolved around So-Hyun, the guild’s activities had been on hold for about a week.

 

Jeong-Hoon, who had no intention of holding her back any longer, bowed his head and said his goodbye.

But honestly, as a fan, it was a shame to send her away like this.

“Oh, wait!”

 

“Yes? Is there something else?”

“I couldn’t ask because of So-Hyun, but I’m a fan. Could I get an autograph and a photo?”

Laughing at him, Si-Eun grabbed the paper and pen that Butler Joo had prepared, returned it after signing, and stopped Butler Joo from trying to take a picture.

 

She quickly took out the cell phone in Jeong-Hoon’s inner jacket pocket and skillfully worked her way.

After unlocking the phone without hesitation because the password wasn’t set, she held it up and brought her and Jeong-Hoon together onto the screen.

 

“I’ll take the picture now.”

 

Jeong-Hoon, who had been standing still due to her sudden action, blankly looked at her when she didn’t return his phone after taking the photo.

 

“Here’s my number. We met thanks to So-Hyun, but we’re friends, right?

 

“Oh, yes. We’re friends.”

 

When Si-Eun suddenly said that they were friends, Jeong-Hoon received his cell phone in a daze.

He could always find out Si-Eun’s phone number through Lumen. Si-Eun, too, was fully aware of that.

However, her giving her phone number to him meant he could contact her at any time as a friend.

 

“Then let’s meet as friends next time. Have a good day.”

Jeong-Hoon waved blankly to her as she went away.

 

“I became friends with Han Si-Eun…”

When another item on his bucket list that he thought was impossible had come true, Jeong-Hoon repeatedly mumbled while touching his cell phone.

 

“You look more in disbelief than when you became the head of the household.”

 

“Oh, frankly, it’s a similar shock. No matter how good I am, I am only a rich person, not an awakened being, so I thought I wouldn’t be making contacts with such people.”

As he spoke, Jeong-Hoon realized that it was a reality that he became friends with Han Si-Eun, so he put his cell phone back in his inner pocket with a smile.

 

So-Hyun had thanked him, but Jeong-Hoon had received many things through this assignment.

From solving the assignment, from becoming the head of the household, no- from the moment his parents passed away, it was the first time he had fun and laughed as much as he wanted.

 

“The family will thoroughly take care of Hunter Lee’s cremains.”

 

“I’ll come often, so please take care of her.”

Having no intentions of neglecting the person whom he basically called his own sister, Jeong-Hoon asked, and looked at the entrance where Si-Eun ran out and looked inside the building again.

“Since I’m here, I should go say hello after a long time.”

 

Butler Joo, who looked inside the building at Jeong-Hoon’s sudden declaration, was lost in thought for a moment, and realized what he was saying and bowed his head.

“Come to think of it, they have been here.”

 

“Yes, they were both hunters.”

 

This is the Hunter Memorial Park, where Jeong-Hoon enshrined So-Hyun’s ashes.

Being a hunter is a noble thing to protect the world. Therefore, those who are registered as hunters among awakened beings are entitled to be enshrined in the Hunter Memorial Park when they die as long as they maintain their hunter status.

The Hunter Memorial Park is a national park for hunters, and here laid Jeong-Hoon’s parents.

 

***

 

For a week after obtaining Myeongil, Jeong-Hoon did not leave Lumen.

However, that didn’t mean he just played around. He was trained by Butler Joo and learned manners under Jung Yi-Young.

The seal and the barrier. He learned about the identity of the householder who maintained and repaired their household.

 

“In the distant past, monsters naturally existed on Earth, and forces such as magic and martial arts existed.”

 

“I already heard about that.”

 

“And it was the first lord of the household who transformed that world into what it is now.”

 

“Oh, if it’s the first, then it’s my distant ancestor, isn’t it? How many years ago was that?”

 

“My Lord, you are currently the 238th. The average length of a lord’s reign is about 18 years.”

 

It was questionable why a term used for the length of a king’s rule was used for a householder’s, but it didn’t matter.

More than that, the fact that there were 237 householders before him, was important.

“Then it’s been about 4,266 years. It was less than 100 years after Korea made its first settlement.”

Jeong-Hoon, who calculated the year, was slightly admired as he responded.

It is quite an interesting story that the family has existed since the time when even records were not properly left.

 

“I don’t know about the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, but the history after that was shared, so this is a family that shared history with the Korean people, right?”

“…It’s only been a little over 600 years since we settled on this land. What’s important is that the first lady sealed the monster about 4,300 years ago.”

 

What is definitely important is the identity of the family and the previous head of the family, so Jeong-Hoon nodded.

The power to seal monsters did not only work on monsters, so all similar beings except humans were sealed, and humans lost transcendental powers such as magic and martial arts.

 

“The problem was that the seal was maintained around the descendants of the first lord, and also to only men.”

 

“Can that be a problem?”

 

“It’s a problem if the line of the direct descendant is cut off, and also because the world is dangerous.”

Therefore, the ‘family’ was established so that descendants could continue to exist.

 

After about 4,300 years, there was a problem.

Bad luck overlapped with each other and began to cut off the family line.

“So I’m the only direct descendant left after all, right?”

 

“That is correct. In the aftermath, the long-held seal was shaken and became the world today.”

 

“Isn’t the seal completely undone?”

 

“Not really. According to the family’s records, it was similar to the time when the first lord made the seal. But with more descendants the seal became stronger, thus monsters, magic, and martial arts became superstitions.”

 

In other words, the seal was maintained by the number of descendants. Jeong-Hoon nodded silently.

Unless there were other direct descendants that were yet to be known, the truth that a large number of monsters will pour out once Jeong-Hoon dies was heavier than expected.

 

“So if I’m alive, will the world stay this way anyway?”

 

“That is what we hope, but I believe it will be difficult.”

 

Ten years ago, dungeons and monsters appeared when the seal was temporarily released, and people began to go through awakening.

And as if it were not a temporary phenomenon, stronger monsters continued to emerge, and stronger awakened beings kept appearing.

The superpower of dungeons and awakeners is a transitional phenomenon that occurs as the seal is gradually released.

 

“In this order, the seal has already suffered a serious level of damage, but it hasn’t been completely released because my lord is still alive.”

 

“Even if it’s completely unsealed, only the number of monsters will increase, and there won’t be very strong monsters, right?”

 

“Would you believe me if I said that the orc lord, which we have defeated, isn’t the strongest of the orcs?”

 

Jeong-Hoon’s expression hardened when he heard that there were monsters stronger than orc lords scattered in the world.

It was easily suppressed by the power of the vassals, but it was only possible because they were the family’s vassals.

In the past, in China and in the United States, cities were destroyed when orc lords appeared.

 

“One comfort is that as time goes by, humanity gets stronger. The family is also well prepared for it.”

 

The establishment of the Hunter Association, and the transfer of magic and martial arts to talented hunters. Development of new technologies that are effective in dealing with monsters, etc. Recalling the businesses that the family was doing to protect the world, Jeong-Hoon nodded.

It is not just to protect the world, but to prepare for the future.

 

“Is there any way to restore the seal?”

 

“It is only a guess…”

 

“It’s alright, so please tell me. If it’s a means to do it, I’ll do it.”

When Jeong-Hoon, who was interested in repairing the seal, asked, Butler Joo had a troubled expression.

However, his eyes soon sparkled as if he was determined by Jeong-Hoon’s words.

“The method is for my lord to quickly marry and have a lot of sons. However, if you are reluctant to marry, you can be a libertine. What do you think?”

 

“… Even if it’s for the world, I don’t think I can do it even if I try, so I’ll just give up.”

 

Realizing why Butler Joo was worried, Jeong-Hoon shook his head and expressed his intention to refuse.

Perhaps if Jeong-Hoon showed a bit of a lustful disposition, Butler Joo would have recommended it right away.

However, he had given up because there was no such sign.

 

“I knew you would say that. So let us focus on preparing for the future.”

 

“Yes, let’s do that.”

At Butler Joo’s recommendation, Jeong-Hoon nodded and paid attention to the next schedule.

The ability to have authority over the family was acquired after obtaining Myeongil Hospital.

Now, it was on schedule to pass on magic or martial arts skills to S-Class hunters or talented hunters.