Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Moon Seongmo.

Word had it that he was a prodigy who had trained at a renowned sushi restaurant in Japan and earned recognition for his skill.

Having also received high marks on Tabelog, Japan's restaurant ranking platform, he'd been celebrated as a promising young chef with a bright future.

This chef, who'd been expected to easily achieve two Michelin stars once he opened his own restaurant, had one day vanished without a trace from Ginza, the mecca of sushi.

He then opened a members-only sushi restaurant called Sushi Kenshin in Cheongdam-dong.

......That was the extent of what Eunseong knew about Moon Seongmo.

Before traveling back in time, Eunseong had become a revenge-obsessed ghost following the deaths of his parents, so fine dining hadn't been remotely on his mind.

He'd reinvested most of his earnings from Hunter work into purchasing equipment, and fighting was all he did.

'Getting a lot of surprises today.'

Eunseong chuckled inwardly.

First buying the Dragon-Summoning Censer and a Wish-Fulfilling Pearl at a department store, and now discovering that the chef at the sushi restaurant he'd brought his family to was an Ether user.

"I'll start by serving some warm tea."

A server who'd been waiting in the back brought out the tea.

"If there's any ingredient you can't eat or would prefer to avoid, please don't hesitate to let me know. If you'd like drinks, I'd be happy to make recommendations."

Once the course began, tsumami--small appetizer dishes--were served.

"I've steamed natural abalone for you. Please try it with the innard sauce and a touch of wasabi on the side. Today's wasabi is from Shizuoka. It's fragrant and sweet, so feel free to use plenty."

Eunseong ate the abalone half-heartedly, his attention fixed on Moon Seongmo's knife work.

'It's extremely subtle, but he's making minute adjustments to his Ether for each ingredient. Remarkable. I had no idea Ether could be handled with such fine precision.'

His admiration was genuine.

He'd simply never conceived of the idea of utilizing Ether in such a manner.......

"Oh my, oh my. This is delicious."

"It really is."

"I've never had food like this before."

Park Yeongyeong, Eunha, and Ra Sihyeon marveled at each dish Moon Seongmo presented.

"Hmm. Could I trouble you for a glass of beer?"

"Right away, sir."

Even Cha Geunwoo, who'd been less than thrilled about coming to a high-end sushi restaurant out of his characteristic frugality, looked surprised as he ordered a beer.

'At least 5-Star, probably higher.'

Eunseong observed Moon Seongmo's fine-tuned Ether control and formed a rough estimate of his level.

'Either an Unregistered Awakened or a Hunter operating under a hidden identity.'

Since he had no intention of disturbing the daily life of someone quietly living while devoted to his craft, Eunseong decided not to say a word to Moon Seongmo.

In the world of Hunters, the floor was small enough that people destined to cross paths would cross paths one way or another.

After the meal.

"I hope to see you again. Thank you for visiting."

Moon Seongmo came out to the entrance to see Eunseong's group off, bowing at a full ninety degrees.

'That was genuinely delicious. I should come back regularly.'

Suspicions aside, Eunseong was sincerely captivated by Moon Seongmo's culinary skill.

The meal price of a million won per person was atrocious, though.......

- A swordsman.

The Card Spirit of the [Red Moon] card whispered.

'A swordsman? How can you tell?'

- From the way he handles a blade to his stride. He is no ordinary cook. That man is a formidable practitioner.

'Really......?'

- If your swordsmanship is closer to brute-force military bladework, that man's is likely a school of controlled, razor-sharp precision.

'How would you know that? You haven't even seen him directly.'

- One sees only as much as one knows.

'That doesn't even make sen-- ah, actually, maybe it does.'

Eunseong was about to argue but found himself agreeing with the [Red Moon] card's point.

After all, hadn't other Hunters failed to recognize the Dragon-Summoning Censer and the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl's value, selling them off as mere antiques?

SCREECH--!

The moment Eunseong's group pulled away, a black Rolls-Royce came to a stop in front of the restaurant.

"Would you be Chef Moon Seongmo?"

A hulking man stepped out and called to Moon Seongmo, who'd been heading back inside.

"Yes, I'm Moon Seongmo, but......"

"I'm here from the Incheon Union. Pardon the intrusion, but might we have a word?"

FLINCH--!

Eunseong's shoulders stiffened.

'Incheon Union?'

Eunseong's eyes flashed sharply.

What was an Incheon Union operative doing all the way out in Cheongdam-dong?

'Helkiyan.'

- Yes, Master.

'Look into it if you can. If you think you'll get caught, pull out immediately.'

- Understood.

Helkiyan transformed into one of Sushi Kenshin's staff and slipped in through the restaurant's back door.

***

Having spent a rare, enjoyable evening with his family before heading home, Eunseong browsed Hunter Link to gauge the mood among Hunters.

"Same as always."

Nothing had particularly changed.

Users were still debating back and forth over the identity of Supernova, the mysterious 10-Star Hunter.

The next hottest topic was, unsurprisingly, the Golden Sun Gate scandal in South Korea.

But unlike the public reaction, the response from Hunter Link users was surprisingly lukewarm.

[Anonymous] This kind of thing happens all the time in China.

[Anonymous] In South America, this was everyday life even before the Transference Crisis.

[Anonymous] And here I thought Korea was still safe. Guess not.

Because Hunter Link was a global community of Hunters, many of its users were accustomed to human trafficking by criminal organizations.

Most Koreans might not fully realize it, but even before the Transference Crisis, the world hadn't exactly been a beautiful place.

The Middle East went without saying, and across Africa, South America, Eastern Europe, and beyond--

Drug trafficking, human trafficking, and murder had long since ceased to be anything novel around the world.

It was only because South Korea had been an unusually safe country that these things stood out all the more.

'Fair enough.'

Eunseong nodded, thinking about other countries' situations.

In Eastern European nations like Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania, it was far from unusual for mafias to have seized control of the entire country.......

"Hmm."

Eunseong's gaze alternated between the community posts and a calendar.

'I need to raise Supernova's Credibility a bit more. And the timing's almost right.'

Eunseong began typing a post about an approaching catastrophe on the anonymous board.

Not as Cha Eunseong--but as Supernova, the mysterious 10-Star Hunter.......

[Post has been submitted.]

The contents were as follows:

[Approaching Calamity 2]

-33.86, 151.20

Large-Scale Transference Phenomenon expected in the near future.

Extreme cold.

Everything freezes.

Evacuation from the area is strongly advised.

As Eunseong recalled, a Large-Scale Transference Phenomenon had struck Sydney around this time, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

The primary cause of death was hypothermia.

A brutal cold snap of minus thirty degrees Celsius had descended, and the entire city froze solid.

After that day, Sydney became a city of the frozen dead.

One that no one could approach.......

[A comment has been posted.]

[A comment has been posted.]

[A comment has been posted.]

......

[A comment has been posted.]

A flood of comments appeared the moment the post went up, but Eunseong cleanly ignored them all.

"......Those who'll listen will survive."

A bitter mutter escaped Eunseong's lips.

This was the best he could do.

The choice would fall to the Hunter Link users, the Australian government, and the people living in Sydney.

Knock, knock.

Helkiyan, wearing Eunseong's appearance, opened the door with a knock and entered.

"I'm back, Master."

"What was it?"

"Nothing major. A proposal to hire him as the dedicated Japanese cuisine chef at Paragon City."

"The man really thinks he's an emperor."

Eunseong scoffed.

Dragging a sushi master like Moon Seongmo away to use as a personal cook.

"Who does he think he is, Kim Jong-il?"

Eunseong recalled how North Korea's second-generation dictator Kim Jong-il had kept Fujimoto Kenji as his personal chef.

He'd heard about it during a security education session as an Officer Candidate.

"And Chef Moon's response? Obviously he......"

"Yes, he refused."

"Was that the end of it?"

"They asked if he could at least come on a catering basis if hiring wasn't possible, but he turned that down too."

"Of course he did. Even if it were Baek Dohyeok's grandfather asking, the answer would've been no."

Eunseong smirked, unsurprised.

As the best sushi master in South Korea, Chef Moon Seongmo's network had to be enormous.

Considering the caliber of people who frequented Sushi Kenshin on a regular basis, the answer was already obvious.

"The Incheon Union just backed off? Surely not."

"Of course not. They made veiled threats about watching his back at night, or that they could smash his restaurant to pieces--that sort of pressure."

"And Chef Moon didn't bat an eye, I'm guessing."

"Correct."

"From what you've described, the chances of the Incheon Union knowing Chef Moon is an Ether user are virtually zero. It's safe to say they approached him purely for his culinary skill."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Good work."

"What do you intend to do?"

"What's there to do?"

Eunseong spoke as if the mere thought exhausted him.

"Getting entangled with the Incheon Union only causes me problems. I'm already walking a tightrope as it is, so there's no reason to stick my nose in. It's not my business anyway."

"A wise approach."

"Still, I'll keep an eye on it from time to time, just in case. Chef Moon does intrigue me, and sooner or later I'll end up clashing with Baek Dohyeok. When that time comes...... Chef Moon's role might prove useful."

A meaningful smile played on Eunseong's lips.

***

The next morning.

Having risen early to visit the swimming pool, Eunseong had a meal at the residents' dining hall and returned home.

"......Oh."

Eunseong's feet stopped.

An unwelcome conversation was drifting from the living room.

"Admiral Cha certainly raised one hell of a son. I'm envious."

"You flatter me, Minister. Ha ha."

The instant Eunseong instinctively stepped back to close the front door--

"There you are."

Major Im appeared behind him, blocking his escape.

"Major Im......?"

"As of today, I've been promoted to Major."

Major Im--no longer Captain Im--flashed a grin.

"Please go on in. The Minister is waiting."

"......Ha."

"He's been waiting nearly an hour. You weren't answering your phone."

A glint of reproach appeared in Major Im's eyes.

"I-I wasn't ignoring it on purpose."

Eunseong felt wronged.

He'd simply left his phone behind.......

And Minister or not, who shows up at the crack of dawn?

"You can't seriously be thinking of standing up the Minister when he's come to see you in person?"

"I don't see why not."

The instant Major Im's face contorted--

"What are you doing? Get over here and pay your respects."

Eunseong's father, Cha Geunwoo, poked his head around the corner.

"......Yes, sir."

Eunseong reluctantly answered.

'Just you wait.'

Inwardly, he seethed.

Using his father's friendship as leverage--how underhanded.

'He really is someone I can't let my guard down around. Sly as a fox.'

Eunseong's wariness toward Minister Ahn deepened another notch.